Leaps and Bounds Music Festival program launch

Leaps and Bounds Music Festival to celebrate sounds of winter in most creative form yet: Apart and Not Alone

Yarra Council is proud to back our live music scene through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and even prouder to launch the first announcement of a stellar festival lineup.

From performances and live album recordings, to cooking classes and tarot readings, this 10-day festival will bring some much-needed light to winter during this strange year.

This winter music festival has always been about celebrating and promoting Australian music.

Even in this new online iteration, Leaps and Bounds will continue to encourage music lovers to appreciate Yarra's live music scene during Melbourne's coldest months, in a series of innovative social-distance-friendly events.

Music industry professional Sean Simmons of booking and touring group Press Play Presents and Melbourne band The Spoils returns to Leaps and Bounds as Festival Advisor and Special Event Producer.

The City of Yarra is home to some of Melbourne's most iconic live music venues, artists, studios, record stores, music labels, community radio stations and community organisations: all represented in this year's exciting lineup.

Leaps and Bounds 2020 – Apart and Not Alone: Festival highlights

• Godfather of grunge, Kim Salmon and The Surrealists record their new album live and fully improvised at Rolling Stock Recording Rooms
• Feminist Punk Guitar Orchestra: Brought to you by the Tramway Hotel, and featuring Tropical F#ckstorm guitar shredder Erica Dunn and more of Yarra's top guitar talent.
• Yawulyu, featuring Alice Skye and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, will provide a culturally safe place for First Nations women, girls, non-binary and trans people to explore live performance, with a focus on emerging artists, presented by the Barpirdhila Foundation.
• The Gasometer presents series of afternoons, including Jess Ribiero's tarot reading, learn a song with Emma Donovan and the Putbacks, and Rainbow Chan's cooking class.
• History of Music in Yarra: An intimate journey from Au Go Go records founder, former owner of The Tote, and RRR broadcaster Bruce Milne.
• Mission Songs Project: Jessie Lloyd presents a collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mission songs from 1900 to now in the MAYSAR Boxing Ring.
• Longplay Live featuring Elizabeth Mitchell and Sui Zhen
• Jazz legend Bob Sedergreen live at Horn Café.
• PBS FM presents Acid Country's 40th birthday special.

More to be announced soon!

The 2020 Leaps and Bounds Music Festival – Apart and Not Alone – will span 10 days from June 11-20 and includes a selection of free and ticketed events. Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is commissioned by the City of Yarra, programmed by Yarra venues and co-presented by Yarra community radio station PBS 106.7FM.

Visit leapsandboundsmusicfestival.com for more info.