Vivid LIVE 2022 full line-up revealed

Sydney – Wednesday 16 March, 2022. The Sydney Opera House today revealed the full line-up for its centrepiece contemporary music event, Vivid LIVE 2022, taking place from 27 May – 18 June as part of Vivid Sydney, the annual creative festival that showcases the soul of the city, in collaboration with the most brilliant and boundary-pushing artists, thinkers and musicians of our time.

Transforming the world-famous building inside and out, Vivid LIVE 2022 will feature more than 70 Australian and international artists presented across six Opera House venues and, most publicly, on the iconic sails.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music and Vivid LIVE Curator, Ben Marshall, says: “It has been a genuine privilege to put together this year’s Vivid LIVE program for the city I love, and in doing so it’s clear that Sydney isn’t the same city it was in 2019, or 2020, or even last year. In 2022, we are all feeling the deep communal need to experience art and live concerts together.

“This year’s Vivid LIVE artists reflect the international scale and ambition of Sydney’s soul. From Paul Kelly’s exclusive residency with Thelma Plum, and the incredible impact of Sampa The Great, to the remarkable event put together by BLESSED. It’s an honour to be staging the world premiere of Nils Frahm’s new performance, and Hermitude will finally let rip outside on the harbour. Vivid LIVE will herald the Opera House debuts of sublime new artists like Masego, RVG and Miiesha, while we welcome back the mighty Moses Sumney and hand the Opera House over to Sydney’s multifaceted music communities, Astral People, Club Kooky, Mad Racket and many more.

"Two years in the making, the Lighting of the Sails is an especially significant event this year – the new digital artwork, Yarrkalpa - Hunting Ground, 2021, is an intricate First Nations collaboration between the Pilbara’s eight Martu Artists & Sydney’s Curiious, soundtracked by Electric Fields. The heart of our city needs the electricity of Vivid Sydney running through it now more than ever, and I sincerely hope Vivid LIVE plays its part in bringing audiences together as we step forward into what comes next.”

NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism, Stuart Ayres, said: “Vivid Sydney fuses light, music, and ideas, and Vivid LIVE synthesises these in, around and onto one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks. From dance to jazz-funk, hip-hop to post-punk, the 2022 Vivid LIVE line-up delivers a musical feast of exhilarating and extraordinary local, national, and international talent. Whether it’s Australian rock royalty, international headliners or rising stars, attendees will be spoilt for choice, and performances will enthral. Nothing beats live entertainment, and after a two-year hiatus, attending in person is an exciting prospect for all attendees at this year’s Vivid LIVE program.”

The full line-up includes:

​​​​​​YARRKALPA – HUNTING GROUND, 2021 – LIGHTING OF THE SAILS – two years in the making, this epic new digital artwork created by the Pilbara’s Martu Artists and Sydney-based creative technologists Curiious will bring the vibrant painting of the far western deserts Parnngurr community and its surrounding landscape to life on the Opera House sails, with an accompanying soundtrack by Electric Fields featuring the vocals of the Martu Artists.

Formerly known as Tubowgule, the land on which the Opera House stands, Bennelong Point has always been a cultural gathering place for First Nations people. This year’s Lighting of the Sails will extend First Nations stories onto the country’s most iconic canvas. The artwork is inspired by the striking Martu Artists collective painting Yarrkalpa - Hunting Ground, Parnngurr Area 2013 and part of the award-winning Yarrkalpa – Always Walking Country (2014) artwork by Martu/Wallworth/Anohni. The painting represents an intimate connection with Country: cataloguing seasons, traditional burning practices and cycles of regrowth, hunting and vital natural resources, as well as abstracted ancestral stories.

Through consultation with the Martu Artists and the seamless connections between the tactile 2013 painting and their digital explorations, Curiious will create an artwork that brings to life the vibrancy, energy and rich storytelling of the Martu.

NORTHERN BROADWALK

PAUL KELLY AND HIS BAND - TIME AND TIDE: TIDE: FOUR DECADES OF SONG with THELMA PLUM – beloved Australian rock royalty, Paul Kelly, returns to the Opera House for a special one-off series. Curating a catalogue of his award-winning songs, the multi-ARIA award-winner will delight audiences for four nights under the stars on the Northern Broadwalk stage, playing “songs in praise of, in spite of and in the shadow of time.” Kelly will be joined on stage by Gamilaraay singer-songwriter and ARIA Award winner Thelma Plum, and band members Vika and Linda Bull, Bill McDonald, Peter Luscombe, Ash Naylor, Cameron Bruce and Dan Kelly.

HERMITUDE – in a celebratory return to the dancefloor, the local, chart-topping, hi-octane dance duo Hermitude will ignite the Northern Broadwalk stage debuting their highly-anticipated, forthcoming album, Mirror Mountain, recorded during lockdown in the Blue Mountains.

ASTRAL PEOPLE 10 + 1 BIRTHDAY – as one of Australia’s leading music management, touring and events companies and, as of 2019, an innovative record label, Astral People will finally take over the Northern Broadwalk for a decade-defining weekender featuring Hiatus Kaiyote, Youngn Lipz, Briggs, Mildlife, Barkaa, Arno Faraji,  Jitwam Live,  dameeeela, Bumpy, Hoodzy, Munasib, and internationals: UK innovative jazz-funk drummer and producer Yussef Dayes, and UK rapper Jay1.​

CLUB KOOKY – Sydney favourites Club Kooky are back bigger and better than ever, with another massive open-air party on the Northern Broadwalk set to shake Vivid LIVE with iconic LGBTQIA+ anthems, secret special guest performers, amazing visuals and an inclusive, queer-friendly vibe.

JOAN SUTHERLAND THEATRE 

SAMPA THE GREAT presents AN AFRO FUTURE with special guests MWANJЀ, KYE and sounds by C.FRIM – in an Australian exclusive, Sampa Tembo – better known as Sampa The Great – will finally debut her long-awaited new show An Afro Future, performing her four-time ARIA Award-winning debut album The Return with her epic band, dancers, singers and special guests experimental neo-soul rising star, Mwanjѐ, R&B newcomer KYE, and sounds from Melbourne’s C.FRIM.

TKAY MAIDZA with special guest MAINA DOE – returning to the Australian stage after a four-year hiatus, Australian-Zimbabwean singer-rapper Tkay Maidza will make her highly anticipated Sydney Opera House debut for a night of powerful, provocative hip-hop and soul, hot off a world tour with Billie Eilish. Multi-dimensional Indonesian-Somalian artist, Maina Doe, will appear as a special guest.

​MOSES SUMNEY – having thrilled audiences during his hypnotic Concert Hall performances in 2018, acclaimed Ghanaian-American avant-soul artist, Moses Sumney, makes his much-anticipated return to the Opera House for one night only. 

​TEEKS – rising soulful R&B superstar Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi, known by his mononym TEEKS is one of Aotearoa’s most unforgettable voices in modern soul, going to #1 with his 2021 debut album Something to Feel, which he’ll perform at Vivid LIVE with a full band and string section.

​MASEGO – Jamaica-born, Virginia-raised Masego continues to push boundaries through his self-described ‘TrapHouseJazz’ genre. He has already amassed a Grammy nomination, over two billion combined global streams and production duties on Drake’s Champagne Poetry. Masego will make his Opera House debut with audiences set to experience the playfulness, humour, and svelte sensitivities of his music in the Joan Sutherland Theatre for one night only.

NILS FRAHM: MUSIC FOR SYDNEY – a sonic alchemist of classical, ambient and electro, Germany's Nils Frahm returns to Vivid LIVE for the world premiere of ‘Music For ...’, featuring new music in this completely new live show, Music For Sydney.​

MEG MAC – after selling out headline tours in Australia, UK and USA, ARIA-Award nominated singer-songwriter Meg Mac will make her Opera House debut at Vivid LIVE, performing new music including her latest haunting and intimate single “Is It Worth Being Sad”.

DRAMA THEATRE

HTRK – Victorian-based cult favourites HTRK will make their long-overdue Opera House debut performing new music at Vivid LIVE. The internationally renowned underground duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang will debut songs from their most recent full-length album Rhinestones (2021).

ED KUEPPER & JIM WHITE – Australian post-punk, singer-songwriter and guitarist Ed Kuepper and legendary drummer Jim White will return to the Opera House after two sold out shows in the Studio last year. Together, the game-changers will reunite for another brilliant, uncompromising performance at Vivid LIVE.

IN THE MOOD - A LOVE LETTER TO WONG KAR-WAI &HONG KONG - RAINBOW CHAN, EUGENE CHOI & MARCUS WHALE–Wong Kar-wai’s multi-award-winning Cantonese film is refracted onto the stage in a world premiere and Australian exclusive live performance featuring a theatrical set, ‘60s style costumes, and sax-drenched renditions of the film’s romantic soundtrack, alongside original music from Rainbow Chan’s latest record Stanley (Eastern Margins, 2021), sung by Chinese-Australian artists Chan and Marcus Whale with narration by Eugene Choi.

GORDI – acclaimed Australian folk-pop singer and producer Sophie Payten, aka Gordi, last played the Opera House when she livestreamed her international album launch, Our Two Skins, while live music venues were closed to the public in 2020. She’ll return for two magnetic solo performances in the Drama Theatre for a Vivid LIVE debut.

KUČKA – Kučka is the avant-electronic project of producer and vocalist Laura Jane Lowther, who will showcase new music, including tracks from her debut album Wrestling, in her Opera House debut in a visual collaboration with the artist Bootleg Comic, directed by Dillon Howl.

​UTZON ROOM

1300 – an explosive Vivid LIVE debut from Korean-Australian hip-hop sensations 1300, who have subverted what Aussie hip-hop can be, with genre-defying beats and shape-shifting rhymes. They’ll light-up the Utzon Room with tracks from their hotly-anticipated debut mixtape Foreign Language, plus highlights from their blazing run of singles.

TANGENTS & GODTET – in a double bill, Sydney’s Tangents will launch their 2021 double LP Timeslips & Chimeras, while Australian jazz collection GODTET, formed by prolific producer, beat-maker and multi-instrumentalist Godriguez, will feature some of Sydney’s new generation of musicians in a unique, improvisational performance.

A.GIRL – making waves nationally with her unique rap style and leading the new guard of young artists exploding out of Sydney’s west, Māori artist A.GIRL – Hinenuiterangi Tairua – hails from the underground Hip Hop/R&B scene and will showcase her raw talent in a debut headline show at Vivid LIVE.

THE BUOYS – from sold-out headline tours across Australia, Sydney’s all-female indie outfit The Buoys, will make their Opera House debut with their fiery anthems and heart-jerking tunes transforming the Utzon Room in a special, high energy set for one night only.

​LIZ MARTIN & ELIZA HULL - INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE NOTES – more than a decade since her last appearance performing Walking On Air with Aerialise troupe, singer-songwriter and musician Liz Martin will make her exclusive return to the Opera House in an evocative collaboration with Victorian composer, musician and disability advocate Eliza Hull.

MIIESHA – Anangu/Torres Strait Islander woman and ARIA award-winning singer-songwriter Miiesha will delve deep into telling a personal story that must be heard through beautiful R&B and neo-soul soundscapes from her world-class 2020 breakout album, Nyaaringu (meaning ‘what happened’ in Pitjantjatjara language) and other favourites.

GEORGIA MAQ – three years after performing at the Opera House as lead singer-guitarist of Melbourne indie-rock band Camp Cope, Georgia Maq returns for a long-awaited solo Opera House debut, performing her latest record Pleaser.

TINY RUINS – treasured Auckland-based band Tiny Ruins, led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hollie Fullbrook, return to Vivid LIVE for the first time in six years performing never-before-heard songs ahead of their forthcoming new album.

STUDIO – VIVID LIVE PARTIES – celebrating the best in local club culture hosted by Opera House’s favourite club-scene innovators.

FUTURE CLASSIC – returning for their first Opera House party since 2015, the iconic independent label, who count Flume and Chet Faker on their roster, will deliver a pulsating dance party with Australian electronic guru Touch Sensitive and Future Classic’s audacious new project Tseba, joined by Sydney’s coveted DJ and podcaster Ayebatonye, and local DJ and FBi Sunsets presenter Deepa.

PICNIC PARTY – this electrifying evening by legendary club team, Picnic, and hosted by performance artist and provocateur Millie Sykes, will be sound tracked by DJ sets from Melbourne-based party starters Wax’o Paradiso, electronic music guru Adi Toohey, Picnic boss Kali, and Nomad Radio’s Evie + Hyfe.

ASTRAL PEOPLE presents JOHN TALABOT ALL NIGHT LONG – following a sold-out night at Vivid LIVE 2019, Astral People is bringing back Barcelona-based, Catalan electronic producer John Talabot for a hypnotic, carefully curated DJ set.

MAD RACKET – the Inner West’s longest-running dance institution Mad Racket will return to their home away from home in the Studio, bringing a mix of deep exotic house, Afrobeat, UKG, hip-hop, Bruk and techno with Mad Racket DJs Ken Cloud, Simon Caldwell, Jimmi James and Zootie, plus special guests Ed Seven & Tom Studdy (Steppers) with special guest vocalist Natalie Slade.

STUDIO

RVG – Melbourne's beloved post-punk band RVG, led by the commanding frontwoman Romy Vager, will spellbind audiences with their raw energy and infectious melodies, performing from their back catalogue including sophomore album Feral (2020)  – produced with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave collaborator Victor Van Vugt.

LIARS WITH THE DOUBLE (JIM WHITE & EMMETT KELLY) – led by Australian-bred songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angus Andrew, Liars will deliver a dazzling dose of sonic experimentation to mark the release of thrilling new record The Apple Drop, with special guests The Double - The Dirty Three and Xylouris White drummer, Jim White and American singer and guitarist Emmett Kelly.

SKELETEN - UTOPIAN SOUND – Sydney producer and vocalist Russell Fitzgibbon will bring his evocative soundscapes and ethereal vocals with a full live band and distinct accompanying visuals for a performance of all new music.

BLESSED presents AUSSIE BLACKSTAR with MAINA DOE, BABY PRINCE and CHIRINE – Ghanaian-Australian artist Samuel Joe-Andah – aka BLESSED – returns to the Opera House to perform music from his latest project, LOCKDOWN TAPES VOL.1, joined by friends and collaborators Maina Doe, Baby Prince and Chirine, with more to be announced.

LOW LIFE – following an Opera House debut streamed live from the Joan Sutherland Theatre in 2020, the cult punk heroes return to perform music from their 2021 album (‘From Squats To Lots: The Agony & XTC Of Low Life’).

BORIS – for the first time in over a decade, legendary Japanese doom metal titans Boris bring the noise back to Vivid LIVE in a very special 30th anniversary performance of Heavy Rocks with special guest guitarist, Tokie.

FORECOURT & MONUMENTAL STEPS

Sydney-based artist Lauren Brincat's Tutti Presto fff is a live sculpture on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt and Monumental Steps that oscillates between sound, performance and choreography. Brincat’s collaboration with co-composer Alex Denison and textile designer Leah Giblin will reinterpret the iconic site with a large, shapeshifting sail manipulated by a chorus of performers and the artist herself, accompanied by five drummers pulsing with the sound of temperatures rising! rising! rising! and the burning intensity of the momentary present.

EVENT DETAILS
What: Vivid LIVE 2022
When: Friday 27 May - Saturday 18 June, 2022
Where: Various venues, Sydney Opera House
Tickets: Tickets from $29 - $129 
Sydney Opera House pre-sale commences Thursday 17 March, 12pm AEDT
Tickets on sale to the general public Monday 21 March, 10am AEDT