Live Review: The Sights And Sounds Of BIGSOUND Eve

10 September 2014 | 1:15 pm | Mitch KnoxDan Cribb

A confluence of parties, performers, punters and good old-fashioned PR

Brisbane's annual industry showcase and conference, BIGSOUND, is officially here, and last night Fortitude Valley kicked off this year's festivities with a raft of pre-parties, both official and otherwise, as early-bird live-music enthusiasts dispersed throughout the precinct to poke their curious heads inside to see what all the fuss is about...


A view of the Brisbane river and bridge lit by city lights bouncing off water greets those to the official BIGSOUND launch at the Telstra Spiegeltent as the sun sets. You can do your best to draft a timetable, but once nighttime arrives, said plan becomes nothing more than a rough guide.

A quick bus ride back to the Valley, and the pre-parties are out in full force. Mushroom is occupying The Flying Cock, and
Steve Smyth
welcomes punters inside with a heartfelt toast and the howling soul sounds of his new LP,
Exits
, which dropped only days earlier. Vocals-driven numbers are injected with more raw energy with the addition of a rhythm section to the set, and leaving punters wanting more, Smyth departs the stage with a wealthy of energy that almost sees his Fender and the ceiling become one.

At The Brightside, the Title Track Launch Party is just kicking into gear when The Music arrives, as lone troubadour Peter Bibby yelps and howls (don't worry, it's a good thing) his way through his sharp-edged, twang-littered man-'n'-guitar compositions to the appreciation of the steadily growing crowd. The unfortunate Bibby is left to contend with pretty full-on bursts of artificial smoke — aimed squarely at his face, purposefully or otherwise — and the chuckles that spread through the crowd every time it happens, but doesn't ever let it interrupt his assured preview set, a continuation of which we'll see alongside a full band tonight.

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Local favourites Babaganouj also put on a polished show, despite a couple of calls for stronger vocal levels in the mix, definitely benefitting from the slightly less intense need to fill the room with smoke on the part of the machine operator, too. Fellow luminaries Deep Sea Arcade and Velociraptor also keep spirits high at the tail end of what becomes a truly rambunctious, ebullient shindig.

Up at the Black Bear Lodge, Tin Sparrow (pictured) are bringing the sublime beauty for a near-capacity crowd, the intimate venue creaking at the corners for the enthusiastic mass crammed between its walls. With intermittent DJ sets from the likes of must-watch up-and-comer Eves, as well as more than capable showings from showcase acts such as Little Odessa, The Jensens and WAAX.

Tuesday nights don't come any better, and the fact BIGSOUND is only just kicking into gear, and that we've already seen such consistently high-quality performances across the parties we've seen tonight, raises anticipation to the next level. 

Bring on the live showcases!