The Ten Best Summer Gigs in 2013-14

Summer in Sydney is always an amazing time for live music given the ridiculous number of bands that come out for Sydney Festival, Big Day Out, Laneway and more, as well as all those bands that are just here independent of a festival. We're totally spoiled for choice. And being able to see so many of the world's biggest bands in the same city at more or less the same time is a real treat. But there are so many great bands that aren't headlining anything, or whose tour announcements you simply haven't heard about thanks to Christmas madness and end-of-year planning.

But lucky for you, we've been keeping our ear to the ground and have a put together a list of ten gigs that you should seriously consider selling a body part to get along to. If I could give one piece of advice to all of you about summer shows, it's this: get to the gig early and see the support band; they could be awful and you might wish you had your time back, but every now and again you will find yourself in a room with only a dozen people watching a scintillating set from a band that are clearly going places, and it's one of the most exciting feelings in the world.

TALIB KWELI & DEAD PREZ

Celebrate the new year in style with two absolute legends of hip hop. You might know Talib Kweli from the amazing album he made with Mos Def in the late '90s — Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star — but he has been making intelligent, insightful and lyrically rich music for almost two decades. Joining him on this massive double bill is Dead Prez, one of the most respected outfits in the history of the genre, who follow in the footsteps of Public Enemy, KRS-One and 2pac by using brilliant, banging tunes to address the impact of unthinking consumerism, rampant sexism and homophobia in hop hop. Their signature tune 'Hip Hop' is an incredible example of their fiercely intelligent art.

Saturday, January 4; Metro Theatre; Tickets $49

https://youtube.com/watch?v=U6-3j4_bfIo

ELODIE SABLIER

If you have ever been walking around the Queen Victoria Building and heard a gentle cascade of piano music falling from the upper levels, you've already heard Sablier play. Born in France, she studied at world-famous conservatoires in Lyon and Paris before moving to Australia a few years ago, and her own compositions sit somewhere between old-world French Romanticism and a decidedly modern Australian attitude. If you find yourself burnt out by summer's heat, or perhaps just overstimulated from all the parties and sugar, this show will be an absolute oasis of calm and beauty.

Wednesday, January 15; The Basement; Tickets $24.10-100.80

JAGWAR MA

Following the release of their debut album Howlin' earlier in 2013, Jagwar Ma have been on some kind of rampage of touring across Europe, playing all the biggest festivals and establishing themselves as a live act that you simply have to see. Their last Australian shows were at Splendour in the Grass in July, but reports out of the northern hemisphere suggest that this band has gone to a whole other level in just a few short months. And summer in Sydney is the perfect setting for their highly danceable tunes, full of great grooves and an irresistible energy.

Friday, January 17; Metro Theatre; Tickets $33.70

BIG STAR'S THIRD

Third has become one of the most important and influential records in history, described by Peter Buck from REM as "a Rosetta Stone for a whole generation" — which becomes clear when you look at the amazing lineup of guest musicians that have signed on to perform this tribute as part of Sydney Festival. The 'house band' is pretty amazing, including Big Star's original drummer Jody Stephens, Mike Mills from REM and Ken Stringfellow from The Posies. Joining these motley all-stars will be vocalists such as Sydney Festival headliners Cat Power, Kurt Vile and Edwyn Collins, as well as local legends Tim Rogers from You Am I, Kim Salmon and Dave Faulkner from Hoodoo Gurus.

Thursday, January 23; Enmore Theatre; Tikets $71-89

TORO Y MOI & PORTUGAL. THE MAN

A killer double-bill of artists on the Big Day Out lineup which will be a fascinating, energetic mishmash of styles. Toro Y Moi is one of the leaders of the whole 'chillwave' thing, his live shows nothing but joyous, summery good times. But whatever you do, don't miss Portugal. The Man. Portugal are like the best covers band in the world; it sounds like music you've always loved but with a new kinda kick to it. They are gradually picking up a following in Australia after touring here a few times in the last couple of years, and you'd be crazy not to get down early to catch them.

Wednesday, January 29; The HiFi; Tickets $55

EARL SWEATSHIRT & DANNY BROWN & RUN THE JEWELS

An absolute monster of a lineup and a special treat for anyone who missed out on Laneway tickets, with three of 2013's hottest hip hop acts set to tear the roof off the Enmore.

Earl Sweatshirt came into the spotlight as part of the Odd Future crew but missed much of the group's huge first year of tours and releases, and no one knew quite why — was he in prison? At boarding school in Samoa? At a military academy? Whatever it was, Earl has been making up for lost time with his debut album, Doris, both a critical and commercial smash hit, and featuring on countless end-of-year lists. Danny Brown also had a big year with the release of his third album, Old, a throwback album that wears its love for old-school hip hop proudly on its sleeve, while Run the Jewels is a new name, but the two names behind it are anything but: El-P and Killer Mike.

Tuesday, February 4; Enmore Theatre; Tickets $69.95

OLIVER TANK

Sydney boy Oliver Tank has been absolutely killing it in the past couple of years since winning FBi Radio's Northern Lights competition in 2011, which saw him fly to Iceland to perform his first overseas show. Comparisons to Bon Iver and James Blake were perhaps inevitable, and to a certain extent Tank exists in that same broad 'electronica with emotions' sub-genre that those two artists dabble in. But Tank's electronica goes far deeper than a passing association to create intricate, densely layered music that has more in common with Boards of Canada or Jon Hopkins.

Saturday, February 15; Metro Theatre; Tickets $17

OKKERVIL RIVER

Is there a better songwriter in the world than Okkervil River's Will Sheff? There might be a few his equal, but surely no one surpasses his wit, his emotion and his way with words — it's not unfair to suggest that Sheff is almost more a prose writer whose work is then set to music, rather than a musician writing lyrics specifically for a song. (Lines like "When I've been fixed I am convinced that I will not get so broke up again", from 'Unless Its Kicks', just amaze me every time I hear them.) They really are a wonderful band, and I can't wait to see them in a room as small as Oxford Art Factory.

Friday, February 21; Oxford Art Factory; Tickets $52

JURASSIC 5

I've been dreaming of this moment for years, but I don't know that I ever truly believed it would happen. But one of the most-beloved hip hop ensembles of all time are reuniting to return to Australia six years after their breakup. With four MCs and two DJs (including the wonderful, world-famous Cut Chemist) the ensemble is incredibly versatile, and their chemistry and the speed of their overlapping wordplay gives the impression of one single, unified organism rather than a series of individuals. Combining incredible lyricism with huge party tunes (like 'What's Golden', 'Quality Control' and 'Concrete Schoolyard'), there ain't no party like a J5 party.

Wednesday, March 19; Enmore Theatre; Tickets $89.90

NEKO CASE

So I know that March isn't technically summer, but you're mad if you think I'm leaving the incredible Neko Case off this list. If you have never heard her before, you are missing out on one of the great singer-songwriters of our time. With a voice as clear as a bell and a knack for writing gorgeous, emotionally rich songs, Case has released one amazing album after another. Her latest, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, could well be her best.

Monday, March 3; Sydney Opera House; Tikets $50-70