ABOUT US
Tuff Palace is a music booking agency based out of Wollongong, NSW.
We predominately work with venues to help them deliver events that hold attention and draw people in from near and far.
Our work is built on creativity and collaboration. We specialise in music, art and live entertainment and we conceptualise and execute all kinds of experiences, from the large-scale to the more intimate or obscure. Depending on your venues objectives, we can curate and program one-off events or develop an ongoing series’ of regular high-quality entertainment.
We are regionally passionate and dedicated to fostering community through culture.
Get in touch to find out more about how we can help you. We’d love to hear from you.
Jimmy Sherley, Tuff Palace Founder and Creative Director.
Jimmy has spent the past decade building a successful career across music, culture and live performance.
Formerly a Senior Booking Agent for Wollongong’s premier music festival and booking agency, Yours and Owls, Jimmy oversaw the music programming for venues including Wollongong’s UniBar, Dicey Rileys Hotel, Rad, La La La’s and Canberra’s Kambri @ ANU. He was integral to the development of the staple weekly Y&O Sundays at North Gong Hotel as well as the programming for their annual large-scale events, Yours & Owls Festival & Farmer and the Owl Festival. In his time at Yours & Owls, acclaimed local and international acts rolled through their venues including Tash Sultana, Tones & I, Amy Shark, PNAU, Peking Duk, Rufus Du Sol, Flight Facilities, Kurt Vile (US) & Ocean Alley.
As well as the big stuff, Jimmy has a keen eye for grassroots culture and a passion for delivering intimate and unique experiences. He has co-founded brands such as Strawberry Boogie and Jacuzzi Stu to profile Wollongong’s emerging creative culture and community, delivering events spanning across genres and subcultures, and collaborating with the likes of Sydney Fringe Festival, Vice & Heaps Gay,
Over the course of his career, Jimmy has worked across many facets of the music industry: as contributing Music Editor for Sydney-based culture publication Backyard Opera; band manager; stage manager; music licencing; venue liaison, and label assistant for independent record label Farmer & the Owl. Jimmy has cultivated a deep understanding of the music industry and an innate ability to envision how community and culture can intersect. He has been invited to present talks and speak on panels for Music NSW, developed community engagement programs for major festivals and launched and activated many venues into established music and culture houses.
Based out of Port Kembla NSW, Jimmy is passionate about the local area and activating regional towns and venues across Australia.