Australia gets another heavy music touring festival, Meltdown

Australia is getting another heavy music touring festival, Meltdown, which is being staged in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in May.

It is the idea of Dirthouse Agency, which launched last year as a booking, management and promotions company by Load Entertainment’s NSW booking and band manager Jason Finlay.

Meltdown will stage in the three cities over successive weekends in May.

Seven of the acts, all emerging, will play all shows.

These are Gay Paris, Child, Arteries, The Black Swamp, Sumeru, Never and one more to be announced.

Some of the bands will only play individual cities.

The Melbourne show (May 12) at The Spotted Mallard includes I Am Duckeye and Lazertits.

For Sydney, on Saturday, May 19 at The Bald Faced Stag, there will also be Red Gazelle and Stormbird.

Brisbane on Saturday May 26: Crowbar will have in addition The Silencio and The Ugly Kings.

More acts will be added.

Finlay, who believes that the heavy music scene in Australia needs a festival like this, is already planning the 2019 version with more cities and multiple stages.

"We look forward to providing a day of good times, great bands for the fans and hope to create memories that they’ll never forget,” he says.

Dirthouse Agency was set up to book bands through Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia; provide band management service to include social media and merchandise overseeing; and digital media production services including music videos, promotional and documentary/behind scenes styles.