The Madden Brothers have been singled out by former NRL player and Shinobi frontman Eric Grothe Jr to help save the ailing Annandale Hotel. As reported by The Telegraph, Grothe is appealing to twins Benji and Joel, whose recent marketing campaigns have portrayed the brothers as local Sydneysiders.
Grothe called upon the brothers for aid via his Twitter account, with a relentless and still ongoing campaign that spawned the hashtag #maddendalehotel.
When speaking with the Telegraph’s Confidential, Grothe explained that the Madden’s celebrity could help bring exposure to the Annandale’s plight.
“I just thought that if they claim to be Sydneysiders and they care about music then maybe they should help get behind one of the most iconic Australian live music venues,” Grothe informed Confidential. “I know they are really nice, really down to earth guys and I know they like good bands even though their kind of music is a bit more commercial.”
“I just think they should try and use their influence for something that could make a huge difference to the Sydney music scene,” Grothe added.
Grothe’s characterisation of the Madden brothers as ‘really nice down to earth guys’ stands in stark contrast to AJ Maddah’s recent comments, but nevertheless Grothe’s efforts have reached at least Joel, who retweeted in support of the Annandale.
It’s unclear whether the Annandale owners, brothers Dan and Matt Rule, want the help of The Madden Brothers, with no acknowledgement of Grothe’s campaign on either the Annandale’s Facebook page or Twitter account.
Whatever the case, and whatever the alternative music community’s opinion on the Madden brothers, Grothe’s efforts to garner support for one of Sydney’s most storied live music venues should be admired.
Dear @benjaminmadden and @joelmadden … PLEASE…for the love of every Aussie band, please save “The Annandale Hotel” #maddendalehotel
— S H I N O B I (@EricGrotheJnr) February 13, 2013
If you’ve ever been to @annandalehotel please RT this to help keep it alive! @shinobimusic @joelmadden@benjaminmadden #maddendalehotel
— S H I N O B I (@EricGrotheJnr) February 13, 2013
