Originally Published in Edition Four (2022)
After (give or take) two years of government-mandated silence in the Australian live music scene, and six separate lockdowns to boot, Melbourne's live music scene is slowly but surely whirring back to life. As Victorian pandemic restrictions are all but a mere memory at this point, we're seeing so many more music acts take to the stage, whether they be local bands hoping to get their careers started in a post-pandemic age, or international headliners announcing their anticipated returns to the city.
Music fans across the city of Melbourne have had our hopes brutally brought up only to be dashed time and again over the course of what has been a tiresome, frankly vexatious period of nightlife halts, but inevitable scepticism aside; August and September 2022 are shaping up to be some of the best months this year to return to the sweaty, maybe sometimes violent moshpits we all have come to hate and love.
Behold: Radio Fodder's declassified gig survival guide to tide you through the return of Melbourne's live music-with our list of big-ticket concerts and humbler pub shows that range from regional Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers gigs to large-scale Tyler, the Creator and Billie Eilish residencies, we have all the information you need to start packing your schedules with our picks of shows you can't afford to miss this year. Of course, make sure you clock in some extra
time on your calendars to support several of the local gigs we have here, who will be playing at grassroots venues that have somehow managed to weather the pandemic's economic downturns--they'll need all the help they can get.
Tyler, the Creator; Tierra Whack
When: 2, 3 August
Where: Rod Laver Arena
Prices: $$
In support of his recently released record Call Me If You Get Lost last year, Tyler first announced his Australian headline tour in August 2021, and it's set to mark his first headline tour of the country in over eight years. Tyler will be accompanied by Philadelphia R&B maestro Tierra Whack, in replacement of Kali Uchis.
Amyl and the Sniffers
When: 4 August
Where: Pier Bandroom, Frankston
Prices: $
Melbourne-based pub-rock, punk-rock band Amyl and the Sniffers are gearing up to embark on their 'Comfort To Me' tour of Australia, 12-date run that will see them perform for four nights across different locations across Naarm. A number of these shows are either sold out or are about to be, but fret not-the rock outfit recently added an extra date due to high demand; they'll be taking their tour to Frankston's Pier Bandroom in early August.
Gang of Youths
When: 12, 13 August
Where: Rod Laver Arena
Prices: $$
Hailing from Sydney, the Australian alt-rock outfit are set to take over the Rod Laver Arena with a two-night residency this August, coming in support of the band's most recent third studio record, angel in realtime.
Star Generation, Daddy Issues, Calico Sunday
When: 26 August
Where: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Prices: $
New South Wales-based punk band Star Generation are south-bound for a string of shows in Melbourne, with their first being held at Smith Street's own Gasometer Hotel. Having debuted just last year, they're set to be joined by female four-piece rock band Daddy Issues and Britpop-inspired Calico Sunday
Eric Nam
When: 7 September
Where: The Forum
Prices: $$
This one is for our fellow K-pop enjoyers! Previously scheduled for July, Nam had to push his headline tour of Australia and New Zealand back a couple of months for unknown reasons, but it's always a good time with Eric Nam--especially when it's in support of his latest record, There And Back Again.
Hatchie
When: 9 September
Where: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Prices: $
Brisbane indie-pop visionary Hatchie will be hitting the road in September for her 'Giving The World Away' tour of Australia, with a stop in Naarm planned. If you're into some genre. splicing deep-cuts-by this, we mean a wave of shoegaze, rave, '90s mall-pop and more all at once-you might just have to give Hatchie's latest album of the same name a chance, or even watch her perform live to immerse yourself in the splendour of her music.
The Beths, Hans Pucket
When: 15 September
Where: 170 Russell
Prices: $
The revered New Zealand quartet will be returning to Melbourne, with opening act Hans Pucket, after a sold-out Australian run in March, a mere day before the 16 September release of their 12-track, guitar-heavy album Expert In A Dying Field. It's the perfect chance to get acquainted with their old music while perhaps revelling in the privilege of getting to hear some of their newer cuts before they're released into the world; rife with deep subject matter and cut-to-the-bone lyrics, The Beths are always worth the watch.
alt-J
When: 22 September
Where: Margaret Court Arena
Prices: $$
Off the back of their fourth studio album The Dream, in February this year, alt J announced a headline tour of the Southern Hemisphere slated to kickstart in September, gracing Melbourne with a show at the Margaret Court Arena in late September for a night of heartfelt lyricism and music.
The Script
When: 17 September
Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Prices: $$
The Dublin pop-rock trio that defined the mainstream pop scene of the late 2000s are about to make their way to Naarm in support of their 2021 anthology album Tales from The Script: Greatest Hits; you immediately know what you're signing up for here. An unabashed celebration of the band's greatest music moments, this is one of those must-go events for reliving your rich childhood of Sony Ericsson flip phones and YouTube to MP3 converters.
Death By Denim
When: 2 September
Where: Hotel Westwood, Footscray
Prices: $
Formed in Perth six years ago, Death By Denim are a four-piece indie outfit defined by honeyed vocals, dreamy synthesisers and vibrant guitar riffs. The 'Cigarettes and Honey and Wiggy singers are returning to Naarm with a show in Footscray's Hotel Westwood as part of their ongoing 'Spring Break tour; if you're looking for a night of sensory escapades and pure feel-good music, this might be the perfect gig for you