14/07/2026
4ZZZ presents ZED51
Come market another day celebrating the furthering years of our beloved 4ZZZ radio station… and the cultures they generate from that power transmission of a nucleus. As sure as day becomes night, 4ZZZ slips into the streams of creative diversity, as the risers of this vibrant ZED51 doorstep, cross over into another 50 years of a Brisbane community of media-active cultural spaces. In light of this ever-evolving radio station, and that idiosyncratic warmth of inner glow all were left with post October ‘25 ZED50 celebration… it was hard to not continue this energising inclusive trip into our Meanjin futures. Presented by 4ZZZ, Saturday 24th October 2026 is ZED51 - 13 bands once again cloaking the hills of Roma Street Parklands with music, stalls, and that incredible community spirit. Two stages, no crossovers, open to all-ages along with markets stalls, food etc running from midday to 10pm. Join us in such humble entreaties…
"Last year 4ZZZ turned 50, to celebrate we hosted a plethora of events, across three months, that resulted in one heck of a birthday party. One such event was Zed50, a nod to the market days of old and a showcase of the sound of our community - past, present and future. "Do it again next year" the crowd screamed, well, you yelled and we listened, so we are gearing up to do it all again at Zed51. This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever. It recognises how far 4ZZZ has come since 1975 and where it is headed post 50th. Music is a universal language and we here at 4ZZZ look forward to sharing some of our favourite acts, from near and afar, with you (our community) at Zed51." – (Nick, 4ZZZ station manager).
MUDHONEY played a show for 4ZZZ in 1990 at East Leagues Club March 10 with Proton Energy Pills and Alien Virus to about 600 people… and then that same year ventured back for the December 8th LIVID FESTIVAL at the RNA along with TISM, Died Pretty, Jackfrost, Falling Joys, Clouds, Xero and more in lieu of the 4ZZZ 15th birthday celebrations. Last year Mark Arm from Mudhoney fronted The Saints 73-78 at last year’s 50th anniversary… and now moments converge with those progenitors of grunge once again heading back to Brisbane to play ZED51. Touch me… this is sick!
Joining them in this burgeoning moment for Brisbane to rejoice in the love of culture will be the pop time goodness of Brisbane’s very own CUSTARD running riot in the apartments caught between having the technology and a Wisenheimer… music is never crap. It is fun. Thank your lucky star for that. Get ready for a full fry up.
A matriarch of rap… proud Malyangapa, Barkindji woman
BARKAA takes a good bite from the hand that feeds provoking all with a rollicking air of tiddas time, and a “handle on storytelling that is unshakably confident and honest”. King Brown, Preach, Our Lives Matter, …we up!
THE MARK OF CAIN finally return to Brisbane in the opening salvo of a new era – there is nothing like a good blast of TMOC to start the day and an even better one to finish it off. 25 years on from “This is This” will attribute such rumblings with all that and more. Tell me.
CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS rack up the tunes and knock back the best so no soul is left unturned by these Naarm heavyweights. Cathartic. Communal. With Cash looming hard centre of this emotional storm. "A fu***ng spectacular live phenomenon" (Beat Magazine).
SHONEN KNIFE return from Japan and re-cut their sugar saturated, food obsessed power pop-punk fusion they have been tasting Australian with since their first visit touring the BIG DAY OUT in 1997. Touring off the back of the re-recorded debut album Let’s Knife Re-Cut. Come ride the rocket!
I HEART HIROSHIMA – those dark smouldering skeletons of a Meanjin life without buildings – Sullivan, Matt and Cameron - make this once in their times reformation to torch London in Love, Shakeytown, Punks… like kicking embers down streets of departure. Tuff Teef. The Rip. They were maps of our shadow territories. Witness.
In the provocation of this… erase backgrounds with Meanjin’s TAPE/OFF amid the wild swept oscillation of their 2025 album Fort Sensible; DEM MOB hot off the back of 6 months touring with Regurgitator, imminently about deliver their debut album wake the power of music with the most remote hiphop ever delivered; MITCH, PLEASE crash cats and fizzy drinks in a Disney-whimsical nerd-punk free for all – providing the spicy toppin’ on the 2025 4ZZZ HOT 100! SUPERHOTEL are 5 pieces of meanjin strained through observational poetry and alt-country rock – recently caught guestin’ with Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie; the atypical STILL FULL FROM LUNCH embrace the biggish band play off while 14 arms swing free from the hills hoist… with 7 of them this is vast, and all termites; and Grace from Nice Biscuit returns with the psychedelic folk of her side project BABY COOL shimmering in light of latest album Infinity Baby.
"ZED50 was beautifully imperfect... it was a living map of Brisbane alternative music — not just now, not just then, but the artery that runs between. You got psych mysticism, glam-punk sleaze, political fire, q***r liberation, ecstatic DIY punk joy, widescreen guitar dreamscapes, soul-punk confession, paranoid art-rock, mutant jazz carnage, genre-hacking legends, melodic survivors, and the origin gods of it all… on the grass… in the daylight… for a community station that somehow made it to 50 without ever sanding itself down. That’s not just impressive. That’s culture. If you walked out humming, okay. If you walked out laughing, excellent. But if you walked out a tiny bit altered — if you felt plugged into something older and louder than you expected — then ZED50 did exactly what it came here to do." - Ali Williams (Heavy Mag)
Power this all up for another lush day of community transmission!
Spread that feeling.
ZED51 - SAT 24 OCT 2026
ROMA ST PARKLANDS
Albert St, Spring Hill, Brisbane
featuring... MUDHONEY (from the US), BARKAA, CUSTARD, THE MARK OF CAIN, CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS, SHONEN KNIFE (from Japan), I HEART HIROSHIMA (one show reformation only), TAPE/OFF, DEM MOB, MITCH, PLEASE, SUPERHOTEL, STILL FULL FROM LUNCH, BABY COOL.
TWO STAGES no crossovers ALL-AGES*
Tickets from OZTIX – https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/a104674f-86bd-47a1-8a0c-16ce8ff71f04
This is an all-ages event. As a condition of entry, all persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
https://www.instagram.com/zedfifty/
