An Australian debut from COUCOU CHLOE at the Royal Exhibition Building is one of the most exciting shows at this year's Now or Never festival.
Now or Never has announed its return to the Royal Exhibition Building (REB) – featuring COUCOU CHLOE as one of the headliners in a series that includes large-scale live music and audio-visual projection works across four nights.
The last party to close out Now or Never’s reign at Royal Exhibition Building draws together a killer session of heart-melting R&B, propulsive club bangers, hip-swivelling techno-house, and explorations of the rave unconscious.
Now or Never’s closing Royal Exhibiton Building party
- Sun 25 Aug | 5pm-10pm
- Royal Exhibition Building
- Carlton Gardens, 9 Nicholson Street, Melbourne
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Portuguese-Danish artist Erika de Casier isn’t searching for perfection – she’s just trying to show you where she’s at right now. A master of writing songs that speak to universal experiences of modern life, for all their specificities and quirks, her brand of enchanting and sensual R&B instantly hits and keeps on giving.
Dark glamour and twisted romance, high fashion and emotional voyeurism – welcome to the glittering world of COUCOU CHLOE. Slinky, supine beats sit side by side with wedding dresses and floral bouquets, and forbidding, futuristic sounds are thrown off-kilter by moments of lyrical intensity. Her chaotic live performances have seen her annihilate venues across three continents. She brings the noise for the first time to Australia for Now or Never.
New York City-based Anthony Naples is a DJ, producer and co-owner of the hugely influential record label Incienso. His sound travels through elements of ambient, acid-house, slow banging techno or post-punk, although this game of identifying genres quickly becomes labyrinthine: his magic doesn’t seem to require an obvious rhythm to incite movement in the body or a journey in the head.
Pillars of the Melbourne underground and childhood friends, Sleep D duo Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos and their coveted Butter Sessions label have ushered in a new era, sensibility and productivity to the city that raised them. A defiantly DIY two-man assembly line, their ever-evolving live show encapsulates a singular take on bush doof, mutated house, acid scraps and ambient.
The stellar series lineup also includes multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist, Eartheater, techno pioneers Sandwell District, Portuguese-born Danish singer, songwriter and record producer Erika De Casier, renowned Australian-born musician Ben Frost, electronic artist and First Nations Wiradjuri woman Naretha Williams and prominent British electronic musician Clark. Globally celebrated Italian techno DJ Donato Dozzy will also headline a night co-hosted by Untitled Group.
“Melbourne, it’s Now or Never!” Lord Mayor Sally Capp exclaimed. “The return of this extraordinary festival will enrich our events calendar, boosting visitation for our traders and stoking our economy during the traditionally quieter winter period.
“From thought-provoking performances to late-night cultural experiences, the festival supports artistic talent and encourages knowledge, curiosity and creativity.”
“Now or Never is set to draw over 200,000 visitors to the city – welcoming audiences with a variety of events across some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues, including the renowned Royal Exhibition Building.”
“Melbourne Museum and the Royal Exhibition Building are vital elements in Melbourne’s cultural identity,” Museums Victoria CEO and director Lynley Crosswell concluded. “And as centres of wonder and discovery, the perfect venues to host the brilliant homegrown and international program of bold art, creative ideas and future thinking that is Now or Never 2024.”
Now or Never will take over Melbourne from Thursday 22 to Saturday 31 August. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase and to explore the full program, visit the Now or Never website here.
Beat is an official media partner of Now or Never.
