Saturday February 1 – Yung Warriors
The Yung Warriors, also known as Tjimba and the Yung Warriors, lead contemporary hip hop for Australia’s Aboriginal people. With two remarkable albums (Warrior for Life and Standing Strong), award winning songs and two national tours under their belts, they are ready to rap your world. Known to many as Australia’s Indigenous Hip Hop Ambassadors, the Yung Warriors won the prestigious and highly competitive Deadly Award for 2012 Indigenous Hip Hop Artist of the Year. This year, they also won the VIPA Award for Song of the Year with Standing Strong and they have many other accolades to their name. They hit the O’ Donnell Gardens at 6pm.
Sunday February 2 – Wexford
Wexford is the highly anticipated music project by accomplished Melbourne singer/songwriter Tom Carty. After years of travelling and playing around the world and the release of an independent album on his return, the last 12 months have seen Tom pour his energy into his new Wexford project and a brand new EP, The Distance Between. Released in January 2014, Wexford is now touring regionally as well as in Sydney and Brisbane, and Festivals such as St Kilda Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival. 2pm at Seven:am.
Monday February 3 – Funkalleros
Funkalleros, lead by eclectic Argentinian musician Abe Dunovits, are an alternative to conventional Latin music. Their style seamlessly blends Afro-Caribbean music styles with rock, reggae and Spanish rumba, to create what Abe calls “alt-Latin”. Sung both in Spanish and English, Funkalleros’ songs embed both a socially and globally conscious call for justice as well as the fundamental joy for life inherent in Latin American culture. 6pm at Republica.
Tuesday February 4 – Dukesy And The Hazzards
With a penchant for blues, Dukesy and The Hazzards combine a deep respect for the traditional side of things with a hefty walloping of groove. Dukesy’s last album spent over six months in the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay chart and gained further airplay in over 14 countries worldwide, with their new single Cut Him Loose highlighting Dukesy’s funky blues sensibility. Live is where it’s really at though, as these boys put on a show full of tight grooves, funky lines and bluesy stylings. 7.30pm at Habitat HQ.
Wednesday February 5 – Sub Rosa
Sub Rosa began with the songwriting collaboration of Sarah Eida and Melissa Bonet, and soon after found their mighty rhythm section. They began playing in mid 2013. The formidable essence of Sub Rosa comes from a rich ’90s guitar sound, full of melody and dynamics to burn. With influences ranging from Smashing Pumpkins to Tori Amos, their songs emanate a delightful range of character and depth, punctuated by the distinctive and powerful vocals of Sarah Eida. 8pm at The Elephant and Wheelbarrow.
Thursday February 6 – White Summer
Somewhere along the long and winding road that is musical history, tucked in between Beethoven and Bob Dylan’s back pages, a whole lot of people decided they had a preference for tightly coiled metal strings being distorted by a humbucker over the top of a driving snare drum, like gunfire during sex. And from this predilection came rock music. But not just any kind of rock music – the kind where blues drips from grit-stained fingers, the kind where dancing comes with screaming and the kind you wouldn’t let your daughter near for all the whiskey in the world. This is White Summer. 11.40pm at The Espy.
Friday February 7 – Delsinki Records
Craig Johnston (Delsinki Records) is a Melbourne based singer songwriter. He has been involved in several musical projects over the years. Most notably, he was the founding member of Gretchen Lewis, who released Issue 1?? in 2010 through Green Media. His latest and most intimate project falls under the name Delsinki Records. With key influences such as Tom Waits, Johnny Cash and Simon and Garfunkel, Craig-Delsinki has begun to capture his uniquely deep, raw and earthy sound. His strong lyrics and melodies arrive from a place of truth and sincerity that in turn give the listener permission to relate and interpret the style and musical genre for themselves. Craig performed at the Sydney Opera House, The Perth Concert Hall and the Wool Shed (Gnaraloo) in June/July 2012 as a part of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s The Reef – a creative collaboration between Richard Tognetti, Mick Sowry and Jon Frank. He plays The Limerick Arms at 8pm.
Saturday February 8 – El Moth
Spawned from the remnants of an empty longneck of Melbourne Bitter, El Moth dusted its wings and flapped its way around the underground party scene in 2008. The boys quickly became known as one of the hottest party bands in town. The six-piece have since refined their tunes and carved a unique spot in the Australian reggae scene, and whether they are dubbin’ out or rockin’ out, it’s a sound distinctly their own. Their debut EP Life’s a Ride was launched in 2013, and the lads will be hitting the summer festival circuit at parties including Rainbow Serpent and Cool Summer. 5pm at Veludo.
Sunday February 9 – Courtney Barnett & The Courtney Barnetts
Welcome to the world of Courtney Barnett, a hazy place where ‘suburban banalities’ and ‘mindless procrastination’ have never sounded so compelling. The 25-year-old Melbourne-based singer, guitarist and songwriter has built a growing legion of local devotees through a series of DIY releases on her own label Milk! Records and now it seems the rest of the world is catching up. Pitchfork likened her latest single Avant Gardener to “mid-’60s Bob Dylan and a Byrds-ian blend of psychedelia, folk and country” while Brooklyn Vegan wrote that “her songwriting that hearkens back to the creative burst of the late 60s. Specifically in California – her melodies and psychedelic harmonies recall the work of David Crosby or John Phillips”. Contrary to the slacker-pop sensibility and laid-back psychedelia of her recordings, the sprawling, hair-raising guitar jams of her live trio The Courtney Barnetts are simply electrifying. 2.15pm at the O’Donnell Gardens Stage.
