Culture of Melbourne - Music

Music

Main article: Music of Melbourne See also: List of songs about Melbourne and List of music venues in Melbourne

Melbourne has one of the most highly regarded live music scenes in the world. In terms of the quality and number of venues, arguably, it is comparable with cities such as Austin. Hundreds of venues throughout Melbourne host live music, some of which host live music every night of the week.

Operatic soprano Dame Nellie Melba, one of the late Victorian Era's most famous singers, took her name from her native Melbourne.

In 1934 Clement Williams recorded Let’s Take a Trip to Melbourne, written by Jack O'Hagan. Singer Paul Kelly has written several well-known songs about aspects of the city close to the heart of many Melburnians, notably "Leaps And Bounds" and "From St Kilda to King's Cross", while Skyhooks also wrote some more tongue-in-cheek songs about Melbourne. "Balwyn Calling", "Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)" and "Toorak Cowboy" are examples. Melbourne-originated indie-rock band The Living End wrote the song "West End Riot" about differences between eastern and western suburbs in Melbourne's inner city.

Melbourne's independent music scene flourished in the late 1970s with strong support from local venues, street press, community radio (such as PBS, 3RRR, 3CR) and an abundance of independent record labels. The city's inner suburbs were home to several distinct post-punk scenes that each shared a DIY ethic and passion for experimentation. Led by the Primitive Calculators and Ollie Olsen's Whirlywirld, the Fitzroy-based Little Band scene gave rise to Hunters & Collectors, and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. In Clifton Hill, an underground arts space known as "The Organ Factory" facilitated collaborations between conceptual composers, such as David Chesworth and Philip Brophy, and experimental punk outfits, namely Tsk Tsk Tsk, Essendon Airport, and the funk-tinged I'm Talking, which launched the career of singer Kate Ceberano. St. Kilda's Crystal Ballroom became the stomping ground for Melbourne's darker "proto-gothic" groups including The Moodists (fronted by Dave Graney), Crime and the City Solution, and Nick Cave's The Birthday Party, one of the 1980s' most influential bands. In 1983, Cave and Melbourne-born industrial pioneer Clint Ruin (aka Foetus) formed the "No Wave supergroup" The Immaculate Consumptive. That same year, Cave and Birthday Party bandmate Mick Harvey founded one of Australia's most popular and enduring rock bands, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, whose evolving multinational lineup has included Melbourne musicians Hugo Race, Anita Lane, and Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis.

Many independent artists from Melbourne have become internationally notable and regularly tour abroad, including: The Temper Trap, Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, The Drones, Grinderman, Augie March, New Buffalo, The Cat Empire, Dirty Three, Muscles, The Lucksmiths, Ned Collette, The Crayon Fields, Love of Diagrams, Midnight Juggernauts, Gotye and The Avalanches amongst others.

Melbourne's lively rock and pop music scene has fostered many internationally renowned artists and musicians. The 1960s gave rise to many performers including Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Graeme Bell, and folk group The Seekers. The 1970s and 1980s saw many acts getting their first big breaks on Melbourne's Countdown, including the Little River Band and Crowded House who later wrote a song about the city of Melbourne called Four Seasons In One Day. Successful Melbourne artists include Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Weddings Parties Anything, TISM, Snog, Jet and Something for Kate. Melbourne is also the home of rock "guru" journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum.

More recent notable Melbourne acts include Rogue Traders, Taxiride, Missy Higgins, Madison Avenue, Anthony Callea and The Living End. Melbourne-based television shows Young Talent Time and Neighbours gave many singers a launching pad to international success. Local talents to come from these shows include Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Tina Arena, Jamie Redfern and Jason Donovan. Another Music TV show that began in Melbourne was Turn It Up! It was first shown on Melbourne's Channel 31 and then relayed via satellite and rebroadcast terrestrially to major TV networks in over 22 countries. The show had the second largest viewing audience around the world, beaten only by the audience of American Bandstand. In one episode, the show presented Melbournes annual festival Moomba to a world audience.