This Week’s Must-See Acts At Vivid LIVE: Fever Ray, Underscores, X CLUB. & More

Even if you’ve never actually been, you probably know at least a little bit about Vivid, Australia’s biggest and most beautiful celebration of lights, music and ideas. The annual festival launched all the way back in 2009, and since then it’s been a staple on the calendar of any fun-loving Sydneysider. It features a packed slate of mind-bending light installations, talks and debates that could change the way you see the world on a fundamental level, and of course, one-of-a-kind live performances from some of the world’s most exciting musicians.

As announced back in March, this year’s program will run for a mammoth 23 nights, kicking off on Friday May 24 and wrapping up on Saturday June 15. It was curated to spotlight “the essence of humanity”, with a press releasing noting that its team are working with the ethos of showing “how creativity fuels our interconnected world”. The line-up certainly reflects this, with a suite of artists from all around the world who are shaping and defining a new generation of pop, rock and electronica.

Some of the biggest standouts on the roster include Yves Tumor, Arca, Underscores, Deerhoof, Yasiin Bey, Yung Lean and Sky Ferreira – and those are just the internationals! We’ll also see career-defining sets from local stalwarts like Electric Fields, Cult Shφtta, Thelma Plum, Jen Cloher, Budjerah, Zion Garcia, BARKAA... The full itinerary is legitimately wild – head here to see it for yourself.

In a press release, festival director Gill Minervini said of this year’s program: “Humanity is at the core of everything we do, and this year Vivid LIVE is diving deep into what makes us uniquely human. We have curated a diverse program that explores the human spirit, designed to foster connections, spark imagination and showcase the multitude of ways creativity enriches our lives. Everyone is invited to be part of this global event in the world’s most beautiful city to connect, create and celebrate.”

Adding to the sentiment was Vivid Music curator Julian Ramundi, who said in his own statement: “Vivid Music in 2024 elevates artist stories and connects audiences in a diverse range of spaces, from cultural institutions and theatres to free and accessible spaces across the Vivid Light Walk. Hear music in new parts of our city and gather to celebrate voices from all around the world, artists who remind us that songs vibrate at the centre of our shared humanity.”

Every week, we’ll be rounding off the five shows we’re most excited for, highlighting artists from home and abroad across all levels of notoriety. Here are the ones we can’t wait to see this week...

Fever Ray

WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday June 5 and Thursday 6 at Sydney Opera House (Concert Hall)

TheMusic.com.au's current cover artist has been on one hell of a musical journey over the past three decades, all of which has informed their idiosyncratic Fever Ray project. Impossible to define but indescribably infectious, Karin Dreijer’s brand of electro-charged pop music has made them an international icon, only elevated by their theatrical, character-driven performances. These two vivid shows will mark Dreijer’s first time performing to Australians as Fever Ray, highlighting cuts from their kaleidoscopic 2023 album Radical Romantics.

TICKETS: Here

Underscores

WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday June 5 at Machine Hall

Few artists define Gen Z pop as brilliantly as Underscores, whose unparalleled style blends immersive worldbuilding and storytelling with an insanely broad palette of colourful and compelling sounds. Last year’s Wallsocket album catapulted April Harper Grey into the mainstream with its intricate balance of experimental hyperpop and enthralling post-rock, emo and folk music. The live show she’s built around it is truly one-of-a-kind, described as “a journey through the cosmos of [Grey’s] wild and wonderful imagination”. Her VIVID Sydney show comes as part of her first-ever Australian tour.

TICKETS: Here

Jen Cloher

WHEN & WHERE: Thursday June 6 at Machine Hall

Jen Cloher is no stranger to Vivid LIVE, performing at last year’s festival with a career-defining set in the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. Their return will see them take over Machine Hall with a full band in tow, weaving freely through the peaks and valleys of their labyrinthine catalogue – expect a rousing live debut for their stirring new single Annabelle, spellbinding highlights from their 2023 epic I Am The River, The River Is Me, and plenty of surprises. Every time we see Cloher live, we leave feeling mesmerised and full of life – and we already know this show will be no different.

TICKETS: Here

X CLUB.

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday June 8 at Carriageworks

It’s been a hectic few years for X CLUB. since they broke out of Australia’s rave scene with their sights set on world domination. Their return Down Under heralds their most ambitious vision yet: a warehouse party that starts right before sunset and powers on into the night, with a lineup of international icons sure to get your heart pumping and your feet moving. In addition to their own set of life-affirming house music and skull-rumbling drum’n’bass, X CLUB. will be joined by Sweden’s SPFDJ and Ireland’s SHAMPAIN, alongside fellow local favourites Crybaby and Fukhed.

TICKETS: Here

grentperez + FRIDAY*

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday June 8 at Tumbalong Park

grentperez and FRIDAY* are two of Australia’s most exciting young pop artists, both on the path to being bonafide superstars with their unique and infectious sounds, swoon-worthy styles and dazzling performances. Not only will their Vivid LIVE show at Tumbalong Park be free to attend, it’ll give us a glimpse into both artists’ new eras: FRIDAY* will showcase cuts from his breakout EP Darling (which arrived last November), but we know he’s been racking up material, as has grentperez’s after last year’s sprightly trio of standalone singles (Old Without You, Us Without Me and the Cavetown-assisted When We Were Younger).

TICKETS: Here