I’ve now lived in Melbourne long enough that I’ve become immune to its signature quirks.
Æ The things that once would have stirred my small town soul – dog-themed music festivals, flower shop raves, hell, even the whole skirts-over-pants trend – I’ve now just accepted as the standard. But every so often, an event comes around that gives us a much-needed reminder that this city is actually kind of weird, and we shouldn’t take that for granted.
Now or Never is that kind of event. Cover star Young Marco is set to perform during the 11 days of music, mixed arts and madness, putting listeners in a trance with his shamanic beat switching. We’ll also give you a rundown of what else to check out, from immersive plays to free installations. On top of that, we’ve a peek into the glitched-out utopia of MGNA crrrta, insights into The Preatures’ long-awaited comeback and a yarn with bush balladeer Watty Thompson, who is set to perform at Darebin FUSE Festival.
With a deep dive into the debut Shouse album (10 years in the making), musings on freeform songwriting with Placement and a car crash confidential with Romanie as well, it’s a good month to be a Beat reader. Pour yourself a cuppa and dive in.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS
Our magazine is published on the lands of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, and we wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.
DISTRIBUTION
Beat Mag will be distributed free every month to hundreds of locations around metro Melbourne, to enquire about having it at your venue email distribution@furstmedia.com.au
COVER
Our August cover star is Young Marco shot by Lidewij Mulder.
MELBOURNE
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL REVEALS SIX MORE HEADLINE ACTS
The festival’s second major announcement includes Grammy Award-winning vocalist Samara Joy, Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, saxophonist Gary Bartz, powerhouse bassist-composer Linda May Han Oh, an underground club night with jazz pioneers Melanie Charles and WhoAllGonBeThere, and a six-show residency from guitarist Bill Frisell.
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL ADDS 16 NEW ACTS FOR 2025 EVENT
The festival, running from 28 to 30 November, has added new acts including The Preatures, Tex Perkins and Matt Walker, Mama Kin Spender, Ella Hooper, The Badloves, Velvet trip and more. It’ll take place in the town of Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Westwood | Kawakubo opens at NGV International in December celebrating five decades of revolutionary fashion design. The global-exclusive blockbuster exhibition showcases the careers of two of fashion’s most influential rule breakers, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons.
FOUR TET REVEALS MELBOURNE DATES AS PART OF NEW OUTDOOR FESTIVAL
The inaugural Freeform Festival, set to take place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 10 October, promises a sonic journey from day to night, showcasing both international heavyweights and Australia’s finest underground talent. The lineup includes Four Tet, Floating Points, Skee Mask and more.
RIDIN’ HEARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF RIDIN’ STARTS
In partnership with APRA AMCOS, Australia’s premiere urban country festival Ridin’ Hearts will spotlight the next wave of Aussie country stars with Ridin’ Starts. After a record number of entries in 2024, Ridin’ Starts 2025 returns to connect local talent with top industry experts, offering exclusive experiences, insights and career-shaping opportunities.
ITALIAN LUNCH-TO-MARTINI BAR OPENS UNDER 150-YEAR-OLD TREE
Pepe's Italian & Liquor has unveiled its little sister venue Pepe's Parlour next door. The new concept transforms from ideal lunch hangout to sophisticated martini bar in a glasshouse setting under a 150-year-old Coral Tree in Melbourne’s CBD.
ROCKWIZ IS STAGING A SPECIAL LIVE SHOW IN THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS
The beloved television program will make its debut at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne on 21 November, marking the first time RocKwiz has performed at the landmark location. Hosts Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis will lead the evening alongside roadie-turned-human-scoreboard Dugald McAndrew and the legendary RocKwiz OrKestra.
AT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDANTLY RUN MUSIC VENUE
GIG GUIDE
01/08 NAI PALM SELLING FAST
02/08 GO-JO (MATINEE) SELLING FAST
02/08 GO-JO SOLD OUT
IN THE KITCHEN 10/10 DAVE GRANEY & THE CORAL SNAKES 12/10 THE LATHUMS 22/10 SHANE SMITH & THE SAINTS SELLING FAST 24/10 PAVLOV’S DOG SELLING FAST
31/10 BOOM CRASH OPERA + MODELS 01/11 JAMES REYNE
02/11 BOOM CRASH OPERA + MODELS (MATINEE)
03/11 JAMES REYNE 04/11 BEN OTTEWELL & IAN BALL PRESENT GOMEZ BY REQUEST
ASC SKATE SWAP MEET
03/08 JUAN ALBAN (EPICURE) & THE GUILT ZONE (MATINEE)
04/08 ‘SOCIAL SANCTUARY’ w KOSMETIKA, FAVOURED STATE + THE ANTICS
06/08 CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES RESIDENCY WITH HARD ONS, BUDD + THE MAGGIE PILLS
07/08 AUSTIN MACKAY
08/08 THE YACHTSKI BROTHERS SELLING FAST
09/08 BIG NOTER SOLD OUT
10/08 ALICE IVY SELLING FAST
11/08 ‘SOCIAL SANCTUARY’ AOTEAROA/NZ TAKEOVER WITH ADAM HATTAWAY, INGRID & THE MINISTERS + SAM BAMBERY
13/08 CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES RESIDENCY THE CHRIS WILSON CHEERSQUAD SOLD OUT
14/08 CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES RESIDENCY THE CHRIS WILSON CHEERSQUAD 15/08 NORTHSIDE RECORDS PARTY FT. KAIIT, COOL OUT SUN + SO.CRATES 16/08 JORDIE LANE (MATINEE) SOLD OUT 16/08 JORDIE LANE SELLING FAST 17/08 POISON CITY RECORDS PARTY WITH FLYYING COLOURS + MORE (LATE MATINEE) 20/08 CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES RESIDENCY WITH SKYSCRAPER STAN, HOBSON’S BAY COAST GUARD + CAHILL KELLY
21/08 THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS + ARMLOCK SOLD OUT 22/08 MAPLE GLIDER SOLD OUT
23/08 JAZZPARTY
24/08 RUDELY INTERRUPTED
27/08 CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES RESIDENCY WITH NUNCHUKKA SUPERFLY, THE MEANIES + SUPER AMERICAN EAGLE
28/08 PBS PARTY FT. NIGHT TERRORS 29/09 20TH BDAY CLOSING PARTY W AJAK KWAI, MZ RIZK + BOB & RICHO DJ SET
CULT MELBOURNE VINYL STORE IS RELOCATING TO THIS SULTRY NEW DIVE BAR
Melbourne hospitality legend Con Christopoulos plans to open two new Italian-inspired venues in the CBD. Roma and Sergio’s will transform a Collins Street courtyard space with authentic Roman dining and a sophisticated dive bar experience. Dance music legend Greg Molinaro will relocate his Abbotsford record shop Hub 301 inside Sergio’s.
MAJOR GLOBAL GAMES PUBLISHERS ARE COMING FOR GAMES WEEK
Leading global publishers and platform holders Akupara Games, Devolver Digital, Massive Monster and UltraPlayers are already signed on for Play Now, with more major players to be announced in coming months. The event will happen on 9 October at W Melbourne.
GIPPSLAND HISTORIC HILLS COME ALIVE WITH NEW FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
Gippsland welcomes a new celebration of regional food and music excellence on 18 October. The inaugural Eat Drink Play Gippsland festival spotlights the region’s exceptional produce and creative talent. With a day session, a night session and bonus Sunday events, it’s the prime way to get a taste of what the area has on offer.
COMEDY IN THE VINES SWAPS RIVERBANKS FOR VINEYARDS
Comedy in the Vines returns from 24 to 26 October with a new home in Victoria's Yarra Valley. Australia’s premier festival of comedy, wine and wildly good times is setting up camp at CherryHill Orchards in Coldstream and will feature an Australian exclusive performance from UK comedy sensation Michelle De Swarte alongside Hot Dub Time Machine and many others.
MELANIE LANE’S SUPERNATURAL DANCE WORK PHANTASM HAUNTS CHUNKY MOVE
Phantasm, choreographer Melanie Lane's haunting new contemporary dance work, premieres from 8 to 16 August and invites audiences into a world where spirits linger beneath the surface, drawing from stories of feminine spirits and fictions to conjure a liminal space of ghosts, jinns and heroines.
X CLUB ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE MELBOURNE WAREHOUSE SHOW
London-based, Brisbane-raised DJ duo X Club will return to Australia for an exclusive Melbourne show on December 22 at The Wool Store as part of Untitled Group’s 10th celebration and the revitalisation of the iconic electronic venue. They will be joined by special guests Clouds, Bella Claxton, IsGwan, Awhina and an outdoor stage takeover by CYBER.
Merivale's Justin Hemmes wants to turn the $55m Melbourne carpark at 34-60 Little Collins Street into 'Parkade', a multi-storey hospitality precinct with high-end bars and accommodation. Hemmes indicated there would be a mix of retail components, with restaurants and bars, including a jazz bar. The complex will also feature a boutique hotel.
AN ADULTS-ONLY STARGAZING SERIES LAUNCHES AT MELBOURNE PLANETARIUM
Scienceworks has launched Discover The Night Sky, a monthly Melbourne stargazing series for adults only. The program features astronomer Dr Tanya Hill as host. Each event blends scientific knowledge with captivating storytelling, as dazzling visuals project onto the 16-metre domed screen.
STRAWBERRY FIELDS 2025 LINEUP LED BY DETROIT LOVE, GILLES PETERSON
Strawberry Fields has announced its 2025 lineup with the festival 95% sold out. The beloved NSW festival returns from 21 to 23 November with over 80 DJs and live acts performing across the weekend. Strawberry Fields will take place on Yorta Yorta Country in Tocumwal, building on the success of their sold-out 15-year anniversary celebration in 2024.
THERE’S A NEW ELECTRONIC FESTIVAL HAPPENING IN A SCULPTURE PARK
Melbourne’s electronic music scene welcomes a fresh addition with the announcement of Interval Festival, set to debut on 26 September at the iconic Heide Museum of Modern Art. The all-day celebration promises to blend electronic music, creativity and connection amongst the museum’s lush greenery, sculpture gardens and open skies.
THIS COLLINGWOOD FLORIST IS HOSTING A SIX HOUR BASEMENT RAVE
Soft Launch will transform a Collingwood florist into an underground techno venue on 30 August. The Flowerclub event takes place at Xflos, a botanical studio in Collingwood Yards that becomes a bumpin’ club after dark. The event organisers plan to deliver a hard-hitting techno experience within the botanical surroundings.
MEREDITH TICKET BALLOT OFFICIALLY OPENS FOR 33RD EDITION
Meredith Music Festival returns to the Supernatural Amphitheatre for its 33rd year, happening from 5 to 7 December. The majority of tickets become available through the subscriber ticket ballot each year, which will be open until 11 August.
FREE, WALK-IN MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS ARE OPENING ACROSS MELBOURNE
The Victorian government continues expanding its Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals network in Melbourne. Seven new locations will serve communities across Victoria. More Victorians will access free mental health support close to home, with no GP referral or Medicare card needed.
PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL UNVEILS STELLAR 2026 LINEUP
The beloved Victorian festival returns for its 49th year from 6 to 9 March with a diverse folk lineup led by Iron & Wine, The Swell Season and more. Port Fairy Folk Festival will welcome more than 100 artists over the Labour Day long weekend, creating what organisers describe as an unparalleled celebration of music and storytelling.
MIFF LAUNCHES FULL 2025 PROGRAM
The 73rd Melbourne International Film Festival, running from 7 to 24 August, has unveiled its outstanding 2025 program featuring over 275 screen works. Its extraordinary lineup includes the world premiere of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man and 10 films competing for the prestigious Bright Horizons Award.
DOCKLANDS GET STEAMY WITH SAUNA BOAT COASTING INTO LOCAL WATERS
Melbourne residents will soon experience Tasmania’s floating sensation with Sauna Boat Melbourne coming to town. The custom built vessel brings hot and cold therapy directly to Docklands waters.Guests can warm themselves in the onboard sauna before plunging into deck-mounted ice baths.
BERLIN IS SENDING A NOTORIOUS UNDERGROUND RAVE CREW TO MELBOURNE
Live From Earth lands in Australia for their first tour, and the Melbourne rave scene is about to get even more wild. The German collective will bring three boundary-pushing artists to The Timber Yard on 4 October. MCR-T, DJ Gigola and MRD deliver performances that blur genres completely.
BULLDOG STUDIOS LOSE $100,000 WORTH OF EQUIPMENT IN THEFT
Bulldog Studios faces an uncertain future after thieves stole $100,000 worth of equipment during a break-in. The theft has left the beloved Windsor rehearsal space completely empty and devastated Bulldog Studios three owners.The break-in occurred in the early hours of 16 July while two of the three owners were overseas.
BEATLES LEGACY
TRIBUTE SHOW BRINGS BEATLEMANIA TO MELBOURNE
Composed of talented musicians who share an immense passion for the Fab Four’s music, Beatles Legacy meticulously recreates the sound and spirit of the Beatles’ legendary performances. They’ll perform at Kingston City Hall in Moorabbin on 17 August.
GROUNDED FESTIVAL MAKES ITS COMEBACK TO THE QUARRY
The beloved regional music festival returns to Dookie Quarry in Victoria on 29 November after months of planning. Grounded Festival will showcase Australian talent across genres.The 2025 lineup features Eurovision star Isaiah Firebrace as headliner.
MELBOURNE STREET ART CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN GLOBAL RANKINGS
The city now leads the Street Art Cities database, with 3662 masterpieces recorded. Three dedicated Melburnians drove this remarkable achievement. Neda Nikolic, Andrew Haysom and Lia Arraiano mapped thousands of murals across Melbourne over two years.
COLLINGWOOD FOOTY FACTORY
SCORES
NEW INDIE CINEMA TRANSFORMATION
A former Sherrin football factory in Collingwood transforms into Eclipse Cinema this month.The 64-seat single-screen theatre opens with a focus on local, international, indie and avant-garde cinema. Second runs of recent festival favourites feature prominently.
MELBOURNE TRAM ROUTES CLOSED
FOR
MECCA BOURKE STREET STORE LAUNCH
The cosmetic retailer opens its new three-storey flagship store on Bourke Street, with disruptions planned for several Melbourne tram routes. Yarra Trams will suspend services on routes 86 and 96 between Russell Street and Queen Street from 7am to 11am on 8 August.
THE NUTCRACKER COMES TO MELBOURNE FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
Ballet's most iconic story, The Nutcracker, arrives at Princess Theatre from 11 to 23 December to fill hearts with festive spirit. The beloved holiday classic, set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, will transport audiences to a magical world of dancing snowflakes, mischievous mice and a heroic Nutcracker Prince.
PARADIGM BLACK RETURNS TO MELBOURNE FOR A DESCENT TO THE UNDERGROUND
Paradigm Black returns to Melbourne this September and promises its largest edition yet. The event takes over Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for the Arts on 20 September. World-class techno acts headline the lineup, promising mind-bending visuals and an atmosphere only Paradigm can deliver.
MELBOURNE WILL BE 40% FOREST WITH TREE TAKEOVER
The City of Melbourne has released draft Urban Forest Precinct Plans for Kensington, North and West Melbourne, and Docklands. The initiative aims to cool the city, enhance biodiversity and improve resident health and wellbeing. Meanwhile, council has already endorsed final plans for East Melbourne, South Yarra, the CBD and Carlton.
THE LIVING END JOIN LIVE AT THE GARDENS LINEUP
The Living End are set to return to Melbourne. The punk rock trio will perform at Live At The Gardens on 22 November. The band has announced their I Only Trust Rock n Roll tour for their new album and will play at the Royal Botanic Gardens for their only Victorian show.
PARK WAVES LINEUP LED BY PARKWAY DRIVE, AMITY AFFLICTION, NORTHLANE
The ambitious travelling festival is an Australian first, combining circus performers, carnival rides and sideshow attractions with some of the country’s biggest metalcore acts. Park Waves Festival will visit 11 locations across Australia, including regional centres alongside major cities. It’ll swing through Melbourne’s Caribbean Gardens on 28 February.
MELBOURNE ROADS IN COMPETITION FOR VICTORIA’S MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS
RACV is calling on Victorians to identify Melbourne's most dangerous intersections through a new community survey. The next instalment of the My Melbourne Road survey aims to help RACV advocate for change where it’s needed most. The campaign covers drivers, riders, walkers and public transport users.
EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING ANNOUNCE FREE FED SQUARE SHOW
The legendary Melbourne underground band will return to the stage after a 15-year hiatus for their first-ever free show on the AFL Grand Final public holiday on Friday 26 September. The all-ages event marks Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s first Victorian show since a legendary headlining slot at Golden Plains in 2016.
YOUNG MARCO
WORDS BY SIMONE ANDERS
To go
to a
rave or a club is to bear witness to a very specific summoning practice, fine-tuned by both the environment and the artistry of a whole host of technicians and creators.
Æ Young Marco is one such creator, working as one of the world’s most established DJs, yet his notoriety has spread far and wide to encompass multiple other scenes, genres and capabilities. From his ambient band Gaussian Curve with fellow artists Gigi Masin and Jonny Nash, to his solo work, as well as running the label Safe Trip Records, Young Marco’s range is exhaustive and diverse. Ahead of his performance at Now or Never alongside Logic1000, Big Ever, KDV Performance Group with Hamill Industries and Tayhana (with tickets on sale now and moving fast), we ask about his approach to DJing. Marco has only one imperative.
“Whatever the dynamic is, it at least has to be made tangible to the soul. It has to move you in more ways than one,” he says. This sense of dynamism to his set is unique, as he is equally at home within multiple genres of the wider dance scene, working from house to techno. “I play pretty broad genre wise. Musically,
I relate to more of very early house music culture where the DJs were very adventurous and would play around with a lot of curveballs, and with a less linear way of mixing.”
This contemporary idea of a DJ as a conjurer is something Young Marco is very aware of. “Somebody once told me DJing is one of the last wizard professions,” he says. “I think it does have a sort of shamanistic practice to it. The more you do it, the more heightened your senses become for what is needed, and not just with the right song at the right time but the right volume, the right moment of the song. It seems so simple to cut the bass and then put it back in, but if you do it in exactly the right way, it hits a sweet spot.”
After playing some of the most recognisable and well known spaces globally, Young Marco has developed a keen sense of his role as one of the foremost DJs in the world.
“If you go through more and more sequences of perfectly timed gestures, it becomes like a cheat code in a game.”
Credit all images:
Lidewij Mulder
Although, this is not all Young Marco does. His solo output includes two albums – Biology and Bahasa – which are blends of multiple sound coalescing into a finely tuned output, while also standing distinctly on their own. Biology is a blend of different electronic styles, while Bahasa is an ambient meditation, inspired by Indonesian soundscapes.
His love of all genres has fed easily into a love of artists who otherwise would not have been given specific platforms to show off their art. Safe Trip Records has given Young Marco an opportunity to give back after years of developing his art. “After doing something for a while, any level-headed artist would want to give something back at some point. It feels natural, and it feels nice to not make it all about me. It is nice to spread my attention to other things, especially the things that deserve attention.”
In this way, Young Marco has directed the attention of fans to the work of artists who would never have had the attention they have now. Marco brings up the example of discovering the work of Satoshi & Makoto through buying an old Casio synthesizer.
“I was looking through demos on YouTube which demonstrated the instruments capabilities, and the music was mind-blowingly good. It turned out to be two identical twin brothers who had been making music on that synthesizer for about 20 to 25 years. They are just salary men who now have a whole career in music, who are now very popular all over the world. It is amazing to see these artists get the recognition which they very rightly deserve.”
“DJing is one of the last wizard professions.”
“Whatever the dynamic is, it at least has to be made tangible to the soul.”
Reflecting on the past decade or so of dance music, Young Marco sees a bright future. “I think a very healthy thing in the past five years or so [is that] there has been more and more of a desire for community lead spaces, which push for a lot more local artists. I think it is very noticeable all over the world. The fun thing about Now Or Never is that I have played Town Hall with Gaussian Curve, which was an ambient live show, so it will be interesting to see what the atmosphere is now.”
YOUNG MARCO
WHERE: MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
WHEN: 30 AUG
Beat is a proud partner of Now or Never.
FESTIVAL GUIDE
SWISS FESTIVAL
Immerse yourself in Swiss culture at this joyful seaside festival. Featuring traditional music, performances, food, dress and language, as well as a raffle offering the grand prize of a trip for two to Switzerland, it’s an opportunity to connect with Melbourne’s vibrant Swiss community.
SEAWORKS 2 AUG
VINTAGE AND MODERN TOY FESTIVAL
If you’re a toy collector with a thing for monsters, this is your chance to snag some new stuff. This Monster Size edition features thousands of new and second-hand toys to choose from, as well as opportunities to mingle with fellow hobbyists.
MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS 3 AUG
DINE OUT
This debut festival transforms some of Melbourne’s favourite bars, cafes and eateries with one-off collaborations, exclusive eats and foodie parties. Piccolina, Cam’s Kiosk, Baker Bleu, Hope St Radio, Her and more will be hosting special events.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS 4–10 AUG
MELBOURNE
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Melbourne’s best known film festival returns with a banger lineup. This year’s schedule kicks off with the highly anticipated premiere of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a live score of The Passion of Joan of Arc by Julia Holter, a live concert of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite by Orchestra Victoria and plenty of other screenings, shorts, discussions and debuts.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS 7–24 AUG
R&B FEST
Prepare to bring it to the floor at this big RnB bash. With confetti showers, themed decor and DJs spinning old school tracks by artists like Usher, Sean Paul, Ashanti and Missy Elliott, it’s going to be a doozy.
THE EMERSON 8 AUG
PICKLEPALOOZA
This free event welcomes pickleball players of all ages and ability levels for a weekend of competitive matches, skill clinics, live music, cultural performances and family-friendly activities. Grab a paddle and join the fun!
SHED 21 8–10 AUG
REMINISCE TRANCE
The legendary Paul van Dyk is set to headline this dance party with a two-hour set, before Steve Bleas takes punters on a journey through the top 50 trance tracks of all time. With support from Taglo, Ahmet Atasever, Amber Savage and more, this one’s expected to sell out.
THE TIMBER YARD 16 AUG
ECHO BRAVO FESTIVAL
Back for its third year, Echo Bravo brings a handful of indie bands together for a day of live music. This year’s lineup features New Zealand’s Hospital Sports, joined by Australian talents Mr Industry, Resenter, DS Heavy, Desire Path, Sylvia, Jazz Tiger and All That’s Left Of You.
BERGY BANDROOM 16 AUG
NOW OR NEVER
This alluring and enigmatic festival celebrates all that is outside of the box. Fusing audio-visual art, technology, live music, performance and talks, this 11-day affair will make you think, feel, connect and dance, sometimes all at once.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS 21–31 AUG
MELBOURNE CHEESE, WINE AND SPIRITS FESTIVAL
Three mouth-watering culinary categories come together for one day only. Join exhibitors from Victoria and beyond to sample drinks and bites. Your ticket gets you a tasting glass and a tote bag, and DJ Boffatron will be on the decks all afternoon, providing the soundtrack to this delicious day.
SEAWORKS 23 AUG
DAREBIN FUSE FESTIVAL
Darebin FUSE showcases the city’s creative side, offering free and ticketed events across various venues. From a giant skink to explore to special musical performances under the stars, it’s a celebration of culture and community in the northern suburbs.
DAREBIN FROM 31 AUG
AFFORDABLE ART FAIR
Looking to add to your art collection without breaking the bank? The Affordable Art Fair showcases works from across Australia that are valued under $10,000. Whether you’re there to shop, mingle or just to have a look, it’s one of the most popular art gatherings on the calendar.
ROYAL EXHIBITION CENTRE 28–31 AUG
SALAMI FESTA
The inaugural Salami Festa is all about Italian culture and cured meats, featuring retail stalls, DJs, live cooking demonstrations, food and drink options, family-friendly entertainment and even a home made salami competition.
VENETO CLUB 30 AUG
GARLIC BREAD FESTIVAL
This beloved event is back for its sixth edition, giving the spotlight to one of the ultimate winter comfort foods. It’ll offer games, music, signature drinks and a range of food trucks offering their own unique takes on the garlicky goodness.
WELCOME TO THORNBURY 30 AUG
WINE AND WILDLIFE
This unlikely pairing brings together native wildlife and local wine. Sip Yarra Valley drops while wandering through the serene nature sanctuary, then stop at a teepee or warm your toes by the open fire while listening to acoustic singer-songwriters.
HEALSEVILLE SANCTUARY 30–31 AUG
STAGE GUIDE
MS JULIE GABLER: TRAPPED
This contemporary re-imaginging of Shakespeare’s Othello is seen through the eyes of Venetian beauty Desdemona. Tales of love, jealousy, suspicion and violence unfold, leaving the viewers pondering why women stay, what happens in the dark and how to spot signs of abuse.
TW EXPLOSIVES FACTORY 30 JUL–9 AUG
MISS JULIE
The day before Greek Easter, the kitchen of a high-end restaurant overflows with tension. This modern version of Strindberg’s iconic works explores power, class and sex as Mediterranean traditions collide with the Australian dream.
FORTYFIVEDOWNSTAIRS 31 JUL–17 AUG
BOUNDLESS PLAINS
It’s the late ’60s, and the gold rush town of Dahlia is grappling with mysterious disappearances, paranoia and ancient tensions. Rooted in folklore and with an entirely original musical score, this play is an Australian Gothic about power and belonging in our natural world.
THE BUTTERFLY CLUB 1–9 AUG
THE ORCHARD
You’ve inherited a defunct cherry orchard, and now you’ve got some big decisions to make. This quirky adaptation of the final play written by Anton Chekhov muses on social change, generational differences and independence.
BECKETT THEATRE 5–16 AUG
DIAL M FOR MURDER
After finding out his wife is cheating, Tony Wendice concocts a plan to kill her and take her fortune. Thrilling and full of twists, this version of the iconic play, directed by Frederick Knott, will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
THEATRE WORKS 7–16 AUG
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMAN STUPIDITY
Boy, what a truly stupid time we are living in. Standup and storyteller Stephen Sheely takes viewers on a journey through some of humanity’s more embarrassing moments, from historic Ls to social media silliness.
THE BUTTERFLY CLUB 11–16 AUG
TROPHY BOYS
Performed by an all-female and non-binary cast in drag, this queer comedy follows a Year 12 debate team as they are made to argue against their rival girl school that ‘feminism has failed women’. Hilarious and poignant, this show tackles big themes with an even bigger sense of humour.
FAIRFAX STUDIO 12–24 AUG
GROWING PAINS
This satirical coming-of-age cabaret follows one woman’s journey from child star to adult star. Directed by Dolly Diamond, this show has it all: singing, dancing, comedy and audience interaction.
THE BUTTERFLY CLUB 15–16 AUG
STORIES THAT MUST BE TOLD
In a dazzling fusion of classical music and circus, Stories That Must Be Told shines a light on the struggles of the refugee experience. Featuring both brilliant musicians and supreme acrobats, this show will take your breath away.
MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE 17 AUG
DESTINY
From the mind of award-winning South African playwright Kirsty Marillier, this play follows three young people during the historical changes in 1976. As the student movement grows, family ties are tested and history rears its ugly head.
SOUTHBANK THEATRE FROM 18 AUG
CIRQUE
DU SOLEIL: CORTEO
This circus extravaganza follows Mauro the dreamer clown as he looks back on his life. Tender, playful and visually stunning, it displays a more vulnerable side of the world-renowned Canadian circus troupe.
JOHN CAIN ARENA 22–31 AUG
THE MACHINE STOPS
Adapted from the novella by E. M. Forster, this dystopian epic envisions an underground society connected by a global messaging system. Brought to life by two impressive performers, it’s a chilling and harrowing tale.
THEATRE WORKS 22–30 AUG
ORDINARY DAYS
Presented by Clovelly Fox, one of Melbourne’s buzziest new theatre companies, Ordinary Days is a contemporary musical set in New York City that weaves together the stories of four characters and the beauty to be found in the everyday.
FORTYFIVEDOWNSTAIRS 21–31 AUG
CRISIS ACTOR
Crafted by both the audience and the performer, this interactive play presents a duel between two survivors of a disaster as they fight for our empathy. Exploring victimhood and the attention economy, this piece is comedic, uncomfortable and absurd all at once.
ARTS HOUSE 27–31 AUG
KIMBERLY AKIMBO: A MUSICAL
The award-winning musical is making its way to Melbourne for its Australian premiere. Following the journey of teenage bottlerocket Kimberly, this one is joyful, silly, dramatic and jam-packed with unforgettable songs.
PLAYHOUSE UNTIL 30 AUG
THEATRE, DANCE AND ACROBATICS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE WAITING IN THE WINGS
LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI
20-23 AUG
The stage adaptation of this iconic coming-of-age story promises plenty of saucy moments, as it marks the 25 year anniversary of the cult film based on Melina Marchetta’s acclaimed novel.
12-13 SEP 10-11 OCT
The world’s most romantic ballet, Swan Lake, is re-imagined as a circus spectacular.
Bangarra’s first mainstage cross-cultural collaboration.
CRRRTA
According to the Minecraft Wiki, the new slogan for the most popular video game of all time is “shape your world”, and that’s exactly what Farheen Khan and Ginger Scott of MGNA Crrrta did.
WORDS BY ZEFANG CUI
Æ Meeting at 11 years old on a Hunger Games roleplay Minecraft server, before then starting their own Divergent-themed one, Farheen and Ginger have long been collaborating and building their world.
Now based in New York City, the electro-pop duo are touring across North America, Europe and Oceania, as their pulsing beats and euphoric vocals hook listeners into their iridescent girl-world, or as Ginger puts it, “fab and exciting and cute and gorgeous” sounds – words that could be fittingly bedazzled on a hot pink Old Navy tee or inscribed across a justgirlythings post.
All of this can be traced back to the making of their track The American Experiment together as college students, in Farheen’s bedroom.
“The first song was kind of funny,” recounts Ginger with a laugh, “cause I had the melody for [it] saved on like a random GarageBand project from high school.” After Ginger showed it to Farheen, they proceeded to tweak it back and forth, figuring out the music-making process as they went. “I feel like it doesn’t really make much sense, but we were just having fun with it,” Farheen tells me.
When asked about their roles in MGNA Crrrta, Ginger expresses that she is more responsible for the production and melodies, while Farheen is stronger at coordinating the visuals behind each song. As for their aesthetic influences, Farheen shares that there’s no strict answer as inspiration can be found everywhere. “People honestly get pissed off at us for having no strong visual. We’ll be like, ‘Water. The vibe for this is water.’”
Having recently moved to New York, the pair quickly made it their home. “I came from a really small town in South Jersey,” explains Ginger. As a trans artist, she says she’d never have had the same opportunities creatively or with her identity if she’d stayed in her hometown. Describing the town as “trashy”, Ginger bemoans the difficulties of growing up as the odd one out. “I definitely feel like it was fate for me to end up in New York.”
Originally from metropolitan Seattle, Farheen fondly recalled herself “trying to LARP as how Seattle was in the ’90s and 2000s, cause that was the last time it was cool.”
Farheen points out that “being a teenager in a place where there’s just nothing, you’re so in touch with everything you feel”. Cut off by stifling towns and chasing a bygone coolness, Farheen and Ginger, like many others in their generation, turned to the internet for solace.
“[The internet] basically made our music,” says Ginger half-jokingly. “This is a little bit pathetic, but a lot of our growing up experiences happened online.”
“This is a little bit pathetic, but a lot of our growing up experiences happened online.”
For Farheen and Ginger, the pop princesses of the 2010s were a defining feature of their childhoods. “I was the biggest Nicki Minaj fan ever,” gushes Ginger. “When I was watching the VMAs in 2014 and Nicki Minaj did the Anaconda performance and then Bang Bang with Ariana and Jesse, I felt a chakra opening up from my body at that moment. And then I just became obsessed with pop music.”
“On this six-hour road trip, all I had on my phone was Kiss Me by One Direction, Your Love Is My Drug by Kesha, and then the Your Love Is My Drug Minecraft parody in a playlist,” Farheen tells me. “I just listened to them the whole road trip. So now when I hear Your Love Is My Drug, I get kind of nauseous. I just remember being car sick.”
Farheen also lists Five Seconds of Summer, Panic! at the Disco, Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Blink-182 as early influences before her introduction to electronic music. Towards the end of our call, Farheen shows me a waterfall poster from Temu that hangs opposite her bed – an image she feels captures MGNA Crrrta’s aesthetic. Squinting at the pixilated blur on my laptop, I can barely make out streaks of blue, white and grey. But as I crane my neck, I realise that maybe the desire to manifest a utopian vision from crackly glitches is fundamentally reflective of MGNA Crrrta’s philosophy. By mish-mashing niche samples, esoteric lyrics and infectious riffs, they’re macrodosing emotion, just like how a Yankee Candle will always be more evocative than the real thing.
MGNA CRRRTA
WHERE: DARK CRYSTAL 4.0 – THE INDUSTRIQUE
WHEN: 22 AUG
NOW OR NEVER
WORDS BY JULIETTE SALOM
Beat is a proud media partner of Now or Never.
From after-hours parties in the Science Gallery and State Library Victoria to packed lineups at Melbourne Town Hall and live AV experiences and art installations at the Royal Exhibition Building, this 11-day program is the kind that will engage
every single one of your senses.
Æ When it comes to interpreting this year’s Now or Never program, rest assured that no two artworks, performances, installations or events are the same. From immersive theatrical experiences that blend fiction with reality, to icon-consuming visual installations that will change the face of the city as we know it, 2025’s Now or Never is the boldest year of the festival yet.
NOW OR NEVER AT MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
Now or Never is taking over Melbourne Town Hall for four consecutive nights of cutting-edge electronic music and immersive audiovisual experiences. The festival opens with Ryoji Ikeda’s Australian debut ultratronics, alongside CORIN’s DIWA live AV performance. The following night are DJ Python, DJ Plead B2B rRoxymore and Yarra delivering Latin club currents and bass. Saturday sees Young Marco, Logic1000, Big Ever and KDV Performance Group heal souls through music and movement, before Marie Davidson’s exceptional techno-pop and OK EG’s synth mayhem close out the festival alongside the Kianí del Valle Performance Group’s immersive explorations of mortality.
MELBOURNE TOWN HALL 28–31 AUG
CRISIS ACTOR
Immersive theatre is being taken to a whole new level with this interactive performance that invites audience members to dictate the story. Part physical theatre, part simulated reality, Crisis Actor is an absurd comedy of unexpected consequences.
ARTS HOUSE 27–31 AUG
PARA.CINE
Cinema is expanding beyond the silver screen in this otherworldly experience of hypnotic sound and bodily movement. PARA.CINE features two world premiere works commissioned by SOFT CENTRE: Hearsay and Team Rolfes & The Mustang Speedrun. Hold onto your armrests – this is going to be a wild ride.
ACMI 26 AUG
ASSEMBLY
This kaleidoscope of music, dance, projections, sculpture, holograms and African fractal patterns culminates in more than just a film –it’s a bodily experience. Exploring Black and queer futures in a multi-sensory performance piece, ASSEMBLY is the kind of Now or Never event that you have to see to believe.
ACMI
27, 29, 31 AUG
LISTENING ACTS | PERFORMANCE
The Chamber Made project is providing attendees a space to explore the distance between the making and hearing of sound in a series of live music performances at Melbourne Recital Centre. Each work is its own immersive sound journey, meaning no two experiences will be the same. See one or see all, you’ll no doubt be coming back for more.
MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE 22–23 AUG
ALEX ZHANG HUNGTAI X MATRIA
Saxophonist-composer Alex Zhang Hungtai will be transforming the Royal Exhibition Building, not just alongside Now or Never’s sensational installation of MATRIA, but inside it. This combination of sound, movement, visuals and texture is the kind of live set you don’t want to miss.
ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING 21 AUG
DELIRI
Another free art installation, DELIRI will take over the exterior of State Library Victoria. Created by Barcelona-based artistic duo Hamill Industries, DELIRI is a whirlwind of sound, movement and texture.
STATE LIBRARY 21–31 AUG
BURDI BURDI
This free installation will see sound come to life across one of Melbourne’s most travelled pedestrian bridges, connecting Southbank to Flinders Street in an exploration of fire, gold and the cultural histories that are intertwined in our personal stories.
EVAN WALKER BRIDGE 21–31 AUG
EINDER
This free artwork invites viewers to step into the storm. Created by Dutch artist and composer Boris Acket, Einder brings a thunderstorm to life, with light, sound and sensations falling from the ceiling-cum-sky of Melbourne Town Hall. Fear not, you can leave your umbrella at home.
MELBOURNE TOWN HALL 21, 23, 24 AUG
THE FUTURE OF SPACE
This transcendental presentation will feature Australia’s first astronaut, Katherine BennellPegg, alongside astronomer Dr Tania Hill. While we used to look to the stars to see our future, now we’re heading there. This duo of experts will deliver an other-worldly talk alongside an exclusive new short film commissioned by the Australian Space Agency.
MELBOURNE MUSEUM 23 AUG
DAREBIN FUSE FESTIVAL
This spring, the City of Darebin will once again come
alive for two non-stop weeks.
Æ Dynamic, daring and multi-disciplinary, Darebin FUSE Festival is a chance for the community to come together locally and enjoy live gigs, cultural celebrations, exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, and hard to define but easy to love experiences.
Kicking off with the widely beloved Ganbu Gulin opening event, the festival will bring a buzz to the streets, venues and public spaces of Darebin, showing off the municipality’s unique quirky charm. From freebies to ticketed events, here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit.
GANBU GULIN
Curated this year by Ethan Savage with Cultural and Curatorial Advice by Stacie Piper, the 2025 festival’s opening event is titled wudhanu yuwanguth, or “From Many to the Next”. Featuring a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, live music, cultural activities, a native planting workshop and dance performances, the accessible and family-friendly event holds a significant place in the hearts of FUSE festivalgoers.
“Ganbu Gulin 2025 will reflect on how as one mob, we are many – the outcome of our ancestors and the model for the next; from our Elders to the next generation, and to those who are new in our community,” says Savage. This year’s program is MC’d by drag artist 2joocee, and features Wurundjeri dancers, Emma Donovan, Doe Eyes and Torres Green. It is presented in collaboration with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
DAREBIN ARTS CENTRE AND RAY BRAMHAM GARDENS 31 AUG
FUSE @ NORTHCOTE
TOWN HALL ARTS CENTRE
For one weekend, the heart of the festival will be at Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre and Civic Square, which will present impressive works of puppetry. Marvel at the wonder that is Tarutharu – The Kaurna Skink, a huge glowing installation created in a collaboration between Elizabeth Close Arts, Jack Buckskin and A Blanck Canvas. ↑
Continuing on, you’ll see Cochlea by Snuff Puppets, another massive feat sharing the stories of trans and gender diverse folks. The opening night party will feature appearances from First Nations drag artists Cerulean and Stone Motherless Cold.
NORTHCOTE TOWN HALL
PBS’ ROCK-A-BYE-BABY FT. WRONG WAY UP
Bring your little ones, and check out a joyful daytime performance from Afro-discopsychedelic-boogie duo Wrong Way Up in PBS’ #1 kid-friendly show. Made up of Emmanuela Degery and Andrew Phillips, the Melbourne-based musical duo is best known for their technicolour aesthetic and infectious groove.
DAREBIN ARTS CENTRE
GREVILLEA ROOM 4 SEP
A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS WITH WATTY THOMPSON AND FRIENDS
Renowned for his raw, heartfelt Australiana sound, Watty Thompson has wowed crowds from festival stages to intimate rooms. Here, the acclaimed storyteller is bringing the country with him, hosting a community-minded
bush campfire under the stars. Alongside friends, he’ll be performing his top tracks as well as giving punters a glimpse of some new ones in what’s sure to be an enchanting and touching evening.
DAREBIN ARTS CENTRE THEATRE 6 SEP
FUSE FILMS
Across two days, the Thornbury Picturehouse opens its doors for six free film screenings. The selection of films is intended to highlight Indigenous voices and multicultural narratives. Catch Ang Lee’s cult-classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Mani Ratnam’s Tamillanguage drama Bombay, Robert Connolly’s Australian children’s drama Paper Planes, works by local resident and Ngarabal filmmaker Isaac Winzer and WINHANGANHA by Wiradjuri multidisciplinary artist and poet Jazz Money.
THORNBURY PICTUREHOUSE 2 + 10 SEP
SMOCKS & HOT CHOCS
Hosted by acclaimed visual artist and textile designer Arkie Barton, this workshop will give your little one the chance to let their creativity shine, while sipping on a sweet and creamy hot cocoa. With smocks and supplies provided, this wholesome create and sip experience is designed for children ages 3 to 8.
BUNDOORA HOMESTEAD ART CENTRE 13 SEP
EN MASSE
A collaboration between Gamilaroi and Yinarr choreographer Amelia J O’Leary, videographer Michael Carmody, and the 22-years-running performance ensemble Rawcus, En Masse is a life-sized dance work projection musing on the tension between an individual and a group.
161 WESTBOURNE AVENUE 4–10 SEP
ENKI
Musical trio Omid Shayan, Jackson Fumberger and Mandy Goldsworthy explore a vast range of sounds in this genre-bending musical showcase. Performed on electronic violin, percussion and saxophone, they combine jazz, Iranian folk music and the sounds of the city.
BAR 303 6 SEP
WATTY THOMPSON
Every great artist feels some kind of deeper call towards their craft. For Watty Thompson, the call came from an unlikely place: a cat pee soaked piano.
KAYA MARTIN
WORDS BY
Æ “Out the back of the home my siblings and I grew up in, there was an old dust covered piano. It had come from a great Aunt’s house at some stage and smelt of cat urine,” he recounts.
“I was drawn to it early in my school years and would run to the shed every afternoon to have a play of the dusty keys above my head. My parents witnessed this growing passion and after airing out the old piano, moved it inside for me to be able to have easier access.”
Decades later, that same passion has taken him from that shed in the Northern Victorian bush to the stages of some of the country’s most renowned music festivals. A singular voice in the Aussie folk scene, Thompson is especially known for his captivating live shows, where his raw, salt of the earth storytelling takes crowds across the spectrum of emotion, from laughter to tears.
His uncanny ability to connect with a crowd, paired with his insightful, evocative lyricism has steadily built his career since the release of his debut self titled album in 2023, and even helped secure him the title of Music Victoria’s Regional Artist of the Year in the same year.
“Many of my verses have been written in my head while behind a steering wheel, in the shower or on the end of a shovel.”
These days, he’s been taking some time to reflect before his special performance at Darebin FUSE Festival on 6 September, at Preston’s Darebin Arts Centre.
“I’ve been stargazing, contemplating life and the world we live in, gardening, patting my dogs and working on new music,” he tells me.
“Overall, trying to take a moment to feel grounded again after a big few years going hard with releases and live shows. There’s been too much time writing emails and not enough time writing songs over the past couple of years so I’ve been working on fixing that. You need these moments of peace to keep the wheels turning.”
While he doesn’t have a particular process when it comes to songwriting, Thompson says the music usually comes first for him, then he’ll work on the lyrics a little at a time.
“Lyrically, a majority of my songs are written from first hand life experiences while also knowing that they are common human experiences that others will connect too,” he says.
“Many of my verses have been written in my head while behind a steering wheel, in the shower or on the end of a shovel. I like to let ‘em brew at their own pace.”
It’s this careful, considered style of songwriting that’s brought about hits including The Beauty That Surrounds Ya, a love letter to the Australian bush, and City To Run, a jaunty bop about ditching the big smoke for the good life back in the country.
Though the subject matter and occasional pedal steel and fiddle accompaniments lean country folk, there’s also a distinct touch of old school rock ‘n’ roll in Thompson’s tracks, perhaps due to his early influences.
“When I was about 6 or 7, my brother Ned and I found a caseless Ozzy Osbourne Bark At The Moon CD laying amongst pine needles in the churchyard over our back fence in the small Northern Victorian farming town that we grew up in,” he says. “Where did it come from? We never found out. It’s the first time we’d ever seen a CD and it was all very mysterious. We didn’t have a CD player at home so it sat wrapped in a paper bag in a drawer for a few years until our family owned our first computer. The computer had a CD-ROM drive and finally the CD was placed into a machine. The opening guitar riff of Bark At The Moon filled the house and in that moment life had changed forever.”
Soon, he’ll bring it all to the floor once more at Darebin FUSE Festival for A Night Under the Stars with Watty Thompson and Friends. Recreating an intimate bush campfire atmosphere alongside musicians Annie-Rose Maloney and Brodie Buttons, he’s promising a few yarns, a few guests and a few surprises. “I’m confident that it’s going to be a very special time,” he says.
“I try to cultivate a big shared feeling. Feelings and energy are palpable and contagious. If you’re in a room full of people feeling happiness, then it is very hard not to feel happy. If you’re in an audience full of people crying, then it can be easy to have a cry yourself even if you weren’t expecting too. Nothing like an unexpected cathartic cry to release something that had been trapped within for a while.”
WATTY THOMPSON
WHERE: DAREBIN ARTS CENTRE, THEATRE
WHEN: 6 SEP
Made in partnership with Darebin FUSE Festival and Darebin Arts.
THE PREATURES
10 years ago, Blue Planet Eyes introduced the world to The Preatures: a Sydney five-piece who distilled rock, soul and pop into something fresh and undeniably Australian. WORDS BY AASTHA AGRAWAL
Æ With hits like Is This How You Feel? and Somebody’s Talking, the album quickly cemented the band as a defining voice of the 2010s. Now, after years apart, The Preatures are reuniting with their original line up (including guitarist Gideon Bensen, who left the band in 2016) for a 15-date national tour celebrating the album’s 10th anniversary. Speaking to Beat ahead of their Melbourne show at Northcote Theatre, Isabella Manfredi and Gideon Bensen reflect on the album’s legacy with hard-won clarity.
“I remember feeling the pressure around the first record and the tension between what the album wanted to be –scuzzy, a bit lo-fi – and the expectation we were going to be a big rock band,” she says. “It’s only looking back now and considering it apart from all those feelings that I can accept that maybe it didn’t need to be a masterpiece to have an impact.”
The Preatures’ signature sound, it turns out, was baked into the contradictions. “All the tensions between DIY and hi-fi; good and bad taste; rock, new soul and RnB; and a young band figuring themselves out on the fly,” Manfredi says, “which is what music is all about now, but back then it felt too self-conscious and naive to be truly successful.”
That tension might explain why the band took an indefinite hiatus after a whirlwind rise that included playing Coachella, Glastonbury and the Sydney Opera House.
“The band is, at least for the moment, purely a passion instead of a fully-fledged colossus with all that entails.”
But after their one-night-only reunion at Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel last year sold out in six minutes, it was clear that fans hadn’t moved on, and neither had the band.
“It was surreal,” says Bensen of their first rehearsal together in years, “like muscle memory kicking in, emotionally too. The first few minutes were a bit tentative for me, but then we started playing and it was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is still here.’ There’s a real kinship between us that never left.”
Manfredi agrees. “It was like all the electric cliche tropes come true, just nothing compares to that feeling. Getting Gid back in the fold has been a key to casually opening the lock on the group too.”
The return of Bensen brings the band full circle, especially for long-time fans. “There has been distance, life and growth,” he says, “but when the idea of rejoining the band came up, I felt a real pull. Playing music with everyone was such a massive part of my life.”
On tour, the band will play Blue Planet Eyes in full, along with fan favourites and maybe even a few new songs. “We’re writing, and if we can get some of the songs up to scratch enough to throw into a set, we will,” says Manfredi.
Some older songs have taken on new emotional weight. Rock and Roll Rave, for instance, has become “a homage to Sydney during the lockout years where so much of our nightlife culture had been annihilated,” Manfredi says.
“It feels deeper and more cathartic now we’re stretching its dimensions as a club-rock jam centrepiece of the set.” This time around, there’s no major label breathing down their necks, no pressure to be Australia’s next great hope. Everyone in the band has grown, both personally and musically, and that maturity has reshaped their creative chemistry.
“I couldn’t have stepped back into the band with the clarity and self-respect I have now without the solo project and becoming a mum,” says Manfredi, who released her solo debut izzi during the pandemic. “I’m a more grounded, mature woman, clearer communicator, better musician and performer now than I was the last time The Preatures played.” It’s also meant letting go of perfectionism and returning to music with fresh eyes. “Back then, we were figuring everything out as we went,” Bensen says. “Now there’s a deeper sense of self, both individually and as a group.”
Manfredi echoes the sentiment: “The biggest difference I see now is that we have a clear idea of who we are musically... The band is, at least for the moment, purely a passion instead of a fully-fledged colossus with all that entails.”
As they prepare to take the stage again, Manfredi says she’s most excited about the production they’ve put together. “We’ve been working on staging and lighting we’ve never done before. And the clothes! My bestie, Kitty Callaghan, has styled me for the tour and for Melbourne, I’m wearing a custom suit dress by Melbourne tailor E Nolan,” she says, listing a who’s who of local fashion talent she’s working with.
“There’s so much cool stuff going on in Australian fashion right now and many opportunities to collaborate.”
Whether it’s the fans who were there from the beginning, or a new generation discovering the album for the first time, The Preatures are ready to bring Blue Planet Eyes back to life. As Bensen puts it, “It’s rare to get a second chance like this, and I’m stoked to be a part of it.”
Speaking from their Brunswick studio-slash-“sexy party space”, Ed Service, one half of explosive DJ duo SHOUSE, keeps reaching out for the end of the same thread that knits the musicians’ ethos all together: communitas .
Æ The Latin word underlines everything SHOUSE does. From the word-of-mouth parties they throw in their studio space to their recent stint at RISING that saw them turn the audience into a choir, the duo’s practice of communitas may have begun on their astronomically successful single Love Tonight, but it’s as potent as ever across their debut album Collective Ecstasy.
While Love Tonight received its time in the sun in 2021 after finding its way across the decks of DJs like Vintage Culture and David Guetta, Ed and Jack Madin’s 2017 track is back again on their recent record. It’s an apt reminder of how far they’ve come in the almost-decade since the song’s inception.
“The album has essentially been a record of the last 10 years of our lives,” Ed says. “All these songs that we recorded in Collingwood in our first studio and in every studio in between, and studios we visited in Europe and America. It’s, in a sense, a ‘best of’ the last 10 years of our lives. It’s a collection of songs that sum up that period.”
The record is brimming with collaborations both from near and far. Local legends like Cub Sport and Vance Joy float to the surface of respective tracks, grounding the cascades of electronic haze with their incomparable shimmer.
Elsewhere, friend and indie-folk musician Dandelion Head appears in what was one of Ed’s “favourite experiences creation-wise on the record”, the making of Slow Road. “He gets away with singing lyrics that you can only do with that accent,” Ed says.
“It went from being a short little pop song to being this 10 minute journey with guitar and all these shifts and drum machines and synths. It actually really inhabited the idea of the song, which is slowing down and chilling out.”
Almost a decade in the making, the creation of Collective Ecstasy has been itself an exercise in slowing down. While there were slivers of pressure on SHOUSE to follow up Love Tonight with more music after its explosive reemergence in 2021, Ed clarifies that there wasn’t as much pressure on them to make an album.
“Interestingly, Love Tonight thrust us into this DJ world, you know? We come from this Melbourne underground electronic scene which was 10 years ago that was experimental, emerging electronic music. Things like computers and drum machines were for the first time going on stage; rock bands were bringing on synthesisers or someone making beats on a computer or whatever. It was this weird crossover time.”
A ‘weird’ time in the scene is perhaps the most ideal kind. When sounds are being discovered and roads are yet to be paved, anything can happen. And everything did. “It was quite beautiful and people were just experimenting, and we were one of those acts,” Ed says. Fast-forward five years, and SHOUSE were soundtracking raves on beaches to audiences of tens of thousands. “That was very different,” he adds.
“The DJ experience can be kind of alienating for us at times. Particularly when we’re thrust onto big Ibiza stages and things like that, which can be wonderful and amazing, but also this aspect of it, like, you’ve got thousands of people here and you’re deciding to watch these two guys with their hands in the air. Why aren’t we all doing something musical together?”
Another difference to the DJ way of things “is that albums are not really a thing in that world.” Ed says, “We always wanted to make a record and it’s always been on the back burner. At times, we’ve oscillated to make this big, deep, introspective record – you know, as artists are wont to do. And other times we’re like, ‘Let’s put some bangers on there. Let’s make a collection of tracks.’ Eventually we settled on working with our team and label to select tracks that sum up this last period of our life musically and that people might want to hear. It’s nice to wrap a little box around this period and put some artwork on it and then move on.”
When Love Tonight blew up in 2021, SHOUSE started to jet all over the world to appear on stages and hypnotise crowds. It was time for Ed and Jack to quit their day jobs and take on music full-time. “One thing I miss from working in a job is big teams of diverse people that you work with to achieve a goal,” Ed reflects. “But the way we’ve supplemented that has been having a very social and active studio.” “We’ve found ways to continue to plug into society, to make us still feel connected,” he continues. “I think it’s easy for music, particularly these days, to be an experience of one or two people on a computer sending stems around. I’ve enjoyed the social aspects of our practice lately a lot. I guess the success of [Love Tonight] where it’s catapulted us in our lives has taught us about the value of collaborative music and choirs and people coming together.”
Ed points out that the only place SHOUSE has unleashed their live set is in their hometown of Naarm. The same goes for this upcoming tour. The duo will be bringing Collective Ecstasy on the road this August, with DJ sets in Sydney and Brisbane and a very special live show on 30 August at Northcote Theatre.
“We’re going to try something new and we’re going to see how it goes. We’re going to get a big choir on stage; we’re going to have live singers, instrumentalists,” Ed says. “I’m very confident it’s going to be pretty special.”
SHOUSE
WHERE: NORTHCOTE THEATRE
WHEN: 30 AUG
ROMANIE
WORDS BY DOM LEPORE
The Belgian-born, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter turns to a grittier direction on the existential Uh Oh, her first single in two years. But getting there wasn’t easy.
Æ
Romanie is calling me from her job’s storeroom: “Sorry, I picked up a shift,” she laughingly apologises. It’s a surefire way to break the ice, and it makes sense as she later states, “We do the things we do to make the creative work.”
Currently working five jobs to finance her music endeavours, she’s undoubtedly one of Melbourne’s hardest-working artists. Romanie’s music feels confessional. Her intimate and honest songwriting delicately explores anxiety, hope and friendship through dreamy guitar riffage. Her 2023 debut album Are We There Yet? made waves and readied her for further touring across the globe.
Uh Oh is a turning point. Grungy guitars swirl in the ears as Romanie sings the trepidatious chorus: “Uh oh, uh oh / Nothing goes to plan”. The chaos rises as her scream unsuspectingly enters the fore. Romanie sounds bold and confident, almost as if responding to the global crises around us, but you’d be surprised to hear she felt otherwise.
“It was pretty scary releasing music again,” Romanie admits. “I’ve always been writing, but then I took a break from releasing after my debut album.”
The expectation to release a follow-up wore her down – a common artist’s dilemma. But her friend simply telling her to “get over it” was enough.
“Whatever you try to plan in life, things go differently anyway,” Romanie explains. “I’m trying not to have expectations with music… I’m just trying to take things day by day.”
What seemed to be so scary turned out to be “really good”, with an overwhelmingly openhearted welcome back from her fans.
“A few community radio presenters messaged me on my personal Instagram, and they were like, ‘It’s so nice to have you back,’” Romanie tells me. “I was like, ‘This feels like a warm hug.’ And I think that’s the point of making music: connection and making each other feel seen.”
She adds: “I’m trying to use my music as an outlet for both myself and trying to welcome people, by saying that it’s okay to care for each other and okay to express emotions.”
Romanie is still not without some apprehension – after all, putting yourself out there artistically is a courageous feat.
“I’m like, ‘What’s the point of this if I feel anxious all the time?’ But then you get on the stage and people really listen, you can listen to them, and it’s the best thing in the world.”
Thoughtful storytelling is just one facet of her music. She’s also an incredibly visual artist. “When I write music, and even when I read books, I can see movie adaptations in my head, which is so fun.”
The car wreckage in the lo-fi Uh Oh music video is a contrast to Are We There Yet?’s video with its shiny car, reflecting Romanie’s desire to push genres and challenge her audience.
More music is on the way, too. Releasing later in August, Romanie excitedly describes her next single as “very slow-paced” and “really, really personal”.
“I dug a little bit deeper into my own thoughts, which feels nice. It feels a bit more mature.”
I circle back to Romanie’s initial breakthrough, her move from Belgium to Melbourne in October 2019, and ask if she expected all the opportunities that came to her.
“Not at all,” she says plainly. “I got stuck in lockdown. I didn’t know what to do, but then I connected with so many beautiful people online. I feel like the friendships that I’ve built during that time are now some of my best friends.”
She continues: “It’s a weird thing because I miss home so much and I have a beautiful friendship group back home, so it’s my goal to live in two places simultaneously.”
The advice she offers to artists making a similar move is some she wishes she knew: “Don’t always look on the other side. I got so homesick, but I just let it go, and I’m happy here for now. It doesn’t have to be forever… You can learn so much about yourself, but don’t be too scared.”
Romanie may be doing so much – she actually just took up DJing as well – but her passionate perseverance to push forward “in a world run by villains” is commendable.
What’s her next goal? “I am just learning to have more fun.”
ROMANIE
WHERE: CORNER HOTEL
WHEN: 3 AUG
PLACEMENT
WORDS BY DOM LEPORE
Raucous guitar maelstroms, inquisitive spoken word and wailing woodwinds – Kaurna Yarta’s/Adelaide’s Placement are alt-rock virtuosos.
Æ They’re incredibly hard-working and have been constantly touring since the release of their 2021 EP, Lost Sun. Formed by Alex Dearman and Malia Wearn, who met at a local gig, Placement eventually expanded to six members: Kim Roberts, Stu Patterson, Giuseppe Caporaso and Ricky Albeck.
2025 has been their biggest year yet, with the recent release of their debut album, Insect, which explores the complex human condition through their turbulent rock. It’s existential and urgent, cementing their vital presence in Australia’s alternative scene.
“We always knew we were working towards recording this album,” Malia tells me, pausing for a chat on the way to rehearsal. “We’ve included songs from across our time playing as a band, pulling together the different sounds that were starting to emerge into the story of our journey to this point.”
Insect came together in a swift eight days, with a simple writing process: “Alex will start with the guitar part, then he’ll bring it to us and we’ll all play parts,” Malia says.
“I tend to overthink and over-tinker with recordings,” Alex admits, as Malia and Kim laugh in the background. “But the cool thing about making [Insect] is we had songs at different stages – some were from the band’s early days, others we wrote two weeks before we went into the studio. It’s a snapshot of what we were doing at that exact moment.”
It’s then interesting to discover that the album’s serious tone emerged subconsciously.
“I just start singing and let myself say whatever words come out,” Malia explains. “I always find that I’m talking about something that’s been on my mind, and is speaking to the events that we’re going through in the world.”
Placement’s technical prowess is owed to their various musical upbringings. Malia grew up playing classical music. There are obvious influences, like Sonic Youth, who Alex proclaims are his favourite band. But more surprising is Stu’s sax and clarinet work channelling the looseness of Ethiopian jazz, Giuseppe’s drums drawing upon Talking Heads’ distillation of world music into new wave, and Alex’s admiration for T. Rex’s simple, groovy guitar riffs.
“As much as we’re into a lot of weird and experimental music, we’re also into catchy ’80s bangers,” Kim says. “We want to have some catchy guitar riffs in there as fun moments, then you go back to the chaos that you unravel.”
That push and pull between the intently quiet and ferociously loud is what makes Placement so thrilling, live and on the record. Alex thinks they’re “a bit grittier live”– indeed, there’s a fantastic interplay that naturally occurs when they play off each other.
“As we’re assembling [the songs], we’re not considering what a song structure would be,” Alex explain. “We’re just considering what we would like to hear and what makes us excited as a group.”
Placement’s next big gig is Fitzroy’s Laundry Re-Launch Party on 9 August, joining a stacked lineup of the country’s hottest post-punk bands, including Sex Mask, dogworld, and The Empty Threats (Stu and Alex are also members). Considering the band owes its existence to local venues, it’s an important, full-circle moment.
“They are the fabric of the scene,” Kim says, “As a musician, you’re sure you can practice in your bedroom, but you can’t learn your craft until you’re playing in front of an audience. That’s where you actually get to grow your performance.”
Alex, who’s gigged everywhere from big spots to backyards, believes the medium-sized venues are “the perfect place for all music”.
“That’s where you have your best gigs. You pack out the room, everyone’s sweaty, and the energy is high because you’re having this intimate, energy-based interaction between you and the crowd. I can probably speak for the whole band when I say those are our favourite shows.”
Kim mentions everyone’s “honoured” but taken aback by playing at venue relaunches and final shows. “It is a real fragile ecosystem that we need to support. We see the real love of the community at those final shows.”
Alex concludes with what every local band is thinking: “We’d much rather be playing openings than closings.”
Still, Placement successfully deflect, as Malia puts it, this “weird historical time with wars and pandemics”, with their impactful music. For facing that adversity head-on, they are a real gift.
PLACEMENT
WHERE: LAUNDRY BAR
WHEN: 9 AUG
BALLARAT INTERNATIONAL FOTO BIENNALE
Running from August to October, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale brings some of the world’s
most inquisitive eyes and brilliant shutter snaps to Victoria’s Central Highlands.
Æ For its 11th edition, the event will feature world premieres, Aussie exclusives, emerging local talent and legendary international figures. From photojournalism to cutting-edge AI art, the biennale embraces the bold, the bizarre and the beautiful. Read on for what to expect this season.
Options in Transparency, Campbell Addy, 2023
Ç I LOVE CAMPBELL
CAMPBELL ADDY
The festival’s crown jewel is I Love Campbell, an Australian exclusive which sees British Ghanaian photographer Campbell Addy bring his celebration of beauty and diversity to Australian audiences for the first time. Addy’s fashion portfolio reads like a who’s who of contemporary culture, including Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé, Lizzo.
BALLARAT MINING EXCHANGE
ENNINFUL X MAPPLETHORPE
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
Another Australian exclusive awaits with Enninful x Mapplethorpe. British Vogue editor Edward Enninful OBE has curated 46 of iconic American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s iconic prints in a meeting of minds across decades.
POST OFFICE GALLERY
NATURE~ISTA
Nature lovers shouldn’t miss Nature~ista, yet another world premiere in which Papua New Guinea’s Leila Jeffreys, Colombia’s Maria Fernanda Cardoso and Melbourne’s Troy Emmery celebrate the natural world’s flamboyance through photography and sculpture.
RACV GOLDFIELDS RESORT
CATHERINE LEROY: ONE WAY TICKET TO VIETNAM 1966–1968
CATHERINE LEROY
The festival doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting subjects with Catherine Leroy: One Way Ticket to Vietnam 1966–1968 making its world premiere. The fearless French photojournalist’s raw documentation of the Vietnam War is showcased through images unveiled for the first time in this retrospective.
BALLARAT TOWN HALL
PROMPTED PECULIAR INTERNATIONAL AI PRIZE
The festival embraces technology with the Prompted Peculiar International AI Prize, which will show in the Miners Tavern. This world premiere explores where artificial intelligence meets artistic creation, pushing boundaries of what photography can be.
MINERS TAVERN
THÀNH PHẨM
LÊ NGUYÊN PHU’O’NG
Vietnamese artist Lê Nguyên Phương offers a powerful counter-narrative with Thành Phẩm. This world premiere reclaims the Vietnam War story through tender, soft hearted images that challenge dominant Western perspectives. It’s photography as cultural resistance.
BALLARAT LIBRARY
LONG EXPOSURE: THE LEGACY OF PRAHRAN COLLEGE
Melbourne’s photography education legacy gets the celebration it deserves. This world premiere collective exhibition showcases 50 artists shaped by the iconic Melbourne institution, proving that good photography education creates ripples that last for decades.
MINERS TAVERN
MARTIN KANTOR PORTRAIT PRIZE
Traditional portraiture gets its moment with the Martin Kantor Portrait Prize, where $15,000 awaits the winner of this prestigious acquisitive award. The prize pays tribute to the iconic Australian photographer and philanthropist who shot the likes of Iggy Pop, Grace Jones and Paul Kelly.
GOVHUB
MUMU MIRRI
DAVE JONES AND DR DEANNE GILSON
The centrepiece public artwork Mumu Mirri by Dave Jones and Dr Deanne Gilson graces the exterior of the National Centre for Photography. This shimmering moth sculpture celebrates resilience and transformation while honouring the Bogong Moth’s significance to First Nations people.
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
MEMORY MATRIX JODY HAINES AND DEBASISH MUKHERJEE
Memory Matrix sees Jody Haines and Debasish Mukherjee collaborate across cultures. Their large-scale outdoor works explore memory, place and identity, making the streets themselves part of the conversation.
BRIDGE MALL AND THE GOODS SHED
HIGH EXPOSURE ANNELÌSE SERÉNA BELLADONNA, MAX DEUTSCHER AND JETT LEDUC
Ballarat’s laneways come alive with High Exposure, featuring emerging local artists Annelìse Seréna Belladonna, Max Deutscher and Jett Leduc. Their work reflects the theme of Lifeforce across the city’s heritage architecture.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS
GRADFOTO
MONIKA MAKOUR, HARRY MERRIMAN, JESSE PRETORIUS AND EMILY RAFFAELE
The GradFoto exhibition brings together four emerging Australian photographers. This new generation of talent represents the future of the medium, showing where photography is heading in Australian hands.
GOVHUB PRECINCT GARDENS
GUMA
LEICOLHN MCKELLAR
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory-based photographer Leicolhn McKellar’s Guma highlights the ties between place and identity. The title means blood in the Budjiti language, grounding the work in country and connection.
ART SCREEN, ALFRED DEAKIN PLACE
Regional STAGE GUIDE
WORDS BY FRANKIE ANDERSON-BYRNE
THE PAPER ESCAPER
Benny, the plucky puppet protagonist, knows they are destined for greater things than a simple pop-up book. This delightful, funny and inspiring production features inventive puppetry, deft physical performance and an intricate engaging soundtrack as Benny escapes their written destiny with help from a mysterious friend.
GEELONG ARTS CENTRE 4 AUG
WALTZING THE WILARRA
Against a backdrop of curfews, and the fear of arrest, both white and black punters manage to form their own club where they can forget their worries and experience rare happy times, and with a little luck... romance. 40 years on, as the club faces demolition, our characters meet once again to stage a musical reunion and protest in an attempt to save their old stomping ground. Dark secrets and ghosts that have lingered for more than half a century are revealed, and we discover that reconciliation is more than saying sorry.
ULUMBARRA THEATRE, BENDIGO 5 AUG
Regional TOUR GUIDE
WORDS BY FRANKIE ANDERSON-BYRNE
THE PREATURES
Iconic Sydney band The Preatures reunite for a 15-date tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their ground-breaking debut album, Blue Planet Eyes. The band will perform the album in its entirety, along with a collection of their much-loved hits, across major capital cities and regional centres throughout Australia on their Blue Planet Eyes 10th Anniversary Tour.
THEATRE ROYAL, CASTLEMAINE 7 AUG
TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY 8 AUG
ARJ BARKER: THE MIND FIELD
All of reality exists exclusively in our minds. Armed with this knowledge, Arj sets out to answer life’s biggest questions: Why are we here? Are we alone in the universe? Why does it hurt when we pee? You’ll laugh and learn in this mind-bending comedy show.
THE CAPITAL, BENDIGO 16 AUG
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
This is a bold new take on Pride and Prejudice from award-winning theatre ensemble Bloomshed. Built from the depths of the housing crisis, this adaptation sees Austen’s classic re-imagined for 2025. It’s fierce, funny and all about fortune in the cutthroat world of the upper crust. Addressing the concerns of a generation staring down the barrel of intense economic and environmental hardship, Pride and Prejudice questions the function of love in the 21st century.
GEELONG ARTS CENTRE 16 AUG
PETE MURRAY
Beloved Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray has embarked on his first-ever Australian solo acoustic tour, spanning an impressive 55 dates across the country from May to September 2025, supported by Rachael Fahim and Brett Wood. With over 1.2 million albums sold, hundreds of millions of streams, and three ARIA chart-topping albums to his name, Murray continues to solidify his status as one of Australia’s most enduring musical talents.
LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE, WARNAMBOOL 17 AUG
WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE, WARRAGUL 21 AUG THE UNION, WONTHAGGI 22 AUG
1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL
It was a bright cold day, and the clocks were striking 13... Winston Smith, an editor at the Ministry of Truth, sits quietly. A quick swig of gin; a glance of quiet optimism toward the telescreen. Winston opens his diary, puts pen to paper, and in doing so, commits the essential crime that contains all others in itself – a radical and unprecedented act of rebellion. Discovered, entrapped and incarcerated in the Ministry of Love, Winston, in defending his burning desire for personal freedom, prepares for the fight of his life.
ULUMBARRA THEATRE, BENDIGO 22 AUG
TOMMY LITTLE: I’M NOT PROUD
Tommy has had many successful moments in his life, but don’t worry – this show is about none of those. Strap yourself in for an hour of laughs when comedic powerhouse Tommy Little takes the stage with his brand-new showcase of stand-up guaranteed to keep you laughing.
GEELONG ARTS CENTRE, THE PLAY HOUSE 22 AUG
RUSSELL MORRIS
Australian music icon Russell Morris is embarking on a farewell tour, and he’s doing it in spectacular style. Join Russell as he takes the stage with a lineup of Australia’s finest musicians, featuring lush strings and a smokin’ hot band. You’ll hear all the classic hits – from The Real Thing and Sweet Sweet Love to his celebrated blues trilogy, this farewell performance covers it all. Don’t miss what could well be your last chance to see Russell perform these legendary songs live.
GEELONG ARTS CENTRE, GEELONG 15 AUG
HAMER HALL, MELBOURNE 28 AUG
Regional FESTIVAL GUIDE
WINTON FESTIVAL OF SPEED
The Winton Festival of Speed celebrates the golden era of Australian motorsport with over 300 historic race cars competing at Winton Raceway, known as Australia’s Action Track. Visitors can experience the roar of engines and the thrill of competition across a wide range of racing categories. These include historic touring cars from the 1960s to the 1990s, Group C&A, Group N, HQ Racing, Historic Sports Sedans, MG and Alfa Racing, Touring Car Tributes, Formula Ford and Formula Vee. The event also features a grand parade of show cars each day and over 500 club display vehicles from across Victoria. Spectators enjoy full access to the paddock and garages, offering the chance to meet drivers, see the cars up close and immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and atmosphere of this iconic circuit, established in 1961.
WINTON MOTOR
INVERLOCH JAZZ FESTIVAL
Just two hours from Melbourne, this beloved winter event transforms the seaside village of Inverloch into a vibrant hub of jazz, showcasing over 40 bands and 150 musicians across multiple indoor venues. Now in its 31st year, the festival offers a rich program of styles, from big band and bebop to funk, Latin, swing and contemporary jazz. Whether you’re a long-time jazz lover or new to the scene, the lineup blends iconic performers with rising stars, promising something for every musical palate. INVERLOCH
HOT CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
Warm up this winter with the Hot Chocolate Festival. Snuggle in and sip your way through 31 new, deliciously exotic hot chocolate flavours, but only for a limited time this winter at the Chocolaterie. From classic comforts to surprising flavour twists, there’s a hot chocolate for every taste bud. Want to take your chocolate love to the next level? Join one of their Hot Chocolate Tasting Sessions, a fun and flavour-filled 45-minute experience where you will sip and sample eight unique hot chocolates and even make your own hot chocolate creations to take home and enjoy.
GREAT OCEAN ROAD CHOCOLATERIE & ICE CREAMERY, BELLBRAE 1–31 AUG
WINTER SOUNDS
Regional Victoria’s beloved Winter Sounds is back, once again transforming the picturesque towns of Daylesford and surrounding villages into a haven of music, community and mid-winter magic. Celebrate live music in intimate, unusual and atmospheric spaces, from country halls and bush schools to historic churches and aboard vintage trains across the region. Winter Sounds 2025 will include live performances from Bad// Dreems, Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boys, Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, Charm of Finches, Daisy Kilbourne, Grace Cummings, Maple Glider, Quality Used Cars, Sarah Blasko, Sweet Talk, Tim Rogers, Vika and Linda and Watty Thompson.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS, DAYLESFORD 14–17 AUG
BENDIGO WRITERS FEST
Since 2012, the Bendigo Writers Festival has been a vibrant gathering of readers, writers and creative thinkers. Over one winter weekend each year, the festival brings together diverse voices through panel discussions, keynote talks, workshops, performances, book launches and more; sparking ideas, conversation and inspiration. A must-attend event for book lovers and curious minds, it welcomes renowned authors and fresh new voices from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia and beyond.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS, BENDIGO 15–17 AUG
BALLARAT INTERNATIONAL FOTO BIENNALE
The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (Ballarat Foto) is a world-class arts organisation delivering an internationally significant photographic arts festival, activating the city of Ballarat and enriching the cultural landscape of Victoria and Australia every two years. British-Ghanaian fashion photographer and artist Campbell Addy will headline the 11th biennale this year. Plus, in an Australian exclusive, Enninful x Mapplethorpe brings 46 works of Robert Mapplethorpe (10461989), a master photographer whose work created a pressure between light and dark, celebrity and underground, sacred and profane, ripple and form.
BALLARAT FROM 23 AUG
WORDS BY
FRANKIE ANDERSON-BYRNE
BROTHER BON
WORDS BY SASKIA MORRISON-THIAGU
LIVE MUSIC: is always better after a nourishing meal at Brother Bon, conveniently located right by a few of Northcote’s top venues.
FAMOUS FOR: its zesty, spicy and umami Asian flavours, allvegan menu and welcoming atmosphere.
Infamous for: the wagyu nigiri with truffle butter, an absolutely mind-boggling bite that may just convert any meat eaters.
Æ Ask any Northcote local and they’ll tell you Brother Bon is one of the most interesting and inventive restaurants on High Street. It’s not just a vegan restaurant, but a tribute to family, culture and compassion. At the helm are brothers William and James Pham, whose passion makes the restaurant such a favourite.
However, the story of Brother Bon starts way before the brothers were born. It starts with a boy from a rural village in Vietnam. After surviving the horrors of the war, including imprisonment in a re-education camp, Bon was granted asylum in Australia and opened a bakery in Preston called La Panella. That’s where his sons got their first taste for the food industry.
“We were always at the bakery helping out with rolling bread, portioning dough and baking,” William recalls. William’s passion led him to study at Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne. From there, he cut his teeth as a pastry chef at Pascale Bar and Grill at the QT Hotel, but life had other plans.
In 2016, following a long battle with leukaemia, Bon sadly passed away. William and James kept his memory alive by opening the vegan restaurant that he had always dreamed of. “Without much time to grieve, William and I were thrown into the deep end,” James says.
Over the past decade, Brother Bon has grown into a local institution, supported by loyal customers who come not just for the food, but for the warmth and hospitality. “We would not be here without every person who has dined, got takeaway, ordered pickup or got food delivered over these years,” they both agree.
LIVE MUSIC: Okay, so music isn’t exactly live at Bar Selecta, but it is the main focal point. The listening bar is a love letter to analog, with rare jazz, rock, disco funk, reggae and more echoing out of the vintage hi-fi system.
FAMOUS FOR: the star-studded team behind the magic, made up of a handful of Melbourne hospo heavyweights.
INFAMOUS FOR: its incredibly tiny, extremely intimate front bar set up. With 10 seats only, good luck getting a spot here.
Æ Is Melbourne in its listening bar era? It seems like vinyl-forward lounges are popping up left, right and centre, and as big music fans ourselves (if you couldn’t tell), we’re not too upset about it. However no one’s done it with the same taste and precision as Bar Selecta, a brand new joint that just opened up in a laneway in Hawthorn.
Inspired by the cosy, community-oriented vibe of a 1950s Tokyo kissaten, this place does retro right. When it comes to creating an atmosphere, no detail has been spared, with a sound system imported from Japan and a wide-ranging collection of records, as well as warm wood accents and a moody glow.
The drink’s list has spotlight on saké, with a dedicated saké sommelier on hand to help explain filtration levels, pairings and tasting notes. Plus, the cocktails are perfectly aligned, with sakura syrup, Japanese spirits and teas featuring prominently.
The 10 seat bar is designed to promote conversations with strangers and a personalised experience, allowing bartenders to cater to the guests unique requests. But if you’re doubting your chances of securing a seat, don’t fret, there’s also a 25 seat lounge in the back, which is served by an old fashioned bar cart and will host bringyour-own-record Sunday sessions. Oozing with charm, Bar Selecta is Tokyo in bite-sized form – a welcome addition to the Melbourne scene.
LIVE MUSIC: takes place upstairs in the intimate Milney’s club space, beneath the instantly eye-catching painting. DJ sets, live shows, exhibitions, pop-ups, workshops and more – the room is a blank canvas for whatever kind of gathering you’re looking to host.
FAMOUS FOR: the glowing aquarium filled with little fishy friends, perfect for gazing into if your date is boring.
INFAMOUS FOR: being a real hole-in-the-wall. Its unassuming exterior, featuring a green-and-white striped awning and a humble ‘M’ on the door, means you might do a double take when getting out of your Uber, but Milney’s is a treasure well worth hunting for.
Æ Milney’s is the kind of bar that feels like home. Perfectly cosy and casual, the sweet little bar prioritises a family atmosphere, with orange barstools just waiting to be sat in and chatty bartenders who are all too happy to fix you the perfect drink.
From top to tail, this place is filled with charming little quirks like eccentric wall art and a collection of ceramic frogs. The playlist is dominated by the venue’s vast cassette collection, meaning you’re likely to hear deep cuts and throwbacks instead of the usual Spotify algorithm drivel – a welcome change, for sure.
Recently, Milney’s reached out looking for creatives to help make use of their upstairs space, a multi-room area with its own bar, wrap-around windows and an impressive vintage sound system. In less than six months, they've already hosted some banger parties.
With the wooden floors and vintage details of a classic Melbourne terrace house, the events space leans more house party than traditional club space, in the best way. On top of music stuff, the venue can be used for other types of events like markets, trade tastings, film screenings and more.
For a bar with a big personality or an events space with an open mind, it’s gotta be Milney’s.
THE BEAST
LIVE MUSIC: trends towards the raucous and rowdy at The Beast. With free shows all weekend long, it’s a great place to discover the best indie, punk, rock, metal, reggae, soul and singer-songwriter acts around town.
FAMOUS FOR: its heavy metal heart and no-fucks-given attitude. If you’re looking for a prim and proper establishment, this ain’t it. The Beast is a little freaky and lots of fun.
INFAMOUS FOR: the spicy sauce that’ll blow your mind and absolutely wreck your stomach. If you’re a true hot head, try the burger challenge – eat it in a minute, and get it for free. You’ll be sweating, shivering with delight and begging for mercy.
Æ The Beast is no new kid on the block. Formerly the B.East (short for Brunswick East, where this delicious little dive is located), it’s become a staple for music, entertainment and damn good Americanainspired eats in its over a decade of operation. With a wrap-around bar, a rugged raw brick interior and a bustling streetside patio, it’s the kind of bar that feels like the backyard of your coolest, most culinarily talented friend.
Recently, the venue’s rolled out a brand new menu, doubling down on local ingredients, homemade quality and comfort food dishes. A bunch of new burgers have been added, including a Korean fried chicken and kimchi one as well as the aforementioned burger challenge. Also, all burgers can now be made vegetarian or vegan, meaning that one animal lover in your friend group doesn’t have to get left out of dinner plans anymore. The drinks list has also been revamped, with new cocktails featuring matcha, Japanese whisky and house made fruit shrubs and syrups.
With weekly events like trivia, drag bingo and comedy nights on top of the plethora of live music and DJ sets, The Beast is that one place we just keep going back to.
WHERE: 451 REAR BRUNSWICK ST, FITZROY
OPEN: THU–SAT 4PM–1AM / TUE, WED+SUN 4–11PM
WHERE: 80 LYGON ST, BRUNSWICK EAST
OPEN: SUN–THU 12PM–11PM / FRI–SAT 12PM–1AM
HILLTOP HOODS
Fall From The Light
“Put your hands in the air like it’s a stickup!” Hilltop Hoods are back with album number nine, their first since 2019’s chart-topping, Platinum-certified The Great Expanse.
A pensive piano motif immediately sets the tone. Then enter a vortex of strings before fellow Adelaidian Nyassa returns to the fold, her powerhouse guest vocals bringing much emotional heft to the opening title track. She also features on strings-enhanced closer The Moth, giving this record a satisfying, full-circle feel.
Rolling rhymes intensify, syllables per second increase and when MCs Suffa and Pressure go bar for bar, it’s intoxicating. Pauses are also effectively utilised to illustrate “cliff… hangers” and tease, like limericks (see: “dic… tionary”) – ba dum tsh!
With its triumphant, parping brass hook and stuttering electronic undercurrent, Never Coming Home (feat. SIX60) is a winning pre-game song – makes total sense they tapped UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski to star in the clip, then.
“My dad used to put on the blues, I could hear his head banging on the wall in the next room/ And now after he had passed, I realised it was music that he had passed.” Following the death of Suffa’s father last year, Hilltop dropped their ‘comeback’ single, The Gift (feat. rising soulster, Marlon) – a moving tribute to their parents.
Atop a boppy, danceable beat, Get Well Soon (feat. SIX60) rises above the haters: “Don’t worry ‘bout me/ ‘Cause I don’t think about you/ If I saw my life from through your eyes I’d prob’ly hate me too.”
Naked drops some truthbombs that kids need to hear: “Social media’s the new pornographer… The internet’s an elephant that never forgets/ Get intimate and maybe get a set of regrets…” – this one’s cheeky, both the bars and the beat, with a callback (“Go shawty, it’s ya birthday!”) elevating the song’s close.
“I need a number from Mr. Sandman to make me slumber like a kick from Van Damme” – Rage Against The Fatigue is classic, chucklesome Hilltop.
Juxtaposed by slick, jazzy instrumentation, The Omelette chronicles our narrator’s first (and only) “time on acid”, aged 15: “I’m scrambled, I’m cooked, I’m baked, I’m fried…” “I’m close to The Edge like I’m Bono…” – Suffa brings LOLs to This Year.
Resplendent with whistling refrain, Laced Up is the gee-up you need before hitting the town (even though it’s about being skint AF).
For day one listeners and new fans alike, Fall From The Light is highly digestible, melodic hip hop with hooks upon hooks. But it’s the witty wordplay, inventive rhymes (“Willy Wonka… pretty bonkers”), savvy pop culture references (“Acting out like Millie Bobby Brown…”), rap execution and impactful vocal performances that make this one sing.
The Godfathers of Aussie hip hop have done it again.
LABEL: ISLAND RECORDS
RELEASE: 1 AUG
CHITRA
You Can See It
When It’s Dark
Æ Originally from the Bellarine Peninsula and now Melbourne based, Chitra’s ruminative lyricism and sophisticated sonic palette indicate an old soul. Through her lyrics, we can also tell she’s an overthinker who feels deeply – hopefully songwriting helps Chitra find her footing in this crazy world.
Driven by relentless bass, punchy drums and shimmering guitar accents, the opening Big Shot takes aim: “And do you get comfort from being a big shot, honey?”
Stepping aside to allow a loved one to recognise their own frustrating behaviour patterns (In My Opinion), putting off difficult conversations and prioritising short-term comfort over personal growth (Go Easy, with its wonderfully wonky, disorienting guitar), removing rose-coloured glasses to reexamine past relationships and gain some much-needed perspective (Close Proximity, during which “Nothing can save this now” is repeated, ad infinitum) – it’s all so relatable and we feel seen.
Autumn, an Alexander Biggs co-write, longs for stillness amidst chaos. Simultaneously sung, the standout Counting (feat. Grand Pine) captures the joy of collaboration – we can almost picture their beaming faces while recording this one.
“It’s the way you say my name now/ Like the word won’t fit in your mouth” – the penultimate title track kicks off with just guitar and voice, spotlighting Chitra’s heartaching delivery. To close, Motormouth’s lilting vocal melody ascends and suspends like a playful butterfly in flight.
Every single note played on here earns its right to exist within these unfussy arrangements.
Fans of Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker will be chuffed to meet Chitra.
FOLK BITCH TRIO
Now Would Be A Good Time
Æ Gracie Sinclair, Jeanie Pilkington and Heide Peverelle (aka Folk Bitch Trio) went to high school together. While in Year 12, Jeanie sent the following text to Heide: “Folk Bitch Trio. You, me, Gracie... Write songs together and bring our own happy medium between Gillian Welch-country heartbreak and Julia Jacklinmajor 7th inner-city Melbourne…” – that MO alone is enough to pique one’s interest, right? Fun fact: said trio have since shared a stage with Jacklin.
Intimate encounters in the backseat of a white car, unrequited love, “a woman with knitting in her lap” – although vulnerable and earnest at their core, Folk Bitch Trio defy the genre’s typical sad-song trope by injecting humour and modern vernacular into their raw, confessional storytelling.
“Afternoon fuck and then a fight/ When everybody’s listening/ My friends are in the kitchen…” – according to Jeanie, Hotel TV recounts “having a sex dream about somebody else while next to your partner”; hearing “had a filthy dream” sung sweetly in three-part harmony sure brings a smile to the dial.
We’re well aware The Chordettes were a quartet, but this trio’s lush vocal blend immediately evokes Mr. Sandman (especially during the a cappella I’ll Find A Way).
Folk Bitch Trio’s flawless harmonies don’t require much embellishment, and mostly rhythmic strumming or occasional plucked strings are utilised throughout.
Folk Bitch Trio’s debut album is equal parts heartfelt and melancholic. What’s that? You’ve “come undone”? Okay, Now Would Be A Good Time to press play on this soul-enriching sonic balm, then.
WET LEG
moisturizer
Æ Wet Leg’s second album, moisturizer, serves lovestruck songs with a side serving of withering slap-down.
“Limousine, racking up/ Ketamine, giddy up… Yeah, don’t approach me I just wanna dance with my friends” – thrilling, cacophonous lead single ‘catch these fists’ effortlessly deflects unwelcome advances. The satisfying conclusion? “Man down.”
Resplendent with punk swagger and oodles of groove, opener CPR recounts heart-stopping love that requires rescue-breath treatment. That hypnotic bassline, though! And Rhian Teasdale’s orgasmic vocalisation during the breakdown. Then enter siren sounds and repeated acknowledgements, “I’m in love/ And you’re to blame…”
The airy, galloping, synth-driven ‘pokemon’ – “You wanna go for a dri-iiiiiiiiive?” – channels spontaneous-vacay energy.
“Every night I fucked my pillow I wished I was fucking you” – quiet-loud dynamics are exploited to perfection during ‘pillow talk’. Minimal, sprechgesang verses oscillate with maxed-out choruses – all thwacking drums and QOTSA riffs – throughout. “You’re kinda cute, though/ Like Calamity Jane” – charged and horny, this standout track rushes like a carnival ride on pingers.
Sweetly sung but downcast instrumentally, the penultimate ‘11:21’ transports us to a psychedelic wonderland where floaty flute rules.
During closer ‘u and me at home’, featuring boppy bass, Teasdale goes meta: “Maybe we could start a band as some kind of joke/ Well, that didn’t quite go to plan…”
The international music landscape is, unquestionably, enriched by Wet Leg’s presence. To say we’re “deep in love” with this now-quintet is a gross understatement.
THE MAES
Abreast
Æ Blissful harmonies and soothing melodies are at the heart of everything The Maes do. It’s music that hits you in the feels, both lyrically and instrumentally.
“Tell me what you want from me/ Tell me what you want from me…” – opener Come Alive’s escalating choruses promise healing communal singalong moments at their future gigs.
Siblings Maggie and Elsie Rigby sing with divine purity. Their voices rightfully hog the spotlight as instrumentation breezes in and out of these refined arrangements. Wait, is that sneaky sax in Surface Paint? The likes of violin, mandolin, pedal steel and lap steel are also utilised when called for.
“I want to be enough/ I want to be enough…” – we hear ya, sisters! With its jaunty banjo undercurrent, Enough longs for self-acceptance.
Maggie has admitted that characters in folk songs shaped her understanding of gender and sexuality, with Loretta unpacking a line from Townes Van Zandt’s song of the same name.
You’re Ok reminds us that “pasta, chocolate and wine” help ease heartache. We’ll keep this one’s reassuring, titular mantra in our back pocket for next time anxiety creeps in, too.
Big Cheese is a mischievous, happy-clappy “sweet rock’n’roll” number: “I’m alone in the bush and I don’t need no shotgun.” Life may have “taken a toll”, but onward and upward, hey?
“I was at the tail end of grieving… And you were there with the smell of oranges in your hair” – lyrical specificity brings these stories to vivid life.
Stay Abreast of this perfect soundtrack for restful days, daydreaming, watering the garden and “contemplating views”.
LABEL: JAGJAGUWAR
RELEASE: OUT NOW
LABEL: DOMINO RELEASE: OUT NOW
LABEL: INDEPENDENT RELEASE: OUT NOW
GIG GUIDE
AUGUST 2025
THU 31 JUL
MELLOWING. HARMINIA, SADIE MUSTOE
Shotkickers. Thornbury. 7.30pm. $15.
DREAMS LIKE THESE: A NIGHT OF ETHEREAL ALTERNATIVE & SHOEGAZE
KEW COURT HOUSE LIVE: MONTY SHNIER SEXTET Kew Court House. Kew. 7.30pm. $20. GRIGORYAN BROTHERS: AMISTAD Hawthorn Arts Centre. Hawthorn. 7.30pm. $52 - 65.
NAI PALM. NIKODIMOS
Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. $51.10. MOTTA MAADI MUSIC Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. $65.95 - 82.30. MOOD SPILL. AUNTY BLUE, MINI WATERS Leadbeater Hotel. Richmond. 8pm. $23.75.
HARRY CONNICK JR: LOVE SONGS WITH THE CRAIG SMITH SEXTET Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 9.30pm. $45. BLANCO TRANCO. ADORED, S.A.N Grace Darling Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $15.
KARAKAS The Thornbury Local. Thornbury. 8pm.
WILSN. DJ PISTOL PETE WHELAN Lulie Tavern. Abbotsford. 9pm.
ASH SANTILLA. MEGHAN MAIKE & THE CACTUS FLOWERS, JOYCE PRESCHER
Old Bar. Fitzroy. 8pm. $17.35.
BIG NOTER Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 8.30pm. TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne). Melbourne. 7.30pm. $75.
THE BIG HOO HAA! The Motley Bauhaus. Carlton. 8.30pm. $30.39.
2 PIZZA 2 PLANET
FT: Cordiform, A Swift Farewell, Darcy Baker, Excuse for an Exit, Loose End, Offset Vision, Maizie, All Regards, This Space is Ours, Blake Williams Stay Gold. Brunswick. 2.30pm. $36.99.
GEORGIA BROOKS SWINGTET
Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6.30pm. $45. WILLOWBANK GROVE. DES CORTEZ, ERICA AVENUE
The Curtin. Carlton. 8pm. $16.35 - 22.85.
THE USED: SELF TITLED Forum Melbourne. Melbourne. 7pm. $99.90. THE HEAVY KICKS Cherry Bar. Melbourne. 8pm.
GREAT FALLS. EMMA SHIELDS, COLD OPEN Old Bar. Fitzroy. 7.30pm.
TROY WILSON
Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 7pm.
UNFURNISHED
THEATRE: SONGS THAT SHAPED US Hotel Esplanade (aka The Espy). St Kilda. 7.30pm. $28.05.
AXIS MUNDI
Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. HO99O9
Northcote Theatre. Northcote. 7.30pm. $109.
WESTCOASTIN’: THE COOL
JAZZ ICONS
Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 7.30pm. $40.
CHEERSQUAD RECORDS & TAPES
RESIDENCY: THE CHRIS WILSON CHEERSQUAD
FT: Shane O’Mara, Ashley Davies, Chris Rogers, Pete Carolane, Sarah Carroll, Lisa Miller, Freya Josephine Hollick, more Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 7pm. $29.10.
FRI 15 AUG
PLATFORM PRESENTS:
BUGSKIN - AN IMMERSIVE AUDIOVISUAL DESCENT FT: M/EMERY, nabii, Soares, Top Hun Mission to Seafarers. Docklands. 7pm. $28 - 33. RAMONA SKY. MUNCHY DOLPHIN, CAMOMILE Old Bar. Fitzroy. 8pm. $17.35.
THESE FOUR WALLS. TERRESTRIALS, ION SKY
The Workers Club. Fitzroy. 8pm. $17.85.
RISE FROM ASHES. ARMOURED
EARTH, ABREACT, DESTROY FEAR Bendigo Hotel. Collingwood. 8.45pm. $17.35.
SANDEE FACY. DANIEL REEVES, HAZEL & THE THIEF The Toff In Town. Melbourne. 7pm. $28.56.
PRETTY BLEAK
Bergy Bandroom. Brunswick. 8pm. $23.95 - 25.
KISS OF REALITY. THE BLACK SEA CARNYS, BLOOD IN THE CAMPAGNE
The Tote Hotel. Collingwood. 7.30pm. $10 - 15. THE STEAMBOAT WHISTLERS
Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Brunswick. 7pm. THE PAYBACK
Wesley Anne. Northcote. 6pm.
WEENED (25 YEARS OF WHITE PEPPER) Corner Hotel. Richmond. 8.30pm. $26.05.
MONSTR: THE BEST OF MTV UNPLUGGED. ERINN KELLY
Memo Music Hall. St Kilda. 7pm. $45 - 55.
LUKE YEOWARD. BEN MASTWYK
Lulie Tavern. Abbotsford. 9pm.
NOIR TEMPLE: THE SACRED ACT
Howler. Brunswick. 8pm. $25.50. ZERO CITY. THE NOISE, HARRIET WRAITH
Bar 303. Northcote. 8pm. NORTHSIDE RECORDS PARTY
FT: Kaiit, Cool Out Sun, SO.Crates Northcote Social Club. Northcote. 7.30pm. $29.10.
TO BE LOVED: A DEDICATION TO ADELE Bird’s Basement. Melbourne. 6pm. $40. ANNEMARIE SHARRY’S BOSSARACH. BOB SEDERGREEN
Paris Cat Jazz Club. Melbourne. 6pm. $45. STAY GOTH: CYBER GOTH
The Curtin. Carlton. 8pm. $22.85. TRANSIENCE. SEAS OF TITAN, ALL IS VIOLENT, VERONA LIGHTS, COUNTING SILENCE Leadbeater Hotel. Richmond. 7.30pm. $22.95.
SAT 16 AUG
LITTLE FAITHS + PRIVATE STASH
Union Hotel Brunswick. Brunswick. 5pm. Free. NO HOPER. ENCLAVE, AFFORDABLE REPAYMENTS, SPACERHEAD, LINEN, WRIDING, WAXMAN
Cactus Room. Thornbury. 4pm. $24.
JUICE
FT: Joey Coco, Kedu, BAVHU, SAMMIE
Section 8.
Melbourne. 6pm. CRUMBE
The Merri Bar. Preston. 7pm.
BEES & BEAVERS: HONEYBEES + QUEEN BEAVER
Wesley Anne. Northcote. 8pm. $17.35.
ECHO BRAVO FESTIVAL 2025
FT: Hospital Sports, Mr Industry, Resenter, DS Heavy, Desire Path, Sylvia, Jazz Tiger, All That’s Left Of You Bergy Bandroom. Brunswick. 4pm. $38.25.
