Sunday Music: homegrown artists shine in most diverse season to date

From indie darlings to Indigenous storytellers, queer electro pop to West Coast rock royalty, Fremantle Arts Centre’s Sunday Music season is back for summer—treating music lovers to our most culturally and musically diverse line-up in the program’s history.

This free weekly live music series returns on Sun 2 Oct, kicking off an epic 6-month summer season which sees musical talent from across Australia take the stage in Fremantle Arts Centre’s lush, shady Front Garden setting.

Fremantle Arts Centre’s Director Anna Reece commented, “Born of a love of community, creative exchange and connection, Sunday Music has become a staple in the Port City’s music scene, offering a tastemaking showcase of the most exciting acts.”

“Fremantle Arts Centre lives and breathes new music, and we are proud to support a program overflowing with talented music makers from across the creative spectrum which crosses various genres, identities and cultures, showcasing the unique and diverse community of voices that live and create within our state, and further afield.”

Among the highlights, on 12 February Melbourne-based nine-piece band Ausecuma Beats will grace the Sunday Music stage. Comprised of musicians from Senegal, Mali, Cuba and Guinea, the ensemble is known for fusing their diverse influences into complex rhythms which inspire your body to move, offering something incredibly danceable yet unmistakably unique.

Presented in association with Nannup Music Festival, on 5 March we’re joined by The Krui3ers, who hail from the Mowanjum Community in the Kimberley. Descendants of the renowned Mowanjum band Gulingi Nunga, the fourpiece band employ a high energy country rock style to tell stories of their Country and their old people.

Armed with their motto “the people must dance”, The Bambuseae Rhythm Section is sure to get the crowd moving on 19 February. This energetic six-piece act from Fremantle offer up retro-futuristic psych-funk with a dash of blues rock lyricism, and plenty of attitude to boot.

A visionary First Nations singer-songwriter and producer hailing from the Wardandi Bibbulmun tribe of the southwest of WA, Boox Kid is bringing his unique brand of electro pop to Sunday Music on 11 December. And on 22 January, Australian rock and roll legends Rob Snarksi & Lindy Morrison – of The Blackeyed Susans and The Go-Betweens – are joining forces to showcase their post-punk musical chops, in a show described as “not for the faint hearted, but for the romantic, the readers, the writers, the lovers and the lost.”

Also joining the line-up is Siobhan Cotchin (29 January), who’ll mesmerise audiences with her jangly luminous melodies, Natalie Gillespie (9 October), one of Perth’s most soulful singer/songwriters and the leader of FAC Yeah! Community Choir and Priscilla (11 December), a Boorloo based synth-pop duo, described by Purple Sneakers as “the electro-pop sound of the future”.

Sunday Music runs 2 October 2022 to 26 March 2023 from 2pm – 4pm in the Front Garden at Fremantle Arts Centre. This free, family friendly event has limited capacity, so we recommend guests arrive early and settle in for the afternoon. Bring a rug and picnic (no BYO alcohol) or enjoy tasty treats from the food vendors and bar on-site.

2022-23 Sunday Music Line-Up

2 October Queency + The Liquid Project

9 October Natalie Gillespie + Sgt Hulka

16 October Natasha Eldridge + Clive Morrison & The Lost Boys

23 October Drea + Princess Khanya

6 November De Cuba Son + TAB Family & Friends

13 November Catherine Traicos + Romy B

20 November Artemis Orchestra

27 November Lincoln Mackinnon + Dolce Blue

11 December Priscilla + Boox Kid

18 December Endeavourous + Odlaw

8 January Anna Schneider + Jocelyn’s Baby