Asha Jefferies strums away in solo mode to a quietly packed Black Bear Lodge on Tuesday night of BIGSOUND (4 September), doing what her bio says twice, revealing things.
At Woolly Mammoth, the latest incarnation of Bec Laughton, RIVAH, is in ensemble mode for her vocally precise electro pop, with live drums, DJ and some unusual vocal effects.
Bugs did their buggy things to the satisfaction of a swarm of hatchling entomologists, meanwhile it was hard to squeeze in to Heya Bar to catch JEFFE (say “Jeff”) with a sample beats block and a Nord keyboard administering her organic electro purpose.
Walking around the Valley, the mystery deepens surrounding Atlas Franklin Alexander... who considering the press coverage he’s getting with only 50 Spotify followers and as-yet-uncounted plays, and vague posters of dimly lit royal-demon stares. Children, observe the power of a great publicist. The intrigue further deepened when the neighbouring Instagram suggestions from his page included a restaurant that’s equally unfindable.
Merpire at Laruche sounds and looks like a marketing dream and with gratitude she introduces her fellow performers as her dream band. It is a little fantasy experience in the other-worldly venue accompanied by some nice builds for ‘Holding Breath’? She’s landed the support for fellow Victorian Didirri’s national ‘Measurements’ EP tour alongside our local artsy cool-cat Emerson Snowe.
Back at Black Bear Lodge, Riley Pearce brought his UK/ WA scene to us as the kickoff point for his national ‘Eastbound’ EP tour, in between world domination with his mastery of indie-folk croons. There was even a little clarinet, and the beards were worth mentioning too.
Nardean describes her offerings as emotional trap, lyrically in an Adamantium casing. It’s presented with two backing vocalists and a drummer, and the entire craft of that package, as in the recordings, serves to protect and compound the force of the strength message. “Armour didn’t heal me, pain was the medication.”
Grim Rhythm at Crowbar is fronted by a guy in only a pair of little denim shorts. All of a sudden the part where sheila pop stars get around in nothin’ makes a bit more sense, feels less like discrimination after all. At the same time it’s a bewildering confusion of AC/DC meets Black Sabbath meets the pavement, summed up pretty well in their line that goes something like: “Me, I am a cheap countryman, I gotta filthy habit but I ain’t got no money to buy.”
Back upstairs, the bogan self-talk is able ease just a little because Stella Donnelly is playing with her band (unusually, since she often plays solo as an act of defiance against the 'you gotta have a band' attitude), so it was a fun new expression to watch, even without an actual mechanical bull.
PLANET were capitalised at The Foundry and they’re probably sick of hearing it, but in the interest of SSEs and algorithms, they’re a beautiful time capsule of everything you loved about Oasis. #oasis. That’s right. To infinity…
Some of the time was spent looking over the balcony down to Butterfingers deftly delivering downstairs at The Elephant, and just breathing in the air of industry meets craft, in the first week of spring in dear old Brisbane.
The desire to get some sleep was capitulated by The Foundry’s official after party for night one, topped with a déjà vu-like vision of a sparkly lass on the same stage she graced two years ago. “We’re Olympia and we’re gonna quickly play our brand new album in 20 minutes.”
She’s evolved delightfully, but almost in a way that could have been perfectly predicted, since the year before she appeared here, this stage was set with a ‘Night Before BIGSOUND’ scene with Ayla, I Know Leopard, WAAX and the biggest clue of these, Katy Steele.
Maybe there’s magic stardust left behind on these stages that lasts longer than we imagine.
Wednesday
ARSE from Sydney clamour on to the stage at The Zoo and churn out a song before getting a little bit warm and fuzzy in a brand new mates kinda way. “Right now there’s no delegates, there’s no artists, we’re all just friends.”The drummer doesn’t have any Toms: just a simple snare, hi hat and one cymbal - plus kick drum obviously, for the arsing. They’re a casual bunch with a double-denim guitarist (Ham), bass with dress pants and shirt (Jon, looking totally employable, what are you doing in a band, oh that’s what) and the drummer (Tim) in all white. White? Well, the beat sure is holy: strapped into the bondage of beautifully crafted time sigs.
“Every day I wake up it’s the same... living in a system I did not create... nervous energy.” (It’s their most streamed track, ‘NRVSNRG’).
From that to the cool “I’ll get dressed in the street if I want to” Canberra-based hip hop sparkle that is Turquoise Prince about to grace the stage at 256 Wickham. With his boi DJ Ventures on beats he slips and slides around the stage like a, well, some kind of temptation, put it that way.
“Yeah even though I got options,” he coos, “you make it hard to decide.” Um no, there’s nowhere else to be right this minute than right in front of you, LTC. This has pangs of Usher and Chris Brown, with the instant warm familiarity of an Islander heart, drenched in sweet frangipani melodies and dishing out rapid-fire raps in a carefully understated footy-jersey fashion. (It’s over now, remember to breathe before the cool air hits you outside).
Inside The Brightside is a pair from Tasmania and you can smell the Tassie fresh air and hear the island in the airwaves, reminiscent of history wrapped in new strips of eucalyptus bark, like in the Storytellers tent at Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival when we witnessed DENNI do it.
Tape/Off are on at The Valley Drive In, singing about getting jobs and stuff, they taste like a good time in a bunch of dad bods, it’s like your best mate’s band: you’d never hit ‘skip’ on them and you’d totally let them lecture you on economic policy while they play at your house. Wonder if they’re hiring. Also, how they sound so much like Courtney Barnett?
Estère’s bio describes her flavour as 'electric blue witch-hop': it’s youthful, sweet, sparse and brainwave permeating. There just might be spells going on.
Triple One manage to cram six smooth MCs and a decks man onto the Triple J Unearthed stage at Famous nightclub, and give us some of the tracks that have had millions of streams already, and they’re just getting started.
At the Thundamentals listening party (their new album ‘I Love Songs’ is out 21 Sep, and made for some fabulous merch), the lads from Warcries (FKA Erthlings) list No Mono as a must-see. Finding them at Woolly Mammoth, they’re two dudes with a load of gear on-stage and a golden spectrum of sounds to unleash, and a fascinating voice like a cold stream, deep but gentle, floating up and over sleek, heavy pebbles. The soundscape matching the themes.
Didirri’s set at Ric’s Backyard nearly overflows into the front yard; sweet country songstress Imogen Clark who had the previous spot on the same stage, stuck around to enjoy it from the sideline. They’ve both got huge tours coming up: Didirri opening for Vance Joy with Cub Sport and Imogen supporting Clare Bowen nationally.
Thursday
The Footstomp unofficial showcase at Greaser Bar gave hip hop outfit Gratis Minds the chance to tell us how they “took an opportunity to grow” with their gratis message in ‘Up Again’, and Gold Coast lads Radolescent dispensed a prescription for anyone who may be a drug fiend.Waiting for WALKEN to kick off their friendly grunge, rocky thing at Woolly Mammoth, a couple of punters heartily endorse Hazlett, who plays upstairs. Indeed they were right about his velvet voice, presented with an epic reverberation. If Hazlett was a chocolate bar, he might be a Violet Crumble. You just let that melt in there for a minute.
James Wright Trio were in the right spot at Press Club, hitting the specs for nu-jazz with keys, bass and drums (James is on drums), performing new music soon to be released. Nooky from Nowra, with or without his ‘devon and chip sammiches’ is poppin' rhymes and beats at The Zoo: he’s fluid and 'flowful', and the bass drops are like cannonballs, his track ‘Cuzn’ an anthem for heritage and Indigenous togetherness.
Hachiku, who’s nailing the current look, let’s be honest (think G Flip) shares her light and fuzzy transcontinental pop with a band; it’s true that you are where you sound like you’re from, and she’s from everywhere, now based in Melbourne.
PLANET play again at The Valley Drive In and are still as Brit-rock-pop fresh as the thyme and ginger beer I had from Lucky Egg in Brunswick St Mall last night. Oh. Dear. Ginger. Soda. Lord.
Crowbar is a busy scene from a movie to please most audiences: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets popping their psych rock right out of the toaster, proving why they were national supports for Royal Blood, while downstairs there’s something more serious going on.
The Comfort are in full battlefield mode with a gorgeous exploration of the things that are uncomfortable and those that ease the uncomfortableness of life, in territory somewhere between Silverstein and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Vocalist Liam shares a little with us about his demons as they close with ‘Deprime’, the most personal song he’s written. We’re glad you’re still here, mate: it’s a great gift you’re giving us.
