Johnny Hunter Hopes To Take 'Notoriety' From BIGSOUND 2023

Sydney post-punk outfit Johnny Hunter are off to BIGSOUND this week, bringing their brand of glam-inspired “goth ABBA sleaze” to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley over the multi-day event. In the lead-up to their performance, we caught up with the band for a quick get-to-know Q&A.

“Johnny Hunter was the only band Stu and I signed through the thick of last year's lockdown, having only met the guys via Zoom,” Cooking Vinyl Australia Co-Managing Director Leigh Gruppetta said about signing the band in 2021.

“I feel that really speaks to the strength of their songs and, ultimately, their character as people. It's always a joy to work with a band with such clear artistic vision, and to now be a part of their wider team makes us incredibly excited for what the future holds.”

In August 2020, the band issued a studio diary behind their debut EP, Early Trauma, to The Music. They released their debut album, Want, in June 2022 and have rightly amassed a devoted cult following in Australia. You can find out more about Johnny Hunter in the below Q&A.

Which act(s) are you most excited to see at BIGSOUND and why?

Behind You: You'll see
Miss June: I've been following this band for years now and am excited to finally see em do their thing in the flesh
Radio Free Alice: For fans of classic post-punk who tend to lean towards their British overlords
Dr. Sure's Unusual Practice: Pure punk genius

Elevator pitch: Describe yourself as an artist and your music…

Goth Abba Sleaze – We are the best live band in Australia.

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What has been the biggest turning point in your career so far?

Myself and Gerry (drummer) lived in Ibiza for three months in 2022. We decided that the experience was to be purely educational on a music level and abandoned all social media. In that time, we learnt some extremely valuable lessons in synth sound creation and trance rhythm from some of the very best electronic producers in Europe. We convinced one to join our band, and our sound has developed into somewhat of a turning point in our career, so to speak.