BIGSOUND Announces Billy Bragg, Amanda Palmer, Xavier Rudd, Kasey Chambers, Regurgitator & More For 2013

They've been telling us that this is going to be the biggest BIGSOUND announcement ever and we had no reason to not believe them, but this evening we have discovered that the team behind Australia's biggest music industry conference and showcase series were not mucking around with those claims.

The first announcement of speakers and bands for the event has dropped at a launch in Sydney tonight and it is a seriously impressive list of names that any event on the planet would be happy to host.

The speakers are as follows:

Billy Bragg, Amanda Palmer, Kasey Chambers, Regurgitator, Simon Raymonde – Bella Union, John Watson – John Watson Management / Eleven Music, Brad Jones – Producer, Matt McDonald – CMJ, Nic Warnock – RIP Society, Grimur Atlason – Iceland Airwaves, Chloe Goodyear – Woodford, Billy Jones – Pianos

The bands are…

Xavier Rudd, Megan Washington, The John Steel Singers, Stonefield, Bleeding Knees Club, The Jungle Giants, Spit Sydnicate, Dune Rats, Clubfeet, Thelma Plum, Citizen Kay and Little Bastard

BILLY BRAGG:

One of the most important singer-songwriters of our time, this staunchly political and completely captivating songwriter always has plenty of fascinating things to say both at his shows and in the media. Billy Bragg's strong opinions and his sense of social justice are no doubt going to be a big talking point among plenty at the conference this year.

AMANDA PALMER:

Amanda Palmer is another controversial figure that has an incredibly strong fan base of people who will be incredibly excited to hear her speak about her very unique and often ground breaking approach to dealing with certain aspects of the music industry.

KASEY CHAMBERS:

Arguably the most successful country talent that we have in this country today, Kasey Chambers has an insight into the industry both at home and abroad that many have not been privy to.

REGURGITATOR:

The hometown boys make their first appearance as speakers at BIGSOUND in 2013. Regurgitator are another band who have always done things in their own unique way and managed to get away with it with brilliant results. We're hoping they will have plenty to say about balancing their artistic ambition with success , as well as how they got away with the song called I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am as the first song on their debut album.

SIMON REYMONDE:

Given Bella Union's history with Australian acts like Dirty Three, Decoder Ring and Howling Bells, it's good to have Simon Reymonde on board at the country's premier industry conference. He was also in the Cocteau Twins which is freakin' sweet.

JOHN WATSON:

He's the man behind silverchair, he's the man behind Eleven: A Music Company and a man who knows more about what works in the Australian music industry than most; AMID reckon he's the seventh most powerful man in the business. Gotye, Missy Higgins, Cold Chisel… the guy's rap sheet speaks for itself.

BRAD JONES:

He has helped a countless number of country acts – from Josh Rouse to John Prine – sound their best on record, so people would be wise to listen to what Nashville-based producer Brad Jones has to say about music.

MATT MCDONALD:

CMJ is a massive force in the industry on a global scale and Matt McDonald will share his perspective on the industry, coming from something of a different musical landscape to our own.

NIC WARNOCK:

Nic Warnock has put out some of the finest Australian music in the past couple of years; be it the universally adored Royal Headache, his own Bed Wettin' Bad Boys or last year's triumphant BIGSOUND Live showcasers Straight Arrows. He comes from the extreme indie end of the spectrum and he makes it work.

BIGSOUND LIVE

XAVIER RUDD:

One of the country's most celebrated roots musicians, Xavier Rudd will provide both the public and industry folk with a rare chance to see him perform at an event such as this. His latest album Spirit Bird has proven to be his most successful yet, even garnering plenty of attention in Europe and the US, so who knows what will come of his showcase.

MEGAN WASHINGTON:

A former Brisbane girl, Megan Washington knows plenty about the scene in which BIGSOUND is based and she makes the showcase series part of her big return to the spotlight later this year, by the looks of things.

THE JOHN STEEL SINGERS

They've been very, very quiet of late – the only sign of them being through a couple of TV ads their songs have featured on recently – so we're sure there are a number of people hungry for the chance to see Brisbane's chamber pop dynamos The John Steel Singers back in action. We are!

SPIT SYNDICATE:

These Sydney hip hop dudes have worked real hard for a number of years to get where they are now and a lot of that hard work really paid off when their latest album did some business on the ARIA charts earlier this year. They'll lead the hip hop charge with gusto at BIGSOUND, we look forward to seeing who'll join them.

STONEFIELD:

We know they're working on their debut LP at the moment, so the girls of Stonefield will likely have plenty of fresh material to ply you with when they make their return to BIGSOUND in 2013.

BLEEDING KNEES CLUB:

Another of the acts that we frothed on pretty hard when they last played BIGSOUND a couple of years back, the Gold Coast's Bleeding Knees Club are back in action and sounding little more pop punk than we've heard from them in the past.

THE JUNGLE GIANTS:

Already massively popular, Brisbane young guns The Jungle Giants seemingly have the complete package to set them up for pop success. Will BIGSOUND 2013 be the event that makes sure that they get there on a wider scale?

DUNE RATS:

These guys released one of the most memorable film clips in recent memory. Funnily enough we don't think their recent memory is all that good lately. Dune Rats have been kicking goals around the world with their brand of garage pop though and who knows who will love them when they play BIGSOUND this year. Follow your nose.

CITIZEN KAY:

Don't know a lot about Citizen Kay, but the clip for his song Yes is freaking excellent, as is the song itself, so we're very excited to see plenty more of him in the near future.

THELMA PLUM:

She's only young, but Thelma Plum has already cemented a reputation as a mature voice in the world of Australian indie-folk and by the time BIGSOUND Live rolls around we're sure she's going to be even better than she is now.

CLUBFEET:

For those that would like to dance, we'd like to recommend Clubfeet, one part of Melbourne's thriving slick, groovy indie scene. Let's hope the industry types aren't too stuffy, because this band is best enjoyed from the dancefloor.