LIVE WIRE – Sydney Live Music Guide
After another end to another year with another exorbitant fireworks display it’s time to face the summer and the plethora of international and local acts that are eager to serve and amaze us.
Thursday sees New York indie synth pop trio The Rapture play the Metro; notable supports are Melbourne based Strange Talk, who are definitely worth a look in.
Experimental future glitch hip hop and other made-up genre fans with be thrilled at Friday 7th’s line-up at The Forum in Fox Studios. Experimental pioneer and John Coltrane relative, Flying Lotus headlines, with Hudson Mohawke, Dam Funk and Gaslamp Killer set to bring the house down.
Saturday 8th at Oxford Art Factory finds Quebecer electro hip hop DJ A Trak – an intimate treat from a world class DJ is worth the slightly pricy entry.
Brooding indie superstars The National play Enmore Theatre, where those who somehow haven’t heard these guys yet can go and see what Obama thought all the fuss was about.
Cacophonic New York noise pop duo Sleigh Bells are in town for a string of dates; their headline show is at The Forum – it’s going to be loud!
Saturday also marks the opening of this year’s Sydney Festival, with the always impressive Festival First Night taking place across the inner city. Country legend Emmylou Harris and her Red Dirt Boys headline the night in the Domain, which follows Nukka Ya Ruby, a tribute to the life and music of Ngarrindjeri singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter by Amos and Archie Roach, Dave Arden, Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan and Renee Geyer amongst others.
Sunday 9th has Beck’s Festival Bar at Hyde Park Barracks Museum firing up with red hot funk and soul outfit The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker from the US.
Beck’s Festival Bar keeps on giving, with more Sydney Festival gigs making for great excuses to stay out on a weeknight. Grammy Award winners Arrested Development play their street corner soul and funk on Monday 10th, and Wednesday 12th has The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who make an impossible amount of noise for three people with their raucous blues rock.
Saturday 15th finds one of the more interesting collaborations showcased at the Enmore Theatre: G. Love (sans Special Sauce) with Aussie hip hop producer Plutonic are releasing their Moonshine Lemonade record which logic says should be an absolute cracker.
Still at the Enmore, Mexican/American blues legends Los Lobos are visiting to tour their latest release, Tin Can Trust. These old hands are too cool for school in the best way possible and never disappoint live.
Chinese/American virtuoso of the pipa (a traditional Chinese lute-like instument), Wu Man performs a solo side show, having been brought out for Ghost Opera at The Great Hall at University of Sydney on Sunday 16th. Despite the odd choice of venue, this promises to be a truly different experience worth having.
