To quote Jim Morrison, 'This is the end / My only friend, the end,' and thus we find ourselves at night three of BIGSOUND 2025: The home stretch, endgame, the final boss.
Whatever or however you look at it, this is it. One, last chance to soak up as much live music as possible and catch any bands missed on nights one and two. Then, the carnival is over and the circus packs up and leaves town. . . At least until this time next year.
Wishlist are a two piece, Stella Farnan on guitar/ vocals and Soren Maryasin on samples/ vocals, but tonight (4 September) they are a three piece and joined by Alex –whose praises they cannot stop singing – on drums.
Their woozy electro-pop makes for a nice entry point to the night; they incorporate enough energy to get you moving, but are ethereal enough that their music doesn't overstimulate, allowing you to gradually acclimatise yourself to another night at BIGSOUND.
Incredibly, the band reveals (mid-set) that this is only their third gig ever. One wouldn't know it though, for they work the stage at Black Bear Lodge like a crew of seasoned professionals, joking with the audience between songs and making them feel more like old friends than mere spectators.
Meanwhile, a block away at The Brightside, Homesick are setting up and getting ready to assault the early evening crowd with their intense brand of Darug/ Western Sydney hardcore.
Before starting, frontman Peter Jackson raspily informs the crowd he has – almost – lost his voice, but you wouldn't know it once the band starts playing, for they unleash one hell of a storm upon those lucky to catch their set.
Homesick do hardcore right; fast, furious and with no solos or breakdowns, the kind you'd expect from classic bands like Madball or Sick Of It All. They didn't have to work too hard to win the crowd over, with a dedicated contingent thrashing and moshing up the front for most of the band's set.
Borderline are an act who have made the journey across the sea from Aoteara/ New Zealand who manage to showcase just how fertile and diverse that country's music scene is.
It should be noted that, out of all the New Zealand acts at this year's BIGSOUND, none of them sounded the same, or even remotely similar. Borderline are softer and poppier than the rest of their Kiwi brethren, delivering a funky mix of Journey-esque choruses and smooth verses.
The beer garden crowd out the back of The Prince Consort certainly seemed to dig it, though, grooving along in unison and shouting their approval between songs.
Borderline - image © KealiJoan Studios
Dripping with boganish charm, The Beefs don't have to work too hard to endear themselves to the Crowbar crowd. Their hooky songs – which channel the most Aussie of Australian rock – do most of the work, but it's the in-between song banter that really seals the deal.
An expletive-laden mix of jokes, footy talk and beer-soaked witticisms, when the band talk, one can't help but feel like we're all just sitting at the pub together, sharing a drink whilst having a laugh and indulging in a cheeky punt.
Like the old geezer who can always be found propping up a stool at the local, The Beefs may be inappropriate at times, but it's hard not to love them.
The Beefs - image © Bill Prendergast
Eclipse Bar is situated in (what used to be) the bad end of The Valley, the short stretch of street opposite the train station that has historically housed various dens of ill repute.
Some of these are gone, while some remain, but overall ,the area has had a minor facelift in recent years to bring it up to speed with modern societal expectations. disphing is holding court inside, delivering an endearingly unique take on electronic pop-punk.
Emo vocals detailing the typical teenage tropes of longing and confusion are accompanied by a collection of electronic bleeps, bloops and glitches, making for an interesting fusion of genres that manages to be both emotionally driven and – at times – awkwardly hilarious.
While night two of BIGSOUND was governed by the gods of rock, night three has offered up a far more diverse playlist, everything from funk to glitch to electro – plus the occasional guitar here and there.
Upstairs at Wonderland, local act GLVES is getting ready to do her thing, but is unexpectedly delayed by some slight technical difficulties. The project of Michelle Levings, a multi-talented and multi-disciplinary artist of Kaurareg/ Fijian descent, who weaves her culture into her emotive and immersive soundscapes.
Tonight, the focus was on the poppier side of GLVES oeuvre, incorporating keys, synths and layered vocals to create something that felt truly beautiful and deeply original. The only disappointment is that she played to a mostly empty room.
Birdees has always been a bit of a weird venue, even at the best of times, but throughout BIGSOUND, they have delivered an incredibly diverse line-up of radically different artists, from goth to pop to soul and everything in between.
Tonight, Amélie Farren is holding court, accompanied by nothing but an electro-acoustic Telecaster and a small selection of loops and beats. She plays intently and honestly, unafraid to share her most inner thoughts with the audience and winning them over in the process.
BADASSMUTHA's recent record 'Silly Goose' is an excellent fusion of genres that incorporates elements of everything from pop and dub to funk and rap.
Alinta McGrady, the person behind the moniker, has been building a reputation on the back of her riotous performances, with tonight's show in the beer garden of The Wickham (her final one at BIGSOUND) proving to be no exception.
BADASSMUTHA makes the stage her home and spends the next 30 minutes churning through a selection of her finest tunes. 'Bub' is one of her most recent singles and its inclusion in tonight's set drew a strong reaction from the audience, but really, there were few songs (if any) that didn't get the crowd moving and dancing along at the front of the stage.
Perth's Cloning have a sound that is hard to pin down: alt-rock would be an easy choice, but ultimately it doesn't really give much of an indication, nor does it render the band much credit.
Genres as a whole are becoming more and more fluid these days; perhaps the point of that is we should resist the urge to pigeonhole a band and their music. What can definitely be said about Cloning is they believe in what they do, evidenced by the serious performance given by the band's singer and guitarist, Felix Parker.
Sadly, the lateness of the hour means the crowd at The Brightside has begun to dwindle – perhaps the two nights previous had diminished their energy reserves. It's a shame really, for Cloning is a band that deserves to be heard.
Remember when you first started going to clubs and they'd all play the same kind of infectious and energetic techno until the doors opened at 5am and cast you – bleary-eyed, exhausted and completely discombobulated – into the pre-dawn light? JÄMO & Kumi play that kind of techno, but they do it in the most fun and manic way possible.
Upstairs at Enigma, the duo dance and jump their way through an entire set of hectic dance-floor bangers, doing their absolute best to motivate what is left of the BIGSOUND crowd, who – by the end of day three – have reached never-before-realised states of exhaustion.
The Southern River Band - image © Bill Prendergast
Is classic rock due for a comeback? Did it even die in the first place? Regardless of how you might answer either of those questions, The Southern River Band doesn't care, because they're just going to rock out anyway, which they proceed to do, to the universal appreciation of the late-night crowd at Crowbar.
This is a band who grew up in households with nothing but AC/DC records on the turntable and, maybe, some very early Judas Priest or Van Halen.
Their energy, coupled with a near-total commitment to living out their wildest rock & roll fantasies, means The Southern River Band are a heck of a lot of fun to watch; they may not be reinventing the wheel, but they're having a bloody good time watching it spin.
As fun as three nights of (seemingly endless) live music has been, the prospect of a decent night's sleep is looking pretty appealing. As with anything fun that happens only once a year, there's usually a pretty compelling reason as to why.
BIGSOUND has been a blast. I have seen close to 50 bands in just 3 nights – many that I had never heard of previously – and while it's heartening to see the Australian music scene is so healthy, if I had to do this every night of the week, I reckon I'd probably die.
More photos from night three.
