Grab a jacket, because winter in Fitzroy just got a whole lot more interesting.
High Ground is a brand new live music series launching across three of Fitzroy’s most beloved independent venues: The Night Cat, The Evelyn and Punters Club, running from May through to August.
High Ground takes its name from Ngár-go, Fitzroy’s name on Wurundjeri Country, and is built around the suburb’s long history as a home for creative independence and boundary-pushing music.
The program is a multi-genre affair with a lineup that spans post-punk, Senegalese rhythm, experimental noise, psychedelic jazz, R&B and everything in between.
High Ground – Fitzroy
- The Night Cat, The Evelyn and Punters Club, Fitzroy
- May to August 2025
- High Ground: In Motion takes place 18 July across all three venues
- Tickets here
High Ground first announce lineup:
- Bridget Small
- College Of Knowledge Presents: Soul Dynamite
- Disco Mediterranea
- DJ Assault (USA)
- DJ Luv You
- Eden Burns (NZ)
- Horatio Luna
- horse
- Intermood
- Jenevieve (USA)
- Lamestream
- Love Sensation
- MAAJELA
- Mark Ernestus & Ndagga Rhythm Force (SEN)
- Mildlife
- Miles Nautu
- Milly Strange
- Milo Eastwood
- Mulga Bore Hard Rock
- New York & Cortisa Star (USA)
- Nice Girl
- No News
- Orange Moon
- People Taking Pictures
- Pollen Art Club Presents: Rinse
- Protomartyr (USA)
- Public Figures
- Rain Dogs
- Setwun & The Soultranauts
- Skeleten
- Sleepazoid
- Sports (USA)
- Steady Weather
- Stupid F*ck the Silly Clown
- The Gnomes
- Tony Armstrong: The Let Down
- Violent Magic Orchestra (JPN)
- Weaver Pres.
- XIAO XIAO
- YHWH Nailgun (USA)
High Ground: In Motion lineup:
- Skeleten
- Sleepazoid
- XIAO XIAO
- Orange Moon
- No News
- Rain Dogs
- Horatio Luna
- DJ LUV YOU
- Public Figures
- Setwun & The Soulstranauts
- Miles Nautu
- DJ Colette
- Bridget Small
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
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International acts include Detroit post-punk outfit Protomartyr, Senegalese rhythmic pioneers Mark Ernestus & Ndagga Rhythm Force, Japanese audiovisual collective Violent Magic Orchestra, New York experimental group YHWH Nailgun and LA-based R&B artist Jenevieve. On the local front, Naarm psychedelic-jazz favourites Mildlife are also on the bill, alongside a stack of Melbourne-based artists, DJs and community-led programming.
At the heart of the series is High Ground: In Motion, a multi-stage event on 18 July that takes over all three venues simultaneously.
Presented by CLBR, PBS 106.7FM and Leaps and Bounds Music Festival, the idea is simple: one ticket, three rooms, one night of live music, DJs and late-night programming across what organisers are calling the Fitzroy Triangle.
The first In Motion lineup features Skeleten, Sleepazoid, XIAO XIAO, Orange Moon, No News, Rain Dogs, Horatio Luna, DJ LUV YOU, Public Figures, Setwun & The Soulstranauts, Miles Nautu and Bridget Small.
Alongside the live music program, High Ground will also present a free public gallery exhibition featuring archival photography and memorabilia tied to Fitzroy’s cultural history.
Additional artists, exhibitions and activations are set to be announced over the coming weeks.
For more information, head here.
