Underground South Asian crews are turning The Substation into a one-night cultural playground. Here's what's going down.
South Asian collective KERFEW is taking over The Substation for TESTING, an ambitious, genre-bending one-night event in Newport.
The Naarm-based crew of artists, musicians and DJs has spent years carving out underground spaces where diaspora communities can connect, dance and exist without compromise, and this is their biggest swing yet.
Founded in 2022, KERFEW has built a reputation for curating nights that feel less like gigs and more like communal rituals. TESTING sees the group take over every corner of The Substation, bringing together classical, contemporary and experimental South Asian music under one roof.
The Substation – KERFEW: TESTING
- 11 July, 7pm to 1am
- The Substation, Newport
- Tickets here
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The night is curated and produced by Kamna Muddagouni and Saieesh Shanmugarajah, who’ve assembled a lineup spanning live instrumentalists, sound artists and DJs.
Expect the night to shift in tone as it unfolds. Early arrivals can settle in with food and live instrumental performances rooted in classical and contemporary traditions, before things tip into more electronic, moody and experimental territory as the evening progresses.
The lineup is stacked with names pushing the boundaries of South Asian sound.
Aarti Jadu brings a solo set of cinematic, voice-led electronic compositions, while EORA-based DJ Arsonist makes their Naarm debut with percussive, abrasive selections.
Violinist Bhairavi Raman and mridangam player Nanthesh Sivarajah will perform a duet blending carnatic tradition with drone experimentation, and student-guru pairing Hantu and Vinod Prasanna debut a set exploring both traditional and contemporary bansuri flute.
Elsewhere, Rakini Devi presents a live performance installation titled Urban Kali, centring the female form as ritual and artefact, while percussionist and sound artist R Rebeiro delivers a set of gritty, improvised textures.
Vijay Thillaimuthu rounds things out with a quadraphonic, theremin-controlled modular synthesiser performance responding to Meagan Streader’s lighting exhibition, A Residual Pulse. Interstitial DJ sets from kāmna and food from MyNameChef (Ronen Jafari) round out the night with the usual hospitality warmly part of Kerfew’s identity.
Tickets are tiered, with early bird now sold out, general admission at $43, concession at $33, a $30 Hobsons Bay local rate, and free entry for First Nations attendees.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with The Substation.
