Terrestrials
Following the sold out launch of their latest single “Many Moons” Terrestrials hit the stage at Shotkickers to launch their brand new single “Endure” joined by friends Verona Lights and What Most You Fear for a special hometown night of heavy, atmospheric live music.
Endure is a reflective track exploring the institutional lives and lived experiences of people with disabilities in previous generations, reflecting on the treatment and injustices they endured while acknowledging the progress made and the importance of continued advocacy, awareness and inclusion across society. It stands as a reminder of resilience and the need for ongoing social change.
Headlining Terrestrials deliver crushing riffs, expansive soundscapes and uncompromising intensity as they debut Endure live for the first time in front of a home crowd. Following the sell-out success of their Many Moons single launch, the band are carrying strong momentum into this next chapter.
Supporting are Verona Lights blending modern alternative and 00s metal influences with refined songwriting, dynamic arrangements and an increasingly powerful live presence. This will be their first Melbourne show back following their East Coast tour supporting Australian heavy music legends Sunk Loto.
Opening are What Most You Fear delivering dark ambient and post rock soundscapes through cinematic builds, haunting textures and an immersive live experience.
Together, this lineup brings three distinct takes on heavy and atmospheric music to Shotkickers for a night celebrating new music, live performance and the continuing momentum of Melbourne’s heavy music scene.
Live at the Bighouse Tram: Matthew Colin + Eileen & Alex Hamilton
Step aboard the Bighouse Tram for an afternoon of live music, good company, and old-fashioned charm.
Held on the first Sunday of every month, Live at the Bighouse Tram brings together local favourites and travelling songwriters for intimate performances in one of Melbourne’s most unique music venues.
Live at the Bighouse Tram presents Matthew Colin and Eileen & Alex Hamilton
Sunday 5th September
5pm
All ages
MATTHEW COLIN brings with him the philosophy of history’s great songwriters “a song and a friend for every mile behind”. It’ll only take listening to one or two lines to find a writer of considered craft, values nested in a time of country folk music when all that mattered was the song itself.
Eileen & Alex Hamilton will take you on a journey down the highway of heartaches, lost loves and tenderness in the form of country duets. Inspired by legendary acts such as Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons, the pair deliver effortless renditions of country classics alongside original songs that take you back to the roots of country music.
Yollie sings Billie
Yolanda Ingley Quartet perform “Yollie sings Billie” – a tribute to the inimitable Billie Holiday at Inverloch Jazz Club, 15 Bolding Place, Inverloch on Sunday 6th September, 2026, 2pm. Yolanda Ingley II is a Melbourne-based singer and songwriter known for her “smoky vocals” and music in the genres of blues, jazz, and soul.
Inside the Collarts studios where industry professionals are shaping Australia’s next working creatives
Collarts, the Australian College of the Arts will be opening its doors across the Wellington Street, Cromwell Street and George Street campuses, where the next generation of creatives is invited inside Collarts to experience firsthand the facilities and equipment.
Of particular note is the newly opened 110 Cromwell Street campus, which is set to become the new home for Film, Theatre and Performing Arts at Collarts, complete with flexible studios, performance areas and screening spaces. Having only just opened its doors, Open Day will be one of the first chances for prospective students to check the space out for themselves.
There will be a huge range of experiences and opportunities to take part in.
You won’t just watch; you’ll get a taste of the hands-on learning that Collarts offers.
Collarts open day
- When: 29 August, 11am-3pm
- Register here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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On the day, there will be guided tours across all three campuses led by Student Ambassadors, who will be able to share their insights and experiences, ready to answer your questions about the Collarts lifestyle.
You’ll see the cutting-edge equipment available to students across all departments, from animation to audio production, performing arts and photography.
On the tours, the Student Ambassadors will take you through the Program Displays and Info Hubs where you can drop in and chat with the program leaders and teachers across the broad range of courses.
These teachers are not only experts in the curriculum they teach – they’re working industry professionals, armed with the knowledge and connections to take you from novice to working creative.
There’ll also be demonstrations, where you can experience firsthand the course curriculums in action. You’ll gain a behind-the-scenes look at what time at Collarts may look like, getting involved with the equipment for a tangible opportunity to immerse yourself in the Collarts culture.
What Collarts is offering through their Open Day is an opportunity to step through the doorway into the entertainment, music and creative arts industries.
With Collarts, your learning doesn’t finish once you walk out the door. Rather, your time at Collarts will connect you, support you and empower you into the industry and beyond.
Where Collarts could take you
Isabella Thompson-Hope is just one of the graduates of the Bachelor of Music Performance Class of 2026.
She’s now the guitarist in Laura and the Hell Cutz, who have just supported IDLES and are opening for Mudhoney later this year.
“To think just a few years ago I didn’t think it was possible. But here we are, and it’s really fulfilling,” she said.
“I definitely wouldn’t be here without the support of the teachers. The course structure and the curriculum is great, but I think it really comes down to the people who are teaching the material.
“They’re all people in the industry. They’ve all got that knowledge; they’ve got that connection already.
“They’ve done it, so they know how to teach it. They’re not teaching from a curriculum, they’re teaching for experience,” Isabella said.
Alana Vandeleur is a promoter for an independent Australian-owned concert and event promoter agency. Four years ago, she was walking the halls at Collarts. Now, she’s sending bands across Australia on tour.
“Collarts will build you to where you want to go,” Alana said.
Alana completed a Bachelor of Entertainment Management. During the two-year course, she had the opportunity to intern across three different industries, including an eight-month stint at the Mushroom Group.
“Collarts gave me the tools to move into the industry,” she said.
“There were so many opportunities to meet people in the industry. It was one of the reasons I picked the university itself. I really liked the fact that my teachers were heavily involved in the industry itself.”
“The teachers didn’t want us to stay behind our laptops, they wanted us to get out there and be hands on,” she said.
“Collarts really helped me with the stepping stones into the industry.”
For more information, and to register, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Collarts.
Miss Kaninna: ‘I’m still a Tassie girl and ain’t a fuckin’ damn thing changed’
Once her BLACKPRINT mixtape drops, everything’s bound to pop-off: “It’s Blak Britney season,” bitch!
A proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali sovereign woman, Miss Kaninna relishes in calling out “Aussie-Aussie-Aussie/ Oi-Oi-Oi” chanters (mad props) and gets dirty/freaky in a casually graphic way (eg. “Do the splits lickin’ back on a dick” – the Parental Advisory Explicit Content sticker is valid). “I ain’t afraid to take it there” is an understatement. Sorry not sorry, prudes, Miss Kaninna’s not for you.
She’s hilarious, too: “Mug too fug, I had to go celibate.”
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
BLACKPRINT mixtape is great party music, but it’s born from resistance. She’s all about educating people the world over on the true history of “so-called Australia”, with a focus on Indigenous land rights, preserving the oldest living culture on Earth and fostering Black power. Every single word on here is worth memorising.
With its hi-hat-heavy beat, CHAT MY SHIT references old-school hip hop. This intro cut runs for one minute only, but cuts to the chase: “I’m Indigenous so you know you gon’ be feelin’ this and if you don’t then you’re prob’ly white supremacist… I got land back on my mind and I’m looking for a fight.”
The title track opens with a tweaky drone, before thwacking drums bring it home; the big-beat mayhem of Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy is referenced on this one. Listen out for the sound of silence, used to spectacular effect in the track’s final quarter.
Slinky bass glides through the creepy-hot LOOK AT ME NOW (feat. Kobie Dee). Sax is used sparingly, hitting like sprinklings of gold dust.
Bass notes played on piano, blazing electric guitar licks, clanking sounds that bring RATM to mind – her nuanced beats are delightfully unpredictable with a live-sounding edge.
“FUCK YOU, BITCH!” – HANDOUT, which features Waanyi/Gangaliida MC Jamahl Yami, opens with a bang. Miss Kaninna’s scattergun rapping astounds while she dismantles white Australia’s systemic racism. Inspired percussion drops later in the arrangement and the dancefloor beckons.
When her delivery hits boiling point, we hear Kelis’s Caught Out There choruses (the fuming “I hate you so much right now!” parts) as an influence.
“You hide behind your screen but ima meet you at your front door, BITCH!” – the hectic STOLEN WAGES veers into punk-rock territory while exposing cyclic dispossession.
A self-described “Black pop baddie”, Miss Kaninna is ultimately a truthteller. She’s furious about injustice, but also chic and unmesswithable.
Miss Kaninna’s braggadocio is warranted (“Deadly bitch ‘til the day I die”). Bring on the debut album!
Did you know? Miss Kaninna appeared on a Times Square billboard as part of Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch.
LABEL: SOUL HAS NO TEMPO
RELEASE: 21 AUGUST
Space tributes, abstract ballet and a symphony that started it all: inside Orchestra Victoria’s Meat Market session
Forget the usual concert hall, Orchestra Victoria is heading to the Meat Market for Session 2: Meet @ the Market, a night built entirely around energy, variety and personality.
Held in the Blackwood Box at the Meat Market, the program stitches together four wildly different works into one thrillingly varied evening, hosted on the night by Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe and conducted by Umberto Clerici.
Orchestra Victoria Session 2: Meet @ the Market
- Melbourne / Naarm
- Friday 4 September 2026, 7:00pm
- Blackwood Box, Meat Market
- Tickets here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Stravinsky’s Danses Concertantes
The night opens with two movements from Stravinsky’s Danses Concertantes: Pas de deux and Marche-conclusion.
Written across 1941 and 1942 while Stravinsky was based in Los Angeles, the piece was commissioned by the Werner Janssen Orchestra and was originally intended purely for the concert stage, even though its title and character practically beg for movement.
It plays out like an abstract ballet, full of wit and vivid motion.
Across its five movements, bookended by a pair of playful marches, Stravinsky’s chamber orchestration pulses with kinetic energy: expect clipped, contrapuntal textures and instrumental voices that leap and swirl with real athleticism.
Nielsen’s Flute Concerto
Next up is the Allegretto from Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto, a piece that’s both charming and mischievous, giving the flute a rare and well-deserved star turn.
Nielsen wrote the concerto in 1926 for flautist Holger Gilbert-Jespersen, and it premiered in Paris to a warm reception. Structurally, it’s built on two contrasting movements that balance logic and clarity with genuine charm and vivacity.
Its broad, singing lyricism and scherzo-like playfulness make for a rich showcase for whoever’s performing it, and on this occasion that’s Orchestra Victoria’s own Lisa-Maree Amos, Section Principal Flute since 2007.
Amos brings serious international pedigree to the role, with performances alongside the BBC Symphony at the Proms and the Boston Symphony, plus seasons with The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. Her tone has been described as equal parts radiant and agile, which sounds like exactly what this sparkling, teasing concerto calls for.
Paul Stanhope’s Apollo
From there, the program shifts into more contemporary territory with Australian composer Paul Stanhope’s Apollo, written for wind octet and bongo.
The piece works as a double tribute: one part homage to the Apollo space missions, one part nod to Stravinsky’s own clear-lined musical style, particularly the restraint and order Stravinsky favoured over the emotional excess of the late-Romantic era.
It’s a neat bridge between old and new, and grounds the whole evening firmly in the present.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1
Closing out the night is the Adagio molto to Allegro con brio from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21, and there’s a great story behind it.
On 2 April 1800, a young and fairly ambitious Beethoven hired Vienna’s Imperial Court Theatre himself, presenting a program that included his Septet alongside works by Mozart and Haydn, essentially to announce to the city that he’d arrived.
The real centrepiece of that night was his First Symphony, a work so originally and confidently stated that it still makes the revolutionary leaps of his later symphonies feel almost inevitable.
It’s personal, playful, dramatic and dripping with self-belief: the spark of everything Beethoven would go on to become.
On the podium: Umberto Clerici
On the podium for the night is Umberto Clerici, a conductor known for his warmth, humour and fearless musicality, whose career spans both orchestral leadership and instrumental mastery.
Alongside his role as Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Clerici’s recent engagements include conducting Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Steven Isserlis for the Volksoper Vienna, plus debuts with Orchestra del Teatro Massimo in Palermo and Orchestra Regionale Toscana.
He’s also curated a three-week series with the Sydney Symphony and returned to the podiums of the Dunedin, Melbourne and West Australian Symphony Orchestras.
Your host for the night: Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe
Hosting the evening is Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe, a Rwandan-British composer, arts and culture strategist and broadcaster working between Naarm/Melbourne and Rwanda.
Her research-driven practice looks at how culture gets built and archived through lived experience, shaped by her formal training in composition and performance.
Multiple forms of synaesthesia, spanning sound, colour, texture and spatial sequence, add a neurodiverse layer to her multicultural identity, and her ongoing research into the global history of art music, which she’s been developing since 1999, feeds into her graphic scores, artworks and live musical conversation series, where audiences become active participants rather than passive listeners.
She also hosts Passenger, her weekly show on ABC Classic and the Listen app, taking listeners on an audio journey that pairs storytelling with art music from around the world, with a particular focus on non-Western voices.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Orchestra Victoria.
Brie Larson’s new Hollywood blockbuster is filming at Melbourne’s old Neighbours studio
The Brie Larson horror film is in the final stretch of production in Nunawading, becoming the first shoot to take over the reactivated eastern-suburbs facility since the soap called it a day. Skeletons has rolled cameras across the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Werribee, with support from VicScreen and a federal filming incentive.
The production has created around 635 jobs and tipped more than $21.5 million into the state economy. Roughly 300 local businesses have been pulled into the effort too, spanning caterers, transport operators, accommodation providers, medical services and specialist screen suppliers.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
From soap sets to a creature feature
Neighbours filmed at the Nunawading site for four decades before wrapping in 2025, a suburban Melbourne soap that grew into a genuine global export with a huge following in the UK. Seeing a big-budget genre production move into the same walls makes for a tidy second act, and it hands the eastern suburbs a rare slice of screen action, a fair way from the usual gravitational pull of Docklands Studios.
Skeletons comes from producer J.J. Abrams and director JT Mollner, whose previous feature Strange Darling built a devoted cult following on the back of its jagged, non-linear storytelling. The new film tracks a young boy who slowly works out that his parents are hiding a deeply unsettling secret about his mother’s true nature. It’s a creature feature told from a kid’s-eye view.
The screenplay came from Brian Duffield, based on a short story by Philip Fracassi, with revisions from Mollner. Sony Pictures snapped up worldwide rights in a competitive bidding war at this year’s European Film Market, so there was serious international heat on the project long before cameras rolled here.
Post-production sticks around
Rather than shipping the footage offshore, the visual effects and post work will stay in the state. The project is establishing Chroma Film Lab, a new film development laboratory in Brunswick East, keeping a solid share of the skilled, behind-the-scenes labour local. For a pocket of Melbourne’s inner north better known for warehouses and cafes, a working film lab is a new addition to the map.
The cast is loaded. Alongside Larson are John Goodman, Kyle Gallner, Willa Fitzgerald, Ione Skye, Keith Carradine and Daithí Ó hAragáin. Victorian producers Paul Currie and Mario Biancacci, whose credits take in Better Man, Ricky Stanicky and I Play Rocky, are also on the team.
Sony has locked a cinema release for 4 June 2027, which means the Nunawading shoot feeds straight into a major studio horror slate. First-look footage tends to surface a fair while out, so Melburnians hunting for familiar backdrops on the big screen will have to sit tight.
The shoot drew on the federal Location Offset alongside VicScreen’s incentives, a combination built to make Victoria a cheaper, easier proposition for offshore studios weighing up where to spend. Reel in a production the size of Skeletons and the flow-on runs well past the set, into hotels, hire companies and freelance crews across the city.
It also adds to a solid run for the state’s screen sector, landing next to recent local productions such as Fog City, Written in the Stars and the series Wentworth: Halfway Home. For a place that spent years watching work drift interstate, that’s a healthy tally, and reviving a dormant studio to do it is a neat trick.
For more information, head here.
The Rose are bringing their Rosetopia World Tour to Melbourne
The Rose are heading back to Australia this October, with a Melbourne show locked in for their Rosetopia World Tour.
The Seoul four-piece formed in 2017 and have since built a following that stretches well past the usual K-pop crowd, touring across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The Rose – Woosung, Dojoon, Hajoon and Jaehyeong – have also turned up on festival stages like Coachella and Lollapalooza along the way.
The Rose Australian tour
- Melbourne – Festival Hall – 9 October
- Sydney – Hordern Pavilion – 11 October
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
After debuting, the band paused for mandatory military service, returning with their first full-length, Heal, in 2022. The run since has leaned on live instrumentation and the alternative rock, indie and pop songwriting behind tracks like She’s in the Rain, Sorry, RED, Back to Me, Alive and Childhood.
Rosetopia is the live chapter of WRLD, the band’s latest album and the one where they ease off the throttle. It moves into warmer, more reflective territory and country-inspired melodies across songs like Slowly and Tomorrow, circling back toward the raw feel of their earliest material.
The operation around them has grown to match. The band now carry their own documentary in Come Back to Me, an official lightstick and a dedicated app for their fanbase, the Black Roses. The Melbourne set promises new songs alongside older favourites, wrapped in the immersive production that’s become a hallmark of a The Rose show.
For more information, head here.
Holly Humberstone announces biggest Australian headline shows yet
The British singer-songwriter has announced her return to Australia in February 2027 for a run of headline theatre shows, her biggest in the country to date.
Holly Humberstone will bring her acclaimed second album Cruel World to four cities across the east coast and Perth, with fellow artist Holly Hebe joining as special guest.
Holly Humberstone Australian tour 2027
- 4 February — Enmore Theatre, Sydney
- 8 February — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
- 10 February — Forum Melbourne
- 12 February — Astor Theatre, Perth
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Hot on the back Cruel World
Cruel World, which landed at number four on the UK Albums Chart, has racked up more than 83 million streams since its release. The album digs into love, identity, adulthood and shifting ideas of home, blending nostalgia-tinged alternative pop with a sound built for live rooms.
Humberstone wrote the record with her live band and audiences front of mind, and it shows — she’s spent recent years on stages at Coachella, Glastonbury and Lollapalooza, and joined Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium.
Hebe returns as well
Holly Hebe, who supported Humberstone on her Australian dates last year, has been building serious momentum of her own. The Melbourne-raised singer, songwriter and producer makes dreamy, piano-driven pop shaped by a rural seaside upbringing. She’s notched sold-out headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne, performed at the 2025 Australian Open and Beyond the Valley, and toured nationally with The Rions and The Dreggs.
Mastercard and Vodafone presales open 24 August at 10am local time, with Secret Sounds presale following 25 August. General tickets go on sale 26 August at 10am local.
For more information, head here.
Melbourne is getting a brand new suburb: ‘we’re unlocking space’
Melton East is officially on the map, with a new suburb approved for Melbourne’s fast-growing western fringe near Melton.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has signed off on the Melton East Precinct Structure Plan, clearing the way for a full community to take shape on the eastern edge of the Melton township. It lands as one of the larger greenfield approvals in the region this year.
“We’re unlocking space to deliver thousands of more homes – as we deliver the infrastructure these communities need,” she said. “The plans for Melton East and Merrifield North are about building connected places for more Victorians to live, work and thrive.”
Once it’s fully built out, the precinct is tipped to house more than 36,000 residents and support around 1,600 local jobs – a serious chunk of growth for a stretch of Melbourne’s western suburbs that’s been expanding at pace for the better part of a decade.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
What the Melton East plan actually delivers
The numbers are big. The approved blueprint makes room for nearly 12,000 homes, seven schools and more than five MCGs worth of parks and reserves, alongside shopping options and four community hubs meant to keep everyday essentials close to home.
There’s a decent transport backbone built in too, with three new arterial roads, 14 intersections and five bridges pencilled in, plus cycling and pedestrian links threading through the precinct.
It’ll be rolled out in two stages so that houses and services go up in step with one another – the idea being that residents aren’t left stranded without roads and schools long after the moving trucks have gone.
A new address on Melbourne’s western edge
For anyone unfamiliar with the patch, Melton East sits roughly 35 kilometres north-west of the CBD, just past the existing Melton township and taking in the suburb of Grangefields. The site covers a touch over 1,000 hectares, hemmed in by Kororoit Creek to the north-east, the Western Freeway to the south, Leakes Road to the east and the Melton Highway to the north-west.
The land is the Country of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, the Traditional Owners of this part of the west, and the plan sets aside conservation zones along Kororoit Creek to protect local biodiversity.
The whole thing has been led by the Victorian Planning Authority alongside Melton City Council, following a public consultation round and an independent advisory committee process.
Why it matters for Melbourne’s west
Melton has been one of the fastest-growing council areas in the country, and appetite for housing across Melbourne’s outer growth corridors hasn’t cooled. The Melton East tick-off forms part of a wider state push for new homes – a greenfields program aiming to unlock 180,000 dwellings across Victoria over the next ten years.
“We’re unlocking space to deliver thousands of more homes – as we deliver the infrastructure these communities need,” Kilkenny said.
The precinct also arrives as the surrounding area finally banks some long-promised infrastructure. The Melton line has been electrified and is now free of level crossings, the Melton Hospital is under construction, and a run of road and school upgrades has been rolling out across the municipality.
“We are delivering the infrastructure needed to the west so more families can call Melton home,” Member for Melton Steve McGhie said.
More growth on the way at Merrifield North
Melton East isn’t the only plan in motion. Consultation has also opened on the draft Merrifield North Precinct Structure Plan – a 970-hectare jobs precinct in the Northern Growth Corridor tipped to support more than 4,700 roles across warehousing, transport and logistics.
Locals keen to weigh in can lodge feedback via the Engage Victoria page while submissions are open.
“We are planning for the future with new homes and the schools, roads and health services needed to raise a family,” Member for Kororoit Luba Grigorovitch said.
It’s a lot of change for a corner of the city that, not so long ago, was mostly paddocks. Whether Melbourne’s west can lay down the trains, roads and services fast enough to keep pace with all these new arrivals is the question that’ll shape the next decade out here – and, in the meantime, it’s worth keeping an eye on how the area’s live music scene grows with it.
For more information on the Melton East plan, head here.
Surprise Chef announce fifth album Frogs In A Pond plus tour dates
Melbourne’s Surprise Chef are back with fifth album Frogs In A Pond and a national tour to show it off.
Out 23 October, Frogs In A Pond is the first Surprise Chef album for Concord Jazz, and it plays as a single 40-minute suite rather than a set of standalone songs. Funk-flecked lead single Leg Day is out now.
The record takes its cues from Italian giallo cinema of the 1960s and 70s, and the small-ensemble film composers who scored that era. The group built it around a framework they dubbed The Palette, writing within the limits of an eight-track tape machine before tracking almost entirely live over a continuous nine-day session at their self-built College of Knowledge studio in Coburg.
Surprise Chef
- 24 September – Phoenix Central Park, Sydney NSW
- 25 September – Crowbar, Sydney NSW
- 15 October – The Brightside, Brisbane QLD
- 16 October – A&I Hall, Bangalow NSW
- 23 October – Quadraphonic Club, Melbourne VIC
- 25 October – The Tote, Melbourne VIC
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The run was mapped out to move through wildly different rooms, from tight band spaces to purpose-built listening venues, so the four-piece could feel how each track shifts depending on where it lands. It takes in a release-day show at Quadraphonic Club in Brunswick and a later date at The Tote.
Frogs In A Pond took shape as a reflection on how people live alongside one another, an idea that only deepened as the band sealed themselves off during recording and became a small, self-contained world of their own. Characters surfaced along the way, among them The Thief, the cloak-and-dagger frog peering out from the cover, drawn from imagery guitarist Lachlan Stuckey found in a book handed down by his grandfather.
Across 13 tracks the group layer drums, bass, guitar, piano, clavinet, Arp Odyssey synthesiser, vibraphone and tuned wood blocks, with special guest Leon Michels adding flute throughout. It follows 2025’s Superb and arrives after a decade that’s carried Surprise Chef well beyond Coburg, taking in festival slots at Reeperbahn, Desert Daze and Pickathon, a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial soundtrack and a sample on a Rich Brian and Ghostface Killah collaboration. A North American tour follows, their fourth lap of the US.
For more information, head here.
TAXIRIDE: “Garage Mahal” 25th Anniversary
Garage Mahal didn’t just define an era. For a lot of people, it defined a feeling.
High energy, soaring harmonies, longing, self-reckoning, freedom and world-class pop/rock songwriting that felt both polished and raw at the exact same time.
Now, TAXIRIDE ft. Jason Singh are celebrating 25 years of this iconic, platinum selling album at The Espy, St Kilda.
This is a one night only, premiere show, featuring original lead vocalist and principal album songwriter Jason Singh.
Witness these pop-rock masters bring Garage Mahal to life from start to finish, capturing the original sound and big feelings that made this timeless album a defining Australian release.
This isn’t nostalgia. This is songwriting and live performance at its finest — expect electric energy, feel-good singalongs, and a night you’ll never forget.
If Garage Mahal was part of your 2000’s soundtrack (or if you’re only just discovering these bangers now) this is your one chance to experience it live, up close, and in full in Melbourne.
One Voice: Greatest Hits of John Farnham
Prepare to be blown away by Simon Shapiro (ex 1927), one of Australia’s most extraordinary voices, as he captures the essence, power, and incredible range of John Farnham’s iconic hits. With a voice that mirrors Farnham’s legendary sound, Simon brings each song to life with breathtaking precision, from soaring high notes to the deep, emotive tones that made Farnham a national treasure.
Supported by a world-class band composed of the country’s finest musicians, this concert experience offers a truly authentic rendition of Farnham’s greatest songs. It’s a night of pure Aussie spirit, nostalgic memories, and world-class performances in a powerful celebration of the music, the voice, and the legend. This show will leave you singing, swaying, and cheering for more. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the voice of a generation—live on stage.
The Heights
The Heights are redefining the Australian rock scene with explosive riffs, unforgettable rhythms, and an undeniable stage presence. Drawing inspiration from Foo Fighters, Green Day, and Silverchair, The Heights fuse modern energy with classic rock intensity. Known for their high-energy performances, they’ve taken stages by storm—from St Kilda Festival and Music in the Park to packing out headline shows at iconic venues like The Last Chance and Nevermind Bar. With a fresh, hard-hitting sound, the band’s newest trio of singles Endlessly, Frog Song (Your Loving), and The Dealer bring their best and latest from the stage to the studio. Their breakout EP, Turbulence, features fan-favorite No Clue, which has surpassed 14,000 streams—a statement of their talent and growing fanbase. Hailing from Mordialloc, this powerhouse group brings an experience that stays with you long after the last chord.
They’re bringing their electrifying live show to The Espy Basement on 28 August for an intimate yet powerful night of modern local music. Expect brand-new singles, fan favourites, and the raw energy that’s made their live performances unforgettable.
Joining them are Melbourne locals Fool Me Twice and SpillKit, kicking things off and keeping the momentum high from start to finish.
Three bands, one room, and a night you won’t want to miss.
Twilight Anniversary Party Melbourne
CALLING ALL SPIDER MONKEYS!! If you have the skin of a killer, we’ve got the night for you!
Whether you’re team Jacob or team Edward, you’ll love Club Twilight! Call Me Maybe DJs will be playing tracks from the Twilight saga soundtracks, along with similar hits all night long!
Tickets will sell impossibly fast (and strong) – get yours now!
Glenn Richards
Glenn Richards is the multi award winning songwriter and singer for one of Australia’s most accomplished and well regarded bands, Augie March. Recipient of the AMP, Hottest 100 Number 1 Song, APRA Breakthrough Songwriter and Best Song, EG’s Best Song of the Year among others, and of gold and platinum selling albums with Augie March.
Glenn has written and released ten full length albums with Augie and solo, as well as numerous EPs, scored four feature films, several shorts, a television series for the ABC, a Netflix documentary series, and three major theatre productions in the last two years with Archipelago Productions, winning Tasmanian Theatre Sound Design of the Year Award for “The Bleeding Tree”.
He produced Augie March’s last 3 albums as well as engineering and mixing a great deal of them, completely self producing 2020’s solo “FIBATTY!”, mixing December 2021’s “Bloodsport and Porn”, writing, engineering and mixing 2024’s “Malagrotta” from Augie March.
He is currently mixing a new album of originals songs featuring an all Tasmanian line up of crack musicians, to be released internationally by In.2 Records UK, and live launched in London later this year.
He works out of his own studio, Dark Satanic Mills Studio, in Hobart, Tasmania.
Barr-Nun
After taking some time to recharge, reset, and reload, Barr-Nun are back and they’re kicking off a brand new chapter in style.
Armed with a fresh look, a stack of brand-new tunes, and a live show that’s bigger than ever, the boys are ready to bring the energy back to Naarm. Expect a set packed with future crowd favourites, including the live debut of their brand new single, “Lookin at Me (Lookin at U)”, hitting the iconic stage of The Espy Basement.
Joining them are two of the hottest bands making waves in the Naarm scene right now: The Defibs and CME. Three bands, one legendary venue, and a night full of huge hooks, loud guitars, and good times.
Whether you’ve been with Barr-Nun from the start or you’re seeing them for the first time, this is the show you don’t want to miss.
Grab your mates, get down early, and help us kick off this new era the right way.
Sunshine Tip + John McAll
Sunshine Tip bring their unique, grounded take on alternative country to the Espy Basement. Dave Bowers, Alice Garner, Dee Hannan and Al Barden throw voices, guitar, cello, mandolin and drums together to trawl the depths of human experience. This is locally-rooted music played by performers who draw on a rich and varied history, ranging from alternative country, rock, jazz and lounge, to Greek and Irish traditions.
Opening the night is pianist John McAll, teasing magic from the ebony and ivory in a solo set as well as jumping up for a few Sunshine Tip tunes. A fearless music explorer, John has played with many greats of jazz, rock and cabaret and brings a unique style, sensitivity and humour to his performances.