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Unknown Mortal Orchestra

30 January 2024

In the Concert Hall

Contemporary Music

Blissed-out pop, soul and genre-defying rock from Portland-based New Zealand psych-rockers Unknown Mortal Orchestra, returning to Australia for their Sydney Opera House debut at the Concert Hall.

Playful psychedelia that drips with funk.

The Guardian

New Zealand’s funky psych-rockers make their Sydney Opera House debut

The brainchild of Darwin-born, New Zealand-raised singer, songwriter and guitarist Ruban Nielson, Portland, Oregon-based psych-rockers Unknown Mortal Orchestra have defied genre across five shape-shifting albums that traverse soaring indie rock, blissed-out pop, soul, funk and freaky late-night R&B. Riding a wave of acclaim for their latest release, the breezy, sun-kissed double album V, the eclectic pop outfit return to Australia for the first time in six years, making their Sydney Opera House debut at the Concert Hall for one night only.

Since their beginnings in 2009, UMO have thrived in a thrilling state of evolution, moving from the soaring guitar rock of their 2011 debut through free jazz, lo-fi pop (2013’s smash “So Good At Being In Trouble”) and the funky R&B of their 2015 breakthrough, Multi-Love. Following 2018’s Sex & Food (with its irresistible hit, “Hunnybee”) and the electric jazz companion IC-01 Hanoi, Nielson decamped to Palm Springs to begin work on what would become the band’s ambitious double record V, recorded between California and Hawaii with a nod to the singer’s island heritage. Preceded by the singles “That Life” and “I Killed Captain Cook”, the album evokes both the poolsides of Palm Springs and the oceans of Hawaii – the perfect summer vibe for the band’s much-anticipated Sydney performance.

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