No. 2 - Joseph Keckler @ Brunswick Ballroom - Feb 20
Last year I took my son to a Lydia Lunch concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre, as he had played bass in Teenage Mothers who supported her Retrovirus gig in London in 2013. We were blown away with her double bill act, New York’s operatic and fanciful performer Joseph Keckler. His banter and presentation was so captivating I couldn’t wait to see him again, and as predicted, he wowed the crowd once more.

Gorgeous modern classical music by double bass player Rosie Westbrook before Joseph's appearance, sitting casually on the side of the stage, as though we were all the only person he was chatting to.

No. 3 - Penny Ikinger’s Marbles, Garry Gray’s Sacred Cowboys @ Stingoes - Feb 22. Penny’s Marbles @ St Kilda Festival Feb 15. Penny’s Marbles, and Adam Kovarik’s Gypsy Lovers @ George Lane - April 25
At every opportunity I will attend one of Penny’s solo gigs, calmly screaming out sonic magic with her famous electric blue Pennycaster. Once she formed her band with members from the Melbourne Museum, her sound became a symphony of psychedelic guitars, cleverly named The Marbles, and they’re another level of rock excitement that I am so drawn to.

And of course Garry Gray returning to make his strong presence felt gave a sensational performance, not restricted by the confines of a stage but jumping from table to table dragging the mic behind him, growling and giving the eager punters the works. His current band comprising Mark Ferrie, Timothy Deane, Anthony Paine and Damian Fitzgerald added the controlled background to his rampant energy. The gig at George Lane with Adam Kovarik’s Gypsy Lovers filled the stage with 10 musicians if I recall, a brass section with Jack Howard, tuba Susaphone player, Charlie Barker on seering saw, and Moogy Morgan joining to sing a couple of songs.

Adam always has an intriguing hat or denim outfit, and this time he wore the best nudie Mexican suit I’ve ever seen outside a Pasadena rose float.

No. 4 - NIHL @ Pause Bar April 26, and June 28. With Waco Social Club @ George Lane August 9. @ Espy Basement November 14
OK so I’ve always been a bit of sucker for a deep throbbing bass sound (Ian Rilen comes to mind) and these days it’s Kevin McMahon in Noise Induced Hearing Loss. I was thrilled to hear they had been in the studio with Rob Wellington to capture their mighty songs. At Pause Bar, drummer Jimmy Richter created the groove as Kevin’s foil, Boris Falovic was the killer guitarist/singer and Adrian Chynoweth was no slouch, either. They’re loud and noisy and I love both. Dale G Thomas has since taken over the drum helm.

No. 5 - Ruby & The Cannons @ Death or Glory May 2. @ Leonard’s House of Love July 6
Yes I am biased, yes the guitarist is Vyvyan Lyde, my son, and yes he is the self-taught prodigy of his father Lobby Loyde, who refused to teach him how to play any instruments. He had to want to learn himself; he did and can now play just about anything.

This is Ruby Cannon’s indie '70s inspired, surf rock band, and their single launch of “Annabella”, with dynamic Supa Lucia as support, and they performed upstairs at Chapel Street’s venue, Death Or Glory. Their gig at Leonard’s House of Love 10th anniversary was outdoors with Drunk Mums and Nickey Del Rey’s Misadventures. Such a great day.

No. 6 - John Cale @ Sydney Recital Centre July 10
This one I had booked long before I realised I would be in Melbourne for a host of gigs and family events, so I simply had to fly up for it. I usually drive or train between states but time was of the essence.

Unfortunately standing on the Tullamarine runway for half-an-hour before boarding did nothing for my bronchial condition, so I was sick as a dog the whole weekend. But I still managed to drag myself in to the city, hide up the back with my germs, and enjoy his show as much as my stamina could muster. He was extraordinary, a man of 83 sitting at a piano and enthralling the full house.

No. 7 - X @ Petersham Bowlo - August 23
Legendary band X played on the stage I sometimes read my political satirical poetry. This was Steve Lucas’ "At Home With You" 40th Anniversary Show. All my favourite songs such as “Delinquent Cars”, “Degenerate Boy” and “TV Glue”, were delivered with predictable speed and humour, ageless masterpieces of their time. Seeing original drummer Steve Cafeiro’s children dancing up the front was a highlight, as was Steve’s nephew playing Steve’s guitar over his shoulders when the amp for his guitar misbehaved.

No. 8 - Fabels, Belle Phoenix @ Lazy Thinking - September 4, & Belle Phoneix Octber 25 @ Memo. Belle Phoneix @ Brightspace, Balaclava Boogie Music Crawl November 8
Ben Aylward and Hiske Weijers have been mesmerising Sydney’s Inner West for 15 years. They formed when I returned to Sydney after 30 years living in Melbourne and we struck up a friendship which is still strong today. Their dreamy and dynamic music is both experimental and structured, and has created its own language, so abstract they can travel to Berlin and all through Europe with audiences understanding the atmospheric nuances of their sound. My own city-hopping has caused me to miss a lot of their shows so when I hear them again I’m always impressed by their artistic progression.

When Belle Phoenix stepped up after their set, a new brand of anarchy exploded with her musical partner drummer Jeffrey Wegener firmly going where she wanted to go, and ever wonderful Kenny Gormly slotting right in on bass with no rehearsal or sound check. The trio took Dulwich Hill by surprise.

Belle brought in more musicians for her Memo gig in Melbourne, supporting SnarskyCircusLindyBand, including bass player Jeff Hooker, known for working with Kim Salmon. Her fearless haunting persona, experimental guitar and voice ranging from brooding dark to cute lightness will keep me wanting to hear what she does next.

No. 9 - Painters & Dockers @ Memo Music Hall - November 28
They were fun then and they’re even more so now. Love Paulie and his crew. They are the best “feel good” band ever.

The Dockers and the Sunnyboys often played together in the early 80’s and their record producer was Lobby Loyde. Jeremy Oxley was due to come down to Melbourne for this gig, but had the lurgie, so Richard Burgmann stepped in. Another guest was Rob Craw from the Huxton Creepers. Shock horror when Paulie said Lob was the glue that held them together and called me up to sing along to “Kill Kill Kill”, but I did it and had a ball.

No. 10 - The Beasts @ The Factory - December 12 (and a shout out to Cruel Sea @ Athanaeum - May 2
The Beasts of Bourbon were a favourite band through the dark ages. Lots of friends are no longer with us, of course. This new era brought on some wonderful surprises. Evan “Rock” Richards on drums did James Baker proud. Gorgeous Hellen Rose sang like a wild bird of paradise. Had such a fun night. Tex was his inimitable self, as he was for the Cruel Sea gig in May.

It’s now minutes from the Peptides' New Year’s Eve gig so I cannot extrapolate any more! Have a fantastic 2026 and keep on keeping our amazing music alive!