Melbourne Music Week is both the only misnomer and the only reminder of 2021 that we’re oh-so happy to forgive, with bonus shows now stretching all the way into July.
With the original ‘week’ taking place over 10 days in December last year, MMW’s extended line-up has been pushed back to May and July and is now the answer to the question: ‘What do I do if I wanted to see live music over summer but it was incredibly stressful and expensive and I didn’t book anything and now I have mad retrospective FOMO?’ (No? Just us?)
In collaboration with some of Melbourne’s most iconic, epic, and even slightly weird venues, MMW is bringing a series of fabulous ‘extras’ to the city to cure autumn and winter blues. From boogie nights with a selection of Australia’s leading electronic acts, to sound and visual art masterpieces, the May / July selection of MMW is much like Shrek 2 – aka, on par with its predecessor.
So before you go interstate, why not hang in Melbourne while she’s at her sunny finest. Here’s your event playlist for the next two months.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
MESS Through The Roof
If you’ve ever wondered what the future of live arts will look like, MESS Through The Roof might just be the closest you’ll get to a crystal ball.
Four hot-shot 2021 MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio) alumni – Catherine Ryan, R.P. Downie, Reuben Lewis and Tiffany Alwis – have collaborated with some of RMIT’s best art and digital media students to compose a unique audio-visual experience especially for venue – RMIT’s The Capitol – and its bespoke roof lighting system.
The eclectic blend of live electronic music will be set under a canopy of otherworldly lighting for an intense, bordering-on-hypnotic sensory experience, produced by Studio Leads Darrin Verhagen and Shaun Wilson, and Program Manager Ben Byrne.
The event will take place at The Capitol (RMIT) from 8pm Thursday May 19. Tickets cost $10.
Georgia Maq + Sky City Gold
Melbourne indie-rock icon Georgia McDonald, of Camp Cope fame, takes to the stage at Melbourne Museum later this month as Georgia Maq, debuting her new brand of synth-pop with the same formidable voice we know and love.
The event will be a much-awaited opportunity for the public to hear live the tracks off her first solo album Pleaser (Run For Cover/Poison City Records) – released way back in December 2019 – as well her more recent, way too relatable single Joe Rogan.
Making it a double debut, Maq’s performance will be opened by new psychedelic art-rock ensemble, Sky City Gold, made up of Beatrice Lewis (Haiku Hands, Kardajal Kirridarra), Joel Ma (Joelsitivs), Thomas Mitchell, and David Williams.
The event will take place at Melbourne Museum from 7pm Friday May 20. Tickets cost $40-45.
SHOUSE + m8riarchy + Komang
Off the back of worldwide attention following the release of pandemic soundtrack Love Tonight, SHOUSE is back where they belong – on stage in Melbourne, making party goers wiggle on a Friday night.
Melbourne Museum will host the cherished dancefloor legends – made up of friends Ed Service and Jack Madin, whose musical remit ranges closely but expertly from house to anthem, with live sets that incorporate a network of analogue synthesisers, sequencers and drum machines, and bizarre home-made instruments.
Bringing her intimate song-writing and pop vocals to the electronic party is m8riarchy, as well as queen of neo-soul Komang.
The event will take place at Melbourne Museum from 7pm May 21. Tickets cost $40-45.
Butter Sessions + Research Records Label Showcase
For quick-to-bore music lovers wondering ‘What’s next?’, Butter Sessions and Research Records are joining MMW to challenge your senses and have you asking, ‘What the hell is spatial choreography?’
Headlined by Sleep D, in collaboration with the audio-visual arm of REELIZE.STUDIO, the event is a showcase of the creative depths Melbourne’s best artists have gone to in isolation.
Other names on the bill include Big Yawn, Jennifer Loveless, Glass Beams, Polito, YL Hooi, and Emelyne.
And in case you’re getting worried about the event being more ‘new age’ than you can handle right now (for god’s sake, we’re only just getting re-accustomed to live music, let alone mind-blowing multi-sensory performances), the event will be held at one of Melbourne’s oldest, most beloved venues – The Forum.
The event will take place at The Forum from 5.30pm July 30. Tickets cost $45.
For tickets and more information, head to the Melbourne Music Week website.
