Melbourne Music Week

As Melbournians defrost after a long winter, the summer traditions of bar hopping, festivals and gigs are revived. Between Nov 18-26 Melbourne Music Week — established last year by City of Melbourne — will host musical acts, workshops and conferences all over town.

The week will kick off at KUBIK Melbourne (Nov 19, Birrarung Marr) with Cut Copy pairing up with Midnight Juggernauts and Super Melody to open the week on a high note.

Pavement’s Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs) will be the guest of a Q&A session as part of Live Music Safari — a day of forums, performances and music-related art exhibitions on Nov 24 at 1000 £ Bend.

Synth fans will enjoy seeing The Night Terrors support noise group Zond (Nov 24, Town Hall Hotel North Melbourne), while recently reformed synth-punk superstars The Primitive Calculators will shake up the ghosts lingering around Old Melbourne Gaol on Nov 23.

At St Michael’s Church, record label Miseltoe will celebrate their artists including Beaches, The Orbweavers and one-man soundscape Wintercoats (Nov 25). Meanwhile esoteric psych-art group Electric Smile Band will invite audiences to a live recording session at The Studio on Nov 23. Other bands scheduled to record in this laneway studio include Parking Lot Experiments (Nov 21), Absolute Boys (Nov 22) while artist collective This Thing (Nov 24) and an unannounced special guest finish the week on Nov 25.

The mediums of music and film will come together in a series of special events. At ACMI Midnight Juggernauts play amidst a backdrop of vintage news reels (Nov 25) while prominent musos will present their favorite films and discuss the influence cinema has had on their own creativity.

Rock icon Mick Harvey presents All Night Long (Nov 19) while You Am I’s Tim Rogers hosts Billy Liar. Henry Wagons will pay homage to cult classic Dead Man (Nov 24) while Juggernaut’s Vincent Vendetta will show Dario Argento’s cut of Dawn of the Dead on Nov 26.

There is also an eclectic mix of acoustic and electronic performers and DJs throughout the week. With a range of local and international acts, Melbourne Music Week is a great motivation to turn off the TV, get out of the house and explore some of the auditory delights the city has to offer.

Melbourne Music Week runs from Nov 18 – 26. For full event listings visit: http://thatsmelbourne.com.au/whatson/music/mmw/Pages/MMWHome.aspx