Picture the scene: it's this Sunday, March 13, 6pm, the night before Labour Day - that precious celebration of the eight-hour day - and you're out on Sydney Road looking for something exciting...something different.
Look no further than our old pal The Brunswick Ballroom. They’ll be dishing out the best of Melbourne’s exotic twists this Sunday evening when Melbourne’s epic nine-piece Latin band Calle Luna (Domingo Latino) face off against Afrobeat champions The Afrobiotics, in the kind of dance-and-rhythm battle the labour unions were secretly hoping for when they striked for more time off all those years ago.
This one’s going down as part of Brunswick Music Festival, and will also feature DJ Jon King III. It’s being staged by the legends at Foreign Brothers; a self-described “group of creators from our individual motherlands finding each other in a strange place”.
What you need to know
- Sunday 13 March – 6pm at Brunswick Ballroom
- Foreign Brothers Presents – SOUND EXCHANGE #1
- Calle Luna vs The Afrobiotics
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Calle Luna are one of the city’s best proponents of Latin rhythms, bringing a South-Americana taste with a hint of Australia, courtesy of their expansive and diverse lineup.
The Afrobiotics, meanwhile, are much more than just an excellent pun; they’re the new project from members of the beloved Public Opinion Afro Orchestra and Lamine Sonko.
We were huge fans of both of these groups, with The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra describing themselves to us as “Afrobeat that moves them feet! The funk of Fela’s Africa, the rhythms of the tropics, the swagger of Parliament and the fire of Public Enemy.” They also said if they were a chocolate bar, they’d be “A Pollywaffle. It looks a little funky, it smells a little funky but one taste and you will want to get down.” What more can you ask for than that?
The night is being heralded as a ‘dance-off competition like no other’. The rules are simple: each band can only perform one song before handing over to the other band, with the crowd as judge. From salsa to Nigerian funk, expect one massive party.
Calle Luna vs The Afrobiotics will be going down this Sunday, tickets available here.
