Melbourne music champion PBS has unveiled an incredible lineup for its 2019 rendition of Drive Live, held between Monday February 4 and Friday February 8. The free lineup this year features Sampa the Great, Hexdebt, Suss Cunts, Thando, Oh Pep!, Private Function and many more.
Now in its ninth year, Drive Live is a showcase of Australia’s live music scene and a promotional member drive for the local radio station. Highlighted acts perform live sets, which are also broadcast between the drive-home hours of 5-7pm. Drive Live has become a spectacle to behold, with punters needing to sign up in order to catch a glimpse of their fave act in the flesh.
PBS has always kept a close watch on the best up-and-comers in the Aussie music scene, but this year has seen the most multiculturally and gender diverse lineup the broadcast event has ever hosted.
Legendary rapper and poet Sampa the Great needs no introduction, hot off the heels of a fully charged 2018. Last year, she celebrated the release of her widely acclaimed mixtape Birds and the Bee9 by performing it in full at an intimate gig in Melbourne. Birds and the Bee9 landed Sampa the award for best soul, funk and RnB album at The Age Music Victoria Awards in 2018.
Since their formation in 2015, Suss Cunts have gone on to sell out gigs around the country. The punk trio’s second EP, Temper, will be unveiled in April. Joining Suss Cunts will be punk and garage powerhouse Hexdebt, who are flying off to Tassie for a gig at Mona Foma shortly before returning to their hometown of Melbourne.
Ever since PBS’ humble beginnings, the radio station has broadcast live music performances on the air, with musicians either playing in the PBS studios or in iconic Melbourne venues. Drive Live takes direct inspiration from PBS’ Live Music Week, which launched in 1988. The week-long dedication to live performances featured sets from 50 acts. The station’s staff began to realise listeners loved the idea of celebrating live music and decided to spread the love further by turning Live Music Week into a membership drive. The first ever Drive Live was launched in 2011, and is still going strong nine years later.
Check out the full lineup for PBS Drive Live 2019 below:
Monday February 4
Thando
DRMNGNOW
WVR BVBY
Tuesday February 5
REMI
Suss Cunts
Hexdebt
Wednesday February 6
Ainslie Wills
Oh Pep!
The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
Thursday February 7
Private Function
Lái
Ute Root
Friday February 8
Sampa the Great
Tek Tek Ensemble
Empat Lima
