The Triffid ProfileTime to cut the cake: it’s The Triffid’s 12th birthday and their Queensland Album of the Year has officially turned 11!
Over a decade of platforming the best talent from around the state. 59 nominated albums. Eleven Queensland album murals gracing The Triffid’s Hero Wall. And now, as tradition, the stage is set for another six emerging local artists honouring tonight’s nominees as celebrations kick off in one of Brisbane’s most beloved and iconic venues.
As the art form of the album seems to fight an increasingly uphill battle for legitimacy amidst a tsunami of TikTok snippet superiority, The Triffid has stayed steadfast in recognising the prevailing sanctity of the album — bodies of tremendous work delivered just as the artist intended.
The Triffid’s co-owner and director, as well as bassist for recently reunited Queensland legends Powderfinger, John ‘JC’ Collins emphasised in his address for the evening: “I think it’s important that we take the time to recognise and celebrate that albums make a difference to our everyday lives.”
“As a music venue, we spend a lot of our time celebrating great live performances,” Collins declared. “But behind every great show is an album. A body of work that represents an enormous amount of thought, creativity, commitment, and hard work. Making an album, I’ve made a few in my life, thankfully, is no small achievement. It takes huge amounts of passion, copious amounts of patience, and a lot of personal and financial investment.”
“Those achievements need to be recognised,” Collins encouraged, “so I would like to congratulate you all here tonight for being a part of Queensland’s incredible music community, and a part of Queensland’s music future.”
Tonight’s nominated albums once again offer a splendid showcase of enormous talent and vast creativity, this year spotlighting the works of 2charm, Clea, Platonic Sex, Radium Dolls, The Jungle Giants, and Tom Busby.
Emceeing the evening was Dean Hanson from Triffid Hero Wall enshrined legends Ball Park Music, welcoming industry mates and punters alike to this evening dedicated to celebrating local achievement, community, and the future of Queensland music
Kicking off the covers was Charlotte Meade — Townsville-hailing, now Brisbane-based singer-songwriter — taking on Cross The Line from Clea’s nominated record Every Version of Love.
“It’s quite surreal for me to do this tonight because I have been a fan of Clea since I was fourteen, so it’s a big moment,” Meade announced to the crowd before softly strumming her way through the intro of Cross The Line.
A solo acoustic set on The Triffid’s beer garden stage, Meade’s crystal-clear vocals rang like bells over the crowd amidst the evening’s fading twilight glow. Consciously carving out the delivery of each lyric, like a bird swooping between feathery vocal flips and soaring sustains, Meade’s set glided through Clea’s meandering melodies with both a lightness and gentle drive.
It’s a special moment as Clea, plus husband and collaborator Alistar Richardson, watch on from the crowd, the full circle continuing beyond the beer garden stage with Meade now having recorded all her latest releases with Richardson at their idyllic property in the Scenic Rim, Swan Pond Studios, with a debut album in the wings to come.
Next to the stage was Tomorrow’s Forecast covering Sun Goes Down — Platonic Sex’s album closer to Face The Flywire. Olive McCagh and Bonnie Kruger from the Gold Coast-based group step up to the plate, bedazzled electric in hand.
“Platonic Sex were one of the first ever Brisbane bands that we really fell in love with, so we’re feeling very lucky,” said Kruger.
“We were lucky enough to go on tour with [Platonic Sex] last year, and we’re very flattered that Brando thinks we can sing any of their vocal lines, so good luck to us,” McCagh laughed.
The pair launched into a commanding rendition of Sun Goes Down, volleying contrasting vocals and dynamics back and forth between them, oozing with both attitude and raw fragility — a fitting nod to Platonic Sex’s signature stylings.
Producer, songwriter and filmmaker koady next stepped up to the stage, donning a Broncos jersey for the event in true Queenslander form (if not contentious for the former FNQ local). koady eased us into a tempo-slowed cover of 2charm’s hit single boyfriend, from their nominated debut album star scum city, with an atmospheric sweep of synths and foraged sound snippets, settling in a sonic shimmer over the Triffid courtyard.
Pitched-up vocals hovered above koady in the intro, echoing an homage to the original, before the cover rocketed into gear, slamming into a cataclysmic industrial-esque beat drop with a wall of weighty bass. A natural at work, koady intricately threaded siren-like vocal samples, laid-back shaker beats and even reharmonised guitar chords all through a sparkling synthscape, offering an aural smorgasbord of intoxicating textures that left the crowd cheering in awe.
Honouring Tom Busby’s nominated record Rockhampton Hangover was then triple j Unearthed High finalist alumni Frank and Louis, covering Waiting for Tomorrow.
“We’re very honoured. Feeling very lucky to be able to cover this song for Tom. It’s a beautiful song, I hope we do it some justice,” said Louis Martin.
“We supported Busby Marou on their last tour,” Martin continued, “and they’re the nicest, nicest guys. We’re very grateful for them having us on this.”
And doing the song justice, the young Sunshine Coast brother duo definitely did. The pair’s buttery harmonies melted over sunny fingerpicking, glinting through the blended vocals like bright embers jumping from a campfire. In the ebbs between verses, delicate harmonica melodies, played by Frank proud in his Busby Marou shirt, floated overtop with masterful vibrato, welcoming the crowd into a warm embrace and big, soothing exhale.
Next to play was another group down from the Sunny Coast — Karma Police covering Favourite from Radium Dolls’ sophomore record Wound Up.
Don’t be deceived by Karma Police’s high schooler status: fresh from their sold-out EP launch in Nambour, the alt-rock group carried themselves with a stage presence far beyond their years, dripping with an old-school rocker cool and confidence like a beacon of 90s grunge. Their lead singer, Willem Brennan, belted out a gripping rendition of the waltzing rock track, his gritty vocals punching out over a brooding bass line and skillfully sharp acoustic guitar, definitely making their mark as a band to keep your eyes on.
The final act to take the stage was Tear Drive with their ode to The Jungle Giants’ album Experiencing Feelings of Joy with their cover of Where Can I Put All My Love.
“Happy Birthday to The Triffid!” cheered lead singer Baxter Melrose. “We’ve played there a few times. It’s actually like our favourite venue in Brisbane, so it’s pretty cool to be able to do this for [The Jungle Giants] and The Triffid.”
After spending the last five months touring with The Jungle Giants on their national run, Tear Drive showed they were no stranger to the stage, diving straight into an impressively polished performance emanating with effortless control. Melrose’s clean vocals, expertly navigating Sam Hales’ trademark tricky falsetto-peppered melodies, towed a captivating line through their slightly more melancholy, wound-back rendition of Where Can I Put All My Love.
After the last performance, it was time for the big reveal as JC took to the stage for the final announcement.
“We are all connected by great songs and great music. That’s how we connect as people,” Collins stressed.
“As we look at the huge opportunities ahead of us with Brisbane ‘32, just imagine the possibilities. An artist nominated here tonight could be playing on the world stage. Performing in front of millions of people in 2032. Their songs could become the soundtrack of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. That’s what we’ve got coming up — it’s so awesome. There’s never been a greater opportunity to make our music shine and be heard on the world stage.”
“Queensland’s music industry is worth celebrating. It’s worth supporting. It’s worth protecting. And it’s a library of huge potential and possibility. So congratulations to all the nominees tonight. I’ve listened to the records - they are all amazing records and all deserve to be on the wall.”
But with only one winner, the curtain was finally pulled loose to reveal this year’s public-voted Triffid Queensland Album of the Year — Tom Busby’s Rockhampton Hangover joining the Hero Wall.
Busby, apologetic for not being able to attend the event as he was currently travelling the other side of Australia with his wife and kids, expressed his immense gratitude for the honour via video message.
“I’m absolutely stoked, thank you so much. This is ridiculous!” Busby exclaimed.
“Seriously, this means so much to me. I made Rockhampton Hangover in Texas with me ol’ mate Ben Kweller and to bring it back to Queensland is so special. A massive congratulations to all awesome nominated artists, especially the punters that got behind every one. Not just me, but everyone. Thanks for giving a damn about Queensland music.”
“To JC and the whole team, thank you for what you do for Queensland music,” Busby smiled. “I’ll be raising an ice-cold Pinot from the caravan. Thanks again, everyone — I cannot wait to get back home and see Rockhampton Hangover screaming on the Hero Wall. I’m blown away.”
