When you're as accomplished as Tyrone Noonan is, it would be easy to rest on your laurels.
After the success of both his band george (formed with his sister Katie in the early 2000s winning the Breakthrough Artist at 2002 ARIA Awards) and his subsequent solo career, it would be easy for Noonan to relax.Instead, he's on a mission to save Brisbane from the clutches of winter's inevitable musical low, spearheading the multi venue-date music festival, Brisbane Winter Sessions.
Warming Brisbane's heart across two weeks in August, seventy artists will take to fifteen stages across laneways, bars and much-loved venues to bring sweet sounds to many ears.
The festival's success and growth since its inception in 2021 is a bright light in an arena that has seen more than one festival cancel and international act withdraw over cost of living crisis, as Noonan reflects on what's going wrong and what's going right.
"It's a multi-layered answer," he begins. "Obviously, we have a cost of living crisis in this country, with the real estate economy. That's been going wild since the '80s really, and now it's becoming quite a problem.
"Technology has something to do with it [too]. When I was a kid, there was no internet. I used to work at Maccas to earn money to buy records, which you'd take home and pour over for hours. If we had a little device in our pockets back then where you could basically watch anything, I'm sure it would have been different, so that's part of it.
"What's awesome though, is that despite the influence of technology on younger generations, there is still so much support and love for live music. The newer generations I'm really encouraged by, because they're picking up guitars and getting back to real things, and what's real right now is live music.
"You can't stop the positive effect and healing energy of live music, what they can do between the artist onstage and the audience. It's an energy exchange, which cannot be recreated. It's also a community building event, because I believe that all of us are connected whether we realise it or not.
"Live music events are these experiences which can help all of us realise and remember that we're all connected and that we're all involved in this energy exchange, which can be a really positive and amazing thing. It goes beyond the physical. It's a physical and a spiritual thing all at once."
Among the 70 acts, Brisbane Winter Sessions has lured epochal shoegaze group Ride from their British summer to our shores, and added American psych-pop rockers Mercury Rev, New Zealand's indie-pop princess Fazerdaze, and local legends Last Dinosaurs to their tasty curation.
Other Australian representation includes Noonan's own band, Karl S. Williams, Katie Noonan, Kid Kenobi and Sarah Stockholm, as well as featured events such as Planet of the Breaks and Raising the Roof fundraiser.
"The Tivoli got Ride onboard, and we're proud they're happy to be part of this year's festival,” Noonan beams. "Mostly it's about supporting local, independent, original artists, but it's always great to have international headliners to add to the excitement about the festival.
"Ride are one of the original acts in shoegaze, and they're delivering fantastic performances. It's great to have Last Dinosaurs onboard as well, who've done such an amazing job with their career."
Brisbane Winter Sessions began in 2021 as a community effort to help venues survive the COVID climate by banding together in a common cause, and it hasn't looked back. "It's awesome to be able to activate so many venues," Tyrone reflects on their success.
"We've got twice as many venues and twice as many artists as last year onboard, which is just fantastic. I'm glad that we managed to pull this off. All the people that have come onboard, KDPR and Stardust Media, the social media people, we're all doing it as a labour of love."
The future only looks bright for the festival, as Noonan's well-crafted plans for expansion ensure Brisbane Winter Sessions will continue to provide balm for souls aching for the vitality of the live music industry.
"I want to keep developing this festival, adding more genres, and I want to incorporate industry networking and discussion events as the festival moves forward.
"One voice that's not really heard at festivals is the crewing people and all the people that help keep the industry going, but aren't necessarily musicians. I want to try and provide a voice for people like that moving forward."
Brisbane Winter Sessions runs 5-18 August at a range of venues.
Brisbane Winter Sessions 2024 Line-up
RideMercury Rev
Last Dinosaurs
Fazerdaze
Katie Noonan
Karl S. Williams
Tyrone Noonan
Sarah Stockholm
Katy L Bedford
Brooke Schubert
Golden Sound
James McIntyre Trio
Nikolaine Martin
Sabrina Lawrie
Opaque Space
Ashtray Avenue
Harley Meszaros
Max Bader & The Upstairs Neighbours
Left Cassette
The Rebel's Grace
News To Me
OK-36
Palena
Samara
Clare Cowley
Poetic Chaos
L.I.E. - Jolie
Ash McCarthy
Kid Kenobi
MC Shureshock
Vinyl Slingers
Bean Magazine
Sammm
Square
Rolling Cowgirl
Adjoa
Arse
Ben Ely's Mungo Fungo Band
Chimers
Craning
Fenrir
Fleur Fatale
Lunar Dirt
Lurid Orb
Sacred Hearts
Totally Unicorn
Yirinda
Liminal
Jack Tully & The Seers
Belligerent Goat
Fluffy's High School Reunion
Brisbane Winter Sessions 2024 Venues
Black Bear LodgeCalifornia Lane
Can You Keep A Secret
Greaser Bar
It's Still a Secret
La La Land
Lefty's Music Hall
The Bearded Lady
The Brightside
The Cave Inn
The Junk Bar
The Princess Theatre
The Tivoli
The Triffid
