Melbourne’s Fed Square has revealed another huge wave of free outdoor music events, with Victorian psychedelic heavyweights King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Detroit house icon Moodymann, and local DJ legend DJ JNETT leading a packed summer schedule. The new series builds on an incredible run of major shows across the past year that have seen thousands gather in the heart of the city for some of Australia’s most memorable live moments.
Kicking things off on Friday 24 October, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will headline the Fed Square Main Stage with an exclusive rave set — a fully improvised electronic performance using the band’s eurorack-modular setups. Known for their relentless genre-hopping and prolific creativity, the performance marks their first show on home soil in more than two years and the debut of their modular techno experiment in Australia.
“Come on down. Freak out with us. You ain’t never seen this many patch cables in your life,” says frontman Stu Mackenzie, summing up the chaos fans can expect.
This Fed Square event will be free and open to all ages, transforming the city’s iconic public square into a pulsating dance floor. The evening will open with a set from Merve, the Naarm-born, now Berlin-based DJ and producer known for her hypnotic energy and genre-bending performances. Having lit up legendary venues like Panorama Bar and Boiler Room, Merve’s set is set to be a high-voltage warm-up for Gizzard’s modular mayhem.
The rave night continues Fed Square’s tradition of world-class free events, following landmark performances from Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Glass Beams, KNEECAP, and Caribou. The program has cemented the square’s reputation as one of the country’s premier live music destinations, offering accessible, open-air performances that draw fans from across the city.
Just over a month later, on Thursday 27 November, Fed Square will host an unmissable night for dance music fans featuring Moodymann and DJ JNETT. Moodymann, the enigmatic Detroit producer and DJ, is revered for his deep house sound that merges soul, funk, disco and hip hop into a singular, unpredictable groove. His sets have become the stuff of legend, combining mystery, charisma and raw musicality in equal measure.
Joining him is DJ JNETT, one of Australia’s most influential electronic artists. With decades of experience shaping the country’s underground dance scene, JNETT’s soulful and eclectic sets have graced everything from Melbourne warehouse parties to international festival stages. Together, Moodymann and JNETT will deliver an unforgettable night of house music that celebrates both global icons and local trailblazers.
Fed Square will wrap up its year-long celebration of free live music with a New Year’s Eve spectacular on Wednesday 31 December. From 7 pm, Melbourne favourite Barry Sunset returns to curate an all-local DJ lineup featuring MzRizk, Gavin Campbell, and Barry Sunset himself. Expect an all-night journey through disco, funk, house, and dancefloor classics, leading into the city’s midnight countdown surrounded by unbeatable views of the Melbourne skyline.
Katrina Sedgwick OAM, Director and CEO of MAP Co, says the new wave of events continues to elevate Fed Square’s place at the centre of Melbourne’s cultural life.
“Fed Square has cemented its place as one of Australia’s most exciting homes for live music, drawing huge crowds to free events right in the heart of Melbourne,” Sedgwick said. “This next wave builds on that success, with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Moodymann and DJ JNETT joining a line-up of world-class artists who make Fed Square the place to experience unforgettable live music, accessible and open for everyone to enjoy.”
The upcoming slate adds to King Gizzard’s already huge end-of-year schedule. Following their Fed Square rave, the band will embark on their December Australian tour, performing orchestral and rock shows across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, featuring a 29-piece orchestra led by conductor Chad Kelly and support from acts including Party Dozen, Destrends, and Barkaa.
From modular techno improvisation to orchestral grandeur, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard continue to push the limits of live performance. And with Fed Square serving as the backdrop for an electrifying lineup of international and local acts, Melbourne looks set for one of its most exciting music summers yet.
King Gizzard December 2025 Tour Dates
Orchestra Shows (with Conductor & Music Director Chad Kelly)
Dec 2 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Sydney Opera House * (SOLD OUT)
Dec 3 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Sydney Opera House * (SOLD OUT)
Dec 9 – Meeanjin/Brisbane, QLD @ Princess Theatre # (SOLD OUT)
Dec 10 – Meeanjin/Brisbane, QLD @ Princess Theatre # (JUST ADDED)
Dec 12 – Naarm/Melbourne, VIC @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl % +
Rock N’ Roll Shows
Dec 4 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Enmore Theatre ~$ (JUST ADDED)
Dec 5 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Enmore Theatre ~$ (SOLD OUT)
Dec 7 – Meeanjin/Brisbane, QLD @ Fortitude Music Hall ~
Dec 13 – Naarm/Melbourne, VIC @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl ^
* w/ Sydney Symphony Orchestra
# w/ Queensland Symphony Orchestra
% w/ Orchestra Victoria
~ w/ Party Dozen
$ w/ Destrends
^ w/ Barkaa
w/ Folk Bitch Trio
Tickets are on sale now.
The tour coincides with the release of King Gizzard’s upcoming 27th studio album Phantom Island, a project that continues their restless pursuit of reinvention.
Phantom Island marks another ambitious turn for King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who, even 27 albums in, show no sign of creative fatigue. Released on 13 June 2025 through their own p(doom) Records label, the record expands the sonic world of Flight b741 (2024) with sweeping orchestral arrangements that add warmth, grandeur and a new sense of space to their famously frenetic sound.
Frontman Stu Mackenzie describes Phantom Island as the “laidback” counterpart to Flight b741, trading the garage-rock grit for lush cinematic layers. The orchestral element was sparked after the band’s 2023 U.S. Residency Tour, where they shared backstage time with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. That meeting led to a collaboration with English composer Chad Kelly, who merges baroque sensibilities with King Gizzard’s microtonal experiments, creating something that’s part psychedelic jam, part modern symphony.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
