Our Picks Of The SXSW Music Lineup

SXSW is landing in Sydney from October 14th to the 20th, bringing together a whole lot of talent from around the world to get us all inspired and connected. 

It’s going to be an incredible week of networking and discovering. There is so much to see and do, but of course we are most excited about the music. Here are our picks of the music lineup. 

dogworld 

It’s a dog eat dog world out there folks, but dogworld’s post-punk, jazz sonic balance is here to remind us there’s still plenty of good music to discover and fall in love with. The four piece originated from Canberra but are now based in Melbourne and have already supported heavy hitters like King Stingray and DZ Deathrays. Playing Thu, Oct 17, 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM at The Chippo Hotel. 

GIMMY

After winning the ‘Triple J Unearthed’ opening slot at Splendour In The Grass in 2023, GIMMY has been making a name for herself as a lyrically driven, captivating music presence. Originally a part of the iconic Gold Coast based all female band The Oogars, GIMMY’s solo project has seen her lean into more personal and eccentric tunes and we are here for it. Playing Fri, Oct 18, 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Upstairs at Sneaky Possum. 

HighSchool

We chatted to HighSchool a while back, dubbing them a band you should know and we are sticking by it. Read the interview here and watch them play at a number of sets found here. 

Jorja Smith 

Grammy nominated, Brit winning Jorja Smith has been a mainstay feature of our office playlist since her moving anthem against police violence Blue Lights was released in 2016. Soulful, authentic and just god damn gorgeous in every sense of the word, you’re in for an absolute treat if you manage to get in. Playing Tue, Oct 15, 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM at the ICC Sydney, Sydney Theatre.

The Grogans

With a mix of blues, garage rock, punk and surf psych The Grogans are another band we’ve been listening to of late. We first watched them play at BigSound last year in Brisbane so it’s nice to see the fellas climbing the stages. Venue and time TBC. 

Sex Mask 

A little music bird (who is not at all little but actually very, very important in the music world) told us to keep our eye on this band in particular and if you read this then that means you get let in on the hot tip too. It’s the kind of sound that you can’t quite put your finger on and before you know it you’ve been listening to it for a whole hour just to try and figure it out. It’s been a while since we’ve heard something like this. Playing Wed, Oct 16, 9:00 PM - 9:30 PM at The Chippo Hotel and Fri, Oct 18, 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM at The Barrie. 

smol fish

Exploring the lovely and lonesome aspects of being a twenty-something navigating the world today and putting it into music is a form we will return to over and over again. Enter smol fish. About to be a big fish. Playing Wed, Oct 16, 7:10 PM - 7:40 PM at The Loft on Broadway.

Grab your tickets for SXSW Sydney here and see you in there for a beer!