CRH Presents: Switched On
A sonic shift to contemporary music and a whole new dimension in listening.
CRH Presents: Switched On flicks the switch on an iconic venue and activates the Hall in a new light. A sonic shift to contemporary music and a whole new dimension in listening.
Artist Line-Up
Blonde Redhead
Saturday 15 June 2024, 8pm
Beloved NYC avant-rock trio, Blonde Redhead return for their first Australian tour in 13 years with a new album and back catalogue of heady, romantic songs. Partially inspired by a passage from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, their luminous, meticulously crafted new album, Sit Down for Dinner has been called Blonde Redhead’s finest work yet.
Past Shows
Jeff Mills Presents Tomorrow Comes the Harvest
Saturday 16 March 2024, 8pm
Hail Jeff Mills: techno's greatest ambassador, believer, and innovator. Now the figurehead of the Detroit scene brings his Afrofunk-electro-jazz ensemble, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, to City Recital Hall. Supported by Land Systems.
Image: Mikki Gomez
Thee Sacred Souls
Friday 15 March 2024, 8pm
Mixing southern Californian sweet soul with the grit and groove of early ’70s R&B, Daptone’s Thee Sacred Souls shows are utterly intoxicating, delivered with a rawness and a sincerity that transcends time and place. Supported by Setwun.
Image: Vitor Duarte
Yothu Yindi
Friday 8 March 2024, 8pm
From Treaty to Tribal Voice, the rhythms and message of Yolgnu rock pioneers Yothu Yindi have made Australians sit up and listen since 1986. Supported by Maanyung.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Michael Rother and Friends — 50+ Years of NEU!
Thursday 22 February 2024, 8pm
As a founding member of Neu! Michael Rother has cast a line of inspiration that has shaped numerous musical generations. Neu! 50+ is a recognition and a celebration of the legacy of these pioneering musicians. Supported by Laurence Pike.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Courtney Barnett's 'End of the Day'
Saturday 20 January 2024, 8pm
A new and gorgeous chapter from Courtney Barnett is here with the release of her instrumental album End of the Day (music from the film Anonymous Club). Supported by Warm Currency.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Ezra Collective
Wednesday 22 November 2023, 8pm
Groove-laden British jazz-funk outfit Ezra Collective brings a thumping celebration of life via the sounds of South London to City Recital Hall for Switched On. Supported by Cricket.
Image: Vitor Duarte
GoGo Penguin
Thursday 26 October 2023, 8pm
UK instrumental trio GoGo Penguin make their long-awaited maiden voyage to Australia for an electrifying performance guaranteed to take audiences on a journey from the rhythmic and ethereal to danceable and downright banging. Supported by GODTET (trio).
Image: Jared Leibowitz
Son Little
Saturday 30 September 2023, 8pm
Son Little, "one of the best songwriters working today” (American Songwriter), presents Like Neptune, “a stunning statement of purpose”, an album of unbridled joy and self-acceptance. Supported by Mo'Ju.
Image: Mikki Gomez
The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper
Thursday 21 September 2023, 8pm
The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper celebrates the reissue of the Australian musical icon’s seminal solo catalogue with his first full band show of solo material in over a dozen years. Supported by D.C. Cross.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Autechre
Sunday 27 August 2023, 7pm
Embark on a captivating journey into the abyss alongside Autechre, an unrivalled force of innovation and influence in the realm of electronic music. Also featured E. Fishpool and Actress.
This concert was performed in complete darkness, so no photos!
Gordi
Saturday 26 August 2023, 8pm
Melding lush electronics with moody acoustic songwriting into a timbre that is instantly recognisable, Gordi has quickly become one of the most cherished songwriters in Australia. Supported by Bonniesongs.
Image: Mikki Gomez
Oneohtrix Point Never
Friday 14 July 2023, 8pm
Oneohtrix Point Never effortlessly traverses the vast intersects between music, pop culture and history; a sonic body of work that feels magically futuristic and nostalgic at the same time.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Obongjayar
Friday 16 June 2023, 8pm
Obongjayar brings characteristic poeticism and drum-driven, oozy club beats to CRH’s Switched On series with his latest album, genre-defiant Some Nights I Dream of Doors. Supported by Agung Mango and CINTA.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever with RVG
Saturday 10 June 2023, 8pm
Heroes in a hot minute, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are a tour de force of sprawling, angular guitar riffs that leave just enough room for infectious pop melodies and bright, shimmering moments. Supported by RVG.
Image: Jared Leibowitz
Yazmin Lacey
Wednesday 7 June 2023, 7pm
In a short time, Yazmin Lacey’s become known for making intimate experiences feel both deeply personal and universal through a beat driven take on soul and R&B. Supported by IJALE and Natalie Slade.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Cash Savage & The Last Drinks
Saturday 3 June 2023, 8pm
A pillar of Melbourne’s music and queer communities, Cash Savage and her colossal band The Last Drinks celebrate the release of their new album, So This Is Love. Supported by June Jones.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Ásgeir
Friday 2 June 2023, 8pm
One of Iceland’s most successful exports, Ásgeir’s distinctly Icelandic sound blends acoustic and electronic music with his trademark lilting vocals. Supported by Banjo Lucia.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
Thursday 6 April 2023, 8pm
Inclusive, immersive, a Lagos happening! Femi Kuti and the Positive Force take the political activism and irresistible grooves of Fela’s Afrobeat to jazz and funk-fuelled heights.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Monolake (Robert Henke) & Electric Indigo
Friday 24 March 2023, 8pm
For over two decades, Susanne Kirchmayr (aka Electric Indigo) and Robert Henke (aka Monolake) have shaped electronic music culture in profound ways. For their first joint tour in the Southern Hemisphere, they premiere newly developed performances.
Image: Jess Gleeson
The Teaches of Peaches
Saturday 4 March 2023, 8pm
Feminist icon and pop provocateur Peaches performs her seminal electroclash album The Teaches of Peaches in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary and Sydney WorldPride at City Recital Hall. Supported by Chela.
Image: Mikki Gomez
Nakhane
Friday 3 March 2023, 8pm
Celebrated polymath Nakhane "makes the dancefloor a place of tenderness". Challenging stereotypes of gender, sexuality and religion, their powerful odes to self-expression have garnered the adoration worldwide.
Image: Mikki Gomez
The Chills
Thursday 16 February 2023, 8pm
Get your jangle on to the joyous indie-pop mastery of The Chills. A swoon-worthy night of Heavenly Pop Hits from Martin Phillipps and his brilliant band. Supported by Mere Women.
Image: Vitor Duarte
Emma Donovan & Paul Grabowsky
Thursday 19 January 2023, 7pm
The voice of Emma Donovan carries deep currents in this tribute to country gospel from a powerhouse of soul, enriched by pianist Paul Grabowsky and his inimitable arrangements.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Alex the Astronaut
Friday 19 August 2022, 8pm
Described as one of Australia’s “most powerful and important songwriters”, Alex the Astronaut imbues the seemingly mundane with sensitivity, humour and self-reflection centered around electronic-tinged folk-pop melodies. Supported by Tasman Keith.
Image: Jess Gleeson
Luluc & Grace Cummings
Friday 29 July 2022, 8pm
Melbourne dream-folk duo Luluc bring their pristine harmonies and sublime poetics to Switched On with support from Grace Cummings.
Images: Jess Gleeson
Cedric Burnside
Saturday 19 March 2022, 8pm
Multiple Grammy nominee Cedric Burnside embodies the ancestral blues of his grandfather R.L. Burnside, and adds a personal resonance informed by the Mississippi’s modern-day blues.
Image: Mikki Gomez
Springtime
Thursday 24 February 2022, 8pm
Three titans meet as Springtime; incandescent frontman Gareth Liddiard, poetic drummer Jim White and spatial pianist, Chris Abrahams conjure wild, beautiful and emotionally powerful music.
Image: Jess Gleeson
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