*** PREMIUM SEATING SOLD OUT ***
*** GENERAL ADMISSION (MOSTLY SEATED) TICKETS REMAIN ***
City born but country raised, when Dave Wright puts pen to paper and pick to guitar strings he knocks out epics and ravers and boozers about girls, cars, Australia, mariticide, Diggers, truckers, sadness, sickness, drunks, heartbroken mothers, angry fathers, desperate sons … and death. Lots of death. It’s a dark road rutted by Holden rust buckets and RSL relics but between 2012-2021 Dave and his band the Midnight Electric released 4 albums and 2 EPS of searing roots rock music. In 2017 however, Dave turned his attention to his other love: old time music, and formed the Midnight Ramblers as a side project to satisfy his love of bluegrass, folk, country, and storytelling songs. Featuring long time stalwarts Rob Barber and Tim Cavanagh, plus fiddle player Connor Ross- Hicks, the Ramblers initially delved deep into Dave's vast catalogue to re-imagine some of his most popular tunes into down home country and bluegrass stompers. As the folk bug bit deep, Dave devoted more and more time to writing for the Ramblers and in 2019 they released their first long player, the ominously titled Turn Out The Lights. Mick Thomas had this to say about Turn Out The Lights:
“If the shirt fits then maybe you should wear that shirt. After years of playing his beloved Melbourne town to a committed bunch of followers in full barnstorming brass laden electric mode Turn Out the Lights sees Dave Wright and his core band in acoustic navy bluegrass style and you know what? It works. It’s a different shirt for sure, but it looks good on him.”
Playing old- time style, gathered around one microphone with big harmonies and lashings of rolling mandolin and soaring fiddle, Dave Wright & The Midnight Ramblers began playing shows in earnest in 2019 and appeared at The Western Weekender in 2020, Out On The Weekend in 2021, Yackandandah Folk Festival in 2023, and on supports to Mick Thomas’ Roving Commision. They will be playing Newport Folk Festival before departing on their Small Towns Tour in July however for one night only the band will launch their brand new album Darkness Calling by playing it in full, in sequence at the beautiful George Lane in St Kilda in a rollicking, thoughtful, and intimate show that is not to be missed.
Check out some of Dave Wright & The Midnight Ramblers below with ‘Judgement Day’:
Dave Wright & The Midnight Ramblers- Judgement Day Official Clip - YouTube
The Cartridge Family
The Cartridge Family sing sunshine-filled hillbilly songs of death and despair. Beautiful harmonies and humorous lyrics pepper their extensive original repertoire. Songs such as ‘Beerijuana’, ‘Hipster Bogan’, ’Dickheads With Guns’ and ‘Megan the Vegan’ help The Cartridge Family take old-time country music on one hell of a foot-stomping good time!
Charlotte Le Lievre
Described by Dave Ruby Howe from Triple J as 'authentic and tear-soaked alt-country', songwriter Charlotte Le Lievre is renowned for moving audiences with her deeply emotive lyrics and live performances. Drawing on the diverse currents of country music, Le Lievre weaves songs that traverse experiences of grief and outback landscapes. Her voice and songs are equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, hailing from a vintage era of smokefilled honky tonk bars or late night fireside jam sessions. Le Lievre released her debut album Songs from the Barrier Line on Friday 10 March 2023 to widespread acclaim. The body of 10 original songs take listeners on a journey, as Le Lievre grapples with the existential nature of death and dying, the processing of grief and the healing nature of connection to the unique outback town of Broken Hill. The record gives a nod to both classic country and folk traditions, showcasing Le Lievre’s genre-defiant style and solidifying her as a powerful emergent country songwriter.
Doors open at 7pm and tickets can be purchased below:
See you there :)