24 Hours In Melbourne For RISING
For some reason I can't really explain, I haven’t been to Melbourne since I was sixteen.
I’ll admit I am not much of a city person, but the cultural richness Melbourne is so renowned for, the music, food, mags and fashion are certainly aspects that should have drawn me back to it much earlier. With the RISING festival scheduled, a situationship I needed to actively avoid and a couple of mates already down there for the weekend, it seemed no better time to go. Unfortunately, because I apparently live in a rural area known as the Gold Coast, I was originally booked on a double flight stopping over in Sydney and prepped to get in late (also meaning I would miss Jessica Pratt’s show at the Recital Centre which everyone is already raving about). If you’re anywhere else in the country that would mean going to bed hungry and without a show but this is Melbourne we are talking about, a city that sure knows how to do things once it gets dark. After landing and speeding to the hotel, downing the pinot noir from the mini bar at Howey Hotel I trotted on to one of Melbourne’s best known Greek establishments Stalactites. The fact that this place serves food after 10pm is impressive enough for me, but the food, well, it was something else. Paired with a nice big fat glass of wine and suddenly I was considering moving to Melbourne indefinitely. No not really, it was five degrees so I would never survive but I was thrilled in the way that you go to bed smiling, full, a little drunk and not thinking about anyone dumb.
FLIGHT CHECK. FOOD CHECK. FIT CHECK.
The next morning, knowing I was in for a big day, I linked up with a friend in Fitzroy to line our stomachs with some good food and coffee at Archie’s All Day along the famously trendy Gertrude Street. Here I was taken aback by the sheer amount of extremely well dressed people (fives were looking like tens down here by the simple use of a jacket) and all the awe that comes from being back in a city surrounded by lots of things to look at. Seeing as this weekend’s agenda was music, I made a quick stop into Northside Records to see what the local spot had to offer, chatting with the owner about a King Krule record that I had been hunting down. Turns out, Archie himself worked a couple of days in the shop earlier in the year because his lady used to work in the store too. CUTE! A good omen considering long time collaborators Mount Kimbie were down in Melbourne to play at the FORUM two nights before and a DJ set that day (read my interview with them here).
With full bellies, we made our way back into the city to check out the Day Tripper Festival. Celebrating subcultural icons both local and international Day Tripper is kind of like the festival within RISING festival set across four venues that you can rotate in and out of as you please. It’s all within a walkable distance with each different venue offering a unique curation of music, art and performance. Some of the music was stuff I would never usually consider seeing but found surprisingly entertaining, like Annie and the Caldwells. Other acts felt like I was stumbling across the next best thing with the standout act being Spike Fuck. DIIV is another worthy mention. One thing that I noticed here was the diversity of the crowd here in terms of ages. It was lovely to see some older couples having a dance without a care in the world right next to a bunch of young mates that had that ‘it’s going to be a big night’ look in their eyes. It speaks volumes not only of the curators of the programming but to the people of Melbourne’s panache for a good time. My friend and I dipped in and out for a few hours, positively stuffed with good music and headed to dinner before heading to Suki Waterhouse at PICA.
Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for the Arts (PICA) was a little out of the city, understandably because it was a huge warehouse. By huge I mean there were three bars in the place, and despite its size, Suki’s voice filled the entire room. I can imagine a venue like this would be spectacular for some nights at a slightly higher tempo but after a huge day I was feeling pretty grateful for the evening’s pace.
The next morning I was treated to the Melbourne tour of the Queen Victoria Markets where going hungry is actively encouraged and a quick walk around the streets again before my flight out. While 24 hours is hardly enough time to properly do Melbourne, I was surprised at how much I could squeeze out of the city thanks to the RISING. It might be fucking freezing but Melbourne is well worth the visit no matter how long your trip might be.