Though the Late Show Gallery is still in its foetal stage, there is no doubt that the venue, which launches on Friday October 29, will be a hub for night owls alike. Located on Bourke Street, the gallery will showcase local bands and artworks from Melbourne artists.
Though the Late Show Gallery is still in its foetal stage, there is no doubt that the venue, which launches on Friday October 29, will be a hub for night owls alike. Located on Bourke Street, the gallery will showcase local bands and artworks from Melbourne artists.
Founded by Gareth Culbertson, vocalist and guitarist of Melbourne band Paris Riots and also a sound engineer, the event will run once a month from New Year’s onwards. “The Late Show Gallery is designed to be a showcase of Melbourne’s best talent, whether it be bands or artists,” explains Culbertson. “We are running the night roughly after New Year’s and we’ll be theming the nights on street art or sketch art, or photography – that sort of thing – and fashion design as well. So basically it is just an event for artists and bands to get together and network properly, and see the quality of art that is coming out of the underground in Melbourne.”
The Late Show Gallery, as the name suggests, will open ‘til late. “We don’t open doors till nine in the evening, and we run a gallery downstairs and the bands will be playing upstairs from around 11 onwards – a three band line-up – so it is quite a late show,” says Culbertson. “The bands will finish around two, and we’ll have DJs [Etta Curry Suppression Ring, Jean Pierre, Mike Sabber, Josh Valerie and Rad Bitch] all night and just having a party.” And if you’re well equipped to keep those peepers open, the venue closes at 6AM.
The launch will see artworks from a string of different genres from photography, to sketch art, to painting, all curated by visual artist Natt Diamond who will also be exhibiting her work. Joining her at the gallery exhibition are local artists Andy Mai Mai, Simz, Filip Konikowski, Josephine Bradley-Scott and Rhiannon Mowat. As for the music, Melbourne’s own Bewilderbeast, Dirt Farmer and The Demon Parade will be performing.
According to Culbertson, the idea for the late night haunt came up unexpectedly. “I manage this nightclub in the city where the event will be held. A friend of mine just came through one day while I was doing a bit of work and looked around the place, and mentioned that this place would be perfect for a gallery. That idea stewed for a while, and I really wanted to make it happen. I got everyone together and we started planning for it.”
For night owls, the event will be hard to resist. Though Melbourne is hardly recognized for being a sleepless city unlike New York or London, Culbertson pointed out that there are a lot of people out there who would appreciate an event like this, and a loyal community will surely be born from it. “A lot of people need a place to go to late and party. I’m thinking, why not make something of it? Make the experience a bit more – there’s bands and there’s art.”
Furthermore, it’s a part of Culbertson’s personality. “I’m a musician myself,” he explains, “and I have friends who are musicians and artists as well. I am in that network of people, and it is just something that really interests me and I really wanted to be able to put on event and use that space, because it just has so much potential. I knew all these people that did all these stuff, and I just wanted to get them all together and put it on.”
While on the surface The Late Show Gallery appears to be just a gallery-meets-music venue. However, in looking deeper you’ll find that it is also a great hub for artists and musicians to network and enjoy some late-night chin-wagging. The general public will be able to enjoy the artwork and music, whilst performers and artists get a chance to showcase their work, and to also socialise with like-minded peers.
“Because there are so many bands, there is a lot of competition,” says Culbertson. “I think one of the most important things is breaking down that wall, or that barrier that exists in competition. Like, these people aren’t your competition per se; they shouldn’t be seen that way. They should be seen as colleagues, or associates or your friends that you play gigs with, not against. We are here to jam and open our minds to new music and be expressive and not be held back by any constraints like walls or boundaries or competition.”
The Late Show Gallery likes art and live music, getting loose and having other people decide the playlist. It opens on Friday October 29 at 139 Bourke St. Presale tickets are $10 from thelateshowgallery.com.
