Freak City Frequencies

Celebrating up-and-coming local artists in the community

Words by Alex Callan

As one of the premier open-air venues that our city has to offer, Captain has established itself as a staple amongst local clubgoers who like things a little bit more on the alternative side. And it’s easy to see why.

With a beautiful venue that spans from inside out to a massive outdoor beer garden, a long list of locals on display every weekend and an increase in notable bookings, it’s become a haven for Geelong clubgoers looking to discover something new.

That’s where Freak City Frequencies comes into the mix.

Offering a changeup from the typical Geelong scene, Freak City Frequencies delivers a specific focus on up-and-coming and under-represented artists within our wider community, with the venue showcasing live music inside and DJs in the outdoor beer garden, all while raising money for local organisations like the Indigenous Literacy Fund, Orange Sky Australia and more.

Having previously showcased the likes of Jim English, Kaviitá, rory jame$ and Manny Lado, Freak City just delivered a stacked lineup for its third edition last month, with local legend Barbie Gault headlining the outdoor event alongside Semps & Kel, Ryheem and Emmyk & Tilly and Prodgaz, The Grimwoods and emerging rap talent Juiceboxx performing inside.

“The initial idea was to create a space for upcoming DJs and live artists who are really pushing to make it in the music industry,” says Matt Ellison, the brains behind the event. “I wasn’t too bothered about genre or anything like that because I had seen how many different people would come in whenever Captain had a live band on or anything different from the regular bookings.

“So I thought, well if we can get all these groups of music fans together in the same venue, it could be something special and it really has been so far.

“It’s definitely been the thing that I have been putting the most time into. I’m just constantly thinking about who I want to bring in each volume and how that will work with the other acts booked for that night. It’s been hard having to pick and choose acts at times but it’s been fun keeping it as diverse as possible.”

Freak City Frequencies take place at Captain, 8 Malop Street, Geelong. Stay tuned for the next event from Freak City Frequencies on Facebook.