Spring has sprung, and with all this new life coming into the world, there's always cause for celebration at the Memo.
As always, the folks who work behind the scenes at the Memo Music Hall down in St Kilda have put together quite the treat for us this month, ushering us into a new season with a lineup we won’t soon forget.
While the weather may be a little all over the place, there’s one thing you’ll always be able to count on, and that’s your old pal the Memo. The venue has announced it’ll be reopening the sorely missed Ember Lounge, a more hush-hush speakeasy-style affair complete with red curtains and a bar.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Chris Cain (USA)
- Sunday, September 1
- Get tickets here.
Chris Cain will be jetsetting his way through the Memo on the first of the month, fresh off the back of an intercontinental run with absolutely no sign of stopping. Prepare those stank faces as one of the best in the business takes us through a masterclass in modern Memphis-style blues, paying homage to the greats while injecting a unique flavour all of his own…
The Deserters
- Saturday, September 7
- w/ Gatesy
- Get tickets here.
The brainchild of singer-songwriters Brooke Taylor and Delsinki, this new collaboration will be exploring new territory, bringing together their own unique sounds together in a way unlike ever before. Think flavours of alt-country, gothic-pop and everything in between. With Gatesy from Tripod on support, get ready for a night that’ll take your musical enjoyment to new heights.
25 Years of Big and Horny
- Sunday, September 8
- Get tickets here.
Even if you don’t see this band with your own eyes, chances are you’ll probably hear them if you’re anywhere within a 500-metre radius, because, on September 8, Big and Horny are celebrating 25 years of pure funk magic! This 13-piece band may barely fit on the stage, and you may think to yourself “Do they really need that many horn players?”. You’ll need not wonder anymore once this full-sized locomotive gets in motion when the groove hits you right in the face like a runaway freight train.
The Willbury Legends
- Friday, September 13
- Get tickets here.
The Willbury Legends are a supergroup unto their own, bringing the timeless harmonies of the Traveling Willburys of late memory back to the big stage on September 13. Featuring alumni from all across the spectrum of the Australian musical canon, these folks have dedicated themselves to honouring the memory of arguably one of the most important supergroups in rock and roll history, with all the guitar-chime and vocal wizardry of the originals.
Grand Wazoo
- Saturday, September 14
- Get tickets here.
Put on those dancing shoes and glam up, for the most entertaining and authentic in the soul music landscape come to St Kilda on the 14! This gargantuan 13-piece soul machine has a sound just as huge to match, each player with a personality that practically jumps out at you from the stage. Get ready to groove, jump and jive as this bodacious boogie bunch get down on it and with a swagger so thick, you’ll be seeing stars.
Luoda
- Sunday, September 15
- Get tickets here.
Sophisticated pop-rock powerhouse Luoda are making their return to The Memo, after launching an album here back in April 2023. These cats are no stranger to this stage, and when musicians feel right at home there’s no telling what they’re really capable of. This absolute monster of a band has some of the finest in music today, bringing flavours of RnB and jazz to the table. Zing!
Shaun Kirk
- Saturday, September 21
- Get tickets here.
Shaun Kirk has seen quite a meteoric rise – suddenly, the reflective songsmith saw himself sharing festival bills with some of the greats. It was a blur, but never once has he forgotten to take a moment to stop and smell the roses, and it comes through in his storytelling, something that appeals to the common man in all of us. He tells tales of loss, love, and much much more, and is a true poet for the modern ages.
Charlie Musselwhite (USA)
- Sunday, September 22
- Featuring Kid Andersen, June Core & Randy Bermudes
- Get tickets here.
Charlie Musselwhite is a living legend of sorts; this man lives and breathes the blues, and for all intents and purposes, he is the blues. With nearly six decades behind him as a bluesman, it’s safe to say he won’t soon be letting up, with sounds that’ll transport you straight to a river delta deep in the American South. With his road-hardened touring band on his left and right, it’s sure to be a night of carnage.
The Reflex
- Friday, September 27
- Get tickets here.
Is that an apocalypse I smell on the horizon? Most people would be ducking for cover, making their way to a fallout shelter, but not these new romantics. With The Reflex, it’ll be a party at the end of the world as they rip through some of the deepest cuts from Duran Duran’s catalogue, and if nuclear annihilation doesn’t get you, the partying certainly will.
Want the memo on all things Memo Music Hall? Find their website here.
