New Year’s Eve 2011:
The Falls Music And Arts Festival
One of Victoria’s annual music festivals, held in the glorious mossy surrounds of Lorne over the New Year’s weekend, will once again be drawing the ‘cool young dudes’ crowd away from the city and down the Great Ocean Road for the best international and local musical treats for 2011. Falls Festival boasts a lineup in very democratic fashion of alphabetical order including Arctic Monkeys, Beirut, Crystal Castles, CSS, Fleet Foxes, Grouplove, The Grates, The Jezabels, The Kooks, Metronomy, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, among a plethora of others. Brit boys Arctic Monkeys have just been announced to be on-stage to ring in the New Year, so get ready to suck it and see in 2012. Falls Festival runs from December 28 to January 1.
Pyramid Rock Festival
Do you like natural scenery, ocean views and live music? If so the only place to be this New Year’s Eve is Pyramid Rock Festival, taking place from December 29 through to January 1. Nestled on the base of a natural amphitheater on the edge of some pretty epic cliffs on the south coast of Phillip Island, it is the perfect place to cut loose to your favourite band. Pyramid boasts a mighty lineup this year with Scissor Sisters, Living End, Gotye, Boy And Bear, Drapht, Bluejuice and many, many more. Too many to mention, actually. All you have to do is enjoy sea breeze and take in the awesome music.
Regurgitator At The Corner
Have A Super Happy Fun Time this New Year’s Eve with Regurgitator at The Corner Hotel. Squeezed in between the ‘Unit only’ performances at Falls and Southbound, will be a slap-happy-crazed night where we let it all go in a lung’s load of everything. Also on board for the smash-up is Lewis Floyd Henry, a one-man band from the UK who has to be seen to be believed, not to mention Ouch My Face, Seja Vogel (solo) and High Tea. This will be one of Melbourne’s biggest parties in one of Melbourne’s best music venues so make sure you pick up a ticket before its too late.
Blood Duster At The Tote
As well as acting as the curators of this musical and culinary feast – Melbourne’s favourite grinding death rock band Blood Duster will be performing all the hits from their last 20 years of overt operations for New Year’s Eve at The Tote. It promises to be a night of the full blown epic rock you have come to expect from a Blood Duster show, as Dirtypunkmutha in their first time back onstage since 1996, fast paced hardcore trash-band, King Parrot, and the night’s openers Swigdon, will all join in on the action to make for a killer party to ring in the new year like no other. Ah, there’s nothing like a bit of blood on New Year’s to get the celebration in full swing!
The Espy
If you haven’t visited The Espy for their infamous New Year’s Eve celebration before, this year is as good a time as any. The once again epic lineup promises not to disappoint with heaps of great acts packed into one huge night. You might’ve thought it was impossible to top last year’s bill, yeah? Think again, buddy. The Espy is proud to announce Jebediah, Paul Dempsey (with full band), Big Scary, Stonefield, Violent Soho, Split Seconds, Barbarion, Money for Rope, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Numbers Radio, Jackson Firebird, Kingswood, Royston Vasie and Fangs. Tickets are 59 + bf from espy.com.au.
Red Bennies
If you’re up for something different this New Year’s Eve, Red Bennies is the home of the spectacular and absurd. Rummage through your wardrobe for a vintage outfit and get ready for a night of world class entertainment. Red Bennies teams up with two of the biggest names in the Australian circus and burlesque scene, Fez Faanana and Mark Winmill, to present Red Bennies New Year’s Eve Club Briefs. The night will also feature the kings of gypsy and swing,The Woohoo Revue, who have become much loved regulars at the venue for their roaring ‘20s swing.
Cherry Bar
Head to Cherry Bar this New Year’s and dance away those great and not-so-great memories of 2011. DJ Phil Datsun will be flown over from New Zealand for one night only to bring in the New Year with lucky Cherry goers. The Cherry DJs, Billy Walsh and Mermaid will also be on hand to keep you dancing. Tickets are $20 and only available on the Cherry door. Doors are open from 5pm ‘til 5am. It’ll be a cherry good time, indeed.
Yah Yah’s
A special New Year’s Eve edition of Weekender at Yah Yah’s is bound to get your booty shakin’ with psychedelic popsters Foxx On Fire, who are fresh back from touring around Ireland and the UK. Now back home to launch their new summer time single March Into The Sun, support on the night will be from Johnny Rock And The Limits, whose tasty post punk/party rock tunes have been featured in a Cornetto commercial. Delicious! Upstairs the Trainspotting DJs will be spinning some classic ’80s and ’90s tunes and downstairs will pump spankin’ new indie tunes thanks to Suck It. Entry is $15 bucks with a free glass of champagne before midnight.
The Penny Black
It’s funk, soul, hip hop, rock, pop and disco all night long in a giant party mash-up at the Penny Black this New Year’s Eve. Burn up the dance floor to the Black Caesars DJs, plus Mr Lob and Obliveus, and if you’re still partying until the wee hours, you can be back at the joint on January 1 for a Penny Black style recovery from midday.
The ReChords
The Standard Hotel’s fantastic New Year’s Eve tradition continues in 2011 with a very special musical appearance. The ReChords have had a huge 2011, with a European tour and festival performances and shows across Australia, capping the year off with a performance at the legendary Meredith Music Festival. It is with great pleasure that The Standard Hotel announces that The ReChords will bring 2012 in with style. The band will play two sets, and as always, entry is free! The kitchen will be open until 9pm, and bookings are essential. The pub will be open late to celebrate, so the night will not be for the faint-hearted.
The Union Hotel
Melbourne’s own rhythm and blues outfit, Spoonful, are heading back to the stage to help ring in the New Year with fellow locals at the Union Hotel in Brunswick. Comprising of some of this town’s most active and well regarded musicians, such as brothers Kit Warhurst (Rocket Science) and Andre Warhurst (Silver Night Drive), Spoonful have been busy spending the past year rocking the stages of some of the city’s most intimate venues, and are bringing it all to a head with guests, The Native Plants, for a night of highly charged, ’60s rock mayhem. Get your dose at The Union Hotel, Saturday December 31, from 8pm.
Pony
Hell Yeah NYE at Pony has one of the best rockabilly, punk and rock lineups seen this year and is only $10 entry with real drink prices plus real DJs playing real music from 9pm. The night is headlined by Melbourne’s latest rock sensation Wolfpack. Joining the party will be 13-years-strong Australian punk stalwarts Glenn & The Peanut Buttermen, awesome reggae rockers The Tearaways, psychobilly upstarts Cyclone Diablo, grease punkers The Bombardiers and ska hooligans Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge. Ponylicious.
The Drunken Poet
Out with the old, in with the new. Or something like that. That’s what New Year’s Eve is all about, right? How about celebrating the old and embracing the new? That’s what Tim Scanlon and company will be doing this looming New Year’s Eve. Mixing old world melodies with modern beats and sounds, this world travelling posse brings harmonica, guitar and foot percussion into a new dimension. Scanlon’s music explores Celtic, reggae, Balkan and other styles, all surrounded by improvised shenanigans sure to make any tiny dancer happy to get down. Diverse sounds and happy feet, that’s how to send the year out in style. Head down to the Drunken Poet in West Melbourne, Saturday December 31.
DV8
DV8 will be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a plethora of alternative entertainment over three levels with the Naughty ‘N’ The New Year erotica dress ball. It will be a night of sin and debauchery for those who attend, and as always, fetishism will reign supreme. In the entertainment arena, some of Melbourne’s best metal bands including Valentiine, Crepter Children, Krematrium and Mason will be tearing up the stage, while upstairs will showcase retro/goth/dubstep and dance sounds across two levels, thanks to 16 DJs throughout the entire evening. With fire twirlers, pole dancers and hand bangers all night guaranteed, head to DV8 from 9.30pm for a sexy New Year’s party. Entry is $28 or $24 if you’re in costume.
House Of Rock
Hell’s Bells it’s 2012! That’s what the gang at House Of Rock are sayin’ as they plan their mind-blowing New Year’s Eve celebrations for lovers of all things rock! Shake Your Foundation will welcome the return of Volts, with a tribute to one of Australia’s finest, ACDC. Volts- ACDC Tribute will play live on the main stage to ring in the new year, with a special guest appearance by a true rock legend – with all to be revealed on the night! With other sonic treats from the likes of Attack Of The Mannequins upstairs, the entry fee includes four drinks, a House of Rock medallion and a Bogan Banquet for a night to be remembered well into 2012!
The Retreat
You won’t feel nearly as guilty if you break all your New Year’s resolutions on New Year’s Eve. The Retreat Hotel, Brunswick along with Spencer Jones and The Escape Commitee are happy to oblige, with Spencer and Co. and Brat Farrar joining from 9pm and Wild Turkey in the front bar from 7pm. Counting down the final minutes of 2011 will be DJs Magregordeth and Trevor Travis in a wax melting DJ face off till the wee wee hours. Free! Fantastic!
A Guy Called Gerald At New Guernica
Having A Guy Called Gerald fly over from a distant planet to lead the resistance group of civilians is a great idea, playing off the fact that he was a pioneer in the acid house movement and the never forgotten ecstasy fueled British Summer of Love house explosion easily gives him the right amount of reverence for your story. His classic track,Voodoo Ray, can be used as the theme song for when we develop the full length feature film in a couple of year’s time. It’s all going down at New Guernica on New Year’s Eve.
Heavy Innit
The end of 2011 draws near and what better way to usher in 2012 than with the Heavy Innit massive. They’re returning back to where Heavy Innit began and taking over both levels of the Laundry for a huge new years eve rave. One of the biggest local line ups ever assembled with 24 acts going back to back over 2 levels of dubstep, grime, jungle, hip hop and UK bass madness! Full Funktion One sound on both levels. Doors 8pm – 3am and only $10 on the door.
Luxe 12
This New Year’s Eve, Level 3 at Crown opens the doors for Luxe 12. A baroque themed event with six lavish rooms and an impressive line up including. Minx, Israel Cruz, John Course, Jody McLeod, DJ Samrai, Mahogany and DJ Tuini. Plus 5ft2, Tate Strauss, Matty G, Mitch Kurz, Phil Ross, Chris Mac, Miss Mills, Nikkos, Jay-J, Chris Berry, Ontime, Johnny M and more! Featuring commercial house, old skool house, R&B, club classics and Top 40 hits among the grand baroque surrounds.
No Frills At Lucky Coq
Free entry, free pool table, free BBQ, no hassles, no superstar DJs, no inflated prices, no frills! It’s New Years Eve and Lucky Coq, all killer, no filler.
DJ BZ At Platform 28
What better way to say goodbye to 2011 and embrace 2012 than experience the beautiful interiors, terrace viewing, increased service areas and tantalising menu with entertainment by DJ BZ. Platform 28 will be one of Melbourne’s most glamorous places to be seen this new year’s eve. Huge open air terrace with views of Docklands and City fireworks.
Khokolat Koated
Life is a party, and this part must be the one! Taking you back to the ultimate era of R&B with Damion De Silva, Yaths, K Dee, Durmy, Jay Sin and Lightning. Get down to Khokolat Bar this New Year’s Eve to get it on the action.
The House DeFrost Armageddonouttahere Xtravaganza
Come send off 2011 in (high) fashion this New Years Eve at The Toff in Town! After last year’s sell out party with wicked crews DJ Garth and the Bozak smashing antics of DJ Harvey they have a lot to live up to, or do they? Fortunately Melbourne is already home to a handful of world class entertainers, so this year they thought instead of inviting some high priced over inflated international down to the stage, they’d just smash shit up ourselves. Sharing the musical load with Mr Frost on the night are 2 (3) of his favourite Melbourne selectors, hailing from a basement over the other side of Elizabeth street we welcome local DJ darlings Otologic and international jetsetter back in town for a limited time only Tornado Wallace.
New Year’s Day 2012:
Summadayze
We’ve heard that gin and juice is the ultimate hangover cure, so get ready to drop it like it’s hot for the New Year’s Day recovery to end all recoveries, Summadayze. Featuring a stellar line-up including Snoop Dogg, Pendulum, Calvin Harris and The Scissor Sisters, the day will be rounded out by a mammoth bill to jump start 2012 thanks to Moby, Erick Morillo, Grandmaster Flash, Busy P, Tiga, Spank Rock, Flying Lotus, Ajax and many more. It’ll get y’all in a tizzle fo’ shizzle, and with gates opening nice and early from 9am, you’ll be able to roll right in from the previous night’s festivities. Don’t feel like dancing? You will when Summadayze pipes up at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Sunday, January 1.
6th Borough Project + Motor City Drum Ensemble
Melbourne’s finest party purveyors Animals Dancing are responsible for some of Melbourne’s most debaucherous box socials in recent times, and following all night raves with the likes of Marcellus Pittman, Jacques Renault and Justin Vandervolgen they’re returning on New Year’s Day with their biggest party yet. Launching 2012 in spectacular fashion will be none other than the 6th Borough Project. At the forefront of the amicable Delusions Of Grandeur and Instruments of Rapture labels, Craig Smith & Graeme Clark (The Revenge) have worked together in the studio for almost a decade, producing house jams and exploring long forgotten funk and dusty disco dubs, which saw the release of their debut LP this year, One Night In The Borough. They’ll be joined by Danilo Plessow aka Motor City Drum Ensemble. Last visiting our shores in 2009, Danilo is revered for his chamelonic composition skills, production finesse and remix mastery which delve deep into the depths of Detroit house and techno. Following on from his venerated Raw Cuts series and his recent DJ-Kicks mix, he’ll be joined by the resident Animals Dancing selectors, Tornado Wallace, Fantastic Man, Francis Inferno Orchestra, Myles Mac & Andy Hart, Andee Frost and Otologic. This one is sold out, so if y’don’t have tickets, ya’ ain’t getting in.
DJ Yoda At The Espy
DJ Yoda takes an inimitable approach to the art of the mixture. Most other superstar DJs in the ‘90s were stroking their own egos and demanding huge fees, but Yoda was doing it for laughs – a quality that has distinguished him from others, and made him such an enduring and well-loved figure. Most renowned for his How to Cut and Paste series that exemplified his irreverent, cheeky approach to getting down – I mean, where else are you likely to hear Wu-Tang, Rick Astley, A Tribe Called Quest and the Star Wars theme on one mix? No wonder institutions like Q Magazine have declared him an act essential to every music fan’s live experiences, with his ridiculous skills on the turntable that see him blending influences from funk, reggae, drum and bass, big band swing and country into a mind-blowingly unique aural experience – in demand from BBC Radio One, where he makes regular appearances alongside Steve Lamacq and Annie Mac. Laughs and good times – that’s what dance music should be about, right? Get yo’self to The Espy on New Year’s Day.
Pete Rock At Laundry
Widely regarded as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, Pete Rock first rose to prominence as part of the hugely influential duo Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. From there, he has embarked on an unrivalled production and solo career spanning two decades. Catch him on his Australian tour at Laundry Bar New Year’s Day.
The Revenge At New Guernica
House and disco stalwart Graeme Clark, the man behind The Revenge, began his love affair with the music scene as a young teenager, learning how to make a skewed, inventive blend of electronic beats with a few of Dad’s old drum machines and a sampler. While studying sound production at university, him and a few mates began label Five20East in 1999 with brothers Scott & Ross Langley as an outlet for their own productions, seeing him work with producers such as Sub Club’s Harri and Soul Heaven’s Craig Smith, and recent works include releases on Disco Deviance and Motor City Drum Ensemble’s label MCDE, along with remixes for Holy Ghost!, Deep Space Orchestra, Tornado Wallace and more. He’ll take over New Guernica on New Year’s Day night.
Tribe
Release your primal instincts this New Year’s Day night! Return to a primitive time when rhythmic drums rumbled through the vast jungle and moved the savage tribes in a collective of hypnotic dance. Brown Alley will be transformed into a massive 3 level jungle themed environment, featuring a unique interactive decor setup, cutting edge lighting displays and mind bending visuals. This is an optional dress up party for anyone who would like to really get in theme, so come dressed as a tribal savage or any kind of jungle animal .Be prepared Melbourne as we kick off the New Year with arguably one of the biggest broken beat lineups of the last decade! Stanton Warriors, Scratch Perverts, LTJ Bukem, A-Skillz, Netsky, Shockone, Nick Thayer and plenty more.
Day Dream
Not everyone gets New Year’s Eve off work and the celebrations end too damn early for the rest of us, so Just For Fun and Rawlight have come together with Noise Bar to host the biggest New Year’s Day party in Melbourne! Kicking off at 9am with 29 DJs throughout the day, a free BBQ in the beer garden and three bars serving a range of crazy drink specials until 8pm, it’ll be the perfect cure to what may be one hell of a New Year’s hangover. Rise early or pull and all-nighter and get down to the Noise Bar for the ultimate Sunday sesh on Sunday January 1.
Beautiful Day
January 1 for the past number of years has been a special event not only for the entire world but for us Melbournians who have now made PHD Beautiful Day every year not only a beautiful day, but a tradition. This year promises no less than past NYD’s with the PHD family . It’s going down at CBD Nightclub on New Year’s Day!
BBQ Bang At Bimbo Deluxe
This New Years Day let Bimbo wash away all of the night before’s regret and start your new year with a BBQ Bang! Now in its 5th year, Bimbo Deluxe’s famous New Years Day spectacular is set to be the biggest yet in 2012. Boasting the who’s who of the Melbourne electronic scene, the party starts at midday and doesn’t wrap up until we say so! They’ll have all the herbs and spices that make New Year’s Day spectacular.
Revolver’s New Year’s Day Night
Revolver continues its healthy New Years Day Night tradition this year with a handpicked cast of resident DJs from across the weekend roster over 2 rooms until midday Monday. Mike Callander kicks things off from 9pm in the back bar with sets from Silversix vs Clipping, Radiator, Sunshine and T-Rek throughout the night. Boogs and Spacey Space hit the decks Monday morning playing versus through until midday Monday. Front bar late DJ lineup TBA.
Chill At Lucky Coq
Lucky Coq’s first ever New Year’s Day party! They’ll be turning upstairs into a chillax paradise, setting the courtyard with cushions, hay bales, umbrellas, free BBQ. First five entries will get a $25 voucher. Plus 4 Melbourne crews will set the mood. Wheel Me Out (Nikki Sarafian+ Jake Judd + Booshank), Woo Ha (Who + Moonshine + The Return), Inverto (DJ set with: Nurse Hanna + Marty Moose + Ransom) and Business Music (Paz + Poz + Piz). From 12pm to 3am, come and celebrate the end of the world!
