First Nations Rap, Colombian Psych-Rock and All-Female Metal: Music Highlights of This Year’s SXSW Sydney

Claire Collins
The Kid Laroi
BALTHVS
The Grogans
Ayesha Madon
Voice of Baceprot

Claire Collins ·Photo: Courtesy of SXSW

The world’s biggest name in cultural networking is coming back to Sydney. And, alongside the film screenings and tech conferences, music is at the heart of the Texas-born gathering. In partnership with SXSW Sydney, the festival’s head of music, Claire Collins, tells us what to expect in October.

SXSW Sydney returns in October with an even more impressive line-up – including UK hitmaker Jorja Smith and keynote speaker The Kid Laroi.

Bringing the world’s biggest cultural networking event to Sydney from its homebase in Austin, Texas, in 2023 was by no means a sure bet. “There was a lot of learning,” says Claire Collins, the festival’s local head of music. “We weren’t sure what the vibe would be … but it was amazing.

“The number one comment I got was that it felt like Sydney during the Olympics, because there was so much culture and nightlife and such an exchange of ideas. We were really happy to see people leaning in and getting amongst it.”

Never miss a moment. Make sure you're signed up to our free newsletter.
SIGN UP NOW

Running from October 14 to 20, the precincts at this year’s SXSW Sydney will be more consolidated than before. Most of the gigs will happen within a 10-minute walk of Chippendale. The music program was drawn from some 1200 artist applications received from Australia and around the world, with acts spanning all genres and representing Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, the UK and more.

“The number one criteria we look for is export readiness,” says Collins. “They’re all really great live and have had some measure of success already.”

This year SXSW Sydney has expanded to include India. Collins anticipates a K-pop-esque flashpoint for Indian music soon, and notes that the bookers for Lollapalooza India will be attending this year.

“I think Asia is such an interesting territory,” she says. “It’s right on our doorstep, it’s a lot cheaper [than touring America or Europe], it’s the same number of people and there’s no jet lag. I think the time is now to understand Asia as a market, and also the individual territories within it.”

There will also be Australian names such as A Swayze & the Ghosts, Vetta Borne, the Grogans and Full Flower Moon Band.

SXSW Sydney is often thought of as an industry-friendly music festival, but it’s more than that. It runs showcases and conferences around the four pillars of music, screens, games, and tech and innovation. The networking events – curated by Warner Music, Virgin Music, Future Classic and Rolling Stone, as well as by SXSW Sydney’s in-house team – aim to establish vital new connections.

“The number one reason people come to SXSW, both in America and here, is to make new connections and do business with people they might not have met before,” says Collins. “All along we’ve thought about SXSW Sydney as SXSW APAC, so we really want to be the leading destination to do business with the Asia Pacific and the world.”

Success stories from last year include the young Sydney band Radio Free Alice – who had only released one EP at the time – getting six festival offers throughout Asia after their appearance, and pre-teen Indigenous artist Inkabee getting to meet his hero, Chance the Rapper and receiving an invite to SXSW in Austin. He has since used that momentum to compete in the quarterfinals of America’s Got Talent with his father, Flewnt.

SXSW Sydney isn’t just for industry reps and musicians, though. Music fans can graze across more than 300 performances over four days with a single $120 wristband. “The showcase festival is primarily for new and emerging acts looking to take their careers to the next level,” Collins says. “It’s also an opportunity to play in front of new fans. And we found that most of the people who came last year were just really active new music lovers.”

Her personal highlights in 2024 include Columbian trio BALTHVS, who evoke Khruangbin’s supple psychedelic funk, and all-female metal act Voice of Baceprot, who recently became the first Indonesian band to ever play Glastonbury. She also singles out Jorja Smith – who has collaborated with Drake and Kendrick Lamar – and Heartbreak High actor Ayesha Madon, who doubles as a rising pop star. As for getting The Kid Laroi on board as a keynote speaker, that happened because the breakthrough Indigenous talent wants to run music workshops for kids from his home neighbourhood of Waterloo.

A badge allows entry to the entire program, right across the Conference, the Tech & Innovation Expo, and Music, Screen, and Games Festivals. But if all you want are the cracking gigs, that’s totally fine, a Music wristband from just $120 is the way to go. “Honestly,” says Collins, “if you’re a fan of new music, you should just get along.”

South by Southwest Sydney runs from October 14–20. See the full program online.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with SXSW.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with South by Southwest Sydney.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with South by Southwest Sydney.
Learn more about partner content on Broadsheet.

Broadsheet promotional banner