Best entertainers in Southbank
Three things sit on top of each other in Southbank: the arts precinct, the casino end of the river, and about thirty floors of apartments above both. Each one books music in a completely different way, and the mistake people make here is asking for a band before they have worked out which of the three they are actually planning in. A conference breakout on a Wednesday afternoon and a fortieth on a residents' rooftop are not the same booking, even when the same duo could play either.
The acts nearest you are pinned to the middle of Melbourne, a couple of kilometres over the river, so nobody on this page is a Southbank local and none of them should be charging you a travel line for the walk across Princes Bridge. Most of the top ten carry reviews from real clients, which is not true of every suburb on this site. Sort out your building's rules before you sort out anything else.
Top picks in Southbank
Top picks are the nearby performers with the most visible reviews, then rating, then the closest; further afield the closest come first, and premium listings break remaining ties. Distances are straight-line from Southbank. Ask each act whether they travel to your venue and what that costs.
Questions people ask about entertainers in Southbank
Can I have live music in a Southbank apartment building?
Usually yes, but the strata rules decide the shape of it. Most towers here cap amplified sound after a set hour and want the service lift booked for anything bigger than a guitar case. Ask building management for the finish time and the lift window before you pay a deposit, and pass both to the act.
How much does it cost to hire a band for a corporate event?
Set length, band size and how much of your day they have to sit through are the three levers. A four-piece playing two sets after dinner is a different quote to the same four-piece holding a room from arrival drinks through to midnight, and a December weeknight in the city costs more than a February one. The from-prices beside each act on this page are what Melbourne acts are quoting now.
Do Melbourne acts charge travel to come into Southbank?
They shouldn't, and most won't. The distance on the cards here is a short run over the river from the city pin, which is not a journey anyone prices. If a travel line does appear on a quote, ask what it covers, because parking near the arts precinct is a genuine cost and that is a fair thing to be charged for.
What size act fits a function room rather than a ballroom?
Say the guest number and the room shape in your first message and let the act answer it. A duo with a decent system carries a hundred people in a hard-walled room; past that you want a band with its own PA or a DJ built for the size. Rooms around here are often long and narrow, which spreads sound badly, so mention that too.
Booking tips
The building decides before you do
High-rise blocks along here run booked service lifts, a noise cut-off and sometimes a ban on amplified music altogether. Get those three answers from building management in writing, then enquire, because they rule out more acts than your budget ever will.
Corporate bookings want a running order
The conference and function trade around the arts precinct works to the minute, so tell the act when the speeches land and how long the gap before dancing is. An act given a running order turns up ready; one given only a date turns up and asks.
Daytime suits something other than a band
There is a jazz band and an accordion player in the list, and for a lunch, a launch or a corporate morning they do more work than a four-piece waiting on a dance floor that never forms. They also need almost no room, which matters in a foyer.