Melbourne Music Week 2019

Overview

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, with a retrospective program that once again transforms unlikely spaces across the city into rollicking live music venues. In the ultimate throwback move, MMW 2019 marks the return of a fan favourite, with immersive pop-up venue Kubik returning as the festival hub.

After first appearing at the 2011 festival, it will this time make its home at Alexandra Gardens, delivering a nightly program of local and international sounds. Designed by Germany's Balestra Berlin, the outdoor structure offers up a feast for the senses, featuring technology that allows it to light up in time with the music. Headline acts including Melbourne dance legend CC:Disco!, German electronic act Monolake, and French natives Kittin and Raphaël Top-Secret promise to give Kubik a serious workout this year.

Elsewhere in the 70-event program, more international goodness comes courtesy of German electro-punk icons Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF), who are headed to the Melbourne Town Hall for their Aussie debut, raising the roof alongside homegrown heroes Total Control and Dark Water. Tiny Ruins, Steve Gunn and Grand Salvo will electrify the Redmond Barry Reading Room at State Library Victoria, Melbourne-based Sarah Mary Chadwick works her brand of magic on the iconic T.C. Lewis Organ at St Paul's Cathedral, and a host of free panels and conversations covers everything from sustainability in the industry, to the psychology of music.

Opening night kicks things off with an audible bang on Thursday, November 14, featuring over 100 free gigs and performances between MMW events like Live Music Safari and Swell 5.0. As for the closing party, it's also digging deep, pulling local legend Roza Terenzi to the foyer of Hamer Hall, for a late-night aural celebration set to kick on until 4am.