Sydney is bursting at the seams with gigs - here’s our pick of the best
By James Jennings
Band of Horses will be match fit for their Sydney gig.Credit:
Band of Horses
Enmore Theatre, January 15
South Carolina singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, the sole constant member of Band of Horses since the group’s formation in 2004, hit the big time in the 2000s with anthemic indie rock songs such as No One’s Gonna Love You and The Funeral, the latter featuring on soundtracks of a slew of movies, TV shows, videos games and ads. Excellent 2022 album Things Are Great proves Bridwell still has plenty left in the tank. The band will be match fit after a series of A Day on the Green gigs with headliners The Teskey Brothers.
CMAT, has been called “Dublin’s answer to Dolly Parton”.
CMAT
Factory Theatre, January 16
Dublin may not seem a likely origin for authentic-sounding Americana country-pop, but emerge it has, thanks to Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, known professionally as CMAT. With song titles including I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! and California, CMAT’s two albums both debuted at No.1 on the Irish albums chart. Check her winning mix of excellent songcraft, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and powerful voice – imagine Stevie Nicks if she was born in the American South.
This could be your last chance to catch Matthew Houck for a while.Credit: Photographic
Phosphorescent
Factory Theatre, January 17
In these tight financial times, live shows with bigger bang for your buck are a blessing for gig goers. This team-up features indie folk act Phosphorescent (aka American singer-songwriter Matthew Houck) and Will Sheff from indie rockers Okkervil River, playing a solo set of his band’s best-known songs. Phosphorescent isn’t exactly prolific – there have been just two albums since 2013’s critical hit Muchacho, including last year’s Revelator – so this might be your only chance to catch Houck for a while.
Kaytranada is one of the world’s hottest electronic music producers.Credit:
Kaytranada
Hordern Pavilion, January 17-18
Dance parties and summer go together like dumpsters and bin chickens, so it’s a thrill to have one of the world’s hottest electronic music producers, Canada’s Kaytranada, in town for a couple of sure-to-be-pumping shows. Born Louis Celestin in Haiti in 1992, Kaytranada will be joined by rapper Channel Tres, who appears on Kaytranada’s 2024 album Timeless, the follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning LP Bubba.
The legendary Dionne Warwick is bringing her farewell tour to Australia.Credit: Christopher Pearce
Dionne Warwick
The Star Event Centre, January 18
Farewell tours are rarely what they say they are, yet there’s a fair chance 84-year-old Dionne Warwick means it with her One Last Time tour. The word “legend” gets thrown around a lot, but Warwick is exactly that. She is the second-most charted female vocalist during the “rock era” (1955–1999) on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles chart. Expect a show packed with classic hits, among them Say a Little Prayer and That’s What Friends Are For.
Idles’ 2024 album Tangk went to No.1 in the UK.
Idles
Hordern Pavilion, January 22
British five-piece Idles, fronted by live-wire vocalist Joe Talbot, spent eight years honing their live performances before releasing an album, and it shows. The Bristol-based post-punk band’s shows are a jolt of adrenaline in gig form. 2024 album Tangk was the second Idles record to go to No.1 in the UK, and rightfully so: the politically charged set of songs shows a band at the peak of its powers.
David Rawlings and Gillian Welch have a rich back catalogue to draw on.Credit: Getty Images
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, January 23-25
After being grounded by the pandemic and a tornado that tore the roof off their home studio in Nashville in 2020, American folk singer-songwriters Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are making up for lost time with three shows at the Opera House. Romantic and creative partners for well over 30 years, their live shows masterfully breathe new life into bluegrass, country and Americana. Expect tunes from their rich catalogue, including last year’s excellent Woodland LP.
George Telek will share the bill with Not Drowning, Waving.
Not Drowning, Waving and George Telek
City Recital Hall, January 24
The David Bridie-fronted, avant-garde pop-rock band Not Drowning, Waving are reuniting for the first time since 2006 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Tabaran, the heralded 1990 album featuring Papau New Guinean singer George Telek and musicians from the PNG town of Rabaul (several original performers will be playing at this show, along with new talent from PNG). This gig coincides with the 50th anniversary of PNG’s independence, which will no doubt add to the celebratory vibes.
Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers is the purest rock’n’roll star to emerge from Australia in a long while.Credit: Martin Philbey
Amyl and The Sniffers
Hordern Pavilion, January 25
Since their first Sydney shows in 2016 played in small venues, Melbourne punk-rock band Amyl and The Sniffers have had audiences steadily increase to the point they’re now playing their first headline show at the Hordern Pavilion. The band’s profile overseas has also skyrocketed, thanks in large part to electric live shows and frontwoman Amy Taylor, the purest rock’n’roll star to emerge from Australia in a long while.
Electric Fields’ Zaachariaha Fielding will star at the Yabun Festival.Credit:
Yabun Festival
Victoria Park, January 26
Founded in 2001, the Yabun Festival is Australia’s largest community-led one-day festival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. This year’s stellar line-up features country music star Troy Cassar-Daley, reggae rockers No Fixed Address, electronic music duo Electric Fields, singer-songwriter Miss Kaninna and rapper Barkaa. There’ll be an after-party at The Landsdowne featuring comedian Isaac Compton, No Fixed Address and DJ and producer Dameeeela, with more acts to be announced.
Also starring...
2025 kicks off with a swathe of international shows. UK visitors include reunited pop group Sugababes, Primal Scream, jungle revivalist Nia Archives and The Script. There are Canadians (City and Colour), a Canadian-American (Rufus Wainwright) and a whole lot of Americans (R&B singer Yaya Bey, pop singer Tinashe, brother-of-Billie-Eilish Finneas, Sierra Ferrell, rock band Bad Omens, Suzi Quatro, Kesha, Stephen Malkmus’ new band The Hard Quartet, Benson Boone, Leon Bridges and country star Luke Combs). For hip-hop and R&B, there’s Juicy Fest featuring the likes of Ludacris, Akon, Blackstreet, SWV, Tyga, Omarion and Keyshia Cole. Who will you check out? Let us know in the comments.