King Street Crawl returns to prove that the Australian music scene is thriving

King Street Crawl returns with a stacked lineup of Australia’s best emerging and established musical talent.

Ask your Sydney friends, family or colleagues what they were up to this weekend and I can guarantee a good few of them will have the same answer: they were getting stuck in and a few deep at King Street Crawl.

What started with 50 bands has now become Sydney’s, and possibly Australia’s, largest single-day free music event, with over 250 artists performing across more than 45+ venues throughout Newtown, Enmore and Marrickville. On top of all that, for the first time, the iconic Enmore Theatre hosted a ticketed showcase featuring some of Australia’s most exciting established artists.

Arriving at midday, we headed straight into the Enmore to catch singer-songwriter Hannah Brewer. Off the back of her recent ‘Catch and Release’ EP tour, Hannah delivered swaying indie melodies paired with sharp, witty storytelling. ‘Small Town Rockstar’ and ‘Tenpin Haven’ were both set highlights, along with an unreleased track that had the band stepping back to leave Hannah alone in the spotlight.

While the Enmore held some of the day’s biggest names, outside on the street is where King Street Crawl really comes to life. Walking down Enmore Road was a music lover’s dream. Every couple of steps the air was filled with tunes. Street parties erupted around every corner, while restaurants, bars and cafés had punters spilling onto the pavements, with the winter sun and flowing drinks keeping everyone warm.

Meandering through the streets, you had Indian restaurants transformed into clubs. Bands parked up on trucks, blaring out to car parks packed with fans. Backstreets were rammed with makeshift audiences of all ages, moshing around to tented stages throughout the day. The best thing about this? It’s all free. Anyone and everyone is welcome.

Sticking our heads into one of the smaller venues, Wayward’s Ballroom, we arrived just in time for Divers, one of my most anticipated acts of the day. Hailing from Melbourne, Divers deliver an absurdly addictive blend of garage, indie and punk rock. Their latest record, ‘Odd Dog in the Capital’, is lined with bangers and the band dedicate their entire set to its recent release. Frontman Ben Bray leads the four-piece as they thrash through ‘Cruisy Confusion’ and ‘Sand Dunes’ before reeling into ‘Head Chef’. The room is bursting at capacity as the band give it their all, even if the set goes a little wonky, with crash cymbals spilling from the kit and Bray’s pedalboard losing power. It doesn’t matter though. The fans are stoked and the set is an absolute joy to watch. It’s a big shout, but ‘Odd Dog in the Capital’ is already shaping up to be my album of the year.

It was back to the Enmore Theatre for ARIA-nominated hip hop and R&B artist Miss Kaninna. I came into this not knowing much about the artist, but I was absolutely blown away by the way she layered rapid-fire verses over high-energy club beats. Miss Kaninna entranced the crowd with messages championing Black excellence and First Nations rights. She’d switch from the emotionally charged ‘HANDOUTS’ and ‘Mob Ties’ before swerving into her lusty cover of Rihanna‘s ‘Kiss It Better’. Miss Kaninna delivered a set that was smart, sexy and draped in visual splendour. She deserves every bit of hype coming her way.

The theatre was then treated to a laid-back, woozy funk set from local favourites Winston Surfshirt, before Melbourne’s ferocious Tropical F*ck Storm unleashed a mind-altering wall of sound. Outside, the bars spilled onto the streets, DJs lined windows entertaining street parties well into the late hours, while groups of friends gathered together. Some obsessively dissected the artists they’d seen throughout the day, while others couldn’t have cared less who they watched, as long as they were part of the party.

And that’s what King Street Crawl is all about: bringing people together for one big party. A party that stretches across three suburbs and just so happens to showcase more than 250 incredible Australian artists. It’s a huge opportunity for both artists and punters alike, and it’s quickly becoming, if it isn’t already, the most important day on the Australian music calendar.