This May, Sydney’s City Recital Hall will trade its usual seated grandeur for something a little more intimate, loose and glowing, as local favourites Fig and Caitlin Harnett take over the ground floor bar for a special Great Southern Nights performance.
Presented in partnership with Great Southern Nights, the 18+ event brings together two distinct but deeply complementary voices from the city’s music scene: Fig’s shimmering indie-pop-meets-rock textures and the warm, road-worn storytelling of Caitlin Harnett.
It’s the kind of pairing that feels tailor-made for a room where songs can stretch out, conversations can spill over, and audiences can experience two beloved acts in a setting that feels close enough to touch.
Fig began life as the writing and recording project of songwriter Tim Burnett before expanding into a full band, with collaborators including Paddy Morgan, Tim Jennings, and Mike Baltins helping shape the project into its current live form.
Across their two albums, 2020’s Harumi Hotel and 2023’s No Need to Rest, Fig have built a sound that nods to ’80s synth-pop, dream-pop, and expansive guitar music without ever feeling like a throwback.
Their songs move with a hazy confidence with vintage synths, shoegaze-leaning guitars, pulsing rhythms and melodic hooks that sit somewhere between late-night introspection and wide-open road music.
There are echoes of artists like Beach House, The War on Drugs, and Mark Mothersbaugh in the palette, but Fig’s appeal lies in how naturally those influences settle into something distinctly Sydney-made.
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Their live shows, including sold-out appearances at venues such as the Factory Theatre, have only sharpened that sense of atmosphere and momentum.
Joining them on the night is Caitlin Harnett, best known as the magnetic front woman of Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys.
Described by The Sydney Morning Herald as “one of Australia’s premier singer-songwriters,” Harnett has become one of the most compelling figures in the country’s alt-country and Americana landscape.
Since forming in Sydney’s Inner West in 2015, Caitlin Harnett & the Pony Boys have taken their dusty, heartfelt sound across Australia and overseas, including two tours of the US.
Their 2020 debut album Late Night Essentials was named Album of the Week by both FBi Radio and 2SER, and the band later picked up Best Live Act in NSW at the National Live Music Awards.
Along the way, they have played festivals including Boogie, Festival of the Sun, Riverboats, Out on the Weekend, and Tamworth Country Music Festival, while also supporting artists such as Orville Peck, Charley Crockett, Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Felice Brothers, and The Nude Party.
Harnett’s songs have a lived-in honesty to them. They are built on rich melodies, unfiltered stories, and the kind of voice that can turn a crowded room quiet, then have it laughing, crying or dancing a moment later.
That emotional range makes her a natural fit alongside Fig, whose own songs often carry a dreamy ache beneath their polished pop-rock surfaces.
The night will also mark a special reunion of sorts, with Harnett joining Fig on stage for part of their performance.
It will be the first time the two acts have performed live together since releasing their collaborative single, “I Heard It in My Dream”.
Tickets for Fig & Caitlin Harnett at City Recital Hall are on sale now here. All tickets are general admission, with limited seating available.
