Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS)

Its been home to countless gigs, ranging from The Beatles and Frank Sinatra to Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Mars Volta and everything in between. Chances are, if youre a live music fan in Melbourne youve been to Festival Hall.

Now live music is set to resonate once again within the iconic walls of Melbournes Festival Hall once again, with the reigns now held by Live Nation, who took over the management of the venue owned by Hillsong Corp. The US-based global touring company has reportedly signed a multi-year lease on the venue.

Officially re-launching in Melbourne on Thursday, 15 June, Live Nation Asia Pacific President Roger Field officially reopened the venue for the music industry, ready to welcome music lovers back to its hallowed halls.

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

 

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Loved amongst locals for its Jamaican-style meals and bright rooftop bar, Pakington Streets iconic Jamaican-style caf Taste Jamaica has permanently closed its doors.

The business announced the news on social media on Sunday, 18 June, after originally announcing the news in April, citing a focus on imports and catering at festivals and events going forward.

Taste Jamaica restaurant is now permanently closed. Time for some well deserved relaxation, the post read.

Everyone that has supported us during this time, we really do appreciate your support. We will never forget you all.

Festivals and Events thats what we are about and thats what we will be focusing on moving forward.

Keep up with the latest food and booze news across the region here.

Taste Jamaica will host a farewell party on 25 June 2023 with a brilliant day of live music. Titled Reggae on Pako, the farewell event will kick off at 12pm and feature the likes of DJ Dazz, Wild Gloriosa, Sole Sister Swing, Mpress Kandance, Flames Eye, Ras Jahknow band and Nicky Bomba.

Entry is free with food and drinks at bar prices.

 

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Fresh from an impressive run at Adelaide Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year, Geelong and Melbourne-based actor, singer, writer and musician Connor Morel is bringing his gig-turned-musical-turned-existential-crisis theatre show A Lovely Day To Be Online home to Geelong as part of the Geelong Arts Centres Grand Opening Festival.

Following a $140m Little Malop Street Redevelopment, the Geelong Arts Centre will be officially swinging open the shiny new doors on Saturday 19 August, with a huge four-week-long opening festival happening to celebrate.

A Lovely Day To Be Online is the latest show to join the festival program, alongside the likes of celebrated multi-ARIA-Award winning R&B-pop artist, Jessica Mauboy, and an Australian comedy triple-header, featuring Dave Thornton, Dilruk Jayasinha and Lizzy Hoo, plus Missy Higgins, Opera Australia, Belvoir St Theatre, family fun with Windmill Theatre Company and more.

Stay up to date with whats happening in and around the region here. 

Taking over the new Open House in Geelong on 22 September from 7pm, singer-songwriter and self-obsessed internet addict Connor fronts a live band in this original gig-theatre show that asks: are we doing the internet right? And would life just be easier without it all?

From the fake Instagram influencers to the radical keyboard warriors; the scamming crypto hackers to the obsessive YouTube addicts: were all in the sauce. But is it all going too far? And what would it take for us to realise it is?

Full of original soul-pop tunes, stories, memes and a whole lot of heart, this show delves into the humanity of how we use the internet, and how it preys on us when were at our worst.

Debuting at Melbourne Fringe last year to rave reviews, Connor (frontman of Geelongs nostalgic pop rock band The Run and who is already being referred to as an Australian answer to Bo Burnham) wrote the 50-minute show as a reflection on his own obsession with his smartphone and what it was doing to him.

Addressing how social media affects his relationships, his local community, and his broader understanding of how the world functions, the show was initially inspired by Connors own frustrating habit for his smartphone pre-pandemic, and escalating mid-pandemic with an increase in screen time prompting t...

Fresh from delivering a huge festival last year with unforgettable performances by The Kooks, Peking Duk, The Veronicas, Ball Park Music, Confidence Man, Jack River and more, Australias favourite wine and music pairing Grapevine Gathering is back for 2023 with an absolutely huge lineup.

Taking to the Yarra Valley (VIC), Hunter Valley (NSW), Swan Valley (WA), Mount Cotton (QLD), and McLaren Vale (SA) this October, this years festival will include indie rock sensations Spacey Jane, UK festival favourites The Wombats, Hayden James, the electrifying band from Arnhem Land King Stingray, Absolutely Everybody singer Vanessa Amorosi, Cannons, The Rions, up-and-coming duo Teenage Joans and Bella Amor.

Grapevine Gathering 2023

• Saturday 7th October Rochford Estate, VIC
• Sunday 8th October Sirromet Wines, QLD
• Saturday 14th October Sandalford Wines, WA
• Saturday 21st October Hope Estate, NSW
• Sunday 22nd October Serafino Wines, SA

Full lineup

• Spacey Jane
• The Wombats [Aus Exclusive]
• Hayden James [Aus Exclusive]
• King Stingray
• Vanessa Amorosi
• Cannons
• The Rions
• Teenage Joans
• Bella Amor
• Hosted by Lucy and Nikki

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Hosting the music and wine festival will be the popular podcast duo Lucy and Nikki, who will keep the energy high and the audience engaged throughout the event with their witty banter and infectious enthusiasm.

Grapevine Gathering is renowned for its commitment to providing a holistic experience, complementing the diverse music lineup with the finest local wines and food options on offer. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to indulge in the tantalising flavours of each region while enjoying the lush vineyards, rolling lawns, and world-class wines that make Grapevine Gathering a truly unique and memorable event.

Presale registrations are now open with tickets going on sale Wednesday 21st of June at 6PM AEST. Presale purchasers gain access to the cheapest tickets and for a chance to WIN 1 of 500 VIP upgrades. Any remaining tickets will be released to the public at 6PM Thurs 22nd of June.

For more information and ticket purchase, head here. 

The post Vanessa Amorosi, Spacey Jane, The Wombats lead Grapev...

<p>There are only a few weeks to go before Metro Comic Con lands in Melbourne on 8-9 July, and the pop culture convention has pulled out all the stops to add more popular stars to its lineup.</p> <p>Beyond appearances by stars of the big and small screens and talented writers and artists, the event will feature exclusive panels, photo and autograph opportunities, pop culture exhibitors, cosplay, merchandise stalls and more.</p> <h3>Metro Comic Con in Melbourne</h3> <ul> <li>Major pop culture convention</li> <li>Melbourne Showgrounds on 8-9 July</li> <li>Jamie Campbell Bower leads lineup</li> </ul> <p class="p1"><b><i>Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment </i></b><a href= "https://fortemag.com.au/entertainment/"><span class= "s1"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></p> <h3>Additions include:</h3> <p>Jamie Campbell Bower from the smash hit series Stranger Things. The English actor thrilled fans in the most recent season of the sci-fi show when he brought to life Vecna, the central villain of the tale. He has also won a multitude of passionate fans from his roles in The Twilight Saga movies New Moon and Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Camelot (TV) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Dean Lennox Kelly: he has starred as Ketterdam crime boss Pekka Rollins in Netflixs adaptation of Shadow and Bone, Kev Ball in Shameless and Meredith Rutter in Jamestown, and guest starred as William Shakespeare in Doctor Who.</p> <p>Christopher Heyerdahl: he recently played Captain Locke in James Gunns Peacemaker series, starred opposite Andrew Garfield and Sam Worthington in the miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven and appeared in the haunting opening scene of The Last of Us. He is also known for his roles in TV shows like Sanctuary, Hell on Wheels, Stargate: Atlantis, Van Helsing and Supernatural, and the Twilight Saga movies.</p> <p>Vico Ortiz: they are most recognised for playing skilled pirate Jim in the TV series Our Flag Means Death alongside Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby.</p> <p>Tommy Flanagan: a prolific actor best known for playing Filip Chibs Telford in Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. He also starred in movies such as Gladiator, Braveheart and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and will soon be seen opposite Russell Crowe in Sleeping Dogs.</p> <p>Tom Taylor: an Australian #1 New York Times bestselling author with a long list of credits for Marvel (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wolverine, X-Men, Superior Iron Man), DC (Superman, Injustice, Batman/Superman), Dark Horse (Star Wars: Blood Ties, Star Wars: Invasion) and Gestalt (The De...

<p>Wine Yarra Valley is excited to announce the return of its Fireside festival for its fifth year, and their Fireside Winter Twilight Market for its second year, after a tremendously successful 2022.</p> <h3>Fireside Yarra Valley</h3> <ul> <li>Saturday 8 Sunday 23 July 2023</li> <li>Various venues around the Yarra Valley and selected inner-Melbourne venues</li> </ul> <p class="p1"><b><i>Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment </i></b><a href= "https://fortemag.com.au/entertainment/"><span class= "s1"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></p> <p>Fireside is a 16-day festival of events across the Yarra Valley and beyond, celebrating all that winter in Melbournes most accessible wine region has to offer in sights, sounds, smells and, most importantly, tastes, against the alluring landscape of moody skies, crisp nights, and the warmth of an open fire.</p> <p>The festival showcases some of the regions very best food and drinks with special winter-themed menus curated around chargrilled, smoked and wood-fired local ingredients.</p> <p>The 2023 program features over 30 culinary experiences, including all-star food & beverage collaborations from TarraWarra Estate x Frank Camorra (Movida), Jayden Ong Wines x Tom Sarafian (ex. Rumi, Bar Saracen, Little Andorra), No7 Healesville x Bar Liberty, Rob Dolan Wines x Matilda 159, and more.

Fireside Winter Twilight Market

• $45pp or $55pp on the night. Tickets are extremely limited and selling quickly!
• When: Saturday 8 July, 4-8pm
• Where: Yarra Valley Railway Station, Healesville

Also returning for 2023 is the Fireside Winter Twilight Market. After an incredibly popular pilot event in 2022, this years market will focus exclusively on Yarra Valley food & drinks, taking inspiration from the magical Christmas markets of Europe. Wine Yarra Valley is thrilled to partner with Yarra Valley Railway for the event, the largest volunteer-run organisation in Australia, and are fortunate to have received support from the Federal and Local governments to deliver a fantastic experience for the Yarra Valley community and beyond.

The ultimate winter wine experience, the Fireside Winter Twilight Market offers a variety of tasty winter treats surrounded by toasty fire pits at the historic Yarra Valley Railway in Healesville. Ticketholders will revel in the rustic ambiance of our winter wonderland whilst savouring the flavours of the region, and are advised to bring their woollens and their dancing shoes for a fantastic evening celebrating the joys of winter with good food, drinks and great times!

A selection of local wines, beers and ciders will be available...

In his first-ever Australian tour later this year, Charlie Puth has announced a second Melbourne show due to an overwhelming demand for tickets over the weekend.

Quickly selling out Margaret Court Arena on Sunday 29th October, Charlie Puth will now be bringing The Charlie Live Experience to Margaret Court Arena on Monday 30th October. Tickets to the second Melbourne show go on sale 11am Tuesday 20 June 2023.

Charlie Puth Australia 2023

• October 27 The Riverstage, Brisbane
• October 29 Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (Sold Out)
• October 30 Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
• November 1 Aware Super Theatre, Sydney

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Charlie Puth announces first ever Australian tour for October/November 2023

Charlie Puth has been whole-heartedly embraced across Australia for his exceptional songwriting, and charismatic online persona.

Further to the incredible international success across his three studio albums, Puth has had multiple singles crack the Top 10 of the ARIA Singles Chart locally, including One Call Away reaching #3 overall, and Attention, both of which being accredited 6 x Platinum.

As the global star makes his way down under to celebrate the release of his critically acclaimed 2022 album CHARLIE, fans will have a chance to hear all of their favourites, whilst experiencing the music in a brand new way. Truly at home on stage, fans will be enamoured with Puths artistry within his live show; not only with a voice that transcends, but through his incredible musicianship, and captivating onstage charisma.

Grab your tickets here.

The post Charlie Puth announces second Melbourne show for October 2023 appeared first on Forte Magazine.

Stepping out of the colourful, love-filled world and into a new era, liberated and filled with a fiery passion, Mister Co begins again. 

This time with Dont Talk About It, a dynamic and catchy track that while taking a massive step in an entirely new direction, is still as genuine to who the husband duo are as anything else theyve ever done. 

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Independently released on 17 June, Dont Talk About It sees the passionate musicians and producers Connor and Oscar Absolum exude immense confidence and liberation. 

Drawing inspiration from their alternative and rock influences, the near four-minute track features driving guitar lines, crashing percussion and intimate lyrics providing an enthralling entry into a new rock era for the duo while promising to liberate listeners and leave them humming the infectious chorus for days.

Soaring with raw emotion, cinematic strength and the radiant energy thats become synonymous with the duo since their first single, here the duo delivers an entirely empowering anthem, delving into the theme of emotional captivity by those who claim to be supportive. 

Reflecting on their personal experiences of feeling restrained and limited by individuals who hindered their musical and personal endeavours, Mister Co. crafted Dont Talk About It as a powerful response to reclaim their voice, leaving behind the theme of love that characterized their earlier works.

We wrote Dont Talk About It while reflecting on the times in our lives where we felt held back and restricted by people who didnt want us to succeed with our music, our business and our relationship. This was our chance to respond and have our say.

Written as an emancipation piece, the pair explores the narrative of being held emotionally captive by those who claim to support you, singing: 

Free!
Me!
From your lies!
Its!
Time!
For me to take flight!
I want to t...

Rialto Aglow is the new 10-day winter lights festival coming to the heart of Melbourne next month, bringing along interactive light installations from some of Australias most exciting public artists, nightly live entertainment and festival-themed cocktails, food and bites to Rialto, the iconic fifty-five-floor office tower and retail precinct in the heart of Melbourne CBDs midtown.

Running from 19 to 29 July, the free festival will be headlined by a new large-scale projection artwork leading into the Rialto Piazza, with interactive works of light, music, sound and colour immersing the Piazza from Collins St to Flinders Lane and King Street.

Rialto Aglow Melbourne

• Rialto Aglow is the new winter lights festival coming to Melbourne
• Running for 10 days (19-29 July) the festival will feature interactive light installations, live entertainment and themed cocktails and food
• Entry to Rialto Aglow and live entertainment each night is free

Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment here.

With entry to the festival free, guests will also witness large-scale works from Simone Chuas prolific Amigo & Amigo studio (VIVID Sydney, Canary Wharf London, Eurovision 2023) including Accordion, a multisensory large-scale installation inspired by the traditional instrument of the same name; and Lunar Lamp Posts is Amigo & Amigos new large-scale 10 x 10-metre interactive light installation, inspired by the cycles of the moon. With over 40 different music sounds and interactive lighting animations, the audience can touch and play as the forest of moons illuminates and animates.

Beloved Australian neon light artist Carla OBrien (White Night, Burning Man, Festival of Light) will also have a range of works popping up around Rialto Aglow, through her new studio Volter International. Highlighted works include a playful live instrument installation Neon Play The Music and the iridescent Double Rainbow Love Heart Archway, while all her works provide irresistible photo opportunities, much like Carlas Neon Angel Wings did for Katy Perry at Burning Man festival in 2016.

The Rialto Aglow Winter Lights Festival is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund a $200 million partnership between the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.

Rialto Aglow runs from 5pm daily 19-29 July 2023. Entrance to Rialto Aglow, and live entertainment each night is free for Melburnians and visitors of all ages. Head here for more info. 

The post Rialto Aglow is the new 10-day winter lights festival coming to......

<p>Argentine x Australian punk rock outfit The Maggie Pills have just dropped their powerful debut album, <em>Hope is a Risk</em> in its full-length glory, while also offering up the mighty third album track Bright the Brightest Light and sharing a run of national tour dates to celebrate.</p> <p>The album tour will kick off in Melbourne on 24 June before heading to Frankston, Geelong, Beechworth, Sydney, Wollongong and Adelaide.</p> <h3>The Maggie Pills National Tour 2023 Victorian Dates</h3> <p>Sat 24 June The Bergy Bandroom, Melbourne<br> W/ The Hot Blood & Hearts and Rockets

Sat July 8 Singing Bird Studios, Frankston<br> W/ Hearts and Rockets & Nicoteenagers

Sat 15 July The Barwon Club, Geelong<br> W/ Stripp, Green Blanket and Vicious Blonde</p> <p>Sat 19 August Tanswells, Beechworth<br> W/ Biff</p> <p class="p1"><b><i>Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews </i></b><a href= "https://fortemag.com.au/music/"><span class= "s1"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></p> <p><em>Hope is a Risk</em> is the mighty debut release from The Maggie Pills, an outfit whose founding members, Argentinian frontwoman Delfi Sorondo and Venezuelan drummer Mario Perez, formed shortly after migrating to Australia.</p> <p>Mastered by legendary sound engineer Joe Carra (Amyl & The Sniffers, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett), and filled with compelling Latin percussions, razor-sharp guitars, fuzzy bass lines, unhinged synths, and gestural vocals, Hope is a Risk masters the intersections between intuitive and mathematical, grunge and pop, gothic and colorful.

The band was born out of necessity for myself and Delfi to unleash all the feelings we went through when we migrated to Australia but suddenly found ourselves alone in the middle of a global pandemic and the world was falling apart reflects Perez.</p> <p>These intimate experiences give profound authenticity to Hope is a Risk as the personal becomes political throughout the albums themes on global politics. Yet theres a constant sense of finding resolution amidst the turmoil, with each track providing a carefully curated amount of unhinged catharsis, tension and release as well as a sense of being at peace with itself.</p> <p>Its own anger constantly seeks light through pop tones, guitar-hero landscapes, and imaginatively built universes inspired by the otherworldly, western films, sci-fi, and William Blake levels of poetic ponderings. After all, The Maggie Pills migrated to Melbourne to take a leap of faith across the pacific ocean and chase their artistic dreams.</p> <p>I think this is why the songs we play carry a lot of wrath but also beautiful f...

by Kim Skeltys (copyright 2023) 

Fans of Band on the Run, a big hit for Paul McCartney in the 70s, will love Dan on the Run a fab remake by Jude and the Jailbirds.

And with rumours of Dan Andrewss imminent departure as premier, the timing of their release is frankly uncanny!

The song begins in a melancholy mood with a band of Victorian freedom fighters lamenting their captivity in lockdown, with one of the protagonists singing:

 Stuck inside these four walls

Lockdown lasts forever

Never seeing no-one

Nice again, like you

Monica

You, Monica!

The name Monica is almost certainly a reference to the famous anti-lockdown activist and heroine Monica Smit.

Not surprisingly, the singer seems smitten by her.

Then comes the menacing sounding guitar riff, with a sli...

Surplus Energy Economics

The home of the SEEDS economic model Tim

#258: Written in the skies

Posted on June 17, 2023

PEAK OIL AND THE UNFOLDING INFLEXION

On a glorious summers day towards the end of the Second World War, a German fighter ace, his squadron grounded for lack of fuel, sat in a deck-chair watching the vapour trails of American bombers write the end of the Third Reich across azure skies.

Metaphorically, a similar message is being sky-written now. According to Goehring & Rozencwajg who are as good as it gets where energy analysis is concerned  Hubberts peak is finally here. Only hindsight, of course, can conclusively determine the moment at which peak oil became a reality, but G&R are very probably right.

With conventional oil production in decline since 2016, the only source of unconventional supply which remains capable of further increase is the Permian basin, located in six counties in West Texas.

This basin, say G&R, is within a year of its own peak, and we know how rapidly shale production declines once a basin slips onto the down-slope of the drilling treadmill. The rates of decline of individual shale wells tend to be very rapid, and a point inevitably arrives at which operators can no longer drill enough new wells to stop overall output declining.

OPEC claims to have 4 mmb/d of spare production capacity, but this even if true, which is highly debateable wouldnt tide us over for long, with demand growing, and other sources of supply in relentless decline.

The peaking and impending decline of oil supply is sky-writing dramatic changes to activities hitherto taken for granted. Its almost impossible to overstate the importance of oil for so many aspects of daily life.

Some examples are obvious, though many others are less so. Unless you believe, for instance, we can replace avgas with recycled cooking-oil, mass air travel is finished, not necessarily imminently, but inevitably. Flying may remain an option for the well-to-do, but huge economies of scale will be lost, and industries structured around low-cost flights will be left high and dry.

Much the same applies to motoring...