Friday June 7 – Melbourne Museum | Tickets on sale now
Nocturnal returns in June, as Melbourne International Jazz Festival assembles an all-star cast for another adults-only night at the Museum. There will be intimate expert talks and all spaces open for curious minds – including acclaimed new exhibition Revolutions: Records and Rebels. Grab your dancing shoes and get ready for a riot.
HORNS OF LEROY ft THANDO. Inspired by flavours of New Orleans and Fitzroy, this seven-piece takes brass band music to a whole other level. From humble beginnings, Horns of Leroy have evolved from playing the streets of Melbourne to some of Australia’s biggest festivals and stages. Whether you love them for their street parties or raucous stage shows, Horns of Leroy never fail to deliver.
JAZZ PARTY. Led by local legends Darcy McNulty and Loretta Miller (both formerly of Clairy Browne & The Bangin Rackettes), Jazz Party are an ensemble of inimitable force. Their records and performances are a riot of rhythm, with wild horn sections, manic keys and – above all – soul, soul, soul. As attendees of Golden Plains, New Years Evie and WOMAD can attest, Jazz Party are a frenzy of melody and joy. Don’t fight the feeling.
TANYA GEORGE. Armed with loop pedals and a five octave range, Tanya George is an architect of dense and beautiful vocal compositions. With nods to hip hop, soul, jazz and pop alike, George improvises her pieces on-the-spot, creating instant hits that bounce off her crowd and exist only in the moment.
Downstairs, the blockbuster new experience Revolutions: Records and Rebels will be in full swing for visitors keen to turn on, tune in and drop out. Originally developed by the V&A team behind David Bowie and Kylie: The Exhibition, the exhibition brings together over 600 incredible objects to tell the story of 1966-70 as five years that shook the world. Truly, madly, deeply “mind-bending“.
Browse John Peel’s personal record collection, glimpse gorgeous stills from the Herbie Hancock-scored masterpiece Blow Up. Sink into the floor as Sly and the Family Stone hit a higher plain in the Woodstock Room’s wild audiovisual experience. And clock artifacts from Miles Davis’ iconic performance to 600,000 revelers at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 – the largest audience ever faced by a jazz musician, before or since. And for those looking to revolutionize their look, drop by the exhibition’s hair salon where Paradise Cutters will be styling beehives and mop tops all night long.
Upstairs, The Melbourne Story becomes our art-deco salon for the evening , with secret serenades to Phar Lap and resident Museum experts DEBORAH TOUT-SMITH and HANNAH PERKINS sharing an up-close look at treasured collection items from the jazz age and beyond.
In Science and Life meet master preparators SARA SMITH and STEVE SPARREY as they deliver a rare peek at the amazing moulding and casting techniques used within the Museum’s collections and exhibitions.
And if that weren’t enough, special guests will raise the roof with surprise performances throughout the Museum’s many beautiful galleries and exhibitions. Come ready to explore and we promise you won’t miss a beat.
Photo credit: Gabi Porter
DON WAS x NOCTURNAL | FREE TALK
Friday June 7 | 6pm to 7pm
Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Before the all-star Nocturnal cast grace us with their presence and sweet tunes, we’re kicking off the night with a special one hour talk by one of the music industry’s most significant and respected artists and executives – Don Was – coming to Australia for the first time this June, to help celebrate the 80th anniversary of the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records. The lecture is free for all to attend and will be held an hour before the Nocturnal celebrations kick-off at 7pm. Tickets for the Don Was talk need to be booked online prior to attendance.
NOCTURNAL & MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Friday June 7 | 7pm to 11pm | 18+
Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Featuring: Horns of Leroy, Jazz Party, Tanya George and special guests
Tickets on sale now
Members $25 / Concession $32 / Early Bird $27 / On the door $37
Discounts for concession and group tickets apply.
All visitors to Nocturnal can access a special Revolutions: Records and Rebels entry offer when purchasing tickets
Artist images are available HERE
Download Nocturnal promo videos HERE
Photos of the past Nocturnals are available HERE
Interviews available on request
Media enquiries:
Sam Gill – Media & Communications, Museums Victoria
E: SGill@museum.vic.gov.au | P: (03) 8341 7519
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