Artist Managers Aidan McLaren, Joe Miles & Rhett McLaren of The Hills Are Alive Group Launch ‘Weird Fishes’
After more than a decade of managing artists in a strategic partnership with UNIFIED Music Group, Aidan McLaren, Joe Miles and Rhett McLaren have launched a new independent artist management company, Weird Fishes.
The Weird Fishes management team kicks off with an impressive roster, including Australian staples; Boy & Bear, The Dreggs, Pete Murray, Steph Strings and Tim Hart, all of whom are currently experiencing significant periods of growth in their careers.
Boy & Bear are one of Australia’s premiere alt/indie acts. With multiple number 1 albums, 5 consecutive top 10 albums, the band are selling more headline tickets in their career than ever before.
The Dreggs are one of the fastest rising acts in the country. Snagging the coveted triple j feature album this week, the most played Like a Version of any Australian act this year, playing the upcoming Spilt Milk and Strumming Bird touring festivals, as well as embarking on their own debut North American headline tour along with returning to the UK/EU for headline shows in September and October.
Pete Murray is a national icon. He’s sold over 1.2 million albums and is currently in the middle of a 57-date Australian tour that has already sold 35,000 tickets.
Steph Strings has amassed over 1 million social followers and is selling out headline shows and playing festivals all over the world. Stay tuned for her debut album that is coming soon.
Tim Hart is a singer-songwriter-producer (and a founding member of Boy & Bear). His stunning ‘Parasol’ EP was released last week and he continues his reputation as one of the country’s best indie/folk creators.
Mike Waters is a Grammy award winning singer songwriter whose own releases and co-writes have amassed over half a billion streams.
In a joint statement the Weird Fishes founders expressed excitement for the new venture, “We are incredibly excited to launch Weird Fishes and for this next chapter in our journey. We wholeheartedly believe in the unique talent, audience-connection and growth-potential of each of the acts we represent, both locally and internationally, and are excited for what the future holds.”
In addition to Artist Management, the McLaren brothers and Joe Miles are the driving-force behind The Hills Are Alive Group and much-loved music festivals, NYE on the Hill and Ocean Sounds. Now in their 12th and 7th years running, these festivals have become known for putting world class Australian acts on their stages, including The Teskey Brothers, Ocean Alley, Dope Lemon, Courtney Barnet, Royel Otis, Genesis Owusu, Tkay Maidza, Ball Park Music, Tash Sultana, Vance Joy, Dean Lewis, Tones & I, Angie McMahon, Amy Shark and more.
Through their partnership with Jaddan Comerford, and as co-founders in Red Hill Entertainment, Rhett and Aidan were also instrumental in the creation and running of the iconic UNIFY Gathering Festival as well as Gippsland Country Music Festival.
Showing gratitude for their time with Unified Music Group, the Weird Fishes collective share, “Partnering with UNIFIED over the past decade has been nothing short of inspirational, and allowed us to take this step on our own. The friendships and memories we have created there will last a lifetime and we look forward to further collaborating together as our artists continue to work across many different parts of the group.
And on their future, “we’re hyped for our new adventures and challenges, and are so thrilled to be stepping out on our own. We cannot wait to see what the future holds – we’re here to continue to work hard and rep our artists with heart, passion and experience”.
For more information, visit weirdfishesmusic.com.