I was NOT ready for the Gooch Palms when I stepped into Ric's at eight o'clock. I'd previously seen a few youtube clips and such, gathered the Newcastle duo were not shy of getting wild, but what followed in the next half-hour was bordering the disorderly and uncomfortable side of wild. The fact that the frontman was dressed solely in a pair of short, gold tights wasn't even an issue—they're garage punk, or 'shit pop' (thanks facebook), it's all cool—but what did it for me was when he started violently bashing the microphone into his own forehead. I couldn't help but feel slightly ill at ease watching the blood trickle down his face from the self inflicted wound, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one...
The Gooch Palms ended their set with a shout out to The Straight Arrows, and within a matter of minutes everyone was at a packed Electric Playground for another round of garage rock. The Straight Arrows were incredibly loud and despite it still only being early in the night, the ecstatic punters were already up and crowd surfing — evidently nobody was holding back on this final night of BigSound. The Arrows' sound was a shot of psych-garage with a chaser of feedback. Á-la Thee Oh Sees, they thrashed around the stage like men (and lady) possessed, and their faster numbers proved best.
Next, it was back to Ric's for New Zealand's Transistors. The trio put on a high energy set for the smaller venue, and instead of being disappointed when a mosh didn't start on its own accord, the guitarist took it into his own hands and jumped down to start one himself. The drummer played so vigorously I suspected he may tip over at any second from dehydration—and beer only makes you more dehydrated, man.
Finally it was over to the Press Club for The Belligerents and Drunk Mums where the former played an extremely tight and focused set, their Foals-esque sound providing a modern flavour that was refreshing after such a high-volume of retrospective garage-revival. The crowd remained placid despite the first group's indie-dance frivolity, but when The Drunk Mums hit the stage a single (crazed) security guard really had his hands full. The Drunk Mums put on, by far, the wildest set of the two nights. For example, their members included a young man who's only job was to spit fake blood on everyone. In a nutshell, the whole thing was hectic.
BIGSOUND was great.
Nash Johnston
The mission, should you decide to accept it: To catch 60 bands across 12 venues over 4 hours in the 1km stretch of Fortitude Valley’s entertainment precinct.
The execution: Emerging Australian singer/songwriters, producers, bands and acts from every imaginable genre banging out their best in 30 minute sets.
The revelation: That the landscape of the Australian music industry has changed significantly over the last five years to behold a richly diverse sophistication previously unobserved in such a capacity. While Australia has always been dripping in rock, the inclusion – and tolerance, nay, even acceptance - of electronic and hiphop music indicates a flourishing and refined musical palate. Australian soil may be gritty and daunting but the fruits are sweet fascinating and plentiful. Hail the new age of independent Australian original music!
The disclosure: Watching BIGSOUND delegates high-fiving each other walking down Ann Street; an abundance of viewers from all walks of life with an apparent, almost grim, focus on the live music program and streaming in and out of venues and crowding around stages; masses of musicians garbed in the universal uniform of black, black and more black, lugging around instrument cases on a night usually reserved for drunken student escapades; The Valley - notorious for its penchant of banging electro dance music – pulsated from the resonance of amplified drums, guitars and vocals from the corner of Marshall Street down to Winn and winding eagerly through laneways; observing that EPs seem to have replaced albums; the abundance of amplification, stage and electronic and stage gear required for such a massive event and most of all: a united local music industry of venue managers to sound engineers and stage managers intent on showcasing the best of Brisbane as a location.
The acts: Catching all 60 acts was going to be an impossible quest. Discovering new surprises hidden within the recesses of Australian music, however, was always on the cards. The Hello Morning at Black Bear Lodge proved a refreshing tonic; the suited-up predominantly-guitar indie rock band boosted by Steven Clifford’s staggering vocals with dense harmonies care of rhythm guitarists Matt Smith and Dave Manton. The entire band was superbly augmented by Joe Cope’s Nord keyboard with Matt Vance and David Oxley solid on drums and bass respectively; their songs a testament to resolute writing skills and artistic delivery.
Dallas Frasca headed the biggest little rock band in town. Her drummer’s chops were unadulterated, the snap of the snare and bass drum resounding joyously throughout Mustang Bar, while her guitarist formidably brandished his star guitar amidst ringing chords of appropriate anguish and impudence. Dallas, resplendent with big red hair and feathers, soared, her remarkable vocal range cutting cleanly through the explosion of accompanying hard rock beats and rhythms. This rock queen was a welcoming smack to the face, her creative juices heating up the songs and the stage.
Nine-piece outfit Saskwatch confirmed another juicy discovery, though ‘Leave It All Behind’ is the current darling of Triple J radio. The neo-soul band featured a strong rhythm section, bulked up by a great horn section of bari sax, tenor sax and trumpet. This group remained a distinguishing feature across the night, no doubt, largely owing to the mesmerising sassy lead vocalist Nkechi Anele. With such a huge, full sound emitted from such a tiny frame, this chanteuse held the entire crowd within the palms of her tiny little hands. Her incredible vocals and the musicians’ great talents were further enhanced by the smart songwriting and extraordinary arrangements.
But the biggest eye-opener came from most unexpected quarters: Hip hop artist Seth Sentry at Tempo Hotel. Teamed with charismatic DJ Benny, Seth Sentry’s entertainment skills were off the richter scale. While the presence of many musicians on a stage easily generates currents of energy to a crowd, as a solo artist backed chiefly by tracks, the art of entertaining can be a daunting task.
For Seth Sentry, beguiling a crowd from the stage seems natural. Kids were rapping and singing along with Seth, his rich vocal timbre lending his Australian accent an engaging tone; the words blithely commenting on the single Aussie lifestyle of living with housemates, chasing waitresses and solitary breakfasts at cafes. He concentrated all his energy into connecting with each person in the crowd; bonding through the power of his words. Bands gain attention easily enough, but Seth Sentry was an attention earner.
Other notable acts: Kimbra-influenced electronic baroque pop artist Elizabeth Rose captured the crowd at Press Club with her spatial sounds and keyboard skills; from the Triple J Stage at Oh Hello, live sampling of keys, drum machines and audio boxes propelled Hayden Calnin onto the audience, lyrical reflections upon our contemporary times undulating across the crisp sound system; Canberran powerhouse dance act Aston Shuffle from Bakery Lane stunned and awed as much with their electronic sounds as their collection of advanced drum machines, CDJs, mixers, drum pads and micro keyboards. Rock outfits Young Men Dead and Royston Vasie likewise dazzled with their rock angst and amplified sounds from the Magic City and Electric Playground platforms.
The verdict: Australia is a vast land of diversity with its expansive variety in landscapes. And this mixture is greatly reflected in the music currently pumping across the country. Amongst the many different genres performed on Night 2 of BigSound Live, the one thing that stood out is how culturally diverse Australian original and independent music – particularly Melbourne - has become.
And most important of all: how suited Brisbane is to host BIGSound, with its lush balmy September weather, and convenience thanks to the kilometre stretch of Fortitude Valley’s entertainment precinct. The Australian music industry has certainly exploded within the last five years to now house a wide range of genres. From rockabilly, country, neo-soul, heavy rock, folk roots, hiphop, electronica, indie rock and pop, we have become a nation of musical allsorts. And Brisbane is the perfect setting to accommodate such a jewel.
Lady Lex
If the first night of BIGSOUND was big (and it was), then the second night was bigger, as punters once again took over the Valley for another night of great live music.
The night kicked off with Brisbane band The Cairos playing in a car park off Winn St that had been transformed into the QMusic stage. Maybe everyone was still recovering from last night or hadn’t warmed up enough yet, but these guys didn’t get the response they deserved, despite drawing a sizeable crowd. It wasn’t until everyone heard the guitar riff into their final number ‘We All Buy Stars’ that they gave a little cheer before head bopping and toe tapping along.
A short walk around the corner and I climbed the stairs of The Zoo, ready to catch Hungry Kids of Hungary and The Jungle Giants. I arrived in time to see Hey Geronimo hit the stage and I’m glad I did. These guys were having an awesome time up there, and the audience was also having an awesome time getting into their catchy pop rock tunes. Towards the end of their set a bald guy leapt up from the audience and joined the band to rap a song, which just added to the fun [Ed's Note: That 'bald guy' would be Scene contributor Dylan Evans, aka Danaj The Unstoppable].
It was the first time Hungry Kids Of Hungary had played in their hometown Brisbane for a year and it was good to have them back. They stuck to new songs from their upcoming second album, with a few hits from their debut LP ‘Escapades’ scattered in between (unfortunately signature hit ‘Scattered Diamonds’ was nowhere to be seen). These guys have such a comfortable laidback presence on stage, it’s like they’re at home up there — but they could really do with some more crowd interaction and energy on stage. They just played their set and left without leaving any real lasting impression.
Without a doubt the highlight of my night were young up-and-coming Brisbane band The Jungle Giants. They took to the stage to a deafening response from everyone packed into The Zoo and launched into hits including ‘Mr. Polite’ and ‘No One Needs To Know’. I wasn’t expecting to see crowd surfing but bassist Andrew Dooris took a dive, and vocalist Sam Hales nearly did too. Lead guitarist Cesira Aitken proved she isn’t just a pretty face and can seriously play that guitar. There was no awkward stage presence with these guys; they just let loose, and their indie pop rock songs, while nothing new, are insane live. They finished with their latest single ‘She’s A Riot’ leaving the entire room buzzing with energy.
And so concludes another BIGSOUND. If one thing can be said about the last two nights it’s that it’s a very good time to be a band in Brisbane. We are producing some talented young acts and I can’t wait to do it all again next year.
Tara Capel
