ALWAYS LIVE: Christina Aguilera, Eric Prydz, Jai Paul lead 2023 lineup

The festival is set to bring 17 days of live music all across Victoria.

Grab your earplugs and get your ticket-clicking fingers ready, because Always Live has just dropped a killer 2023 lineup.

After delivering a solid debut run last year featuring TLC, Dua Lipa and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, the festival has returned with more than 60 stadium shows, exclusive appearances and intimate shows planned for November 24 to December 10.

Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Supported by Visit Victoria, the wide-ranging festival is determined to remind the world that Melbourne is and always will be a global live music capital. The event is the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – the lineup features everyone from hometown favourites to international gems and the venues are spread from the CBD to Castlemaine.

Global Y2K pop superstar Christina Aguilera will be leading the charge, coming to Australia for the first time in 15 years. The actress, activist and Genie In A Bottle singer is set to play a one-off open-air performance at Flemington Racecourse on November 25.

Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz will be bringing his monumental HOLO live show to Melbourne for an Australia and New Zealand exclusive performance. Featuring mesmerizing, cutting-edge 3D technology and stage design, the show has gained international acclaim at world-renowned electronic festivals including Tomorrowland and Ultra Miami.

The mysterious UK producer and songwriter Jai Paul will be coming to the country for the first time ever, playing an Australian-exclusive pair of gigs at 170 Russell on December 4 and 5. After a 10-year hiatus, the enigmatic musician performed his debut live show at this year’s Coachella.

Along with her headlining slot at Meredith Music Festival, the avant-garde princess Caroline Polachek will be playing an intimate show at The Forum. One of pop music’s most shimmering stars, the artist truly embodies the festival’s ethos as a state-wide celebration of contemporary live music.

The Intimate Audiences series is back, offering fans the chance to get up close and personal with icons including Jessie Ware and Angie McMahon.

The BLACKTIVISM event at Hamer Hall will showcase a stunning lineup of First Nations creatives, including King Stingray, Tasman Keith, Emma Donovan, Uncle Bart Willoughby, Deline Briscoe, Sorong Samarai and  Suga Cane Mamas.

Those who missed out on Eras tour tickets will have the chance to experience the next best thing: a Taylor Swift tribute show performed by Alex the Astronaut, Emily Wurramurra, Clare Bowditch and others. Taking place at the Northcote Theatre, Taylor Made will raise money for the Australian music charity Support Act.

There’s so much more: an Amyl and the Sniffers seven-date regional Victoria tour, an End of the Line series partnered with Metro Trains that brings massive family-friendly events out to the suburbs, a Fed Square Garage Band showcase of 25 emerging young musicians, and a pop-up Soundbox studio in the Arts Centre Forecourt hosting songwriting sessions, workshops and radio broadcasts.

More information and artists are expected to be announced soon, so keep your eyes on the Always Live socials to stay up to date.

Always Live Melbourne 2023 Lineup

• A.B. Original
• Adam Newling
• Affordable Repayments
• Aleksiah
• Alex Lahey
• Alice Skye
• Amy Shark
• Amyl and The Sniffers
• Angie McMahon
• Blaktivism house band
• Blanco Tranco
• Blowers
• Blusher
• Boondall Boys
• Budjerah
• Caroline Polachek
• Casey Barnes
• Christina Aguilera
• Clare Bowditch
• Cosmic Psychos
• Dead Clampets
• DefStar
• Deline Briscoe
• DRMNGNOW
• Dumb Punts
• Emma Donovan
• Eric Prydz
• Fitzroy Lee
• Flames Eye
• GAIA
• General Levy
• Heartical Hi Powa
• Holy Holy
• Housewife’s Choice
• Illy
• Jai Paul
• Jessie Ware
• Johnny Long-shot
• K5
• King Stingray
• Kulin Nations Songwomen
• Meatbeaters
• Meghna
• More Fire
• Nooky
• Northeast Party House
• Pat Todd
• Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos
• Philly
• Pirritu
• Quashani Bahdand
• Ras Jahknow
• Rick Howe
• Ruby Fields
• Shabba
• Sophia J Smith
• Sorong Samarai
• Soul Trains with Lee Fields & The Expressions
• Southeast Desert Metal
• Spikey Tee
• Stumps
• Suga Cane Mamas
• Surprise Chef
• Tasman Keith
• Taylor Made: Taylor Swift Tribute
• Taylor Moss
• The Chats
• The Prize
• The Temper Trap
• The Unknowns
• Thee Cha Cha Chas
• Tones and I
• Trixie Mattel
• Uncle Bart Willoughby

To learn more about Always Live Melbourne 2023 and get your hands on tickets, head here.

WORDS BY STAFF WRITER