Brisbane. Now. #10 - 6

Brisbane, je t'aime... or something. Matt continues his exploration of Brisbane's finest music makers of today. Tonight we enter the top 10. Some call it the Thunderdome, where two men enter and one - oh, no this isn't like that at all. "Because none of these acts suck?" you say. That is correct. Also, it's nothing like Thunderdome. Let's just get to the music...

#20 - 16

#15 - 11

#10 - MKO

Just A Little Bit Snarly...

When you find yourself favourably compared to the likes of Erykah Badu and James Blake, you must be doing something right. MKO are certainly making all the right moves with their 2013 EP Lily Lotus Orchird Sunflower; a collection of abstract pop gems that put Hannah Macklin and her band in a field of their own when it comes to Aussie artists. Over the past two years we've heard them grow into this electric neo-soul beast and loved every minute of it. It was all too easy to fall in love with previous single 'Snarly.' The image of Macklin floating in the accompanying clip perfectly compliments the wave like beats, providing the perfect backdrop for her sweet and soulful voice. In Brisbane, the band is earning a reputations for delivering must-see shows and in June you'll be able to catch them at the grungey Kerbside. Outside of Brisbane, you're likely to hear them on the j's with the banging new track 'Another Day Alone.' Regardless of where you are, you should do yourself a favour and listen to as much of MKO as you can. They're quite good and by quite good I mean amazingly good.


You like free stuff, I like free stuff... we all like free stuff. You can get some free MKO downloads over at triple J Unearthed! And don't forget, MKO are playing Kerbside from 8pm on June 12 and June 19. I believe Texas Tea's Kate will be joining the guys on the 19th. That makes it even more awesome. 

#9. Hungry Kids of Hungary

Indie Sharp Shooters...

Come on, this is like the Ball Park Music act from Thursday's edition of the countdown. Who doesn't love the Hungry Kids of Hungary? Only those with out souls... obviously. If we're just looking at 2013, they've released second album, You're A Shadow, to universal acclaim for their progression into a more rocking indie sound and the cover of 'Feels Like We Only Goes Backwards' is the best of the year. Even better than San Cisco's Daft Punk cover that's already got a bajillion YouTube views. With the firm support of triple J and Brisbane's 4zzz behind them, they're easily one of the sunshine city's most loved bands.

#8. The Trouble With Templeton

Bleeding Hearts...

In just two years, The Trouble With Templeton have grown from this fascinating, dark and broody act led by the creative force that is Thomas Calder to this monster of an indie act boasting a small but growing collection of smashing singalong tunes. Australia is already starting to firmly embrace tracks like 'Six Months In A Cast' and 'Like A Kid' and the rest of the world isn't far behind. America was treated to the Trouble With Templeton live experience at SXSW last year and even scored an appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly which I believe aired in 2013 (research... meh). There's an old-time quality to the group, a maturity in the writing and depth in the vocals you wouldn't expect from such youngsters. The power and emotion that comes from Calder is what drives the band, but any hint of Betty Yeowart's voice works for me too. When their album finally graces our ears later in the year, you just know it's going to be one of 2013's best. For The Trouble With Templeton, it's not a matter of 'if' they hit it big, but 'when.' And hey, if you really want to find out a million and one reasons as to why they're great... go have a chat to Nayt. He loves the shit out of them.

Keep an eye on The Trouble With Templeton with a quick like of their Facebook page for updates on their album release. And then go do that thing you should do where you download some of their music on triple J Unearthed. Did I mention it's free?! 

#7. Cub Scouts

Gr8 Tunes for Everyone...

When they're not walking away with Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards or hitting it big on US College radio, you can find the guys and gal of Cub Scouts touring the world and generally being ridiculous and awesome. Or ridiculously awesome. Either or. Their live shows draw huge crowds in Brisbane, so it's been no surprise to see the incredible feedback Tim Nelson and Co. have received from international punters in Europe. I'm expecting the US reception to be even better. Their dreamy, future pop classics like 'Told You So' and 'Evie' have won the hearts of fans (including ours - the Told You So EP was awarded EP of the Year in 2012) and the new single 'Pool' scored high rotation of triple J with its summer-y feel good vibes. Tim, Zoe, Sam, Daniel and Andrew are setting the bar high, but consistently smash through fan expectations. I believe 'Pool' is the start of even bigger and better things for Cub Scouts and can't wait to hear their debut LP.

You can see Cub Scouts at Splendour in the Grass before they jet over to the US... to take it by storm! We recommend getting yourself a copy of the Told You So EP, but in the meantime you can get free downloads of 'Told You So,' 'Do You Hear' and 'Evie' from... duh duh duh... triple J Unearthed.

#6. The Jungle Giants

 They're A Riot...

They'll be taking the hearts that you're breaking, and putting them in a jar and I'm guessing that jar is getting quite big now. Yep, The Jungle Giants have only gone from strength to strength since the release of the She's A Riot EP; breaking into the triple J hottest 100 at #83, touring with Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines and gearing up for the release of their debut album. A couple of weeks ago we were introduced to this upcoming LP's lead single, 'I Am What You Want Me To Be.' It be good... it be very good. Another Brisbane act you need to add to a list of 'must-see' bands, The Jungle Giants (comprised of Sam Hales, Cesira Aitken, Andrew Dooris and Keelan Bijker) put on a live show you won't soon forget, unless you sadly suffer from an unfortunate memory disorder like that 5 second reset dude in 50 First Dates. Still unsure? Give 'You've Got Something' a go (and repeat if necessary if suffering from a memory disorder). You're welcome.

The Jungle Giants are on tour in July to promote I Am What You Want Me To Be, with stops in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. For a free taste of their "early" stuff, triple J Unearthed hosts two fantastic tracks in Mr. Polite and No One Needs To Know. 

It all ends on Thursday... as we meet Brisbane's Top 5 music acts!