“Hammer blows of fate” might be the best excuse anyone’s ever given for $18k worth of venue damage.
Australian art-rock provocateurs TISM have denied responsibility for nearly $19,000 worth of damage caused during their recent Sydney Opera House performances, instead pointing the finger at a Mahler symphony.
In a statement that feels perfectly on-brand for the masked chaos merchants, the group claimed they had nothing to do with the aftermath of their two sold-out anniversary shows in April.
“TSIM would like to strenuously deny responsibility for any damage to theSydney Opera House after their shows on Friday April 10 and Sunday April 12,” the statement read.
“TSIM do not know who is to blame, but we note that on Saturday April 11 Sir Donald Runnicles led the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in a dramatic performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony in the Concert Hall, featuring the legendary, pounding ‘hammer blows of fate’.
“Enough said.”
The statement arrives alongside the announcement of TISM’s first national headline tour in three decades, cheekily titled the No Mistakes Tour.
According to reports issued by the Sydney Opera House, the venue sustained $18,488.80 worth of damage during the band’s two Machiavelli and the Four Seasons anniversary performances in April.
A spokesperson for the Opera House confirmed to ABC that damage occurred to “a number of seats and sections of timber flooring” inside the Concert Hall during the April 10 show.
The report alleged audience members and performers had “walked and stood” on seats and armrests, while additional incidents including crowd surfing, “uncontrolled audience interaction” and spilled wine reportedly resulted in stains, breakages and misaligned seating rows.
Anyone remotely familiar with a TISM show probably won’t be shocked.
The performances were billed as once-in-a-lifetime events celebrating 30 years of Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, the band’s breakthrough 1995 album that spawned cult favourites like ‘Greg! The Stop Sign!!’ and ‘(He’ll Never Be An) Ol’ Man River’. The shows reportedly featured giant puppets, elaborate costumes and the kind of audience participation most venues would probably classify as a workplace hazard.
Now, after years of sporadic appearances and festival sets, TISM are taking the circus back around the country.
The No Mistakes Tour will hit Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Sydney later this year, alongside festival appearances at Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival and Darwin Festival.
TISM – No Mistakes Tour dates
July 10 – Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival, Adelaide
August 22 – Darwin Festival, Darwin
October 7 – Forum, Melbourne
October 8 – Forum, Melbourne
October 17 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
October 21 – Canberra Theatre, Canberra
October 24 – Metro City, Perth
October 30 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
October 31 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Early bird pre-sale tickets go on sale Friday May 22 at 11am AEST, with general sale beginning Monday May 25 at 11am AEST via David Roy Williams Touring.
