BIGSOUND, Meanjin/ Brisbane's annual musical showcase of new/ emerging talent is back for 2025 and it's bigger than ever before.
Walking through the Valley in the cool, early evening (2 September) one could sense the anticipation within the sea of fellow music lovers, prepped and primed for a three-day marathon of music and on the hunt for their new favourite band.
With 130 acts across 50 venues and stages, BIGSOUND is unparalleled in terms of its scope and scale. Since 2002, BIGSOUND has made a mission of illuminating the depth of talent that can be found in Australia and New Zealand's diverse musical scenes – and 2025's line-up is no exception.
Beginning at Black Bear Lodge, an iconic venue in the heart of Brunswick Street Mall, RAGEFLOWER took the stage right on 7pm. Fronted by Eora/ Sydney-based songwriter Madeleine Powers, whose powerful voice takes the band to another level, RAGEFLOWER channel the poppier streams of '90s alt-rock, like Sheryl Crow and Goo Goo Dolls.
RAGEFLOWER's anthemic sound seems tailor made for larger stages and the band attracted an enthusiastic crowd of young fans who were eager to sing and dance along to Powers' stories of post-teen/pre-adult angst and isolation.
Meanwhile, downstairs at the (already packed) Blute's Bar, Mannequin Death Squad were gearing up to take the stage. Having generated considerable buzz, their name has been whispered around BIGSOUND circles for weeks and it was time to finally see what all the fuss is about.
A two piece from Naarm/ Melbourne, Mannequin Death Squad features Ali on guitar/ drums/ vocals and Dan, also on guitar/ drums/ vocals, with the pair taking the somewhat unconventional approach of swapping instruments every couple of songs.
Loud and raw, the band possesses a thick and heavy guitar tone (that more than makes up for the absence of bass) and a secret weapon in the form of frontwoman Ali, who, even before the end of the first song had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand.
Outside, on the Brunswick Street Mall stage, Aotearoa's There's A Tuesday were busy hypnotising the assembled crowd with their hazy mix of shoegaze and indie rock. "We rarely ever get to play on a Tuesday," quipped guitarist and vocalist Nat Hutton, in reference to the group's name and its alignment with the opening night of the festival.
Hutton and fellow guitarist Minnie Robberds trade vocal duties across the band's short set, winning the audience over with their heartfelt lyrics and swirling walls of sound.
There's A Tuesday - image © KealiJoan Studios
The upstairs area at Wonderland delivers a powerful hit of Brisbane venue déjà vu. Formerly known as Woodland, it has changed little since the mid-2000s, although the wood panelling and Twin Peaks re-runs on the venue televisions are now long gone.
Intermood, an instrumental four-piece containing elements of funk, futurism and a splash of yacht rock, provides one of the night's more interesting moments.
As the band's set progressed, there was a distinct sense of being present at some kind of space-rock jam at a Club Med resort, and by track three they had the small dance floor in front of the stage absolutely pumping.
Some things never change and – for better or worse – Ric's Backyard still looks, feels and smells like it did 15 years ago. Onstage are a young band called Horse, hailing from Newcastle, they deliver a punchy set indebted to the earliest recordings made by Joy Division (when they were still called Warsaw) filtered through a lens of '00s rock rebirth bands like The Strokes and Bloc Party.
Surprisingly, Horse have been active for less than a year and after witnessing their set tonight one can't help but marvel at their potential and wonder where they might find themselves a year or two from now.
Up the street at Birdees, it was a real pleasure to catch Fred Leone solo, having only seen him perform previously as part of the experimental duo Yirinda.
On his own, he is a commanding presence and tonight his only accompaniment is a drummer and a backing track – with a brief foray into singer-songwriter territory when he whips out a guitar. Leone is a masterful storyteller, regardless of whether he is telling a joke or singing a song, and he possesses a deeply soulful voice that transforms his music into something uniquely powerful and profoundly personal.
Briggs is well established in Aussie hip hop circles, an absolute legend who is brash, outspoken and deeply committed to speaking out about issues affecting Australia's First Nations population.
BIG NOTER is his latest project and one which enables Briggs to indulge his love of late '90s nu-metal, crossover thrash and '90s rap-rock like Rage Against The Machine.
Tonight, Crowbar is packed to the rafters with eager punters who are keen to hear what all the fuss is about. BIG NOTER have generated a lot of interest and once they start playing it is easy to see why; they pull no punches and the songs contain so much passion that one can't help but raise a fist and scream back in solidarity.
Ringlets are proof that, musically, New Zealand is still punching well above its weight when it come to producing high-calibre alternative rock acts.
Signed to the legendary Flying Nun label, Ringlets are playing BIGSOUND in support of their second album, 'The Lord My German Shepherd (Time For Walkies)'.
There is barely any room to move inside The Brightside as the band power through a set of (mostly) new songs and a handful from their debut, including particularly intense renditions of 'Street Massage' and 'Sucking On A Surly Pout'.
Jagged and angular, but full of heart, Ringlets deliver one of the best performances of the night and have the potential to be the highlight of the festival.
A short walk away at The Sound Garden, local rapper Denzel Kennedy is giving it his all onstage. Following the recent release of his debut album, 'The Lucky Ones', Kennedy is playing to a small but devoted crowd who know all the words.
With a tight backing band and on-point delivery, Kennedy's relaxed and relatable brand of hip hop makes for a nice, mellow break after the intensity of Ringlets.
A fusion of everyday observances mixed with sociopolitical commentary, Kennedy manages to strike a fine balance between making a point whilst creating music that is not only enjoyable but downright danceable too.
Denzel Kennedy - image © KealiJoan Studios
Returning once again to Crowbar, this time to catch Polish Club. It was no surprise –given the amount of Polish Club t-shirts on display – to find the venue packed as tightly as a tin of sardines.
A hard rockin' duo from Eora/ Sydney, Polish Club may have a puzzling name, but for a two piece they pack a hell of a punch! Singer and guitarist David Novak is well studied in the art of the frontman, delivering a high-energy performance that generates huge amounts of enthusiasm from the crowd.
Brash, loud and catchy as hell, Polish Club's performance contains everything a rock & roll fan wants and needs, including the occasional power ballad.
Shock Corridor invoke the spirit of a very particular era of Australian post-punk – in particular The Triffids and their final album, 1989's 'Black Swan' – whilst managing to incorporate some modern influences like Black Country, New Road and Twine.
Performing downstairs at Wonderland, they open with two unreleased tracks, the second of which has a distinctly sinister edge, slinking along slowly with its plodding bassline and spidery guitars. Sounding almost Lynchian at times, Shock Corridor are creating music that is unique engaging and wise beyond its years.
As the night begins to take a toll, it's time to head over to Enigma for an energy boost courtesy of DENIM, a Naarm-based DJ known for her work with Mallrat. DENIM understands that electronic dance music requires a variety of shifting dynamics to be truly effective, namely when to bring it up and when to take it down.
Controlling the dance floor like a Svengali, DENIM incorporates a wealth of influences into her frenetic set, everything from deep house to dubstep, to create something that urges every cell in the body to dance, even at the very end of the night when what it really needs is rest and sleep.
Technical difficulties resulted in a slight delay before mumfighter’s set at Blutes Bar, but once these minor glitches were ironed out, they wasted little time in cutting to the chase.
Fronted by Jarrah Mufarreh, mumfighter play an intense and erratic mix of hyper pop and Aussie hip hop that is deeply informed by contemporary meme and pop-culture. Deeply weird, but ultimately endearing, mumfighter's outsider music is manic melange that dares the audience to pick up whatever it is they are putting down.
As the lines between late night and early morning became increasingly blurred, there was time to catch one final act, Mid Drift at Crowbar. Unfortunately for the band, the audience had dwindled to a small assembly of faithful heavy music fans who were eager to rock out one last time before heading home.
Despite the small crowd, the band gave it their all, charging through a powerful set of melodic metalcore before ending the night with an especially raucous track that had more than a few heads banging.
As the first night of BIGSOUND ends and I make my way – with ears ringing – through the now deserted streets of Fortitude Valley, I'm able to reflect on the events of the evening, the standouts, the surprises and the sheer volume of music I have just witnessed.
Halfway to my car I am shaken out of my reflective state with the realisation that I get to do this again not only tomorrow night, but the next as well – all I can say is, bring it on!
More photos from BIGSOUND night one.
