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'South Space 2019' / South of the City

South Space 19 — a festival celebrating creative culture in Melbourne’s southern suburbs — is back for the second year in a row, running from 10th to 17th February.

  • Expanding on last year’s program, the festival features over 20 events spanning from music, art and film to spoken-word and stand-up

  • South Space 19 is curated and organised by South of the City, a not for profit run by a network of young people focused on activating creative spaces on the southside with creative events

Meals on Reals, a screening of short films at Classic Southside - 16.2.19

Meals on Reals, a screening of short films at Classic Southside - 16.2.19

Catch Jungle Cuffs at the Common Cult showcase - 16.2.19

Catch Jungle Cuffs at the Common Cult showcase - 16.2.19

South Space 19 is a festival of creative culture in Melbourne’s southside. It’s back for its second year this February, starting the night of St Kilda Fest and running until the following Sunday.  

Featuring more than 20 events between the 10th and 17th of February, South Space 19 aims to amplify arts and culture, and activate creative spaces in the south.

South Space 19 kicks off on February 10th with an open-air launch party at Classic Cinema. Featuring performances from Imogen Cygler, Tamara and the Dreams, and Pearl+Apple Man, the launch will take place right on the pavements of Elsternwick.

Many venues, both new and well-loved, are playing host to South Space events, including Classic Southside, one of the newest performance spaces in the southern suburbs. The venue will play host to Big Night In (an inclusive and diverse comedy night) and Talk Box (a showcase of progressive spoken word) during the festival, as well as 87dB — a weekly live music and art event that’s running a Valentine's Day Special for South Space.

Common Cult — a northside record and zine label — will be hauling some of our favourite bands and writers southside for an evening featuring glitter garage trio Jungle Cuffs, punk duo Rathead, and groovy grunge three piece Tina Growls, as well as poetry readings, projection art, and other mystical treats.

St Kilda’s iconic Esplanade Hotel is hosting gigs including Brisbane singer-songwriter Asha Jefferies, and Melbourne psychedelic garage punk group Psychobabel and psych rock quintet Pup Tentacle. Trouble Juice — a Melbourne-based platform for arts, music, and design — will also be hosting a showcase of friends at The Espy.

South Space’s program will also feature the single launch for Hemm’s newest single “Hair”, a group that has been called “virtuosos of minimalist ambient pop”.

Aphir will be supporting Hemm at their 'Hair' single launch - 15.2.19

Aphir will be supporting Hemm at their 'Hair' single launch - 15.2.19

Visual arts will be front and centre during South Space, with 7 galleries partaking in the festival. InSaeii in Malvern will feature an event curated by Hungry Panda featuring multiple artists, performers, magicians, and musicians.

Film has by no means been left out of the South Space program. Meals on Reels is a screening of short films at Classic Southside, and CineCultVHS will screen Smiley Face. This Gregg Araki film will be the first of many Monday night cult classic screenings.

Moving away from traditional art and music is Compositions for the Pool. Presented by LAAP in collaboration with Stonnington Symphony Orchestra, this immersive sound experience allows you to heighten your laps with waterproof headphones and experimental compositions designed specifically for the pool

One of the final events of the festival is the South Side 19 Design Market, an independent design market featuring more than 20 artist designers, and craftspeople under one roof. Hosted by Grey Cells Green, a vegan southside pub, attendees with have the chance to mingle, create, explore, and have a few drinks at the bar.

South Space 19 is run by South of the City (SOC), a not-for-profit focused on activating creative spaces on the southside with music, art and film. SOC is invested in supporting, promoting and putting on arts events closer to home.

SOC’s founder Theo Carroll says “With South Space 19, we want to celebrate the best of what southside has to offer. Every event is either free or very cheap — we’re an organisation run by students, so and want to make sure our events are affordable.”

“We have more than 20 exciting events crammed into a week, and we’re collaborating with some really exciting groups — Tim Shiel’s Spirit Level, Common Cult, The Espy and some amazing theatre groups.”

“Get to our website or our Facebook page to see the full program. Make sure you don’t miss out!”

The festival’s program brings music, art, film and performance to local venues, helping attendees explore new parts of the city, appreciate them in new contexts, and for those that live in the south, provide a night out closer to home.

For the full program, head to socmelb.com/south-space19