RocKwiz Returns to The Espy

RocKwiz Returns to The Espy. After a decade of touring theatres, town halls and festivals across the country, Australia’s beloved music quiz show is coming home to the Gershwin Room at Hotel Esplanade in St Kilda for a strictly limited run of four shows across 26–29 May 2026.

First airing on SBS in 2005, RocKwiz filmed 175 episodes in the intimate surrounds of the Gershwin Room over 14 seasons, building a cult following before its final TV recording at the venue in 2016. Now, a decade on, the show is returning to its spiritual home – not for television, but for an up-close, unmissable live experience.

Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis, Dugald and The RocKwiz OrKestra will be back in the room where it all began, joined by a swag of special guests. The shows will feature all the beloved elements that made RocKwiz a cultural phenomenon, old school contestant selection rounds, Who Can It Be Now?, Local and/or General, Million Dollar Riff, The Furious Five, and the unique duets that made the show famous.

Blending live music, trivia, storytelling and comedy, RocKwiz LIVE is proudly presented by Stone and Wood and will bring audiences closer than ever to the magic, in the very room where the legend was made.

Ben Burgess, Venue Manager, The Espy, said: “To have RocKwiz return to the Gershwin Room is incredibly special for us. This room has such a rich live music history, and RocKwiz is a huge part of that story. Bringing it back in such an intimate format feels like a full-circle moment for The Espy and for Australian music fans.”

Brian Nankervis said: “Well, this is incredibly exciting! Part of me has missed the intimacy, chaos, history and the sheer energy of The Gershwin Room since 2016. I can’t wait to be back in there, using what we have learned from 10 years of live shows in all sorts of venues around Australia and creating new magic moments in the room where it all began.”

Julia Zemiro said: “The huge success and longevity of RocKwiz is a crazy beautiful mix of the right people at the right time in the right place. And that place is the Gershwin Room at the Esplanade Hotel. We made hundreds of shows in that room for television and it’s where I got to find the skills I needed to make this beautiful show thrive. To be coming back here is a beautiful coming home. See you there!”

Four exclusive shows only – Tuesday 26 through Friday 29 May 2026. Doors open 7:00pm, show runs from 7:30pm – late. Please note: these shows will not be recorded for television. The only way to see them is live in the room.