LIVE WIRE – Sydney Live Music Guide May 19th

Thursday 19^th’s installment of drop at the Beach Rd Hotel finds percussionist, singer and all-round musical superman Nicky Bomba, now best know for his place in the latest incarnation of the John Butler Trio, bringing his eponymous solo project to the Bondi night spot. With Ebb N Flo, DJ Ability and Fester capping off the bill for the night, this is sure to be a good (and free!) one. Deep funk revivalists and Aussie groove ambassadors The Bamboos are also celebrating their 10 year anniversary, with their celebrations taking place in the form of a gig at Manning Bar in the University of Sydney grounds on Friday 20^th. Not too far away, Pigeon John is performing at Tone in Surry Hills, as the Other Tongues label promote the debut album from the Californian rapper. Still on Friday, the Lansdowne Hotel on City Rd, which, with an upgraded sound system and toned-down leaning towards outright heavy metal, seems to have cleaned up its image somewhat. The historic and infamous pub hosts dark garage blues trio The Blackwater Fever, with The Preachers, the Dirty Love and Frank Sultana all in support. Kiwi collective Cornerstone Roots are at Beach Rd on Saturday 21^st, a visit sure to have our trans-Tasman expat cousins flocking in for the good vibes and quality tunes. Also on Saturday, Brisbane indie pop powerhouse Hungry Kids of Hungary are headling the Metro in Sydney’s CBD with The Chemist, Andy Bull and Daniel Lee Kendall filling out the very fine, very Triple J line up. The Gaelic Club in Surry Hills is hosting Rainbow Relief on Sunday 22^nd, a benefit gig for victims of the environmental catastrophes in Queensland and New Zealand – features King Tide, Declan Kelly, PK Crew and Swomp D and Insect Buzz. Men At Work ‘s Colin Hay is at work launching his new album, Gathering Mercury, at The Basement on Tuesday 24^th – a sure-fire winner as Hay’s concise songwriting is always entertaining. Still at The Basement, Wednesday 25^th finds Queensland’s Bec Laughton on show as she takes her saucy pop-soul around the country in a national tour. Also on the 25^th, Elizabeth Rose headlines The Study night at the Gaelic in Surry Hills, where she is backed up by Jugu and Mike Brislee – free entry! drop is back on Thursday 26^th at the Beach Rd Hotel in Bondi, this time with the fabulour Al Green/Stevie Wonder revivalists Electric Empire. Huwston and Bentley are in support. Those up Penrith way can catch Tiki Taane, formerly of Salmonella Dub, as he continues his Aussie tour at Penrith Panthers on Thursday. Mission in Motion are occupying Oxford Art Factory on Friday 27^th, with City Lights Fade and Ghosts of New York completing an energized night of quality pop rock. Also on Friday, Young Folks grace The Basement with friends Alice Terry, The Scarlets and Nick Latta in support. Anyone brave enough to be in wintery Katoomba can find The Crooked Fiddle Band at Katoomba RSL on Saturday 28^th – rug up! Indie pop juggernauts Cut Copy star in the Concert Hall of Sydney Opera House on Sunday 29^th, as the Vivid LIVE festival nears the completion of its third annual run, this time with Modular records boss Steven Pavlovic calling the line up. Architecture in Helsinki feature at the Opera Theatre that same night as part of Pavlovic’s curation.