Summer festivals sideshows and beyond

The National

Every year, New Year’s festivals like Falls and Southbound bring a bunch of really awesome bands to our far-away land. For those of us staying local over the summer, first half of January is loaded with sideshows by some really awesome international bands.

New York City indie rockers Interpol are touring their fourth self-titled album and aside from the New Year’s festivals, will also be making an appearance at the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday 4 January. Tickets are still available from the venue. The Californian four-piece Cold War Kids will also play at the Enmore Theatre. Limited number of tickets are left for their Thursday 6 January show.

Another American indie rock band I am super excited about is The National. Their fifth and highly acclaimed album High Violet has been a highlight of this year for me, so I just can’t wait to see them. They will play two sold-out shows at the Enmore Theatre, on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 January.

Old school rock queen Joan Jett will be doing a very intimate sold-out sideshow at the Annandale Hotel on Friday 7 January. Canadians Hot Hot Heat will rock the Factory Theatre on Thursday 6 January. Tickets still available from the venue. Dance-punk New York City trio The Rapture will take on the Metro Theatre on Thursday 6 January, and tickets are still around.

Big Day Out will make sure our second half of January is also well spent. Sideshows not to miss are Grinderman, who play on Friday 28 January, and The Black Keys on Saturday 29 January, both at the Enmore Theatre. The multi-member Californian band Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros are back in the country and will bring their indie folk sounds to the Forum on Friday 28 January. Also on Friday, if you scored yourself some tickets already, you can catch the colourful British artist M.I.A at the Metro Theatre.

The sold-out St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, happening on the first Sunday in February, has some sweet, sweet international and local acts on the bill. A few of those partake in the Sydney Festival too, like Beach House and Gotye who will perform their sideshows in late January. See my previous post for dates. On Saturday 29,  you can also catch the American dream-pop trio Blonde Redhead at Sydney Opera House.

The rest of the sideshows are all pretty much lined up for the first half of February. Upbeat electro-pop Irish band Two Door Cinema Club are back with a sideshow at the Enmore Theatre on Monday 7 February. Brooklyn-based trio Yeasayer also play on Monday 7 February at the Metro Theatre. Atlanta (Georgia) four-piece Deerhunter will take on the Metro Theatre on Tuesday 8 February. New Yorkers Les Savy Fav will bring the house down on Thursday 10 February at Sydney Uni’s Manning Bar. Also on Thursday, catch the five-piece LA band Local Natives in action at the Metro Theatre. Tickets available from the venue.

Playground Weekender is on in the second half of February at the Wisemans Ferry, just under two hours north of Sydney. Manchester-based rock band Doves are headlining the festival, and you can also see them at the Enmore Theatre on Thursday 17 February.

Belle & Sebastian will be Down Under in March for the Golden Plains festival in Victoria and will do a side gig at Sydney Opera House on Thursday 10 March. If you’re lucky, you may still find good seats available by the time you’re finished reading this.

Little further down into the year 2011, you can anticipate more amazing sideshows courtesy of the Byron Bay Bluesfest, happening over the Easter long weekend, from Thursday 21 until Monday 25 April. The complete line-up is pretty incredible and if you’re heading up to enjoy it, well, lucky you. Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Toots and the Maytals, ZZ Top just to name a few.

A sideshow for the king of blues, B.B. King, has been announced for Tuesday 12 April at the State Theatre. Tickets go on sale in a few days here. ZZ Top will take on the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday 27 April. Tickets to the show go on sale tomorrow. Stay tuned for more Bluesfest sideshows as they get announced closer to the date.

Update on Bluesfest sideshows: Bob Dylan’s sideshow is booked for Wednesday 27 April at the Entertainment Centre. Tickets go on sale on Monday 24 January from this website. Elvis Costello will take on the State Theatre on Tuesday 19 April, get your tickets from here. For the reggae fans, Toots and the Maytals are teaming up with some buddies for a night to remember at the Enmore Thetare. For more details and to get your tickets, go here. Also at the Enmore Theatre, the legendary Texan trio ZZ Top have booked two nights – Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 April. For tickets, go here.

P.S. Not related to any of the summer festivals, Cat Power also returns to Sydney in January. Only one performance is scheduled for Sunday 30 January at Sydney Opera House. Tickets on sale Thursday 10 December. And Kings of Leon return to Australia in the new year as well. As expected, they will do stadium shows across the country and have scheduled Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 March for Acer Arena in Sydney’s Olympic Park. Tickets are on sale now.

Big Day Out photo exhibition

Mart Gallery

Another really cool photo exhibition happening at the moment is the Tony Mott & Sophie Howarth. A Big Day Out Retrospective. Basically, it’s a collection of photographs from Australia’s favourite festival, Big Day Out, taken by two of Australia’s most renowned music photographers, Tony Mott and Sophie Howarth. The spectrum of musicians captured on camera is very impressive. From our own Magic Dirt, Silverchair, The Dirty Three to international superstars like The Ramones, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Bjork, Iggy Pop, PJ Harvey and the list goes on and on.

The exhibition runs until Saturday 30 January and is free. Mart Gallery is at 156 Commonwealth Street in Surry Hills.

Festivals and sideshows

Grizzly Bear

The New Year’s Falls Music & Arts Festival, Pyramid Rock Festival, Field Day, Days Like This!, Big Day Out, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Good Vibrations and the list goes on. Nothing like summer festivals to get out there and check out some extraordinary bands. If you’re going to any of these, lucky you. If not, you might want to consider the odd sideshow or two. I am heading to Lorne Falls Festival again this year and can not wait to kick my boots off and lie in the sun. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Editors and Grizzly Bear are my festival favourits. All of them are doing sideshows in Sydney in early January. Yeah Yeah Yeahs will hit Hordern Pavilion, while Grizzly Bear have just announced the date for their third show at the Recital Hall, as part of Sydney Festival. Second time around, I’m quite keen to see Moby, also performing at Sydney Opera House, and the very fun live  Norweigan electro rockers Datarock. The Temper Trap, Sarah Blasko, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Dappled Cities and Yves Klein Blue are my local favorite picks. And as always, I can’t wait to hear bands I haven’t quite had the chance to hear yet like The View, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and White Rabbits. White Rabbits are doing a side gig at the Oxford Art Factory in the new year as well.

Cat Power

Now, Days Like This! is not necessarily my type of festival, but boy was I happy to see Cat Power on the performers’ bill. I’m a sucker for female singers with breathy voices, and hers is one of my favourites. I will see Cat Power backed by the Dirty Delta Blues (with Jim White from Dirty Three) perform at Waves in Towradgi as her only Sydney (or 60 km south of) side gig.

The Decemberists

I have never been to Big Day Out, but I have managed to catch a few sideshows in the past. This time around I’ll be seeing the Portland, Oregon-based rock band The Decemberists. It’s been a while since I started tracking their tour schedule expecting to see some dates for their, I believe, first ever down under tour. I can not wait to indulge in their theatrical indie folk extravaganza. They will not be doing the Hazards of Love show, which is completely understandable, but a bit sad since I have placed it to sit comfortably within my ‘top 10 albums of 2009’ list. The Decemberists will play at the Metro Theatre.