Always Live announce their enormous live music program for 2023 … – ABC News

Ever wanted to have dinner with Jessie Ware? Go to the races with Christina Aguilera? Spend a weekend in Castlemaine with the Cosmic Psychos and their mates? Sing Taylor Swift songs with Emily Wurramara and Alex The Astronaut?

Victoria’s Always Live program in 2023 makes all these – and so much more – entirely possible.

Today we get the lowdown on most of the program for the statewide celebration of live music that happens across 17 days this November and December, and it’s pretty wild in the best of ways.

Hard to know where to start, so let’s just get into it.

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Cult British R&B icon Jai Paul has never been to Australia. Until recently, it seemed as though he’d never play a show anywhere in the world, let alone down under. But Always Live have secured him for two shows this year, just months after his first ever live show at Coachella in April. Huge.

Speaking of Coachella, Eric Prydz will bring his mammoth HOLO show, regarded as one of the Californian festival’s greatest highlights this year, to Always Live for a big exclusive show. Intriguingly, we don’t actually know where this is happening yet…

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A.B. Original have been working on that much anticipated second LP, and will take some time to reacquaint with us at a massive free show at Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake, with support from Miss Kaninna, DRMNGNOW, and more to be announced.

Lee Fields & the Expressions are one of the great soul groups of the current day. On their return to Australia, they’ll play four shows (!) on train lines around Melbourne. Yep, along with world-beating Victorians Surprise Chef, they’ll be at Howler, Thornbury Theatre, Corner Hotel, and Mamma Chen’s across four nights.

That aforementioned Taylor Swift tribute will feature Alex the Astronaut, Charley, Clare Bowditch, Emily Wurramurra, Kate Miller-Heidke, Lisa Mitchell, and Sophia J Smith, all playing the finest TayTay songs at the Northcote Theatre.

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BLAKTIVISM returns to Hamer Hall in 2023, this year headlined by King Stingray and featuring a scorching line-up including Tasman Keith, Emma Donovan, Uncle Bart Willoughby, Deline Briscoe, Sorong Samarai, Suga Cane Mamas, the Kulin Nations Songwomen, and the Blaktivism house band.

Emma Donovan has also put together a line-up of friends, including Kee’ahn, Kiwat Kennel, Maylene Yinnar, Katie Aspel and Janaya Roach, who will play a special show at the NGV.

Down in Mornington, Tones and I is throwing a party and has put together a big line-up featuring the likes of The Cat Empire, The Veronicas, Budjerah, KAIIT and The Pierce Brothers.

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The almighty garage rock force that is Cosmic Psychos celebrate their 40th anniversary with a three-nighter at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine, with some help from secret special guests as well as mates like The Chats, Blowers, The Prize, Pat Todd and more.

Amyl and the Sniffers need no introduction, and you don’t need us to tell you how wild it’s gonna be when this incredible live band play hectic shows in Meeniyan, Torquay, Ballarat, Frankston, Warrnambool, Wodonga, and a special under 18s show in Thornbury. Dumb Punts support all shows, and the band will choose a local to open at all shows.

The Jamaican Music and Food Festival brings UK masters General Levy and DefStar, as well as Jamaican artists Spikey Tee, Fitzroy Lee, Flames Eye and a huge local line-up to Seaworks in Williamstown. And of course you know all about Summer Camp already, right? 

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Peter Garrett is playing Wangaratta. Jessie Ware and Angie McMahon are playing separate, intimate shows at a restaurant in Fed Square.

Holy Holy play Doncaster, Illy plays in Werribee, The Temper Trap play Frankston, Northeast Party House play Mulgrave, Casey Barnes plays South Morang, and Ruby Fields plays Mt Evelyn.

And yes, Christina Aguilera is playing Flemington Racecourse.

Lots to unpack.

There’s too many individual events for us to cover here, so trundle along to their website to find out the finer details of all the events.

Here are pretty much all the artists who are a part of Always Live so far:

Christina Aguilera, Jai Paul, Jessie Ware, King Stingray, Peter Garrett and The Alter Egos, Caroline Polachek, Angie McMahon, Cosmic Psychos, The Chats, Alex the Astronaut, Charley, Clare Bowditch, Emily Wurramurra, Kate Miller-Heidke, Lisa Mitchell, Kee’ahn, Tasman Keith, Emma Donovan, Uncle Bart Willoughby, Deline Briscoe, Holy Holy, Illy, Ruby Fields, The Temper Trap, Northeast Party House, Casey Barnes, Sorong Samarai, Ainslie Wills, The Counterfeit featuring Freya Josephine Hollick, The Orbweavers, General Levy, DefStar, Spikey Tee, Fitzroy Lee, Flames Eye, Suga Cane Mamas, the Kulin Nations Songwomen, Kiwat Kennel, Maylene Yinnar, Katie Aspel, Janaya Roach, Sophia J Smith, Heartical Hi Powa, Housewife’s Choice, More Fire, Ras Jahknow, GAIA, Johnny Long-shot, Rick Howe, Shabba, Quashani Bahdand, Blowers, Affordable Repayments, Dead Clampets, Pat Todd, The Prize, Thee Cha Cha Chas, Southeast Desert Metal, Boondall Boys

Always Live happens around Victoria from Friday 24 November to Sunday 10 December. Stay tuned for more announcements soon.