Renegade Events’ Hannah Moltoni turns up the volume with launch of new Perth events company
New rock music events company Renegade Events are ready to launch in Perth with a party at The Rechabite on Friday, March 24. Live favourites The Southern River Band will headline the celebration with support from garage rock five-piece Ra Ra Viper. Ahead of an exciting new chapter on the local scene, BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with Renegade Events Director Hannah Moltoni to find out the story behind the company, the important cause it will support, and why Perth live music fans should “buckle up” for some exciting times ahead.
It must be exciting to be launching Renegade Events in Perth? How long has this been in the works for?
Yeah, it’s very exciting! And a little terrifying (laughs).
After living in London for a few years, where they absolutely nail the festival scene – all over Europe really – I was bit underwhelmed when I moved back to Sydney in 2014. I felt like the music scene was lacking something fierce. The big festivals, like the Big Day Out, had shut up shop and there didn’t seem to be much of a platform for new, local rock bands. At least, there wasn’t anything that I got super excited about. I guess, like anything else, there are trends and maybe rock ‘n’ roll was bit out of fashion or something?
But deciding to create my own company is very new.
Your passion for music goes back a long way. How was that formed in the early days?
My dad was a drummer and a huge musical influence for me; Deep Purple, Dire Straits, Beatles and plenty of others from around then are some of my favourite bands. I have a pretty varied taste in music but rock, from the 70s, 80s and 90s, is definitely, firmly at the heart of it. Growing up we all played various instruments as well so music was always a big part of my life.
I met Panther at Mojos in my late teens. He was absolutely awesome, he became a good friend and he really encouraged my interest in live music from a sound/production perspective. Through him I met some brilliant musicians and was just hanging out amongst the local music scene. Watching someone create music is just mind-blowing to me so it was a really inspiring and exciting time of my life.
Your career in the music industry has taken you to some interesting places, and no doubt you have crossed paths with some interesting people too! What have been some of the highlights?
Yes it certainly has! Plenty that I will keep to myself but it was pretty cool being able to set my dad up FOH for Neil Young.
As a teenager, Rage Against the Machine was one of my favourite bands and they were headlining my first year working at the Big Day Out so that was a bit of a surreal week or so – working and socialising with Zack De La Rocha and Tom Morello.
I had a really good heart to heart with Billy Bragg about just going for it and having a shot, which always stuck with me. Maybe I can blame his pep talk if this doesn’t work out (laughs).
I also had the privilege of working with John Vasey and Bob Johnson who took me under their wings a bit and did a few shows and tours with them. They’re absolute legends who have worked with some epic bands. I was talking to Vasey about a Deep Purple concert I went to with my Dad when I was a teenager and turns out he was the tour manager. I learnt a lot from both of them.
When did you decide to turn that passion into something more? What was it that made you want to start your own event company Renegade Events?
To me, there’s nothing like live music. Watching bands you love, playing music you love… the energy is awesome. The crowd’s on the biggest high, hugging complete randoms and yelling lyrics into each other’s face. You make these momentary connections with people you’ll never see again, that last a moment, but you remember forever. And every time you hear that song, you’re right back there at that show. And festivals totally level up. The excitement and energy is off the charts. I love that.
Recently, talking to younger people who never got to experience festivals like the Big Day Out, Somersault etc, they really missed out on something special. I want to bring that back and really give local artists a platform to shine.
Also, I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how people over 30 often feel out of place at events, and to be honest, I can see why. It seems like most marketing and events are geared towards those in their 20s, leaving limited options for those in their 30s and beyond to attend events that they’re really pumped about without feeling out of place.
I didn’t feel there was a lot of new rock music being produced or wasn’t really getting promoted and while there’s a lot of cool stuff going on, there’s a gaping hole in the rock band community and there’s not really a good rock festival in Perth. I kind of thought it was just me being too old school but the more people I spoke to about it, I realised there is a huge community out there feeling the same way. Ultimately, the company came about because there was nothing out there that ticked all the boxes for me, or a lot of the people I spoke to. So I thought “why not give it a shot myself?”
Despite offering music fans with entertaining events to go to, there is a good cause behind it all too?
Yes! Creating the company to align with a cause wasn’t the original idea but for years I’ve wanted to organise a concert to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s Disease research, which is very close to my heart as both my brother and dad suffer with PD. My brother was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s Disease in 2009 when he was 29. He has a rare, aggressive form of PD that affects both sides of his brain, which made it challenging to find an effective treatment. He went from being the life of the party, always go, go, go, super active, big plans, to being frozen. He couldn’t play with his kids, needed help eating, dressing, everything. On bad days, it could take him hours just to get to the toilet.
Often when I visited he’d ask me to lift his hand to his face so he could scratch it. How long had the guy been sitting there wanting to scratch an itch!? When he was in bed, his toes would burn from the sheets because he couldn’t roll over or shift around. He was really, really depressed for a really long time. Some times I would sit with him and I knew I was on suicide watch. He could barely sleep but when he did, from the second he opened his eyes, everything was, and still is, hard work. It is so heartbreaking to watch someone you love go through these changes and deal with these challenges.
This is such a small thing in the scheme of it but it always upsets me on days when he can’t get his words out. He’s such a funny, quick-witted guy and you can see he’s got some smart arse comment but y’know, jokes are all in the timing. He’ll try for a bit then the moments gone and you can see him deflate.
A few years ago he had brain surgery to get a Deep Brain Stimulator put in and got quite a bit of movement back but every moment for him is hard, tiresome and frustrating. He still needs a lot of help and he’s in a wheelchair quite a bit or at least using a cane. He lost a lot, not just in movement and independence but also the future he had envisaged for himself and his family. The kind of dad he would be, the things he’d teach and do with his kids. That’s a huge adjustment. A massive knock to overcome, to accept a new normal and a new version of yourself. No one can tell you how long that should take or how to get there. I think if people knew more about PD, and the myriad of symptoms and that they present differently in everyone, there’d be more support and less judgement.
My dad was diagnosed with PD a few years ago. Fortunately, his condition is progressing a lot slower than Leigh’s did but he has a pretty constant tremor and other less noticeable symptoms. It’s exhausting for him and you worry about the future.
The side effects for some of the medications are absolutely shocking. It’s baffling to me that they’re legal. There is a lot of research going on for a cure and better treatments but they need constant funding to continue. And sufferers need more understanding, support and tolerance. I want to create a platform to raise funds and generate support for research into Parkinson’s Disease, as well as increase public knowledge about the condition.
As for the shows themselves, how would you say Renegade Events are different from others? What would you say is unique about about a show put on by Renegade Events?
I love surprising people and creating moments that are a little bit special or unexpected. Give them something extra that makes a good time, a great time.
Perth has an impressive pool of musicians, and my goal with Renegade Events is to showcase emerging local talent alongside international stars. Whether it’s a small, intimate gig or a larger event, Renegade Events will always feature great music at cool venues with an added element of surprise. I want to create the ultimate live music experience that brings people, all people, together in a way that’s unforgettable, and surprising.
And more specifically, what do you have coming up that we can look forward to?
I’ve really been focusing on the Renegade Events launch concert at The Rechabite on Friday, March 24 this month which is going to be an insane night of rock ‘n’ roll and, of course, a few surprises!
We’re so stoked to have The Southern River Band headlining for us. They’re great musicians, absolute lads and put on a great show. Supporting them is Ra Ra Viper, who are on the up and up. They’re a five piece indie-rock band and really bring the energy to their performances. And opening the night is Sprinter, a relatively new four piece, psychedelic rock band, with a great sound. If you haven’t heard them yet, check them all out on Spotify and come see them live at the launch concert – loving what they’re doing! And I shouldn’t need to, but I do feel compelled to mention that Sprinter have an exceptional female guitarist, Madison Hanley, which I love! I’m super, super keen to promote and support female artists.
We’ll update our socials and mailouts so subscribe, like and follow to stay in the loop. If anyone wants more info or to suggest any bands or artists that should be getting a look in, shoot me an email.
So buckle up! There’s a lot to look forward to and we’re just getting started!