ALWAYS LIVE

Join host Alex Lahey on a 10-part journey into the heart of Victoria's live music scene to discover what it is that makes the state one of the world's greatest destinations for contemporary live music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 465 venues spread across Melbourne, the city can arguably lay claim to being the live music capital of the world. But more than the just number of venues, there are more intangible elements that connect Melbourne and the state of Victoria to live music like no other place in the country. Alex Lahey embarks on a journey into the heart of Australia's most passionate live music scene to find out what those elements are, sharing stories along the way from those who make the music happen, like Alice Ivy, Adalita, Paul Dempsey, Boo Seeka, June Jones, Matty O from British India, Vika Bull, Mark Seymour and others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live music is a big part of Melbourne's DNA. On any night of the week, in the heart of the city, you'll find a venue somewhere that's showcasing live music. Some incredible names have graced the stages of Melbourne's CBD music venues... and if those walls could talk, they'd tell a million stories. In this episode, we explore the city streets to bring you some of those incredible tales... like the time Noel Gallagher offered to buy Cherry Bar (or did he?)... Madonna's weird clown gig at The Forum... and The Confidence Man gig at 170 Russell that led to an unexpected outcome for Telenova's Angie Armstrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2010, more than 20,000 people took to the streets of Melbourne in what was the largest cultural protest in Australian history... they were protesting to save live music. This is the story of the SLAM Rally and the importance of a cracking little venue called The Tote to the Melbourne live music scene, both then and now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Memorable music moments are guaranteed just a stone's throw from Melbourne's CBD. You've got the stadiums around Melbourne Park plus the Bowl, as well as iconic live music venues like The Workers Club, The Evelyn, and The Corner Hotel - a venue with a pole so famous it even has its own Facebook page! With some help from Chris Cheney, Alice Skye, Phil Jamieson, Eskimo Joe's Kav Temperley and more, we revisit some more incredible tales from this amazing live music city.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St Kilda boasts some of Melbourne's most iconic venues – names like the Prince, the Palais and the Espy have all been enshrined in the city's rich culture of live music. And if those walls could talk, the stories would be never ending. To help share some of those stories, Alex Lahey is joined by the likes of Mark Seymour, Vika Bull, Chris Cheney, Paul Dempsey, Alice Skye, Dave Faulkner and more for another epic chapter in the history of Melbourne and Victoria's passionate live music scene.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live music is everywhere you look along High Street, the main drag for Melbourne suburbs like Northcote, Brunswick and Thornbury. In fact, it's hard to say if any one street in Australia has more live gigs than this one. The High Street strip is home to iconic venues like Northcote Social Club, Thornbury Theatre, Howler and the Croxton, all universally loved by artists and fans alike. Alex Lahey goes on a journey to discover what makes these venues - and this part of the city - so special when it comes to live music, tapping into artists like Mark Seymour, Henry Wagons, Alice Skye, Mindy Meng Wang, and Kylie Auldist for their thoughts on this thriving and passionate live music hub. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the biggest event to hit Victoria's surf coast, and first-hand accounts recall how ALWAYS LIVE was able to snare one of the world's premier rock bands for Australia's first post-COVID rock'n'roll gig... and it all happened in the regional hub of Geelong. Victoria's surf coast is also home to some amazing live music venues, like the Barwon Club, the Blues Train, and the Torquay Hotel, whose old-school band room is a place where legends are made.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a region famous for its spectacular gourmet produce, but Gippsland is also home to some of Victoria's most unique live music experiences. In this episode, you'll journey into the heart of Gippsland, just a few hours' drive east of the Melbourne CBD, where some unique venues are putting on sold-out shows with a wonderful Do-It-Yourself kinda vibe. Venues where you can BYO drinks, BYO food, and experience an amazing live music show like no other.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A short road trip from the heart of Melbourne will take you deep into the heart of Central Victoria to discover a rich vein of live music venues with their own special stories that are absolute gold. In this episode, we explore the beautiful old venue which is haunted by an Indigenous horseman, and we'll recount the time Nick Cave played a very special one-off show in Ballarat... and wound up in a local fish and chip shop. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victoria's live music festivals are the stuff of legends -  from Big Day Out to Boogie … Riverboats to Red Hot Summer, and everything in between, Victorian festivals are where legends play and new legends are made. In this episode, we explore some of Victoria's festival stories from those who have been there and played there... and we'll uncover the mystery behind the Meredith Boot.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrated music journalist and one of the writers of the ALWAYS LIVE podcast, Mikey Cahill, turns the tables on host Alex Lahey to find out what she loves about live music in Victoria. This ‘warts-and-all' chat was recorded in the Soundbox - a custom-made studio cube built right in the heart of Melbourne on the Arts Centre forecourt, as part of the Always Live program in 2022. Alex opens up about some of her very early live music experiences as both a fan and a performer, some of her favourite gigs, and some of her most memorable music moments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.