In what artists have slammed as a glaring double standard, while singing and dancing is banned at nightclubs, pubs, bars, and entertainment facilities, large religious gatherings are able go ahead with members of the congregation belting out hymns.Dancing is also still permitted at weddings.The exemptions have led to musicians including rapper Illy and indie band The Jungle Giants lashing out at the NSW government and vowing to form their own church to get around the rules.NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet reintroduced restrictions across the state on Friday as the highly-contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to spread, with the rules set to last until January 27. Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant explained that the virus spreads easier on dance floors, with the department defending the decision to make allowances for religious settings.“Singing and dancing in hospitality venues and nightclubs is deemed high risk due to increased movement and mingling within and across these venues, the influence of alcohol consumption, and the removal of masks in these settings to consume food and drink,” a spokesperson said.“People attending religious services generally remain in fixed positions and masks are mandatory for these indoor gatherings.”It’s been a bitter pill to swallow for the live music industry which has suffered immensely throughout the pandemic.Australian rapper Illy expressed his frustration in an Instagram post on Wednesday night.“You can postpone all our festivals and gigs, you can say no dancing in clubs for the next 50 years, and you can make singing and shouting in public illegal except in sermons and the cricket for some reason,” the 35-year-old wrote.“But no matter how bulls**t you make the rules, you will STILL never, ever, get me to join Hillsong,” he joked.The Papercuts hit maker followed up to clarify that he wasn’t “attacking religion”. “FYI I’m for everyone’s religious beliefs. The post is a joke, aimed at the latest horse s**t double standard the music industry is ONCE AGAIN having to face. Not attacking religion at all,” he wrote.Meanwhile, indie rockers The Jungle Giants tweeted a creative solution to the problem.“Thinking about starting a church in NSW so we can play some gigs. Who’s in?” they wrote, garnering support from singer Bec Sandridge and band Holy Holy.It comes after Grapevine Gathering music festival in the Hunter Valley was cancelled on Wednesday, just four days before it was set to take place. Organisers are now faced with refunding 16,000 tickets to music lovers hoping to catch major acts including Peking Duk, The Veronicas and San Cisco. They said the forced cancellation would cost the hard-hit tourism hotspot about $5.2 million in lost revenue, as well as 1,400 jobs.A statement posted to Grapevine Gathering Instagram page read: “We are deeply sorry this news come at the final hour. We understand many of you have had travel plants and arrangements locked in for some time.“This is a devastating blow not only to the live music industry. But also to regional tourism. A projected loss of over $5.2 million to the greater Hunter Valley region is expected from this cancellation. “Over 1400 jobs are now lost across our artists, food vendors, security, production, crew ticketing staff and more who were deep in preparation for the weekend.”
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