Six Gigs and Parties You Shouldn't Miss During Melbourne Music Week 2019
See a set in the sky, watch one of Melbourne's public art pieces become a sound work and party in the depths of Hamer Hall.
Six Gigs and Parties You Shouldn't Miss During Melbourne Music Week 2019
See a set in the sky, watch one of Melbourne's public art pieces become a sound work and party in the depths of Hamer Hall.
Like all the good things in life, Melbourne Music Week (MMW) — which is renowned for throwing gigs in unusual Melbourne venues — has proven it only gets better with age. And you can bet this annual celebration of Melbourne's world-class music scene has big things up its sleeve for its tenth anniversary edition.
Descending on the city from Friday, November 15, to Saturday, November 23, the festival of aural delights will this year pay tribute to some of the highlights of its first decade. The retrospective program that once again transforms unlikely spaces across the city into rollicking live music venues — like the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel cabins, St Paul's Cathedral and a secret space in Hamer Hall.
The program features heaps of parties, talks, pop-ups and over 100 free gigs and performances, with lots of local and international talent. To help you make your way through the program, we've picked out six events to start you off. Lots of them are free (or pretty affordable) and all of them will be a fun time. Plus, make sure you schedule in a visit to the MMW hub which is a throwback to its immersive glowing pop-up venue from 2011, Kubik.
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The 39 upturned Federation Bells have been synonymous with Birrarung Marr’s Middle Terrace since they were installed back in 2001, playing a variety of compositions across an evolving weekly program. Now, the public sound sculpture will get a different kind of workout for MMW, at the hands of electronic producer Elisabeth Dixon, on Friday, November 15.
Set to soundtrack a free openair dance party at Middle Terrace as part of this year’s Night Noodle Markets, the brass bells will come alive with an original sound work commissioned exclusively for the festival. Expect a boundary-pushing set fusing industrial techno beats and hypnotic trance-style drones to mesmerising effect.
Dixon’s work will be backed by a serve of bass-heavy melodic techno from DJ RMR, along with a helping of solo artist Nerve’s signature drum and bass-tinged electro.
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Usually when the band room is spinning, it means you’ve smashed a few too many tinnies and are probably feeling a little queasy. But Melbourne Music Week is serving up a much more palatable spin on the concept, transforming the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel into a windmill of floating gigs on Friday, November 15.
In keeping with the festival’s signature move of creating live music venues out of unexpected spaces, Melbourne Star’s Musical Menagerie will see the structure’s rotating cabins each play host to a performance by a different MMW artist or act. Guests are in for a musical lucky dip of sorts, with the night’s genre-diverse program featuring everything from rap, to soul jazz. Your ticket will score you a complimentary drink and entry to a randomly chosen cabin — so who knows what style of aural delights await you up there. The fun continues pre- and post-flight, with more tunes and a MMW pop-up bar in the Melbourne Star Departure Lounge.
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MMW’s 2017 edition made quite the sonic splash when it saw St. Paul’s Cathedral reimagined as a grand gig space, heroing that T.C Lewis pipe organ. This year, Melbourne music lovers are in for a similar treat when the building again plays host to a groundbreaking night of performance, this time starring the sounds of renowned local artist Sarah Mary Chadwick.
On Tuesday, November 19, Chadwick will take to the cathedral’s famed 147-year-old instrument to play tunes from her acclaimed work The Queen Who Stole the Sky. The album was commissioned by the City of Melbourne and recorded live on the grand organ at Melbourne Town Hall. Prepare to be swept away by the booming tones and emotionally charged soundtrack, soaring through the church’s lofty interiors and giving you all the feels.
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One of MMW’s best-loved traditions has got to be the Live Music Safari: a one-night music party spanning an assortment of venues and artists. This year’s edition ignites some of the city’s hottest live music joints on Thursday, November 14, including legendary shipping container and car park bar Section 8. The Chinatown haunt will be throwing down one fierce celebration of Melbourne’s music scene, with a diverse night of tunes. Melbourne-based DJ and PBS presenter MzRizk is taking the lead, curating a lineup of hard-hitting live acts guaranteed to have the party firing till late.
You’ll catch sounds from the likes of East African-Australian producer Pookie, South Sudanese-born rap young gun Krown, acclaimed New Zealand DJ Spell and genre-bending DJ and producer Jade Zoe, amongst others. Dancing shoes are highly recommended.
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Descending on the Kubik festival hub in Alexandra Gardens, the Sunset Jamboree invites you to shake off your serious side and get a little bit wild, as you embark on a multisensory adventure of queer delights. Helmed by legendary LGBTQI+ party-makers Poof Doof and Rock City, and backed by 3RRR, it’ll see the temporary structure transformed into a dusk-time oasis of sound, colour and memorable costumes, on Sunday, November 17.
As part of the fun, you’ll catch a live drag show featuring fan favourites like Karen From Finance, Polly Filla, Jimmi The Kween and award-winning duo The Jawbreakers. More hard-hitting energy comes in the form of a diverse soundtrack served up by yet more local legends. Think big pop tunes from Zoe Badwi, a dance-worthy serve of techno from Argonaut and a healthy dose of hip hop courtesy of Duchess Kay. As for your own get-up, just remember that nothing’s too OTT for this one.
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MMW’s tenth anniversary deserves a send-off equally as grand as its hefty program, so expect some very big things from the 2019 Closing Party, wrapping things up on Saturday, November 23. An annual favourite and sure-fire crowd-puller, the event will this year unfold amongst the depths of Hamer Hall, transforming the spaces beneath the building’s mezzanine level into a music-filled feast for the senses.
It’s set to be a supremely dance-friendly affair, headlined by none other than electro-house darling Rosa Terenzi. She’s hitting Melbourne fresh from a recent global tour, squeezing in just this one MMW appearance before heading off to grace the stage at Strawberry Fields.
Terenzi’s joined on the bill by Klasse Wrecks label bosses Luca Lozano and Mr Ho, who’ll each be bringing their own signature house stylings to the decks. Perth dance music legend and RTRFM presenter Rok Riley rounds out the lineup. Expect underground vibes aplenty as you party late into the night.
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