It’s hard to overstate just how important Music is to SXSW. After all, it’s been there from the very beginning – SXSW began as a music and arts festival that filled the streets and venues of Austin with the best and brightest artists.
For decades, SXSW has been the place for artists to cut their teeth, get noticed, and break through. We’re happy to say SXSW Sydney will be no different. A huge number of acts will descend on the city in October to showcase their music – from emerging artists and bedroom producers, to established and renowned musicians. There’s no better place to take your music career to the next level.
SXSW Sydney has just announced the very first round of musicians that will be heading our way later this year. Some familiar, and some new to our Sydney’s shores, all will be gracing the stage to showcase their incredible work.
So who are they? Let’s get to know them before they land in Sydney later this year.
Fresh from the release of her acclaimed second album Miss Power, Connie Constance is poised to dominate the music landscape in 2023. The Nigerian-British singer-songwriter is already a certified star in her home country, having broken through with the bounding indie hit ‘Monty Python’ and as the guest vocalist on Swedish House Mafia’s colossal ‘Heaven Takes You Home’.
Refusing to stay in one lane, Constance twists together elements of indie, punk, and dance to create something fresh and urgent. She’s been tipped by BBC Radio 1, NME, The Guardian, and Annie Mac as one of the Next Big Things – and it seems a pretty safe bet. Make sure you see what all the fuss is about when she arrives at SXSW Sydney.
Renowned for his raucous, high energy shows and music that cuts to the bone, Canadian act EKKSTACY has been steadily emerging as the next cult indie superstar. From his early releases that he posted online for his dedicated fans, to breakout single ‘i walk this earth all by myself’ and recent album misery, EKKSTACY has been relentlessly carving his own path through the music industry, refusing to bow to any rules.
With a sound that boldly clashes together genres like new wave, post-punk, goth, and more, EKKSTACY is a truly unique musical presence, and one that deserves your attention.
No band in the world sounds like Los Bitchos. The London quartet’s energetic collision of Afro-Latin rock, Turkish rhythms, psych, and surf-garage sounds like it was beamed directly from the future. It’s a sound which has earned them a devoted fanbase and nods from publications The Guardian and NME – which labelled their album Let The Festivities Begin! one of the best debut LPs of 2022.
They’ve notched up a staggering 100 shows since their debut was released, including delightfully unruly sets at festivals like Latitude in the UK. As you might suspect, this is a band you need to experience live.
Otoboke Beaver are a punk-rock-garage quartet from Kyoto, Japan. Formed at Kyoto University’s music club, the band consists of Accorinrin (Lead Vocal & Guitar), Yoyoyoshie (Guitar & Vocals), Hirochan (Bass & Vocals) and Kahokiss (Drums & Vocals). Acco’s off-kilter self-taught compositional and confrontational performance skills, together with the band’s incredible musicianship has attracted a cult global fanbase and rave reviews for their past sold-out appearances at SXSW and discography from Pitchfork, NPR, i-D and The Fader.
A bonafide musical prodigy, 18-year-old US rapper redveil has already been touted as one of hip-hop’s biggest game-changers. Labelled a phenomenon by tastemaker site Pitchfork, redveil has garnered international attention for his introspective and pensive lyrics, which he delivers over a silky blend of underground hip-hop, gospel, and R&B.
His breakthrough album, 2022’s learn to swim, cemented redveil as one of the most arresting new talents in the game. His performance at SXSW Sydney will be one of the most anticipated sets of the year.
Simply put, they’re another unmissable act at SXSW Sydney’s Music Conference.
Sounds pretty great so far, right? Lucky for you, there’s going to be so much more where that came from.
Over 100 speakers across all key industries – that’s Tech & Innovation, Games, Music, and Screen – will be heading to SXSW Sydney this October. Don’t forget you could be one of them: Music submissions are open now to any and all artists, whether emerging or established. Would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime, don’t you agree?
Don’t sleep on it: Release 2 Badges are up for grabs right now.
