Big Sound Live Day Two @ Big Sound Live 2011, Brisbane (08/09/2011)
Night two of the festival showcase and you could tell the punters were getting weary...or maybe it was just me. Climbing the stairs to The Aviary was an effort but walking into the cooing vocals of Mel Tickle of Little Scout was well worth it. This Brisvegas group have been quietly achieving for a few years now and have just launched their debut album to much local buzz. Their set showed their musical growth since last I saw them about a year ago and their new material was really promising. ‘Dead Loss’ and their closing track, featuring some almost tribal percussion, were clear crowd favourites.
Convinced by a friend that I simply could not miss Jordie Lane, I made my way to Rics. Jordie looked to have come straight out of a Banjo Paterson poem, with a hat and beard borrowed from the Kelly Gang. From the very first track you could hear Woody Guthrie’s folk-country sound. Lane’s lyrics told stories grand and mundane with such poetic integrity you could see the scenes and characters in your minds eye. But even more spectacular was the sound he generated out of his acoustic guitar. From outside you could be mistaken that this solo balladeer was a 6-piece band. Needless to say Jordie Lane was a clear highlight for me.
Then it was off to The Zoo for Busby Marou. It’s been a thrill watching this pair’s rise and this was the first time I’d seen them play with a full band. They draw a good crowd and it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t singing along to their Triple J hit ‘Biding My Time’.
To see an epic front man like Johnny Toogood in a broom closet like Black Bear Lodge was not to be missed. Playing with The Adults, Toogood brought his Shihad stage presence to the atmospheric, Cruel Sea-esque sound of his side project. Switching up instruments and sharing vox duties, it was clear he was enjoying himself and the crowd couldn’t help but be infected.
Papa Vs Pretty played the Bakery Lane stage and the length of the queue was a good indication of their ‘it’ band status. My ‘plus one’ was surprised at just how many hits these guys have released as they churned through ‘One of The Animals’, ‘Heavy Harm’, ‘Wrecking Ball’ and ‘Honey’. They were flawless and I look forward to catching a full set next time they are in town.
The other ‘it’ band of the festival was Ball Park Music. Cramming into Woodland Bar, I was sure that everyone at the festival was here to see them, and why wouldn’t you be? These guys (and girl) had the crowd completely bewitched as they belted out tracks from their brand new debut. ‘iFly’, ‘Sad Rude Future Dude’ and ‘Rich People Are Stupid’ re-energised the crowd, but none as much as ‘It’s Nice to Be Alive’. This track could be the unofficial theme song for the entire festival, as BIGSOUND proved there is a lot to be excited about in the music scene right now, it most definitely is a nice time to be alive!
Kirsty Visman.
Big Sound Live Day One Review
Convinced by a friend that I simply could not miss Jordie Lane, I made my way to Rics. Jordie looked to have come straight out of a Banjo Paterson poem, with a hat and beard borrowed from the Kelly Gang. From the very first track you could hear Woody Guthrie’s folk-country sound. Lane’s lyrics told stories grand and mundane with such poetic integrity you could see the scenes and characters in your minds eye. But even more spectacular was the sound he generated out of his acoustic guitar. From outside you could be mistaken that this solo balladeer was a 6-piece band. Needless to say Jordie Lane was a clear highlight for me.
Then it was off to The Zoo for Busby Marou. It’s been a thrill watching this pair’s rise and this was the first time I’d seen them play with a full band. They draw a good crowd and it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t singing along to their Triple J hit ‘Biding My Time’.
To see an epic front man like Johnny Toogood in a broom closet like Black Bear Lodge was not to be missed. Playing with The Adults, Toogood brought his Shihad stage presence to the atmospheric, Cruel Sea-esque sound of his side project. Switching up instruments and sharing vox duties, it was clear he was enjoying himself and the crowd couldn’t help but be infected.
Papa Vs Pretty played the Bakery Lane stage and the length of the queue was a good indication of their ‘it’ band status. My ‘plus one’ was surprised at just how many hits these guys have released as they churned through ‘One of The Animals’, ‘Heavy Harm’, ‘Wrecking Ball’ and ‘Honey’. They were flawless and I look forward to catching a full set next time they are in town.
The other ‘it’ band of the festival was Ball Park Music. Cramming into Woodland Bar, I was sure that everyone at the festival was here to see them, and why wouldn’t you be? These guys (and girl) had the crowd completely bewitched as they belted out tracks from their brand new debut. ‘iFly’, ‘Sad Rude Future Dude’ and ‘Rich People Are Stupid’ re-energised the crowd, but none as much as ‘It’s Nice to Be Alive’. This track could be the unofficial theme song for the entire festival, as BIGSOUND proved there is a lot to be excited about in the music scene right now, it most definitely is a nice time to be alive!
Kirsty Visman.
Big Sound Live Day One Review