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Well, good news. The beautiful and excessive chaos continues as we tick over into April and venture further into the year and autumn with golden trees and crunchy leaves, the alwaysepic Easter long weekend and with it, a bevy of gigs, festivals and special events to explore.
This issue though, we’re skipping ahead to the wintery long weekend in June, championing the return of the National Celtic Folk Festival on our cover. Transforming the Portarlington foreshore and surrounding haunts into a bustling winter wonderland of talented musicians and performers, this year will showcase a full roster of international talent for the first time since 2019. We sit down with festival director Una McAlinden and and dive head first into this Celtic affair.
Further in, we chat with seminal Seattle four-piece Mudhoney, Surf Coast-bred multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Immy Owusu, UK indie rockers alt-J, Melbourne pop trio Telenova, and we sit down with internationally-published music photographer and Geelong local Lucinda Goodwin in support of her forthcoming solo exhibition - a must-see for any live music fan. We also take a closer look at Stars & Bars Music Festival, the Geelong Pride Film Festival and our usual round-up of albums, exhibitions and stage show to check out. Well, what are you waiting for? I just told you what a shit-hot issue this one is. Get into it.
Our magazine is published on the lands of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation, and we wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.
Forte Magazine will be distributed for free monthly to hundreds of regional Victoria locations. To enquire about having Forte Magazine at your venue email distribution@fortemag.com.au
gigs, weddings, postponed events, late
restaurant openings, long-awaited album
Located upstairs above their Flagship Ryrie Street store in the Old Griffiths Bookstore building, find 4,000 in-stock vinyl record titles, as well as an incredible range of books, comics, graphic novels, manga, apparel and much more. The store will feature in-store artist appearances and exclusive events, showcasing local artists and musicians regularly.
Dates have been announced for the 2023 edition of Sovereign Hill’s Winter Wonderlights. From Saturday 24 June until Sunday 16 July, the outdoor museum will transform into a wonderland of sounds, lights and wintry delights.
Located at Victoria’s biggest theme park (15.7-hectares), the new nine-storey-high, 250-metre-long waterslide experience is the first of its kind in the world, combining positive, zero G forces, colour effects and high-speed banking exploding into a mind-blowing 60-foot funnel.
Straight off the back of being announced as a Splendour in the Grass headliner, four times GRAMMY Award-winner, Emmy Award-winner, songwriter, rapper and singer Lizzo will be bringing The Special Tour 2023 to Australia and New Zealand this July for a series of headline shows. Catch her at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne on 17 and 18 July.
With the recent announcement of their fourth album Dead Club City, UK alt-rock band Nothing But Thieves is set to take Australia by storm with their upcoming tour. Their internationally acclaimed live sets will be showcased across Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, as well as at the Groovin The Moo Festival. Catch them at Forum Melbourne on 27 April.
Setting up outside the hidden venue every Friday and Saturday night from 7pm until late, A Taste Of Tolga will be bringing a selection of high-quality tasty street food to Medusa’s laneway that will leave you desperate for more.
Radio presenter turned stand-up comedian Sarah Maree Cameron is debuting her first solo comedy show One Womb Please! After being diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and Endometriosis, Sarah Maree travelled down the path of IVF and now surrogacy. This is a show about her journey to motherhood. One Womb Please! runs from 11 April – 23 April at Coopers Inn.
Now in its 24th year, the Winter Blues Festival has announced its return, bringing along an impressive lineup of Australia’s best artists. Taking place from July 27 – 30, the festival will feature 19-Twenty, Anna Scionti, Catfish Voodoo, Electric Blues Collective, Fiona Boyes, Lloyd Spiegel and more.
Absolute titans of the Australian indie world, The Jungle Giants have announced a huge Australian and New Zealand tour for 2023, coinciding with the release of their new single ‘Trippin Up’ – the first single from their upcoming fifth full-length record. The tour will see the infectious four-piece take Melbourne’s Forum Theatre on 23 June.
Indie rockers Holy Holy have announced an 11-stop national headline tour for April and May 2023, featuring special guests Kwame, CLEWS and Medhanit. The famed duo will kick off the tour in Wollongong in April before heading to Newcastle, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Torquay, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Margaret River, and Canberra, before finishing up in Sydney at the end of May. They’ll take to the Torquay Hotel on 4 May.
Internationally acclaimed West Australian boogie masters DATURA4, who are fronted by Dom Mariani of legendary Oz garage rockers The Stems, are set to tour the east coast of Australia for the first time in six years on the success of their fifth album, Neanderthal Jam. Catch them locally at the Barwon Club in Geelong on 23 April.
Wanderer Festival (from industry powerhouse Simon Daly) is set to return 29 September – 1 October to picturesque
Pambula Beach, Sapphire Coast. Curated as a genuine festival of culture, Wanderer features world-class production of music and art encompassing comedy, theatre, circus and artisan workshops over three unforgettable days and nights.
The Grampians is on the verge of a major glow-up with a new $26.2 million luxury resort named the Mount Zero Resort project, which will feature 40 luxury accommodation villas, a restaurant and a café. The project will deliver a spa and wellness facility, plunge pool, a function centre and landscaped gardens, and is expected to be open to the public in 2024.
After two sold-out national theatre tours in 2022, in addition to numerous festival appearances, Melbourne trio Something For Kate have announced a limited number of one-off shows. For one night only in Torquay, Frankston and Canberra, Paul Dempsey, Stephanie Ashworth and Clint Hyndman will celebrate the albums embedded in the hearts, minds and collective DNA of Australian audiences. Catch them at Torquay Hotel on 28 April.
Led by sultry songstress Taasha Coates, live favourites and multiple ARIA award winners The Audreys return with a brand new lineup. Launching in 2006 with Triple J faves “You and Steve McQueen”, “Oh Honey’ and “Banjo & Violin” from their debut album, The Audreys have four albums worth of songs to choose from and just as many hilarious anecdotes. Catch them at the Palais-Hepburn on 6 May.
In some exciting news for regional shoppers, the premium Australian women’s fashion brand Witchery has launched in Myer Geelong for the first time. Located on the ground floor of Myer, opposite the cosmetics section, the new Witchery offering brings along on-trend, well-made and versatile collections for all your day-to-night occasions.
After three wildly successful runs, YIRRAMBOI is shaping up for its biggest year yet. Showcasing over 300 artists in over 170 shows during the month of May, the festival includes a biopunk drag cabaret show, underground club DJs, a First Nations fashion runway show, a Canadian First Nations dance performance, a collaboration with Dark Mofo, and so much more.
RISING festival has unveiled its expansive 2023 program of 185 events featuring more than 400 artists including 35 commissions and 12 world premieres, set to ignite the heart of Melbourne from 7—18 June. Expect 12 nights of powerful theatre, exhilarating dance, music that traverses the globe, large-scale installation, public performance, free and low-cost experiences, and outdoor works of mass participation.
Under new management from Charles Corby, Armageddon Cake is planning on making its triumphant return to a new secret location, bringing back everything that we knew and loved – the speciality coffee and cake, table games, original art, old magazines and vintage decor that screams ‘If Granny was a murderer, this is what her home would look like!’. More details to come.
Fresh from its events in Albury and Lake Macquarie, Sip and Savour is headed to Port Macquarie NSW for the June long weekend. The three-day festival celebrating the best in food, drink, art, and live entertainment, headlined by The Rubens and Thelma Plum, will take place at Westport Park from Friday 9 June to Sunday 11 June.
Melbourne metallers Thornhill will visit 13 regional towns across Australia. Kicking off on the Sunshine Coast in May, locally the band will take to Bendigo, Geelong and Frankston. Armed with their ARIA Awardnominated 2022 album Heroine, Thornhill will also be joined by special guests Young Lions, Inertia and Tapestry for this exciting run of shows.
Beloved children’s music group The Wiggles are bringing their all-singing, all-dancing stage show hit to stages across Victoria this year with their Hello! We’re The Wiggles show. Kicking off in Box Hill on June 25, the famed group will travel to Southbank, Dandenong, Wyndham, Melbourne, Moonee Ponds, Geelong, Bendigo and Shepparton. Locally, The Wiggles will hit up Costa Hall in Geelong on 8 and 9 July, and Bendigo’s performing arts centre on 10 July.
MOULD will once again host cheese lovers and foodies alike across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney as well as marking its Perth debut in August with a lineup of over 25 local producers showcasing over 100 varieties of Australian-made dairy products. Locally, MOULD will head to The Timber Yard, Port Melbourne from 2-4 June.
The Amity Affliction have announced their highly anticipated national tour Not Without My Ghosts in October with special guests Silverstein, Earth Caller and Winnerz Circle. The national run will begin at the band’s hometown Brisbane at Fortitude Music Hall before heading to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall, Melbourne’s Forum and wrapping up at Perth’s Metro City.
Festival is returning to Kryal Castle from Friday 7 April until Saturday 22 April. After selling out in 2022, the festival will again see Australia’s only medieval adventure park come alive with magical creatures, enchanting performances and interactive crafts and activities.
From the producers of the beloved Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Queensland Elvis Festivals, the Geelong Elvis Festival will head to the regional city for the very first time in honour of the King. Taking place across two days in August, this four-concert international event will feature some truly incredible superstar Elvis tribute artists from Memphis and Graceland.
DMA’S announce huge 16-date Australian tour
Multi-Platinum and critically acclaimed Sydney anthemic trio of DMA’S – comprised of Tommy O’Dell, Johnny Took and Matt Mason – will set off across the country in Spring with their biggest headline tour of Australia so far. Catch them at Pier Bandroom, Frankston on 23 Sep, Theatre Royal, Castlemaine on 25 Sep and Torquay Hotel on 29 Sep.
Australian rock band 1927 hit the road in 2023 with a mammoth national tour that will see them crisscrossing Australia with their Next Generation ’23 tour. Starting in Perth in April, 1927 will play 39 shows through until September, hitting Victorian stages in Warragul, Sale, Bendigo, Ballarat, Melbourne, Frankston, Warrnambool, Horsham, Mildura and Ringwood.
New Zealand singer, songwriter and guitarist Mitch James is hitting the east coast of Australia this winter after announcing his first-ever global tour! The Long Road Home Tour will see James play 50 shows across 15 countries, including eight Australian shows this June. The singer, songwriter and guitarist will take to Warrnambool, Melbourne and Rye on 9, 10 and 11 June, respectively.
Championing music that has become the soundtrack of our lives, the Mushroom Group has announced a series of exciting events and initiatives this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary, including a Michael Gudinski documentary, new recordings of iconic Mushroom Group singles, limited-edition merch, and culminating in a major concert featuring an all-star roster of artists.
A magical way to spend the Easter School Holidays, the much-adored Unicorn
Australia’s biggest fun run and walk for breast cancer research, the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic, has announced its return where participants can celebrate, honour and raise vital funds for those impacted by breast cancer. Major events, including Geelong, will have an event village, entertainment, live music and food stalls as well as activities for kids both on-course and in the event village.
On Ice is touring Australia once again this June and July
Disney On Ice presents 100 Years of Wonder is an adventure for the whole family, filled with world-class skating, high-flying acrobatics, unexpected stunts, and wow moments both on the ice and in the air. In 2023 this wonder will be celebrated in a stunning six-city tour taking in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Newcastle over June and July.
Two beautiful and thriving regional Victorian locations have been recognised amongst Australia’s best travel destinations for this year, as part of travel website Wotif‘s 2023 Aussie Town of the Year Awards. Injecting a sense of pride within Victoria, Ballarat and Echuca have secured fifth and tenth place respectively on the list of top travel destinations around the country.
Babymetal announce their very first Australian headline tour Japanese metal sensation Babymetal will be returning to Australia this year for their very first headline tour in June as part of their World Tour. Kicking off in Brisbane on Thursday, 8 June at the Fortitude Music Hall, the tour will make its way down the east coast to Sydney on Friday, 9 June at the Hordern Pavilion and then Melbourne on Sunday, 11 June at Margaret Court Arena.
Hailed as one of Australia’s most popular comedians, Carl Barron will be bringing his Skating Rink for Flies show to Geelong and Bendigo. The comedian will take to Costa Hall for two back-to-back nights on 30 and 31 May and Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre on 25 and 26 July for his newest show which sees the comedian ponder things we all think about but never mention.
In 2023, music lovers and longtime QMFgoers will be able to make a long weekend out of the festivities and join the festival in Queenscliff for an extra day, Thursday 23 November. The Thursday Night program will operate exclusively in existing venues throughout town, outside of the main festival arena, featuring a diverse bunch of artists. Early bird tickets for the festival are on sale now.
Unify Gathering has announced its return with Unify Off The Record 2023, a series of small club shows across five states. Hitting Mackay, Adelaide, Wollongong, Hobart and Frankston, Unify Off The Record features a diverse lineup of Australia’s premiere heavy acts including ARIA chart-topping Northlane, Thy Art Is Murder, Thornhill, Make Them Suffer, Teenage Joans, In Hearts Wake, Alpha Wolf, Ocean Grove, Redhook and more.
the best self-
Tucked away in tranquil bushland, two very stunning studio cabins offer stylish, peaceful, cosy and relaxed accommodation in central Ocean Grove. Owned by a fourth-generation Ocean Grove family, the quiet retreat – The Woods – has just taken out gold in the 2022 Australian Tourism Awards for the best Self-Contained Accommodation.
Hot off the release of her third solo album Inland, Adalita is heading out on a national tour to celebrate the release. She’ll be joined by her powerhouse band, which consists of Matt Bailey on bass, Dan McKay on drums and Lewis Boyes on lead guitar. Adalita will perform at the Anglesea Memorial Hall in Anglesea on Saturday, 27 May courtesy of The Sound Doctor.
Groovin the Moo have revealed that two headlining acts will no longer be performing at this year’s festival. Omar Apollo and Skepta have “unfortunately cancelled their Australian tours”, with GTM instead announcing Genesis Owusu and Nothing But Thieves as their replacements. These acts join the likes of Denzel Curry, lord of the bangers Fatboy Slim, Eliza Rose, Ball Park Music, Skegss and more.
Sunset Sounds will take over Torquay Common, Torquay on Saturday 8 April with a stacked lineup of Aussie music legends. Headlining the huge day of live music will be ARIA Hall of Fame recipient Daryl Braithwaite who will be joined by The Black Sorrows, Russell Morris, Richard Clapton, Ross Wilson, Wendy Matthews, Eurogliders, Jack Jones, The Chantoozies and Matt Finish.
The AFL Barwon Region will be hosting an Australian-first, All-Abilities Football Netball League in 2023. Adding further diversity and community opportunities to play both sports in Barwon region, the inaugural season of the Football and Netball League will kick off on Saturday 29 April with a double-header at GMHBA Stadium in a major coup for the competition.
Fresh from a festival-filled summer including Spilt Milk, Lost Paradise and Falls Fest, Telenova will take their sophomore EP Stained Glass Love to new audiences on a 15-date regional tour this April. The tour will kick off in April in Canberra, and take to Wollongong, Belgrave, Mornington, Margaret River, Fremantle, Perth, Maroochydore, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Katoomba, Newcastle, Caringbah and Ballarat, before finishing up in Torquay in June.
Words By Tammy Walters
“It’s not all beards and kilts.”
How the 2023 National Celtic Folk Festival has something for everyone.Credit Susanne Balding
From June 9 to 12, the National Celtic Folk Festival (NCFF) will be returning in full swing, bringing the best in Celtic culture to the shores of the Bellarine Peninsula. Across the long weekend, the diverse festival offering will be herding the traditions, talents and triumphs of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Breton, Galician and Asturian cultures.
Following a two-year Covid hiatus, the National Celtic Folk Festival reemerged last year in a condensed format, promoting our international relations and strong Celtic heritage rooted in the region.
Festival Director Una McAlinden explains, “Our event last year was a smaller version which was really successful and gave us renewed energy to know that people love the festival and they’re gonna come after the COVID years. So this year we’re pretty pumped about bringing it back in a full state. The successor built this sort of energy and momentum and fired everybody up again. I think we all needed to do something again after two years of cancelled events.”
With the emotional weight of ceased flying and disconnect from loved ones, the 2022 edition of the National Celtic Folk Festival took on a different meaning for the crowd, with the festival offering them an unexpected sense of belonging.
“You could just see how important it was for people to reconnect and to engage in their culture and the arts. We had a lot of people who hadn’t been able to go home, like to Ireland, and were missing families. So there was quite a lot of emotion last year and I was surprised,” says McAlinden.
A place of gathering, community, connections and celebrations, the National Celtic Folk Festival is set to hit a double-decade milestone next year. In their 19th celebration, they will be honing in on their well-rounded programming, dynamic talent bill and exciting performance offering to continue the meeting of lands.
“It is important to celebrate our heritage and culture and do it in a contemporary context as well. We diversify and trust that the arts program on offer will inspire and connect to our audiences and that our contemporary program has broad appeal. People are surprised by all that the festival offers and the diversity across genres to represent a modern take on Celtic and Folk culture,” says McAlinden.
Within that programming is a focal point of live folk and Celtic music with renewed and strengthened international input, varying from contemporary artist performances to jam sessions and the more traditional pipe and drum bands. Leading the first artist announcement are Scottish duo Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy, Irish songwriter Daoirí Farrell and Irish folk trio Sorcha Costello, Conor Connolly and Padraig Ó Dubhghaill, joined by Melbourne’s Zeon, New Zealand act Polytropos, The Jolly Tinkers, Charm of Finches, and local Wadawurrung duo, Faerfolke.
“We are honouring the commitment we made to artists three or four years ago, in bringing them to Australia. So we’ve got some internationals who have been waiting since before COVID when we booked them, so we’re finally bringing them back including Irish songwriter Daoirí Farrell. There’s a whole heap of Irish artists who are award-winning artists who’ve been waiting to come out to our festival ”
It’s not all Lord of the Dance fiddle and flute music. Celtic culture, heritage and music traditions have informed several modern bands and artists. Look at the styling of Dropkick Murphys with their modern rock take on Irish influence, The Corrs who climbed the commercial charts with their pop-rock Irish-rooted sounds or The Cranberries with the signature yodel of the wonderous frontwoman, Dolores O’Riordan. On a local level, Geelong’s own The Go Set are a perfect example of the melting pots of music with their combined traditional sounds of bagpipes, mandolin and banjos, with
contemporary rock music. They too will be joining this iteration of The National Celtic Folk Festival.
“There are punk and metal bands that say “we have Irish heritage and this is what we do with it”. Somebody might play bluegrass and they’ll say “our bluegrass tunes come from Celtic kings”. So if it is a really good fit we can bring new acts and something different for the audience. Each year we introduce new artists and will bring back some of the festival favourites - it’s about celebrating and showcasing arts and culture,” comments McAlinden.
In addition, the music program migrates with the workshop program, offering a range of fun and educational songwriting and professional development sessions for beginner and emerging musicians of all ages and capabilities.
The festival further boasts a diverse program of activities for patrons across over ten ticketed venues including theatre performances, Celtic martial arts, ceilis, dancing, markets, delicious food and drink, and around 60 workshops across these different mediums for their three days. There will also be the 2022 addition of the Heavy Games and, new in 2023, the ancient Gaelic Irish sport of hurling.
The Heavy Games, also known as the South Pacific Highland Games Championship, will see female and male athletes from Australia and New Zealand compete to be the best in each class in traditional highland games heavy events. With the strength of one thousand Scotts, the athletes will compete in the heavy stone throw, the sheaf toss and fan-favourite the caber toss.
“Last year we introduced the Heavy Games with different competitions such as Caber Tossing and this year we’ve been talking to the Geelong Gaelic Games Association and the hurling group, and they’re celebrating 150 years of the rules of hurling, which actually began in Geelong. So it’s a new addition to our program and we will have a big celebration for them. There’ll be a parade, there’ll be all the traditions around hurling, there’ll be an exhibition of hurling,” she says.
From the land and out to sea, the festival’s favourite sightseeing experience, The Tall Ship, will be back this year, offering cruises around the beautiful Bellarine bay accompanied by an acoustic set with a festival band.
“On the back of Saint Patrick’s Day, it’s like one big weekend of fun. We aim to provide all of the experiences possible within the Celtic folk umbrella,” reiterates Una McAlinden.
No traditional gathering would be complete without the gourmet treatment. Top it all off with some haggis, Irish stew, Guinness and some craic, and you have yourself a cracker three days!
The National Celtic Festival is running from 9 to 12 June 2023. Ticketing and program information can be found at www. nationalcelticfestival.com
For the better part of 25 years, Mudhoney have honed in on a tried and tested formula. Distorted garage rock guitar tones, brazen punk ferocity, and the signature muffle of the esteemed Big Muff pedal are all the sounds synonymous with the Seattle proto-grunge outfit, who are largely credited as innovators of the grunge movement.
So at this point, if the underground grunge icons were to release an album that was a rehash of their seminal 1988 breakthrough release Superfuzz Bigmuff, fans wouldn’t just be content, they’d be stoked.
That said, it should be relatively easy for the well-oiled rockers to get into the studio and bust out an album at any point - especially when the group’s bassist confirms that the band can record an album in a timespan just shy of a fortnight.
“I’ve been in the band for the last 21 years, and the six studio albums that I’ve made with them have always been recorded in a period of 10 to 14 days,” laughs the group’s Australian-born and based bassist Guy Maddison.
“And that’s usually with breaks in there as well,” he adds.
Expanding on the group’s quick turnaround times with recording sessions Maddison noted, “We try to hone in all of the songs before we go in the studio.
“I think a lot of bands that spend longer in the studio are perhaps more experimental with their writing process and don’t have things entirely mapped out, whereas we rehearse stuff a lot, and then go in and lay it down pretty quickly.
“I guess we’re well-practised at this point because we normally get through recording pretty quickly.
“Plus, we’ve got a raw sound, which is sometimes easy to recreate in the studio.”
While Maddison states that, the group’s most recent effort Plastic Eternity begs to differ, with the group’s twelfth full-length release highlighting quite a significant changeup for the band’s sound. Sure, it’s still Mudhoney through and through, but with singles like the quasi-psychedelic ‘Almost Everything’ channelling elements akin to the overlapping krautrock rhythms of Can, and the Latin-inspired neo-psych/Afrobeat fusion of ex-label mates GOAT, it’s undoubtedly packing a different flavour than the group’s iconic back catalogue.
“It’s interesting that you picked up on that,” remarks Maddison. “GOAT released two fantastic records on Sub Pop probably about ten years ago now. They are an amazing band.
“And interestingly enough, when it comes to rhythmic aspects of ‘Almost Everything’, Dan actually does play hand drums on it, which is a little bit unusual for us.
Words by Alex Callan
“The way we normally write is, we come up with riffs, we record them in our practice studio and then Mark goes back and sees how he can fit in the lyrics,” he explains.
“But that specific song was one that sat for a while in its unfinished form. It was originally called ‘Gopal’ after the Sam Gopal group from the late ’60s. If you’re unfamiliar with them, Sam Gopal was a British-Indian tabla player and percussionist, who made a fantastic record called Escalator. And interestingly enough, one of the main writing musicians on that record was Lemmy, pre-Hawkwind time, and you can actually hear some of the songs off Escalator on later Hawkwind and Mötörhead songs like ‘The Watcher’.”
“We love that sort of stuff, so I think the rhythms of that song were made to sound a bit like the Sam Gopal Band, who are very driven by hand percussion.”
When asked if the group’s newly adopted psychedelic soundscapes remain a prominent influence amid the entirety of Plastic Eternity, Maddison briefly paused to contemplate; “I think there’s a couple of tracks in there that people won’t be expecting from us.
“But there’s also still stuff for the diehards. Most songs still use a lot of pedals and carry the garage punk sound that people generally associate with Mudhoney. But I think that over the years, we have evolved and are now able to stretch our wings into different types of music while still sounding like Mudhoney.”
And he couldn’t be more right, with the group consistently humbling themselves by returning to their roots and playing intimate club shows. It’s an ethos adopted for the group’s 2023 National tour run, which marks the group’s first Australian appearance since the final Big Day Out in 2014.
“It’ll be great fun”, exclaims Maddison, “I believe there is one festival, Gumball in New South Wales, and the rest are all intimate club shows, which are pretty much the best environment to see Mudhoney in.
“We’re super excited. We’d hoped to come out earlier, but the pandemic shut everything down and pushed back our tour schedule, so it’s a great feeling to be able to bring the band back to Australia.”
Catch Mudhoney at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on 28 April and the Torquay Hotel on 29 April. Mudhoney’s Plastic Eternity is out on 7 April.
With his disco-pop sound, Jackson-like vocals and ’80s-nostalgic
Delivering a refreshing immersion of sun-soaked and shimmering funk, Eamonn Conor’s newest single ‘Table 17’ is the kind of insatiable groove that fills our hearts and souls with euphoria, primed to get us moving and shaking.
Disco-pop at its finest, the track begins as smooth as molasses and dripping with heartfelt emotion before launching into funky bass grooves, crisp vocals and swanky infectious melodies that tickle the ears as Conor lifts his song off the ground, singing about the romance and playful nature of love at first sight.
Channelling the ecstasy of young love and wedding traditions into a catchy fusion of funk, disco and pop, ‘Table 17’ is the first single lifted from Conor’s forthcoming EP Last Chance Romance and re-introduces the artist as one with undeniable passion and alluring energy.
Originally from Kyabram, it’s been a steady rise for the nowMelbourne-based artist whose dreams were initially to pursue professional football from a young age.
“My journey into music began when I had an injury in football, and I needed something to do to fill in my time. I always loved singing and wanted to try it so started seeing Lauren Kucera from Blackbird Vocals and she really opened me up in terms of confidence and finding my voice which was not very mature or strong or powerful,” he explains.
“From there we entered some singing competitions and then I was picked up by a producer by the name of Sam Panetta… we recorded my first EP release called Thoughts.”
While releases might be few and far between, Conor has wasted no time establishing himself in the local gig scene, earning himself a solid reputation for his electric live show.
“What I truly love is having random people get involved with our upbeat songs and clap and dance because for me, I feed off of the energy from the audience. So I need that and when we get those moments you forget about everything else and that is honestly the only time I ever feel like I am truly living in the moment.”
Celebrating the release of her debut album, Those Days Are Over, Melbourne’s WILSN (Shannon Busch) is heading to Geelong as part of her Australian tour, performing at Pistol Pete’s on Saturday 15 April.
Those Days Are Over has all the hallmarks of an instant classic. The record features singles ‘Those Days Are Over’ and ‘Hurts So Bad’, a duet with The Teskey Brothers’ frontman Josh Teskey. Other singles such as ‘Tell Me’ featured on Spotify US’s ‘Best Retro Songs of 2022’, while ‘You Know Better’ and ‘If You Wanna Love Me’ ooze with the sound, the feel and all the emotion of classic soul.
“Soul music never goes out of fashion because it’s pure,” WILSN describes. “It’s all about a great melody, a great beat and harmony that moves you and makes you feel something. In today’s landscape of artists trying so hard to do something different often for the sake of being different, it’s nice to just engage with the human voice in an unadulterated way.”
Two weeks later, on Saturday 29 April, Brisbane’s blues rock multi-instrumentalist and one-man-band L.R. Marsh will take to the venue following the success of his 2021 studio album Inside Outlines
Capturing the heart and soul of early 20th-century delta blues and delivering it through raw slide guitar work on a classic steel resonator and cigar box guitar, L.R. Marsh lands in the 21st century with multiple guitar amps, earth-shaking guitar tones, and thundering foot drum grooves. Classics such as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson are apparent in L.R’s sound, however, it is the foot-stomping wall-of-sound that really demands attention onstage.
Were you craving more? Eddy & the Exciters will take you on a joyride of blues harp-infused rocking good times on Saturday 8 April, Jay Howie brings his earthy, rootsy blend of rock and traditional acoustic blues on Saturday 22 April, and powerful singer-songwriter Nathan Seeckts who will be celebrating the first single from his forthcoming record on Saturday 6 May.
Find tickets and more gigs at www.pistolpetesfoodnblues.com.au
With two EPs already released in just two years of their history as a band, Telenova has a cohort of listeners that is growing exponentially.
Made up of Angeline Armstrong, Edward Quinn and Joshua Moriarty, the multi-instrumentalist expertise of Ed (Slum Sociable) and Josh (Miami Horror) paired with the hypnotising vocals and occasional guitar playing of Ange has proven to be a combination nothing short of enthralling.
Despite the creative collaboration still being in its infantile stages, at least from the perspective of time, the band seem to get along like they have been mates for years. In an interview they passed around a box of vita-wheats, sitting in the house studio of band member Josh and cracking jokes and bouncing off each other in an infectious way.
After churning out their two richly filled EPs they are preparing to record and release their debut LP, with a date purposely left unspecified.
“We have been working on a debut album,” says Ange. “And most of the songs that have made the final cut for what we plan to record have come in the last 12 months. We all have different influences and spread the songwriting process among the three of us.
“We trust each other. Someone can leave the session one day because they might be really zapped and exhausted and whoever remains can keep working away at a track.”
The ultimate decision on which tracks to record is a process that due to perennially writing music has become somewhat easier for all the band members. The band has learnt what to look for in a track in the preliminary stages of its life.
“As you write more and more you can get better at recognising what is going to work and what isn’t”, says Ed. “So, if a track isn’t sounding like it would fit well on the album you move on to the next one.
“With that in mind, we will start an idea with the intention of finishing it but realise that we might need to move on at any stage. We really just keep on making songs all the time. Which is made easier because we all like hanging out with each other and writing music together. It’s not a chore to write music together. If something has some energy to it, we will pursue it and try to sculpt it into a track that we want to release.”
However, despite the correlation between writing more and understanding their own creative process, the band agree that a polished and refined finished product should be paramount regarding their debut album.
“We’ve all released albums before,” says Ange. “But for a debut, you want to get it right.”
Although there is an emphasis placed upon executing the album to the best possible standard they can achieve, the band’s cohesion and respect for one another remains a factor that never seems to result in confrontation or arguments over what direction a song may take.
“As a band, we don’t feel very pressured by one another or by the public for that matter,” says Ange. “We never have massive creative arguments over a song or an idea for our music videos.”
The latter is where Ange’s creative prowess is showcased further. As director of the music videos Telenova has released and in line with her background in film, the singer sees the visual representation of their music as vital.
“We want the visual world around the music to really tie with the music itself,” says Ange. “I come from a film-making background, so for all of the music videos I have been the film director.”
Not only do the band keep the artistic design of their music from a sonic and visual standpoint in-house, Ed and Josh are also established producers and have had their hands at the production of Telenova’s music thus far.
“We do a lot in-house,” says Ange. “Josh’s has a studio in-house, and they are both producers.”
With the commitment to recording and producing their debut album, the band are just coming off a run of summer festivals that saw them share lineups with some huge international acts as well as some excellent local talent.
Maintaining momentum, Telenova are now taking their sophomore EP Stained Glass Love to new audiences on a 15-date regional tour this April.
From festival slots and EP releases to winning ‘Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year’ at the AIR Awards and performing at the 2022 APRA Awards, the possibilities seem endless for Telenova after the astounding success they’ve had in just two years of releasing music as a band.
Telenova will perform at Sooki Lounge, Belgrave on 5 May, Haba, Mornington on 6 May, Volta, Ballarat on 16 June and Torquay Hotel, Torquay on 17 June.
2019 saw Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green, and Gus Unger-Hamilton, the triangle behind alt-J, take a breather. After a whirlwind seven years of album releases and what has been labelled an overnight success story, the band were exhausted but they only needed a quick year-inhale to jump back into the studio. This time it was a studio of their own.
“It works really well for us that we feel at home when we are recording. I think on the third album [RELAXER] we went to record in this quite swanky studio in Shoreditch London called Strongroom which is a very good studio, but it was very expensive and very much like, a bit of a flex on our part and I think it didn’t work on our part. We agreed to an unrealistic deadline and the album turned out poorer in so doing,” explains keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton.
“We’ve found a place to write and record in which was really nice because it wasn’t like write, write, write, record, record, record. It was write for a couple of weeks and then record for a couple of weeks, go back to writing. It was a nice way to work. I’d like to continue that in the future.”
Plastered and decorated with alt-J accolades and shining achievements, the London studio shrines their successes, serving as a cocoon to help them build The Dream, sans deadlines.
“[The pandemic] was obviously a big disruption but in the end, I think having these big breaks and lockdowns were a good thing because it meant we didn’t go stir-crazy in the submarine atmosphere of the studio. On the whole, I think it meant we took longer to make the album and write more songs, and the album turned
out better than it would have done had we taken less time. Creatively, it was a net gain for us but I don’t want to say that the pandemic was a good thing because it wasn’t,” he comments.
The same year their debut master An Awesome Wave hit the double-digit milestone, The Dream would become the fourth player in alt-J’s album game. That was a year ago but The Dream lives on. Extending their sonic story through songs ‘U&ME’ and ‘Hard Drive Gold’, The Dream both proposed and answered a burning question.
“I think it’s more trying out new things and seeing how far we can go whilst it still being alt-J and I think the answer to that is pretty far. On this album, we’re doing some house music, some barbershop, doing this post-punk fuzzy 80’s rock whilst all the while remaining true to ourselves as altJ. I think it’s just this perpetual answer to, “What is an alt-J song?”. Anything can be an alt-J song if alt-J writes it and that’s a really nice feeling,” Unger-Hamilton says.
The Londoners will be heading down under, paddock hopping on the Groovin’ The Moo touring festival. They’ll be joining fellow UK artists Fat Boy Slim, Nothing But Thieves, Laurel, Sophie May and Eliza Rose alongside Ball Park Music, Denzel Curry, Ocean Alley and triple teens; Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Teenage Dads, and Teenage Joans.
“It’s great to know there are going to be other UK artists on the bill. Certainly, when we have done touring festivals like Laneway in the past, it has been really nice to make friends with other bands on the bill and moving around the country together is a nice feeling. I’m looking forward to the backstage atmosphere a lot.”
Additionally, they will be spilling songs across stages for their own The Dream headline shows across the east coast and west coast with eager excitement to visit fans across the country.
“It feels like a home away from home for us. We’ve never had quite a response like we’ve had in Australia I would say and New Zealand as well. Back in 2012 when we first came out it was really incredible. It seemed like people had really taken us to their hearts in Australia. Particularly being a country we had never been to before, it was extremely heartwarming really for us.
“It’s something we always want to come back to and I think as a part of the world for us it feels a bit more at home than say America culturally speaking; it feels like you can be yourself a bit more which is great.”
Make them feel at home during their Bendigo for Groovin’ The Moo appearance on Saturday 29 April. Tickets at gtm.net.au
Off the back of its trail-blazing inaugural outing in 2022, Stars & Bars Festival returns to Heathcote in 2023.
Bringing together a combination of amazingly talented artists, Heathcote’s finest wine, beer, spirits, food and hospitality, and some genuinely unique locales as the backdrop for this experiential festival event, Stars & Bars Festival will see punters take part in an experimental whistle-stop tour of Heathcote on Saturday, April 22 2023.
Created by Lincon Boyd, the brains behind the beloved past NaranaFest, this year’s newly minted edition returns with some fresh new locales, familiar favourites and a stellar handpicked lineup representing everything from alt-country, Americana, heavy groove, funk & soul, to blues & roots and electric jungle boogaloo.
Essentially a hybrid of a country music festival, food and wine festival and regional bus tour, this year there are two ticket options up for grabs.
The first is the luxury bus tour, which will showcase all eight acts across five beautiful locales over 12 hours with complimentary wine-tasting sessions, afternoon tea and access to the evening session. Bus tour tickets are limited, and they go for $100.
For those that can’t spend the whole day, there’s a secondary option to join the Festival at Palling Bros Brewery in the Beer Garden from 6pm where you’ll witness four of the acts. Evening tickets are just $40 with limited tickets available at the door.
The unique central Victorian Goldfields locales are at the heart of Stars & Bars. Much more than just pubs, breweries and wineries, these locales are hand-picked, immersive spaces with stories to tell.
The adventure begins with a visit to the 150-year-old pub Tooborac Hotel & Brewery. A country hotel circa 1857 with an onsite brewery, this charming spot is Victoria’s oldest National Trust-listed country pub - renowned for being family-friendly with a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Next is a visit to boutique winery Domaine Asmara, located in the heart of the rich Cambrian region of Heathcote in Victoria. This little gem is a family-owned vineyard producing complex and flavoursome wines.
Arriving for afternoon tea, punters will indulge in the surroundings at the five-star boutique winery Wren Estate in the shadow of Mt Camel. With a beautiful olive grove and new cellar door, Wren Estate’s wines are produced in small batches from the home block and micro-managed by Michael Wren, who has over 20 vintages experience across Australia, Europe and the US.
Located just minutes from Heathcote on Wild Duck Creek, Condie Estate is a small-batch producer owned by Richie & Rosanne Condie. Their fruit is organically grown in two vineyards and the wines are made by hand.
The final destination on this whistle-stop tour, is Palling Bros Brewery and its newly expanded Beer Garden, delivering the perfect backdrop for the climactic Evening Session. Located in the heart of the central Goldfields, this stunning tin-shed establishment specialises in handcrafted artisan beer, fine dining, and fittingly, live music.
As you taste and explore along the countrified musical bus tour, you’ll also get to enjoy the live country, blues and folks music from some of Victoria’s biggest and brightest stars:
Karl S. WilliamsSinger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, visual artist and poet, Karl S. Williams is an artist you never saw coming. Bringing along his trademark solo set, frequently referred to as a visceral and ‘spiritual experience’, Williams promises to leave his audience slightly altered in the best way possible. With his heart on his sleeve, this is blues, roots, folk and Americana, but not as you know it.
Back from headlining last year’s event, The Seven Ups are guaranteed to get the dancefloor moving. Hailing from the northern suburbs of Melbourne, the original seven-piece lo-fi heavy groove party band skillfully blend influences from 1970s underground funk with jazz, psych and fuzz rock.
Surf Coast-bred multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Immy Owusu has been making waves over the last couple of years with his utterly contagious personality, impressive musical abilities and electric brand of ‘Afrodelik’ fusion.
Growing up in two worlds, the seableached lifestyle of Torquay and the Surf Coast with its rock n roll soundtrack, and the musical heritage of his Ghanaian / Dutch family, Owusu has reintroduced himself through a colourful and striking new music direction.
Building on his signature African psychedelic rock foundations, Owusu emerges more confident than ever in his ‘Afrodelik’ and ‘lo-fi highlife’ approach to music, a sound that spans psychedelic rock, funk and West African roots.
“Lo-fi refers to me coming from a bit of a lo-fi psych background with a lot of my earlier stuff. Since I’ve been working with a band, we’ve been getting into a lot of highlife music, which is this West African style of music that has a lot of percussion and a lot of groovy things,” Owusu explains. “So we’ve been calling it lo-fi highlife.”
A synthesis of his Ghanaian roots and his family’s musical traditions with his own explorations as a 21st-century troubadour in the vein of Rodriguez or Mano Chao, Owusu has captured the magic of lo-fi highlife with his dreamy new single ‘Flashback’, where spacious cinematic psych meets pulsing Afro disco.
Released on 30 March through Hopestreet Recordings, ‘Flashback’ is the first single lifted from Owusu’s forthcoming debut album due later in 2023.
“I’ve been chipping away on this new LP that’s coming out this year for just over a year and a half so it’s very exciting,” Owusu explains, “and this was the first demo I ever made way back in the day, about seven years ago. So it’s also fitting that it’s the first single off this LP.
“My mum put on this house concert in Torquay with Moussa Diakite, this awesome Malian guitarist from Sydney who used to play with Salif Keita in the 90s. In an impromptu guitar lesson in the lounge room, he taught me this really cool Malian guitar scale. I first wrote ‘Flashback’ as a way to practice that scale. I used to walk my dogs down on Spring Creek in Torquay playing this song on uke. So when they heard ‘Flashback’ they knew it was time for a walk.”
You can sense a quality within this textured offering, which can be credited to its live-tracking with an all-star band, featuring members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo as well as some of Australia’s most accomplished Ghanaian musicians.
Across the soothing four-minute track, Owusu’s voice is resonant and commanding and the hypnotic refrain “maybe I should have listened” takes us away to an ethereal dimension while the band weaves its magic
around him. Owusu’s delicate fingerpicked electric guitar dances around Lachlan Stuckey’s hypnotic riff on the second guitar while Henry Jenkins’ pulsing bass and Julius Sackey’s deft drums sit in the perfect pocket.
Jethro Curtin’s quirky mono synth leads take center stage when Owusu isn’t leading and Kojo Noah Owusu, Immy’s father and one of Australia’s best-regarded West African musicians, blesses the sessions with Kpanlogo drum rhythms and a rambunctious talking drum overdub that interjects and comments throughout. The final touch is provided by delicate backing vocals by Kuukua Acquah, Pia Nesvara and Izzy Adjei.
Proving something of a breakout for the artist, this latest offering from Owusu marks the first time collaborating with his renowned father on music.
“My dad never wanted me to be a musician at all. He toured the world with my grandpa [Koo Nimo - a legend of Ghanaian Highlife and Palm Wine music] back in the day,” Owusu shares. “But I think the music was probably a bit too strong. I didn’t think I’d pursue it as a career, but I went on tour with one of my bands when I was 19 and then when I got back I was like, ‘this is what I want to do’. He’s settled on it with me now and we’ve really grown close together working together.”
The latest release from Owusu follows previous singles ‘Mantra’ and ‘Brown Supremacy’, tracks spawned from the 20-21 lockdowns where Owusu holed himself up in a caravan deep within a bush property out the back of Bells Beach, took up surfing and wrote songs with Liam McGorry of Ex-Olympian/Dorsal Fins.
With the depths of his fast-rising talent well and truly on show, and a debut album primed to be shared with the world, Immy Owusu seems poised to take 2023 by storm.
To witness the raw energy and radiant outpouring of ‘Afrodelik’ and ‘lo-fi highlife’ passion, catch Immy Owusu and his new band at his residency at Shotkickers every Wednesday in April.
‘Flashback’
Crafting a wholly intoxicating style, Immy Owusu is without a doubt an artist to watch in 2023.is out now on Hopestreet Recordings. Credit Joshua Maxwell De Hoog.
Set on the Bellarine Peninsula, a new curated foodie experience from the team at Sea Bounty has arrived celebrating the deliciously plump Portarlington mussel.
Portarlington Mussel Tours are boutique and intimate bay tours that depart from the Portarlington Pier. Aboard the immaculately restored 40-year-old Huon pine vessel ‘Valerie’, tours are delivered by the local and knowledgeable team, which includes fourth-generation farmer Lance Wiffen and his wife Lizzie.
While aboard the three-hour Portarlington Mussel Tour, guests are given an exclusive front-row seat to the mussel farming process in an intimate and unique setting.
With a maximum of 12 guests, the tour starts with a glass of local Bellarine sparkling, followed by Lizzie’s live cooking demonstrations which feature two delicious mussel recipes that you can savour alongside premium local produce.
Here you will observe how mussels are cultivated, see the mussel ropes as they’re pulled from the water, pick magnificent fresh molluscs off the lines and learn about the cleaning process and various stages of mussel farming.
How involved you get is entirely up to you! With a small number of guests on the vessel, there is always a quiet spot to relax. If you’re lucky, you might even spot the local dolphins and get to try the native Angasi oysters that Lance is also currently growing.
Sea Bounty harvests mussels from 150 ha of water spread over four Aquaculture zones in Port Phillip Bay and sell over 1000 tonnes of mussels, contributing to one million meals each year all over Australia and internationally.
Owners Lance and Lizzie love growing mussels, and with the launch of the new tourism product, are now able to share their passion and incredible mussels with all.
The mussels cultivated by Lance and his Sea Bounty team have been hailed as “exquisite” by leading chefs including Attica’s Ben Shewry and Noma’s Rene Redzepi. He has welcomed Masterchef celebrities and Matt Moran and Rachel Koo. If you’ve ever wondered how they produce such magnificent mussels, why not join a tour and find out for yourself?
For bookings and more information, head to portarlingtonmusseltours.com.au
Led by the expertise and infectious personality of owner and professional baker Jess Robinson, Geelong cupcakery Baked By Us offers an opportunity for young people with disabilities to learn how to make cupcakes professionally, develop kitchen skills, serve customers and most importantly work as part of a team.
Bringing those they support a greater sense of purpose, belonging and sense of community, it’s an amazing business and the cupcakes are world-class. With nothing else like it, the business has now launched a Go Fund Me after months of struggling to stay afloat due to rising costs and a decline in sales due to inflation and roadworks resulting in a loss of customer parking and foot traffic.
“Baked by Us was built 3.5 years ago from the ground up with no financial assistance or loans. We have always done everything ourselves from all the renovations to building our website,” the Go Fund Me explains. “The downside to this is during tough times we have only ever had our savings to fall back on.”
With those saving now depleted, bills are barely being covered and the business has no funds for repairs, future plans or expansions.
With a goal of raising $250,000, Baked By Us has detailed exactly where the money is needed breaking down the costs, from cars for deliveries and community access, kitchen equipment repairs, to building a functional website, packaging equipment and new signage. Most importantly, the store needs funds for relocation to somewhere more functional and affordable where they can set up a more community-focused cafe.
“We know this is a high goal. But this goal isn’t just to keep us afloat. This amount would allow us to reinvest in our Baked by Us to look towards the future and help us grow in a way that will open up more positions to take on and train more participants!
“Our mission has and always will be to create a space in which those with a disability, who have been shut out of mainstream employment due to lack of ‘experience or skills’, can come experience the same learning opportunities as everyone else.”
If you would like to donate, head to www.gofundme.com/f/baked-by-us-go-fund-me
Back bigger, better and prouder than ever, one of Australia’s largest regional LGBTQIA+ film festivals, the Geelong Pride Film Festival, is returning to cinemas to showcase its largest program of LGBTQIA+ programming to date.
Spread over two weeks from 20 - 30 April, the festival will present a series of cinema screenings at the Pivotonian Cinema, Village Cinemas Geelong and Platform Arts. The expansive program boasts over 50 short films and 10 feature films from around the globe, including a number of Australian premiere screenings.
With an aim to bring more diversity to the region’s screens following a recent win at the Victorian Pride Awards (taking out Most Outstanding Contribution to the Arts) the Geelong Pride Film Festival has curated an impressively broad program this year, spotlighting several fantastic queer-proud movies that are confidently pushing their way out of genre-niche territory and commanding worldwide attention.
“We are celebrating diversity with this year’s program with the very best films from around the world and Australian films that are winning acclaim internationally,” festival president Stephen Ryan said.
The program is jam-packed and presents a diverse range of stories, genres and LGBTQIA+ experiences.
This year GPFF is bookending the festival with its signature collections of Rainbow Shorts from around the world on opening night and finale of Happy Endings, featuring comedy short films and films with positive and uplifting outcomes for characters.
Ran by a group of brilliant volunteers, the Geelong Pride Film Festival aims to contribute to the development of a thriving and vibrant community in Geelong for those who identify as LGBTQIA+. It’s also perfect for film lovers who are yearning to see a movie on a big screen in a room filled with fellow cinephiles, bringing people together to witness the latest and greatest in LGBTQIA+ in our local cinemas.
View the full program and purchase tickets at gpff.org.au
Fri 21 April, 8pm
Village Cinemas Geelong
Hailed by Rolling Stone as the greatest comedy of the 21st century, the GPFF brings Christopher Guest’s (Spinal Tap) 2000 cult classic mockumentary back to the cinema. Starring Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Jane Lynch, Parker Posey and a classic performance from Jennifer Coolidge (White Lotus, Legally Blonde), Best In Show introduces the unforgettable and hilarious camp characters of the competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows.
MADE ME GAY (15+)
Sat 22 April, 5:30pm
Village Cinemas Geelong
Directed by Jean Carlomusto, Esther Newton Made Me Gay explores the life and times of ground-breaking scholar and cultural anthropologist Esther Newton. Agility, persistence and passionate inquiry have driven Esther Newton’s survival as a butch lesbian, octogenarian athlete, and pioneering scholar whose life’s work has influenced generations of LGBTQ activists and researchers. This documentary tells her story of awakening to gay life in the 1950s, the women’s liberation movement and lesbian feminism, drag culture and forging a butch identity which for her is now in conversation with trans-masculinity.
Sun 23 April, 3pm
The Pivotonian Cinema
Manscaping is an extraordinary documentary that provides an intimate glimpse into the lives and work of three queer men who are reimagining the traditional barbershop as a more inclusive space, styling new conceptions of masculinity along the way. From filmmaker Broderick Fox, the stories, artistry and activism of Black American visual artist Devan Shimoyama, Australian fetish barber/porn producer Richard Savvy, and transgender Canadian barber Jessie Anderson model ways we can cut through the toxicity of male fragility in favor of social inclusion and personal freedom.
FICTION (15+)
Fri 28 April, 8:30pm
The Pivotonian Cinema
In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction documents the history and impact of lesbian fiction from the 1920s through the 1990s. Narrator Lillian Faderman recounts the impact key world events had on LGBTQ history throughout the decades. With remarkable archival footage and a host of interviews from numerous trailblazing lesbian authors, including Ann Bannon, Rita Mae Brown, Jewel Gomez and Sarah Waters, we learn how these world events helped shape their stories and their place in the world.
Sun 30 April, 2pm
The Pivotonian Cinema
Described by attendees at Cannes as ‘berserk, irreverent and darkly humorous’, the surreal Portuguese musical comedy Will-o’-the-Wisp is a must-see at the festival. On his deathbed, his royal highness Alfredo, king without a crown, is taken back to distant youth memories and the time he dreamt of becoming a fireman. The encounter with instructor Afonso from the fire brigade, who teaches all there is to know, from holding a hose to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, opens a new chapter in the life of the two young men immersed in love and desire, and the will to change the status quo.
Life can be a grand adventure when we are young. A walk down an off-the-beaten-track is exciting and wondrous. A small walk can feel like a one-hundred kilometre journey. Inspired by his wanderings through nearby paddocks, railway yards and stockyards when he was a child, Robert Whitson: South by Southwest is a collection of works from an artist who has been painting landscapes for the past four decades.
Robert Whitson: South by Southwest is currently on display at Old Butcher Shop Gallery, Soldiers Hill until 23 April.
In the words of arguably the most famous oceanographer of all time, Jacques Cousteau: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Dalray is a private local artist caught by this very wonder. Using oil paints and a tiny brush, Window to the Ocean is a tribute to her travels to some of the most beautiful coral reefs in Australia and abroad. Each creature she paints becomes a friend.
Dalray – Window to the Ocean is currently on display at Surfcoast Gallery, Torquay until 30 April.
Phenomenon, a term for an observable event, came into philosophical usage through German philosopher and Enlightenment thinker Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Today its plural, Phenomena, serves as a new exhibition featuring a collection of works that illustrate the way artists see the phenomena around them. This diverse collection features works by Andrew Browne, Janet Dawson, Rosalie Gascoigne, Denise Green, Akio Makigawa, Rosslynd Piggott, Louise Weaver and Fred Williams among others.
Phenomena will be hosted by the Geelong Gallery from 29 April through to 29 October.
The principal fundraiser for the Bendigo Rotary Club, the Bendigo Easter Art Show will have a rich and diverse display of more than 900 paintings, making it Victoria’s largest regional art show. Professionals, hobbyists and first-timers all have a place on the wall and all works will be available for purchase. A daily resident artist at work is another popular feature of the event.
The Bendigo Easter Art Show will be hosted by the Bendigo Town Hall across the Easter weekend, 7-10 April.
Sean Kenan – Scratchboard Art
When he is not playing Irish fiddle and banjo on the streets of Castlemaine, Sean Kenan etches out scratchboard images. In order to create a scratchboard, a thin layer of clay is applied to a board, which is then covered in Indian ink. From there, Sean scratches at the black surface to reveal the white clay underneath. It was an interest in woodcarving as a teen that led him to this particular art form.
Sean Kenan – Scratchboard Art is on display at Newstead Arts Hub, Newstead from 15-30 April
The first Apollo Bay Art Show took place in 1976 when, at the urging of Freda Amor, Jean Berry and Bob and Nan Davis hosted a show as a fundraiser for the local Historical Society. Last year, 115 artists, both emerging and established, exhibited a total of 330 works. Impressively, 134 pieces were sold. Profits raised are redistributed to the local community, as well as reinvested into the art show for infrastructure improvements.
The Apollo Bay Art Show will be hosted by the Senior Citizens Hall from 7-15 April.
Probing the utopic vision of fabricating a new landscape of possibilities to live within, proposing a new nature and a kit of parts to build it with - sounds like a bio-hybrid IKEA. Observing physical dimensions, somaesthetics, light studies, and political concerns of de/colonisation and environmental collapse, this work draws on the zeitgeist to consider the act of occupying space. Arrange, rearrange, arrange. The documented still-life image suggests a way to build, it is a hesitant formation and open to change.
Entropical: Prosthetic Park will be hosted by Platform Arts, Geelong until 11 April.
Everyone has a story. We have all felt vulnerable. And all too often these vulnerabilities are kept secret. Alanah Ellen Brand’s Vulnerability is a series of portrait paintings that examine how opening up can form authentic connections. On opening night, Brand, along with actor Kerry Corvevski, will present a duologue that showcases how vulnerability can be both educational and powerful. Corvevski’s diagnosis of Friedreich ataxia will form part of the duologue.
Vulnerability will be hosted by Dudley House, Bendigo from 22-30 April
Arriving at Geelong Gallery in March, Back to Back Theatre’s Portrait is a participatory photographic exhibition with works facilitated by Tamara Searle and photographer Gemma-Rose Turnbull with students from Geelong’s own Nelson Park and Barwon Valley schools.
This long-term project was created with a foundation of self-determination, in which existing photographic representations of disability, age, gender, and sexuality were challenged, allowing each of the students to reflect on and express their unique identities.
In the creation of Portrait, Searle and Turnbull (and their collaborators) offered a safe space where young women from both schools could openly, and authentically question their diverse identities and analyse photographic forms of representation.
These formative discussions, and the preferences and personalities of the young women, informed the processes and outcomes for each of the incredible and inspiring 17 portraits on display.
The photographs are presented in collaboration with the participants, who share a strong belief in the necessity and powerfulness of self-representation by teenage women living with disability.
A free exhibition, locals and tourists alike are encouraged to visit Geelong Gallery to meet the personalities of the young women, profiled in each of the 17 portraits on display.
“The project was designed specifically for girls and female-identifying students to avoid, in this instance, some of the gendered and sexual complexities in high schools to ensure a safe space where young women could openly, authentically question their gender, sexuality, and representation without feeling any influence of the male gaze or comparison,” says Project creator Tamara Searle.
The work was made with the support of set and costume designer Kate Davis, and studio photographers Mano Sidhu and Holly Borschman. Support was provided by Tara Lynch and Sue Angelovski, Nikki Watson and Mindez Chua.
Project participant Charlotte says of her portrait and the production process, “It’s (a portrait) a photo of a person and they can, be doing something… and then we kind of got to design our art further of what we wanted to create… what we wanted to see in the photo.”
Back to Back Theatre—Portrait runs until Sunday 16 July.
Tamara Searle and Gemma-Rose Turnbull
Charlotte Portrait 2021 colour photograph
Courtesy of Back to Back Theatre
© Tamara Searle, Gemma-Rose Turnbull and Jasmin
From leading installation artist Keith Courtney, one of the artists behind House of Mirrors and 1000 Doors, Kaleidoscope is a mesmerising symphony of sound and light, staged in a breathtaking mirror maze taking over Bendigo’s Rosalind Park for April and Geelong’s Johnstone Park in May.
By day, the euphoric human-sized Kaleidoscope is a sparkling crystal palace as the open-air structure transports visitors to another world. As the sun sets, the installation basks in a colour field of ever-changing light.
Weighing 70 tonnes and made of glass, mirrors, steel and moving prisms, the 700 square-meter installation scales the deceptively simple optical device to epic proportions, creating a unique and ever-shifting experience that fuses art and technology.
Produced in collaboration with visual artist Ash Keating, artist Samantha Slicer, and a team of highly skilled technicians, Kaleidoscope is completed by a soundscape composed by Tamil Rogeon, featuring The Australian Boys Choir, for an all-encompassing sensory experience.
“Kaleidoscope contains internal mirrors, luminous glass, and translucent beads of colour. As the light shifts and the delicate tubular structure rotates, the space is transformed into an intergalactic playground,” says Keith Courtney.
“The visitor is completely submerged in sound and light where their experience is entirely personal.”
Designed to be enjoyed by all ages, the multi-sensory and immersive work boasts a local twist given it was manufactured in South Geelong by Keith Courtney’s go-to fabricator Robert Lange Engineering and glazier Menzel Glass.
“Serenity, meditative and joyful are the words that come to mind when I think of Kaleidoscope,” he shares.
“It’s the first time that one of my major works has had a showing in the town where it was built. It’s just a really wonderful opportunity. I’d just like people to lose themselves for half an hour – get lost in my Kaleidoscope!”
Following Kaleidoscope’s stint in Geelong, the installation will travel to Bathurst in NSW, Queensland’s Gold Coast and Auckland in New Zealand.
Kaleidoscope by Keith Courtney will take to Rosalind Park, Bendigo from 1 - 30 April and Johnstone Park, Geelong from 13 May - 18 June.
If you’re a Geelong local or a dedicated Forte reader and music lover, you’d be no stranger to Lucinda Goodwin. A household name in the Australian music industry, you can find her at almost any gig or festival capturing the artist’s essence in her warm, vibrant way.
A celebration of her passions in live music and photography, and the illustrious career that has followed, this month Goodwin will present her first solo show in seven years with Retrospect 001
The exhibition, Retrospect 001, is a timestamp of a 13-year catalogue of live music photographs from the internationally published music photographer and Geelong local, featuring high-profile artists, festivals and images from Geelong shows with some of her favourite acts, which is where she first cut her teeth.
An entirely immersive exhibition giving attendees an exclusive inside look into Goodwin’s impressive work, the collection also includes several personal projects, including mixed media collage works, traditional film processes, including 35mm, medium format and Polaroid, and “Music From The Burbs” – a video series born during COVID which saw her record stripped back versions of local artists songs in their homes.
“I have been wanting to commemorate a decade in this crazy industry for quite some time, but unfortunately, that milestone fell within the years of COVID. I have had plans in place for a few months now and when I was approached by the team at Platform Arts about a space in the exhibition calendar I jumped at the chance. Not only is it an amazing space within Geelong but it’s also where I held my very first solo show back in 2015 [Patron To Pit],” Goodwin explains.
“A lot of my work is now only published through a screen, so I still feel like it’s a super important part of my process to create printed, tangible works. As much as the instant gratification of a double tap on Instagram is there is nothing quite like seeing a big printed image on the wall.”
Practising in the live music industry for 13 years, Goodwin started her journey as a photographer as a fresh 18-year-old at Falls Festival in the crowd.
“I had just discovered going to live shows – as any 18-yearold does and I think the high energy and adrenaline rush that you get from shooting shows was unmatched. The industry is also very competitive which can sometimes be both good and bad, but when you walk out of a photo pit knowing you got ‘the shot’ because you were in the right place at the right time or the artist singled you out in the photo pit is a pretty cool feeling.”
Quickly earning a reputation for capturing the euphoria of the stage, uncovering the opaque nature of backstage, and magnifying musician identity, it’s been a steady rise for Goodwin, who has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in the business.
Her photo albums are quite literally the ultimate name-drop, littered with famous faces having photographed music royalty Sir Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Fleetwood Mac, Lauryn Hill, Liam Gallagher, Molly Meldrum, and punk’s godfather Iggy Pop, as well as the likes of Gang of Youths, Katy Perry, Flume, and most recently The Offspring, Paul Kelly, Glass Animals, Northlane, and Boy and Bear.
Despite being armed with an impressive list of accolades and famous faces, her affiliation with her hometown of Geelong has been unwavering throughout the years. With clients often becoming friends, a sense of local community is a consistent theme within her work. Goodwin has continued to work closely with established and upcoming local musicians to document and celebrate their achievements, a part of her practice she holds in high regard.
“The most rewarding work I did last year was working with friends to create album artwork, and live content. People like Hassall, Seb Szabo, Maz Green, Guthrie, and Bec Sykes.
“There is nothing more exciting than seeing your work being used on Spotify or in features (like in Forte) but it’s even more exciting to see the work you have created with friends being shared far and wide. I’ve really been enjoying collaborating with local artists more closely lately and creating work we are both excited about!”
In conjunction with her forthcoming exhibition and celebration of the live music community, Goodwin is also set to launch her debut publication Retrospect 2022, a self-published zine that features over 100 of her favourite works from the year after COVID. Across 84 vibrant pages, the A4 zine features a selection of live music and portrait work that brings her curated Instagram feed to a tangible form, with a strong focus on the local music scene that made her the creative she is today.
Retrospect 001 by Lucinda Goodwin will arrive at Gallery Two Platform Arts in Geelong from 22 April–19 May. Copies of Retrospect 2022 can be pre-ordered at www.lucindagoodwinphotography.com
When reviewing an album, the first listen usually is quite a manic process. Half the time your mind’s racing with thoughts, comparisons and critiques; the other half, you’re rewinding songs because note-taking has diverted your attention from what’s unfolding in front of you. It’s quite a stopstart process.
Every now and again though, you come across an artist whose songwriting is so immersive, that upon completion of their album you look at your notes and think, ‘ah shit, I didn’t write anything’.
Watty Thompson has that ability.
Regardless of what your day has offered up, Thompson provides the remedy. Whether you’re pining over lost love; lusting for a new one; or just embracing the simplicity of day-to-day life, the Otways-based artist will make you tune in and switch off for a moment. And with his straight-to-the-point style of lyricism; gravelly, cigarette-stained vocals and heavy Antipodean drawl cutting through your speakers like an ocker therapist telling you to ‘man up and get more sensitive’, he’ll make you think.
Refreshingly, his ability to do so is never in a subversive way, with Thompson’s songwriting largely finding its profundity through its observational and earnest relatability. From the socially aloof characteristics
examined in ‘Jenny’, to ‘A Revolving Lament’s thoughtful considerations of wanting to quit drinking, but still really liking it; Thompson’s home truths are one’s that many will easily resonate with. Many already have, with his 10-piece backing band, The Total Fire Band, boasting an illustrious list of collaborators helping to bring Thompson’s individualistic vision to life. The opening track ‘By Your Side’ balances delicate string arrangements behind Thompson’s brash, slurred vocals. ‘City To Run’ adds the dazzle of country-pop backing vocals to help boost its jovial nature and ‘Mountain Sage’ brings it all together, feeling like a backyard symphony as each of the 11 members effortlessly intertwines.
In another particularly standout moment, ‘On Your Shoulder’ sees Thompson marry an enigmatic flute melody with a flurry of electric guitars; powerful brass arrangements and harmonious backing vocals. Considering its triumphant form as a song, and the fact that it was born out of a flute riff that he’d been sitting on for 13 years, it seems fitting that the song’s chorus sees Thompson reflect on not giving up on your dreams.
And that is really what Watty Thompson’s self-titled debut comes across as; a man living his dream. He’s already cut his teeth amongst the local rock ‘n’ roll bands of the 2010s (Sheriff, Jumpin’ Jack Williams, Bitter Sweet Kicks, The Neptune Power Federation) and now he’s returning to his roots to write the music that he’s always wanted to write.
As a result, it’s delivered with an authenticity that can’t be faked.
Label: Cheatin’ Heart Records Release date: 14/04/23
Melbourne’s music scene boasts a revolving door of musicians trying to carve out a sound that’ll help differentiate them from the crowd. And while so many try, many struggle with their ‘new sound’ almost always getting lumped in with one of the city’s pre-established subgenres, or being so ‘new’ that audiences end up finding it whack.
But where others struggle in the pursuit of originality, Terry naturally succeeded. It’s as if, amongst the Melbourne music scene, there are punks; arts punks; cinematic-inspired desert rock outfits… and Terry.
Featuring members from Constant Mongrel, The UV Race, Primo!, Sleeper & Snake, Chateau and Rocky; the alt-rock outfit marks themselves as one of the few acts with a sound so unique that it’s hard to explain. Combining elements of alt gothic-country (‘Gold Duck’), futuristic jazz (‘Market’), and pensive post-punk (‘Jane Roe’) all in one, it really is a sound that can only be described as Terry.
And it’s awfully easy to get lost in the world of Terry.
From the contrast of multi-pitched vocals on ‘Miracles’ to the sharp, tinny guitar tones and steadfast drumming of ‘Centuries’, Call Me Terry has a lot on offer. And with its sound tying in everything from horns and string arrangements to Al Montfort’s famed ‘Fuzz Factory’ (which includes a tremolo in his pedal chain), it’s chaotic in the best of ways.
Label: Anti Fade Records and Upset the Rhythm (UK) Release date: 14/04/23
There’s just something so magical about Coda Chroma. From the breathtaking vocals of Kate Lucas to the swirling layers of synths provided by Natalie Lewis, the Ballarat-based indie-folk outfit possess a dreamlike quality like no other.
Their aptly named third album, Dreamself, continues to showcase a natural knack for creating atmospheric landscapes, with the group bolstering their enigmatic sound through a wealth of synth-driven cinematic soundscapes and awe-inspiring jangle-pop melodies.
‘I’m Not Fighting It’ sets the tone well, providing contrasts between synthheavy dream-pop sensibilities and wistful Spaghetti Western guitar licks. ‘If I Imagined’ adds vibrancy through its up-tempo snare patterns and surf-rock guitar riffs, whilst ‘Back In The Theatrette’ sees dual vocal harmonies and rattled percussive elements shine through in its stripped-back approach.
‘Castle’ further highlights the group’s conceptual nature, utilising mystifying string arrangements and melancholic reverbed vocals to enhance its austere atmosphere. The Weyes Blood-inspired ‘Attic’ echoes this, with subdued guitars, dissonant key patterns and soaring vocals used to shift back and forth between the songs’ simmering rhythms and visceral crescendos. ‘Frankenstein’, on the other hand, ambitiously leans into industrial-tinged symphonic soundscapes.
It really is a ride. At times dark and brooding, other times uplifting and inspiring; it’s an album that will tell you how to feel. Evocative in its nature and true to its title, Dream-self will have you feeling like you’re inside a dreamy tranquil wonderland.
Label: Hope Street Recordings
Release date: 31/03/23
Considering we’ve already seen stellar releases from Civic; Watty Thompson and Tropical Fuck Storm this early on in the year, it seemed 2023 was already in pretty good stead to go down in history as ‘the year of the neo-Australian songbook’. Well, it’s not a question anymore, Floodlights have just guaranteed it will.
Equally stark and delicate, Painting Of My Time reaffirms the power and urgency the Melbourne-based outfit adorned listeners with on 2020’s debut From A View. This time, though, the Aussie rock upstarts have swapped melancholia for authority, with their second release presenting a much more lively sound through its combinations of new age post-punk modernism and 70’s pub rock flair.
With lyricists Ashlee Kehoe and Louis Parsons’ sharp songwriting abilities expressing a blue-collar wryness and acting as the pillar to Parsons’ assertive, spoken vocal delivery, Floodlights have a sound that commands your attention.
‘Wide Open Land’ grabs you with dazzling trumpets, unrelenting drum fills and riotous bellowed choruses; ‘Human’ adds twanged art-punk guitar licks combined with Midnight Oil-esque surf-rock swagger; whilst ‘On A Television’ provides for a contrasting moment, with Kehoe adding nonchalant grunge spite to her vocals that’ll undoubtedly go down well in the up-and-comers live sets.
Though considering Painting Of My Time highlights more prose than many of the Aussie rock acts to pave the way before them, it seems unfair to refer to Floodlights as up-and-comers anymore.
Label: Virgin Music Release date: 24/04/23
As a songwriter, Lachlan Denton is mid20 and going on 70. Poised with wisdom beyond his years, the Naarm-based musician’s newest offering explores a wealth of home truths; retrospectively reflecting on loving relationships taken for granted and prudently documenting the shift of Denton’s life and focus from music to furniture making.
Opener ‘Zac’ explores the linear nature of loss, with Denton powerfully singing to his deceased brother Zac, assuring him that although gone too soon, his legacy and “light still burns bright”.
The commemorative ‘Braeside’ explores Denton’s longing for simple yet unattainable enjoyments such as enjoying “a hot cup of nan’s Milo one last time”, whilst ‘Dad’ talks about maturing as a man, presenting realisations of accountability through a series of conflicts faced with his father growing up.
They are lamentations laid bare, again delineating Denton as a lyricist unafraid to leave himself unguarded. But whilst the lyrics may be vulnerable in nature, Furnishings’ is presented through a mirage of vibrant pop-rock melodies and the upbeat, jangle-pop sensibility of Echo & the Bunnymen.
This gives Furnishings an overall tonal quality that feels too experimental to act as Denton’s musical retirement. And considering the level of depth its lyrical content conveys, it doesn’t seem like he has finished saying everything he has to say yet.
This leaves me with the impression that although Denton may be moving onto furniture making for now, he’s not done with music yet.
Label: Osborne Again Records
/Spunk Records Release date: 14/04/23
Since launching their first craft beer in July 2021, brothers-inlaw, homebrewers and founders Mark and Tim have taken Mount Pleasant Rd. Brewers from strength to strength, using their tremendous creative talent and long-term appreciation of beer to create a unique brand of beer worthy of elevating the Victorian craft beer experience.
With their goal to create their own independent craft beer met, the Geelong mates have taken a deep dive into a new venture, opening their very own taproom.
Taking over a quaint space at 110 Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont, just a stone’s throw away from where it all began, Mt Pleasant Rd Taproom is a blessing to more than just the residents of Belmont, gifting beer lovers of the region and further afield a charming new craft beer destination.
Bringing a wine bar feel and offering to the beer world, the taproom features taps with their small batch specialty beers, alongside a specially curated selection of locally-sourced independent wine and spirit producers as well as non-alcoholic options. There are also nibbles on offer, including chips, olives, dips and sardines, Opening Fridays through to Sundays, on tap you’ll find brews including the Belmont Common amber ale, the Raspberry Wheat Beer, the Tropical Eclipse Pale Ale, Bay City Neipa, and even their Dark Side of High Street Coffee Stout.
With abundant natural light, a pleasant atmosphere and a vibe reflective of the brand’s retro feel and muted, neutral colour palette symbolic of the 70s, what you’ll notice most from the 38-seat space is the warm, old-school hospitality from the team. The mood is jovial and relaxed, which makes for the perfect weekend experience whether you stop by for an after-work pot or while away the afternoon with a tasting paddle. Here, you’ll quickly feel like a local, regardless of where you’ve come from.
The taproom features both indoor and outdoor seating, with a booth, intimate tables and window seating for beer lovers either on a date, with the family or on a walk with their pooch.
Step in and surrender to their friendly, beer-loving spirit.
Mt Pleasant Rd Taproom is located at 110 Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont.
Pushing the boundaries of what we understand the cafe experience to be, TonTon is one of the newest venues to join the Geelong hospitality scene, giving locals and tourists alike another bright new dining spot.
As majestic as the name suggests, this striking all-day and night spot arrives courtesy of local Chef Aaron Sheedy, whose past credits involve A Spot For Joe and Barwon Edge Boathouse.
Oozing charm, the outrageously beautiful venue has sophisticated textures, warm timber, a stone counter, marble benchtops, stunning arches and neutral walls with a pink, brown and beige colour palette, symbolising elegance and sweetness. There are also plenty of tables and bar seating, ideal for both group brunching and date nights.
Taking the Ton from High-Ton, the cafe operates from 6:30am to 3pm on weekdays and 7am to 3pm on weekends, and it’s here that TonTon provides exactly what the locals need.
While changing regularly with seasonal and local produce, the brunch menu includes the usual suspects with a personal twist, classics like toasted granola, house-spiced banana bread and eggs on toast; and afternoon delights for those that prefer lunch items. The bar is high, but with chef Sheedy at the helm, diners are in good hands.
After dark, the mood changes as the operation melts into dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights. With dimmed lights, a new menu is placed on the table, with dishes such as pork belly, pan-fried market fish, sticky eggplant, ricotta gnocchi and braised lamb shoulder taking the spotlight.
If you prefer to indulge in a simple evening of snacks and cocktails, TonTon serves the likes of marinated olives, mushroom, leek and thyme croquette, and Saganaki.
Designed to share, it’s clear the goal is to create a nurturing space that incorporates local, organic and ethically-sourced ingredients into its menu wherever possible.
A welcome addition to the region, TonTon is the kind of place you’ll want to linger.
TonTon is located at 9/65 Barrabool Rd, Highton Village. Book on 0455 280 120 or simply walk in.
If you’ve got the urge for Italian done right, Lorne is the place to be with the opening of Sydney’s much-loved Italian eatery Totti’s.
Marking the fifth outpost of Totti’s and Merivale group’s first Victorian venue, the restaurant will see Merivale Executive Chef Mike Eggert, along with Lorne Hotel Executive Chef and Surf Coast local Matt Germanchis at the helm.
Designed for guests to roll in straight off the beach, the Totti’s Lorne menu captures the best local seafood and produce thanks to Germanchis’ local passion and knowledge, complemented by local wines. The menu will also include Totti’s signature antipasti and woodfired bread, handmade pasta including pappardelle lamb ragu, ziti prawn alla vodka, and fettuccine tomato sugo, and stracciatella.
“We’ve crafted a menu that combines Matt’s expertise in local seafood with classic Totti’s dishes allowing you to pick and choose depending on your mood – whether that’s a bite to eat after a day at the beach alongside a glass of local wine or a selection of dishes for a long afternoon with friends and family,” says Eggert.
Other notable menu items include small plates of smoked albacore tuna, snapper crudo and marinated octopus, alongside larger plates of whole crumbed King George Whiting and a wood-grilled lamb ‘Barnsley chop’.
The specialty dessert menu will include Totti’s tiramisu, banana splits, chocolate torte, and a classic affogato. Executive Chef Matt Germanchis will also be bringing his famous gelato recipe to the Lorne Hotel.
Germanchis says, “I’ve loved seeing all the local support since announcing the opening of Totti’s Lorne and we’re excited to welcome locals and visitors to experience the very best seafood and produce that our beautiful region has to offer.”
Inspired by the warmth and eclecticism of the local architecture, the fit-out of the restaurant is a nod to the 70s but with a distinctive Totti’s outlook, featuring chequered cork floors, sorbet terrazzo and terracotta, soft arches and aged copper fireplaces.
Located in Belle Vue Ave, Highton, this brilliant dessert bar is paying homage to the traditional sweet treats of Greece, courtesy of local brothers Spiro and Nicholas Alesios.
From its bright, contemporary pink intimate home right in the heart of Highton Village (just look for the neon pink sign), the dessert destination, which stands for Village Ice Cream Dessert Bar, is all about delivering the sweet, sweet overseas culinary classics, headlined by a range of authentic tasty bite-sized Greek doughnuts (aka loukoumades, aka pieces of heaven).
Here, you’ll find the bite-sized fried orbs loaded with seriously mouthwatering topping combinations. Made fresh to order, toppings range from sugar and cinnamon, honey and cinnamon, hot jam donut to the more indulgent ones like white chocolate, milk chocolate, Nutella and Oreo. You can even amp things up with add-on extras like crushed nuts, half and half, or a scoop of flavoursome and vibrant ice cream.
Speaking of ice cream, VID Bar is already making big, creamy waves with 31 delicious flavours on offer every day. You can expect the likes of peppermint chip, chocolate, candy floss, Rock Salt caramel, and strawberry, plus some unique ones that you’ve just have to try.
Sharing the spotlight is the selection of desserts as Greek as Zorba on offer, with the brothers bringing their phenomenal unique family-passed down- recipes to the masses. Overseas treats include delicious Galaktoboureko (semolina custard middle with phyllo pastry topped with sugar syrup), Kataifi (traditional pastry made with a nut filling), Ekmek (layers of Kataifi pastry, custard and whipped cream), and Rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) Is your mouth watering yet?!
Of course, Baklava fans will also find themselves in heaven here, with the layered pastry featured as a hero on the menu. There are also indulgent thick shakes, milkshakes and Greek frappes. Order one of everything and make it your personal mission to try every flavour they’ve got.
Find VID Bar Highton at Shop 4, 1-3 Belle Vue Ave, Geelong from 11am–10pm Monday to Sunday.
Words by Chester Ogilvie
Celebrated Geelong theatre company
Back to Back Theatre, a company driven by an ensemble of actors with intellectual disabilities, returns with their first Australian performance since winning the International Ibsen Award. Gary and Steve normally blend into the background, passengers in a busy world. But when two executives meet for a transaction, their everyday life becomes less ordinary. Audience members will be wired into the production via individual sets of headphones.
small metal objects will take in performances at Market Square, Geelong from 27-29 April
Put your sleuthing skills to the test as Synchronicity Productions presents its first production of 2023. First released in 1949 as Cluedo, the murder mystery board game became a now-cult classic when adapted into a film in 1985. Six strangers, all christened with an alias, are presented with a weapon and an option: pay their blackmailer or kill the butler. Who has blood on their hands? What weapon was used in the dastardly deed? And where did it all unfold? Follow the clues.
Clue will take in performances at The Engine Room, Bendigo from 20-30 April
The year is 2029, and the world is on its knees. The first nuke has launched. Water is scarce. And each week earth is punished by a new disaster. Presented by the Ballarat National Theatre, Dust and Ruin tells the story of eight families determined to create something better. After constructing a bunker in remote bushland, parents drop off their children before heading out for further supplies. But what happens when they don’t return?
Dust and Ruin will take in performances at Mount Rowan School Theatre, Wendouree from 14-22 April
Created by Yaron Lifschitz and backed by a score from Melbourne composer Jethro Woodward, On by Circa is the new show from Brisbane’s boundary-pushing contemporary circus, Circa. Fighting, love and laughter fill the air in this production as the lives of eight strangers interweave over one night in the courtyard of an apartment block. It is billed as fierce humanity meets exceptional acrobatics.
On by Circa will take in performances at Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool on 14 April, Portland Arts Centre on 15 April and COPACC on 19 April
When you don’t want to make the trip to the main event, the best bits come to you with the MICF Roadshow. We’re up to roadshow number 25 in 2023, and once more some of the festival’s brightest stars have been persuaded to band together to present some much-needed levity to the world. Funnybones will be tickled.
The MICF Roadshow will take in performances at Kyneton Town Hall on 28 April, Geelong West Town Hall on 29 April and Ballarat Mechanics Institute on 30 April
The nature of marriage, the pursuit of happiness and the perfect foxtrot are explored in Peta Murray’s Wallflowering. Once upon a time, middle-aged couple Cliff and Peggy Small burned bright on the ballroom dance floor. Today, Cliff is an aspiring writer, while Peggy dreams of a bigger world than her own. How will their marriage keep up with the new dance steps?
Wallflowering will take in performances at the Heathcote RSL Hall on 11 April, Elmore Memorial Hall on 12 April, Boort Memorial Hall on 13 April and The Engine Room, Bendigo on 14 & 15 April
Presented by Platform Arts and North Youth Theatre, this double-bill event features stories from Geelong’s diaspora communities. Incorporating original songs, Jamaican dance and projections, the comedy-rich Rafiki is an exploration of friendship, culture and resilience following tragedy and change. Ran, meanwhile, is a short film about a young man finding his way in a new country. It is inspired by filmmaker Keak Joak’s own experience.
The double feature of Rafiki and Ran will take in performances at Platform Arts, Geelong on 20 & 21 April
Do we all have a monster within? And if so, where is the crossed line that lets the beast loose? From William Mastrosimone comes the psychological play, Extremities. In order to survive Raul, Marjorie must become like Raul. But to do that is to put as risk of losing herself. Politics, ethics, morals, and psychology collide as the question of ‘How does one deal with evil, without becoming evil oneself?’ is explored.
Extremities will take in performances at Woodbin Theatre, Geelong West from 21 April to 6 May
For more gigs head to fortemag.com.au/gigguide
THE GROGANS. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 8:30pm. $35.70.
COOLDAD & FRIENDS WITH VIOLET, BRUNETTE RED DRESS AND MONGEESE. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 7pm. $15.
YACHT CLUB DJ’S. Volta. Ballarat. 8pm. $18.40.
COSMONAUT, THESE THINGS, CANDI WADE. The Eastern. Ballarat. 7pm. $15.
THE BRIDGE HOTEL PRESENTS: THE DOLLY PARTON EXPERIENCE. Western Reserve Big Top. Castlemaine. 8pm. $40.
GOOD FRIDAY EVE FT: LITTLE FRITTER, MARKET MEMORIES, SUNSHINE AND MORE TBA. Geelong Hotel. Geelong. 9pm. $18.06.
BEAT BOUTIQUE. Captain. Geelong. 7pm. $10.
JESSE BLOCH + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 10pm. $10.
LOWERCASE POETRY. Medusa. Geelong. 7pm. Gold Coin Donation. LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
THE FINAL BOOGIE MUSIC FESTIVAL FT: PRIVATE FUNCTION, PHIL JAMIESON, SURPRISE CHEF, ANDY GOLLEDGE, WATTY THOMPSON AND MORE. Our Friends Farm. Tallarook. 7th April - 9th April. 2pm. $340. THE FINAL INNER VARNIKA FT: ANDY GARVEY B2B SCORPION, BABA NOIR, DJ EARL GREY, E FISHPOOL, SLEEP D, HYBRID MAN AND MORE. Bookaar. 7–9 April. $340.
KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS. Western Reserve Big Top. Castlemaine. 8pm. All Ages. Adult $75. Concession $65.
COASTAL JAM 2023 FT: ACRAZE, WILLO, FRANK BOOKER, DEAN TURNLEY, ELLIOT CREED, BLAKE SCHWARTZ AND MORE. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 8:30pm. $75. Bus Pass (Torquay to Geelong) $20.
EMU, SMOKE WITCH, EARTHOMEN AND CLIFFORD PARADE. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 5:30pm. $18.40.
JASON BONHAM’S ‘LED ZEPPELIN EVENING’. Palais Theatre. St Kilda. 7:30pm. $150.
DANE BLACKLOCK AND THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTERS. The Eastern. Ballarat. 7pm. $25.
EASTER AT PIANO BAR - GOOD FRIDAY APPEAL. The Laneway, Piano Bar. Bendigo. Day Session 1pm. Night Session 6pm. $10 each.
EASTER WITH PIANO BAR - GOLD FM POPUP. Gold Central Victoria Stage, Lansell Gardens. Bendigo. 12pm. $10.
GOOD FRIDAY X EASTER
SATURDAY: CASSETTES FOR KIDS & TOM SANTA. Dive Bar. Geelong. 7pm. $25.
REG COLE QUARTET.
Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $25.
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER
SURVIVAL. Golden Vine Bendigo. 8pm. $20 - $40.
DISTRACTED, BODEN MUGRIDGE, RADIOSTAR
+ LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
LIVE MUSIC. The Elephant & Castle. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
MEDUSA FRIDAYS. Medusa Bar. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE. Valhalla. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
GOOD FRIDAY WITH CHOOK & MOLUCK. Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
BLUESFEST MELBOURNE
FT: LUCINDA WILLIAMS, HENRY WAGONS, THE DOOBIE BROTHERS, XAVIER RUDD AND MORE. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Melbourne. 8th - 9th April. 12pm. Single day tickets from $168.
WAXÓ PARADISO, DJ
JNETT. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 8pm. $30.10.
EDDY & THE EXCITERS. Pistol Pete’s Food & Blues. 9:30pm. $15.
ELECTRIC FIELDS AND DALLAS WOODS. Western Reserve Big Top. Castlemaine. 8pm. All Ages. Adult $60. Concession $50.
AUDIOJACK (SPAIN), METODI HRISTOV (BULGARIA), COOPER JAMESL, EVA, TILLY BSB EMMYK. Bloom. Geelong. 10pm. Ticket price TBC.
DEBORAH HUMBLE MASTERCLASS. Langley Estate. Bendigo. 6pm. $40.
METDOG, EXPO, WINKSY. The Eastern. Ballarat. 7pm. $15.
EASTER WITH PIANO BAR - GOLD FM POPUP. Gold Central Victoria Stage, Lansell Gardens. Bendigo. 12:30pm. $10.
EASTER AT PIANO BAR -
EASTER SATURDAY PARTY. The Laneway, Piano Bar. Bendigo. Day Session 1pm. Night Session 6pm. $10 each.
THE RECHORDS. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 7pm. $25.
THE PINK STONES. Major Tom’s. Kyneton. 8:30pm. $25.
FOG AMP’D X FLOW. Bridge Hotel. Werribee. 9pm. $30.
BOS HOUSEN, TVB, RIFFINERY + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
WOOSHKA. The Elephant & Castle. Geelong. 9:30pm. Free.
WAX SATURDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
SATURDAY NIGHT VINYL DJS.
Medusa. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog.
Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
BARRY + MARV (MARV
B’DAY BONANZA). Captain.
Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge.
Geelong. 3pm - DJ’s start at 6:30. Free.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Black
Sheep. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
SUN 9 APR
BASEMENT JAXX (DJ SET). The Timberyard. Melbourne. 2pm. $90.45.
DIVELAND PRESENTS:
EASTER SUNDAY CARPARK
PARTY FT: MOTEZ AND LAURA KING. Dive Bar.
Geelong. 7pm. $50.
INTRODUCTION TO THE OPERA - DIE WALKÜRE. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 1pm. Free.
DIE WALKÜRE SECOND
OPERA OF THE RING CYCLE. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 2pm. Free.
CLOUDWINE. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 12:30pm. $20.
EASTER SUNDAY FT: LOCAL LEGENDS. Captain. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
KYLE MCKAY, AGILE + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
ORIGINAL SUNDAYS. Beavs. Geelong. 5:00pm. Free.
GUITAR BAR SUNDAY
SESSIONS. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 2pm. Free.
WAX SUNDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
DR SURE’S UNUSUAL PRACTICE, LOW TEMPERATURE CIVICS. Tanswell’s Commercial Hall. Beechworth. 8:30pm. $15.
MARCUS KING, VINTAGE
TROUBLE. Northcote Theatre. Northcote. 6:30pm. $85.
PUNK NIGHT. Valhalla. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
EDEN ARISTON - INSIDE VOICE/THE SELF AS A MIRROR GROUP ART EXHIBITION. Captain. Geelong. 7pm. Free.
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS’. Palais Theatre. St Kilda. 7:30pm. $150.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge.
Geelong. 6pm. Free.
SUPPERCLUB FRIDAY PRESENTS: STEVIE RIGBY & GUESTS. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $20.
BRITISH INDIA. Volta.
Ballarat. 8pm. $45.15.
THE IMPERFECTS. Costa
Hall, Deakin University
Geelong Waterfront.
Geelong. 7:30pm. $61.
WILSN - ‘THOSE DAYS ARE OVER’ TOUR. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 9pm. $22.95.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Edge.
Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
LIVE MUSIC AT GUITAR
BAR. The Barking Dog.
Geelong West. 5pm. Free.
MEDUSA FRIDAYS. Medusa
Bar. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
KEVIN CARRINGTON. Valhalla. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog.
Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
‘LOCAL LEGENDS’ FT: RICK DOLPHIN. Captain.
Geelong. 5pm. Free.
RADIOSTAR + LOCAL DJS.
Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
COUSIN TONY’S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 9pm. $33.70.
WILSN - ALBUM TOUR.
Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues. 9:30pm. $20.
TOM STEVENSON, MADDY PETCH, JASMIN ADRIA.
The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 8pm. $13.30.
GALA DINNER PRESENTED BY MELBOURNE ORCHESTRA. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 6pm. $275.
ULTRA AUSTRALIA.
Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Melbourne. 1pm. $164.
NO BRAGGING RIGHTS (USA), OUTSIDER AND PROPOSAL. Volta. Ballarat. 7pm. $39.95.
D’ARCY SPILLER. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $20.
THE BEANIES
EGG-STRAORDINARY DAY. The Lighthouse Theatre. Warrnambool. 11am. $16.
PRIMA FACIE. The Lighthouse Theatre. Warrnambool. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT.
BON APPÉTIT! Album Launch. Kilderkin Distillery. Mt Pleasant. 7:30pm. $11 - $40.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Black Sheep. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
TOTALLY 80S. The Elephant & Castle. Geelong. 9:30pm. Free.
LIVE MUSIC AT GUITAR
BAR. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 5pm. Free.
WAX SATURDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
DJ SWELLA. Medusa. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
GREETINGS EP LAUNCH. Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 3pm - DJ’s start at 6:30. Free.
RIFFINERY + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
AARGHT RECORDS
PRESENTS: GUITAR WOLF (JPN), STEPMOTHER, GRYTT. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 4pm. $44.90.
PRIMA FACIE. The Lighthouse Theatre. Warrnambool. 2pm. Adults $35. Concession $30.
ORIGINAL SUNDAYS. Beavs. Geelong. 5:00pm. Free.
GUITAR BAR SUNDAY
SESSIONS. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 2pm. Free.
WAX SUNDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free
CAPTAIN SUNDAYS. Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 10pm. $10.
OCEAN GROVE ‘BORED OF THE CITY’ EAST COAST TOUR WITH DEEZ NUTS AND BLOOM. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 7pm. $29.90.
FRIENDLYJORDIES
PRESENTS: BRUZ. The Sphinx. Geelong. 7pm. $49.
KAREN FROM FINANCE IS DOING TIME. Piano
Bar. Ballarat. 6pm. $40.
TEENY TINY STEVIES
- ‘HOW TO BE CREATIVE’ TOUR. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 10am. $35.
THESE NEW SOUTH WALES. Northcote Theatre. Northcote. 7:30pm. $25.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge.
Geelong. 6pm. Free.
THE KING’S POET DEBUT EP LAUNCH WITH LEFT AT THE AVENUE AND IVY BLACK. The Barwon Club. South
Geelong. 8pm. $13.30.
RED ROCK - THE ULTIMATE AUSTRALIAN ROCK EXPERIENCE. Volta.
Ballarat. 8pm. $13.30.
DOUBLE BILL: HONEYFIELDS & CORN NUT CREEK. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $20.
RUNNING IN THE SHADOWS OF FLEETWOOD MAC.
The Lighthouse Theatre. Warrnambool. 8pm. Adults
$65. Concession $50.
DJ WORMBOY. Medusa
Bar. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
JAY HOWIE. Valhalla.
Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog.
Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
‘LOCAL LEGENDS’ FT: B-ROLL B2B MERL B2B EMMYK B2B TILLY. Captain.
Geelong. 5pm. Free.
RADIOSTAR + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
‘THE WORLD IS A VAMPYR’ FESTIVAL FT: SMASHING PUMPKINS, JANE’S ADDICTION, AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS, REDHOOK AND MORE. PICA. Melbourne. 2pm. $204.71.
DAYDREAM FESTIVAL FT: MODEST MOUSE, SLOWDIVE, TROPICAL FUCKSTORM, BEACH FOSSILS AND MORE. Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Melbourne. 3:30pm. $130.
THE MURLOCS. Northcote Theatre. Northcote. 8pm. $51.
TEX PERKINS & THE FAT RUBBER BAND. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 8pm. $59.70.
JAY HOWIE BAND.
Pistol Pete’s Food & Blues. 9:30pm. $15.
CAMILLERI & GRABOWSKY. The Capital. Bendigo. 8pm. $69.
TEENY TINY STEVIES - ‘HOW TO BE CREATIVE’ TOUR. The Lighthouse Theatre. Warrnambool. 10:30am. $35.
GALA DINNER PRESENTED BY MELBOURNE ORCHESTRA. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 6pm. $275.
EDDY BOYLE & MARCO GOLDSMITH, BRIAN FRASER, BILL BARBER, KALIOPI & THE BLUE MESSENGERS. The Blues Train. Queenscliff. 7pm. SOLD OUT.
STEWART D’ARRIETTA PERFORMS TOM
WAITS. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $45.
MINOR GOLD, HANA AND JESSE LEE’S BAD HABIT. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 9pm. $28.05.
TEMPERAMENTAL - THE AUSTRALIAN DIVINYLS
EXPERIENCE. Golden Vine Bendigo. 9pm. $20 - $30.
PYRENEES UNEARTHED WIN + FOOD FESTIVAL. Pyrenees Unearthed Festival Site. Avoca. 11am. $75.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Black Sheep. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
WAX SATURDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
SHANITA VICE. Medusa. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
‘LOCAL LEGENDS’. Captain. Geelong. 3pm. Free.Riffinery + Local DJs. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
PURE FESTIVAL MELBOURNE FT: CARL COX, JORIS VOORN, IDA ENGBERG, ERIC POWELL AND MORE. Flemington Racecourse. Melbourne. 2pm. $81.85.
‘THE WORLD IS A VAMPYR’ FESTIVAL FT: SMASHING PUMPKINS, JANE’S ADDICTION, AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS, REDHOOK AND MORE. Kryal Castle. Ballarat. 2pm. $199.
DATURA4. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 7pm. $28.60.
PIRRITU. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 3pm. Free.
INTRODUCTION TO THE OPERA - DIE WALKÜRE. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 1pm. Free.
DIE WALKÜRE SECOND OPERA OF THE RING CYCLE. Ulumbarra Theatre. Bendigo. 2pm. Free.
SINGING WORKSHOP WITH STELLA SAVY. St Andrews Uniting Church. Bendigo. 2pm. $20.
ORIGINAL SUNDAYS. Beavs. Geelong. 5:00pm. Free.
GUITAR BAR SUNDAY SESSIONS. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 2pm. Free.
WAX SUNDAYS. Waxyard Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
CAPTAIN SUNDAYS. Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 10pm. $10.
‘THE WORLD IS A VAMPYR’ FESTIVAL FT: SMASHING PUMPKINS, JANE’S ADDICTION, AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS, REDHOOK AND MORE. PICA. Melbourne. 6pm. $204.71.
THE SPIRIT OF THE ANZAC. The Capital. Bendigo. 11am. $20.
‘COME TALK ART’. Medusa. Geelong. 7pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
ZENITH GATHERING FT: AARDVARK, CAPTAIN HOOK, LUIS M, OUTSIDERS AND MORE. Balpool. New South Wales. 28th - 30th April. $360.
FATBOY SLIM. Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Melbourne. 6pm. $119.99.
DENZEL CURRY. Festival Hall. Melbourne. 7pm. SOLD OUT. MEG MAC. The Wool Exchange. Geelong. 7pm. $59.90.
SOMETHING FOR KATE. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 8pm. $61.20.
MUDHONEY. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 8pm. $66.30.
FOREVER WHITNEY. The Capital. Bendigo. 7:30pm. $65.
SUPPERCLUB FRIDAY PRESENTS: DAMIEN LEITH. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $40.
PROPHECY GIRL, RATKING
222, IVANA STARCEVIC, 1SAYERR, DJ WORMBOY. Bloom. Geelong. 9pm. $15.
LUKE POTE. Valhalla. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING
DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
HANK HILFIGER (LIVE). Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Edge. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
‘CALL ME MAYBE’ - 2000’S - 2010’S PARTY. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
RADIOSTAR + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
MEDUSA FRIDAYS. Medusa Bar. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
GROOVIN THE MOO FT: AMY SHARK, ALT-J, BALLPARK MUSIC, DENZEL CURRY, THE CHATS, CONFIDENCE MAN, FATBOY SLIM, ELIZA ROSE, OMAR APOLLO AND MORE .
Prince of Wales Showgrounds. Bendigo. 12pm. $176.
MUDHONEY. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 8:30pm. SOLD OUT.
PEACH PRC. Northcote Theatre. Northcote.
8pm. SOLD OUT.
STEVE-O - THE BUCKET LIST TOUR. Costa Hall, Deakin University Geelong Waterfront. Geelong. 7pm.
Tickets from $59.40.
LR MARSH. Pistol Pete’s
Food & Blues. 9:30pm. $10.
DIESEL - ‘GREATEST HITS ALONE WITH BLUES’ TOUR. The Capital. Bendigo. 8pm.
Tickets from $80.70.
THE MCNAMARR PROJECT, LUKE GREENHATCH, PHIL COYNE AND THE WAYWARD ACES, THE DETONATORS.
The Blues Train. Queenscliff. 7pm. SOLD OUT.
THE BLACK SORROWS. Queenscliff Town Hall. Queenscliff. 7pm. $68.10.
THE DISTANT SOUTH - ALBUM LAUNCH. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $25.
‘VINTAGE DRAG IN MIND CONDITION’ - AN EVENING WITH STAN MUNRO. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 6:30pm. $20.
GENA ROSE BRUCE - ‘DEEP IS THE WAY’ TOUR. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 9pm. $19.40.
DESPERATE… TO PARTY WITH THE GEMS. The Potato Shed. Drysdale. 8pm. $25.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Black Sheep. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
GRINDHOUSE + FRIENDS. Medusa. Geelong. 8pm. $15.
‘LOCAL LEGENDS’ FT OSCAR ROSE (LIVE). Captain. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
RIFFINERY + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
NAT’S WHAT I RECKON. Sphinx Hotel. Geelong. 7:30pm. $35.
DON MCLEAN - 50TH
ANNIVERSARY TOUR, SUPPORT FROM ANDREW
FARRIS (INXS). Costa Hall, Deakin University Geelong Waterfront. Geelong. 7pm. Tickets from $89.
RECITAL: ROSARIO LA
SPINA. Langley Estate. Bendigo. 11am. $40.
JOTHI, LEILANI LE
FLEUR. The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine. 3pm. Free.
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL ROADSHOW FESTIVAL. Ballarat Mechanics Institute. Ballarat. 7:30pm. $40 - $45.
ORIGINAL SUNDAYS. Beavs. Geelong. 5:00pm. Free.
GUITAR BAR SUNDAY
SESSIONS. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 2pm. Free.
WAX SUNDAYS. Waxyard
Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 10pm. $10.
IN HEARTS WAKE - ‘10 YEARS OF DIVINATION’
TOUR FT: STRAY FROM THE PATH, THE GLOOM IN THE CORNER, DIAMOND CONSTRUCT. Max Watt’s. Melbourne. 7pm. SOLD OUT.
HOLY HOLY, KWAME, CLEWS. Torquay Hotel. Torquay. 7:30pm. $56.10.
KAREN FROM FINANCE
IS DOING TIME. Piano Bar. Geelong. 6pm. $40.
ANITA WIGL’IT PRESENTS:
‘FUNNY GURL’. Piano Bar. Ballarat. 7pm. $45.
KYLE LIONHEART. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 7:30pm. $35.70.
LOCAL ACOUSTICS. Edge. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
GRAMPIANS GRAPE ESCAPE FESTIVAL FT: SHELL YEAH, 19-TWENTY, MADHOUSE AND MORE. Halls Gap Recreation Reserve. Halls Gap. Fri 5th May - Sun 7th May. 4pm. $185.
THE GO SET - ‘THE WARRIORS
BENEATH US’ TOUR. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 8pm. $28.60.
QUEEN ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’ TRIBUTE SHOW. Costa Hall, Deakin University Geelong Waterfront. Geelong. 8pm. Tickets from $79.90.
‘RUNNING UP THAT HILL’ - THE SONGS OF KATE BUSH. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 6:30pm. $35.
KAREN FROM FINANCE IS DOING TIME. Theatre Royal. Castlemaine. 7pm. $45.90.
RADIOSTAR + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
MEDUSA FRIDAYS. Medusa Bar. Geelong. 6pm. Free.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE. Valhalla. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
‘LOCAL LEGENDS’ FT OSCAR ROSE (LIVE). Captain. Geelong. 5pm. Free.
TRACKS X FCD PARTY
FT: BODYJAR PLUS FILM
SCREENING OF ‘FOAM DUST’. Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club. Torquay. 6pm. $25.
LONDON SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA. Hamer
Hall. Melbourne. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT.
THE GO SET - ‘THE WARRIORS
BENEATH US TOUR’. Volta. Ballarat. 7:30pm. $23.75.
KYLE LIONHEART, GUEST
(TBC). The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 8pm. $34.70.
MISS LOU’S BLUES, OSCAR LADELL, DAMON SMITH, LAUREL AND THE PAINKILLERS. The Blues Train. Queenscliff. 7pm. SOLD OUT.
CIRQUE MOTHER AFRICA. Costa Hall, Deakin University Geelong Waterfront. Geelong. 7:30pm. Tickets from $79.90. THE AUDREYS. Palais Hepburn. Hepburn. 7pm. $35.
NATHAN SEECKTS - ‘THE WILDEST THING’ SINGLE
LAUNCH. Pistol Pete’s Food & Blues. 9:30pm. $15.
SCOTTY D VINYL DJ. Black Sheep. Geelong. 6:30pm. Free.
WAX SATURDAYS. Waxyard Geelong. Geelong. 3pm. Free.
SATURDAY NIGHT VINYL DJS. Medusa. Geelong. 8pm. Free.
KARAOKE AT THE BARKING DOG. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 7:30pm. Free.
CAPTAIN SATURDAYS. Captain. Geelong. 7pm. Free.
RIFFINERY + LOCAL DJS. Lambys. Geelong. 9pm. $10.
JOHN FLANAGAN. The Old Church On The Hill. Bendigo. 4:30pm. $25.
LAKEVIEW. The Barwon Club. South Geelong. 4pm. $18.40.
ORIGINAL SUNDAYS. Beavs. Geelong. 5:00pm. Free.
GUITAR BAR SUNDAY SESSIONS. The Barking Dog. Geelong West. 2pm. Free.
