Melbourne Music Week

Back for its seventh year, Melbourne Music Week (MMW, 11-19 November 2016) will transform the city into a playground of sights, sounds and sensory escapades.

For nine days and nights, MMW will open abandoned doors, activate laneways, light up the silver screen and shake up the dance floor at some of Melbourne’s most iconic and unexpected venues. The historic State Library of Victoria will act as MMW’s Hub for 2016, and its original reading room, Queen’s Hall, will become the main performance space. The domed La Trobe Reading Room will also play host to performances and events, and the State Library’s famous forecourt will host free performances, DJ sets and fresh food offerings.

Alongside an electric line-up of local and international acts, the program will also feature industry events, exhibitions, workshops and panel discussions. From Swedish avant-hip-hop sensation Elliphant to New Zealand’s hard rockers Shihad, along with seminal Australian industrial act Severed Heads and the immersive audio-visual brilliance of France’s NONOTAK, MMW’s 2016 program delivers the diversity Melbourne music lovers have come to expect.

Once again, MMW is re-purposing the city’s forgotten corners: there’s a dance party and live performances at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Campbell Arcade, the Queen’s Hall stage at the State Library, the Hellenic Museum, on the steps of Parliament, and even on board Melbourne trams. As part of the program this year, over 50 artists will take part in the annual Live Music Safari, a night of free gigs and parties at some of Melbourne’s most famed live music venues.

Live music lovers can experience the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a different way at a mini music festival (13 November 2016) where a mix of Melbourne musicians will play everything from acoustic tunes and smooth jazz to upbeat pop and indie rock. Ticket holders can move between performances in a variety of normally off-limits destinations, including the players’ change rooms, the new Robert Flower Terrace and the edge of the hallowed turf itself.

MMW again joins forces with Face The Music (17-18 November 2016) for the annual two-day industry program that supports and cultivates music industry workers through workshops, keynote presentations and networking opportunities. For the first time, the contemporary music summit will be held at the MMW Hub, playing host to its biggest line up of international and national speakers to date.

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