Brunswick Street
To locals, Brunswick street is one of the best places to see live music. Well known haunts such as The Workers Club, The Evelyn and Old Bar will often have bands on every night of the week. Door charges will range from $5 to $10, or if you get there before the fashionably late hipsters, you can creep in for free. If you want to fit in with the local “fitzroyalty”, try a venue crawl on a Monday night. Start at The Workers Club at the corner of Brunswick and Gertrude.With $2 entry and $2 pots, if don’t mind being squished in with the hoarding masses of local musos and pretty young things,you’ll have a good night.When the bands wind down, around 9pm, head towards Johnston street to catch a later gig at the grungy Old Bar or the slightly classier Evelyn. Or, if you really feel like getting down and dirty make your way along Johnston towards the Tote where the sticky floors will keep you glued to the band room for the rest of the night.
Touring Acts
Touring Acts bring live music , to the Australian Live Music Scene .
International Touring Acts may include popular Indie Bands eg Artic Monkeys , who are booked to play Melbourne’s famous Festival Hall in February 2012.
Old time Balladeers , like Rod Stewart , are also touring around the same time , playing at a variety of venues including a winery in Macedon , and the big stage of Rod Laver Arena .
Tickets are expensive , often highly sought, but make international acts , accessible to the local market .
Local bands also go on tours of all capital cities , and some country towns around our vast continent . Exposure is given to the band , who may be promoting a new album release , and provide remote areas with access to live music .
A recent tour by Dan Sultan , popular , indigenous , Melbourne based artist , saw him visit rural Victoria .
St Kilda
St Kilda , Melbourne’s famous beachside suburb is an inner urban mecca for touring bands who perform at the Palais Theatre on the lower esplanade .
This venerable establishment also plays host to many local acts and recently showcased Australia’s finest local talent with a fundraising concert for the Sacred Heart Mission .
A long running event , acts , past and present , who’ve performed include Paul Kelly , Dan Sultan and Tex Perkins .
That esteemed live music venue , the Esplanade Hotel , of the Espy , as its affectionately known , is the scene for the popular local live music trivia , Rockwiz.
RockWiz is filmed amid the baroque grandeur of the Gerhswin Room. Rockwiz is broadcast weekly on TV at ABC 1
