Artwork by Ben Montero

WITH A VISION to celebrate the depth of Melbourne’s indie scene, Mistletone will be opening Melbourne Music Week 2013 by shining a light on the connections between our city’s music community and like-minded international artists.

Our dream-team lineup for MMW Opening Night (Friday, November 15 at stunning pop-up venue, The Residence), features The Bats, Boomgates, Montero, Sonny & the Sunsets, Vishnu Keys + DJs Higher Power + LA Pocock.

Early bird tickets sold out in one hour; general admission tickets on sale now & selling fast! Doors open 7:30pm.

We at Mistletone are so proud to have curated this concert for Melbourne Music Week, which will also be a celebration of our 7 years as an independent label. Party times!

THE BATS.

From across the ditch, long-time indie-poppers The Bats have had a profound influence on Melbourne’s scene. Often acknowledged as the inspiration behind the current crop of jangly, indie-pop and ‘dole-wave’ bands, The Bats formed in Christchurch in 1982 and are regarded as one of the foremost exponents of NZ’s iconic ‘Flying Nun’ sound. Still in their original line-up, and more than 30 years in the making, The Bats remain one of the most influential bands of indie-pop worldwide.

As part of the celebrations for Melbourne Music Week 2013, Mistletone is honoured to present a brand new song by The Bats. December Ice is the A-side of a split 7″ vinyl release with Boomgates, a label collaboration between Mistletone + Bedroom Suck Records. December Ice is now available on digital release (click above to order on iTunes), with limited edition 7″ vinyl in stores from November 1. Avoid disappointment & pre-order your vinyl now via mail order.

BOOMGATES.

There’s no questioning the pedigree of local act, Boomgates. With band members heralding from Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Dick Diver, Trial Kennedy, Teen Archer and Twerps, this is one band who perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Melbourne’s music scene – in all its laconic excellence. Check out Widow Maker by Boomgates, the rad B-side to the split 7″ with The Bats, below:

MONTERO.

Local magnets Montero bring a sensory overload of old-fashioned showmanship, with Gibb-brothers style harmonies, soaring melodies, lush instrumentation and dreamy glam pomp. 70s Beach Boys meets Burt Bacharach, while Californian sunshine pop, and 80s power ballads. Montero’s debut LP, The Loving Gaze, has won the admiration of contemporaries such as Ariel Pink & Kurt Vile, and can be heard coming over the airwaves (Album Of The Week – 3RRR-FM, 2SER-FM + SYN Radio).

SONNY & THE SUNSETS.

San Francisco’s rollicking garage-rock raconteurs, Sonny & the Sunsets, are no strangers to Melbourne’s audiences, with a cool three 3RRR Albums of the Week nods to their name already. The musical brainchild of playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and comic book artist Sonny Smith, the Sunsets swoons out to a bubbling pot of 50s and 60s pop, country and folk, doo wop, garage rock and RnB, delivered with all the nonsense and energy of a midnight beach party.

Stream a new Sonny & the Sunsets song below, “Those Drawings I told you About”; their contribution to the San Francisco garage rock compilation curated by Sonny Smith, I Need You Bad (to be released on November 26).

VISHNU KEYS.

Vishnu Keys is the new solo project of Gerald Wells, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, former opera singer and synth wizard who has played in Melbourne bands such as Baptism of Uzi, Treetops, TM Band and now Montero. Deploying his collection of vintage synthesisers to explore the possibilities of cosmic enlightenment, Vishnu Keys creates a synaesthetic blend of musical and visual frequencies. With a dedicated nod to the to the nuts and bolts philosophy of analogue sound production, Vishnu Keys is the six-armed love child of electronic music pioneers such as Klaus Schultze, Jean Michel Jarre and Delia Derbyshire. Prepare for a sensory wash of visual and audio goodness when Vishnu Keys offers up a holy union of colour and sound in a celestial welcome to MMW Opening Night.

DJ HIGHER POWER.

DJ Higher Power, a/k/a Hannah Brooks (Early Woman), glam siren razor blade and inscrutable aestheticist, sparks ecstatic moments between sets, playing the finest in Witchy Poo, Bleeding Ballads and Adventure Rock.

DJ LA POCOCK.

Host of Triple R’s drive time program Set It Out, LA Pocock is a man of many flavours. LA Pocock will bring Opening Night home, traversing the realms of subterranean synths, psychedelic rhythms & outsider pop.

For more info about Melbourne Music Week, and the brand new, pop-up flagship venue and entertainment precinct: The Residence, visit the website.