The 2018 edition (or 17th if you’re counting!) of Brisbane’s Bigsound festival was another cracker! After having moved from a 3 to 4 day event in 2017, it was no surprise that this now represents how big this festival has become. Here’s just a sample of some of the many showcase gigs we got to across the main 3 nights.
Sydney band Pirra kicked off proceedings showcasing some new tracks from their upcoming EP “Rabbit Hole”, together with their more familiar tunes from their 2017 debut “Animal Kingdom”. It was just the catchy pop needed to get you in the mood for a Tuesday night!
Next up, it was Perth act The Little Lord Street Band whose fusion of the country, rock and blues genres made for quite an eclectic set, with a fellow punter commenting “I can’t work out who these guys sound like!”. With 5 of them onstage and with a variety of instruments from guitar to harmonica to mandolin, you can’t help enjoying a band who were equally grinning from ear to ear as they soaked up the Bigsound love for the first time.
Melbourne artist Samsaruh has been building quite a name for herself these past 12 months and it was no surprise that she was touted as one of the must see acts at Bigsound. With an amazing stage presence and backed by a super tight band, she weaved her way back and forth across the stage at an amazing pace as her pop songs with a punch were delivered with perfection.
Charlie Collins had an early start to her music career and having recently moved away from her former band to concentrate on her solo work, this was indeed a showcase set performed by a musician with plenty of experience and the crowd just loved it. Her current single “Wish you were here” was just one of the many gems she delivered across her 30 minutes on stage.
Whilst it was only the first night of the festival, however by the end of the set from Perth rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, we were already thinking that this would be hard to top. Whilst on record they sound somewhat like their hometown counterparts Tame Impala, seeing them live took things to another level. Whilst psychedelica is their main thing, there is just so much else going on, not to forget those killer riffs, seemingly delivered with ease. The group head off to the UK and Europe shortly and you just know that like the aforementioned other Perth band, they are going to be well received.
Greta Stanley sings with one of those sweet voices that you just can’t not like. We caught two of her sets at the festival, the first night she was in solo acoustic mode and the second with her full band. Whilst both performances were enjoyable, for mine to hear her voice without the distraction of a band was the highlight of her Bigsound appearance.
Brisbane legends Butterfingers whilst somewhat of an unusual choice at a festival that primarily aims to support up and coming musicians, it was still good to see this hip/hop rock fusion act on their home turf and they did have some new music to share as well. Frontman Evil Eddie cheekily announced early in the set “we’ll get our new stuff out of the way first” before the band used the remainder of their time (plus a self imposed extension) to dig out some of the classic tracks that have made them a live favourite over their almost two decade long career.
The second night of the festival kicked off with Launceston based singer-songwriter Emma Anglesey who mesmerised the crowd with her enchanting and somewhat ethereal pop tunes as she swooned in her shiny silver full length body suit.
Jade Imagine is a moniker that has been popping up everywhere of late, mainly due to the various members of this Melbourne act collaborating on many a musicians album. This is a mighty impressive four piece band lead by Jade McInally and the packed room indicated just how solid their following has become as they worked their way through their own blend of pop rock.
Brisbane lads (or should I say dads) Tape/Off are just a good fun band, who wear their punk influences on their sleeve. Their in between song banter had many a punter in stitches at times, but not any form of interruption or distraction to their otherwise fast paced set.
Newcastle trio Raave Tapes (which we finally discovered on the night is correctly pronounced as rave, like the dance music parties back in the day) performed on what was probably one of the smallest stages at the festival. This however didn’t stop them putting in an extremely lively performance as lead vocalist Lewis Horne and bass guitarist Lindsay O’Connell literally bounced around the stage. Surprisingly their catchy hooks are delivered by a guitar via effects pedals, whilst on record it sounds not too dissimilar to a keyboard and whilst their songs are simple, they are incredibly catchy and had the audience dancing as much as the band were. Their set contained many a sing-along favourite from their catalogue to date, together with their new one “Suds”.
Melbourne singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ sure knows how to write a solid pop song and similarly share his own personal journey with the audience. This was both an impressive and extremely moving performance from a talented artist whose name will no doubt be shortly on everyone’s lips.
Keeping with the Melbourne theme, East Brunswick All Girls Choir were next up and provided half an hour worth of the guitar fuzz that they have become renowned for. Showcasing tunes from their recently released album “Teddywaddy”, they had the crowd captivated.
Although having been somewhat quiet for the past 18 months or so, Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter Sahara Beck returned recently with a new single in the form of “Here we go again” indicating a more electro pop direction to her sound. Her minimalist set of keyboards and drums actually worked perfectly to showcase the new tunes, although it would of been great to have snuck something in from her past record “Panacea” but understandable given this is Bigsound and new music is the key after all.
Well the rumours had been spreading all day and it was later confirmed when the sounds of Paul Kelly doing a soundcheck at Fortitude Valley’s iconic venue The Zoo could be heard from the pavement outside in the late afternoon. Shortly before 12.30am, Paul Kelly and his full band including Pete Luscombe, Dan Kelly, Ash Naylor, Cameron Bruce, plus of course Vika and Linda Bull, took to the stage for the lucky 450 (yes I was one of them!) people who had managed to get into the venue after a lengthy queue outside. To see an artist of this stature in such a small venue was just amazing and his solid set of new and old favourites didn’t fail to disappoint.
The final night of showcase gigs at Bigsound kicked off with Melbourne indie posters Candy. These guys were certainly big on the self promotion front reminding the punters who they were after each song.
Although they have only released one single to date, the impressive “Make Me Feel Nothing”, Melbourne trio Bell City Square have some considerable interest surrounding them and hence we were curious to check these guys out. Their blend of infectious pop is clearly well crafted and their 30 minute set was filled with many tracks that you just know would sound great on the radio. One to watch we feel.
All girl act Oh Pep! from Melbourne impressed with their folk/pop stylings with latest single “What’s The Deal With David” demonstrating what great songwriters these ladies are too. Beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, what isn’t to like here!
Melbourne five piece Diet probably set the record for the number of guitarists on stage at Bigsound, but whilst this may have otherwise resulted in a wall of sound, their dabbling in keyboards did add to their appeal.
Finally, as the third night drew to a close, upon recommendation from a Brisbane local, we checked out local act Blank Realm who have had a loyal following in their hometown now for well over a decade. If you like your Aussie indie stuff from the early 90’s, then you’ll love these guys. Their songs are epic (they could only squeeze four in during their 30 minute set!), but delivered to perfection, a great way to wind up another great Bigsound festival.
Aussie Music Weekly wishes to thank SGC Media for having us at Bigsound again this year
Sydney band Pirra kicked off proceedings showcasing some new tracks from their upcoming EP “Rabbit Hole”, together with their more familiar tunes from their 2017 debut “Animal Kingdom”. It was just the catchy pop needed to get you in the mood for a Tuesday night!
Next up, it was Perth act The Little Lord Street Band whose fusion of the country, rock and blues genres made for quite an eclectic set, with a fellow punter commenting “I can’t work out who these guys sound like!”. With 5 of them onstage and with a variety of instruments from guitar to harmonica to mandolin, you can’t help enjoying a band who were equally grinning from ear to ear as they soaked up the Bigsound love for the first time.
Melbourne artist Samsaruh has been building quite a name for herself these past 12 months and it was no surprise that she was touted as one of the must see acts at Bigsound. With an amazing stage presence and backed by a super tight band, she weaved her way back and forth across the stage at an amazing pace as her pop songs with a punch were delivered with perfection.
Charlie Collins had an early start to her music career and having recently moved away from her former band to concentrate on her solo work, this was indeed a showcase set performed by a musician with plenty of experience and the crowd just loved it. Her current single “Wish you were here” was just one of the many gems she delivered across her 30 minutes on stage.
Whilst it was only the first night of the festival, however by the end of the set from Perth rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, we were already thinking that this would be hard to top. Whilst on record they sound somewhat like their hometown counterparts Tame Impala, seeing them live took things to another level. Whilst psychedelica is their main thing, there is just so much else going on, not to forget those killer riffs, seemingly delivered with ease. The group head off to the UK and Europe shortly and you just know that like the aforementioned other Perth band, they are going to be well received.
Greta Stanley sings with one of those sweet voices that you just can’t not like. We caught two of her sets at the festival, the first night she was in solo acoustic mode and the second with her full band. Whilst both performances were enjoyable, for mine to hear her voice without the distraction of a band was the highlight of her Bigsound appearance.
Brisbane legends Butterfingers whilst somewhat of an unusual choice at a festival that primarily aims to support up and coming musicians, it was still good to see this hip/hop rock fusion act on their home turf and they did have some new music to share as well. Frontman Evil Eddie cheekily announced early in the set “we’ll get our new stuff out of the way first” before the band used the remainder of their time (plus a self imposed extension) to dig out some of the classic tracks that have made them a live favourite over their almost two decade long career.
The second night of the festival kicked off with Launceston based singer-songwriter Emma Anglesey who mesmerised the crowd with her enchanting and somewhat ethereal pop tunes as she swooned in her shiny silver full length body suit.
Jade Imagine is a moniker that has been popping up everywhere of late, mainly due to the various members of this Melbourne act collaborating on many a musicians album. This is a mighty impressive four piece band lead by Jade McInally and the packed room indicated just how solid their following has become as they worked their way through their own blend of pop rock.
Brisbane lads (or should I say dads) Tape/Off are just a good fun band, who wear their punk influences on their sleeve. Their in between song banter had many a punter in stitches at times, but not any form of interruption or distraction to their otherwise fast paced set.
Newcastle trio Raave Tapes (which we finally discovered on the night is correctly pronounced as rave, like the dance music parties back in the day) performed on what was probably one of the smallest stages at the festival. This however didn’t stop them putting in an extremely lively performance as lead vocalist Lewis Horne and bass guitarist Lindsay O’Connell literally bounced around the stage. Surprisingly their catchy hooks are delivered by a guitar via effects pedals, whilst on record it sounds not too dissimilar to a keyboard and whilst their songs are simple, they are incredibly catchy and had the audience dancing as much as the band were. Their set contained many a sing-along favourite from their catalogue to date, together with their new one “Suds”.
Melbourne singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ sure knows how to write a solid pop song and similarly share his own personal journey with the audience. This was both an impressive and extremely moving performance from a talented artist whose name will no doubt be shortly on everyone’s lips.
Keeping with the Melbourne theme, East Brunswick All Girls Choir were next up and provided half an hour worth of the guitar fuzz that they have become renowned for. Showcasing tunes from their recently released album “Teddywaddy”, they had the crowd captivated.
Although having been somewhat quiet for the past 18 months or so, Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter Sahara Beck returned recently with a new single in the form of “Here we go again” indicating a more electro pop direction to her sound. Her minimalist set of keyboards and drums actually worked perfectly to showcase the new tunes, although it would of been great to have snuck something in from her past record “Panacea” but understandable given this is Bigsound and new music is the key after all.
Well the rumours had been spreading all day and it was later confirmed when the sounds of Paul Kelly doing a soundcheck at Fortitude Valley’s iconic venue The Zoo could be heard from the pavement outside in the late afternoon. Shortly before 12.30am, Paul Kelly and his full band including Pete Luscombe, Dan Kelly, Ash Naylor, Cameron Bruce, plus of course Vika and Linda Bull, took to the stage for the lucky 450 (yes I was one of them!) people who had managed to get into the venue after a lengthy queue outside. To see an artist of this stature in such a small venue was just amazing and his solid set of new and old favourites didn’t fail to disappoint.
The final night of showcase gigs at Bigsound kicked off with Melbourne indie posters Candy. These guys were certainly big on the self promotion front reminding the punters who they were after each song.
Although they have only released one single to date, the impressive “Make Me Feel Nothing”, Melbourne trio Bell City Square have some considerable interest surrounding them and hence we were curious to check these guys out. Their blend of infectious pop is clearly well crafted and their 30 minute set was filled with many tracks that you just know would sound great on the radio. One to watch we feel.
All girl act Oh Pep! from Melbourne impressed with their folk/pop stylings with latest single “What’s The Deal With David” demonstrating what great songwriters these ladies are too. Beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, what isn’t to like here!
Melbourne five piece Diet probably set the record for the number of guitarists on stage at Bigsound, but whilst this may have otherwise resulted in a wall of sound, their dabbling in keyboards did add to their appeal.
Finally, as the third night drew to a close, upon recommendation from a Brisbane local, we checked out local act Blank Realm who have had a loyal following in their hometown now for well over a decade. If you like your Aussie indie stuff from the early 90’s, then you’ll love these guys. Their songs are epic (they could only squeeze four in during their 30 minute set!), but delivered to perfection, a great way to wind up another great Bigsound festival.
Aussie Music Weekly wishes to thank SGC Media for having us at Bigsound again this year
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