BIGSOUND Makes Global Headlines

ALAN MCGEE GAVE MEMORIES, LITTLE HOPE

Creation Records founder Alan McGee has opened proceedings at BIGSOUND with a retrospection session this morning – that offered memories, but no great other insight.

Interviewed by The Australian's Iain Shedden, he proclaimed that he's lost a fair bit of interest in music since giving the game away, stating that like Noel Gallagher, he's finding comedians “more fun” to hang out with these days. (He's making all his money off property anyway, so they may be a step up from estate agents.)

Admitting that he became very bored with the industry that made him both an millionaire and one of the world's most revered label heads, he said “I just saw music as a way of not being a taxi driver.”

When asked if he would encourage young people to get into the industry he said, “I'll tell the truth, I don't know if I'll encourage them.” Pushed further on whether he thought it would be a good time to enter the industry, he replied “Probably not.”

Other choice moments included his near-regret for not accepting Prince Charles invitation to dinner at Buckingham Palace (against the will of the missus) that's probably cost him a knighthood and his take on the recent Sony/PIAS fire.

“I read that the Sony PIAS Building burnt down. I'm probably the only person who thought that was funny.”

Naturally, his time with drugs was touched upon, too. “I was only really a drug addict for about seven years. Keith Richards is 64 or something and he's been doing it since he was ten… I'm not a professional.”

BLEARY-EYED WITH BELLES IN OUR EARS

Waking up after the first morning of a conference like BIGSOUND, sure, you could use another few hours sleep, and christ that hotel pillow is hard, but there's another whole day to come.

Saw a lot of bands last night, and to be honest, there were no dissapointments. No wonder the Peats Ridge folk are saying that their second line-up announcement could feature a lot of these bands.

Kicking things off at the New Zealand showcase, Ruby Frost battled an industry crowd keen to find the bar. Pop-tastic and a little bit eccentric, she kicked off a very good run of New Zealand acts that included Tiny Ruins (although she would shine greater later in the night at Ric's), supergroup The Adults and buzzing garage act Street Chant.

One thing that's immediately noticeable in Brisbane the quality of venues. No so much 'themed', but more just cared about. One such room is the Woodland Bar, where Brous were exceptional – frontgirl Sophie Brous a star in the waiting. Her band appropriate enough to realise that she'd hold the crowd through vocal aerobatics, not their own.

The Aviary – an equally as impressive room – held The Laurels and a bunch of impressed industry folk (who seemed hard pressed to realise that there was another side of the room that wasn't as packed). Feedback-drenched, their set was still being mentioned as PM became AM.

Then there was a fantastic run of shows. Adalita packed out Electric Playground, her maturity standing out amongst the other showcases, before Emma Louise delivered and up and down set at The Zoo. her track Jungle is an absolute gem though, even better live than it is of Facebook. Another solo-name artist Ben Salter sounded great at Black Bear Lodge from my view of the back of other people's heads, too.

The run continued, with New South Wales' own Belles Will Ring playing new album tracks supremely. Although dipping mid-way through their career, they're well and truly back to being one of the country's finest.

Calling All Cars, the heaviest band of the festival, were similarly impressive on new album tracks. They've outlasted all of their peers from five years ago, but they're still sounding like they've the energy and intensity of a debut album.

Then, Velociraptor – the band that everyone had been talking about during the day. They were propositioned two or three times during their set at Electric Playground, with the 12-piece (although audience members got involved) dancing their way through a set that my previous blogger calls “somewhere between The Revillos and 13th Floor Elevators with a nod to '80s garage greats such as Olympic Sideburns.” They could be just one of what seem to

THEMUSIC.COM.AU AND BIGSOUND GO GLOBAL

Our Your Daily SPA piece on Alan McGee did not only get raised around the various industry haunts last night – it put BIGSOUND on the radar on some of the world's most respected music press.

NME were quick to report on it, and then Pitchfork from there. Naturally, other websites jumped when they did to.

Hell, even Italy's talking about BIGSOUND! as well as Ireland and Canada.