BIGSOUND Festival 2016 Preview

BIGSOUND FESTIVAL 2016

When: 7/8 September 2016

Where: Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Why? Because it's Brisbane's best music event. Duh.

We've said it before and we'll say it again; BIGSOUND puts on the two greatest nights of live music in Brisbane every year. Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 September sees 150+ music acts from diverse backgrounds putting on showcases for fans and industry professionals throughout the entire Valley precinct in Brisbane. The Zoo, Black Bear Lodge, Ric's Bar, The Foundry, The New Globe Theatre, that place that used to be the Mustang Bar, that place that used to be Monastery and heaps of other fun venues that may or may not have been called something else when I thought I was a hip, young thing heading out on the town. You get to go to all of them, depending on where your festival plan will take you. Or, you can have no plan and stumble upon some incredible acts that you'll love forever. It happened to us with the likes of Kira Puru, Machine Age, The Hello Morning and BAD//DREEMS. We also been able to witness star making turns from the likes of Tired Lion, Thelma Plum, Babaganouj, Little May, Tkay Maidza, Kingswood and Gay Paris. 

With the first artist announcement for the 2016 event released last month, we already know that our fifth trip to BIGSOUND is going to be incredible. I'm even going to be super prepared and take the Thursday/Friday off work so I can sleep in and be happy because you've got to consider these things when you're over 25, okay? You can check out the artists already announced here, you can go in the running to win flights to Brisbane and four tickets here and if you're keen to check out what's going on with the BIGSOUND conference, featuring talks from members of the music industry, you can read about that here. 

Who are we keen to see play live at BIGSOUND this year? Well, that is so nice of you to ask. And we are SO psyched to give you an answer. Here's ten hot picks from It's My Kind of Scene for this year's festival... 

AINSLIE WILLS

ALEX LAHEY

BEC SANDRIDGE

BANFF

CLAIRY BROWNE

FRACTURES

GIDEON BENSEN

LANKS

OLYMPIA

SAMPA THE GREAT

Get your tickets early from the BIGSOUND site. We've got a feeling this year will sell out very soon and you do not want to miss this showcase of Australian music's best up and coming acts! Your comprehensive pass gets you access to the two showcase nights, plus entry to what should be a massive closing party on Friday 9 September at The Triffid! 

 

Song Review - Talk Talk

Talk Talk

by Gideon Bensen

EP: Cold Cold Heart (due 12th February 2016)

There's this old saying that goes something along the lines of suggesting that you learn something new every day. If that’s the case, then today I learnt that Gideon Bensen is actually a member of The Preatures. Not sure how useful that information actually is, but it seems to be a fact people like to write about if all the things I've read about Gideon are any indication. More importantly, I learnt that he makes some pretty impressive sounds on his own, with the release of the second single from his upcoming EP Cold Cold Heart. While his first solo track, ‘All New Low’ took some not so subtle but very, very welcome hints from some of David Bowie’s work from the 70s, ‘Talk Talk’ seems to come from another decade, it’s synths and quick-fire beats resting nicely in a mid-80s sound. Dare I say it? Is that some kind of Billy Idol influence I hear in there somewhere? Whatever happened to Mr Idol? That's a question, answer and lesson for another day. Whoever Gideon's influences are, he seems to have a knack of picking up sounds and making them his own. The most important thing I learnt today is that 'Talk Talk' is as addictive as it is awesome.

Jo Michelmore gives 'Talk Talk' three and a half fries emoji out of five...

Top 25 - 31 January, 2016

1. Montaigne - In The Dark





2. Bad Pony - Zombie





3. Ecca Vandal - End of Time





4. Leisure Suite - Heavy Head (NEW)





Jo's Pick of the Week: I don’t wanna start my new year with a word I know I’ve used a little too much in years past, but my thesaurus search couldn’t come up with a word quite as accurate, so I suppose I’ll just stick with the same one everyone seems to use for them….the latest single from Leisure Suite is all sorts of dreamy, perfectly distant in the way the best chilled electronica should be, all the while managing to pull you close with every beat. This duo from Melbourne have been making little and very impressive waves since the release of their debut EP in late 2014 and this is a sweet taste of what is to come from their second EP Lay Low, due for release February 15. I promise to come up with a word other than ‘dreamy’ to describe them before then.


5. Massive Attack, Tricky and 3D - Take It There (NEW)





Matt's Pick of the Week: Massive Attack have been away for extended periods of time before, but it's crazy to think that their last album Heligoland was released back in 2010. Well, they're finally back with the Ritual Spirit EP and on track four they're recapturing the magic of their 2003 release, 100th Window. There's something about 'Take It There' that makes the song sound like it wouldn't be out of place on that collection. The beats are slightly more threatening than the pre-2000s Massive Attack and Robert Del Naja/3D's vocal segments have that borderline mesmerising/creeping me out vibe that came with the single 'Butterfly Caught', but it's the added element of trip-hop hero Tricky that makes this the finest Massive Attack release in a long time. It's actually awesome to have them back. (Matt Bond)  


6. Le Pie - Up All Night (NEW)





7. Ali Barter - Far Away





8. Flume ft. Vince Staples and Kucka - Smoke and Retribution (NEW)





9. PASSERINE - Lost In Each Other





10. Paces ft. Jess Kent - 1993 (No Chill)





11. Grimes - Kill V. Maim





12. Jess Kent - Get Down





13. Beaty Heart - Flora





14. Santigold - Chasing Shadows (NEW)





15. Gideon Bensen - Talk Talk (NEW)





16. Nicole Millar - Tremble (NEW)





17. The Jezabels - Pleasure Drive





18. Ben Abraham - You and Me





19. Private Life - Dragon (NEW)





20. Urthboy ft. Sampa The Great and Okenyo - Second Heartbeat





21. Kiiara - Say Anymore





22. Elliphant - Step Down (NEW)





23. WAAX - Holy Sick





24. Porches - Be Apart





25. Jack Colwell - C.O.A.T

Top 25 - 14 November, 2015

Emma Louise, Missy Elliott + Fieu!

1. Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell Williams - WTF (Where They From) (NEW)





2. Grimes - Flesh Without Blood





3. Emma Louise - Underflow (NEW)





4. Sarah Blasko - I'd Be Lost





5. Bonjah - Move On





6. Mansionair - Speak Easy





7. Little Sleeper - Golden Fleece





8. Vinten - You Don't Know Me (NEW)



 

9. Sia - Bird Set Free





10. Oh Wonder - Without You





11. Palace ft. GodWolf - Can't Stop (NEW)





12. Montaigne - Clip My Wings





13. Ecca Vandal - End of Time





14. Fieu - RUNNING (NEW)





15. Manor - Grand Mal





16. Wafia - Heartburn





17. Kita Alexander - Like You Want To





18. Gideon Bensen - All New Low (NEW)





19. Sarah Blasko - Luxurious





20. Cage The Elephant - Mess Around





21. Daughter - Numbers (NEW)





22. MKO SUN - Michiko





23. Adele - Hello





24. Sara Bareilles - She Used To Be Mine





25. Jim Lawrie - Antisocialite