Concrete Playground

It was a bit of a sad time for funk for a while there. In the noughties cool was poached from the genre by those dastardly New York indie bands - The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs et al. But wait! Groovers of the world need not fret...

There has been a funk resurgence lately – with folks like Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Mayer Hawthorne, Amy Winehouse etc. – and it seems Sydney Fest's new Artistic Director Lindy Hume still dons the flares and afro wig sometimes too, as she's programmed a whole bunch of funk/soul/hip hop artists this year.

Becks Bar has a lineup heavy with beat driven tunes including Los Angeles 8 piece funk band The Breakestra. These guys play authentic groove laden funk/soul with an emphasis on getting booties to shake. J Rocc (of beat Junkies fame - not the pro wrestler, sorry to disappoint) and our own soul/dub outfit Space Invadas are set to open the proceedings.