Sydney Fest is upon us! Woo! And it’s not as star studded as previous line ups but there are still some tasty little drawcards to get out of your boardies and stage front at the city this January.
PJ Harvey, is the main headliner bringing us her latest offering Let England Snake live at the State Theatre. You might be thinking, PJ pfft – she’s been around for so long now (remember she headlined the Big Day Out back in 2001, and she’d been out for a long time then), but interestingly enough her latest album has sold faster than any of her others and she scored the Mercury Prize for it (those 2 do go hand in hand really, sadly not many people had heard of The XX before they won last year.) Mike Patton also makes a return to our shores: his obscure, experimental solo work is beyond genius.
Washington is also presenting her latest EP release Insomnia which already has us awkwardly dancing around our own kitchens. Other Aussie additions to the line up you would have heard on Radar include: Holly Throsby (a Seeker Lover Keeper girl with some stunning new solo material), Dan Sultan, The Laurels, New Navy, Jonti and Electric Wire Hustle (although from NZ) will have you up and grooving like you’ve downed a keg of red bull. Fun with a capital F!
Other exciting additions, perhaps not as well known: CANT (Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear’s side project) and old school hip-hop stylers Shabazz Palaces.
The best thing about Sydney Festival though is picking some obscure artist you’ve never heard of and chancing the odd $20 to get your party on at the Beck’s Festival Bar (now Keystone Festival bar – methinks a bidding war took place for that little money maker).
Is that what you’ll be doing?
Check out the full line up below and click on the links for tickets & more info:
41 Strings by Nick Zinner
AA Bondy
Amiina (Penrith)
Amiina (Spiegeltent)
Animagica (Penrith)
Animagica (Spiegeltent)
Asa & Fefe (Parramatta)
Assembly
Beth Orton
Black Capital Family and Culture Day
CANT
Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes
Dan Deacon Ensemble & John Maus - Keystone Festival Bar
Dan Sultan & Busby Marou with special guest Kasey Chambers
Deerhoof and DJ Yamantaka Eye (The Boredoms) - Keystone Festival Bar
Ed Kuepper
Eleanor Friedberger
Fatoumata Diawara (Parramatta)
Fatoumata Diawara (Spiegeltent)
Fatoumata Diawara (Sutherland)
Frank Yamma
Future Classic: DJ Koze & Prins Thomas - Keystone Festival Bar
Holly Throsby presents See!
I Am Eora
iOTA: Young, Hard and Solo
J Mascis
Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau Duo (Chatswood)
Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau Duo (City)
Julianna Barwick
KORT (City)
KORT (Spiegeltent)
Kurt Wagner
Lambchop
Mad Racket: Peven Everett - Keystone Festival Bar
Meow Meow's Little Match Girl
Picnic: Andrew Weatherall & Neville Watson - Keystone Festival Bar
PJ Harvey
Sam Amidon
Shabazz Palaces, Taylor McFerrin & Shangaan Electro: FBi Night - Keystone Festival Bar
So Frenchy So Chic: Asa & Fefe - Keystone Festival Bar
So Frenchy So Chic: Nouvelle Vague & Moriarty - Keystone Festival Bar
Sons and Daughters, Songs & The Laurels - Keystone Festival Bar
Summer Sounds in The Domain: Mike Patton's Mondo Cane
Symphony in The Domain: The Young Ones
Taraf de Haidouks & Kocani Orkestar - Band Of Gypsies (Chatswood)
Taraf de Haidouks & Kocani Orkestar - Band Of Gypsies (Inner West)
The Jolly Boys (Penrith)
The Jolly Boys (Spiegeltent)
The Pedrito Martinez Group & Watussi - Keystone Festival Bar
The Stepkids & Electric Wire Hustle - Keystone Festival Bar
The Whitest Boy Alive & New Navy - Keystone Festival Bar
Tubular Bells for Two (Inner West)
Tubular Bells for Two (Parramatta)
Tune-Yards & Jonti: FBi Night - Keystone Festival Bar
Tune-Yards (Spiegeltent)
Vintage Trouble
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
Washington presents Insomnia
West Side Story