The best gigs to see in Sydney this winter

Summer might be over, but Sydney’s event schedule isn’t slowing down – with Great Southern Nights bringing more than 300 gigs to venues across the city and beyond. Keen to get amongst it? The annual autumn gig series is reaching its peak in one of our very favourite corners of the city; with the Hollywood Quarter (the Surry Hills intersection where some of Sydney’s coolest streets collide) playing host to a crazy-good gig trail on Saturday, April 5 (and deep into the morning of Sunday, April 6).After launching during Great Southern Nights 2024 edition, the Hollywood Quarter Gig Trail is back in a big way for 2025 – with live gigs from established and emerging Aussie artists at venues around the precinct. Running from 12pm on Saturday, April 5 until 4am on Sunday morning, the urban trail will take music lovers from intimate bars to high-end restaurants, with a super-strong line-up of artists (headliners include Babitha, Jono Ma and The Pro-Teens) playing free-to-attend gigs.  Participating venues in this year’s event include Ace Hotel Sydney, the Soda Factory, Alberto’s Lounge, the Burdekin, Golden Age, Hollywood Hotel, Harry’s, Butter, Surry Hills Hotel and Paramount House Hotel. We can also expect pavement gigs and pop-up stages, with Music Curator Trevor Brown encouraging Sydneysiders to “get ready to explore the back alleys, nooks and crannies of the Hollywood Precinct.” Keen? You can learn more about the participating venues and check out the line-up over here. Stay in...

Sydney is abuzz with Lion King-mania. In addition to the announcement of the hit-musical returning to the Capitol Theatre, the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra is giving Sydneysiders the opportunity to experience the film like never before.  While Simba prances through all of the catchiest tunes on the big screen at The Concourse in Chatswood, the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra will congregate down below. The live music will have you feeling like you're among the pridelands – get ready for goosebumps.  From Pumbaa and Timon’s infectiously uplifting ‘Hakuna Matata’ to the rousing ‘Circle of Life’, the movie’s soundtrack was put together by a collection of Oscar- and Grammy-winning musicians like Elton John and composer Hans Zimmer. With all that talent, it’s one of the best scores you could catch live.  There are two daytime performances you can catch – Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. You can snag tickets, starting from $45 to $275 for a family ticket, here.

If album listening parties were on your ins list for 2025, you’re not alone. With every second Sydneysider visiting Japan at some point this year, the arrival of the vinyl-bar-inspired listening party was bound to reach us at some point. Three months in, and here we are: with the All Ears deep listening series kicking off on Thursday, March 13. Inspired by the vinyl bars of Tokyo, the five-night series – touted as "Australia’s first deep listening experience" – will take place at five of the Inner West’s best breweries, with a carefully selected line-up of albums played in full across state-of-the-art Sonos audio systems. The selection of vinyl albums have been selected by Sydney DJ and tastemaker Andrew Levins, and will be played in their entirety across a high-fidelity sound system – uninterrupted from start to finish, just as the artist intended. On Thursday, March 13, the series will take over Marrickville’s Mixtape Brewing, playing Pink Floyd x Wizard of Oz (Dark Side of the Rainbow). On March 19, Future Brewing will host, playing Outkast’s 2000 album Stankonia. On March 26, the series will make its way to Chuck and Sons Brewing Co for INXS’s 1987 album: Kick. Thursday, April 3 will take All Ears to Wayward Brewing Co for Radiohead’s fourth studio album: Kid A. The series will come to a close on Thursday, April 10 with Mulatu Astatke’s Mulatu of Ethiopia at Wildflower. Doors will open at 6pm, with Levins introducing the music at 7pm before the album is played in full....

It’s time to clear your calendar and prepare your body for one helluva gig crawl, because Great Southern Nights is back in action. This means that some 300 gigs are taking over more than 120 live music venues across New South Wales, with a spotlight on major and emerging Aussie artists. This year’s eclectic line-up features Missy Higgins, Lime Cordiale, Budjerah, King Stingray and Mallrat, just to name a few. Other headliners include Winston Surfshirt, Marcia Hines, The Paper Kites, Hoodoo Gurus, Thirsty Merc and Birds of Tokyo.  Here in Sydney, shows will pop up across legendary live music venues as well as more intimate bars and restaurants – with joints like The Lansdowne, Machine Hall, PS40 and Jacksons on George getting amongst the fun. Outside of the big smoke, there are gigs set to take place in Tamworth, Broken Hill, Orange, Newcastle, Woollongong and Byron Bay, to name a few road-trip-worthy locations.  As well as forming part of the government’s plan to amp up Sydney’s nightlife, Great Southern Nights aims to bring a boost to the state’s regional towns, with major names like Sons of the East, The Cat Empire and Ziggy Alberts popping up in small towns across the state. With shows like Bec Sandridge, Boo Seeka and Missy Higgins already sold out, fans are encouraged to secure tickets soon, before they miss out. The series will be brought to life by Destination NSW in partnership with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).“Great Southern Nights is...

It’s summertime in the Harbour City, and you know you can't go wrong with some picnic blankets, antipasto snacks, and live music. Bonus points if there's a sunset and a harbour view involved.  Sunset Sessions – Cockatoo Island's family-friendly outdoor gig series – is back and running every Saturday evening from January 11 to April 5 (except February 8, when the island will be taken over by the Nowhere Festival). A carefully curated line-up of local and not-so-local acts (brought together by Sydney tastemakers The Music & Booze Co) will be playing on the lawn of the Biloela House every Saturday evening, where there will be grazing boxes and refreshments aplenty.  There's a broad range of talents to take in, with artists hailing from all over Australia – with a mix acoustic sets, folk, contemporary and feel-good sounds. Highlights from the line-up so far include First Nations traditional language storyteller Maanyung, sibling doo-wop duo Surely Shirley and etherial physch spaceman Misty Lanes, with more acts still to be announced.You can catch Sunset Sessions on Saturdays from 5.30pm, but get there early when the gates open at 5pm to soak in the atmosphere. Tickets are $35, and children under 12 can attend for free. If you find yourself wanting more of Cockatoo Island’s out-of-this-world views, you can turn your Sunset Session into a sunrise by booking a night at the island’s heritage listed lodgings or the waterfront campground. For the first few events (from January 11...

There are very few buildings as special as Sydney Opera House. Even for Sydneysiders who love to throw shade on our beautiful city, the magnificent harbourside venue is almost universally loved – its uniquely organic arc defining Sydney’s world-famous skyline. And while most people who head to the House for a show have sat within the insulated walls of the Concert Hall or the Playhouse, fewer lucky visitors have been treated to a show in the Utzon Room: a stunning glass-walled space with views across the water to Sydney’s beautiful Botanic Garden.   Named after Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Utzon Room is an intimate, 200-person space that gives guests an entirely different Opera House experience – one in which Sydney’s harbour plays a pivotal role. For the past 17 years, the secret waterfront venue has played host to a carefully-curated series of performances as an ode to the creative ambition of the man behind the House. Utzon Music is a year-long event series that celebrates awe-inspiring art, bringing world-renowned musicians into the small, unassuming space for afternoon performance set against the silent hum of the harbour.   For its 18th edition, Utzon Music is back under the direction of renowned arts advocate, performer, composer and recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey. For Utzon Music 2025, Lacey has programmed a diverse showcase of soloists and chamber musicians for ten super special one-off performances – with a vision of celebrating “human curiosity and...