Quivers 21st Nov Gaso, Collingwood 

Quivers have had one of the best songs off the year with You’re  Not Always on Mind, the irony of the title of this song is that this song hasn’t left my head since I heard it months ago, it’s jangly hook stabbed me in the ear and has been floating around ever since. 

This gig is to launch their stellar new single When It Breaks, this band have rewritten the book on how to write jangle indie pop, it is a breath of sunshine, it is the sound of the rain breaking through after a balmy summer's day. 

Close your eyes and breathe in deep, this is the sound of summer. 

 Grace Cummings, Leah Senior, Mr Teenage, Alex Hamilton  4th November, Tote Hotel ( Cup Eve ) 

I’ve been following Grace over the last year or so and watching her transform into an incredible artist. 

From the first time I saw her she immediately pulled me into her orbit, and every subsequent time I’ve seen her, her stage presence has grown, the crowds are growing and the word on the street is getting louder, this will be the launch for her debut album Refuge Cove, this is a collection of solo acoustic tunes she has been working on for awhile. 

Grace has been playing by herself and with a band throughout the year, this gig she will be solo where her prowess will shine. 

Grace has also recently been signed to the King Gizzard label  Flightless, so not only is she in great company, it will give her further opportunity to foster her talent.

Supports come from label mate Leah Senior, garage punkers Mr Teenage, and singer songwriter Alex Hamilton. 

I can’t recommend this gig enough, its Cup Eve, so nobody has any excuses not to go. 

Kid Congo and The NDE, Curtin Hotel 13th November 

Kid Congo is back in the country for a small amount of special shows, first up he’s doing one with Harry Howards Near Death experience, ( Edwina Preston, Clare Moore, Dave Graney, Harry Howard ) 

And then he’s doing River Rocks Rehab with  slew of Australia’s finest heavy punkers. 

Kid has a long history with Australian music, being a one time member of The Bad Seeds,  and being mates with the great Spencer P Jones, So when he makes it to our shores he is welcomed with open arms.

Melbourne Music week- Various venues November 14th - 23rd 

10 Days, 300 acts, 70 events, now that is a LOT of gigs in anyone's books, this year Melbourne Music Week is 10 years old, over the past decade there have been some incredible gigs, some that come to mind are seeing King Gizzard at 1000 Pound Bend and the crowd getting so loose that I was running around with a bloke on my shoulders weaving in between the band members. 

One of the mainstays of MMW is the Live Music Safari, which is on the 14th of November where heaps of venues around town throw their doors open for one night and host a diverse range of gigs, some of the highlights include dark electro punkers Asylum Sisters who take over New Guernica,  LOOP Ft Dead End Film Festival, which will combine experimental artists such as Allara Briggs Pattison, Evelyn Ida Morris, Minyarra, Pirritu, The Scrapes and Connor O’Hanlon, these six artists will be paired with responding to a number of short films by filmmakers , Steven Rhall, Melody Woodnutt, Max Boutwell Draper, Lucas Haynes, Hanna Chatwin and Fredricka Arthur. 

The response by the artists will either be of sound or commentary. 

These events are what make MMW unique they expose experimental artists to a bigger audience,and  also to crowds that wouldn’t usually go out and see these kind of acts. 

Feeling overwhelmed about what's on offer, GOOD, that is a clear sign of how amazing our city is, so many choices, and so  much new music to discover.

Get Lost in the sound of Melbourne. 

See You down the front, Mark Ireland