RVG, Babitha, Arushi Jain and More to Play Sydney’s Phoenix Central Park

April 19, 2023

Sydney’s Phoenix Central Park – a stunning, intimate venue tucked away in the CBD – has announced the artists programmed to perform as part of its eighth season, which will run from Thursday, 11th May to Thursday, 22nd June.

Billed on the program are Melbourne post-punk outfit RVG, who are currently readying their third album, Brain Worms, for release in early June. Shortly after it arrives, the band will perform cuts from it at Phoenix on Thursday, 8th June. Other highlights include Indian singer, pianist and modular synthesist Arushi Jain performing her debut Sydney show, along with UK avant-pop artist Keeley Forsyth.

Australian acts performing as part of Phoenix Central Park’s eighth season include singer-songwriter Babitha. She’ll kick off the series by playing songs from her 2022 album Brighter Side of Blue at the venue on Thursday, 11th May, joined by a band that includes Russell Fitzgibbon (aka Skeleten) and Body Type‘s Cecil Coleman. Other local artists who will perform at the venue include artful R&B group Honey 2 Honey, multi-instrumentalist Tom Snowdon and Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio.

There are also a string of collaborative projects that will come to Phoenix Central Park. Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner will team up with drummer and percussionist Bree van Reyk for an exclusive performance as an instrumental duo, while Lavurn Lee (aka Cassius Select and Fake) will unite with architectural and set designer Lenny Gitonga for a site-specific performance piece.

There’s also an inter-continental collaboration in the form of a performance by Dominican-born, US-based electronic producer Kelman Duran, Western Sydney rapper and singer Vv Pete and local composer and producer Utility.

“Over the course of more than a year of uninterrupted programming, we are proud that Phoenix is emerging as a trusted discovery platform, where audiences can experience a new favourite artist, and similarly, where artists can find new audiences,” says Phoenix Central Park Creative Director and Executive Producer Beau Neilson. “In Season VIII, we have purposefully placed musicians from abroad alongside remarkable Australian artists, which we anticipate will have an interesting and nourishing impact.”

See Phoenix Central Park’s full season eight program via the venue’s website here. As with all Phoenix Central Park shows, tickets are free, but limited. You can enter the ballot for any of the above shows on their website to be in with a chance to attend.