Sydney Festival is as ingrained in Sydney music culture as the Hottest 100 is to Australia Day, and every year it just gets better and better. This year the festival sticks with what’s worked so well over the last few years – from Festival First Night, to the Spiegeltent and the Keystone Festival Bar (Formerly Beck’s Festival Bar) – while adding in new features at Parramatta, a free “Hunting Lodge” at the Festival Garden, and the anticipated Black Capital. In our fourth consecutive year of coverage of the event, here’s a look at 10 of the events – both musical and otherwise – that we can’t wait for at Sydney Festival 2012.
10. Washington presents Insomnia
“Insomnia is a new conceptual work by Megan Washington, created to be performed four times only – once in Sydney, then Paris, London and New York. A multi-layered show, Insomnia incorporates art, poetry, photography and designs, all drawn from Washington’s personal archives. It offers a revealing insight into an intense 12 months for the double ARIA Award-winning artist, exploring all sides of her emotional and creative life. Washington fans take note – this one-off show in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall will be the only time Insomnia will be performed as a complete work in Australia.”
We’ll let the press release speak for itself on that one. Sounds phenomenal!
When: January 25
Where: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Tickets & More Information
9. Adam Buxton presents BUG: The Evolution of Music Video
Following sell-out runs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London’s British Film Institute, Adam Buxton is heading to Australia for the first time to combine performance with YouTube clips, exploring the art of the Music Video (and related video products) in the digital age. It sounds as hilarious as it will be insightful. As big fans of the music video, both big and small, we reckon this will be pretty damn entertaining.
When: January 26 – 29
Where: Everest Theatre at Seymour Centre
Tickets & More Information
8. iOTA: Young, Hard and Solo
Winner of four Helpmann Awards – three alone for the Sydney Festival sellout Smoke & Mirrors – iOTA will be returning to the Sydney Festival stage for what is touted as a “deeply personal and wildly theatrical concert”. If you’ve seen his turns in Rocky Horror, Hedwig or indeed Smoke and Mirrors, then you’ll get an idea of what to expect – but the beauty of this event is anything could happen. Though we’re told we’ll be spending some time reliving his past identities… a good time? You bet.
When: January 17-21
Where: Sydney Opera House
More Information – SOLD OUT
7. J Mascis
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, raw and intimate at the Spigeltent. Need we say more? Just don’t expect much conversation from the man – though we will enjoy a pile of tracks from is solo debut Several Shades of Why.
When: January 11-13
Where: The Famous Spiegeltent, Honda Festival Garden
Tickets & More Information
6. Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl
Following the success of iOTA and La Clique in previous years, the 2012 artist in residence at the Famous Spigeltent is none other than Meow Meow, who’ll be bringing her unique style to a performance inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s bittersweet fable “Little Match Girl”. We expect great things. We expect the unexpected. But as always, it’s bound to be a damn fun experience.
When: January 5-29
Where: The Famous Spiegeltent, Honda Festival Garden
Tickets & More Information
5. PJ Harvey
If the name alone doesn’t make you want to attend, then you’ve been missing out on one of the greatest female talents in the industry. Harvey will be performing in the beautiful State Theatre, with tracks from her new album Let England Shake no doubt set to be a focus of the night. But we’ll be sure to get some past favourites, too. She will be backed by a live band comprising of Mick Harvey, John Parish and Jean-Marc Butty. Amazing.
When: January 18-19
Where: State Theatre
More Information – SOLD OUT
4. Tune-Yards
Having had the chance to personally witness this buzzed about artist at SXSW last year, let me say you’re in for a treat. The alter-ego of Merrill Garbus, Tune-Yards is one hell of a live performance. And with Sydney’s own Jonti in tow for the Keystone Festival Bar performance, that’s going to be its own kind of special. Oh and then Nick Zinner will be performing a DJ set alongside Domeyko/Gonzalez. So you know that’s going to be a bit of a bender…
When: January 18th and 20th (With Jonti)
Where: The Famous Spiegeltent and Keystone Festival Bar
Tickets & More Information – Spiegeltent
Tickets & More Information – Keystone
3. Kurt Wagner, KORT and Lambchop
The often underrated and incredibly talented (not to mention unique) Kurt Wagner will be bringing not one but three projects down to Australia for the Sydney Festival, in what is no doubt a coup for fans of the performer. He’ll be performing solo and intimate at the Spiegeltent, with a full band for his most well known project Lambchop, and then two performances of KORT – his collaboration of Cortney Tidwell. Have a listen to the man before you purchase yourself a ticket, needless to say he’s not for everyone, but fans have been dancing in the streets for weeks on the news, if that tells you anything!
When: January 19 and 20 (KORT), January 21 (Lambchop) and January 22 (Kurt Wagner)
Where: The Famous Spiegeltent (19/22), City Recital Hall (20/21)
Tickets & More Information
2. Festival First Night
Always an amazing night on the streets of Sydney, Festival First Night has become an insitutuion unto itself since it began in 2008, with an unforgettable performance from Brian Wilson. Now in its fifth year, the festival this year will feature Manu Chao, Holly Throsby (in a show for families), Gurrumul, Washington and more. Be there.
When: January 7
Where: The Domain and Surrounds
More information – FREE!
1. 41 Strings by Nick Zinner
Finally, we pass our attention onto the guitarist of the one and only Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose latest project 41 Strings is a response to the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, and using Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as inspiration sounds like quite a labour of love from the well regarded musician.
“Joining Zinner for the 41 Strings’ second ever outing are friends and co-collaborators Hisham Akira Bharoocha (Soft Circle, Black Dice, The Boredoms) and Ben Vida (Soft Circle, Town and Country, Bird Show). Together with a core band and members of the Australian Youth Orchestra they complete the large string ensemble.”
Sounds epic, indeed. But that’s only half of the performance:
“Part two of the program features a special performance of companion piece IIII, a drum circle led by Bharoocha (of The Boredoms’ epic drumming events), again based on the Four Seasons. Bharoocha and Vida will be joined by Ryan Sawyer, Brian Chase, and Matthew Watson as the core group, leading 16 additional drummers in a thunderous and uplifting composition.”
See you there? We can’t wait.
When: January 22 – 5.30pm and 8.30pm
Where: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Tickets & More Information
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Other shows worth of a mention are Amiina, Beth Orton, CANT, Deerhoof, Sons & Daughters, Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro, the Parramatta Opening Party and of course Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, which has two performances at the State Theatre and a free show in the Domain on the 14th.
More information, and tickets to all events, where not sold out, can be found at the official Sydney Festival website. And where sold out, remember there’s always TIX FOR NIX. See you out there!
