The promoter who sold a fake Mark Ronson gig to a Perth nightclub has fallen into some seriously hot water. As Community News reports, the management of the Matisse Beach Club are working with the Major Fraud Squad to resolve the incident which left hundreds of punters disappointed.
As Tone Deaf reported last month, scores of Perth punters spent up to $1,100 on tickets and hospitality packages to Matisse Beach Club’s Winter Funk Fest, which went down at the Scarborough venue during Splendour In The Grass weekend in July, after organisers advertised a feature DJ set from Mark Ronson.
But the producer, who was in Byron Bay performing at Splendour In The Grass, never arrived. Moments before doors opened, the club issued an apology via the event’s Facebook listing, claiming Ronson’s promoter had informed organisers that “he is unable to make it to our Winter Funk Fest tonight”.
The organisers cited “unforeseen logistical issues getting back to Perth from Byron Bay today”, adding, “This is completely out of our control but we are doing everything we can to ensure that our customers are looked after tonight & moving forward.”
“We are working with Ronson’s promoter on a possible reschedule. All ticket holders will receive a ticket to this new event or applicable refund, regardless of attending tonight.”
However, it soon became apparent that Ronson was never going to appear. Ronson, who’d played a well-received gig at Metro City in Northbridge on Wednesday, took to social media to lambast the “shady” promoters of the event, saying he had no knowledge of the “fake gig”.
“Perth, [one] of my fave cities in the world! A promoter falsely advertised I’m DJing a club [tonight]. COMPLETE BS. Truly sorry if [anyone] bought tix,” Ronson wrote on Twitter, later urging fans to seek refunds.
Angry fans soon flooded social media, calling for refunds and encouraging others to boycott the venue. “I wasn’t confident a refund would be issued, so we went down to the venue and at least redeemed the package we had purchased,” Lara Hyams told the Sydney Morning Herald.
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While punters who purchased tickets to the Winter Funk Fest are understandably upset, Ronson promised that any Perth resident “who shows a ticket from that fake gig” can attend his next Perth performance for free. Now, Matisse Beach Club management are seeking their own restitution.
A spokeswoman told Community News the club had incurred a substantial loss from the event, after all tickets purchased were automatically refunded in full. According to the spokeswoman, the club’s management had signed a contract with a third party agent to secure the Ronson performance.
“Matisse is in possession of a signed contract booking agreement for this performance with a third party agent and has engaged the assistance of the Major Fraud Squad of the West Australian Police for this matter and therefore cannot comment while this is under investigation,” she said.
