Manchester's Rave Scene Is Heading Down Under: The Warehouse Project Has Announced Its First Australian Dates

The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Fred again.., Skrillex and Happy Mondays have played it. De La Soul, Aphex Twin, Carl Cox and deadmau5, too. For dance music fans, and just music fans in general, The Warehouse Project's fame extends far past its Manchester home. The event itself is now roaming further than Britain as well, including locking in its first-ever Australian visit.

Yes, Manchester's rave scene is heading Down Under, with The Warehouse Project announcing a big weekend in both Sydney and Melbourne across Saturday, May 25–Sunday, May 26, 2024. It's busting out a heap of talent on both dates in both cities, swapping between Bonobo's Outlier series and Mall Grab's Looking for Trouble parties.

Melbourne's PICA will get its The Warehouse Project experience started on the Saturday with Bonobo, while Munro Warehouse in Sydney Olympic Park will welcome Mall Grab to begin. Come Sunday, they'll swap. On both bills is plenty of company: HAAi, Kelly Lee Owens, Paula Tape, dj pgz and Krysko with Bonobo for starters; and Effy, Jennifer Loveless and DJ Dameeeela with Mall Grab, with more to come there as well.

This is a two-city tour, so if you're keen on hitting up The Warehouse Project in Australia and you live somewhere other than Sydney or Melbourne, you'll need to plan an interstate trip. The Manchester institution's Aussie debut comes after initially going international in 2023 in Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Mall Grab, by Rob Jones

It was back in 2006 that The Warehouse Project first unleashed its club nights on its birthplace, kicking off in a disused brewery and then moving underneath Manchester's Piccadilly station, in a space that's also been an air-raid shelter — and also to a warehouse that dates back to the 1920s. Now, it calls former railway station Depot Mayfield home when it's on in its home city.

"Following the success of our first international editions in Rotterdam and Antwerp last year, we've been having great fun putting more international plans together. Australia has always been somewhere we've dreamed of hosting The Warehouse Project," said co-founder Sam Kandel, announcing the Aussie dates.

"We are also so grateful to Bonobo and Mall Grab, and all the artists both international and domestic who will each play a special part of this WHP Australia debut."

The Warehouse Project Australia 2024

Bonobo Presents OUTLIER

Dates:
Saturday, May 25 — PICA, Melbourne
Sunday, May 26 — Munro Warehouse, Sydney

Lineup:
Bonobo (DJ set)
HAAi
Kelly Lee Owens (DJ set)
Paula Tape
dj pgz
Krysko
More to come

Mall Grab Presents Looking For Trouble

Dates:
Saturday, May 25 — Munro Warehouse
Sunday, May 26 — PICA, Melbourne

Lineup:
Mall Grab
Effy
Jennifer Loveless
DJ Dameeeela
More to come

Mayfield Depot, Rcsprinter123 via Wikimedia Commons

The Warehouse Project will hit Australia for the first time across Saturday, May 25–Sunday, May 26, 2024, with presale tickets from 10am AEST on Tuesday, March 5 and general sales from 11am AEDT on Thursday, March 7. Head to the tour website for further details.

Top image: Rob Jones for Khroma Collective.