Meet The Performers
UNFORTUNATELY ALI HAS HAD TO CANCEL HER SHOW.
Ali Barter is an unconventional Melbourne-based pop artist with a penchant for electric guitar riffs, catchy choruses and pop-punk bangers. She’s on regular rotation at Triple J, has played around Europe and America and completed a sold-out 8-show tour of NSW and Victoria in 2020.
Now she’s bringing her impossibly catchy punk-pop fusion to The Rocks for one show only.
Annie Hamilton’s haunting, ethereal vocals and echoey instrumentation gives her music an otherworldly sound that’s as unique as it is stirring. During her short solo career, she’s already won acclaim and regular plays from the likes of Triple J, FBi Radio and LNWY.
She’s also put her incredible voice to good use, performing in bands like Jack River, PeachPRC and Maddy Jane.
Babitha is the stage name of up and coming Sydney-based singer songwriter Imogen Grist. She was raised in rural NSW with Fleetwood Mac and Creedence playing on the stereo. Those influences from music’s golden days shine through in her work.
Babitha’s low-key, slick and guitar-laden interpretation of country folk music is laced with insightful lyrics and lifted by her powerful and evocative voice.
Bandaluzia are a modern flamenco dance crew, led by ARIA nominated flamenco guitarist Damian Wright. They’ve performed sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House, won pick of the festival at the Sydney Fringe Festival and featured in Dance Magazine Australia’s ‘most outstanding dancer’.
Their performance features an intoxicating combination of classical, fiery flamenco and creative modern dance, with an intriguing mix of genres.
BOI is the stage name of pop singer songwriter Anna Buckingham from Newcastle, NSW. Her music features big stomping basslines and catchy choruses and has been picked up and played on repeat by Triple J, community radio and Spotify playlists all over the world.
She spent five years as a lead singer of Nova & The Experience, and has teamed up with the likes of the Chainsmokers and LDRU.
Bow and Arrow are a Surry Hills-based husband and wife team, known for their brand of soothing, spacey electro-soul. Their music features hypnotising, electric guitar riffs and powerful vocals, while their live show is brimming with excited energy and experimental goodness.
They’ve played festivals all over Australia, from the Byron Bay Blues, to BIGSOUND, and now they’re gracing The Rocks with their electric energy.
23 year old Brae Luafalealo created his musical alter ego Boy Soda in his bedroom in Terrigal Central Coast NSW. Since then, his modernised interpretation of early 2000s R&B has taken him around the world, even bagging him a gig supporting Dominick Fike in LA.
Songs like Daisy Chain and LOVEU2BITS drip with nostalgia, but feature Boy Soda’s own unique spin.
Clews is a singing, songwriting duo consisting of Sydney-based sisters Lilly and Grace Richardson. Their music features grungy pop-rock vibes, poignant lyrics, anthemic choruses and seamlessly harmonised dual lead vocals.
After opening for Tash Sultana and selling out at Lansdowne, their electric performances have cemented Clews as a band to watch.
Cope St Parade is an Australian swing music group that blends old-timey, parlour room nostalgia with modern songwriting and smooth jazz. They’ve performed at Jazz festivals all over the country and have toured Europe with 25 sold-out shows across Italy and Germany.
Now they’re bringing their unique blend of humour, folk, pop and swing to The Rocks for a one-time-only show at Sweet Summer Sounds.
Cumbiamuffin are a large orchestra of talented Australian and Colombian artists, who are bringing the authentic sounds of Cumbia to Sydney. Cumbia is a traditional Colombian folk music and dance that blends elements of African and South American cultures to epic effect.
Their diverse and authentic sound has seen them perform all over Australia, from Sydney Fringe to Canberra’s Multicultural Arts Festival.
Elana Stone is an ARIA award winning musician with a genre-bending style that melds elements of instrumental invention with quirky pop, electronica and modern folk. She and her band play high energy shows carried by Elana’s soulful voice and eye for powerful lyrics.
She has recorded and performed alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, including time touring the world as a singer and multi-instrumentalist with the John Butler Trio.
Ella Haber is already a musical powerhouse at just 23 after three years in the industry. Her insightful songwriting and powerful voice has seen her catch the eyes of some of Australia’s and the world’s biggest names, playing support for Lord Echo and recording an album produced by Jordan Rakei.
She is currently working on her debut album, so keep an ear out for new material when she plays at The Rocks.
Emma Pask is one of Australia’s best-loved and talented jazz singers. She’s blessed audiences of up to 80,000 with her sultry tones, sung the bridal waltz at Nicole Kidman’s wedding and performed with orchestras all over the world. She’s made regular appearances on The Today Show and Mornings and even took part in season 2 of The Voice Australia, where she was coached by Ricky Martin.
This is one show you must add to your list!
Green Hand Band are an Australian reggae fusion group with a purpose - to break down poverty, racism and inequality with their music. Their music draws influence from soul, jazz and reggae, mixing layered instrumentation with simple, catchy basslines.
The band’s insightful lyrics sound deceptively light and breezy while exploring heavy themes like addiction, spiritual empowerment and social justice.
Haiku Hands are a collective of artists from Sydney and Melbourne that make a singular brand of rebellious music, fusing the pop, electronic and hip hop genres to epic results. Think big booming basslines, confident swagger and electrifying energy.
Their live show will feature material from their acclaimed debut self titled album and their signature over-the-top lighting and production.
HANDSOME is aptly named, because she makes beautiful music. Her tunes are a soothing mixture of tomboy pop and brooding electronica bolstered by her haunting singing voice and insightful lyrics
HANDSOME'S music is powerful and fun at the same time, exploring themes of self expression, kissing girls, falling in love and bucking society’s expectations.
H.i.A (Haitians in Australia) is a hip hop crew that tells stories of growing up Haitian in Australia with laid back style and vivid lyricism. Think A Tribe Called Quest mixed with early Outkast and you’ve got an idea of their sound.
Their music mixes soul, spoken word poetry and good vibes and is best listened to when the sun is shining.
Hot Potato Band are an incredible Sydney brass collective that know how to drop big tunes. Their band consists of three drummers, a sousaphone (google it), and five horns with the powerful voice of lead singer Ben topping it all off.
They are famous for their boundary-pushing, genre-bending performances that get people of all sizes, shapes and colours out of their seats to dance.
Sydney based indigenous artist Hylander is at the forefront of a new wave of Australian electronic music. His sound is at once new and nostalgic, featuring luxe soundscapes and stuttering synths that are both catchy and emotive.
Mix in a healthy dose of world class collaborators and you’ve got an artist that is bound to blow up big any time soon.
Indira Ellis is a singer songwriter with one of those rare voices that gently melts your brain into reverie. She floats over the dulcet instrumentations of her band, creating wistful soundscapes that transports the listener to somewhere beautiful.
Her music doesn’t fit neatly into a genre, but instead explores jazz, modern folk and pure poetry with undeniable artistry.
Jamaica Moana is a multi-talented Sydney based rapper of Māori and Samoan descent. She makes infectious hip hop tunes inspired by the likes of Nicki Minaj and Lauryn Hill and writes, performs and directs all her material herself.
Her breakout hit FUR, about a date that went wrong, quickly went viral in 2018 and spurred an extensive tour of the east coast of Australia. Since then, Jamaica has released a number of big tunes and played festivals and concerts all over Australia.
Kate Wadey is a Sydney-based jazz singer from Adelaide who’s been performing since she was 13 years old. She’s known for her effortless interpretation of jazz classics, and rich, warm voice.
Kate is part of the next generation of Australian jazz, with a youthful energy and sophistication that electrify her live shows.
Klue is a music producer hailing from small town Australia who crafts tropical electronic music bursting with colour and energy. His music melds influences of afrobeats, reggae, soul and hip hop into a unique brand of electronic dance tunes with heavy basslines, live horns and silky smooth singing.
He’s toured with some of the biggest names in the industry and has made a name for himself for his epic live performances and singular style.
Kwame is a Western Sydney rapper of Ghanian descent who decided to pursue a career in music in year seven when he heard Kanye West’s epic anthem, Power. His ascent began in 2016 when, as a teenager, Kwame rapped a verse onstage with A$AP Ferg and video of his performance went viral.
Since then, he’s opened Splendour in the Grass and become one of Australia’s most exciting new-school hip hop talents.
A cultural shake up is happening. Entrenched societal values and judgements are being challenged, creating a gap in which previously hidden identities emerge and new modes of expression are manifested. And it’s in this gap that you’ll find KYVA – the dynamic new project from Kyle Linahan.
Carving out his vocals with the likes of Adele, Set Mo, Taku and Ngaiire, Kyle brings lyrics that are packed with intent, documenting societal inequalities and the marginalisation he has been subjected to, as a person of colour growing up in his typically European-Australian suburb.
Lady King is the R&B, soul project of singer-songwriter and diva Lara King. Her music features non-stop grooves, catchy horn riffs and rich vocals reminiscent of soul legends like Sade, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin.
Lady’s live performances are known to soothe frayed nerves and get people off their seats and dancing.
Remember the name Mia Wray, because when she’s a household name, you can say you saw her perform for free in The Rocks before she was playing arenas. This 24-year-old Melbourne singer-songwriter hit the big time with her breakthrough single, Work For Me, which was added to countless spotify editorial playlists, received a plug from Elton John and got over 16,000 Shazams.
Hailing from Noosa Queensland, there’s a long career ahead for this hugely talented vocalist and songwriter.
Mi-Kaisha, a woman of Aboriginal and Tongan descent, is a new and exciting voice on Sydney’s booming R&B scene. Her passion for performance was nurtured by strong women in Aboriginal communities and her powerful music speaks to her deep roots.
Mi-Kaisha is the first Indigineous Australian woman to be accepted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at New York’s Clive Institute and has big things planned for 2022, including lots of new music.
Sydney’s new wave of R&B talent has a fresh face - Ms. Thandi. She is an independent Sydney based singer-songwriter, with plenty of swagger, a butter smooth voice and nostalgic early 2000s sensibilities.
Citing influences like Eyrkah Badu and Alicia Keys, and with a recent success as the Big Sound 50 showcase artist, Ms. Thandi is only just getting started.
Natalie Slade is an innovative new voice in Australian music, combining Jazz, folk, soul and R&B with riveting results.
Her debut album, released in June 2020 and produced by Simon Mavin of Grammy winning fame, Hiatus Kaiyote, showcases her velvety vocals over broken beats and hypnotising jazz.
See her live to experience her music at its best.
For a band whose name describes exactly what they’re all about, look no further than Sydney legends Old School Funk Band. These guys are the longest continuously running funk band in our city and played the 505 every Tuesday for eight years (before COVID struck, that is).
They specialise in what they call ‘putting a groove spell on audiences’ and getting people out of their chairs and dancing.
Paul Capsis is a legend of Australian Cabaret. In fact, he was recently named the 2021 Adelaide Cabaret Festival Icon award winner in recognition of his huge impact on the cabaret industry.
This larger-than-life character has been performing for decades and is loved for his flamboyant style and no-holds-barred performances.
Jess Beck is the frontwoman of Pirra, an electronic pop four-piece featuring James Mckendry on guitar and synth and twins Curtis and Jeffrey Agent, on bass and drums, respectively.
Their recent single, Never Apart, produced by Sam Littlemore of PNAU, has blown up big, securing a #1 spot on the AMRAP charts.
Rissa is coming to The Rocks with butter smooth R&B gold for your ears. This Sydney artist is part of the new wave of local talent, inspired by the neo-soul roots of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott.
Her music bursts with sensual harmonies and atmospheric production, topped off by a silky voice that’s as powerful as it is delicate.
In 2013, Robbie Miller was working on his music at home in his bedroom. He uploaded a few of his best tunes to Triple J Unearthed and was instantly acclaimed, winning the National Indgenous Music Award for best new indigenous talent and launching an incredible career in music.
Since then he’s released two EPs, toured Australia, and played several major festivals. His deep, melodic voice and insightful lyrics continue to win him new fans all over the world.
Sons of the East are an indie-folk band hailing from the northern beaches of Sydney that have quickly become Australia’s most vaunted musical export. Formed by three school mates 10 years ago, the band has amassed a huge international following, achieving 150 millions streams and over 30 million YouTube views.
Their signature sound puts a distinct twist on the folk genre - think Angus & Julia Stone, meets the Lumineers with a little extra Aussie flavour.
At just 19, Stevan has the talent to become an Australian music powerhouse. This multi-talented producer, writer and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist crafts giddy, ethereal pop songs that successfully meld hip hop, R&B and soul to create something entirely unique.
See him in The Rocks for free before he’s playing sold out stadiums!
Taka Perry’s take on Kanye’s Jesus Walks may have the hardest hitting Like a Version cover yet. That’s why we’re not surprised that it has since garnered a whopping 500,000 streams, propelling this 19 year old multi-instrumentalist and musical wunderkind to fame.
His career since then has spanned multiple genres and included collabs with the likes of Mallrat, SACHI, Usher, Justin Bieber and Max Frost.
This spellbinding Melbourne three-piece band crafts hazy, dream-like tunes with flavours of R & B, electronica and soft rock. They debuted just months ago in early 2021 but have since amassed a huge following for hypnotic singles like ‘Bones’ and ‘Tranquilise’.
Their early success is no surprise either - Telenova bandmates include a number of heavy-hitting musical talents - Edward Quinn of Slum Sociable, Joshua Moriarty of Miami Horror and the ultra-talented Angeline Armstrong.
True Vibenation is another Western Sydney group that is quickly taking over with their addictive blend of soul, afrobeat and hip hop. A combination of live horns and socially conscious lyrics make their music unique, while their infectious energy ensures that their live show is not to be missed.
After playing some of the world’s biggest festivals, from Glastonbury, to Bushfire and hitting #1 on Spotify’s UK viral chart - they’re here in The Rocks performing live for you!