In a significant first for Victoria's music scene, Heavy Congress is bringing sound system culture to the Yarra Valley, announcing a massive ten-hour festival at Rochford Winery featuring twelve of the southern hemisphere's largest sound systems.
Set for March 29, the pioneering event will showcase Melbourne’s thriving sound system community, which now accounts for more than half of Australia’s 50-plus active systems. Event founder Stick Mareebo points to Melbourne’s reputation as the nation’s sound system capital as key to selecting the regional location.
“In the age of digital music streaming and corporate-controlled radio, the sound system represents a fresh and dynamic alternative to the mainstream – it’s all about taking control of how the music is made, shared and consumed,” Mareebo says.
Heavy Congress
- Venue: Rochford Winery, 878 Maroondah Hwy Coldstream
- Date: Saturday March 29, 2025
- Cost: $50 show only, $100 including bus transport to and from the event
- Time: 11 am – 9 pm
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
The lineup brings together an impressive array of established crews including D.I.Y. HiFi, Dub Divination, Echo Chamber, El Gran Mono, Goody’s HiFi, Heartical Hi Powa, Housewife’s Choice, Solidarity, System Unknown, Tribe Sound System, Tuff Tone and Virus.
Sound system culture, which originated in Jamaica in 1941, has found fertile ground in Melbourne’s music landscape, particularly through the city’s underground venues and street-level music scenes. The movement emphasises community connection and grassroots power through massive speaker setups and live performances.
The festival will feature DJs, MCs and live acts across styles ranging from reggae and dub to electro, techno and champeta Africana. Rochford Winery, known for its history of hosting major outdoor concerts, provides a striking backdrop for this celebration of bass culture.
Heavy Congress runs from 11am to 9pm, with tickets available at $50 for show entry or $100 including return bus transport. The event marks another evolution in sound system culture’s journey from the streets of Kingston to Melbourne’s music underground, now expanding into Victoria’s regional spaces.
Get tickets here.
