Pitchblack Playback and winery Innocent Bystander are filling Brunswick Picture House with an hour of Australian psych rock, played in pitch darkness.
Nobody’s going to catch you air-drumming at Pitchblack Playback, which lands at Brunswick Picture House on 17 November.
Pitchblack Playback began in London and has since sold out sessions in Berlin, New York, Mexico City and elsewhere. Every light in the room is switched off, and the music comes through a high-end sound system to a crowd with nothing to look at. It’s been to Australia before. This time round, it’s partnered with winery Innocent Bystander for a night called Summer Psychedelia.
Pitchblack Playback x Innocent Bystander Present: Summer Psychedelia
- 17 November – Brunswick Picture House, 510–512 Sydney Road, Brunswick
- Doors 6.30pm, session 7.30pm, afterparty 8.30pm
- Tickets $25, including two glasses of Innocent Bystander wine
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Sydney DJ and producer Jerk Boy curated the 60-minute mixtape with the Pitchblack crew, building it around Australian psych rock for the first stretch of warm weather. Pitchblack director Ben Gomori says the local focus is a way of recognising Australia’s music history and celebrating the songs that came out of it.
A $25 ticket covers the session and the afterparty, with two glasses of Innocent Bystander wine on top. Pinot noir, which has won awards for the winery, sits alongside pinot gris, and there’s prosecco for anyone after bubbles. Doors open an hour before the 7.30pm start, which leaves time to order at the Brunswick Picture House bar and carry your glass into the theatre for the mixtape.
Gomori pitches the format as an escape from everyday distraction, adding that darkness makes every sound hit harder and lets you pick up far more detail than you’d catch with the lights on.
When the hour’s up, the night slides into a low-key afterparty with a live DJ and snacks doing the rounds. It’s a chance to stick around and compare notes on what you heard in the dark.
For more information, head here.
