Every year, Melbourne Music Week showcases the very best of Melbourne’s musical and architectural undercurrents across a nine day program. One of the festival's major drawcards is its hub, which pops up in an unusual location every year. Often these spaces are often-forgotten corners of the city, that bands and artists will transform into buzzing artistic centres.
This year, Melbourne Music Week adopts the State Library of Victoria, the home of knowledge in Victoria and one of the city's most recognisable buildings as its hub. 2016 marks the library’s 160th birthday, making it one of the oldest free-operating libraries in the world.
Melbourne Music Week wants to push the library’s reputation beyond one of silence and respect, to promote the space as one of creativity and cultural discovery. Queen’s Hall, the State Library’s original reading room, has been closed to the public for more than ten years. In 2016, it will act as the main performance space in the MMW hub and will play host to the opening night show, Her Sound, Her Story: A Celebration of Women in Music. Performances come from Julia Stone, Ella Hooper, Mama Kin, Montaigne, Mojo Juju, Ecca Vandal, Elizabeth Rose, Airling and Nyne.
The State Library forecourt will present a daily schedule of free performances, DJ sets and food offerings, while the La Trobe reading room, one of the most photographed rooms in the city, will host musical performances and events throughout the week.
Beyond the State Library, the MCG will host LOVE LIVE MUSIC, a mini music festival created specifically for MMW. Guests will have the opportunity to enter spaces normally closed off to the public, including players changing rooms, the new Robert Flower terrace and the edge of the turf. Visitors can look forward to a mix of smooth jazz, upbeat pop and main stage performances from The Delta Riggs and Pierce Brothers.
Over at the Melbourne Town Hall, The Drones will deliver a headline show at Melbourne Town Hall, making use of the Grand Organ to perform songs from across their career.
Melbourne Music Week runs from November 11-19. The full program will be released on Tuesday October 4.
After you catch your MMW event, you can stay up into the small hours and still catch the tram home. Find out all the other ways Melbourne's 24-hour public transport could change your life.
Words: Rebecca O'Malley