Vivid Festival 2022

FROM ESTONIA TO EAST LONDON, CARRIAGEWORKS UNVEILS VISIONARY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC PROGRAM FOR VIVID SYDNEY 2022

PERFUME GENIUS · CHAI · TOMM¥ €A$H · MYSTICS: JONO MA, JONTI & BABEKÜHL · CATE LE BON · ALTER BOY · DIVIDE & DISSOLVE · SOFT CENTRE · LIVE DREAMS

After two long years, international acts are set to return to the stages of Sydney, spearheaded by Carriageworks' globe-traversing line-up for Vivid Sydney this June. From Nagoya to North Wales, Iowa to East Perth, the 2022 program highlights the next-generation of global tastemakers, who are individually – and collectively – shaping the sonic landscape across the globe.

From June 2 – 11, Carriageworks will explode with sound, as US indie icon Perfume Genius takes to the precinct. He's joined on the line up by Japan's most beloved new pop act CHAI; celebrated Estonian artist and rapper TOMM¥ €A$H; Welsh singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Cate Le Bon; Melbourne / US doom metal two-piece, Divide & Dissolve; Perth dark-pop powerhouse Alter Boy; and The Mystics a special Carriageworks exclusive performance from Jono Ma, Jonti and Babekühl.

Elsewhere in the program, Carriageworks resident company Performance Space will present Live Dreams – three evenings of performance and experimental art, from across the Asia-Pacific; while Soft Centre brings their singular blend of experimental sound, live A/V performance and large-scale light installation to Carriageworks for a one-day festival of boundary-pushing art and music that will take over the entire precinct. With a focus on theatrical live performance and authentic self-expression, audiences are invited to immerse themselves in the lurid, often dystopian creations, dreamt up, and played out, by the fantastical alter egos that will take to the stage.

"While the past two years have challenged the industry – both in Australia and overseas – live contemporary music remains a key feature and major drawcard for the Sydney cultural experience," said Carriageworks CEO Blair French. "Carriageworks' Vivid Sydney program curated by Tom Supple aims to welcome back audiences to share in the spirit of a reconnected world – highlighting diverse artists from home and abroad."

Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres echoed French's words: "Vivid Sydney is a fantastic event that attracts global attention and thrives on the local community of creatives that brings the program together, such as this ongoing partnership with Carriageworks. It's wonderful to see this popular venue present a dynamic music program as part of Vivid Sydney in 2022 which will appeal to a diverse audience."

Every night over two weekends the Carriageworks precinct will transform into a festival with live bands, large-scale lighting installations, performance art, rotating DJs, as well as the resident Atomic Pop-Up Bar - serving up local beer, festive cocktails and hot food.

Vivid Sydney returns 2-11 June at Carriageworks. Curated by Tom Supple.

General tickets on sale here

PERFUME GENIUS
Date: 11 June, 8pm
Tickets: $59

American indie, queer artist Perfume Genius starts his national tour at Carriageworks. Dubbed "one of alternative music's biggest stars" (The Guardian) singer/song writer Mike Hadreas fuses tender piano ballads and swaggering glam rock power tunes to explore personal stories of sexuality, violence and love with brutal and poetic honesty. 

Supported by: Hand Habits

CHAI
Date: 10 June, 8pm
Tickets: $59

Japanese, all-female, rock band Chai burst into Sydney with their exuberant and joyful live set. Redefining the definition of cuteness, Mana, Kana, Yuna and Yuuki will delight with their clever song writing, impressive musicianship, colourful costumes and wild energy which create genre-defying performances.

Supported by: The Lazy Eyes and Romero

TOMM¥ €A$H
Date: 3 June, 8pm
Tickets: $59

Off the back of a massive world tour, Estonian rapper and visual artist Tommy Cash performs his raucous and provocative live show exclusively at Carriageworks. Bringing his wild, unhinged vision to performance which is influenced by post-Soviet aesthetics and popular American rap, Tommy Cash's energy will move audiences to another dimension.

MYSTICS: JONO MA, JONTI & BABEKÜHL
Date: 5 June, 6:30pm
Tickets: $49

After a year of Covid delays, renowned music makers Jono Ma and Jonti perform at Carriageworks for a chilled-out afternoon of experimental, audio-visual sound and light. Blending the synth-driven sounds of the 1980's and the VHS tapes that often housed them in cult cinema, Jono and Jonti play tribute to the age of the analogue in this Sydney exclusive with collaborator Patrick Santamaria's visual menagerie of moving-image and light.

CATE LE BON
Date: 9 June, 8pm
Tickets: $59

Welsh singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Cate Le Bon and her band play an entrancing plays an entrancing and enigmatic set at Carriageworks for Vivid. Launching a new album written in Cardiff during the depths of the pandemic, Cate's kaleidoscopic and mysteriously moving lyrics wades into tributes of loss, memory and mortality.
Supported by: Olympia & Srisha

ALTER BOY
Date: 2 June, 8pm
Tickets: $39

Alter Boy is a Perth powerhouse, fronted by trans and hard-of-hearing artist, Molly/Aaron. Alter Boy transforms traditional perceptions of music through their dark pop hits, all performed live in Auslan. Featuring chaotic live performances by transgender and disablebodies, Molly/Aaron welcome you to a new music experience where Auslan takes centre stage and inclusivity, and accessibility is championed.

DIVIDE & DISSOLVE
Date: 3 June, 7pm
Tickets: $29

Rising US/AUS band Divide and Dissolve play at Carriageworks for their first Sydney show since the pandemic. Creating powerful and transformative experiences, Takiaya Reed & Sylvie Nehill seek to decolonise, decentralise, and destroy white supremacy through their bone-crushing amps and doom metal which create colossal walls of sound.

Supported by: Jaire

SOFT CENTRE
Date: 4 June, 3-11pm
Tickets: $85/$95

Soft Centre brings their singular blend of experimental sound, live A/V performance and installations to Carriageworks for a one-day festival of boundary-pushing art and music. Featuring an expansive program of creators from the local and global underground, including the world premiere of a mixed-reality motion-capture play by acclaimed visual artist Sam Rolfes and yet-to-be announced special guests, plus live performances by Footwork pioneer RP Boo and Japanese breakcore legend Dj Scotch Egg. Witness one-off A/V collaborations between cult IDM producers DBR and Cypha and visual artists Joan Shin and Brigitte Podrasky, and Plea Unit, featuring live visuals by Endless Prowl and rising Hip Hop MCs Teether, Sevy and Bayang (Tha Bushranger), plus 'brainbows', a new work by Austrian filmmaker Rainer Kohlberger. Locally, purveyors of 'Grotto Rave' - Air Max '97 and SCAM, will be making their Loppy B debut, alongside Pure Space curator Mija Healey, Gamilaraay DJ Crescendoll, performing alongside Queer pole collective Club Chrome, plus new live sets by Yuin ambient composer E Fishpool, Sumn Conduit, featuring Dharawal vocalist Sonya Holowell and modular synthesist Ben Carey, and Makeda, pairing new song based works with roller figure skating. California Girls will debut a baroque melodrama, inspired by the doom of Ingmar Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal', titled 'SILENCE IN HEAVEN', with additional arrangements by Marcus Whale and art direction by Chloe Corkran.

+ More TBA

LIVE DREAMS
9-11 June Tickets: $20

Live Dreams presents the future of experimental art, from across the Asia-Pacific, in three curated evenings of performance: DISTANCE, JESTER, THRESHOLD.

Now in its fourth season at Carriageworks, join resident company Performance Space for three nights of performances, presentations and provocations that bring artists and audiences together in dynamic and responsive ways.