JOLT Arts is bringing robotic sound machines, Cuban rhythms and full sonic chaos to Melbourne this spring. Here's the lineup.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
