Skeleten + Ashkan Shafiei | Tumbalong Nights

Sydney's innovative underground takes Tumbalong Nights, with Skeleten's cerebral dance music and Ashkan Shafiei's jazz and funk-fused take on Persian folk.

Skeleten is the critically adored solo project of Russell Fitzgibbon - a major force in Sydney's electronic and dance scene for more than a decade as a producer and DJ.

With albums Under Utopia (2023) and Mentalized (2025), Skeleten tackles contemporary malaise with a warm haze of trip-hop, fuzzy guitars and dream-pop vocals.

Considered one of 2025's best Australian albums (The Guardian; Rolling Stone Australia), Mentalized is filled with evocative, poetic images of how restricting and odd everyday life can be, taking its name from the idea of being controlled by external forces. But there's plenty of joy here too, as the album leads to the dancefloor; one that Fitzgibbon cultivates life, enlisting a full live band to add extra pulsating energy.

Joining Skeleten is Iran-born artist Ashkan Shafiei, who builds upon his home country's pre-revolutionary, psychedelic sounds, blending traditional Persian music with jazz and funk on debut EP Hunter.

Singing in Farsi and playing the rubab, an Arabic lute-like instrument, Shafiei's music is filled with longing, beauty and a lineage of resistance.

Equally mesmerising in completely different genres, Skeleten and Ashkan Shafiei make for an eclectic but essential double bill.

Free for all to enjoy, Tumbalong Nights ignites Darling Quarter's Tumbalong Park with 23 nights of music during Vivid Sydney, with a cross-cultural lineup of live music from international legends, Australian icons, emerging stars, plus DJs.