Local Edition is proud to present Backroom Series, a new program spotlighting emerging artists in Sydney. Designed as a platform for discovery, the series brings fresh voices and perspectives into focus, offering audiences an intimate encounter with the work of the city’s next generation of creative talent.
Edition 01 artists:
- Maquina Anonima
Maquina Anonima fuse experimental electronics and the human voice, using custom built wearable sensors to control live effects during the performance. Spanish folk song and choral textures meet glitchy, morphing beats and lush, evolving harmonies to create soundworlds of earthy grit and ethereal beauty.
- Brenda Funez
Brenda Funez is a Mexican singer-songwriter who creates music like building an altar: with memory, with love, and a subtle devotion to the invisible. Her voice is an ancestral whisper that moves between English and Spanish, between wounds and healing, between roots and flight." Living between Mexico and Australia, Brenda has made her music a bridge between worlds. Her soft, mystical melodies are reminiscent of artists like Florence Welch and Natalia Lafourcade, yet they unfold in a universe of their own, where impermanence is a goddess and the earth a mother who holds it all.
- Nicole Issa
Nicole Issa’s music gives you the hug you need after a breakup. The essence of a gentle friend that gives you space to mourn and the energy to heal and keep going. Hailing from Sydney’s South-West, the Indie-pop artist and songwriter is a masterful storyteller through music. With a seamless blend of heartfelt lyrics and captivating melodies, providing a sonic journey through the emotional landscapes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
- Keira Garland & The Truths
Performing with her band, The Truths, Keira’s original ‘dream-folk’ songs are opalescent with meaning, shiny like a beetle’s wing, and gentle, like you must be, when a seedpod is in your hand! Drawing from her diverse creative practices, Keira’s poetry-filled lyrics frequently reference the mysterious power of painting, creativity, and the imagination. You might hear in them the inspiration she draws from the folk singers Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez.
The program showcases artists working across diverse genres, reflecting the vibrancy of Sydney’s music scene. By hosting these exhibitions in the unique setting of Local Edition, Backroom Series creates space for dialogue, experimentation, and community connection.
With each edition, multiple artists are featured side by side, providing a collective snapshot of emerging practices while allowing individual stories and artistic approaches to unfold. The series not only amplifies their work but also nurtures a culture of support and recognition for the artists shaping Sydney’s creative future.
