After a long but seemingly productive day at BIGSOUND filled with networking, meetings, thriving discussions and all the other much-less-fun aspects of working in the music industry, Fortitude Valley truly comes to life once the sun sets and the BIGSOUND Live program enters the fray as the precinct transforms into a hub of wondrous cacophony echoing from every nook and cranny imaginable. Steve Bell, Uppy Chatterjee, Georgia Corpe, Samuel Fell, Mitch Knox & Andrew Mast report.
Fast, furious, and fucking LOUD, southern punks Grenadiers come screaming out of the gates to kick off the first night of BIGSOUND's live proceedings at the New Globe Theatre with a breathless, brutally magnificent set of ferocious, frenetic hooks — LP title track Summer is a perfect encapsulation of this — using their recently sharpened road show to ensnare their sizeable early audience with minimal apparent effort. Their on-stage energy is incredible, infectious and impossible to deny; clearly no longer an emerging band in need of a platform, Grenadiers instead use their BIGSOUND Live set to demonstrate the possibilities of sound and success that await anyone that wants to follow in their sweaty, glorious footsteps.
Somewhere within the twisted corridors of the new Foundry, up the stairs and around the corner in the ‘somebody’s lounge room’ of the bandroom with the bar down the back and smokers off to the side, Halcyon Drive's new grunge for the thinking man pounds forth, but with an intelligent musician’s touch to it all, guitar and bass thudding, with effects, as the polyrhythms hold it all together and the wreck and ruin of the early ‘90s is brought to the now.
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You Know I Love is this year’s kookiest romantic pop song - it belongs on a John Hughes soundtrack but it also belongs to us now. Live, the song sparkles and is a set highlight for Sydney outfit Big White. But the most welcome surprise comes in discovering that the jangle of guitars and idiosyncratic keyboards comes with not one lead vocalist but three. And the three front a triptych of distinct sounds that veer from shambling pop of You Know I Love to Lloyd Cole-esque (Commotions era) songcrafting to off-kilter, Flying Nunnery popisms. They battle some sound issues but still come out as the band that Australia might now take notice of, now that the Yanks are listening (they signed to Burger Records last year).
First band on the bill at the Elephant’s outdoor stage tonight was local legends WAAX, who propel BIGSOUND 2015 into a fast-paced, rock’n’rollin’ motion and getting punters amped up for this evenings proceedings. WAAX liven up the crowd with their own style alternative rock/punk, smashing out setlist favourites I for an Eye and Wisdom Teeth as well as their epic cover of Foals’ Inhaler. Lead singer Marie DeVita shows off her wicked vocal abilities and showmanship, acting as the perfect agent to get the people excited for this year's acts.
Kicking off his set right on time, bearded crooner Mike Waters steps on stage with an acoustic guitar and his usual flatbill cap on. His voice is laden with reverb and fills out the largely empty room - to no fault of his own; he's merely been given the task of opening the night of shows at The Flying Cock. He offers heartfelt explanations to preface each of his lighthearted, sunny tunes - Daisy even features Waters' own whistling.
New Zealand crooner Anthonie Tonnon pens evocative pop and displays a slight cabaret edge to his live show which makes for an entertaining opening gambit at Black Bear Lodge. He swaps between guitar and keys with ease, the pleading Railway Lines proving an early highlight before he entices commendable crowd participation during the epic Water Underground. He proves a great storyteller and knows his way around a hook, even hitting proper frontman mode (with full band backing track) for the engaging Mt. Cargill.
The word "buzz" is built right into the name, and it's evident from the throng of people that push forward to fill The Winn stage pit when Green Buzzard step out that it's not just a coincidental connection. People are here for this. Although, to be honest, it's a little hard to see why — the frontman seems to be doing his very best to nail his Gallagher bros. vocal impression, and the music is middling at best (do not/will not understand the Australian Britpop revival), but the five-piece put on an admirable showing, punctuated by an underlying sonic drive that inspires widespread, primal movement, all while the band jangle their way through their set with an air of casual cool that may actually err on the side of indifference. Heard Zoo Fly? You've heard Green Buzzard.
Local foursome Tempura Nights are relative newcomers but seem to have already engendered some strong local support, drawing a strong crowd into the tight confines of Ric’s. Alternating between male and female vocals they unleash a stream of catchy upbeat garage nuggets, with some occasional sombre numbers thrown into the mix to break things up, and leave plenty of contented smiles in their wake.
Maybe we should stop underestimating petite-looking girls, because the sound coming out of the voice box of High Tension's Karina Utomo is downright terrifying. Her shrieks are the most piercing ever heard, and couple incredibly well with the chugging guitars and drum line the rest of the band are slamming into. They're met with raucous applause after every song and I've no doubt that if another Exorcist movie was in the cards, High Tension would be the perfect soundtrack choice for sure.
The blues is responsible for a lot, both good and bad, the bad using it as merely as base from which to shine in their own, misguided, right, but Timberwolf, from Adelaide to Brisbane, use it properly as a passing thought (still thinking about it, drawing from it), and there’s a melding of country and Creedence and The Doors and modern pop music to make it all refreshingly fresh and new, despite the age from which it draws.
The Elephant’s stage is ambushed with ample synths, organs and style as Melbourne’s own Pearls take to the stage, showcasing their 80’s inspired glam-rock tunes and tight musicality. As expected from such a genre, Pearls’ set is a series of rhythmic based songs designed to get shoulder’s swaying, but who also manage to impress the crowd with their dynamic musical progression and ‘stadium-like’ sounds. The band finish off the set with their popular release Big Shot, no doubt leaving a lasting impression in listener’s minds, but certainly not indicative of Pearl’s musical capabilities.
Sydney electro-magician Rainbow Chan and her stalwart drummer boy (well, large, stylin' man) Moses MacRae bring their aurally lush A-game to The Brightside's outdoor stage. The pair easily hold sway over their not-insignificant audience through synergetic interplay alternating between demure and powerfully dextrous vocal work on Chan's part, underwritten by glitchy, wondrously layered electronic instrumentation and spasmodic, intricate rhythms, ably provided both through pre-programmed and live beats at the hands of MacRae. Work is a particularly gleeful experience, but their consistently thoughtful, surprising arrangements and Chan's A+ stage banter serve to make this a refreshing, captivating performance throughout.
Over at The Winn outdoor stage, Charles Murdoch presents his infectious and ambient electronica to the BIGSOUND 2015 crowd. Fans are eager to see Murdoch in action who cultivate and boogie in the tent whilst the producer plays a mash of old and new releases. Murdoch’s presence at this year’s BIGSOUND has certainly set himself aside from other artists, creating a getaway for electronica lovers whilst showing off his innovative sound designs.
Prodigal troubadour Ben Salter is a BIGSOUND veteran and has assembled a large and accomplished band to help him introduce tracks from his recent opus The Stars My Destination, and The Foundry is packed with appreciative punters as they unveil a stream of classy tracks such as The Translator, Boat Dreams and The Sleep Stealer with total conviction and aplomb. Extra strings extend the band to seven for the evocative Parrot Day, and Salter’s gruff expressive voice permeates ever nook and cranny in the room as the languid I Gotta Move leads into the finale of the album’s title track to end a stellar showcase.
The small crowd in front of Super Best Friends is immediately aware of the fact that someone has brought a horribly kitsch blow-up doll to the front row, and said blow-up doll is "rocking along" to their songs. The turnout is pretty sparse while they play songs like All My Friends Are Leaving Town, and though the trio are tight in their chugging pub rock, their songs mostly sound the same.
Sydney’s Food Court are neither bratty nor snotty but make the kinda melodic garage that feels like with a few more drinks behind it could be both. On stage, there’s a hint of UK ‘70s punk missing that many of their local contemporaries would recoil from. But Food Court are unafraid, unaffected and unabashedly catchy.
All Our Exes Live In Texas are country music, yes, but on a different jag, the accordion adding something timeless to the whole affair – not Cajun, not French, but almost a Brisbane bayou swamp feel to music that came about before you or I were around – the four-way vocal harmonies make strong men cry and yet there’s happiness in every note and the Backstreet Boys wish they were this good…
Western fly-ins and ascendant outfit Methyl Ethel do a sublime job of pulling us back to their time zone and then some, their refined grooves evoking a thoughtfulness and dedication to their craft that far exceeds their youthful years. They're far from a one-trick pony, though, as their set, heavy with tracks from recent full-length Oh Inhuman Spectacle, zig-zags between laid-back jams and dynamic bursts of noise, finding the balance between easily digestible tunes and filling their arrangements with hidden delights to keep even the most hardened of critics happy. If there's any fault to be found, it's not at the band's hands so much as whoever's REALLY INTO operating the smoke machine - but, hey, at least we're outdoors this time.
The long, narrow band room at The Foundry is just about packed to the brim as Prince-approved Harts takes to the stage with his psychedelic Strat and a lightning-fast drummer. It's easy to see why he draws Jimi Hendrix comparisons as the unruly-haired guitar virtuoso shreds like it ain't no thang. He mans his synth too, switching between two microphones and even finding time to slip a few dance moves in there to accompany his soul grooves. A man with talent WAY beyond his years.
Polish Club are in full swing when The Music makes it to Oh Hello! at last (hey, this BIGSOUND thing is pretty spread out, y'know), but it's clear that they've had no problems at all placing their voluminous crowd in full thrall to their powerful, upbeat rock tunes. The duo make more noise - and more INTERESTING noise, at that - than should be possible for two humans, frontman Novak's acrobatic vocal work sitting impressively atop the intertwining guitar and drum lines. There's a growing cabal of these sorts of "undermanned" (nominally, anyway) acts, but Polish Club take what could so easily be a post-Black Keys cliche and inject it with refreshing, soulful energy of the sort that makes it immediately obvious that they're definitely onto something special, and it's going to be an exciting ride to see where they takeit.
Brisbane indie-pop darlings Babaganouj grace the stage back over at The Elephant, pleasing local fans with their catchy, fun tunes. The local quartet show off their individual songwriting and musical talents, as Charles (guitar, vocals), Ruby (guitar) and Harriette (bass guitar) share lead vocals and more often then not form a girl/boy vocal melody alliance. The band showcase their array of infectious '90s-infused pop hits, including their opener Bluff and new release Hit Song, all including air-guitar worthy solos and sing-a-long chorus’.
A thundering sound, drawing from country and old rock'n'roll and rockabilly and soul all channeling into a righteous hotheaded face-slap of a situation, equal parts Eilen Jewell and Lindi Ortega, a songwriting nous belying Sahara Beck’s 19 years of age with a band as solid as Willie Nelson’s green habit to back it up and then more, more, more. Pick of the week thus far, hands down.
The soulful, electro-tinged alt-pop strains of the local lasses (and lad) in Avaberee are soaring across the Brightside Outdoor stage as we arrive, pulling us in immediately. The clarity of sound is probably partially the bittersweet result of the group's relatively small profile landing them with a small but fixated crowd, but it would be folly to discount the sheer talent this group radiates through their chilled, groove-heavy set as a contributing factor. Doubt and Give Me Water are especially on-point, but there's nary a foot put wrong to be found here. To be quite honest, they deserve a larger crowd - "better" isn't the right word, because those who ARE here are palpably in love - so here's hoping word gets around to make sure that people's FOMO is too strong in future to have them risk missing out again.
It seemed like the NZ combo of Shocking Pinks had disappeared in the aftermath of the post-club-punk scene of the noughts. Formerly signed to the once ridiculously hip DFA label, the band battle to attract more than a handful of interested punters to this showcase. Well, the absent miss out on something very special; Shocking Pinks have not only survived the fickle nature of hipdom, they've come out the other side a more interesting project. This is no-wave noisescapes and wirey NY funk at their finest.
Back to the Foundry and its lived-in feel and the earthy strength of Ngaiire’s voice, coupled with the ebb and flow of vocal harmonies from three backing singers saves (ethereally saves) an otherwise plastic set, the only sounds coming from a black box with buttons – imagine if this voice had a full band; imagine how it’d hold the attention and adoration of far more than dug on what should have been a killer set. Get Ngaiire a band.
Melbourne quartet City Calm Down close out the first night of BIGSOUND 2015 at The Winn Outdoor Stage, rounding out the evening with their elegant alternative-pop tunes. City Calm Down’s much anticipated presence at this years BIGSOUND is in no way overstated, as the band broadens their sound with additional members on guitar, trumpet and saxophone. A commendable effort is owed to lead vocalist Jack Bourke, who’s vocal range in a live setting is as impervious as City Calm Down’s recordings and ever so passionate. A great way to end the first night of BIGSOUND 2015 with a dynamic set from such a talented bunch.
Iconic Oz rock legends Cosmic Psychos pull a large and aptly rowdy crowd to the New Globe Theatre and give the international delegates in attendance a master class in ocker etiquette, a blow up sex doll crowd surfing the room during the opening one-two punch of Pub and Nice Day To Go To The Pub. Dirty fuzzy grooves pummel the senses as they run through a slew of older classics like I’m Up You’re Out, Dead In A Ditch andLost Cause alongside newer cuts like the caustic Fuckwit City and Better, Not Bitter (whose chorus of “It’s fucking bullshit mate!” already seems akin to some weird parallel national anthem). By the time they finish with the gloriously sleazyDavid Lee Roth there are actual human crowd surfers celebrating the old dogs teaching the young pups in attendance a few new tricks (and hammer home the point with the obligatory Psychos group moon).
Smokier than the other stages and much more backlit with groovy purple and yellow lights, Tim and Oscar — collectively, Holy Holy — take to the shadowy stage with crunchier guitars and a fuller sound than anticipated. The room is packed and receptive, and though the band sound fantastically atmospheric, as in If I Were You, it's hard to make out their bodies' outlines, let alone what they look like while performing. Heed our epilepsy warning, too.
Jazzy, spazzy wonderment abounds within the absolutely crammed confines of Ric's Bar as the meteoric rise of Jaala continues; clearly, word has spread of their penchant for unpredictable time shifts, left-field key changes, and an astoundingly tight looseness. It's a kind of organised, intricate chaos, as it were, and therein lies this band's real appeal - in a pop world choking to death on its own banality, Jaala create accessible - or, at least, accessible enough - and memorable tunes that wilfully and gleefully shirk every trick in the book, and prove a most addictive prospect in the process. In many ways, it's the perfect set to round out the first night of BIGSOUND Live, because if celebrating musical exploration in every sense is one of the main points of being here, then the experience cannot hope to be complete without acts such as this. Bring on night two.
