AFL Slammed By Pretty Much Everyone For Not Naming Aussie Artists On Grand Final Lineup

The AFL has come under rapid fire since unveiling the full lineup for its 2015 Grand Final spectacular yesterday.

For those who missed the news, as our bros at Crave reported, all of your mum’s favourite international acts have been booked to play the big decider. But not one single homegrown artist made the cut.

Among critics of the all-international lineup, which features new X Factor Judge Chris Isaak, British electro-pop star Ellie Goulding and your mum’s teenage crush Bryan Adams, Music Victoria has publicly slammed the AFL for its lack of support for local talent, declaring that “a national event in a world leading music city such as Melbourne should include at least one upcoming or established Australian artist.”

“Where are the Victorian bands?” the peak industry body demanded to know via a Facebook post. “Hunters & Collectors, The Temper Trap and Birds of Tokyo all went down well in recent years.”

Music Vic then went on to suggest the likes of Courtney Barnett, Cold Chisel, The Smith Street Band, Sia or Grinspoon as solid Aussie options for the game day performance.

Triple j mornings presenter Zan Rowe also had some not-so-happy-Jan things to say to the footy code since yesterday’s announcement, taking to Twitter to express her own disappointment: “I still don’t get why Australian bands don’t headline the #AFLGF,” she posted. “Seriously. It doesn’t make sense.”

I still don't get why Australian bands don't headline the #AFLGF. Seriously. It doesn't make sense. https://t.co/DdSHETIrpY

— Double J Mornings (@doublejmornings) September 7, 2015

In a follow-up post on Instagram, Rowe added: “No local bands for the #AFLGF is inexcusable and just plain odd. We’re in a golden age of Australian music. Try harder Gillon!” referring to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan.

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A post shared by Zan Rowe (@zanrowe)

The AFL’s decision to blue-ball Aussie artists from sharing a piece of the Grand Final action also flies in the face of a high-profile petition that began circling early in the 2015 season, calling on the code to #rockthegranny with more Aussie acts.

The Change.org petition, entitled “Make the AFL Grand final pre-match entertainment homegrown again”, has garnered over 1,200 signatures since it launched back in April, laying down the gauntlet to the AFL to book local rockers Pond, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Bad//Dreems to play at this year’s season-ending match.

After all of his hard work on the campaign, petition mastermind Leigh Ryan has also chimed in with his two cents on this week’s AFL Grand Final lineup announcement and, unsurprisingly, he’s well pissed.

“Really AFL? This sounds like a bad joke… A Canadian, an American and a Brit? (All who have probably never watched an AFL game in their life). What happened to this being Australia’s game?” he posted on Facebook.

Ryan also confirmed that, despite the AFL being “aware” of his campaign and him reaching out to them a number of times for a response over the past few month, he never heard back.

The AFL did enjoy a brief love affair with Aussie artists, including The Temper Trap and Birds Of Tokyo, in 2012 and 2013, after Meat Loaf’s infamous 2011 performance left a taste more sour than MCG tap beer in most punters’ mouths.

But fear not, if Isaak, Goulding and Adams don’t rocket your handball, then the AFL have also tapped English singer James Blunt to perform during the Brownlow medal count and hard rock dynamos KISS to play during the AFL Footy Show’s Grand Final special, so that should – oh, wait, no they’re not Australian either, are they?

And in case the AFL are already beginning to lay plans for next year’s event, we hear Meat Loaf is actually keen to come back to perform in Australia again?

#Neverforget

Watch: Meat Loaf’s 2011 AFL Grand Final Performance