Exek at the Grace Darling
31 October 2026 in Melbourne, supported by Blue Communications and Amazon.
We first saw Exek at the Croxton Block Party and that was enough to make us want to see them again, this time at the Grace Darling Hotel on Smith Street. I found out about this show via Ask A Punk Melbourne so thank you to whoever runs that.
Getting the layout of a pub right seems to be a tricky challenge at which many have failed. I don't quite understand why some feel wrong, but they do. The Grace Darling, however, nailed it. It's a nice pub. We had dinner there before the show and they do a solid parma too.
I also like the bandroom upstairs. It's a great size for a local show and it uses the space well. I'm just full of admiration for the Grace Darling right now.
This was a Halloween show so the bands, and some punters, were costumed with varying levels of commitment. The first band, Amazon, put in a token effort on that front with Ghostface and Jason Vorhees masks. They're a two piece with bass and vocals/twiddly knobs. I did not succeed at finding their Bandcamp page, which is what you get when you name your band Amazon, but I liked them.
Next was Blue Communications, who had the best costumes by far. Next time I see them they'll be dressed in civvies and I'll feel like something is missing. They are a very good band, kind of Go-Betweens-ish, but not in a derivative way and with greater propensity to cut sick.
Blue Communications had lots of interesting things going on instrument-wise, like a cool organ, melodica, two clarinets, drums up front with no bass drum, and other stuff. They are very much one of those bands that makes me marvel about how good Melbourne's music scene is.
Then last of all was Exek. Their costume game was largely hat-based. This band is driven from the back seat by their rhythm section, especially the bass player who basically leads each song. The guitarist was also excellent, playing with a light touch to great effect.
The show seemed to finish a bit early—we agreed that one more band would have been nice. Still, this was an energising show that left me in a really good mood.
