Festivals are to summer what black is to white, or peanut butter to celery. A strong sense of co-existence, you know? So, question: What’s better than a summer festival? Answer: A free summer festival (or partially free festival). Sydney Festival is a partially free annual event that showcases an assortment of musical and artistic talent through the month of January. More musically diverse than your average sweat-fest, the line-up features the likes of Paul Kelly and extends to US dream-pop duo Beach House, Holy Fuck & My Disco, Wire, HEALTH, Sufjan Stevens and fucking John Malkovich. Bring a friend, or your Mum, either will dig it. Check the full thing below:
BECK’S FESTIVAL BAR
January 9th – The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, I Like It Like That Orchestra & Russ Dewbury
January 10th – Arrested Development & The Last Kinection
January 12th – The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion & Super Wild Horses
January 13th – Future Classic: Henrik Schwarz
January 14th – FBi Night: Djanimals and Kyü
January 15th – PICNIC: DJ Harvey & DJ Garth
January 19th – Scribe, Ru C.L. & Radical Son
January 20th – Wire, HEALTH & Popfrenzy DJs
January 21st – Matt and Kim & The Death Set
January 22nd – Cobblestone Jazz, Mathew Jonson & Murat Kilic (Reckless Republic)
January 26th – Beach House & Parades
January 27th – FBi Night: Holy Fuck & My Disco
January 28th – Aloe Blacc & The Grand Scheme, Benji B, Waajeed & Africa Hitech
January 29th – Mad Racket: Octave One (Live)
MUSICAL ACTS
Emmylou Harris – The State Theatre, January 9th, 10th
Sufjan Stevens – Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, January 27-28
Tomasz Stanko Quintet – City Recital Hall Angel Place, January 28
Paul Kelly A-Z shows – City Recital Hall Angel Place, January 20-23
Beach House – City Recital Hall Angel Place, January 27
Gotye – City Recital Hall Angel Place, January 27
Los Lobos – Enmore Theatre, January 14
SPIEGELTENT
Smoke & Mirrors – January 6th – February 6th
Misanthropology – January 9th-30th
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – January 9th, 11th, 12th
Holly Miranda – January 15th, 16th, 18th
Ólöf Arnalds – January 22nd-23rd
Mountain Man – January 13th-14th
Owen Pallett – January 19th -21st
Hanggai – January 9th
Colm Mac Con Iomaire – January 25th -27th
The Unthanks – January 28-30th
Villagers – February 4-5th
By Melissa Kenny
