MTV Unplugged coming to Melbourne

MTV Unplugged will have its first ever Australian staging in Melbourne, in the first in a series of music events showcasing local talent after partnering with state-based tourism events Visit Victoria.

Ash London will host the first event with indie-rock band, Gang of Youths before a live audience on July 25 at Cobblestone Pavilion at Meat Market, North Melbourne.

Simon Bates, Vice President and Head of MTV APAC, said, “MTV Unplugged is one of the most famous music shows ever created and we are excited to bring it to Australia for the first time. MTV is distributed in 790 million+ homes so it’s an exciting opportunity for Australian artists to potentially reach a new global audience.

“We couldn’t be more excited to kick things off with Gang of Youths, undoubtedly one of the best bands in Australia right now.”

It will air later this year on MTV.

The Victorian government withdrew funding for the Logie Awards last year citing a poor return for government funding.

Sony Music Entertainment Australia recording group, Gang of Youths are fast becoming one of Australia’s most-promising exports, taking home four ARIA awards late last year before going on to sell-out multiple shows across the UK and North America. They have recently been added to a string of major festivals including Lollapalooza (USA), Rock Wertcher (BEL), Austin City Limits (USA), Splendour in the Grass (AUS). Gang of Youths have also just announced that they will be supporting Foo Fighters on their upcoming Concrete And Gold Tour 2018 arena tour in the US. This is in addition to being hand picked by Foo Fighters to play their US festival, Cal Jam (USA)!

Before Gang of Youths head back to Australia to embark on their national headlining tour, which sold-out in record time with more shows added, the band will take to the MTV Unplugged Melbourne stage to perform a special stripped-back set of their favourite songs including hits from their 2017 breakout hit album Go Farther In Lightness for a live audience.

Since its debut in 1989, “MTV Unplugged” has been a cultural watershed of musical moments, featuring unforgettable performances from artists including Nirvana, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Oasis, The Cure and, most recently, Shawn Mendes.

Peter Bingeman, CEO of Visit Victoria, added: “Melbourne is the home of live music in Australia, and we also have more live music venues per capita than anywhere else in the world. MTV Unplugged Melbourne will help us share our stories to new audiences, not only with regard to our music credentials, but also the neighbourhoods, restaurants, cafés, events, arts and other cultural experiences in a city full of surprises.”

The first MTV Unplugged Melbourne will broadcast later this year only on MTV on Foxtel, Foxtel Now and Fetch followed by a full audio/visual release for MTV Unplugged: Gang of Youths that will be available for download and streaming..

Additional artists to be featured on MTV Unplugged Melbourne and premiere date for the first episode with Gang of Youths will be announced soon.