Vivid LIVE Announces the International Artists Taking the Stage
Kraftwerk, Bobby Womack, Karl Hyde, Sunnyboys, Empire of the Sun, Among Others, Music Headliners
The program for Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House 2013 was announced today as part of the 5th annual Vivid Sydney festival of light, music and ideas. From May 24 – June 2, Sydney Opera House will welcome some of the most ambitious and innovative local and international artists for a ten-day celebration of music on the nation's most famous stages.
Sitting alongside Vivid Ideas and Vivid Light, Vivid LIVE is a key component of Vivid Sydney, the city's premier winter creative industries and cultural event, owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Vivid LIVE invites the world’s leading artists, creative collectives, promoters and digital animators to raise the roof of Sydney Opera House's theatres, rehearsal spaces, recording studios and most famously, its iconic sails.
Vivid LIVE Festival Director, Fergus Linehan said, "This year's Vivid LIVE has been a real pleasure to program - from Empire of the Sun to Kraftwerk, from Karl Hyde to Sunnyboys, it will be a time to be inspired and elated in equal measure. We look forward to welcoming people from all over Australia and overseas to the Opera House."
Vivid LIVE 2013 celebrates the musical pioneers whose ground-breaking work has shaped popular music today – featuring Kraftwerk’s retrospective 3D Shows, The Catalogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, the centre-stage Australian debut of r’n’b soul legend Bobby Womack, the solo debut of Underworld’s electronic king Karl Hyde, a reimagining of the music of Joy Division by Heritage Orchestra and Scanner, a special presentation featuring the original line-up Australian pop-rock legends, the Sunnyboys and a folk-rock tribute to the landmark work of legendary American folklorist Alan Lomax – Sounds of the South - featuring psych-folk trio Megafaun, jazz collective Fight the Big Bull and Grammy Award-winning Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon.
Continuing its commitment to supporting Australian music, Vivid LIVE 2013 has a strong line-up of local talent across a broad spectrum of genres, including the world premiere of Empire of the Sun’s much-anticipated second album Ice On The Dune, a breathtaking new presentation celebrating the extraordinary life and work of Gurrumul, as well as previews of new work by Cloud Control and C.W. Stoneking.
Since Brian Eno first initiated the transformation of the Sydney Opera House sails with digital artwork for the inaugural Vivid Sydney festival 2009, Lighting the Sails has become the centrepiece of Vivid Sydney, attracting worldwide attention and accolades.
In 2013, for the first time, a local Sydney collective has been commissioned to make over Australia’s most iconic landmark. Creative innovators The Spinifex Group will transform the Sydney Opera House sails, taking audiences through a playfully projected journey in an immersive new way.
In a much-anticipated event, visionary pop-duo Empire of the Sun will present the world exclusive premiere of their new album Ice on the Dune in full with two spectacular concerts set to transport audiences into a new adventure within their singular, psychedelic universe.
Already announced as part of Vivid LIVE, German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk will present their groundbreaking retrospective, The Catalogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 – a series exploring eight studio albums chronologically accompanied by 3D projections and images.
One of the last true legends of R’n’B Bobby Womack will make his Australian solo debut for Vivid LIVE. Performing with his 13-piece soul band, Womack will bring a rare fervour to the House with his catalogue of soul classics and the tracks from 2012’s universally-lauded electronic soul opus, The Bravest Man in the Universe (co-produced by Blur’s Damon Albarn and XL Recording’s Richard Russell).
Over two nights in the Concert Hall, Sounds of the South will see a new community of folk-rock legends and breakthrough singer-songwriters join forces for a spellbinding concert delving into the legendary American songbook of famed folklorist, Alan Lomax. North Carolina’s Megafaun, critically acclaimed jazz collective Fight the Big Bull, Grammy Award-winning Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and a to-be-announced female vocalist will breathe new life into a highly revered collection of old-time hymns, deep delta blues and plaintive folk ballads.
Elevating audiences into the artistic spirit of one of the nation's most extraordinary artists, Vivid LIVE presents two evenings with Gurrumul on stage in a breathtaking new realisation of live performance, imagery and film – featuring symphonic accompaniment and narration. The concerts will commemorate the publication of Gurrumul. His Life and Music – a collection of photographs, artworks and writings that detail his journey through the Yolgnu heartland, his beloved Arnhem community and meteoric rise to international acclaim.
A part-electronic, part-symphonic spectacle described as 'jaw-dropping' (Time Out London), the 45-piece Heritage Orchestra will perform Vangelis’ retro-futuristic score to the cult classic Blade Runner accompanied by a stunning visual backdrop inspired by the film's signature, dystopian ambiance.
Visionary electronic composer Scanner and Heritage Orchestra play homage to one of the most iconic bodies of work in British music history, the music of Joy Division. Live_Transmission is instilled with poetic snapshots of Ian Curtis' haunting vocals and new compositions accompanied by an animated landscape of artwork and projections.
Renowned as one of the most influential electronic artists of all time as frontman of Underworld, singer-producer Karl Hyde makes his solo debut in an exclusive Vivid LIVE presentation of new album Edgeland; performed in full alongside a selection of Underworld rarities and classics.
Taking over the Playhouse each evening for the duration of the festival, Bish Bosch Ambisymphonic is a free audio installation by London-based mixed-media artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard that reimagines the visionary music and art of Scott Walker's Bish Bosch.
Over the closing weekend from June 1 – 2, Vivid LIVE will celebrate Australia's diverse musical landscape with Blue Mountains heroes Cloud Control presenting a preview of their highly anticipated new album; and a rare and intimate appearance by ARIA award-winning songwriter C.W. Stoneking.
To close the festival, Vivid LIVE will celebrate legendary Australian band, the Sunnyboys in two events that mark a vital new chapter for the band. In association with Sydney Film Festival, Vivid LIVE will host the world premiere of a new documentary about the life of frontman Jeremy Oxley, The Sunnyboy, followed by the long-deserved Concert Hall debut of one of Sydney’s most timeless bands.
Continuing the success of 2012, Vivid LIVE will once again invite local party-makers and record labels to present specially curated-nights in the Studio. The full program of Studio Parties will be announced in April and will include the return of Sydney dance music collective Future Classic and leading purveyors of Sydney’s underground, Goodgod Danceteria!, and celebrating their 18th birthday, Sydney’s original queer heroes, Club Kooky.
Tickets on sale to general public on Wednesday 27 March, 9am
sydneyoperahouse.com/vividLIVE
Follow Vivid LIVE on Twitter @VividLIVE, Facebook facebook.com/VividLIVE and Instagram @VividLIVE
The full Vivid Sydney program is available at http://vividsydney.com
Lauren Russ at 773.868.0966 or lauren@connectcomsinc.com
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