Big Sound Live Day One @ Big Sound Live 2011, Brisbane (07/09/2011)
The 10th annual BIGSOUND music conference is like Brisbane's answer to
SXSW (South by South West) but on a much smaller scale. When the conference
concludes, delegates and punters spill onto the streets of Fortitude Valley to
visit the many live venues dotted throughout the entertainment precinct to
catch 30min sets from 80 of Australia & New Zealand's up-and-coming musical
talents. Bands trim all the fat out of their set, keep banter to a minimum and
don't bother with the encores to create sound bites that can either leave you
satisfied or hungry for more.
My first stop was the faithful Zoo and as I ascended the stairs I was floored by Inland Sea's 10 piece band cracking the light fittings with there soaring A Cappella vocals. These Brisbane locals were a great start to the evening as they peppered their set with strings and generously passed the lead vocal duties around.
Next up was a quick stroll to the newly opened Black Bear Lodge (filling The Troubadour's void) to catch Gossling. This seemed to be an obvious choice for most of the festival attendees and it made it difficult to view the source of the crooning vocals. This meant it was difficult for me to determine whether or not I'd actually stumbled into a Julie Stone concert. While she could certainly hold a tune, Gossling didn't offer enough for me to stick around, especially when there were so many other fantastic acts on the bill.
I also caught Tiny Ruins. This NZ songstress has inspired some raving reviews and more than a few tears at her concerts so I was excited to see her set. Small and unassuming, Tiny Ruins was earnest and unaffected in her performance that was reminiscent of Laura Marling. Her lyrics are poetry and highlight tracks such as 'You've Got The King of Nerve I Like' and 'Bird in The Thyme' were stunning examples of her talents.
Wondering into a laneway off Ann St I managed to walk in on the start of Stonefield. Like everyone I've heard a heap of these girls on Triple J but I was truly unaware of how good they are. These young chicks (and I mean young!) know how to rock like it's 1979. Drummer and lead vocalist Amy Findlay expertly channeled Joan Jett and hit the skins like Bonham. What a seriously talented family!
Soon it was time to head back to Black Bear Lodge for local troubadour Ben Salter. It's impossible to be a music fan in Brisbane and not have seen Salter in one of his many incarnations (The Gin Club, Giants of Science, The Wilson Pickers, The Young Liberals to name but a few) but here he brought a band along to play his solo stuff. Salter is the Brisbane scene's perennial underdog and his folk/blues riddled songs address the darker side of late night gigs fuelled by alcohol, cigarettes and poverty; told with a dash of self depreciating black humour.
A brief glimpse of The Medics was enough for me to know I need to see more. The combination of gentle, often fragile vocals and harmonies with ball-tearing rock hit all my buttons but unfortunately it was time to race over to Mike Noga at Rics.
Since reviewing Noga's latest album 'The Balladeer Hunter' I'm a complete convert to his brand of brutal honesty. A quick scan of the small room and it was easy to spot a number of the musicians from the BIGSOUND bill and a short time into the set, Ben Salter jumped on stage to perform 'All My Friends are Alcoholics'. There was a lot of love in the room and a mutual passionate hatred for the booming bass filtering through the wall from the sticky, skanky club next door. It would have been a perfect close to the night, however we still had to dash over to Electric Playground for Velociraptor.
Velociraptor are yet another band representing Brisbane at the festival and the 12-headed beast really put the 'F' in 'Finale'! The jam-packed venue witnessed the kind of insanity only 12 complete extroverts can bring to the stage. There was so much going on, the spectacle of it almost had the music playing second fiddle. But with tracks like 'Sleep With The Fishes' and 'Swamp Monster' it was impossible not to get swept up in the surf-rock vibrations.
Returning home at 1am on a school night felt a little bit naughty, but tonight it's time to back it up! Stay tuned for BIGSOUND Night 2 with reviews of Little Scout, Busby Marou, Papa Vs Pretty and many more!
Kirsty Visman
My first stop was the faithful Zoo and as I ascended the stairs I was floored by Inland Sea's 10 piece band cracking the light fittings with there soaring A Cappella vocals. These Brisbane locals were a great start to the evening as they peppered their set with strings and generously passed the lead vocal duties around.
Next up was a quick stroll to the newly opened Black Bear Lodge (filling The Troubadour's void) to catch Gossling. This seemed to be an obvious choice for most of the festival attendees and it made it difficult to view the source of the crooning vocals. This meant it was difficult for me to determine whether or not I'd actually stumbled into a Julie Stone concert. While she could certainly hold a tune, Gossling didn't offer enough for me to stick around, especially when there were so many other fantastic acts on the bill.
I also caught Tiny Ruins. This NZ songstress has inspired some raving reviews and more than a few tears at her concerts so I was excited to see her set. Small and unassuming, Tiny Ruins was earnest and unaffected in her performance that was reminiscent of Laura Marling. Her lyrics are poetry and highlight tracks such as 'You've Got The King of Nerve I Like' and 'Bird in The Thyme' were stunning examples of her talents.
Wondering into a laneway off Ann St I managed to walk in on the start of Stonefield. Like everyone I've heard a heap of these girls on Triple J but I was truly unaware of how good they are. These young chicks (and I mean young!) know how to rock like it's 1979. Drummer and lead vocalist Amy Findlay expertly channeled Joan Jett and hit the skins like Bonham. What a seriously talented family!
Soon it was time to head back to Black Bear Lodge for local troubadour Ben Salter. It's impossible to be a music fan in Brisbane and not have seen Salter in one of his many incarnations (The Gin Club, Giants of Science, The Wilson Pickers, The Young Liberals to name but a few) but here he brought a band along to play his solo stuff. Salter is the Brisbane scene's perennial underdog and his folk/blues riddled songs address the darker side of late night gigs fuelled by alcohol, cigarettes and poverty; told with a dash of self depreciating black humour.
A brief glimpse of The Medics was enough for me to know I need to see more. The combination of gentle, often fragile vocals and harmonies with ball-tearing rock hit all my buttons but unfortunately it was time to race over to Mike Noga at Rics.
Since reviewing Noga's latest album 'The Balladeer Hunter' I'm a complete convert to his brand of brutal honesty. A quick scan of the small room and it was easy to spot a number of the musicians from the BIGSOUND bill and a short time into the set, Ben Salter jumped on stage to perform 'All My Friends are Alcoholics'. There was a lot of love in the room and a mutual passionate hatred for the booming bass filtering through the wall from the sticky, skanky club next door. It would have been a perfect close to the night, however we still had to dash over to Electric Playground for Velociraptor.
Velociraptor are yet another band representing Brisbane at the festival and the 12-headed beast really put the 'F' in 'Finale'! The jam-packed venue witnessed the kind of insanity only 12 complete extroverts can bring to the stage. There was so much going on, the spectacle of it almost had the music playing second fiddle. But with tracks like 'Sleep With The Fishes' and 'Swamp Monster' it was impossible not to get swept up in the surf-rock vibrations.
Returning home at 1am on a school night felt a little bit naughty, but tonight it's time to back it up! Stay tuned for BIGSOUND Night 2 with reviews of Little Scout, Busby Marou, Papa Vs Pretty and many more!
Kirsty Visman