Vivid Live

Vivid LIVE is an annual contemporary music festival held by Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid Sydney. Taking place across all six venues at the Opera House, it features a bill of local and international artists, specially commissioned works and the hallmark Lighting of the Sails. It stands as the centrepiece of the Sydney Opera House's contemporary music program.

At the forefront of each lineup are influential artists performing their most impactful works. Over the years this has included The Cure’s Reflections (2011); Kraftwerk’s retrospective, The Catalogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 in 3D (2013); Brian Eno’s Pure Scenius (2009); Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson (2010) and the Pixies (2014).

Unique projects have ranged from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O in Stop The Virgens (2012); Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner & Nico Muhly in Planetarium (2012) to Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Megafaun and Fight the Big Bull in Sounds of the South (2013).

Vivid LIVE has also seen Australian premieres and exclusive performances from the likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill (2014); Amon Tobin’s ISAM (2012); Chris Cunningham (2011); Bat For Lashes (2011); The Gurrumul Project (2013) and the late Bobby Womack (2013). Most notably, it has showcased a series of emerging artists who have since established themselves at the forefront of contemporary music—including Nils Frahm (2014), St Vincent (2014), Danny Brown (2013), Flume (2009) and Jon Hopkins (2009).

Vivid LIVE was the winner of the Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival in 2015.

In 2018 Vivid LIVE celebrated its 10th anniversary.

History
In its inaugural incarnation 26 May - 14 June 2009, Luminous, the festival was curated by Brian Eno whose aim was to produce a truly eclectic lineup: "people who work in the new territories, the places in between, the places out at the edges." Acts included New York city's experimental rock group Battles, trumpet player and composer Jon Hassell, and comedian/musician Reggie Watts.

In 2010, the late Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson realised their artistic vision by performing works of their own, with Reed's Metal Machine Trio and Anderson's Transitory Life.

2011 saw the Sydney-based music promoter and founder of Modular Recordings Steve Pavlovic program the likes of The Cure, video artist Chris Cunningham and psychedelic rock project Tame Impala. The Studio venue was also transformed into a club space for the first time with parties curated by The Avalanches, Mad Racket featuring Gavin Russom’s The Crystal Ark and 2manydjs.

In 2012, Sydney Opera House took the programming of the festival into its own hands, reflecting the rising status of contemporary music at the performing arts centre. Fergus Lineham, the Head of Contemporary Music at the time, said the change was necessary to facilitate the ambitious nature of the festival: "there was such a time commitment and a geographical challenge that it meant we ended up with a lot of people who would have loved to do something but wouldn't do the whole thing." The lineup included Sufjan Stevens, Florence + the Machine and the Ceremonial Orchestra, and the Australian premiere of Shut Up and Play the Hits—a documentary recounting the lead up to LCD Soundsystem's final performance. Karen O also appeared in the Australian debut of her "psycho-opera" Stop the Virgens.

In 2015, Ben Marshall, Head of Contemporary Music at Sydney Opera House, presented his first Vivid LIVE line up — one that he described as "a celebration of unique individuals' voices". In a first for contemporary music at the Opera House, Sydney label Future Classic presented concerts on the Northern Broadwalk.

2020 saw no festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2009
Curated by Brian Eno


 * Battles
 * Ladytron
 * Jon Hopkins
 * Reggie Watts
 * Jon Hassell
 * Lee "Scratch" Perry
 * Rachid Taha
 * Damien Dempsey & the cosmic Laraaji
 * The Necks & Back to Back Theatre

2010
Curated by Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed


 * Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio
 * Laurie Anderson's Transitory Life
 * Rickie Lee Jones
 * Young Jean Lee
 * Bardo Pond
 * Boris
 * King Khan & BBQ Show
 * My Brightest Diamond
 * Chirgilchin

2011
Curated by Steve Pavlovic


 * The Cure
 * Spiritualized
 * Chris Cunningham
 * Yo Gabba Gabba!
 * Sonny Rollins
 * Bat For Lashes
 * Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
 * Tame Impala
 * Cut Copy
 * The Avalanches (DJ Set)
 * 2manydjs
 * Tom Kuntz
 * Architecture in Helsinki
 * OFWGKTA
 * Wu Lyf
 * Azari & III
 * The Crystal Ark
 * Dom
 * Sneaky Sundays
 * Superbein
 * Mad Racket
 * Van She
 * Flight Facilities
 * Bag Raiders
 * Canyons
 * Andee Frost
 * Horse Meat Disco
 * Daniele Baldelli
 * Club Kooky
 * The Swiss
 * Beni
 * Softwar
 * Bamboo Musik
 * Changes

2012

 * Sufjan Stevens
 * Nico Muhly
 * Bryce Dessner
 * Karen O and KK Barrett’s Stop the Virgens
 * Florence + the Machine
 * Janelle Monáe
 * The Temper Trap
 * Amon Tobin’s ISAM
 * Seekae
 * My Brightest Diamond
 * Danny Brown
 * MED
 * Tom Vek
 * Kindness
 * Zola Jesus
 * Efterklang with the Sydney Symphony
 * Imogen Heap
 * Asylum
 * Jonathan Boulet
 * PVT
 * Australian premiere of LCD Soundsystem’s documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits

2013

 * Empire of the Sun
 * Kraftwerk
 * Sounds Of The South (featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon)
 * Bobby Womack
 * Vangelis - music from Blade Runner
 * Bish Bosch Ambisymphonic
 * The Gurrumul Project
 * Karl Hyde (Underworld)
 * Sunnyboys
 * Cloud Control
 * Live Transmission – Joy Division Reworked
 * C.W. Stoneking
 * The Sunnyboy (Sunnyboys documentary)
 * Matthew E. White

2014

 * Pixies
 * The Music of Moroder - Heritage Orchestra
 * Timeline – Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring The Presets
 * Lauryn Hill
 * St. Vincent
 * James Vincent McMorrow
 * Anna Calvi
 * Midlake
 * Nils Frahm
 * Kate Miller-Heidke
 * Since I Left You – A Celebration of The Avalanches with Jonti and The Astral Kids
 * Penny Penny

2015

 * Morrissey
 * Sufjan Stevens
 * Daniel Johns
 * TV On The Radio
 * Bill Callahan
 * Squarepusher
 * The Drones
 * The Preatures
 * Repressed Records night featuring Royal Headache
 * Melbourne Ska Orchestra
 * Future Classic 10th anniversary party featuring Flume, Flight Facilities, Seekae, Hayden James, Wave Racer, Touch Sensitive, George Maple & Charles Murdoch
 * Red Bull Studio Parties

2016

 * Anohni
 * Bon Iver
 * Deafheaven
 * Dress Up Attack
 * Esperanza Spalding
 * Hiatus Kaiyote
 * Max Richter's Sleep
 * New Order + ACO
 * Oneohtrix Point Never
 * Polica
 * Ta-ku
 * Tiny Ruins
 * Wayne Shorter Quartet
 * Goodgod Super Club – Ben Fester, Kyle Hall, Magda
 * Goodgod Super Club feat. Bradley Zero
 * Goodgod Super Club feat. Oneman, Mike Who
 * Goodgod Super Club – Asmara, Chanel

2017

 * Lighting the Sails: "Audio Creatures" by Ash Bolland, music by Amon Tobin
 * Fleet Foxes
 * Nick Murphy fka Chet Faker presents Missing Link
 * Laura Marling
 * AIR
 * The Avalanches - Since I Left You Block Party with special guests DJ Shadow, Briggs, Sampa the Great, Jonti + DJ JNETT
 * Richie Hawtin CLOSE
 * Beth Orton
 * Repressed Records 15th Anniversary Feat. Total Control, Severed Heads & More
 * Lisa Hannigan
 * Bill Callahan
 * Sampha
 * Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote)
 * The Necks
 * Camp Cope
 * The Preatures (Album Preview)
 * The Nixon Tapes, scenes from Nixon in China by John Adams
 * Mountain, an ACO collaboration
 * Goodgod Super Club presents: DJ Harvey
 * Goodgod Super Club presents: Karizma & Ben Fester
 * Goodgod Super Club presents: Steffi & Magda Bytnerowicz
 * Goodgod Super Club presents: Kenji Takimi with Noise in my Head & Nite Fleit
 * Soft Future Piano Bar, presented by Goodgod
 * Talk: Nick Murphy in conversation with Lauren Taylor
 * Talk: Richie Hawtin in conversation with Ben Marshall, Vivid LIVE Festival Curator

2018

 * Solange
 * Mazzy Star
 * Ice Cube
 * Cat Power (Moon Pix 20th Anniversary)
 * Dreams (Daniel Johns & Luke Steele)
 * H.E.R.
 * Iron & Wine
 * Neil Finn (Out of Silence with Orchestra)
 * Total Control & Friends (featuring Native Cats, Greta Now & DJ Yoni)
 * Middle Kids
 * No Mono
 * Joep Beving
 * Fugazi's Instrument (Screening + Q&A with Guy Picciotto)
 * Xylouris White
 * HTRK
 * An Evening with Repressed Records (featuring Nasho, Mick Turner, Nun, Hurtsville & Knitted Abyss)
 * Ambient 1: Music for Airports performed by Alaska Orchestra (written by Brian Eno)
 * Club Kooky
 * Kuren + Electric Fields
 * Burial 12"s all night long (with DJ Eli)
 * Astral People (featuring Danny Krivit)
 * Mad Racket (featuring Lord of the Isles live)
 * Lighting of the Sails (Metamathemagical by Jonathan Zawada)

2019

 * The Cure (Disintegration 30th Anniversary)
 * Maggie Rogers
 * Underworld
 * Briggs' Bad Apples House Party
 * Herbie Hancock
 * Sharon Van Etten
 * Dirty Three (25th Anniversary of ''Dirty Three)
 * Kelsey Lu
 * Jónsi & Alex (Riceboy Sleeps with Orchestra and Choir)
 * Club Kooky by the Harbour
 * Mad Racket by the Harbour (featuring Larry Heard aka Mr. Fingers (Live) and Robert Owens)
 * Johan Johansson (Last and First Men with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra)
 * Grouper
 * Spunk Records 20th Anniversary featuring The Middle East and special guests
 * Stella Donnelly
 * Keaton Henson: Six Lethargies with the Opera Australia Orchestra
 * Lonnie Holley
 * The Spirit of Churaki
 * The Dirty Three Documentary Screening
 * Studio Parties: Park Hye Jin, A Guy Called Gerald, and more
 * The Hidden Pulse, with M+
 * Lighting of the Sails: Andrew Thomas Huang