Brunswick Music Festival

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Posted 2024-01-30 by Jen ⇒ follow

Sun 03 Mar 2024 - Mon 11 Mar 2024

Images - BMF 2024

A hugely popular event, the Brunswick Music Festival returns from 3-11 March 2023 with a program that spans more than 60 gigs over 30 venues. Kicking off with the Sydney Road Street Party on 3 Mar, the Festival concludes with Music for The Mob in Gilpin Park on Labour Day. The likes of YOTHU YINDI, WITCH (ZB), Wednesday (US), MJ Lenderman & The Wind (US), Gamelan Dananda, Gut Health, The Slingers, Kee’ahn, Yirinda, Our Carlson, The Australian Art Orchestra and more will take over the Brunswick’s best live music venues, bars, nooks, crannies and creative crevices. It's a festival that celebrates everything brilliant about Brunswick.

The Sydney Road Street Party on Sun 3 Mar runs from 12-10pm and fill the shopping strip with performances, art, various cuisines, spectacle and wonder. See the website for program timeframes and a lineup of performers on various stages and local venues.

One name amidst all the performances that has been synonymous with Australian music for the past three decades is ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Yothu Yindi. Who could forget their most widely known song 'Treaty' which was written by Australian musician Paul Kelly and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika. Former lead singer-songwriter Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu (1956–2013) was born in Arnhem Land. Yunupingu trained as a teacher, completing his degree in 1987 and later becoming the first Indigenous Australian to be appointed a school principal. He formed Yothu Yindi in 1986 and was named Australian of the Year in 1992. Yunupingu died of kidney disease in June 2013, six months after Yothu Yindi were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was posthumously awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for services to music, indigenous social justice, education and cross-cultural understanding.

Despite losing Dr Yunupingu in 2013, the band carries his legacy proudly with talented new frontman Yirringa Yunupingu walking tall in his uncle’s footsteps. Proving the lasting power of Yothu Yindi, the band has recently released a new single, Mabo, which both critics and audiences have been praising for its infectious groove and political message. Yothu Yindi continues to tour, so watch out on social media for them. Right now you can catch them at the Brunswick Music Festival on Tue 5 Mar from 7-11pm at Estonian House, 43 Melville Road, Brunswick East. Get your $80 tickets here . The last time I saw them was end of last year at Blaktivism at Hamer Hall and it was absolutely brilliant!

For the rest of the BMF Program - see here . Head on to the Bulleke-bek Journey on Sunday 10 March from 12pm to 12am within Brunswick when more than 15 unique spaces come alive with free music. From contemporary Arabic sounds in A1 Bakery to Dancehall at Vola Foods, and an interactive late-night jam session at Jazz Lab, this is your chance to wander the suburb and sample from a sensational array of sounds. You'll find the Bulleke-bek performers on the program with the words Bulleke-bek Journey preceding their band titles, and naturally, all on 10 Mar.

The day of conclusion - Music for The Mob closes out the Festival on Mon 11 Mar 1.30-6pm at Gilpin Park, 345-375 Albert St, Brunswick, and is a free event. A free family-friendly day of First Nations music and art, set in the lush surrounds of Brunswick’s Gilpin Park. Music For The Mob will feature a first-class lineup consisting of Kee'ahn, DANCINGWATER and Jada Weazel from 1pm, and a Mob Artist market with pop-up food and market stalls. Bring a picnic kit, your besties, and your little ones and enjoy an alcohol-free afternoon under the Brunswick gums. Stay in touch via social media for updates, and start booking events you'd love to attend. See Facebook and get to know some of the bands.