Melbourne Music Week: Live Music Safari
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Melbourne Music Week: Live Music Safari

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A grand total of 40 bands will partake in the Live Music Safari and all the gigs are free entry. Melbourne City councillor Cathy Oke, who was largely responsible for the advent of Melbourne Music Week in 2010, outlines the council’s endorsement and financial support for the live music frenzy. “We’ve partnered with the ten venues. We’ve provided a small amount of money to pay for the bands and the like, then we’re also providing marketing and promotion of the event.”

Oke insists that the added funding allows Melbourne’s hardworking venue operators to let their hair hang loose for the night while the unique music community they are instrumental in sustaining is celebrated. “The venues and the venue operators really need to be commended for what they do for the live music scene in Melbourne. Last year it was a huge success and many of the venues recorded their biggest attendance on the night of the Live Music Safari.”

The Safari’s time scheduling encourages people to go to several of the shows on offer, a challenge that Oke certainly accepts. “It’s done in a way so that you can get to more than one venue in the night. I think I only got to four venues last time. Just because I had been to so many things up until that Thursday, I could only get to four venues. But we’ll see; I’ve got to go for five!”

This sentiment is echoed Lucy Buckeridge, bass player and singer for Melbourne band Lowtide. Lowtide are playing at North Melbourne Town Hall on the night but Buckeridge plans to journey beyond this base. “I’ll be doing my best to get to 1000 £ Bend earlier in the afternoon to catch our friends Baptism of Uzi playing with Pearls and King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard. I also would love to check out Andras Fox and No Zu at The Mercat, so I might have to get the elbows out and see if I can squeeze in there later on in the evening.”

The cost-free feature of the event makes it an incentive for people who have perhaps been a little absent to re-engage with music in Melbourne and acquaint themselves with the live music venues of the city. Heading out to see live music in Melbourne is by no means an imposing suggestion at any time and Oke stresses the commitment of the facilitating venues should not be neglected. “Going to live music in Melbourne is hardly expensive; it’s pretty cheap. We need to make sure that we protect the live music venues. If live music starts dropping out of a city then councils should probably step up and try to find alternative venues.”

A strong arts scene encourages expression and discourages apathy. Oke’s thorough support for creative practise is not an anomaly within the City of Melbourne council.

“It’s one of the key goals of the city – and it should be of all cities – supporting a vibrant creative arts scene. Supporting public art and all genres in Melbourne is really important. It makes for a healthy resilient community.”

The Live Music Safari is reminiscent of the South By South West Festival in Austin, Texas; encouraging people to hop around town to a multitude of functioning venues without any great hassle. Oke confirms that resembling SXSW is one of the council’s driving ambitions.

“That’s a huge aspiration. That often comes up when we have our debrief sessions at the start and end of the year. Maybe in ten years’ time we could get something as special as SXSW.”

Verifying this aim, certain initiatives following Austin’s lead have already been implemented.

“One of the things that Austin does so well in celebrating their music is they have musicians playing at the airport. Music Victoria and the City of Melbourne have just started a similar program at our airport – having some music at Melbourne airport to let people know when they arrive that Melbourne is a music city.”

The Live Music Safari, and Melbourne Music Week in general, is a chance to give tremendous applause to all of those who work hard to make Melbourne the music city it is.

Lucy Buckeridge fortifies this thought, admitting genuine zest at participating in the extravaganza. “The Live Music Safari this year is a night where Melbourne really gets to show off and enjoy the diverse range of music that’s being made in this town, so we’re honoured and excited to be part of it.”

Cathy Oke sums it up plainly, with both pride and determination. “It really is a critical arts scene in Melbourne and that’s probably why Melbourne is so great!”

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY