Top 10 acts to see at this year’s BIGSOUND music conference
AUSTRALIA’S biggest music conference — BIGSOUND — is on this week in Brisbane and we’ve picked 10 acts to get you started in the packed schedule.
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SINCE its modest beginnings almost two decades ago, Brisbane music industry conference and live music festival BIGSOUND has gone on to become the biggest event of its kind in Australia.
Started in 2002 by music industry development association QMusic with the aim of helping to drive professional engagement for the Brisbane music scene, BIGSOUND has been instrumental in helping launch the careers of artists including Flume, Courtney Barnett, Gang of Youths, A.B. Original, The Peep Tempel, The Temper Trap, Hatchie and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.
Almost 14,000 people attended last year’s festival, which provided an estimated $2.8 million economic impact to Brisbane, and this year’s event, which runs from Tuesday until Friday, will include performances from more than 150 different acts across 18 venues in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
More than 1500 music industry delegates will attend this year’s conference, which also includes more than 130 speakers — who will take part in a variety of panel discussions — as well as keynote addresses from the likes of Australian music icon Paul Kelly and author Virginia Hanlon Grohl (yep, that’s Dave Grohl’s mum).
With such a diverse roster of artists performing, it’s difficult to know where to start when it comes to exploring what’s on at BIGSOUND, and although this is by no means a definitive list, below are a few acts you should consider checking out if you get along.
DIDIRRI
Melbourne’s Didirri was one of the most talked-about artists at last year’s BIGSOUND, with his idiosyncratic blend of indie-pop and earnest acoustic folk lulling the room into silence during his sets. He’s gone from strength to strength since, releasing the stunning Measurements EP in July, touring extensively both here and abroad, and performing at festivals including this year’s Splendour in the Grass. Didirri will be opening for Vance Joy on his tour later this month — which includes two huge shows at Brisbane’s Riverstage on September 21 and 22 — so this may well be your last chance to witness him playing in a comparatively intimate setting.
Wednesday, 11.40pm — Ric’s Big Backyard
ASHA JEFFERIES
Over the past couple of years, Brisbane’s Asha Jefferies’ star has been steadily rising, with her evocative blend of indie-pop and roots earning her plenty of critical praise, as well as support slots with artists including Radnor and Lee, Stella Donnelly, Bec Sandridge and Oh Mercy. This year her song Chaos was short-listed for a prize in the prestigious Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition and was also one of acts to win the NIDA Triple J Unearthed contest in March, which pairs emerging artists with the creative minds at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to collaborate on a music video. Her new single Everybody Talks was released last month, and her forthcoming debut EP will be produced by Miro Mackie, who has previously worked with the likes of Cold War Kids and St Vincent.
Tuesday, 9.40pm — Black Bear Lodge; Thursday, 11.40pm — Foundry
TOTAL PACE
Brissie’s Total Pace have only officially been around for a few months, but there’s a good chance you will have seen some of the band’s members playing in their other projects. Featuring Simon Ridley from DZ Deathrays and Velociraptor, Matthew Somers from I Heart Hiroshima, Luke Henery from Violent Soho and Branko Cosic from Tape/Off, the four-piece — who describe their influences as drinking beer and playing fast — have quickly made a name for themselves with their shambolic, frenetic, yet still somehow melodic, brand of garage-punk. They played to a packed house at Black Bear Lodge when they launched their debut, self-titled EP in July, and they’ll be sure to attract an equally enthusiastic response at BIGSOUND.
Tuesday, 11.20pm — The Zoo; Wednesday, 11.50pm — The Foundry
SAHARA BECK
Sahara Beck has been on the scene for a few years now, but the future is looking brighter than ever for the Eclectic Brisbane-based singer-songwriter. Her latest single Here We Go Again, her first new material since 2016 album Panacea, recently won the adult contemporary category of the international Unsigned Only Music Competition, and if it’s any indication of the direction her songwriting is heading, her set will be one of this year’s highlights.
Wednesday, 11.40pm — Empire Hotel
TIA GOSTELOW
Mackay-bred and now Brisbane-based musician Tia Gostelow performed at her first BIGSOUND two years ago when she was only 16. Her debut single State of Art won the Triple J indigenous Initiative in 2016 and her song Hunger has now been streamed more than 500,000 times on Spotify. Gostelow’s evocative brand of indie-rock and innate ability to write meaningful lyrics that belie her relative youth have resulted in an ever-growing fan base and support slots with the likes of Frightened Rabbit, Gomez and Bernard Fanning. Gostelow, who recently released her new single Strangers, will release her debut album, Thick Skin, on September 21.
Oztix Party, Thursday, 5.35pm — The Brightside
GOOD DOOGS
Good Doogs are the latest band to emerge from the booming Aussie surf rock scene. Following in the footsteps of bands such as Skeggs and Hockey Dad, the Mandurah 3-piece mix can switch from sparkling guitars and reverbed vocals to raucous punk rock in an instant. Their breakthrough single Nothing to Do is an infectious slacker anthem, while follow up So Dumb is almost dreamy despite its frantic pace. Despite only forming last year, Good Doogs have been playing shows across the country, so they should be in good form.
Wednesday, 11.30pm — Crowbar Black; Thursday, 9.50pm — Famous Nightclub
KWAME
Sydney rapper/producer Kwame has been having a wild 2018. The Endless Conversations. EP he released this year marked a massive step up in production for the 20-year-old, with the lead single, the infectious party-starter WOW, getting rotation on Triple J and earning him a slot at Splendour in the Grass. Two years ago, the straight-edge performer was pulled out from the crowd to perform onstage with A$AP Ferg, and his sound is a mix of A$AP Mob and British grime. Kwame says he treats every live performance as his last and he’s right in one respect — this could be the last time you see him in such intimate surrounds.
Tuesday, 10.40pm — Elephant Hotel; Thursday, 11.30pm — Famous Nightclub
KAIIT
When soul icon Jill Scott claims you’re her and Erykah Badu’s Australian love child, you know it’s time to get excited. How about throwing in a little Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse as well? With Kaiit’s velvety vocals and confident delivery, it’s hard to believe the Melbourne singer/rapper is only 20 years old. Then again, everything about her music screams “smooth”. The indigenous artist announced herself last year with Natural Woman and her latest single OG Luv Kush pt. 2 picks straight back up with future soul vibes.
Wednesday, 11.30pm — The Brightside; Thursday, 10pm — Ric’s Big Backyard
TAPE/OFF
It’s been a long time between drinks for Brisbane act Tape/Off, who burst on to the scene in 2014 with their Australian Music Prize-listed debut album Chipper. Their recently released second album Broadcast Park is worth the wait. Full of drive and soaring guitars, apathy never sounded so intense. The single Day In, Day Out is a standout — any band that can turn the “Current. Financial. Climate” into an anthem deserves great credit. The four-piece are inspired by the American indie fuzz guitar bands of the early to mid-90s but make no mistake: Tape/Off’s sound is unmistakably Brisbane to the core.
Wednesday, 9.10pm — The Valley Drive In; Thursday 8.10pm — Crowbar Black
CABLE TIES
The Melbourne female punk scene is pumping at the moment and Cable Ties are one of its best exponents. Very in much in the Eddy Current Suppression Ring or Peep Tempel mould of garage punk rock, the 3-piece stretch their primitive grooves to breaking point. On the band’s breakout tracks The Producer and Tell Them Where to Go, vocalist/guitarist Jenny McKechnie’s lays cutting lyrics over the band’s driving rhythm section. Two years ago Cable Ties got ‘The Boot’ at the Meredith Music Festival — an acknowledgment as one of the festival’s best bands — so make sure you don’t miss them here.
Tuesday, 10.30pm — The Zoo; Wednesday, 11.40pm — The Valley Drive In
BIGSOUND runs from Tuesday September 4 until Friday, September 8. Tickets are on sale from Oztix. One-night tickets start from $51, with rainbow passes, valid for four nights of live music. from $91. Visit bigsound.org.au
NEARBY NOISE
If you haven’t bought a pass to BIGSOUND but want to dip your toe in and catch some great emerging acts, there are several unofficial performances taking place in venues around Fortitude Valley this week. All the events listed below are free, not officially affiliated with the event and open to all.
GOING UNDERGROUND AT BIGSOUND
Music management and promotions company Footstomp will be hosting a free series of showcases at Greaser, on Brunswick St, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5-8pm, with Dirty Hearts, Tia Gostelow, Sabrina Lawrie and The Steele Syndicate among the 15 acts playing across the three days.
SONIC BOOM
West End record store Jet Black Cat Music and Bloodhound Corner Bar are joining forces to present three days of live music, starting at 5pm Monday. Acts playing between now and Wednesday night include Gabriella Cohen, Jade Imagine, Nice Biscuit, Daggy Man, Olympia, IV League, Emerson Snowe and East Brunswick All Girls’ Choir.
HORROR MY FRIEND
Wednesday, 3.20pm, The Foundry, Thursday, 3pm, Barbara
Adelaide three-piece Horror My Friend were a standout at last year’s BIGSOUND and although they’re not playing any official showcases this year, they’ll be playing a couple of free shows in the Valley anyway. The band draw from a broad palette of distortion-heavy ’90s influences — think Sonic Youth’s noise rock, The Pixies’ loud-soft dynamic and early Magic Dirt — and add their own idiosyncratic flair.
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