NGV Fridays

By Chris Mineral,

At the National Gallery Victoria (NGV) on St Kilda Rd, the live music of NGV Friday Nights has a reprise summer season to help celebrate the Keith Haring / Jean Michel Basquiat : Crossing Lines Exhibition. 

At the iconic water wall at the front of the gallery there is a magnificent Keith Haring work, similar to one that appeared there in the 20th century. Haring was very much into music and turntablism and Soul Jazz Records released a phenomenal three-album set that included many great tunes that Keith Haring and his friends listened to back in the day in New York. This collection is called The World Of Keith Haring, and like all great Soul Jazz Records releases there is a lavish presentation involved, with great pictures and superb essays detailing and contextualising the musical world that was around Keith Haring. DJs around Melbourne are listening to this superb set that includes music by Fab Five Freddy, Yoko Ono and The Golden Flamingo Orchestra. 

Keith Haring was a member of an influential group of New York artists who helped redefine the New York art scene. This collection is available at all good vinyl record stores in Melbourne.

At NGV Fridays, Melbourne DJs will no doubt be playing influential music that is from and inspired by music on this Soul Jazz Records collection of Keith Haring’s favourite music. They will be playing at the NGV rare disco, early electro and punk /dance tracks from the East Coast that is a representation of the exciting and curious sound of downtown New York in the 1980s. On Friday, February 21, the night is called Aural Dub and we will be hearing C.FRIM examining in intricate detail roots of dub, dembow and reggae, inspired by the New York musical universe that Keith Haring inhabited. C.FRIM is an up and coming DJ and no doubt she will be inspired to play a great set. Renee Delay will be performing on the night as well.

There will also be a talk from NGV guide Mandy Yencken discussing the shared interests of Haring and Basquiat including street art, performance and dance, semantics, racism and politics.

Afterwards there is an 80s dance floor in the NGV Garden to wrap up the night.

Sunnyboys will be performing at the Forum Theatre on February 8. Celebrating 40 years together Sunnyboys have a new album available that features four new tracks including the original recording of their new classic song Alone With You. Support will come from the notorious Painters and Dockers.

One of the best bands playing around Melbourne at the moment, The Heinous Hounds, are playing at the new Cherry Bar on Sunday, February 5. The band plays some of the best rock and classic blues songs that you have ever heard, making for an intoxicating variety and cool, rich mixture of rock and blues songs. Heinous Hounds music just builds and builds through the night, like watching Fireball XL-5 launch into space.

Tones And I has announced a Bushfire Benefit Concert to be held on Tuesday, January 28 at 170 Russell. 100 per cent of proceeds from both ticket sales and merchandise will go to the Australian Red Cross, RFS and the CFA.
There will be more details announced about special guests to join Tones on the night. This is a chance for us to support the firies and all the families that are affected by the bushfires •

Gigs:
• Tones And I Bushfire Benefit Concert, January 28 at 170 Russell.

• Pop Crimes, The Songs of Rowland S Howard, January 26 at Corner Hotel.

• Sunday Arvo Blues Sessions, Cherry Bar, Little Collins St.

• Mahalia, February 4, 170 Russell

• Sunnyboys, February 8, Forum Theatre

• 3PBS Drive Live, 106.7 FM – February 5 to 9

Chicago The Musical, Arts Centre Melbourne