Meg Washington returns to the Corner Hotel for the venue’s 30th birthday
Meg Washington heads to the Corner Hotel on 22 October as part of the Richmond venue’s 30th birthday celebrations, bringing her full band and five albums’ worth of material along for the ride.
The four-time ARIA Award winner has spent two decades weaving jazz, pop, folk and musical theatre into something entirely her own. She’s also widely known as the voice of Calypso on Bluey, and her most recent album GEM won the 2025 AACTA Award for Best Original Song via the Paul Kelly collaboration Fine, featured in the film How To Make Gravy.
Meg Washington
- Corner Hotel, Richmond, Melbourne
- 22 October, doors 8pm
- 18+, tickets $59
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
GEM, Washington’s fifth studio record and her first original material in five years, landed in August 2025 through her own Batflower Records. The title is her name spelled backwards, and the album was built alongside producer Ben Edgar. It features collaborations with Paul Kelly and American songwriter Kevin Morby across nine tracks that dig into nature, creativity and self-determination.
Washington’s history with the Corner runs deep. Back in 2010, she became the first artist to play five consecutive sold-out headline shows in the bandroom, a milestone that cemented her place in the venue’s story long before this anniversary rolled around. Fifteen years later, she’s heading back to the same stage as part of the 30 Years Young program, a six-week run of gigs celebrating the artists and community that have shaped the Corner since it opened its doors in 1996.
Presented by Craft Music, this one lands on the venue’s Everything’s Going to Be Fine Tour run. With special guests still to be announced, expect a set that stretches across Washington’s full catalogue in a room that clearly means something to her.
For more information, head here.
Leon Bridges adds second and final Live at the Gardens show
Melbourne’s long weekend just got a whole lot louder. Leon Bridges has announced a second and final Melbourne show for his Happiness Anytime tour, doubling the fun for local fans.
Following huge demand from yesterday’s presale, Leon Bridges will now play two nights at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne as part of the Live at the Gardens series, with the newly added show landing on 7 March.
The original date, 6 March, falls across the Labour Day long weekend, meaning fans can make a proper weekend of it.
Joining Leon Bridges across both Melbourne shows are special guests 54 Ultra and Surprise Chef, rounding out a lineup that spans soul, indie pop and cinematic instrumental grooves.
Leon Bridges – The Happiness Anytime Tour
- 6 March 2027 – Live at the Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, VIC (Lic. All Ages)
- 7 March 2027 – Live at the Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, VIC – NEW SHOW (Lic. All Ages)
- Tickets here
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
View this post on Instagram
The tour ties in with the rollout of Leon Bridges’ fifth studio album, Happiness Anytime, with the final instalment, Part 3, landing on 25 September via Columbia Records.
Parts one and two are already out in the world, blending the sun-soaked warmth of his 2015 debut Coming Home with the looser, groove-heavy spirit of his Khruangbin collaborations.
The 12-track record was produced by J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of British trio Jungle, with lead single Talk It Over — filmed in Amsterdam — capturing the record’s focus on movement and joy.
Across six Australian tours, Leon Bridges has worked his way from intimate theatres to sold-out Opera House Concert Halls, major arenas and some of the country’s best-loved wineries, and is known for turning his live shows into genuine celebrations.
New Jersey’s 54 Ultra, the solo project of JohnAnthony Rodriguez, brings a mix of synthy indie rock and Latin-soul influences to the support slot, fresh off sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza and a support run with Malcolm Todd.
Melbourne’s own Surprise Chef round out the bill, with their cinematic, film-score-inspired sound landing them praise from Questlove ahead of their new album Frogs In A Pond, due October 23.
Tickets went on sale today at 9am local time via Ticketmaster.
For more information, head here.
Cuban bass, Balinese gamelan and robotic strings: JOLT Arts spring season has it all
JOLT Arts has unveiled its Spring 2026 season, spanning robotic sound machines, Afro-Cuban collaborations and inclusive experimental festivals across Melbourne.
Founded in 2008, JOLT has spent almost two decades working with artists across cultures and abilities, with 50 per cent of its programming involving artists with disabilities, well before the NDIS existed.
The organisation’s cross-cultural work also runs deep, with roughly 25 per cent of its annual activities happening in Japan, alongside an ongoing partnership with the African Sunset series.
JOLT Arts director James Hullick doesn’t mince words about the difference between talking inclusivity and doing it.
“Delivering on an inclusive mindset out in the community is a hell of a lot more work and mindfulness than simply whinging on the socials. While Australia debates cross-cultural interaction JOLT simply gets on and shares it. Our artists do the heavy lifting, while the media does the heavy gasbagging,” he says.
“But the answer is for you – the public – to get up and get down to see what really goes on when cultures share and collide. We can lead the world in our grace and kindness to each other.”
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
Sensible Serenades
- 2 October, JOLTED Arts Space, 342 High St, Northcote
- Doors 8pm
- Tickets here
View this post on Instagram
Now on its third instalment, Sensible Serenades brings together three of Naarm’s independent acts, Mat Rigby, Cooper Lower and Quiet Coven, for an intimate night at JOLTED Arts Space.
Mat Rigby is only 18, but he’s already racked up more than 75k followers and millions of views online, purely off the strength of his voice, without an official single to his name. Grandpa Bob had a lot to do with it apparently, guitar always in hand, and once a seven year old Mat got his own for his birthday, that was that.
Cooper Lower splits his time between songwriting, producing and performing, with stages across Europe, North America and Australia under his belt and a co-writing resume that stretches well beyond Melbourne, including a composing credit on Netflix film Misie (2025). He’s gearing up to drop his debut album, reaching out, somehow, a self-produced record that doesn’t shy away from grief, rage, heartbreak and desire.
Rounding out the night are Quiet Coven, the duo of Anna O’Bryan and Al Newstead, whose unhurried, quietly powerful songwriting has already found fans at Triple R and PBS thanks to their two debut singles, Stillness and Certain About Something.
Presented by Sensible Antixx Records, the series is all about digging up new artists worth keeping an eye on.
The Mande Spirit
- 3 October
- Doors 7pm
- Tickets here
View this post on Instagram
Part of the JOLT African Sunset Residency, The Mande Spirit brings master musicians Amadou Suso, Aboubacar Kouyate and Mohamed Camara together for a night of Mandé music drawn from Mali, Guinea and The Gambia.
Suso’s kora playing carries the show, all shimmering strings and soulful melody, while Kouyate’s griot heritage grounds it in centuries of oral tradition and Camara’s percussion keeps the whole thing moving.
Curated by Stani Goma, the residency has been running since June, pulling together African and diasporic artists across genres, and this performance marks the second-last stop before it wraps up with the Melbourne Africubismo Project on 10 October. Supported by Revive Live, an Australian Government initiative.
The Sonobots
- 28 October, Northcote Social Club, 301 High St, Northcote
- Doors 7.30pm
- Tickets here
View this post on Instagram
Fresh off a Sydney Opera House performance, The Sonobots return to Melbourne with a new work from Hullick and the BOLT Ensemble, exploring what happens when live musicians perform alongside self-built robotic sound machines.
Special guest Peter Knight joins a lineup featuring some of Australia’s most respected experimental musicians. The Amplified Elephants, Australia’s leading electronic ensemble of neurodivergent artists, support and perform alongside The Sonobots on the night.
Proudly Supported by The Robert Salzer Foundation.
Africubismo + Guests
- 29 October, Northcote Social Club, 301 High St, Northcote
- Doors 7.30pm
- Tickets here
View this post on Instagram
Africubismo is a new transcontinental collaboration tracing the shared musical roots of West Africa and Cuba, featuring percussionist Ray Pereira, Gambian kora master Amadou Suso, Cuban bassist Yunior Terry Cabrera and saxophonist Julien Wilson.
Rather than replaying old repertoire, the group builds original compositions bridging griot storytelling, Cuban rhythmic structures and contemporary jazz. Gamelan DanAnda joins the BOLT Ensemble on the same bill, bringing the interlocking sounds of Balinese gamelan gong kebyar into the mix.
Safe in Sound Festival
- 31 October, Drill Hall (Snuff Puppets)
- 1 November, JOLTED Arts Space, 342 High St, Northcote
Now in its fourth year, Safe in Sound returns under artistic director Robbie Avenaim, presented in partnership with JOLT Arts, Out Hear, Make It Up Club and Liquid Architecture.
The festival platforms mentored and professional artists with disabilities alongside established sound artists, with a lineup including vocalist Karina Utomo, modular synth artist Mat Watson and vocalist Steven Hagiliassis; sculptor and sound artist Victor Meertens with the Noise Scavengers; a surreal spoken-word “dining” performance from Tête-à-tête; David Shea and Jay Euesden’s meditative sound work; and a genre-colliding DJ set from DJ 2 and Astrid Hullick. Supported by Creative Australia.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with JOLT Arts.
The Espy Battle Of The Bands GRAND FINALE
For the first time in many years, The Espy’s famous Gershwin Room will hold a Battle of the Bands. With 25 bands across 5 heats, and a prize pool that is a huge leg up for an up & coming band, this series just might help you find your next favourite Melbourne band.
The competing bands below are the winners of their respective heats, who will come out as the ultimate winner?
Charlotte Bridie – Heat 1
Everlyne – Heat 2
Pepper La Floyd – Heat 3
Operation Karma – Heat 4
The Masons – Heat 5
Supported by The Espy, Shout Out Loud Printing, OPM Design, Indiana Hayz Photography, Mudbrick Studios, Beat Magazine & Rock Academy Australia.
Soldiers Road Presents: Espy Basement Live
Get ready for a massive afternoon of live music as Soldiers Road brings a stellar lineup of emerging local talent to the iconic Espy Basement for a special all-ages event.
Showcasing five incredible acts, this gig is a celebration of the vibrant local music scene, packed with energy, diverse sounds, and a mix of crowd favourites and original music.
Grab your tickets now and support the next generation of emerging artists!
Lineup:
Microwave Dinner – Microwave dinner is a 3 piece math rock / indie band from South East Melbourne, blending cool rhythms, groovy riffs and musical influences from all sorts of genres.
John Yanko – Melbourne singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Yanko creates music that reveals genuine warmth and heart. Backed by his electrifying band, he delivers passion-driven, high-energy live shows across Melbourne’s vibrant music scene and local festivals.
Soldiers Road – Melbourne five-piece Soldiers Road brings a diverse rock sound to the stage, blending 90s grunge and alternative rock with classic hits. Drawing from their experience playing local venues and festivals, the band delivers an energetic live set that connects with the crowd. You can expect a blend of familiar tracks and a first look at some new original material.
XANDRI – Naarm-based queer singer-songwriter XANDRI fronts one of Melbourne’s most exciting emerging pop-rock live acts. Known for powerhouse vocals, emotionally charged songwriting and magnetic stage presence, XANDRI’s music blends soaring pop hooks with rock grit, sharp wit and unapologetic vulnerability.
Klara & The Suns – Klara & The Suns are a four-piece alt-rock band who’ve started finding their footing in Melbourne’s ever-growing local music scene. Being inspired by the likes of Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and Veruca Salt, they hope to inspire girls of all ages to play music they believe in.
GOODBOYS
Two-time GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum and over 6 billion streams deep, Goodboys are one of dance music’s biggest exports and they are coming to Melbourne for the first time.
The London duo behind “Piece Of Your Heart” with MEDUZA (#2 UK, GRAMMY-nominated, 3.5 billion streams) and “Lose Control” with MEDUZA and Becky Hill (2 billion and counting), they’ve built a signature sound of infectious vocal hooks, melodic basslines and euphoric, radio-ready energy whilst taken it to the Tomorrowland Mainstage, EDC Las Vegas, UNVRS and Ushuaïa Ibiza.
NOW, they’re bringing it to the Gershwin Room.
The Ians
THE IANS are a Naarm/Melbourne-based band of pirates who simply play very, very, very good high-energy rock.
Formed by childhood friends Red Jacket Rick (vocals/guitar) and Ratty Redbeard (bass/vocals), the band has reached its highest evolution with powerhouses Magpie Zac (drums), Red Ocelot aka Black Jacket Red (guitar) and Dusan the Gypsy (guitar).
The only thing tighter than this tight-knit crew is their command of their craft and stage. Creatively, THE IANS worship anything wild and free. Their compelling songwriting evokes a spirit of adventure and risk in their audience, aided by high-octane performances. The rough edges of the band are balanced with poignant themes, lyrics and sounds, striking a balance between hi-T energy and vulnerability.
Joining The Ians are Indtiko & Walls and Waves
With a firm nod to the musical era that spawned the likes of Pil, Wire, Pavement,Joy Division, Roxy Music, Minutemen, Fugazi and many more: INDTIKO can be best described as a rousing concoction of pulsating rhythms, epic guitar sounds, deep water carnival sonic synths and occasionally discordant melodies. All fronted by a poetic semi unhinged preacher man who promises no real salvation.
Walls and Waves are a Mexican band Fusing a gothic atmosphere with tribal pre colonial time and cultures from Mesoamérica. This band crafts hypnotic soundscapes that collide with snarling riffs and ritual-like rhythms. Their music is equal parts chaos and atmosphere echo-drenched melodies, dreamy / latin percussion & dreamy /grunge-punk guitars with explosive drums, and lyrics that flirt with the surreal and the defiant. Their new album ‘atoms’ had its first single launch ‘pentagon’ at retreat hotel with the ‘red heart rising’ gothic support.
Good Music House Party
*not at a house.
cool bands + music you can dance to.
live sets from hatchie, loose content, paint.
18+ event.
Radio Monash Presents: Back On The Waves
Did ya miss us?! Radio Monash is back with our fourth edition of BACK ON THE WAVES, this year bigger and better than ever before! Showing off 12 local acts over 4 stacked nights of live music, this year we’re rocking it on The Espy Basement stage in St Kilda, with a focus on providing more affordable access to Naarm based live music!
There is something for everyone at this residency, with bar, live music, and THE BEST VIBES. Bring your friends, grab your FREE tickets, and let’s get this party started!
‘PSYCHED!’, OUR DEBUT NIGHT OF BACK ON THE WAVES, FEATURING THE CRYSTAL SHIP, WIZARD TRICKS AND CALLYSTHA
21:30 – 22:30: The Crystal Ship
20:45 – 21:15: Wizard Tricks
20:00 – 20:30: CALLYSTHA
19:30: DOORS
Accessibility info:
The Espy is accessible throughout the venue, with the exception of the Basement, which is not wheelchair accessible.
Accessible bathrooms are available in the Public Bar, Main Bar, Mya Tiger, Green Room, and Balcony.
If you have any questions about accessibility or need assistance planning your visit, please contact the venue directly and our team will be happy to help.
The basement has 8 stairs down to it from inside the venue, and the staircase from the outside of the venue has 7.
This is an 18+ event. Please bring a current & valid photo ID. The venue reserves the right to refuse entry. MSA encourages responsible consumption of alcohol.
This event is proudly brought to you by the Radio Monash, a division of the Monash Student Association.
Radio Monash is an entirely student-run and operated radio station based on the Clayton campus of Monash University. Around in various guises since its humble beginnings in 1972, Radio Monash has a proud history of supporting the thriving Melbourne music scene.
Radmon has developed a fearsome reputation for inspiring and cultivating a passion for the music industry among the generation’s brightest young minds, and helping Radio Monash members develop valuable skills that are fiercely sought after in a wide variety of industries. These include events management, public relations, journalism, and plenty more.