Rising Unveils Expanded 2025 Line-Up With A Blockbuster Fed Square Takeover, New Gigs, Comedy Hits, Eclectic Film Retrospectives & Free Night Trade Surprises
RISING, Melbourne’s rapturous winter festival of new art, music and performance, has today unveiled a number of exciting additions to its 2025 line-up. Building on their phenomenally successful summer, Fed Square with SalamFest and RISING are announcing some of Pakistan’s most celebrated musicians set to take to the stage for a free concert in the heart of Melbourne as part of BLOCKBUSTER.
Other new gigs include a variety show from beloved local comedy icon Zoë Coombs Marr, a captivating ACMI film retrospective of Miranda July’s delightfully offbeat works, a toe-tapping boot-scooting party hosted by Country Struts, searing anarchic rock from local icons Tropical F*ck Storm, and a fresh wave of free programming through Night Trade, running every night of the 10-day festival from 4-15 June.
Speaking to the newly announced acts in the program, RISING co-artistic directors Hannah Fox and Gideon Obarzanek:
This next chapter of the program expands RISING’s reach across the city – with more artists, more public moments, and more ways to encounter art in the everyday. From the full-scale Fed Square takeover led by some of Pakistan’s most vital contemporary musicians, to a new live variety show by the brilliant Zoë Coombs Marr, to an all-in community dance at Melbourne Town Hall with Country Struts, these works speak to the energy, humour and cultural depth that define RISING.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks:
RISING festival is once again set to be a major drawcard for Victorians and visitors alike. The festival will turn Melbourne into the hottest place to be this winter, bringing a buzz to city businesses and backing our creative and events workforce. The program continues to grow with this year’s incredible line-up of First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams paying tribute to First Peoples women alongside more music, comedy and dance that will transform our city, plus an epic blockbuster celebration of South Asian music, art and food at Fed Square – there is something for all tastes and ages.
On the first Saturday of RISING (7 June), BLOCKBUSTER will light up Fed Square with a vibrant celebration of South Asian culture, bringing an electrifying fusion of contemporary Pakistani music, an eye-catching Punjabi truck art installation and mouth watering street food. Taking its name from the hit song Blockbuster – a viral sensation in 2024 that racked up 61 million views across the globe on YouTube – the event brings the energy and impact of that anthem to life in a world-premiere, exclusive to Melbourne.
Headlining the event is Blockbuster’s original artist Faris Shafi, the “uncensored voice of Pakistan”, bringing his raw, multilingual lyrics to Melbourne for the first time.
The night will feature a powerful set by pioneering producer, composer and musician Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, professionally known as Xulfi, who was also one of the masterminds behind Coke Studio Season 14 and 15 – achieving a combined 2.5 billion streams. Also joining the line-up is Annural Khalid, Spotify Pakistan’s most-streamed female artist of 2024. Her hit Jhol has garnered over 300 million streams across 173 countries, cementing her as a rising pop trailblazer.
Global charting qawwali duo Zain and Zohaib bring their soulful, contemporary take on a centuries-old Sufi tradition, continuing their family’s rich musical legacy. Rounding out the bill and adding a rock edge is Sherry Khattak, frontman of Karakoram, leading a bold new wave of Pakistani rock that honors the genre’s legacy while pushing its boundaries.
Backing all artists the legendary Coke Studio Pakistan house band will deliver a dynamic blend of rap, pop-R&B, qawwali, and genre-defying soundscapes.
Presented by Fed Square, SalamFest and RISING, BLOCKBUSTER will be an unmissable celebration of South Asian culture and musical heritage.
BLOCKBUSTERCurator Ayesha Bux :
BLOCKBUSTER is a feeling, an experience and a celebration. It is exciting to present some of South Asia’s most loved artists and musicians for the first time ever in Australia. Please come and experience the euphoric event at the iconic Fed Square where the city becomes part of the art.
This is BLOCKBUSTER. Feel it. Live it. Be it.
Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation Director & CEO Katrina Sedgwick:
“Fed Square is thrilled to be working with SalamFest and RISING to bring BLOCKBUSTER to Melbourne. This free concert will gather audiences from across our state for this never-before-seen live performance featuring Pakistan’s most exciting musicians – in a South Asian celebration for the senses – with the sights and sounds of Lahore bustling into the city centre.
In a special RISING performance and their final hometown show before heading to Europe, Tropical F*ck Storm bring their squalling and searing rock show to The Forum on Friday 06 June. Formed by Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin after their legendary art rock band The Drones went on hiatus in 2016 and joined by Erica Dunn (from punk trio MOD CON) and Lauren Hammel (from metal mainstays High Tension), they’ll be playing from their new album Fairyland Codex and ready to warp meatspace with their acerbic, anarchic rock.
Playing live in Melbourne for the first time in a decade, and presented with ACMI, Matthew Barnes, AKA Forest Swords, brings his immersive electronic landscapes from the post-industrial guts of Liverpool to RISING, in an exclusive performance integrated with HD imagery on ACMI’s giant cinema screen. Returning to Australia for the first time in ten years, the acclaimed electronic musician will perform live alongside immersive HD imagery on ACMI’s giant cinema screen, in what promises to be a truly overwhelming audiovisual experience.
Night Trade – a free, late-night playground of music, performance, and unexpected delight – returns to Howey Place and its surrounding laneways, inviting festival-goers to drink, dine, and dance their way into spontaneous mischief. Over two weekends, immerse yourself in offbeat experiences like Rising Star Karaoke with Mummy’s Plastic, and encounter Saedog, a captivating creation by Swingers exhibiting artist Seaborg, brought to life as part of their work I WAS MADE FOR LOVING YOU, inviting onlookers into a playful yet eerie dystopia, where unsettling delight and surreal spectacle collide.
On the music front, opening night sees Music in Exile take over the decks with a genre-hopping lineup featuring Kgomotso, LUNA and Zjoso. Then for the long weekend, Kampala’s legendary Nyege Nyege Collective, is in residence with five incredible afro-galactic artists coming to Melbourne including MC Yallah, Kampire, DJ Travella, Lady Hash and Hemedi. Joining them over the four days are local heroes from DJ Manchild’s Old Plates. On weekend two, get ready to boogie with the disco, funky, Italo house, and Latin influenced Disco Mediterranea and New York City’s Blazer Sound System blasting reggae, downbeat, dancehall and dub.
RISING channels the spirit of Melbourne’s legendary Little Bands scene with a one-night takeover across three venues. At The Toff In Town, local radio and label outsider Cease and Desist invites over 20 musicians to form throwaway supergroups in a night of spontaneous noise and self-destructing bands.
At Young and Jackson’s, indie heroes Chapter Music gather artists from across 45 years of Australian DIY culture for a rare intergenerational dialogue, including Denise Rosenberg, Al Montford, Nicole Thibault and Alex Macfarlane. And at Wax Music Lounge, Liquid Architecture reimagines the Little Bands ethos through DJ Quartets—assembling original ensembles armed with CDJs and DJ mixers to imagine the sound of a future underground.
Across both weekends of RISING, get ready to Wrap It Up with Zoë Coombs Marr in a chaotic celebration of everything you love about late night television – condensed into a frantic live variety spectacular. Hosted by the irrepressible Coombs Marr, this madcap show features a rotating lineup of RISING’s finest performers, beloved local stars and a few random puppets.
Expect high-stakes hilarity, surprise guests, and a world record attempt or two as Coombs Marr desperately tries to “wrap it up” before the credits roll. It’s a wild, weird, and wonderful night of live TV magic and everything that could possibly go wrong.
Get ready to kick up your heels as Country Struts Winter Hoedown brings a boot-scooting spectacular to Melbourne Town Hall. This high-energy event, led by renowned dance duo Gail (Abigail Varney) and Glenn (Alice Glenn), promises an unforgettable experience for all ages and abilities.
Varney, known for her authentic rodeo flair, and Glenn, the visionary behind No Lights, No Lycra, bring over three decades of combined experience in dance instruction and community engagement. Together, they’ve sparked joy across Victoria, hosting popular classes in Brunswick, Castlemaine, and St Kilda. Running fresh off the heels of SHOUSE’s mass-musicking moment at Communitas, which takes place at the Town Hall earlier that day, Country Struts is set to take centre stage with a dazzling dance-floor takeover.
With the return of the First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams project, six new-look trams will roll out as part of the 2025 project to share in a culturally rich tribute to First Peoples women. Convened by RISING Senior Curator Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta), the five remaining artists announced today will join lead artist Beruk (William Barak)’s 1897 work Corroborree (Women in possum skin cloaks) on the tracks.
The featured artists include Kelly Koumalatsos (Wergaia, Wemba Wemba), Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta,Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti, Boonwurrung), Jennifer Mullett (Gunaikurnai, Bidawal, Ngarigo) Patsy Smith, (Taungurung) and a collaborative work with Elders, Laurel Robinson (Yorta Yorta/ Wurundjeri), Amy Briggs (Yorta Yorta), Cynthia Hardie (Yorta Yorta) and Rochelle Patten (Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Baraparapa). Working across mediums and eras, they each present overlapping layers of culture and country in the lived experience of First Nations women. For 12 months, they ’ll traverse the city streets, as testaments to the power of their expression.
The First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams initiative is supported by the Victorian Government through Public Transport Victoria, Yarra Trams and Creative Victoria.
Convened by Senior Curator RISING Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta), this years works have been specially selected by the First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams 2025 curatorial collective of highly experienced and community-connected curators including: Belinda Briggs (Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Wurundjeri and Ngiyampaa) Curator Indigenous Shepparton Art Museum; Gail Harradine (Wotjobaluk, Djubagalk, Jadawadjali ) Curatorial Manager Koorie Heritage Trust; Caine Muir (Yorta Yorta, Wati Wati and Ngarrindjeri), Curator First Peoples Collections Museums Victoria; and Stacie Piper (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung) Curator & Collections Victorian Indigenous Research Centre, State Library Victoria.
In a film retrospective for the art house inclined, ACMI will celebrate the unmistakable voice and vision of artist Miranda July. From Kajillionaire and The Future to Me and You and Everyone We Know and Fire of Love, this season will dive deep into July’s offbeat singular storytelling style with a program spanning her feature films, short works, documentaries, and rarely seen video art, including three gems from the ACMI Collection.
Catch a film and then head to the Flinders Street Station Ballroom for a playful bonus at Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf. July is exhibiting a bespoke mini-golf hole where she’ll tell your fortune in her true eccentric fashion.
Expanding beyond Flinders Street Station, Swingers:
The Art of Mini Golf lands at Emporium Melbourne with a cheeky twist, The 10th Hole, a pop-up experience inviting Melburnians to take their best shot, no ticket required. Located in the heart of the city’s premier style and culture destination, this interactive Art installation is a playful extension of the Swingers universe, bringing fun, flair and a competitive edge to the everyday city stroll.
Audiences are invited to dive deeper into some artists’ creative process through a series of free RISING Artist Talks running during the festival. After the presentation of his Olivier award-winning hip-hop masterpiece BLKDOG, London-based choreographer Botis Seva alongside Joshua Shanny-Wynte will lead a special Masterclass on Saturday 7 June at Lucy Guerin Studio, offering rare insight into his unique movement vocabulary.
For those looking for a bite before or after a gig, exhibition or show, Moon Bites returns to the program this year offering fast feasts at some of the city’s most sought-after venues. Conveniently located close to RISING venues, CBD restaurants Aru, Dom’s Social Club, Kisumé, Elio’s Place, Pirate Life and Mesa Verde have each created an exclusive RISING menu with matching drinks and small bites. Make sure to book in advance so you can secure your spot.
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