Ben Lee at Sunset Piazza

Multiple ARIA award-winning Australian singer-songwriter, activist, and lo-fi pop legend Ben Lee brings his distinctive sound to the festival stage.

Ben’s career began as a teenager in the early 90s punk band Noise Addict, who were discovered by taste-making artists Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys. In 1995 his first, acoustic-driven solo album yielded “Grandpaw Would” (featuring Liz Phair), giving audiences a taste of Ben’s love for taking complex, existential romantic yearnings and compressing them into melodic, sublimely catchy pop. 

“Cigarettes Will Kill You”, from 1999’s Breathing Tornadoes, has become a modern Australian classic, while 2005’s Awake is the New Sleep brought Ben to worldwide attention, generating the double platinum, ARIA-winning alterna-hit “Catch My Disease” and the enduring “We’re All in this Together”, a song that has become an anthem of sorts for a troubled world over the past year.

Ben has also collaborated with many artists including Ben Folds, Zooey Deschanel, Neil Finn, Sarah Silverman and Lena Dunham. He is currently working on an animated children’s musical he co-created with author Tom Robbins.

This initiative is part of the Summer in the City program proudly funded by the NSW Government in association with the City of Sydney. We’re working together to revitalise the city centre.

Covid safety

Sunset Piazza puts the safety and well-being of artists and audiences first. Patrons must follow NSW Health guidelines and follow Covid safe practices when attending Sunset Piazza events. See full details on our Covid safety.