Magic Bag Presents: Surprise Chef

About the event

Shows Are Standing Room OnlyHailing from just outside of Melbourne, Surprise Chef's music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilise time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quartet's distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop, creating a cinematic and soulful take on instrumental music. Since releasing their debut albums All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings, Surprise Chef have been championed by Gilles Peterson, BBC 6 Music, KEXP and KCRW with their music reaching audiences worldwide. Their work has found its way well beyond the traditional instrumental scene, including a sync in Pepsi's 2023 Super Bowl campaign and a prominent sample on 1999 Write The Future, featuring Ghostface Killah, Rich Brian and Smino, as well as the NBA 2K24 soundtrack. Their fourth album, Superb (2025), marked another leap forward, earning widespread international acclaim for its adventurous evolution of the band's signature sound. The release was followed by their most extensive international touring schedule to date, with headline shows across Australia, Asia, North America, the UK and Europe, including sold-out performances in Los Angeles, London and at the Sydney Opera House. They have also expanded into film scoring, premiering a live score for the Australian classic Wake in Fright at the Melbourne International Film Festival, continuing to redefine the possibilities of instrumental music on the international stage. With new music on the horizon, Surprise Chef are already looking towards their next chapter, continuing to push their sound into new and unexpected territory. BEN HACKETT Ben Hackett is a multi-instrumentalist based out of Athens, GA. His first solo record Songs For Sleeping Dogs (Strolling Bones Records) is a quite literal reference to the conditions those songs grew in, as Hackett worked softly during quiet late night hours in his home studio space, careful not to wake the slumbering dog or the rest of the household. The compositions reach the unlikely nexus point of whisper-thin subtlety and profound musical depth, with Hackett playing dozens of different woodwinds, acoustic instruments, electronics, and every component in between. Every sound dissolves into the next for an album that breathes, reacts, and considers, and all of it happens within an atmosphere so soft that the experience itself feels almost accidental. When he's not making his own music, he produces, records, and plays on records for folks like Rich Ruth and Will Johnson, or you can find him on the road backing acts like Go Kurosawa (Kikagaku Moyo), Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), and Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)