Melbourne's genre-bending pop outfit are closing out 2026 with one last riotous party at Brunswick Ballroom.
Fairtrade Narcotics are closing out 2026 with a rare, riotous headline show at Brunswick Ballroom this October.
The Melbourne-based outfit have built a reputation for refusing to sit still stylistically, blending psychedelia, jazz, rock and pop into something that’s tricky to pin down but impossible to ignore.
Fronted by songwriter and bandleader Brooke Kymberley, Fairtrade Narcotics layer synth guitar, trumpet and flugelhorn, keys and a tight, propulsive rhythm section into a sound that feels both nostalgic and completely fresh.
Fairtrade Narcotics at Brunswick Ballroom
- Brunswick Ballroom
- 30 October
- With Orange Moon, Creature Fear and In Xira
- Tickets here
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
View this post on Instagram
That sound is on full display on the band’s latest record, Recession Pop, an ode to early noughties nostalgia stitched together with playful grooves and textured, dreamy soundscapes.
The Brunswick Ballroom show marks a rare headline outing for the group, and doubles as the first live unveiling of new material since the album’s release.
There’s more than just new songs on the cards too. The night also serves as the soft launch of Expansion Pop, a remix compilation that hands the band’s tracks over to a lineup of some of Naarm’s most in-demand DJs and producers for a club-ready reimagining.
Joining Fairtrade Narcotics on the night are Orange Moon, Creature Fear and In Xira, rounding out a lineup built for fans of left-of-centre pop and genre-hopping songcraft. I
t’s billed as the band’s final headline outing for the year, so it’s shaping up as one not to miss for anyone who’s been following their run of releases.
Punters at the show will also get first dibs on a limited run of physical goods, with remix tapes, compact discs and merchandise available on the night for anyone keen to take a piece of the evening home with them.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Brunswick Ballroom.
