Darebin Council in Melbourne’s north spans the colourful suburbs that are quickly gaining a reputation as a collective creative hub, as it’s an area many writers, musicians, artists and performers call home. The Darebin Music Feast is a convergence of all these talented individuals and groups, and it’s renowned for its quirky, grassroots vibe. Over the years, the Feast has showcased music styles ranging from Argentinean tango to psychobilly; cross-cultural chanting to hard rubbish orchestras; tongue-in-cheek Lithuanian folk music to Indigenous Bogan cabaret; as well as all the popular mainstream staples that make up the rich smorgasbord that is the Melbourne scene.
It’s Fuller’s second year behind the Darebin Music Feast wheel and, since stepping into the driver’s seat, she’s introduced a few changes to help make navigating the festival a dream for punters. “When I was brought in on my first Feast last year I was asked to cook it up a little,” Fuller recalls. “I remodelled the program strands, introduced a festival hub with a curated program, and created a new Street Feast program to create a more visible and exciting presence for the festival period.”
Acting as a grand centrepiece to The Feast is The Bain Marie Hub Bar, which returns to the festival after a hugely successful inaugural run last year. Located at the majestic Northcote Town Hall, the Feast Hub will feature heaps of free shows – in fact, all of them are free. The assorted cross-section of special guests at the Bain Marie include Mojo Juju and T-Bone, Pugsley Buzzard, Christopher Coleman Collective, The Wilson Pickers, Cherrywood, Ruby Boots, The Davidson Brothers plus many, many more. According to Fuller, the concept of hosting free events during The Feast is vital in maintaining inclusive access to the arts within a vibrant community setting.
“It’s important to create equitable access to the arts with free events, and Council has the opportunity to create free arts events for our community and our guests visiting the area,” she says. “I also think it’s important that people do learn to pay for music,” she adds, “either through the drink prices at the bar, or via tickets at the door. So often artists are expected to work for ‘the love of it’, but that is not sustainable for them.”
It’s not all about the Bain Marie Hub though, with a mountain of iconic Darebin music venues (such as the Northcote Social Club, Open Studio, The Wesley Anne, Bar 303 and Tago Mago, as well as Darebin’s newest festival venue, Farouk’s Olive) hosting nightly instalments of shows, which include local and touring artists and a range of special events. The gargantuan scope of gigs throughout these venues is sure to tantalise your musical tastebuds, and according to Fuller, the Darebin Music Feast is the ideal opportunity to witness some talent you may not have ever considered stepping out to see.
“I’ve always admired Melbourne music lovers for going to see the bands they don’t know, not just following hoards to the bands they do know,” Fuller enthuses. “Music Feast is an exciting space to discover new collaborations and new acts, or just old acts that people might never have gotten to see before.
The strengths of Feast in Darebin is that you have a corridor of great music venues that are so easily accessible by the 86 festival tram, and great bars, restaurants and cafes in between each venue,” she adds. “Some people think that Darebin is a far-away country town, and laugh when they realise that it’s their beloved Northcote, Westgarth, Thornbury and so on.”
Aside from strengthening pre-existing Feast programs, Fuller has also introduced an exciting new inclusion to the festival called Shop Talk, which focuses on artists and industry development opportunities. Shop Talk events are just as eclectic as the Feast itself – they range from bluegrass workshops to band merchandising tips, to name just a few. Sitting underneath the Shop Talk umbrella is The Push Pop-Up shop. Co-presented by The Push, Decibels Records and Darebin’s FreeZA committee, The Push Pop-Up will offer a series of free all ages panels, presentations, open round-table discussions and workshops.
“Shop Talk ties in events that have been running for a long time, like the Music Feast Songwriters Award, with the workshops and panels, and creates entry for new partnerships like the one with The Push,” she says. “Hopefully these newly defined program strands will make it easier for people to navigate the festival program.”
It’s safe to say that Fuller has a strong connection with the Darebin Music Feast. So what’s her favourite component of the festival?
” Honestly, I just love seeing people smile and dance,” she says. “I love the stories of people making new festival friends; the feeling of community celebration that it evokes. And I can’t get enough of the music.”
BY MERRI COTE
