Our Top Picks For Sydney Festival

14 January 2015 | 10:25 am | Jessica Polak

You should really try and nab yourself some last minute tickets for these...

We’re partway through Sydney Festival and too excited to contain ourselves. Jessica Polak and The Music editorial team have rounded up our favourites from the program. Try and nab yourself some last minute tix.

BANKSTOWN: LIVE

Telling contemporary Australian stories from Sydney’s South-West region, BANKSTOWN: LIVE, presented by Urban Theatre Projects, will entertain you with film, dance and theatre acts all from the neighbourhood. The production will include an adaption of The Tribe by Mohammed Ahmad, a story following a group of Muslims who fled to Australia before civil war erupted in Lebanon, which provides an insight into one of the most misrepresented people in Australia. There’ll also be a whole host of other Aussie songs and showcases, including a photography exhibition by Joanne Saad. 

22 – 25 Jan, Northam Avenue

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

BANKSTOWN: LIVE feat. Joanne Saad's Family Portraits

Disco Dome

In case you’re looking for your weekend dose of dancing and drinking, Disco Dome may be the perfect choice for a night out with friends. Disco-goers will explore Parramatta’s nightlife of the past and move through buildings you would never expect to have once been popular party destinations such as the War & Peace club (now a Thai restaurant). The night will end with an hour-long disco at Port Bar featuring a playlist by Liam Benson. Drinks are included.

16 & 17 Jan, 23 & 24 Jan, Information And Cultural Exchange

Nothing to Lose

Breaking the expectations of a society obsessed with weight-loss, self-proclaimed fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater and outgoing Force Majeure Artistic Director Kate Champion have collaborated to bring together a performance that celebrates the capabilities of fat people. Drinkwater, already known for her fat positivity with her filmmaking work including documentary Aquaporko!, has, with Champion, tells  real-life stories through movement – they’ll reshape your perspective on what a fat person can do.

21 – 25 Jan, Carriageworks Bay 20

Blak Cabaret

A night filled with music and comedy, Blak Cabaret, presented by Malthouse Theatre, takes a humorous look at Australia’s past and creates a history where Constantina Bush becomes the ruler of this land. An all-star cast of Indigenous artists including Emma Donovan, Nikki Ashby, Bart Willoughby and Kutcha Edwards who will join the Queen on-stage to explore this subverted view of Australian history. Bush is not afraid of pushing the boundaries yet still manages to make her claim over terra nullius an amusing take on black-white relations.

20 – 25 Jan, The Famous Spiegeltent

Beat The Drum: Celebrating 40 Years Of triple j

This year is the 40th anniversary of the launch of the original double j and to celebrate this feat, triple j, in conjunction with Sydney Festival, has invited some of the biggest names in Australian music for an unforgettable concert. Headliners include Vance Joy, The Cat Empire, Nina Las Vegas and Hilltop Hoods just to name a few which means Beat The Drum will be the concert of a lifetime for any fan of great Aussie music. The event will also be broadcast live on triple j from 4pm.

16 Jan, The Domain

Beat The Drum

Body/Head

Experimental duo Body/Head, the brainchild of Kim Gordon and Bill Nace, are breaking ground with their crackling tunes, composed of layered guitar pieces and unique vocals. In between the improvised guitar works of Nace and the dark atmosphere of the concert are mesmerising light projections – this concert will make for an interesting night of music.

22 Jan, The Aurora

Far From Folsom

Aussie rock singer Tex Perkins will be channeling the spirit of Johnny Cash in his upcoming reenactments of this legendary musician’s Folsom Prison concerts. Perkins will be joined on-stage by Rachael Tidd and the Tennessee Four as they reprise some of the most famous country songs from the album At Folsom Prison in an outdoor concert unlike any other.

16 – 18 Jan, Parramatta Gaol