BodyjarAustralia’s music charity for young people, The Push, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. As part of the celebrations, its long-running festival, Push Over, has been revived for one day only.
Eleven artists will perform across one day, commemorating The Push, on Saturday, 21 November. Push Over – 40 Years of The Push is a landmark occasion that will take place at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens as part of the city’s Live At The Gardens series, presented by MG Live, The Push and Double J.
The event has locked in homegrown music icons who helped pave the way for The Push’s ongoing impact. Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb, Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt and Regurgitator are all set to perform, paying tribute to The Push and Push Over, Victoria’s longest-running all-ages music festival (from 1992 until 2013).
Each headlining act will be joined on stage by a special guest for an exclusive Push Over collaboration. Special guests confirmed to appear include Alex Lahey, Alice Ivy, Baker Boy, members of Public Figures, Ruby Fields, and Teenage Joans’ Tahlia Borg and Cahli Blakers. Who each guest will be paired with will be revealed on the day.
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Live At The Gardens and MG Live members can access pre-sale tickets to the event from Friday, 24 July, at 11 am local time. The general sale for Push Over – 40 Years of The Push at Live At The Gardens opens on Monday, 27 July, at 12 pm local time via Ticketmaster.
Kate Duncan, CEO of The Push, said of reviving Push Over this spring, “We’re over the moon to bring back Push Over to celebrate our 40-year history as Australia's youth music charity. Its return is iconic – bring your parents, bring your kids.”
She continued, “Artists, young music fans, and parents have asked us to bring Push Over back - and we’ve listened. It was a rite of passage for bands and music fans for more than 20 years, including my first gig in 1998 seeing Rancid, The Living End and Jebediah.”
Each headlining act also commented on the impact of The Push on their careers and memories as young, festival-going attendees.
Bodyjar said:
The Push got us a ton of all-ages gigs in the early days; regional shows with bands we loved too. They do a lot for our generation of bands and people who love live music.
Frenzal Rhomb said:
Why do we love The Push? Coz kids can do stuff better than old people. And organisations like The Push prove it. But mostly, ‘coz it meant we got to play to heaps of people that we normally wouldn’t get to, to pollute their young, developing brains with our music, and get them hooked for life!
Killing Heidi said:
As a teenager, the live music world is mostly locked behind 18+ doors, and The Push tore that barrier down. They treated young artists and young audiences as if they mattered, because they do.
For a kid from Violet Town, that meant everything. Killing Heidi played Push Over in 1996, our first festival gig. Standing on that stage as kids, in front of a crowd our own age, was the moment things started to feel real for us … it set us on the path to everything that came after.
Magic Dirt said:
Push Over shows were such a huge part of growing up – and really, growing up in Melbourne. In 1994 we played Push Over at Luna Park with Spiderbait, The Meanies and Silverchair. Silverchair were just hitting the big time, and it was like something out of a crazy Beatles-era hysteria.
The crowd was a heaving, surging and pumped mass of kids! It’s honestly amazing to see The Push still going strong, championing Australian live music for new generations of young music lovers.
Regurgitator said:
It’s awesome to see The Push turning 40 and still providing the yoof a safe place to scream and be screamed at. It was a blast back then and continues to be a blast to be a part of this amazing, shared, formative experience.
PUSH OVER
40 YEARS OF THE PUSH – LIVE AT THE GARDENS
Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb, Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt & Regurgitator
Special guest appearances by Alex Lahey, Alice Ivy, Baker Boy, Evie from Public Figures, Ruby Fields & Thalia and Cahli from Teenage Joans
Saturday 21 November | Live at the Gardens | Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, VIC
Lic. All Ages
