RISING festival's pulsing hub - Night Trade - starts this weekend, sprawling across the network of laneways underneath the Capitol Theatre and connecting through to Howey Place–the original home of the first queer club in the city.
As part of the festival this year, Night Trade, made easy by Up, is back and putting on a show better than ever before, with a range of gigs, bars, art and lights featuring some of the city’s best – and world’s best – in this grab-bag of bright neon electric times. There will be globally renowned DJs, installations, exhibitions, dumplings, micro-bars, interactive art, music and dance, all in a neon haze.
From Saturday June 1 to Saturday June 15, Night Trade made easy by Up will be running in one of the most historically iconic melting pots of culture, the Capitol Arcade. What might just be a perfect stop-in between RISING events, you’ll end up wanting to stay the whole night.
Aside from an exciting roster of gigs happening at Night Trade Stage Door, the arcade will also be host to a range of pop-up shops, activities, art installations, dumplings, drinks, and even some karaoke. And while the neon lights of the Capitol Arcade and all its Sip and Paints and psychic readings are a great place to begin your night, it’s the Stage Door lineup you’ll have to see to believe. From international DJs to 6-hour boogie sessions, RISING’S Stage Door has you covered for all things laser beams, lights, and dancing – and all for just twenty bucks a ticket.
Read on for some of the interstellar artists that will be taking over the stage this June for RISING.
Night Trade made easy by Up at RISING
- Night Trade is RISING’s nightly hub at the Capitol Arcade
- It will run from 1—16 June 2024 across the CBD and Port Melbourne
- Tickets available now here
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
6hr Grumble Boogie
- When: Friday June 7, 8pm
- Where: 19 Presgrave Place, Melbourne
- Tickets here
Dubbed a ‘surreal aerobics class’, 6hr Grumble Boogie is exactly as the description reads – that is to say, nothing but tunes and grooves for six hours straight, as hosted by Betty Grumble and DJ HipHopHoe.
Featuring a roster of guest facilitators and performers, this dance session is for anyone wanting to expel some demons for the sake of serotonin bliss, or even for those just wanting to pop in for a dance or two.
Coby Sey (DJ SET) (UK)
- When: Thursday June 13, 8pm
- Where: 19 Presgrave Place, Melbourne
- Tickets here
To kick off RISING’s final weekend of Night Trade made easy by Up, the festival is bringing in the big guns to Stage Door. Featuring a special appearance from South-East London DJ Coby Sey, the night promises nothing short of an out-of-body experience with Australian hip hop legend Teether (live), Melbourne/Naarm DJ Willis Anne (live) and DJ Jannah Quill (live) also on the lineup.
Evian Christ
- When: Sunday June 9, 8pm
- Where: Max Watt’s
- Tickets here
Max Watt’s isn’t ready for the trance dance storm UK producer Evian Christ is brewing for his show for Stage Door. Supported by Danish ambient artist jjjacob and Melbourne/Naarm trance and techno extraordinaire DJ ALI, Evian Christ’s set is sure to be one of utter trance illumination, as any music maker who has produced albums for Kanye West and Travis Scott is sure to make happen. Catch Christ himself for this special Aus appearance as part of RISING.
Keifer (USA) and Onra (FR)
- When: Saturday June 15, 8pm
- Where: 19 Presgrave Place, Melbourne
- Tickets here
Melbourne/Naarm city has perhaps never seen a club night this packed. From LA jazz musician Keifer to Parisian beatmaker Onra, joined by Melbourne/Naarm soul performer Silentjay, with Ray OTW performing with Khiarra and Chef Chung, as well as Perth/Boorloo underground dance DJ Rok Riley, this is going to be one hell of a last hurrah on the last weekend of RISING.
Lipelis (RUS) and Dita (IDN)
- When: Friday June 14, 8pm
- Where: 19 Presgrave Place, Melbourne
- Tickets here
The party-starters are landing in Australia for this Friday at Stage Door, taking you around the world with all the best tunes of house, Italo, disco, and electro deep cuts. From Moscow to Melbourne/Naarm, Lipelis is touching down and will also be joined by DiTA, who is returning from her stint as a Klymax Resident at Bali’s Potato Head to heat up the dance floors of RISING. Also on the lineup to help keep the dance floor warm is party legends Bayu and Poli-Pearl.
Shannon Michael Cane: Someone Great – A Celebration
- When: Saturday June 1, 6pm
- Where: Max Watt’s
- Tickets here
An opening night event to honour legendary artist and party-maker Shannon Michael Cane, this Saturday at Max Watt’s is a must-stop on the RISING ride. Led by Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor from behind the decks for a very special sonic appearance, Gerald Frank Long (aka Sugar Plump Fairy), DJ JNETT, Andee Frost and Stereogamous will also be joining the party. MC’ed by Betty Grumble, this celebration is going to be one of rejoicing in friendship, art, and the kind of insane music that this city is best known for – most certainly an event not to miss.
Night Trade made easy by Up runs from Saturday June 1 to Saturday June 15. For the full program, head here.
