OK Motels returns to Rochester, VIC on Saturday 18 October 2025, transforming the town’s pubs, halls and laneways into a roaming regional music festival.
At the centre of this year’s event is a live collaboration between Marlon Williams and Canadian duo Kacy & Clayton, performing material from their 2020 album Plastic Bouquet alongside solo sets. They’re joined by LA-based project Sylvie, whose sound traces back to rediscovered 1970s recordings from frontman Ben Schwab’s father.
Also on the lineup: Drifting Clouds (Gapuwiyak), whose Yolŋu storytelling meets synth and rock; Jess Ribeiro with her gothic folk; Chimers, bringing post-punk edge from Wollongong; and Hedge Burners from the Mornington Peninsula, blending garage, country and rock.
Emerging acts Public Figures and Loose Lips bring power-pop and garage punk respectively, while Wrong Way Up delivers Afro-synth grooves and Canada’s The Secret Beach adds analog folk-rock to the mix. Naarm-based DJ Millú provides a late-night electronic set, and Yordja Bitja (Firebrace Designs) contributes visual installations across the town.
Beyond the music, OK Motels embraces local community spirit through curated activities: Tell Your Friends You Love Them speed friending, Disco Rodeo line dancing, and the outdoor OK Headliner Diner with shared meals under the stars. Local businesses will host pop-up wine tastings, badge-making and retro games throughout the day.
Rochester’s pubs host gigs all afternoon, before the festival converges in the central car park for a headline set from Williams, Kacy & Clayton. A limited number of tickets include a sleeper train return trip from Southern Cross Station.
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Go HERE for tickets.
