Kerfew will take over The Substation in Newport on Saturday 11 July with a late-night programme that brings together experimental, classical and electronic performance from a range of South Asian artists working across Australia.
Presented by The Substation, the event titled Kerfew: Testing runs from 7pm to 1am and is curated and produced by Kamna Muddagouni and Saieesh Shanmugarajah. It marks a first full-venue presentation for the collective, which was founded in 2022 by South Asian artists, musicians and DJs working across contemporary club and performance spaces.
The programme has been shaped around a mix of live sets, installations and DJ performances, with artists exploring sound through both traditional and contemporary approaches. The line-up includes Aarti Jadu with a live set that draws on vocal composition and electronic textures, alongside Arsonist making a Naarm debut with a DJ set informed by percussive and experimental club sounds.
Classical traditions sit alongside more exploratory work through a collaboration between Bhairavi Raman and Nanthesh Sivarajah on violin and mridangam, while Hantu x Vinod Prasanna present a cross-generational flute performance that moves between traditional practice and contemporary interpretation. Rakini Devi will present Urban Kali as a live performance installation, examining embodied storytelling through movement and ritual.
Other performances include R Rebeiro’s live set focused on raw, textured sound and percussion-led improvisation, and Vijay Thillaimuthu’s quadraphonic electromagnetic work using theremin-controlled modular synthesisers, designed to respond to Meagan Streader’s lighting installation A Residual Pulse. Interstitial DJ sets by kāmna and food by MyNameChef (Ronen Jafari) will run throughout the evening.
The Substation’s multi-space layout will be used to shift between performance, dining and listening environments, with organisers encouraging audiences to move between quieter and more immersive areas as the night progresses. Early arrivals will be able to experience live instrumental performances before the programme moves deeper into electronic and experimental sets.
Tickets range from $30 to $43, with concessions and local pricing available, alongside free entry for First Nations attendees. Full details and bookings are available via The Substation’s programme page.
Kerfew: Testing reflects the collective’s ongoing focus on creating space for South Asian artists to present work that crosses genres and formats, while engaging audiences across Melbourne’s west and beyond.
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