Get With The Program

9 September 2014 | 9:17 am | Steve Bell

"I wanted to embrace the fact that you could have everyone from L-FRESH The LION to Funkoars and Blaq Carrie and Milwaukee Banks."

This time last year when The Music caught up with Nick O’Byrne he was co-programming the BIGSOUND conference with then Executive programmer Graham ‘Asho’ Ashton.

This year it’s his baby entirely and not only has he met the high standards made the norm by his predecessor, he’s even managed to up the ante in many areas. It wasn’t all plain sailing though.

“I’d say it was harder [than I was envisaging]. Asho did a pretty good job of making it look easier than it was, and I kinda resent him for that,” O’Byrne chuckles.

“But it meant that I didn’t really have to consult anyone, Asho and I spoke about a lot of the decisions last year and that element of conversation didn’t come into it as much – at least in terms of the programming of the conference. When it came to the line-up of artists, I think anyone would be stupid to think that they’re an expert on metal and electronic and country music, but I think we did a really good job in that regard and it’s based on the fact that I’ve asked for advice from good people that really know their shit. That’s important."

There’s a broadened scope of bands playing BIGSOUND Live this year – hardly surprising given O’Byrne’s background both as an artist manager and in his former role as GM of AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association).

“It was pretty deliberate,” he explains of the expansion. “I feel really strongly, for example, about hip hop and – not saying anything negative at all about previous programmers – we haven’t really had the opportunity previously to show the diversity in Australian hip hop. I wanted to embrace the fact that you could have everyone from L-FRESH The LION to Funkoars and Blaq Carrie and Milwaukee Banks – it’s actually a far wider genre than most people think it is, and that’s something that I wanted to reflect.

“The metal [presence]was also a concerted effort – we need to utilise a venue that suits it [like Crowbar], and we have to try and bring out agents, promoters and journalists that properly understand the genre. Bringing together ten or 12 good metal or prog-metal bands was the goal, and we did that. There’s been a general diversification of music that’s popular at the moment, and it’s great to be able to reflect that in BIGSOUND.”