Robbie Melville is a guitarist and composer. He began performing in his teens, and in 2005 was offered the Principal Guitar Chair in the Australian Pops Orchestra, appearing at Hamer Hall and the Sydney Opera House with artists such as James Morrison, Marina Prior, and Guy Sebastian.

In 2007 his quintet cleverhorse independently released the album Goodnight, Mr. Monster featuring an eclectic range of Robbie’s compositions. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, “They are onto something. They are undoubtedly creative”. Their second album ’50:fifty was released on the prestigious Jazzhead label in 2016. 

Melville’s compositions have garnered several awards. Most recently he became a recipient of the 2021 Johnny Dennis Music Award. In 2016 he was awarded both the Industry and Orkeztra prizes in the Composition Competition for world music ensemble Orkeztra Glasso Bashalde with the piece ‘Tango In Pusan’. He was awarded first place for ‘Junkyard’ in the Instrumental Category of the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, a competition that amassed over 19,000 entries. The same song was shortlisted for the 2021 Composition-To-Choreography Competition "MadeBy", an initiative of OneMusic Australia and the Australian arm of the Royal Academy of Dance.

Melvilles’s trio Antelodic released its debut album ‘Quiet Sufficient in 2017. Billy Pinnell wrote, “Antelodic…have created a sonically daring, accessible masterpiece”. In March 2020 they released their second album, ‘To Iceland! To Iceland!on ABC Jazz. Australian saxophonist Julien Wilson wrote, “Melville’s compositions are beguiling, but it’s the way they’re realised by the whole group that makes this recording so special. There’s plenty of intrigue, but always room to breathe...” 

The 2022 quartet album ‘Distance’ utilises the rhythm section of a band he was working in at the time, which included Danny McKenna on drums, Tristan Courtney on bass and Garrett Costigan on pedal steel. Melville put together an album of music that blends jazz and country without sounding like either, once again highlighting his unique compositional style.

His latest release on Lionsharecords - the 2023 solo album ‘Tangled Trails’ - is an introspective collection of songs inspired by the 1921 silent film of the same name. It serves as an imagined soundtrack to the Western classic, ranging from the wintery Canadian wilds to Roaring Twenties New York. 

Robbie’s propensity for musical variety, and sensitivity as an accompanist, has seen him engage in a diverse number of collaborative enterprises. He has worked on recordings for artists such as Shane Howard, John Murry and Liz Frencham, toured internationally with Irish musicians Mundy and Roesy, performed with harpist/singer Mary Doumany, Krystle Warren, Nat Bartsch, Gallie, Aine Tyrrell, Carl Pannuzzo, Stephen Magnusson, Zoe Frater, Kristina Olsen, and Sarah Carroll.

He has composed and recorded music for The Australian Diamond Company, the Chinese/American short film, ‘Hidden Truths’, and the British documentary ‘Genus’. His combined interest in improvisation and silent film led him to form the Easy Street Ensemble, a stable of rotating musicians who improvise live soundtracks to silent films.

While subtly evading expectations, Robbie Melville loads his music with a restrained melancholy conveying innocence rather than knowingness, the upshot being an unusual emotional ambiguity blending resignation and contentment. - John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald 2021)

Robbie Melville writes music that’s as intimate as a fireside chat. - John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald 2021)

He remains something of a musician’s musician, a quiet achiever. - Des Cowley (Rhythms Magazine July 2023)

Beautifully recorded, Tangled Trails faithfully captures Melville as poet and storyteller, spinning sonic fictions. - Des Cowley (Rhythms Magazine July 2023)