Sydney Festival gigs you can’t miss
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Bat-tastic … The Presets are bound to shock the bats out of the Domain when they perform at the Bang The Drum concert. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied
THE Sydney Festival music line-up for 2015 is not as populist or marquee in terms of big name artists but it is brimful of quality acts and potential new favourites.
Paul Kelly leads the rollcall with a stellar cast of guests to bring his Merri Soul Sessions record to life as part of the opening night’s festivities in Parramatta on January 8.
One of the first productions to sell out on this year’s program was the debut of Far From Folsom, another look from Tex Perkins at Johnny Cash’s musical life to be staged at Parramatta Gaol.
But there are still plenty of tickets around for some of the bigger and smaller shows in January and here’s our pick of the gigs not to be missed.
Happy 40th … The Preatures are one of the headliners for Triple J’s Bang The Drum concert. Picture: James Croucher.
Source: News Corp Australia
Bang The Drum
The Domain, January 16, 4pm to 11pm, from $ 86, no BYO food or drinks.
To celebrate four decades of broadcasting more Australian artists and songs than you could name in four decades, Triple J have commandeered the Domain for an evening of music which is shaping up to be one of the concerts of the year. The who’s who of the alternative Australian soundtrack, which has become mainstream in the past 20 years, have signed up to play their hits, or a cover in the spirit of the youth network’s superb Like A Version segment. Hilltop Hoods, the Presets, The Preatures, Gotye, Sarah Blasko, Daniel Johns, Paul Dempsey, Megan Washington, You Am I, Tkay Maidza, Thundamentals, Courtney Barnett and many more will bring the good times.
Under the stars … British DJ legend Norman Jay leads a stellar line-up of players rocking the tunes at Sky Terrace. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied
Sky Terrace
The Star, Pyrmont, from Jan 8-26, 6pm to 10pm, free.
Anyone who was at the ARIA Awards knows this space well — it’s the bar you escape to before they kick off, at half-time and immediately after the gig. But for the SydFest, The Star is opening it up to summer punters looking for somewhere different to enjoy cool tunes with the awesome backdrop of the city at sunset. And it’s free. The line-up has something for everyone, with more on a focus on funk, jazz, reggae, dancehall, hip hop and organic genre-bending than the latest house mixes. The legendary British DJ Norman Jay, the co-founder of the mythical Good Times Sound System, will be one of the highlights when he takes over the Sky Terrace on January 23.
Picnic party … Emilie Simon will delight musical Francophiles at the So Frenchy So Chic In The Park gig this year. Picture: Chris Pavlich.
Source: News Corp Australia
So Frenchy So Chic In The Park.
St Johns College, Sydney University, January 17, 1pm to 10pm, from $ 89.
What started as an annual music compilation to showcase relatively unknown French artists to an Australian audience has now become one of the most stylish and relaxed events of the year in Sydney and Melbourne. This year’s picnic and song celebration, again under the umbrella of SydFest, will be headlined by Emilie Simon, with The Dø, La Femme and Francois & the Atlas Mountains also performing. Simon, who has toured Australia a few times before, is an eclectic artist who has explored everything from folk and rock influences to electronica and pop sylings on her most recent album Mue (which translates to breaking or changing of voice). French/Finnish indie pop duo The Do will be showcasing tunes from their latest record Shake Shook Shaken.
William who? The Mahotella Queens are among the artists enlightening the world about Nigerian music mystery man William Onyeabor. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied
Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor
Enmore Theatre, January 16 and 17, 8pm, from $ 85.
Who is William Onyeabor and why should you care? The Nigerian funk musician is a man of mystery whose smooth grooves and anti-war songs have won the hearts and minds of everyone from David Byrne to Damon Albarn. In fact, Byrne released the record Who Is William Onyeabor on his globetrotting Luaka Pop record in 2013. The futuristic electronic artist self-released eight records between 1978 and 1985, then became a born-again Christian who turned his back on his music. The Atomic Bomb production which spotlights Onyeabor’s music will star Gotye, Sinkane, Money Mark, Luke Jenner (The Rapture), Pharoah Sanders, Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem) and the Mahotella Queens.
Don’t miss … Archie Roach will perform two intimate concerts at the new Aurora venue in the Festival Village. Picture: Martin Reddy.
Source: News Corp Australia
The Aurora
Festival Village, Hyde Park North, January 8 to 25, 5.15pm or 7.30pm, from $ 29, $ 39 or $ 49.
Now there are two Spiegeltents in town for the festival with Aurora joining its more Famous big brother in the city precinct which also features bars and food stalls. The program includes primo alternative acts from New Zealand’s country soul trio Tiny Ruins (January 16) to the totally unique Xylouris White (January 15) who combines with the compelling Dirty Three’s Jim White to present an unlikely marriage of post-punk drumming and traditional Greek lute. Other highlights include the always moving Archie Roach (January 10 and 11) who reinterprets his most defining works in this intimate setting and Sydney songwriter Perry Keyes (January 18) whose tunes have documented the everyday and everyman of the city’s suburban underbelly.
