One of the gems of Brisbane's West End, Jet Black Cat Music are hosting their annual Sonic Boom festival.
Usually spanning the course of three days and having previously been hosted by Bloodhound Bar, this year Sonic Boom is changing things up a bit.
Hosted by a brand-new venue, What's Golden – a new, 250-person capacity venue inside the walls of The Tivoli Theatre – and featuring 19 emerging indie acts, this year's Sonic Boom is set to burn brighter than ever.
Curated and founded by Shannon Logan, the muscle behind Jet Black Cat, Sonic Boom can be seen as a mirror to Shannon's personal taste and detailed understanding of the Australian music scene.
Shannon specialises in what she loves, in both her festival line-up and the records she stocks at her store. She sets a sharp focus on what's happening now. “I'm too excited about the state of music now and in the last 25 years,” Shannon says. “You won't find The Beatles or anything like that in my store.”
Shannon says the Sonic Boom event was often referred to as 'Little BIGSOUND' due to how it closely it coincided with the multi-venue festival of the same name. Now, the festival has a new stomping ground and Sonic Boom's new home promises to be an intimate delight.
“[The Tivoli Theatre] wanted to transform the space so that when there are no big shows on they can still make way for smaller acts,” she explains.
Meanwhile, Shannon sings the praises of esteemed photographer Jeff Anderson Jr. who she has recruited to conduct a photo series titled 'Sonic Boom Artist Portrait Series'. Anderson will be bouncing about the venue, snapping up portraits of all of the featured artists.
“[It's] another beautiful part of what Sonic Boom is about,” Shannon continues, “more than just the music, it's all of the other things that complement the artist and engage with the people.”
Sonic Boom's line-up is second-to-none and boasts an array of different artists – all emerging and all with differing levels of exposure. “Not a lot of these bands will be playing at BIGSOUND; more of them aren't than are.”
Shannon is looking to greatly diversify the genres featured in her event, which is clear in her choice of acts with the likes of Greta Stanley playing alongside L.Flora.
But there is an overarching theme to this year's line-up and Shannon could not be more elated. “It's pretty exciting, considering that a lot of the bands are female-fronted or we have females in most of the acts,” she says.
“I know there's such a big focus on equality at the moment, but for me it has never been something that I have to think about; it's not intentional, it's just like, women are ruling.”
Shannon bleeds music and wears her heart on her sleeve. Her main drive is to support Australia's emerging indie scene and offer a platform for young musicians to grow and prosper.
The festival is usually held over a three-day period. But this year, Sonic Boom will be a jam-packed one-day event with nineteen incredible acts to witness, plus a convoy of food trucks to keep the stomach grumbles at bay.
It's an event not to be missed, and the best part? It's free entry. It doesn't cost you anything to come show your support for some of, potentially, the nation's finest up-and-comers. “I think it's a privilege that Brisbane gets to host BIGSOUND, and this [festival] doesn't have anything to do with BIGSOUND,” Shannon says.
“[Sonic Boom] could totally do its thing on its own, but these bands are leaving their day job and they're losing money to come and perform for us, and the most important thing is that their music can hit as many ears as possible.
“For the bands that, for whatever reason, don't have the opportunity to play at BIGSOUND, this is still an amazing outlet for them to play in front of their fans and industry insiders.”
Sonic Boom take places at What's Golden (Brisbane) 5 September.
Sonic Boom 2019 Line-up
Nice BiscuitParty Dozen
Mid Ayr
Buttercats
Gena Rose Bruce
First Beige
These Guy
Elizabeth
The Goobs
Exhibitionist (solo)
Sycco
Greta Stanley
Poppogene
Miranda V's Arizona
Hallie
L. Flora
Glows
Future Haunts
Easy Browns
