BIGSOUND 2019 Artist Focus: micra

Answered by: Ivana Kay and Robbie Cain

Give us a short description of your music: Pensive, uplifting, ambient, psychedelic-rock synth frenzy.

Which acts are on your must-see list at BIGSOUND? Miriam Sawires, Stevan, Milan Ring and Fan Girl.

Why should people come and see you among the many amazing bands at BIGSOUND? We play as a five-piece live, so it takes a deviation from the recordings and brings a nice and cosy wall of sound. Maybe there will be a few audio trinkets your ears haven't heard before. Our bass player (Luke) also has famous hip movements which you shouldn't miss.

What music trends do you think are dominating right now, and do you have any predictions for the coming year? The bedroom producer making pop music is becoming more accepted by a wider audience than ever before. Now it feels like a lot of great artists and bands are using the DIY approach and it doesn't matter [how] a song's made. What is considered ‘pop’ seems to also be expanding.

In your career to date, what have been the key watershed moments? When we put our first single out (Child Grows Old) and people seemed to like it. We weren't sure anyone would! Also we played a show with I Know Leopard recently at Oxford Art Factory and that felt like things were starting to come together for us on the stage.

What industry lessons would you like to take away from the BIGSOUND conference? We'd love to meet people that are working with bands overseas and hear how they're going about it. Maybe how to get our foot in the door for Fyre Fest 2.0.

What do you identify as the most pressing issue impacting the Australian music industry at present? For us, it seems to be the state of live music in Sydney. It feels like it's getting better, but there's a serious lack of buzz in the nightlife. It's also getting harder and harder for festivals to run in NSW which sucks!

What is the best bit of advice you've been given to prepare for your time at BIGSOUND? A few people have told us that we should be able to set up on stage and be ready to go in like a 10-15 minute change over. Good luck to us. Also that the most important business deals take place after hours.

When and where is your BIGSOUND showcase? 3 Sep, Woolly Mammoth Alehouse Stage, 9pm; 4 Sep, The Elephant Hotel, 8pm.