Overview
It's always an exciting time when Melbourne Music Week (MMW) unveils a fresh program, heralding the many diverse sonic offerings set to take over the city during its annual celebration of music. But this year's reveal comes with an extra layer of anticipation, as it follows off the back of a year heavy on lockdowns. But oh boy, is MMW 2021 living up to the hype.
Running from Friday, December 3–Sunday, December 12, this year's edition of MMW is set to deliver a hefty lineup of close to 70 events, featuring over 300 artists. As always, the celebrations will unfold right across the city, with 23 different venues involved.
MMW's opening night Wominjeka festivities will take over the newly launched MPavilion, with a lineup curated by Noongar woman and artist Bumpy. Hitting the stage, you'll catch Emma Donovan & The Putbacks, Squid Nebula, Kee'ahn, the Murrundaya Yepengna Dance Troupe and more.
Press Club
The return of the ever-popular Live Music Safari will see more than 70 live acts and DJs get back to doing their thing, gracing stages at 12 beloved venues for a full day and evening of glorious free gigs. Think, Press Club, Kylie Auldist, Soju Gang, DJ Jnett and others. Meanwhile, across eight huge nights, Max Watts plays host to the MMW Club showcase, featuring unmissable shows from the likes of Carl Cox, Akosia, Pinch Points and Billy Davis.
A tasty array of big-name headline shows is also on the menu, with Camp Cope darling Georgia Maq descending on the Melbourne Museum for a night of blissed-out pop; Butter Sessions and Research Records hosting a genre-bending electronic showcase at The Forum; and Lucianblomkamp hitting The Capitol to show off some of his latest and greatest collaborations.
Elsewhere in the program, the Carlton International Jazz Festival takes over Colour Club, a series of panel discussions deep-dives into various aspects of music production, and a live set from Alex Albrecht soundtracks a morning of guided mindfulness and yoga at MPavilion. And for the night owls, the Kick Ons series will fire up Sub Club for some much-deserved after-party gigs, featuring late-night jams from some of your favourite MMW acts.
Melbourne Music Week 2021 will run from December 3–December 12 at various locations across the city. To check out the full program and buy tickets, see the website.