As we report on all the time new venues and live music spaces pop up what feels like almost weekly, but that’s not to say we don’t get excited every time.
Each new venue feels like a win for live music, but one we’re particularly excited about is the promising outdoor space of Melbourne’s Coburg Velodrome. As we reported last week “according to Beat, in 2016 the Coburg Velodrome is going to become Melbourne’s newest live music and events space thanks to the launch of Velodrome Events, the brainchild of Chris Mitchell and Garrath Holt, formerly of Chapel St haunt Red Bennies.”
Having just thrown their first ever event over the weekend, featuring a stellar line up including Floating Points, CC Disco and Waxo Paradiso – we wanted to know how it went so we sent Belinda Healy along to suss it out.
The ground is dusty, the grass is dry, the punters look… young. And enthusiastic. Freedom Time 2 is the first of what is expected to be a collection of arts, cultural and music events at the ‘drome, and the Coburg Velodrome will be a permanent addition to Melbourne’s music venues.
Its beauty lies in its industrial, low key feel, its amphitheatre shape and its location – still inner city enough to attract the crowds, but in a quiet enough area to ward off those noise complaints.
Photo: www.duncographic.com
CC Disco has a small but solid crowd over at the smaller stage where cold drinks are being served up thick and fast by smiley bar staff. Closer to the entrance are three food trucks with a constant queue of hungry punters.
J’Nett really gets the vibe of the day started and people move from their picnic rugs up to the dancefloor in front of the stage.
Her disco mixes float out nicely from the Heartical Hi Fi soundsystem, its boxes of speakers stacked on top of each other fitting in well with the Velodrome’s industrial feel.
[include_post id=”465322″]There are plenty of people dancing now, but there is still a lot of space further back on the grass for lazing and chatting with friends. The Velodrome offers the feel of a sunny, Sunday picnic with good tunes to boot.
Unlike other outdoor venues which get packed out and squishy, the Velodrome offers tonnes of space to dance, relax or eat, even in the later hours of the evening.
Floating Points gets off to a cruisey, slow and mellow start. Somehow, knowing the back story of his PhD in Neuroscience gives him extra credibility. What follows is more than two hours of obscure soul, funk, disco and B-sides.
A smattering of classics like Spirit of Love The Power of Your Love, Paula Perry Extra Extra and Patti La Belle When Am I Gonna Find True Love fill the air and when the perfect sunset colours the sky, it’s as if even the weatherman is on the organiser’s side. A great day out in a unique and much-welcome outdoor venue.
Article image source: Facebook
