Live music accessibility advocates, Tibi Access, announce all-accessible Melbourne gig Groove Tunes featuring The Grogans, Matilda Pearl, Irene Zhong, Saint Ergo and more!

Melbourne based independent accessibility consultancy Tibi Access are thrilled to announce the arrival of their inclusive event, Groove Tunes in 2022. Taking place Saturday 19 March live from The Corner Hotel, the first instalment of Groove Tunes’ prospective annual event series will present a fun and accessible night of entertainment, highlighting the creativity and inclusivity of the disability community, while creating awareness to excel standards of accessibility in the music industry. The inaugural Groove Tunes lineup will be headlined by surf-rock trio The Grogans and Mermaid-meets-disco-ball rising star, Matilda Pearl with support from artists living with a disability Irene Zhong, Edward Roussac and Saint Ergo.

Tibi Access founder and Groove Tunes event manager, Dina Bassile is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and accessibility in the music industry. As a person who uses a wheelchair, Dina has lived experience of the Australian music industry’s gaps in accessibility, and created Tibi as a necessary means to change the landscape of live music, events and venues for the better. At the core of Tibi is a spirit of inclusivity and a will to open up gigs and events of all sizes to everyone. Tibi does this by recognising and removing barriers faced by people with disabilities.

1 in 5 people in Australia are living with a disability, though according to the Australian Festival Association, 64% of Australian festivals do not publicly list their access information. It’s because of stats such as this that Tibi is on a mission through Groove Tunes to bring the joy of music to the disability community, while also increasing awareness of the need for events to be more accessible. Through a survey Tibi conducted in 2018, people living with a disability expressed their love of attending live music events. However, the fear and lack of access stopped them from going. As an accessible gig, Groove Tunes will provide support services such as Auslan interpreters, printed braille tickets, in-venue access ramps and lowered bar access, accessible signage, a sensory zone and sensory packs, on-stage lyric videos, as well develop an accessible website and keep ticket prices low for the music industry and disability community alike.

“I want people of all abilities to feel included & enjoy a night of live music. In planning this event, additional features have been included that may be of assistance to people. These features include; Auslan interpreters, an accessible web page, a sensory zone/pack, braille tickets, large signage, and a team of volunteers who will undertake Tibi’s disability awareness training. Groove Tunes will not only be a night of live music but an educational night for industry professionals.”
– Dina Bassile, Tibi Access Founder and Groove Tunes Event Manager

Showcasing some of Melbourne’s best artists, Groove Tunes will provide access to musicians who live with disability to showcase their work, as well as give punters with disability and their friends and family the opportunity to experience an inclusive, anxiety-free night out.

The evening’s headliners will be the genre-expanding outfit The Grogans, who are a trio of best friends from Melbourne who explore nuanced manoeuvres in surf, punk, blues, garage, psych, rockabilly and reggae, as well as the Mornington Peninsula’s Matilda Pearl who is a recent high-school graduate and an exciting independent artist on the rise. Inhabiting a delicate, chamber folk sound world that draws on Hakka-Chinese melodies and western art music, Irene Zhong will also join the lineup, fresh off the back of their Music Victoria Award nomination for the inaugural Arts Access Victoria Amplify Award for deaf and disabled artists.

Straight from the Wild at Heart team, the evening will also feature the sounds of young keyboard player Edward Roussac who has a talent for writing catchy tunes, as well as Saint Ergo, a post-genre music project that aims to explore the intersection and the connection of us, where love and life are found. Combining all the elements of Saint Ergo’s work as a songwriter, performer, producer, arranger and engineer with elements of folk, classical, jazz, rock and pop, their art aims to inspire an inclusive and open minded community.

Tibi Access looks forward to playing a part in paving the way in changing the landscape of live music, events and venues so all Victorians can have an equitable and enjoyable experience. Do not miss this celebration of inclusivity and diversity in one of the most iconic venues in the live-music capital of the world, when Groove Tunes takes over the Corner Hotel on Saturday 19 March 2022. Early Bird tickets are on sale now, so don’t delay!

Groove Tunes would like to thank event partners Music Victoria, VMDO, Box Hill Institute, Grill’d Local Heroes, Australian Arts Council, Creative Victoria, City of Yarra and Expression Australia for contributing and helping make this event possible.

Groove Tunes
Saturday 19 March 2022
The Corner Hotel, Richmond
Featuring The Grogans, Matilda Pearl, Irene Zhong, Edward Roussac, Saint Ergo
*all artists in bold italic are artists who identify as living with disability

Tickets on sale now!
Early Bird – $40 +BF
General Admission – $55 +BF
Companion Tickets – free for companion card holders
Pay It Forward (Buy a ticket for someone in the disability community) – $45
Tickets via cornerhotel.com

Inclusive Event Features
Accessible signage
Auslan interpreters
Accessible website
In venue access ramps and lowered bar access
On stage lyric videos
Printed braille tickets
Sensory zone and sensory packs

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

The Grogans Instagram

The Grogans Facebook

Matilda Pearl Instagram

Matilda Pearl Facebook

Saint Ergo Instagram

Saint Ergo Facebook

Irene Zhong Instagram

Irene Zhong Facebook

Edward Roussac Instagram