The famous carnival in Brazil usually takes place in February.
In some Western countries, lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day around the same time.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the second month of the year is the end of summer. And what better way to take advantage of its perfect climate conditions and laid-back vibes than with a free concert series?
ART 256 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
Welcome to Euphoria Month on Gadigal Land! You’ll find good vibes only here, along with the dopest emerging voices in the Land Down Under.
All that is thanks to the TRANSGENRE festival – the largest grassroots project celebrating trans and non-binary voices in Australian music. Punters just couldn’t get enough of its sold-out second edition in September 2025. Some incredible artists repping the rainbow flag delivered career-defining sets last year, including flowerkid, Alex The Astronaut, and FVNERAL. So, like in any popular TV show, a spin-off was inevitable.
As a result, you can get your weekly fix of free concerts throughout February in an iconic Sydney institution. The series is an epic collaboration between TRANSGENRE and Metro A.i.R – an initiative of Sydney’s leading independent live music venue.
Every Wednesday night in February, the Metro Social (formerly the Metro Lair, Metro Theatre‘s sister venue) will shapeshift into a wonderland of trans excellence. Amazing future stars of various music genres will ensure the good flow at maximum velocity.
That venue choice is not random at all.
“Growing up in Sydney, we would always go to shows at the Metro Theatre and have our minds blown by how incredible it all was,” shared TRANSGENRE’s co-director Ellie Robinson. “It’s just such a magical space. Some of our best memories were made in that building, and it’s also where we met some of our closest friends – so it’s really special to us that we now get to help foster that culture of community, linking up with the amazing Metro A.i.R team to host these free gigs at Metro Social.“
To ensure it’s a project for a wide range of music fans, each show comes with its own loose genre theme.
Night one (Wednesday, February 4) is all about incredible indie. Dreamy bedroom pop from local up-and-comer, kayls, will kick off the series. It’ll be followed by an emotively charged set of alt-folk songs from Naarm/Melbourne’s Sunny Morris. Finally, Meanjin/Brisbane favourites Worm Girlz will round it all out with their unique brand of lighthearted feminist punk.
Night two (Wednesday, February 11) is for the mosh lords, with Melbourne’s Sage and Sundreamer – some of the best metalcore acts in Australia right now – both playing live in Sydney for the first time ever. Local post-punk/grunge troupe Second Idol, who recently made waves with their crushing debut album Mongrel, will headline this chapter.
Night three (Wednesday, February 18) is a club night like none other, with a soon-to-be pop diva, Robert Baxter. topping the bill. Joining them straight from Melbourne will be experimental pop princess Katie Dey. A set from Awabakal/Newcastle dance-punk firestarters Soyboy will be the third performance of the night.
Finally, night four (Wednesday, February 25) will celebrate the new rulers of Australian punk and emo. It’ll be headlined by the local legends in Great Job!. Another Sydney first, Melbourne’s Beth Seymour & The Lizzies, will surely get audiences right in the feels. And to close out the whole series, pop-punk mainstay Blake Williams will deliver a powerful set of her party-starting anthems.
All the line-ups have been carefully curated by the festival team. Ellie Robinson shared a glimpse of the concept:
“Every single act on the lineup features trans and non-binary rep, and each show has at least one interstate performer; it was important for us to share this opportunity with some artists that might otherwise find it hard to book a show outside their hometowns. Our hope is that they find some new fans at these shows who give them a leg up to keep touring interstate – and that everyone who heads along makes some new friends of their own!”
While entry is free to all the gigs, RSVPs are open now via TRANSGENRE’s link. So show your Euphoria by locking in those RSVPs nice and early.
And just in case you’re hungry for more events championing trans and non-binary musos from Australia, it is already confirmed that TRANSGENRE will return for Volume III and Volume IV in 2026, heralding the fest’s expansion into live events all around Australia.
Stay tuned for more news about the epic TRANSGENRE initiative. Additional details might be coming to your ears soon on a different Silly McWiggles platform.
Learn about more artists repping the rainbow flag in Oz:
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