With hangovers suppressed and a renewed skip in our step, we took to the streets of Fortitude Valley for another round of whatever Bigsound Live (10 September) could throw at us.
At The Zoo, Sydney’s I Know Leopard provide a rousing beginning to the evening with a set of high energy, indie-rock gems that show why the hype surrounding the band is so great. Single ‘Close My Eyes’, from a new EP released today, sounds particularly good, as does the mammoth finish with ‘Perfect Picture’.
Click here for photos from Day Two.
Over at The Brightside, Melbourne’s Dorsal Fins turn the carpark area into an '80s dance party; the band’s nine members exude as much joy from one set as a dozen bands put together. ‘Mind Renovation’ is the perfect place to start, and while singer Ella Thompson remains the major talent of the band, it’s the collective sense of fun that makes their show so appealing.
Meanwhile, at The New Globe, Sydney ambient rockers Dumbsaint aren’t in the business of fun. Their brand of rock is even more dark and intense live than it is on record, and is enough to hold an audience entranced despite a ‘clusterfuck’ of technical difficulties, as drummer Nick Andrews puts it. The quartet should consider their showcase well and truly nailed.
At Ric's, Jonny Telafone takes barely one song to remove his shirt and expose his dadbod to an audience which laps up his electro-ambient, post-apocalyptic R&B silliness. The Melbourne-based singer is perhaps one of the least known acts on the Bigsound bill, but will have gained plenty of deserved attention after tonight. Have a listen to ‘The Prayer’ and take your top off – go on, it feels good.
At Oh! Hello, Melbourne rapper Baro shows why he's one of the most exciting new talents in Australian rap and hip hop, amid repeated demands to “make some motherfuckin’ noise” and uniform arm-waving with an engaged crowd. Closer ‘Resume’ provides a mighty climax and leaves this reviewer in awe of the talent possessed by a guy who is still only 18. Highlight of the night.
Baro - Image © Stephen Sloggett
Brisbane indie-pop darlings Major Leagues have drawn a big crowd at the Woolly Mammoth, and it’s easy to see why; their tunes are still as infectious and poised as ever. The quartet are, by now, veterans of Bigsound and take their chance to air new single ‘Someone Sometime’ in a set which goes down well.
Trying to get close enough to The Brightside stage to see JOY is a thoroughly pointless act, so the destination is Ric's once more to catch Us The Band, who are thrashing out a couple of final tracks of high-octane garage-punk.
It’s up to Byron Bay’s wonderfully ramshackle Skegss to round off the evening’s entertainment in front of their homemade banner reading ‘Skegss – the worst band eva!’ Their set is ramshackle and great fun, and while the band are certainly not the worst ever, they are perhaps the loosest on show tonight – in a good way.
And so, the curtain falls on another Bigsound Live, and QMusic should be congratulated yet again for a bloody cracking job. Highlights for this reviewer included Baro, I Know Leopard, Gold Class and Ella Thompson. Now, just give me a bed and don’t bother me for several days.
Paul McBride
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As with any festival, the second day starts with a feeling of dread, and scepticism that you can do it all again.
To avoid this pit of despair I could think of no better solution than the loud indie punk of Darts. It’s a genre I’ve got a soft spot for, chucking on some Superchunk or Enon when I can’t think what I want to listen to.
So, when a five piece are powering out skyscraper-sized songs with ludicrously hooky choruses, you have no choice but to rejoin the human race. Vocalist Angus Ayres sounds more like Frank Black than Frank Black does these days, and it didn’t take long for the cobwebs to fall from me as the band powered through tracks from their album 'Below Empty & Westward Bound'.
Feeling rejuvenated and with significantly less despair, I headed to The Zoo to catch the end of I Know Leopard’s energetic set. This was not a crowd having the same problems as me, as I watched a couple of guys from Sex On Toast bouncing around near the front. I only caught one song, but it was enough to win me over.
I was looking forward to cln’s set at The Brightside, his sound unmistakably draws from the book of Burial, but is distinct enough to make it his own. Tracks like ‘Found’ and ‘Hold Me’ sound sublime on recording, but could he cut it live? As a nerdy guy in a Wu-Tang Clan t-shirt stood in front of an empty room, I had my doubts, which unfortunately didn’t go away after the first couple of tracks. His nervousness was contagious and frequent apologies to the crowd created an awkward atmosphere all round. When things progressed to a drab cover of ‘Thinkin Bout You’ by Frank Ocean, I decided to move on to the outdoor stage.
The entrance to the outdoor stage appears to have been designed by a masochist as I just about managed to squeeze through to catch a couple of joy-filled tracks from Dorsal Fins. Having had my resolve restored again by the jovial Melbourne pop rabble, I decide to head in again to give cln another try.
In those few minutes the room has filled, the sound problems resolved and his song ‘Found’ was coming out of the speakers, reminding me of why I like the guy so much in the first place. It’s unfortunate that his additions to the backing track often detracted from the songs themselves, but when you’ve got songs as good as his ones maybe it doesn’t even matter.
cIn - Image © Lachlan Douglas
Feeling in need of some positivity, I decided to check out Hey Geronimo at The Winn. As soon as the opening notes of ‘Lazer Gun Show’ kicked in, all was well. They encapsulate positivity on an Andrew WK scale with the skilful songcraft of bands like Belle & Sebastian or Beulah. I couldn’t help but stand there with a stupid grin when ‘Carbon Affair’ kicked in. Hey Geronimo are one of Brisbane’s finest and the tracks from their upcoming album sound just as good as the familiar favourites.
I don’t know what I expected when I went to see Sui Zhen at the Woolly Mammoth, but I wasn’t disappointed. With a backdrop of kitsch-sunbathing videos, Sui’s other-worldly music is different to say the least. Like a laidback Grimes who doesn’t shy from experimentation, you feel as though you're in a David Lynch film at times as the mildly unsettling reverb-drenched melodies wash over you.
Sui Zhen - Image © Stephen Sloggett
Over at Oh! Hello I caught the start of Crepes having enjoyed their breezy 'Cold Summers' EP so much. Riding on the slack wave revival of artists like Mac DeMarco or Twerps, their music is better suited to a sunny afternoon than this late slot, so after a couple of songs I decided to move on to Muscles. Centre stage with headphones strapped on, Muscles brings the fun back and gets the dancefloor moving. There’s no room for subtlety in his approach, with Diplo levels of bombast and it was just what I needed.
With a spring in my step, my decision of whether to catch Gang Of Youths or Moonbase Commander to close out the festival was a no brainer (and the queue for Gang Of Youths didn’t hurt in that choice either). Cakes Da Killa’s ‘Serve It Up’ is one of the best tracks I’ve heard all year, due hugely to the incredible production of Moonbase Commander. Unfortunately, despite banging out a set of absolute bangers with the energy of a man possessed, there were too few people there to create any sort of atmosphere. A real shame considering how incredible the set was, but definitely a name to check out again in future.
So that’s it, all over, another year done, another abundance of incredible musicians and more than enough bands and artists I’ve discovered as a result of this magnificent festival. It’s been everything I could have hoped for, and without doubt I’ll be back next year. Good job everyone!
Steven Morgan
Click here for photos from Day Two.
