The program for Melbourne’s 2022 iteration of RISING has arrived, with an array of musical guests set to perform across the 12-day festival.
Announced yesterday (March 17), this year’s musical lineup welcomes a plethora of international acts. Hailing from the US are hip group Shabazz Palaces, soul musician Masego, orchestral electronic artist Ana Roxanne, indie singer Lucy Dacus and Ghanaian-American alt musician Moses Sumney.
Zambia’s Sampa The Great will also be returning for her first Melbourne appearance in over two years, performing her show An Afro Future.
There’ll be performances from a number of Japanese guests, including rockers CHAI and Buffalo Daughter, percussionist Midori Takada and experimental outfit Boris.
Canada’s Andy Shauf will also be making his Australian debut at the event, supported by Melbourne’s own Sweet Whirl, while Scotland’s Arab Strap will welcome Xylouris White (Jim White and Giorgos Xylouris) as show openers. White will also be acting as this year’s RISING musician in residence, collaborating with different musical guests for four unique shows.
Other Australian highlights on the program include Tkay Maidza, The Goon Sax, supported by Exek, Harvey Sutherland, and Snowy Band, opening for Lucy Dacus.
RISING takes place from June 1-12 across various venues in Melbourne, with the full program available on the RISING website. Presale tickets open to subscribers from Monday March 21, followed by general sales on Friday March 25.
The 2022 iteration of RISING marks a festival three years in the making, having been announced in 2020 as a replacement for Melbourne Arts and White Night Festivals. It was initially slated to take place that same year but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021 event was set to welcome performances from Julia Jacklin, Kee’ahn, The Necks, The Goon Sax, Luluc and more, but was cancelled two days in, when Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdown was extended.