Patti Smith Bluesfest Sideshow

Overview

Ever wished you could have watched Zeppelin perform at the Sydney Showground in 1972? Has it ever ruined your day, just knowing you never got to see Talkings Heads at CBGB? Do you ever feel like you never get to see music history made, man? Well, now's your bloody chance, because rock legend Patti Smith is making her way to Melbourne after a stint at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. Among songs from her 1975 debut album, Horses, Smith and her band will play a selection of songs and covers from a long and fabulous musical repertoire.

Smith's sophisticated lyricism adds a new edge to the raw, punk genre that had only just begun to rise up in London and New York in the 1970s. Name any modern punk band — they probably wouldn't be the way they are without this Patti Smith. She's continued to make her mark on rock music in the ensuing years, leading the punk movement from the ground up. She's also an awarded poet, human rights activist, and generally and all round bloody hero.

You can see Patti Smith at Bluesfest in Byron Bay or at Festival Hall on Thursday, April 20 where she'll play alongside very special guest Courtney Barnett — not a show or combination of talent you want to miss. Just so you know, her six other shows in Sydney and Melbourne have all sold out, so this is the very last chance you have to grab a ticket.

Image: Ferial.