Sydney is music central this February – here’s our guide to the best on offer

Royksopp perform at Picnic in the Park Festival in Sofienbergparken.Credit: Corbis via Getty Images

RÖYKSOPP
CITY RECITAL HALL, FEBRUARY 6

Electronic music duo Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge, aka Röyksopp (Norwegian for “smoke mushroom”, apparently) hit it big with excellent 2001 debut album Melody A.M., featuring indietronica classics Poor Leno, Remind Me and Eple, all of which still sound fresh 24 years on. The pair haven’t let up: they released three albums in 2022, and True Electric, due in April, features new renditions of old songs reworked to match the “clubbier” sound of their live shows. Catch Röyksopp in DJ mode to experience the club vibe firsthand.

US DJ Porter Robinson is renowned for wired, sugar-rush music and senses-overloading live shows.Credit: Getty Images for Coachella

PORTER ROBINSON
HORDERN PAVILION, FEBRUARY 7

US DJ and electronic music producer Porter Robinson’s early influences included anime and video game music, which is more than apparent on last year’s album Smile! :D. Robinson makes synthy, maximalist pop music bursting with fervour, with left-hand detours into indie pop and club music which feels like you’re having an ADHD-fuelled night out in Tokyo. Robinson’s wired, sugar-rush music and senses-overloading live shows may not be for all, but adventurous gig-goers up for a wild time will be duly rewarded.

Kate Miller-Heidke boasts a singular voice.Credit: Glenn Hunt

Kate Miller-Heidke
City Recital Hall, February 7-8

Diverse doesn’t quite do Queenslander Kate Miller-Heidke’s career justice: she scored a Top 10 hit in 2009 after it was used in promos for TV soap Neighbours (The Last Day on Earth); finished ninth in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, has appeared in and written operas, co-wrote new music and lyrics for a Muriel’s Wedding musical, and is currently a judge on TV’s The Voice. It’s Miller-Heidke’s singular voice that has led to so many achievements; catch one of these gigs to see her doing what she does best.

Record crowds lapped up the good times at Laneway in 2024.Credit: Daniel Boud

LANEWAY FESTIVAL
CENTENNIAL PARK, FEBRUARY 9

Although Laneway’s line-up features some top-notch artists in the form of Clairo, Remi Wolf, Bicep, Fcukers (not a typo) and a bunch of bands you probably haven’t heard of if you’re over 30, the big news is headliner Charli XCX, who absolutely owned last year with her smash-hit electropop album Brat. Will the so-called ‘Brat summer’ of 2024 extend into 2025? Chances are looking good. And a hot tip from someone well over 30: wear comfortable shoes, you’ll be doing a lot of walking.

Kentucky singer-songwriter Tyler Childers is playing at the Hordern.Credit: Getty Images for Boston Calling

TYLER CHILDERS
HORDERN PAVILION, FEBRUARY 11-12

Country music can get a bad rap for dealing in stereotypes and simplicity – often for good reason – but that shouldn’t undermine all the great music the genre produces. Kentucky singer-songwriter Tyler Childers does sound like the result of asking AI to create a US country artist – he has a coalminer father and has a mule on his latest album cover – but he’s far from generic. Mixing country, bluegrass, folk and more, Childers balances tradition and rule-breaking that you can witness in the flesh with his excellently named band, The Food Stamps.

Maya Hawke as Robin (left) with Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo in season three of Stranger Things.Credit: Netflix

DJO
ENMORE THEATRE, FEBRUARY 12
Although he shot to fame as jock-turned-good-guy Steve Harrington on hit TV series Stranger Things, Joe Keery’s musical alter ego Djo – pronounced “Joe” but, y’know, spelt cooler – has taken off big time thanks to 2022 viral hit End of Beginning (over one billion streams and counting), and 2025’s going to be massive for Keery. There’s a new album in April and Season 5 of Stranger Things likely later in the year – so this is your chance to see if Djo (also playing Laneway Festival) can cut it live.

ALAN SPARKHAWK
OXFORD ART FACTORY, FEBRUARY 13
Anyone who has seen US band Low live speaks of their gigs as if they were religious experiences. Consisting of (married) core members Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, the duo were masters of making minimal music with maximum impact, the pair’s voices a spellbinding combination. Parker tragically passed away from cancer in 2022, Sparhawk emerging with solo album White Roses, My God last year. Its glitchy electronics and vocoder-drenched vocals may alienate some Low fans, but Sparhawk remains an eternally compelling live performer.

Florida rapper Denzel Curry in flight.Credit: Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP

DENZEL CURRY
HORDERN PAVILION, FEBRUARY 22
Florida rapper Denzel Curry already has a left-field link to Australia: much of his early music was produced by FNZ, aka Perth duo Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni, hitmakers for the likes of Kanye West, Drake and Snoop Dogg. Curry’s style is very much derived from southern rap, but he’s an artist not afraid to colour outside the lines. He may not be known here as much as those aforementioned artists, but he’s certainly worthy of being mentioned in the same breath – here’s your chance to find out why.

Bona fide pop star Billie Eilish performs in Paris in 2023.Credit: AP

BILLIE EILISH

QUDOS BANK ARENA, FEBRUARY 24-25, 27-28
Ready to feel like an underachiever? US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish’s trophy cabinet includes nine Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards – and she only just turned 23. Her full list of achievements is enough to fill a book, so let’s leave it at this: Eilish is a bona fide pop superstar and era-defining artist who you should absolutely see live – the four arena shows should give you an idea of just how hot she is right now.

Unmissable: Osees’ John Dwyer Credit: Colin Ridgway

OSEES
METRO THEATRE, FEBRUARY 28
Regardless of their numerous name changes - OCS, Orange County Sound and Thee Oh Sees among them (“It seems to aggravate the press, which to me is great. I have nothing but contempt for the music press,” say lead singer-songwriter John Dwyer) – this San Franciscan garage rock band has been pumping out consistently great music (28 albums and counting) for close to three decades. Whether they’re dabbling in krautrock, psychedelia or punk, they absolutely rip live and are not to be missed.

Also starring …

There’s a lot more to see this month, including Australian artists playing at
Taronga Zoo (Boy & Bear, Peter Garrett, David Campbell, Spiderbait, the Cruel Sea, DMA’S) and a few who aren’t (the Hard-Ons, Hoodoo Gurus, Ziggy Alberts, Young Franco, the Necks and NZ/AU neo-soul singer Jordan Rakei). The UK is sending us some acid jazz (the Brand New Heavies), twisted fire starters (the Prodigy), new wavers (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark), a German-born composer (Max Richter), siblings (the Corrs), a rapper (Dizzee Rascal) and, er, some kooks (the Kooks). Canada’s sending some hitmakers who sit high on the popular/corny index (Bryan Adams and Drake). The US is giving us Alien Ant Farm, DJ Shadow, Goo Goo Dolls, Pennywise and Stone Temple Pilots. R&B and rap fans won’t want to miss the Souled Out festival featuring Don Toliver, Jhené Aiko, Vince Staples and more. Who will you be seeing? Let us know in the comments.

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