Gig Preview | Blue Evening Vol.3
Creating energy and flow as the puzzle pieces join together for this reunion set to be a highlight of the year
Noah chats to Yasmine (Cease and Desist) and Oscar (MOM) ahead of Blue Evening Vol.3 which brings together another stacked lineup of new and old artists playing across the upstairs and downstairs stages at The Tote. 11 hours, 13 local and interstate acts and DJ's going into the early morning. Final tickets available here . Check out a short summary of each of the artists following the interview.
Hello Yasmine and Oscar, welcome back to Tempo! It’s hard to believe it’s already a year since the last Blue Evening but here we are with Volume 3 only days away. How has the build up been and response as you prepare for what’s to be another very special time?
Yas: I love working on Blue Evening! It’s probably the funnest show to put on for us, because it feels so natural. This year the reactions have been really strong, both Oscar and I have taken a little bit of a break from big gigs, so it’s nice to see everyone so excited that we’re back.
Oscar: Yeah this show is such a highlight for us each year, it’s kind of built around getting all our homies in one room and putting on bands that are made up of people we grew up around or are close friends, its very curated for sure but not based around specific genres which makes it very fun to be at and put on.
I was amazed at how well the last one flowed with such a nice balance of music from the main band room and upstairs. How have you gone about organising the line up for this one? Is it like a puzzle you both work on together or does it come down to chance and availability of the acts?
Yas: It’s totally like a puzzle! We definitely keep the two stages in mind when we’re booking artists, and then we’re at the mercy of who’s available.
But making sure the energy on the night flows well is probably the most important thing to us.
Oscar: yeah we literally start to change who we’re asking to play as acts start to confirm to make sure the flow between upstairs and downstairs works, it’s a dance for sure.
The Tote is so ideal with the space and format which I touched on last time and I’m guessing the fact that you can keep making noise until 3am is a pretty cool factor. How do you both manage staying enthused and vibrant for the entire show?
Oscar: Yas and I both grew up going to the tote a lot, so we’ll always have a soft spot for it, it works so well as a venue for heaps of acts if you get the right bands and crowd in there.
Yas: I’ve said for years that The Tote has the best spatial dynamics of any venue in Naarm. The flow of the space itself is very important to us, and we definitely program to its strengths. Having late night music can be a rarity these days, so we feel very lucky.
This year the downstairs will finish an hour earlier due to an ongoing noise complaint. It really highlights how fragile our music ecology is, and that we need to put weight behind supporting venues. However Head Rush are hosting an after party upstairs from 12-3am, so there’s still plenty of music.
Once again it’s a really nice selection of artists with the focus being on underground music. Is Daily Toll (Syd) the only interstate band? I am not across the whole selection yet and a lot of them are new to me. The Shifters have been quiet for a while so it’s nice to see them making an appearance as well as the mighty Clamm and one of the most wild punk-dance bands in Tongue Dissolver will be sure to bring the party. I first saw them at show at Russian House show you put on a few years back. I was blown away! Can you tell us about your curation process this time around?
Yas: We’re so lucky to have Daily Toll travelling from Sydney, and I think Twine are from Adelaide but they might be based here now. We try to always include some bands from interstate, it feels really important to introduce new acts to our audience and keep the interstate cross pollination alive. Plus we’re both major fans of the Habour City!
The curation process usually starts with looking at who wasn’t able to play last year, trying to land those great whales. Some convos take years to finally land on a yes. From there it usually wraps up pretty quickly, Oscar and I have lots of similar taste and ideas, and we kinda just throw things out until we both agree it’s a good move. It’s always such a fun show to curate, we both love taking risks and adding a few surprises in.
Since I worked at The Tote in my early 20s, I love to include as many OG Tote heads as possible, people who have passed through its hallowed halls and made a bit of a dent.
Oscar: Yeah as I said we have a wider net on this show, we really just try to put our heads together and get acts that we both like collectively as well as try and bring as many new bands in as possible.
It being an ongoing show really changes things in a good way, we try really hard not to repeat ourselves as well as try to keep the same kind of crowd interested in coming each year :)
I’m sure it’s a tricky question to speak about your highlights from last year but if you are happy to I am intrigued about them and also if there are any learnings you’ve taken into this year’s event?
Yas: I think Palm Springs was my highlight last year, it was so beautiful to see Erica Dunn connect with a new wave of young fans. She’s such an incredible performer, and moves from delicate and heartbreaking, to hilarious banter without missing a beat.
I definitely learnt from the first year not to get too wasted. I’m DJing the after party as part of Head Rush so that should make me stay somewhat composed.
Oscar: Oooo hard one, yeah palm springs made me cry last year lol, that was very special, solder was pretty cool too since they played as a two piece opening upstairs in 2024 and then played in the band room late with like 6 members last year, was a cool progression.
Also just always love the after party vibes when the bands finish each year, head rush is going to be sick this year from 12-3am
What are you most excited about as you gear up for volume 3?
Yas: I’m mostly excited to catch up with friends! Blue Evening always feels like a bit of a reunion for me
Oscar: Yep same, can’t wait to sweat and hug everyone
Do you have any other exciting plans for 2026 that you are happy to share for Cease and Desist and MOM?
Yas: I’m releasing an LP with Program Pressing plant, so that’s a very exciting development for 2026. Lots of gigs on the horizon too!
Oscar: Yeah MOM is going to focus on books a little more this year but have at least 3-4 good shows I’m planning for the year, some fun collab shows in the works too :)
Finally, who are your favourite local Melb/Naarm bands at the moment and who would you like to see interviewed for Tempo?
Yas: I’m excited for some big releases coming out in 2026. I know EXEK and Lost Animal both have records coming out soon. It’s the first record for Lost Animal in 10 years or so, so I’d love to hear what Jarrod has to say about it :)
Oscar: same here, they’re gonna be very cool albums I reckon, also Lara have some stuff recorded which is exciting as they are very fresh and new. Also think that Scarlett Cunningham who promotes under; Spots, has some cool shows in the works for the year, love their taste and what they do.
Blue Evening Vol. 3 Line up:
Clamm is an uncompromising punk trio who explore the highs and lows of human existence. Their sound is raw and visceral as they draw on themes around the challenges of navigating entrenched systems of power and oppression as they strive to preserve their own mental well-being.
Tongue Dissolver is the futurist punk collaboration of Ruby Lee (Bodies of Divine Infinite Eternal Spirit[b.o.d.i.e.s.]), Andrew Huhtanen McEwan (Ahm, Huntly) and Aldo Thomas (Wet Kiss/b.o.d.i.e.s.). Their live show is chaotic and wild with crazy dance party vibes as singer Aldo switches between a four-string guitar and front person duties roaming the stage.
The Shifters have been quiet lately but I’m happy to see that the DIY lo-fi post-modernists are back with their cool spin on punk.
Twine make wounded country barrelling noise rock, originally from South Australia and now based here, the band sing about tales of intimacy, regression and fear.
Daily Toll (SYD) is the project of Kata Szász-Komlós and Jasper Craig-Adams
who will also be joined by David and Milo for the show. The sound is best described in the liner notes from their last album A Profound Non-Event as folk song intimacy, post-punk dynamics and the artful poeticism of an adjacent Flying Nun legacy.
Blue Communications is a three-piece band formed in ’24 who only rehearse in the early morning fuel’ed by coffee and pastries as they bring their largely sun-soaked, jangly Australian sounds to the show.
Fiancée is a DIY collaboration between Erica Dunn & Tommy Norton. Best describled in their words on Bandcamp, It’s a rhapsody for suburbia, a U57 and a deluge sequencer, a sparkling axis of synthesised loops and real time hand claps, voice memos of melodies and memories. It's a prenup, a pleasure; a love language for a sad world.
Shit Fetish label themselves as not a band lol on instagram and have been talked about online as sporting a brand new style of music labelled no-core.
Flame J is so underground that all I could find was something about mystery rumblings.
Lil Ket is an Australian hip-hop and electronica artist and a prominent figure in Australia's underground "cloud rap" scene best known for an experimental, "left-field" sound that often features raw, honest storytelling and ethereal production.
Crank is a new Naarm supergroup.
Lara is very fresh with members from Floodlights and Equal Parts.
Headrush DJs is a signal group chat turned 11 person DJ act ~ who occasionally throw parties - what a way to end the night!
Wish I could come!