‘Social Sanctuary’ with Beefheart & McQuinn, Macrocarpa + The Boatmen

FREE ENTRY | $20 CHICKEN & EGGPLANT PARMAS | $10 PINTS OF MOUNTAIN GOAT Kick those Monday blues to the curb at Social Sanctuary – your weekly night of free live music at NSC. We've lined up a stellar roster of your fave local artists and some exciting new talents breezing through town! This week Beefheart & McQuinn, macrocarpa + The Boatmen are stopping by for a show. Beefheart & McQuinn is the new project from UK artist Moby Beefheart aka William Murray (of UK outfit Fur) and Melbourne / Naarm musician Winter McQuinn (Sunfruits, jade imagine). Coming together after a chanced coffee meetup, the musical connection between the two artists is palpable. Sharing a love for the folk and rock sounds of yesteryear without pastiche obsession, Beefheart & McQuinn make contemporary psychedelic folk / soft rock, a rich sonic tapestry of vocal harmony blends and deft musicianship / production. Their debut record 'Midtown Downtime‘ which was quietly released in May 2026 via Canadian label We Are Busy Bodies (Physical) & Norwegian label Rainflower (Digital), is a 27 minute high energy album about the modern world’s political landscape, love, friendship and nostalgia. The album picked up rave reviews from Aquarium Drunkard, Raven Sings The Blues as well as Double J, triple j Unearthed, ABC and more, being described as ‘distinctly contemporary yet timeless’ and as ‘A stunning debut, the kind of record you either get into now or spend years searching the bins to find on the rumors and remembrances of quicker collectors’. The duo has since signed with booking agencies Hometown Talent in Europe and Crossover in North America and supported acts including Leah Senior, Snowy and JB Patterson alongside headline shows in the UK and Australia. macrocarpa is a new band/group project spearheaded by songwriter Sam Bambery (he/they). Bambery is originally from Lyttelton, NZ but is now based in Naarm/Melbourne (since June 2024). macrocarpa is an alternative music group featuring the creative input and performance of musicians from both sides of the Tasman Sea. After recording and performing his previous solo album Rubricator, Bambery based himself in Melbourne with a Tascam 4-track in an apartment overlooking the busy heart of Fitzroy. The songs produced from this period of writing capture an awakened awareness of mortality and position in one's own life, wrapped in guitar arrangements that echo Bambery's fondness for contemporary flavour and flown-by convention. Country shuffles playing out into post-rock disassociation, lyrical metaphor centring the garden bed as mirth-maker and funeral mask. The name macrocarpa (in lowercase) is pulled from the cypress trees lining Bambery's sap-stained childhood memory whilst also drawing reference to the native mottlecah eucalypt, a physical tie to Bambery's new home in Australia. macrocarpa is a quintet of friends old and new; featuring two guitars, cello, bass guitar and drums. The band formed at the start of 2026 and has been playing shows to a steadily growing audience across Melbourne. All musicians have strong backgrounds in performance of different kinds including music for dance, improvisation and songwriting. They hunger for more performance opportunities with a goal to one day headline music festivals and tours across Australasia and beyond. The current band consists of Sam Bambery (guitar/vocals, he/they), Amy Archer (cello, she/her), Maisie Niven (bass, she/her), Samuel White (drums, he/him) and Hugh O'Meara (guitar, he/him). The Boatmen are a northside trio arisen from a shared love of folk music. Blending melancholic, evocative lyrics with three part harmonies and accompaniments from bass, banjo and cello. Social Sanctuary is proud to be sponsored by Mountain Goat. Our show is being held on the lands of the Wurundjeri People and we wish to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners of this land we are gathered on. We also pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and Aboriginal Elders of other communities that may join us for our show. THIS SHOW IS STRICTLY 18+ Northcote Social Club strives to create a safe space that everyone can enjoy. Crowd surfing & dangerous behaviour will result in removal from the venue. Full conditions of entry?|?Accessibility Info