On Tuesday morning, a new festival, Eighty-Six, was announced at Capers on High Street, Thornbury. Eighty-Six will run from 23rd to 31st October, aimed at celebrating Melbourne as a global live music capital.
The announcement was held at the Greek Australian-owned bar, Capers, and was crammed with leading music aficionados as Greek Australian DJ Adriana (Lazaridis) supplied the morning grooves.
Adriana is an internationally recognised DJ and an entrepreneur as a promoter of Spasta the “the disco queen” will be part of the festival.
Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Woody McDonald, speaking at the launch, dubbed Melbourne “one of the world’s great music cities.”
“Melbourne produces a wild amount of music and is internationally considered a hotbed of musical greatness.
“I’ve always felt Melbourne needed a festival that stays within and elevates our grassroots environment. The Eighty-Six’s goal is to do this, and there’s currently no better area than High Street to be our festival precinct,” McDonald said.
Capers, one of the venues taking part in the festival, is a Greek Australian affair. Its walls are adorned with black and white family photos and orthodox icons, while the space is full of 60s and 70s furniture, making it a portal to Yia Yia’s house in 1975.
Neos Kosmos spoke to DJ Adriana who said she was “in awe of The Eighty-Six.”
“It is wonderful to see them putting small businesses on the map with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest music artists, record labels and cooks.
“To be a part of this mass community celebration is a blessing as both an artist and a Melbourne resident. I can’t wait to walk along the Eight Six and see all the exciting things it has to offer,” Adriana told Neos Kosmos.
Adriana said she will spin according to what her audience” is responding to” and what she’s “curious about.”
“If you come to any of my sets, you might hear me playing proto-house one minute and tsifteteli the next! I don’t always play Greek music but when I do it feels super special being able to blend it in a way that makes sense to anyone who’s on that dance floor.
“My quarterly event ‘Spasta’ aims to showcase our beautiful Greek culture. In the past we have broken plates, had a bouzouki player jam to my DJ set and I’ve even had Capers cater for us. At the next Spasta on September 2 at Max Watts, we have Akrites Tou Pountou dancing for us. It’ll be a fun night filled with live music and DJs,” Adriana said.
Kat Theophanous, the Member for Northcote, who also spoke at the launch, called High Street “the beating heart of the inner north” and added that “live music pumps through its veins.”
“There’s something truly magical about seeing a great band play live. It transcends barriers, unites hearts, and creates those timeless memories that linger in our souls.
“The Eighty-Six will embody the authenticity, revelry, and artistry that make Northcote, Thornbury, and Preston a precinct that undeniably captivates locals and visitors,” Theophanous said.
High Street is one of the most concentrated live music strips in the world, and over 30 spaces will host Greek music and other global sounds, Jazz, post-punk, rock, rap, reggae, and much more. Bars, pubs, theatres, cafes, restaurants, and retailers will be colonised by live music, DJs, vinyl record exchanges, workshops, and discussions. The festival will also include Record Label Expo on Saturday and Sunday, 28th and 29th October, for vinyl records, one of the music industry’s biggest comeback stories.
According to the organisers, festival Eighty-Six aims to be an intergenerational affair, “from Yia Yia, a toddler, to the post-punk fan.”
Super Saturday, on 28th October, will be the climax of the festival when over 40 curators will take charge of a diverse array of venues – bars, nightclubs, bowls clubs, record stores, and bocce courts – to create an unmatched musical trip.
Local selectors, artists, special international, and interstate guests to curate Super Saturday parties, include: 3RRR, Songlines, Northside, Moody, Enjoy Your Stay, Blow Blood, Jet Black Cat Presents, Mike Gurrieri, Forward Ever, Collective Artists, Anti-Fade, Wally Cheersquad, Mistletone, Tangle Agency, Sound Merch, and more.
The Super Saturday venues: Capers, Hard Out, Shotkickers, Northcote Theatre, Bar 303, Thornbury Bowls Club, 24 Moons, Thornbury Theatre, Croxton Bandroom, Cactus, Swill, Cafe Gummo, Thornbury Local, Moon Dog, Wesley Anne, Desert Highways, Barton Fink, Reading Room, Francesca’s Bar, Thornbury Espresso, Pallino, Thornbury Picture House, Northcote Social Club, Ladatika Taverna – and
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