I have read “The Day the Music Died”, and I agree with the author on one fundamental point: St Kilda’s live music scene is too important to allow it to decline.
St Kilda’s musical heritage is part of our identity. From Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Nick Cave, Rowland S. Howard, Renée Geyer, Tex Perkins and many more over the years to the many emerging artists who have cut their teeth in our venues, live music is central to what makes St Kilda distinctive.
I also recognise the growing concern that some of St Kilda’s live music energy has shifted north of the river, with suburbs such as Fitzroy, Brunswick and Northcote increasingly seen as another destination for musicians, audiences, and venues. We should not be defensive about that observation; we should take it seriously. St Kilda has an extraordinary musical legacy, but history alone is not enough – we need to make sure the suburb remains a place where artists want to perform, venues can survive and audiences want to come. Our challenge now is not simply to preserve St Kilda’s reputation as a music city, but to reignite the conditions that made it one in the first place.
But I do take issue with the suggestion that Council has been silent or has provided “no support” to live music and musicians.
The reality is rather different.
Between 2024 and 2026, Council has supported 75 local artists through Locals Playing Locals, exceeding our target of more than 50. Our Live Music Database now connects 244 local artists with 18 venues, helping create opportunities for musicians to perform.
Council has also supported a very broad range of live music activities, including the St Kilda Blues Festival, Balaclava Boogie, Last Lap Live, Soundcheck Youth Music Conference, Rawkus all-ages youth music festival, the Port Melbourne Music Crawl, Fitzroy Fusion Jazz Festival, various school music activations, including a free Baker Boy performance at Albert Park College, the Roar Festival supporting female performers (photographic exhibition, concerts and talks), the Libraries Summer Music Series and the Festival of Music, just to name a few.
Council itself has produced major live music events, including Last Lap Live with 30 bands, as well as the St Kilda Festival and First People First, which featured 80 bands over two days – the largest free music festival in Australia at a cost to the City of Port Phillip of over $2 million.
We have also been investing in the next generation through youth music programs, school activations, forums and panels focused on pathways into the industry.
Council also recognises that music is part of St Kilda’s heritage and identity, including through the naming of our streets and laneways after musicians who have shaped our cultural history. The recent naming of Seekers Way and Jonesy Lane (years after Rowland S. Howard Lane, the longest street name in Australia, most probably!) is a great example of how we can honour that legacy in the very fabric of our city, ensuring the contribution of musicians to St Kilda’s story is remembered by future generations.
So no, I don’t accept that “nothing” has happened.
But I also don’t believe we should congratulate ourselves and declare the job done.
The closure of a few places is concerning. The economics of running a live music venue or broadly any hospitality venue are difficult, and musicians remain among the least well-paid workers in the creative industries.
That is precisely why I believe the Live Music Precinct needs to move from being a policy aspiration to something that delivers tangible benefits for venues, musicians, and audiences.
There is also an important fact missing from the article.
Council submitted its planning scheme amendment for the St Kilda Live Music Precinct to the Victorian Government in May 2024. We are still waiting for approval from the Department of Transport and Planning to put the amendment on public exhibition.
That delay is outside Council’s control and has delayed the next stage of the process.
And there is more work ahead.
The new Port Phillip Creative Strategy, currently being finalised, proposes that live music venues be explicitly recognised as critical cultural infrastructure, with measures to support their retention through planning policy, advocacy, precinct initiatives and better coordination across Council.
It also proposes strengthening the St Kilda Live Music Precinct, increasing opportunities for musicians -particularly emerging artists and young people – and partnering with Music Victoria on cultural safety through the All Good program.
So, I welcome the scrutiny. Council should absolutely be held accountable for delivering on its commitments.
But let’s have that conversation based on the facts.
On a personal level, my commitment to St Kilda’s music culture goes beyond Council policy. I was proud to recommend Mick Harvey for recognition by the French Government as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, recognising his extraordinary contribution to the legacy of Serge Gainsbourg, and to help organise the celebration of that honour here in St Kilda.
I have also given my full support to the Palace Foreshore event in February/ March so it is even more successful. Who can forget Grace Jones drinking “Mass wine” during her great concert!
As the lease of the Vineyard is coming up, I want to make sure it remains a place loved by locals and an important part of St Kilda’s live music scene.
I have been advocating for more information to be gathered and more options explored before Council proceeds with an EOI, with the help of several award-winning local St Kilda architects.
People love the Vineyard as a live music venue, and I believe any future plans should respect and preserve its DNA.
I must mention my support and help to Anna and Dagma who are the brilliant producers of the Parents Battles of the Bands, bringing together the parents of many schools in Port Phillip but also many more parts of Melbourne (and even Sydney now) raising money for the musical programs in their respective schools. They got a council grant for the first time this year. I love their work!
More recently, I also supported George Lane, one of St Kilda’s unique and much-loved live music venues, in its application for Federal funding. These are the kinds of practical actions I believe matter. As a St Kilda Councillor, I want to see a St Kilda where musicians can make a living, venues can remain viable, emerging artists can get their first break, and residents and visitors can continue to experience the live music that has made our suburb famous.
The music hasn’t died.
But it needs all of us -Council, State Government, the industry, venues, musicians and the community – to make sure it doesn’t.
And I will continue to advocate for it.
Cr Serge Thomann, St Kilda Ward
Image top: Serge Thomann pictured with singer Jess Hitchcock, Beverly Sheehan (Judith Durhum’s sister) and Bruce Woodley.
