One of the unmissable music events of the Aussie calendar, Melbourne Music Week 2016 is almost upon us – and this year is without a doubt the biggest we’ve seen, as it teams up with music conference Face The Music to transform Melbourne into Australia’s music capital from November 11 – 19.

As with every year, the Hub venue is a big part of what makes MMW so special, and this year the various rooms of State Library of Victoria will play host to an incredible selection of local and international talent, serving as the sort of truly unique performance space we’ve come to expect each year.

The festivities extend beyond the Hub, too; venues across the city will be flooded with music each night, with even Melbourne’s iconic MCG bringing bands through its doors, and makeshift performance spaces will be popping up all over.

To help sort through the writhing mass of gigs, we’ve put together a guide to a bunch of shows that should have just about every music fan covered, but there are still more to check out over at the Melbourne Music Week site.

Her Sound, Her Story

7:30pm – 1am, November 11 – State Library

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An amazing way to kick things off at the MMW Hub tomorrow, Her Sound, Her Story is a celebration of women in Australian music, curated by Australian photographer Michelle Grace Hunder and filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore.

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The show tomorrow night will feature an incredible array of female artists including Julia Stone, Ella Hooper, Mama Kin, Montaigne, Mojo Juju, Ecca Vandal, Elizabeth Rose, Airling and Nyne, who will be performing Australian music spanning decades.

If you can’t make it to the big night, you can also head along to the accompanying exhibition shown at Emporium Melbourne throughout MMW, which profiles 40 women working in the local music industry, from new talents like Banoffee to established icons like Renée Geyer.

This one has already sold out, but if you’re able to track down some tickets, you can find out more about this impressive series here.

Severed Heads, Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda, Young Magic

6pm – 4am, November 12 – State Library

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Four stalwarts of the Melbourne music scene – Aarght Records, Paradise, Smooch and Waving At Trains – come together to bring you a rock-solid night of music across three stages, lead by ’80s electronic local legends Severed Head, Harvey Sutherland and his live disco trio, and lush New York producer Young Magic.

The rest of the lineup is killer, with the likes of Deer, Lucy Cliche and friendships piling into the venue, so have a look at the whole shebang here. This is the second Hub show to have sold out, so you’ll have to do some last-minute hunting to make it along.

Club Kids

11am – 2pm, November 13 – State Library

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Rather than an under-18s club night, this one’s actually a bit of fun for much younger kids, and their parents who want to share a bit of music with them. Kids can get their faces painted like Bowie, get stuck into some arts and crafts, and enjoy some live book and poetry reading.

On the music front, Laila Sakini and Conrad Standish (of Standish/Carlyon and Devastations) will be laying down some grooves to inspire a future genration of crate-diggers. If you’d like to take the little tackers out for a day of music this Sunday afternoon, give this one a look.

Love Live Music At The ‘G

1pm – 10pm, November 13 – Melbourne Cricket Ground

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Here’s a great one for anyone who loves their music and sport in equal measure, as not only do you get to catch a great lineup of bands on a Sunday arvo, but you get to do so while being toured through the innards of the greatest stadium in the country.

Acts like The Delta Riggs, Pierce Brothers, Woodlock, The Pretty Littles, Dorsal Fins and plenty more will be playing sets in nine locations throughout the ‘G, including player change rooms and the fabled turf itself.

It all kicks off 2pm on Sunday, and you can check out the full event here.

Signal Interactive Workshop

3pm – 12am, November 13 – State Library

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A fascinating event by NONOTAK Studio, the collaborative project of illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect and musician Takami Nakamoto, and co-presented by Stable music, Signal will be a joy for any lovers of modular synths.

It’ll be a very interactive, hands-on event featuring demos, performances and discussions on “the history of modular synthesis and vicmodders”, involving Zen Paradox aka Steve Law, Matt Radovich, VICMOD ENSemble and Dylab. One for the real audio lovers, you can find out more here.

The Drones & MY DISCO

7pm – 11pm, Sunday November 13 – Melbourne Town Hall

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Does what it says on the tin, really – but with a slight twist. The Drones will be playing a career-spanning live set, but incorporating the Town Hall’s famed Grand Organ for a one-time-only live sound.

MY DISCO are a perfect choice of support, and if you’re a fan of either band, we’re sure you’ve got your tickets already. If not, have a look here and don’t miss this special one-off gig.

Zola Jesus

7:30pm – 9pm, Monday November 14 – Melbourne Recital Centre

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MMW always brings in some perfectly-selected international acts and this year genre-transcending US artist Zola Jesus will be heading over for a special set of cinematic synth pop and dark balladry, joined by Penny Quartet, Tamil Rogeon, Simon Burgin & Sui Zhen in her DJ Susan guise.

In addition to the show on the 14th, Zola Jesus will also be giving an intimate talk at the recital centre on the 12th, so fans should definitely pencil in both dates for the full experience – more info here.

Valve Sounds

7pm – 1am, Tuesday November 15, State Library

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Melbourne label and management company Valve Sounds are putting on a damn good show at the Hub for any lovers of hip hop, R&B and soul, headlined by Swedish hip hop star (and Peking Duk collaborator) Elliphant.

Melbourne producer-songwriter Yeo, Brisbane production champ UV boi فوق بنفسجي, and NZ rising rap talent Young Tapz are just some of the highlights on a super-strong lineup – absolutely don’t miss this one.

Heaps Gay Heaps Yummy

7:30pm – 1am, Wednesday November 16 – State Library

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Party specialists and inclusive community Heaps Gay have teamed up with performers Yummy to put on one absolutely massive show, with 30 performers joining forces to celebrate Australia’s queer community.

Donny Benet, Broadway Sounds, HTMLflowers, HABITS… the list goes on and on. In their own words, “Wednesday’s the new Saturday, sweetheart!”, so take a look at the full lineup here and strap yourselves in for a big, big night.

Free Mind Gamers

8pm – 11pm, Thursday November 17 – State Library

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Fresh off their Australian debut, Mind Gamers are an electronic supergroup formed of France’s Sébastien Tellier, Blood Orange’s John Kirby and Midnight Juggernauts’ Dan Stricker, combining to offer us something pretty damn fresh.

Even better? As you may have gathered from the name, it’s free, presented by V MoVement. Shags Chamberlain of Ariel Pink and Lost Animal will also be on board with The Crystal Machine, while Sydney’s Siberia DJs cap it all off – check it out here.

Women In Electronic Music

8pm – 11pm, Friday November 18 – State Library

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The amazing free gigs don’t stop, with the Hub playing host to a tightly-curated selection of local electronic talent in GL, BUOY, CORIN and Linying. Better yet, it’s an all-ages event, so you can bring your little sis along for some inspiration.

Taking place under the domed ceiling of the State Library’s stunning reading room, this one’s a no-brainer – check it out here.

MMW 16 Closing Party

7pm – 2am, Saturday November 19 – State Library

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If there’s one show you make it to this year, it has to be this one, hands down. Local label Good Manners have returned to the MMW Hub for a second year to curate an incredible lineup of electronic talent to close out a huge week-and-a-bit of music, spread across the three stages of the State Library.

A live set from Austrian producer HVOB and a DJ set from Sydney’s Seekae are just the tip of an iceberg that also packs LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Dro Carey, Rainbow Chan, HABITS, Planète, Marcus Whale and plenty more of the best emerging electronic talent in the country – just give it a geez here, and see for yourself.

Multiple Nights/Venues

In addition to the huge assortment of one-off gigs that Melbourne Music Week is packing this year, there are also a few ongoing events that take place throughout the week, across multiple days or a variety of venues – here are a few of our highlights.

Self-Made

November 11 – 19, various venues

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Presented by JBL, self-made is a series of unique events covering a very wide range of genres and experiences, incorporating yoga, choirs, and even virtual relaity.

While there are plenty to choose from, we’re absolutely not missing the Imperium In Imperio showcase at 1000 £ Bend on November 11, with a stacked lineup coming together to donate all proceeds to charity, or Hush, a concert series on the 15th & 16th that brings the likes of Dan Kelly, Teeth & Tongue, Melody Pool, Sui Zhen and more together on the proviso that the audiences must remain completely silent while the music is playing.

The Stargazed ‘Underwater Galaxies’ projection festival will be another unmissable show, pairing local musos like Rat & Co and Primitive Calculators with visual artists for a night of audiovisual splendour at Ding Dong on the 18th.

There’s plenty of other fascinating stuff to get involved in, and you can take a look here.

Morning Ritual

Mornings, November 12 – 19 – State Library forecourt

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Looking for an excuse to drag yourself out of bed in the morning or, heaven forbid, kick on after an all-nighter? Morning Ritual will have you covered every day, with free morning gigs kicking off every day, and breakfast served by the likes of 400 Gradi and Le Bon Ton.

Hiatus Kaiyote’s Nai Palm will be appearing on Friday at 9:30am, with the likes of Jess Ribeiro and Ella Thompson also getting things started nice and early the days beforehand.

It all kicks off this Saturday, so if you’ve got any days off to see some morning gigs, check out the full lineup here.

Lunch Box

Lunchtime, November 12 – 19 – State Library forecourt

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If you can’t quite make it in time for the early shows, fear not, as Lunch Box will have you covered with more free gigs throughout the day. REMI’s label House of Beige are kicking it off on Saturday, and always play killer sets, and the eclectic neo-soul/hip hop outfit Billy Davis are guaranteed to knock it out of the park on Monday.

Jaala, Nico Ghost, Good Morning and Silentjay are just a few of the names rounding out the rest of the days, so have a look at the full roster here and start planning.

Sun Sets

Evenings, November 11 – 18 – State Library forecourt

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In MMW tradition, there’ll be plenty of free music and laidback vibes on offer out the front of the Hub venue all throughout the week, as well as some great food truck offerings and some alcoholic beverages.

You’ll be able to catch sets from a stack of local talent and DJs, but our picks are the excellent combo of Big Words, Alice Ivy and Juñor from 7pm on Tuesday 15th, and the one-two punch of Dorsal Fins and Ecca Vandal from 7:30 on Friday the 18th.

Click through to check out the rest of the talent you’ll be able to chill out with for free next week.

Live Music Safari

November 17 – 18 – Multiple venues

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Can’t settle on one gig a night, or just too broke to function? Presented by V MoVement, the Live Music Safari section of MMW is for you. Taking place over two nights across 14 venues, you can wander around Melbourne to your heart’s content, soaking up live music as you go.

From a night at Section 8 and Ferdydurke featuring Black Milk, SAATSUMA, Yeo and more, to Groeni, Lossless, Vulture St. Tape Gang & co. at Belleville, there’s a free gig for everyone – cue Oprah gif. Take a look at the whole array here, and pick your poison.

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