The Monster Children Guide To Vivid Sydney
Photo of people dancing at a show like how you and I are going to be at Vivid Sydney.
‘Vivid Sydney is an annual festival held in Sydney, Australia. It includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections, performances by local and international musicians, and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates with leading creative thinkers.’
That is a stupendously boring way for Google to describe one of Sydney’s most beloved and exciting yearly to-do’s. If it were up to me, I’d say something exciting like: Vivid is Sydney’s annual fuckfest of explosive live music, massive Star Wars-level laser shows, and a super nova-esque smash up of international and local creative culture, and we’ll be there. Unfortunately, we can’t be at everything, but we will try to be, and here’s what’s at the top of our list.
Mallrat + Lyric
Tumbalong Park - May 22nd
Australian Pop has a queen and her name is Mallrat. She’s been in the game a long time, releasing music as a teenager and earning her way up that proverbial ladder with glittery songs like 'Charlie', 'Groceries' and 'Rockstar'. A place to dance and dress like you know what the fuck is going on in Paris.
The Mik Maks
Tumbalong Park - May 23
The Mik Maks are performing as part of Tumbalong Kids. Don’t try and tell me these guys don’t fuck. How do you think the kids got there?
Alfa Mist
Sydney Opera House - May 26
London multihyphenate Alfa Mist is something of a specialist in making music like how we make our magazines - by hand, organic, natural, imperfect, but unmistakable and un-replicable. His fusion of jazz and hip hop is one of the rare contemporary fusions of jazz and hip hop that do not piss me off, but make me feel fucking cool.
Sparks
Sydney Opera House - May 25th
You don’t need me to tell you who Sparks is or why you should see them. If you don’t know, that’s alright, but you should definitely read more.
Current Joys
Sydney Opera House - May 24th
Our boy Nick Rattigan is a bit of a homie. Worst texter on the planet, but what he lacks in Gen Z communication skills, he more than makes up for in Halloween house parties and good fucking songwriting. His recordings are gentle and well-strung, his live performances are more like a seance/exorcism.
Chanel Beads
Oxford Art Factory - June 5th
I’ve been very into mathematics lately and how math and logic play into deduction and the scientific method. I will lay out two formulas for you to explain what New York’s Chanel Beads are all about. Do you like long walks home through the empty city streets after a late night? Yes. Do you like mist? Yes. Do you like long walks home through the empty city streets after a late night through a gentle mist? Yes. You like Chanel Beads. Do you like sex? Yes. Do you like music? Yes. Do you like music that sounds like how sex feels? Yes. You like Chanel Beads.
Cate Le Bon
Sydney Opera House - May 29th
Jules just did an interview with Cate Le Bon in promotion of their Vivid set which led me to watch quite a few of Cate’s music videos, which led me to understand what the words could not convey - Cate Le Bon is a weirdo. And we love weirdos. Weirdos make the world interesting. Weirdos make music worth listening to. Weirdos make good performers make good music make good weirdos in an endless cycle of a bald snake eating its own weird pink floppy tail. Be there or be square.
