Welcome back full capacity gigs, it’s been a bloody while. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced the wonderful news yesterday that, thanks to 90% of the state becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19, restrictions on venues in Melbourne and beyond would finally be removed.
That means that from today, November 19th, concerts and festivals in Victoria no longer have capacity restrictions or density quotients, protocols that were suffocating the state’s music industry.
“You will be able to go back to normal,” Andrews said. “You will have the normalcy you have missed.”
Now is the time for Melbourne, the best live music city in the world, to get back to doing what it does best. Already there are a slate of exciting gigs and shows lined up from now until the end of the year: take a look below at just some of the highlights coming up in the city. You’ve earned it, Victorians.
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Pierce Brothers – Corner Hotel (November 25th)
The folk rock duo have the landmark title of being the first act at the iconic Corner Hotel to play to a full and packed set. Fresh from the release of their recorded livestream set at Chapel Off Chapel, expect an intimate and rousing show from the brothers.
Bones and Jones – Gasometer Hotel (November 26th)
The Geelong six-piece outfit have become a festival circuit favourite for their scintillating live shows. Their latest release, Ginger Gold, came out at the start of the year, and is filled with infectious pop and rock melodies that recall the sweet jangle groups of the 60s.
RVG – Corner Hotel (November 27th)
The alternative rockers long-awaited Feral Australian Album Tour finally gets to kick off, over a year since its release. The Corner is just one stop as Romy Vager and co. also take their stomping sound to Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Fremantle, and Castlemaine over the next few months.
Girls To The Front mini-festival – Last Chance (December 2nd)
Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar is putting on a great lineup of female-led acts, including Hannah Kate and Sandy Dish. It’s all for a good cause too: the mini-festival will raise funds for Amplitude Victoria, who aim to empower young female, trans, and gender diverse people in their teenage years through music and education.
Wolfmother – The Forum (December 3rd)
The Aussie hard rockers return for their first major headline shows since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by the inimitable Andrew Stockdale, the band are best heard in the live setting and have become synonymous with searing and thrilling concerts: this will be the tonic you’ll need if you’ve been missing messy mosh pits and unceasing rock over the past 20 months.
These New South Whales – Stay Gold (December 3rd)
One of Australia’s most acclaimed – and hilarious – punks, the band will be bringing their rollicking brilliance back to Brunswick at the start of December. While you wait to catch them live, make sure to catch their riotous comedy series – there’s a reason they’ve been compared to Spinal Tap in the past.
Liz Stringer – Thornbury Theatre (December 3rd)
One of Australia’s most acclaimed and admired singer-songwriters always gives an intimate and emotional live performance. Six albums into her career, she shows no signs of slowing down. Her most recent album, First Time Really Feeling (her first release via Milk! Records), came out earlier this year and is arguably her finest and most personal record yet.
PINCH POINTS – Max Watt’s (December 5th)
A night of thrilling post punk from three bands awaits this Melbourne Music Week. PINCH POINTS just signed to U.S. label Exploding in Sound and they’ll be looking to celebrate that in a few weeks time. They’ll be backed by CLAMM, renowned for their scathing takedowns of materialism and capitalism in their songs, and Delivery, who put on an electric and energetic set of wiry post punk and fun new wave.
Telenova – Northcote Social Club (December 12th)
Melbourne three-piece will play a hometown show to finally celebrate the release of their excellent debut EP Tranquilize. They’ve previously sold out Northcote Social Club and will be aiming to do the same this time round. Combining cinematic aesthetics with trip-hop production, theirs is a refined and alluring sound unlike anything else in Australian music right now.
Maple Glider – Northcote Social Club (December 14th)
One of the most stunning voices to emerge from Australia in recent years, Maple Glider is Tori Zietsch. Her debut album, To Enjoy is the Only Thing, came out this year to wide acclaim. The songs are little vignettes about her time travelling around Europe, fill of love and longing, alienation and hope. Maple Glider possesses the type of arresting voice that would undoubtedly enthralled even more in a live setting.
