Deadly Events

02/07/2024

Good night to get down and hangout ahead of NAIDOC week.
We always are open to allow First Nations mob, locally and visiting, to take the stage and share. 7pm onwards. Just rock up and let the MC know ya keen! See y'all there.

21/05/2024

In lieu of our finale of the Autumn series taking place tonight, we have joining us next week 🤩🖤

With a voice equal parts tender and towering, Award-winning Naarm based artist Bumpy isone of the country’s most thrilling, transportiveartists. Going by her childhood nickname –earned for a habit of bumping into all kinds of
obstacles – she pulls from the strength found intenderness, scars and all. She has wowedcrowds at Meredith Music Festival, BIGSOUND,WOMADelaide, Woodford Folk Festival, VIVIDFestival, Queenscliff Music Festival, NGV &Dreamtime at the MCG and more with herdeeply affecting music; A shimmering collectionof R&B and neo-soul.

21/05/2024

Hey folks! Alice Skye can no longer join us tonight - but she sends her love and hopes to get up on the Blak Stage another time ♥️ instead our regular open mic night will go ahead, so jump up on stage! 🤗

30/04/2024

Next week on Blak Stage we have 🌿

24/04/2024

Next week we have the legendary Jimmy Kyle 🤩 see you there you mob

16/04/2024

Up next on BLAK STAGE 🖤💛♥️
Yambra, Jimmy Kyle, Jalgany, Canisha
Come through, show up, and get up on the stage you mob

10/04/2024

Next week - Allara is joined by Basil Byrne and Phoebe Elsworth Allara is a powerful Yorta Yorta winyarr. She is a storyteller, composer, director, producer, musician and soundscape designer. With humour and integrity, Allara uses the double-bass and sound samples from Country to weave textures for healing in her work “I am Sovereign, I am Free”. Allara's innovative music speaks to Blak justice and sovereignty.

Allara was the recipient of the Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent (Music Victoria Awards 2021) and is a founding member of Ensemble Dutala.

05/04/2024

This Tuesday The Retreat Hotel Amos Roach takes the stage 💥

Amos Roach is a proud Ngarrandjerri/ Djab Wurrung/Gunditj Mara man.
His music presents a narrative of healing, told with song and dance. Amos’s voice travels between the Desert, the Riverland and the Saltwater to the city like smoke from a fire.

21/03/2024

BLAK STAGE feat. KIWAT KENNELL

Kiwat Kennell is a proud Torres Strait Islander musician who walks in two worlds as he creates an expansive array of musical expression to evoke emotion and break down cultural barriers. Kiwat Kennell is a student of life, his gift for musicality a conduit for his own existence. Broken-hearted yearnings and triumphant awakenings permeate the melting pot of song writing that Kiwat continues to find himself within.

After a huge Summer Series, we're back with an Autumn Series, every Tuesday with a special guest opening before the stage becomes open mic exclusively for First Nations artists, at The Retreat Hotel.

We been doing this for almost 5 years now! If ya haven't been, don't miss this week!

Free Entry and Family Friendly.
Retreat Hotel Dining Room from 6.30pm

GET IN EARLY!!!

18/03/2024

GUEST MC AND PERFORMER CERULEAN!!!!

, a dynamic and vibrant conceptual performer from Naarm/Melbourne, brings a refreshing wave of excitement and joy to the stage. Proudly representing the Torres Strait Islands as a Meriam drag artist, she holds the prestigious titles of the national Miss First Nation pageant winner in 2021 and the Supreme Queen pageant at Sydney World Pride 2023. With 4 and a half years of experience in drag, Cerulean has graced stages at various festivals, clubs, and community events nationwide. Renowned for her visionary performances, she captivates audiences with compelling stories delivered through exceptionally fierce and entertaining drag acts, leaving them craving for more.

After a huge Summer Series, we're back with an Autumn Series, every Tuesday with a special guest opening before the stage becomes open mic exclusively for First Nations artists, at The Retreat Hotel.

We been doing this for almost 5 years now! If ya haven't been, don't miss this week!

Free Entry and Family Friendly.
Retreat Hotel Dining Room from 6.30pm

GET IN EARLY!!!

14/03/2024

BLAK STAGE X CANDICE LORRAE

Candice Lorrae, is an award-winning First Nations singer-songwriter and producer, currently based in Naarm/Melbourne. Born in Darwin NT with Torres Strait Islander, Jawoyn and Filipino roots, she spent her formative years in Boorloo/Perth, establishing her music career before making the move to Naarm in 2017. As one half of the electronic pop duo, The Merindas, Candice infuses her music with a soulful, country/pop and classic rock flair, shaped by the melodies that played a pivotal role in her upbringing. Drawing inspiration from musical icons like Fleetwood Mac, Sade and Bonnie Raitt, Candice Lorrae is at the start of her solo journey once again, sharing her songs that is a tribute to her family, relationships and culture.

After a huge Summer Series, we're back with an Autumn Series, every Tuesday with a special guest opening before the stage becomes open mic exclusively for First Nations artists, at The Retreat Hotel.

We been doing this for almost 5 years now! If ya haven't been, don't miss this week!

Free Entry and Family Friendly.
Retreat Hotel Dining Room from 6.30pm

GET IN EARLY!!!

01/03/2024

BLAK STAGE AUTUMN SERIES LAUNCH PARTY feat. MAU POWER!

MARCH 12TH @ 6.30PM

After a huge summer series, we're coming back for an Autumn series, with back to back nights with special guests opening the evening.

Mau Power is a metaphysical man on a transformational journey that simultaneously traverses his inner and outer worlds. He navigates his perceptions to create his reality. He is the first rapper to emerge from the rich musical traditions of the Torres Strait, a local leader and a lyrical storyteller at the crossroads of Indigenous and hip-hop culture. By living his life and assimilating his experiences he is able to tell the story of how these two cultures entwine and connect. Mau Power has collaborated with a plethora of acclaimed Indigenous musicians and dancers including Albert David, Archie Roach, Benny Walker, Radical Son and Jimblah to name a few. He has performed across Australia and the UK where his powerful live performances are show-stoppers.

Mau Power is revered by the Australian government for championing the Indigenous Aboriginal culture in modern day times. The Torres Strait Islands is made up of 274 small islands that lay in the beautiful turquoise waterways that separate The Cape York Peninsula in the northern tip of Australia from Papua New Guinea. Thursday Island is approximately 4.5 square kilometers of lush tropical terrain that is still governed by Indigenous knowledge. It is a place where song and dance play an integral role in the survival of cultural traditions. For many years, the Indigenous society have been recording their culture through music and upon the advent of hip-hop in the region, Mau Power cultivated a subgenre that will record and tell the story of the Indigenous. It is the art of storytelling that embodies the connection of two cultures that makes Mau Power a truly unique Australian artist.

GET IN EARLY FOR THIS ONE!!!

Blak Stage is a free entry and family friendly and the longest running First Nations Open Mic night in the Kulin Nations.

See you @ The Retreat Hotel

Doors @ 6.30pm

26/02/2024

It's taken a few weeks to find some time to reflect on what an incredible few months of shows we just rolled out for the "Summer Series" of BLAK STAGE.

Firstly, thankyou for the enabling support from Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation & The Retreat Hotel making it possible to curate such a deadly line-up of artists.

Kutcha Edwards The Deans of Soul Fred Leone Deline Briscoe Music Dallas Woods Scott Darlow BUMPY YNG Martyr Bart Willoughby & Kee'ahn

Also, big thanks to Cerisa Benjamin for curating the entire series bringing together not only the artists, but organising our deadly sponsors and biz supporters who contributed gifts for the Quiz every night.

AND those bizzes...Clothing The Gaps Murnong Mammas Haus of Dizzy Mabu Mabu BLAK QUEENS & BLAK BREWS

Thankyou to the MC's Brad Brown & Stone Motherless Cold (and others who jumped up!)

And to all our deadly local and visiting artists, from all walks of life and all styles of creative representation, it is YOU that are the fabric of this night that has become a caring and accepting home for our community to gather.

So, what are we gonna do now? Create an Autumn series!!!!

Lead programmer Lauren Sheree will be driving this one, and we have already started locking away some guest slots.

LAUNCH PARTY MARCH 12th with guest Mau Power!!!!

PICS Ross Green

21/02/2024

Did someone say AUTUMN SERIES?

Incoming....March 5th Launch Party

06/02/2024

GUEST MC TONIGHT

BLAK STAGE Open Mic Night, every Tuesday in The Retreat bandroom, inviting all mob, emerging & established, to come down and take the stage to share: sing, dance, poetry, comedy... everything! With special guests each week!

Blak Stage is the long running premier open mic night ran by and for First Nations people's.

All allies are invited to meet up, grab a meal and tune in to our local and visiting first nations storytellers.

It's Free Entry and FAMILY FRIENDLY.

6.30pm doors. 7.30pm kick off!

17/01/2024

11 HUGE SHOWS. 11 HUGE GUEST ARTISTS. We are throwing the biggest series of shows over summer, inviting some of the biggest names in music to come guest open Naarms longest running premier Open Mic night which is home to First Nations artists far and wide.

This week? BART WILLOUGHBY (NO FIXED ADDRESS)

Bart Willoughby the Pioneering Aboriginal Reggae Artist best known for such life altering and defiant Indigenous anthems, “We Have Survived”, “Black Mans Rights” and “Aboriginal Woman”, was a founding member of “No Fixed Address” in the early 80’s and “Mixed Relations” in the 90’s.

Willoughby first came into broader prominence in the docu-drama Wrong Side of The Road, a 1981 low-budget feature film made in South Australia. Groundbreaking in that it was one of the first attempts to bring modern Aboriginal Australia to a non-indigenous audience.

Said to be the tip of the spear in the modern indigenous song-line Bart Willoughby forged the path for many. An undeniable influence on acts that have since followed his lead. The first Indigenous artist to score a feature film, the first to sign a record deal and tour internationally with No Fixed Address. His Lyrics have been referenced in a biographies on Bob Marley and Peter Tosh (The Life Of Peter Tosh Steppin Razor By John Masouri) and are to feature on a Public Sculpture piece to be officially in May 2014 at 8 Chiefly Square Sydney.

An imitable performer multi-instrumentalist and innovator in his field, Bart Willoughby continues to challenge himself musically, recently recording an album and performing on The Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ again the first Indigenous Artist to do so. He is currently touring and continuing to record albums with The Bart Willoughby Band, as well as a scaled back ensemble with notable guests for The We Still Live on Organ Tour, as a solo performer and with another Australian musical Icon Ross Hannaford of Daddy Cool Fame.

Bart is a living legend. And this show is NOT TO BE MISSED!!

DOORS 6:30PM

BOOK NOW!!!! FREE ENTRYYYY!!!

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Blak Stage is this countries premier and longest running open mic night for mob,

14/01/2024

11 HUGE SHOWS. 11 HUGE GUEST ARTISTS. We are throwing the biggest series of shows over summer, inviting some of the biggest names in music to come guest open Naarms longest running premier Open Mic night which is home to First Nations artists far and wide.

This week! CHARLIE NEEDS BRACES!!!

The latest music project comes from Naarm musician Charlie Woods. Charlie is a proud GuriNgai woman, a direct descendant of Bungaree and Matora. The lands running from the Central Coast of NSW along the mouth of the Hawkesbury river and into Northern Sydney.

Having played on stage with bands such as The Teskey Brothers, Casey Donovan, The Seven Ups, Gang of Youths, and TEK TEK Ensemble, Naarm based musician Charlie Woods is venturing out with her sister Miri to launch the project-Charlie Needs Braces.

She's also fresh off receipt taking home the ARCHIE ROACH FOUNDATION AWARD AWARDS.

BOOK NOW!!!! FREE ENTRYYYY!!!

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Blak Stage is this countries premier and longest running open mic night for mob, running every Tuesday at The Retreat Hotel since 2019.

08/01/2024

11 HUGE SHOWS. 11 HUGE GUEST ARTISTS. We are throwing the biggest series of shows over summer, inviting some of the biggest names in music to come guest open Naarms longest running premier Open Mic night which is home to First Nations artists far and wide.

This week? YNG MARTYR

When challenged to a freestyle rap battle in an online video game chatroom, YNG Martyr rendered his peers speechless. Since then, the twenty-one-year-old, Canberra-based First Nations artist has become a staple of the Aussie Hip-Hop scene. YNG Martyr’s unique and ever-evolving sound weaves between high-energy trap and stripped-back RnB, with each track laced with his signature cadence and unskippable rhythms.

In 2018, YNG Martyr dropped his first single, “PUTIN,” a track that became the first in a long line of viral anthems from the artist. Inspired and determined, YNG Martyr began a high-risk, high-reward social media strategy during which he left his 9-5, took out a $15,000 loan, and spent the entirety of the sum on meme accounts to incorporate snippets of his next single, ‘Nike Ticks.’ With the track’s explosive release, YNG Martyr added yet another viral hit to his belt, this time taking out Acclaim’s prestigious 2020 Track of the Year and amassing over 56 million Spotify streams, contributing to YNG’s 140+ million catalogue streams. The meteoric rise of ‘Nike Ticks’ also allowed YNG to collaborate with the likes of Billy Marchiafava, Riff Raff, and an Aussie favorite, Sophiya.

YNG Martyr’s ever-growing portfolio has earned praise from Rolling Stone US, Yahoo, Tone Deaf, theMusic, and Sniffers – as well as spot adds on triple j and a stint wearing the highly sought-after triple j Unearthed Feature Artist crown. YNG Martyr is regularly featured on multiple editorial playlists, including Spotify’s Internet People, New Music Friday, and The Drip, as well as Apple Music’s New Australia, New Music, and .

In 2022 he took the stage stage at iconic Aussie festivals THIS THAT and Golden Shores, as well as jet-setting to Texas to join the likes of 2 Chainz, Rae Sremmurd, Tippie Redd, and TYGA at So What festival.
DOORS 6:30PM

2023 has already proven to be a huge year for the int

26/12/2023

11 HUGE SHOWS. 11 HUGE GUEST ARTISTS. We are throwing the biggest series of shows over summer, inviting some of the biggest names in music to come guest open Naarms longest running premier Open Mic night which is home to First Nations artists far and wide.

Bringing in the New Year? SCOTT DARLOW!!

Scott Darlow, a Yorta Yorta descendent, has been a prominent figure in Australia's Indigenous and independent music scene since 2003. As a versatile singer-songwriter, guitarist, and didgeridoo player, he has sold over 50,000 albums globally and toured extensively in Australia, Asia, and the USA. With four albums to his name, including the acclaimed "Sorry," Darlow has garnered attention for his anthemic rock style. His collaborations with Aussie music icons, such as forming The Droughtbreakers, showcase his commitment to philanthropy, notably fundraising for drought-affected farmers. In 2020, his song "You Can't See Black in the Dark" addressed race relations and quickly climbed the charts. Signed to Michael Gudinski's "Reclusive Records," Darlow continues to make waves with his 2022 album "Deadly Heart," which charted impressively. Beyond music, he is a passionate Indigenous activist and World Vision spokesperson, spreading awareness and advocating for forgiveness, love, understanding, tolerance, and empathy (FLUTE) in schools and businesses worldwide.

DOORS 6:30PM

BOOK NOW!!!! FREE ENTRYYYY!!!

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Blak Stage is this countries premier and longest running open mic night for mob, running every Tuesday at The Retreat Hotel

22/12/2023

Remembering Darren Clinch

LIVE from The Retreat Hotel

22/12/2023

Today's the day we pay our deep respects to Darren Clinch. His service will be streamed today at 11am. Link is in bio. We'll be at The Retreat Hotel for the wake and all are invited to enjoy some music and more from 2pm.

21/12/2023

Darren Clinch funeral service will be live streamed below. His wake will take place at The Retreat Hotel , his home away from home, from 2pm.

https://goldengatefunerals.com.au/darren-clinch

The service will be at Overnewton Castle in Keilor

The live streaming and the quality of the streaming is dependent on our Wi-Fi connection at the venue of the service and as well as your own connection.