The best gigs in Sydney this month

Hey Sydney, we’ve got something to say: live music is not dead! Yeah, it sucks that big destination festivals like Splendour and Groovin’ have pulled the plug this year. But concerts and gigs are here for the long haul (and we’re not just talking about the Swiftiemania that swept the country in February and the chaos of those surprise Fred again.. concerts in March). Sydney has some bangin’ live music venues and a bunch more pubs and bars that put on great bands. And do you know how many gigs you can get to with the money that you’d spend on one muddy weekend camping out for big acts in Byron!? About a dozen! 

Whether you’re looking to get rowdy in underground music dens or sway away to sweet melodies in grand concert halls, Sydney has you covered – and we’re here to help by rounding up some standout gigs to get around this month. 

April is already off to a strong start – especially for nostalgia-hungry millennials, with Simple Plan and Missy Higgins playing sold-out concerts in just Sydney last week. Read on to get around more great gigs in store for the rest of the month. [Special mention to the living legend Nick Cave, who has already sold out his four nights at the grand State Theatre (Apr 29–May 7) accompanied by Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on bass guitar (you can shoot your shot for tickets to the Wollongong gig on May 9).]  

The best gigs to catch in Sydney this April 

A.GIRL & Thandi Phoenix @ Granville Nights

Run, don’t walk. Two of the most exciting up-and-comers to break out of the Sydney music scene are headlining this free, after-hours, all-ages night out in the west. With a fierce talent for spitting bars, A.GIRL is a proud Maori singer/songwriter/rapper who has captured the early attention of Australia’s hip-hop tastemakers, and already sold out her only two headline shows in Sydney. Meanwhile, Thandi Phoenix is a dynamic artist who infuses her roots in soul and R’n’B into her unique take on dance-infused pop and electronic music. With support from DJ Levins, you can also expect art and a fried chicken food truck. Thu, Apr 18, 5-9pm @ The Granville Centre. Free. Find out more over here. 

iOTA

If you don’t know who iOTA is, you should. An eccentric, multi-talented and critically acclaimed singer, actor, songwriter and composer, you might have seen him in the movies like The Great Gatsby or Mad Max: Fury Road, or playing Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, or in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Following two sold-out evenings at Marrickville’s intimate Camelot Lounge, iOTA is back, this time with an intimate solo performance. Thu, Apr 18, 7pm @ Camelot Lounge. $45-$50. Find out more + book tickets here.

The Terrys

Since their share-house jam beginnings in mid-2020, Gerringong’s premier alt surf rock band has consistently served up new tracks for fans, and accumulated millions of streams across their catalogue to date. Now, The Terrys’ highly anticipated sophomore album Skate Pop is here and they're celebrating the only way they know how, by bringing their brand new live show to a capital city near you. Sat, Apr 20, 8pm @ The Metro Theatre. $50.90. Find out more + book tickets over here.

All Her Years

Locals know that the Marrickville Bowlo is hands down one of the best places to see live music in Sydney. There’s just something magical about a band playing in a well equipped sports club with a stage, a disco ball, sci-fi-reminiscent ceiling tiles, and the smell of hot chippies. It's a great fit for the alt-rocky, grungy-folk vibes of All Her Years, a band of Inner West boys who abide by an ethos that there are no walls or rules that any one song should sit in, and there's never just one way to play them either. They’re taking over the Bowlo with support from Liam Gale and Research Band. Sat, Apr 20, 7.30pm @ Marrickville Bowling Club. $10 (door sales only). Check out the Bowlo’s gig guide over here.

_{Photograph: Erin Cazes/Wikimedia Commons | SZA}

SZA

Don’t ‘Snooze’ on this. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter SZA is bringing her S.O.S Tour to Australia, and soon. An indefinable pop powerhouse whose musical style combines elements of R’n’B, hip-hop, and soul, you have no doubt caught yourself to singing along to her certified bangers, such as ‘Kill Bill’ (You know, “I just killed my ex…”). She’ll be taking over Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for two consecutive dates in April, plus an additional show two nights later that was added due to high demand. Find out more here. Tue-Fri, Apr 23, 24 & 26 @ Qudos Bank Arena. From $122.15+bf. Join the waitlist for tickets over here.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

If you need a fix of full-bodied, hard-hitting punk music with a hard rock undercurrent, you’re in luck. Frank Carter (the former lead singer of British hardcore outfit Gallows) is back Down Under with his new project, and they’re known for putting on a show. With support from local punk pioneers These New South Whales, there couldn’t be a better venue for them to play than Leichhardt’s Crowbar, a pub with heart and a bar-adjacent band room that specialises in live punk, hardcore, metal, and the heavier side of rock. Wed, Apr 24, 7.30pm @ Crowbar. SOLD OUT - join the waitlist here, and keep an eye out on reputable resell apps like Promotix.

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds

In exciting news for punk fans, Mick Harvey (former Bad Seed) will join his old bandmate Kid Congo Powers at the Oxford Art Factory, filling in on bass for the upcoming Pink Monkey Birds Australian tour. This will be the first time the two have performed in the same band since their time together in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in the early ’90s. With one of the most enviable rock n’ roll resumes in existence, Kid Congo Powers was a founding member of cowpunk blues outfit The Gun Club, guitarist for legendary psycho-billy purveyors The Cramps, and Australia’s own Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Thu, Apr 25, 7.30pm @ Oxford Art Factory. $56.30+bf. Find out more + book over here.

sound~body

This unique performance season hosted in the warm embrace of 107 Redfern presents three new short duets, each between a composer/musician and choreographer/dancer. Six artists across contemporary performance will draw inspiration from club culture, street dance, Javanese court arts, Bali temple ritual, personal relationships and more over three exhilarating nights of intimate and experimental work curated and produced by Intimate Spectacle. Thu-Sat, Apr 25–27, 8pm @ 107 Redfern. $25-$35. Find out more + book over here.

girli

The alt-pop provocateur of North London, girli has embarked on an intimate tour of Australia's East Coast in celebration of her forthcoming album, Matriarchy. With fans around the world embracing girli's music as an inspiring and comforting part of their everyday lives, she is ready to enter her most revealing era yet. Anthemic bangers like ‘Matriarchy’, ‘Nothing Hurts Like a Girl’ and the powerful anthem of sapphic longing ‘More Than a Friend’ are already highlights of her incendiary live show. Fri, Apr 26, 6.30pm @ Oxford Art Factory. $59.99-$129.99+bf. Find out more + book over here.

Nothing But Thieves

Sydney, welcome back to Dead Club City. While it's been less than a year since these beloved UK alt rockers were last down under for an entirely sold out run, the Essex band is returning to Australia to finish what they started. Catch their kinda hard rock, sorta funky, very danceable live show while you can. Tue, Apr 30, 7pm @ Hordern Pavilion. From $101.90. Find out more + book over here.

Do you have a gig coming up, and you wanna see it featured in Time Out’s gig guide? Send an email to alannah.lecross@timeout.com with event info, ticket link, images, etc. Please include ‘GIG GUIDE’ and the month of the event in the email heading. (Note: We do our best to feature every great reason to get Sydneysiders out of the house as possible, but we cannot guarantee that we can respond to every inquiry.)

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