Overview
Festival FOMO is real, and festival sideshows are one solution: the gigs you go to when you're not going to the main gig. Can't make it to Adelaide for two music-filled October days at Harvest Rock II? Loving the South Australia-only fest's lineup? Four of the event's highlights have just announced dates along Australia's east coast.
Chief among them are Sparks, which will draw upon a whopping 57 years of making ridiculously catchy and smartly funny tunes on their first tour of Australia since 2001. Thanks to 2021's double of Edgar Wright-directed documentary The Sparks Brothers and Cannes Film Festival opener Annette, brothers Ron and Russell Mael have been everywhere of late — and that's now about to include Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, busting out tracks like 'The Number One Song in Heaven', 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us' and latest single 'The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte'. In a glorious move, they've been beginning their recent sets with 'So May We Start' from Annette, too, which won them the Best Composer award at Cannes.
Fresh from releasing her fourth studio album Spirituals in 2022, Santigold will extend her trip to Australia with sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. 2023 marks 15 years since the genre-defying artist first demanded attention with her debut record Santogold, and sparked a career that's seen her influence and team up with plenty of others. Drake, Lil Wayne and Future have sampled the Philadelphia-born talent's tracks, while Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Karen O and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Basement Jaxx, Jay Z, Mark Ronson, Pharrell and Lykke Li have enlisted her as a collaborator.
Following their fifth stint at Coachella earlier in 2022, Chromeo will also hit Sydney and Melbourne, bringing Dave 1 and P-Thugg our way almost two decades since their 80s-influenced electro-funk sound started echoing from intial album She's in Control.
The Lemon Twigs are also veering beyond Adelaide, with visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario will draw upon their four-album span since 2016, as bookended by debut Do Hollywood and this year's Everything Harmony.
All Harvest Rock sideshows will take place around the festival's dates, both before and afterwards, across Thursday, October 26–Thursday, November 2.
And no, there won't be Jamiroquai and Beck gigs, with both playing their only Aussie sets at in Adelaide. To see either this October in Australia, only a Harvest Rock ticket will do.
HARVEST ROCK II SIDESHOWS:
SPARKS
Thursday, October 26 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Tuesday, October 31 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Thursday, November 2 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
SANTIGOLD
Friday, October 27 — Metro Theatre, Sydney
Saturday, October 28 — Prince Bandroom, Melbourne
CHROMEO
Thursday, October 26 — Metro Theatre, Sydney
Sunday, October 29 — 170 Russell, Melbourne
THE LEMON TWIGS
Thursday, October 26 — Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday, October 28 — Manning Bar, Sydney
Tuesday, October 31 — The Outpost, Brisbane
Harvest Rock 2023 will take at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, on Saturday, October 28–Sunday, October 29, 2023. The festival's sideshows will tour Australia's east coast from Thursday, October 26–Thursday, November 2, with pre-sale tickets from 9am local time on Thursday, August 24 and general sales from 9am local time on Friday, August 25.
Head to Concrete Playground Trips for a VIP Harvest Rock package for two, including tickets and accommodation.