We’ve teamed up with the Sydney Opera House to bring you the most anticipated local and international musicians hitting the stage over the next couple of weeks for Vivid LIVE.
While the list of must-see acts spans many genres, here are some electronica-specific highlights we picked just for you. So get ready to dance shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow revelers and feel the bass rise through your body.
Studio Parties
During the first week of Sydney’s biggest light-fueled extravaganza, six parties will take place in the Sydney Opera House Studio. Designed to showcase the best electronica has to offer, burgeoning DJs and legacy artists will team up to bring the house down.
Expect a series of pulsing nights featuring the likes of UK dance music legend Mala master of deep house Fred P, visionary Radioactive Man, Berlin mainstay Hyperaktivist, as well as a stacked line-up of underground protégés. Each night will be presented by a major music institution, including queer hype machine House of Mince, so it’s purely a matter of choosing when and where to gyrate.
Dates: May 24 – June 1
Location: Sydney Opera House Studio
Tickets on sale from $59
Fever Ray
Without the inception of Swedish electronic legends The Knife, we would never have been gifted with Fever Ray. Setting out on their solo journey in the late-2000s, Fever Ray has continued to fire at all cylinders with their distinct, ethereal electro-pop. Just last year, Fever Ray enlisted the help of producer heavyweights Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their latest album, ‘Radical Romantics’. If an artist can recruit the likes of Reznor and Ross, they’re doing something revolutionary. This will mark Fever Ray’s exclusive Australian debut, so clamber through the crowd to get a front-row view of history.
Dates: June 5 – 6
Location: The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Tickets on sale from $89
Jlin
After snagging a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her 2023 EP, ‘Perspective’, electro powerhouse Jlin will be continuing the upward trajectory by making her Vivid LIVE debut. The Indiana-born artist will set pulses racing with her gritty, thumping music that continues to garner acclaim with each additional release. Whipping up remixes for Björk and St Vincent, as well as collaborating with the late, great, SOPHIE, Jlin has become integral to the electronic scene.
Date: June 2
Location: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Tickets on sale from $49
Arca
Introducing the wizard of all trades: Arca. The singer and producer has blown away musicians including Björk (whose collaboration with Arca and Jlin proves she can spot talent when she hears it), as well as industry titans FKA Twigs, Frank Ocean, and Ye. Expect the unexpected when Arca hits the stage on May 24 — her brand of experimental art is a treat for the eyes as much as the ears.
Date: May 24
Location: The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Tickets on sale from $99
Vv Pete
There’s no feeling quite like a rapper hurling lines at the audience over a heaving beat, and Vv Pete delivers exactly that with ferocity. Hailing from Mount Druitt, the rapper-singer hybrid has made impressive strides since making her debut a mere two years ago. If there’s an opportunity to see an artist before their meteoric rise, it’s this one — Vv Pete hasn’t even released a full body of work yet, and she’s already making a name for herself.
Date: June 2
Location: The Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
Tickets on sale from $29
Air
For anyone who wasn’t alive or old enough to witness Air’s domination of the late-90s, this is the time for redemption. Despite hitting the Vivid LIVE stage back in 2017, this will be the first time the French electro-duo will perform their career-defining album, ‘Moon Safari’, front to back. Witness first-hand why this album caught the attention of A-list musicians across the globe.
Dates: May 25 – 26
Location: The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Tickets currently sold out; check for more info.
Underworld
Known worldwide for their infectious, sweat-inducing tune ‘Born Slippy’ — aka the heart and soul of Trainspotting — Underworld have been going strong for over a quarter of a century. No strangers to the Vivid LIVE stage, the Welsh techno savants will return once again, using their decades-spanning back catalogue to entrance audiences for three glorious nights.
Dates: May 30 – June 1
Location: The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Tickets currently sold out; check for more info.
Head to Vivid Sydney for the full itinerary, from light shows and dining experiences to more live music and innovative performance art.
Related: An Amy Poehler Talk, Indigenous Dining Experience and 8 Other Non-Lights Vivid Highlights
Related: Mallrat, Mos Def and Humanity-Themed Film Screenings to Feature at Vivid 2024
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.
