Independent Australian rock band Eddy Current Suppression don’t do things by the book, which is why instead of raking in the cash by playing a gruelling but lucrative national tour, they’re playing a free, accessible-to-all gig at Fed Square in the heart of Melbourne on 26 September after a nine year hiatus.
Formed for a one-off Christmas party gig at Corduroy Records’s vinyl pressing plant in Highett in 2003, the band (named after an electrical component at the printing plant) soon became hot favourites in the Australian music scene as a result of their idiosyncratic garage rock sound.
Nor was Eddy Current limited to playing small, underground gigs, winning the Australian Music Prize in 2008 for debut album Primary Colours, breaking into the ARIA Top 20 with 2010’s Rush to Relax and memorably playing to large and excited audiences at Golden Plains Music Festival and Dark Mofo in 2016.
Now, its four members – drummer Daniel Young aka Danny Current, guitarist Michael Young aka Eddy Current, vocalist Brendan Huntley (also a visual artist) aka Brendan Suppression and bassist Brad Barry aka Rob Solid – return to Melbourne Federation Square on Victoria’s AFL Grand Final eve public holiday, for their first ever free show.
‘Eddy Current Suppression Ring is a band woven into the fabric of Melbourne’s music history. Raw, fearless and utterly electrifying live,’ said Fed Square Director of Programming Sarah Tutton.
‘We’re delighted to welcome them back to the city for what promises to be a truly unforgettable night at Fed Square, continuing our commitment to creating unmissable free, all-ages events that celebrate the best of local and international music, right in the heart of
Melbourne.’
Read: Australia’s classical music crisis is real and it’s not just about old audiences
The band does not want to extend the scope of their reunion by touring, as vocalist Brendan Huntley told The Age today (22 July).
‘One thing on the plate is enough at this size. And the idea of it being free to anyone at all ages, it’s like, that’s enough,’ he said.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s Fed Square show will be supported by New York hip hop MC and producer EDAN and Melbourne Afro-synth duo Wrong Way Up, and adds to Fed Square’s reputation as an outdoor live music venue, following free sets from the likes of Robbie Williams, Kneecap, Caribou, Glass Beams and more.
The band’s last headline show in Melbourne was in 2010; the Fed Square show follows the lightning-fast sell-out of their new split 7-inch Shapes and Forms, which was released earlier in the month.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring plays Federation Square, Melbourne on Friday 26 September 2025 between 7-10:30pm. Visit Fed Square for details.
Also on ArtsHub:
Trauma narratives dominate Australian literary prizes – why?
In the last decade, trauma narratives have become a defining force in Australian literature. From the Miles Franklin to the Stella Prize, awards juries have consistently honoured books that explore personal and collective wounds.
Stories of abuse, colonisation, institutional violence and loss have become the norm. But as trauma-centred storytelling becomes ubiquitous, questions are being raised: is this trend deepening our empathy or limiting the stories we tell?
Many of Australia’s most acclaimed books in recent years centre on trauma. Jennifer Down’s Bodies of Light, winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award, follows a girl subjected to extreme abuse in state care. The judges praised it as ‘an astonishing novel that evades prurience or exploitation’ and noted its ‘ethical precision’ in confronting institutional failure.
Melissa Lucashenko’s Too Much Lip, another Miles Franklin winner, explores intergenerational trauma and cycles of family violence in an Aboriginal community. Tara June Winch’s The Yield weaves together the grief of losing language, culture and land through the story of a Wiradjuri woman returning home.
Read: Trauma narratives dominate Australian literary prizes – why?
