Aussie artist Amy Shark puts Dan Andrews on blast after Foo Fighters concert announcement

Dan Andrews has come under fire for promoting an international act while Aussie artists are still struggling to get back on their feet after the pandemic.

Iconic Aussie musician Amy Shark has called out Victorian Premier Dan Andrews after he made an embarrassing omission in a tweet about an upcoming gig with international band Foo Fighters.

The Victorian Premier said the live event, the first to be held at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium, would be “the biggest celebration of live music anywhere in Australia”.

Set to go ahead on March 4, he said it would be “the biggest gig Australia has seen in two years”.

While his excitement for the act, fronted by Dave Grohl, was obvious, Amy Shark took issue with his silence on a performance she has scheduled for the same night at Rod Laver Arena.

“Ummmm hi‍️ I’m playing that night too! My names Amy Shark I’m an Aussie artist playing Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Cheers Dan,” her retweet read.

Dave Grohl will front Foo Fighters’ Geelong performance in Geelong next Friday. Picture: Rich Fury/Getty Images

She also called on Mr Andrews to “share the love” with homegrown acts in her reply, highlighting the disastrous affect of the pandemic on the local entertainment industry.

“I love the Foo Fighters n I’m pumped internationals are back, it’s what the industry needs. But c’mon Dan, share the love with Australian artists too, especially for VIC shows,” she wrote.

An army of fans were quick to express their support for the I Said Hi singer, who along with other Melbourne-based artists has been unable to work for years due to Covid.

“Foo Fighters would have been financially fine during the pandemic. Give love to the artists who have had no income,” one person responded.

“Foo Fighters are great and all, but there should be recognition for artists who have sold out shows almost everywhere and who have come as far as you have in such a short amount of time,” another said.

Amy Shark called on Dan Andrews to ‘share the love’ with Aussie artists. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The Premier did mention Aussie artists in a subsequent tweet including Amyl and The Sniffers and The Meanies, which will support to Foo Fighters next week.

Victorian artists made their disapproval of the Premier’s coronavirus decisions clear on several occasions, with Australian music legend Tina Arena leading a barrage of criticism in September.

Arena delivered a heated interview on Studio 10, saying she had “really struggled” at the hands of Melbourne’s lockdown, which was the longest of any city in the world.

“I’ve had a very difficult time, like many people. I’m profoundly against being locked up – the injustice is too much,” she argued.

“I also hate the differentiation between sport and arts in Australia. As the artistic community, we will draw the line in the sand now and say, ‘No more of your double standards now’,” she continued.

“Sport is a great thing, but life is not just about sport, life is about art and culture … I would encourage the artistic community to come forward, and I’d encourage anybody else to start thinking straight now.”

Host Angela Bishop noted that various large scale music events had been cancelled at short notice during this pandemic, “but never the footy match”.

“That’s a categoric disrespect,” Arena said.

Amy Shark took issue with Dan Andrews spruiking an international act. Picture: Josie Hayden

The Foo Fighters also made headlines recently over its particularly gory horror film Studio 666, which will be in cinemas until the day before their Geelong gig.

The script is based on a story by Grohl who recently revealed the devastating toll his decades of performing has had on his hearing.

The 53-year-old told The Howard Stern Show he was practically “f***ing deaf” and had been predominantly relying on lip reading for the past 20 years.

He shared how his struggle had been heightened in the pandemic because face masks had covered people’s mouths.

“If you were sitting next to me right here at dinner, I wouldn’t understand a f***ing word you were saying to me, the whole f***ing time. There’s no way,” he told the host.

Despite the difficulty, Grohl has remained adamant he would not use in-ear monitors, which reduced the impact of surrounding sounds during live shows.

He argued they “remove” him from the “natural atmosphere sound”.

“I wanna hear the audience like, in front of me and I want to turn around be able to hear (drummer) Taylor (Hawkins) right there and go over here and hear (guitarist) Pat (Smear), and go over here and hear (guitarist) Chris (Shiflett) and stuff like that,” he said.

“It just messes with your spatial understanding of where you are on stage.”