BIGSOUND, Night 2 - 11 September 2014, Fortitude Valley

w/ Deep Sea Arcade, Gold Fields, Harmony James, Jeremy Neale, Safie, Tkay Maidza, Eves, Dozzi, The Phoncurves

Night Two of BIGSOUND Live for me was a little more unplanned than Night One, allowing me to come across some unexpected talent along the way. As with any day at a festival like this, however, with all the amazing highs there were also, unfortunately, some lows. But we may have the fun police to blame for that... read on!

Opening Night Two were The Phoncurves. These two lovely ladies together with the lads in their band were a rather chilled way to begin the evening. Their individual voices are beautiful, but together in harmony is something else. Their song “Heartstrings” was a beautiful tune. I love the way that they have samples of their voices on the pads as further layering of vocal harmonies. It is a clever way to have a more dense quality of sound. In their songs there were some unexpected tempo changes between the verses and choruses. But for them, it actually works really well.

Next on my list was Tully on Tully, but unfortunately they were having some technical glitches and the hard decision was made to move on. Dozzi won the bid to fill the big gap left by Tully on Tully. While I am not usually the biggest fan of Country music, their county inflections were just so darn beautiful! Their mash up of Lady Gaga’s “You and I” and The Beatles “Hey Jude” was absolutely incredible. The three sisters each have their own unique performing style and are all a little badass. Their latest single “Weakness” was really rad, and I absolutely loved it!

Next up was Eves. Eves is an artist that I have heard so much about and I’ve always wanted to see live, but have missed her every single time! I think I should have made more of an effort, as she is one powerhouse performer! She is so tiny, yet has the charisma to hold a huge stage. Her dancing is eccentric and infectious you can’t help but get into the music. Her production was really unique. There were many unexpected harmonic changes that were quite out of the ordinary and a welcome break the dance music stereotype.

I think someone was on sound police duties, as where Eves had body shaking bass sounds, Tkay Maidza’s bass sounds were flimsy and weak in comparison. For such a large outdoor venue it was really disappointing. This pocket rocket is so darn talented and struts the stage effortlessly bringing her own unique presence to the venue.

Safia was up next at an almost capacity Woolly Mammoth. Holy shit this band is awesome! They have an amazing groove with their electronica goodness. The trio have been so successful with their song “Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues” and it was great to see that they closed their set with this song. They said that this was the song that started it all, but they have evolved so much since this song was released. They have become more sophisticated, more polished band with intelligent production and stellar falsetto vocals.

Coming off the back of Safia was Jeremy Neale at Alhambra Lounge. His blues inspired repertoire was rather rad and really got the crowd moving and grooving. He has a certain stage manner about him when he performs that makes it impossible to resist the urge to dance. It is quite special.

Harmony James was next on the agenda, making her the second country artist of the night. She has a beautiful spirit about her. Although I didn’t manage to catch all of her set, in what I did hear there was a true and strong story telling ability that not many artist can fully capture. Couple this with her melody writing talent, and you have a true songstress. It’ any wonder she a current Q Music award winner!

Gold Fields were another true highlight of the night. After their hiatus, they are back with a vengeance boasting new songs and rad production to boot. It was nice to see the sound police had been kicked out since Tkay Maidza’s set previously in the night. With such gritty production, it was such a beautiful contrast to have such smooth vocals layered over the top. Their song “Treehouse” was the absolute highlight of the set. I hope they are not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. I can’t wait to hear a full set from them in the very near future.

To round out the night - and the official part of the festival - was Deep Sea Arcade (pictured). This band just keep getting better and better. Since I last saw them play live they have added a whole bunch of new songs to their set list and have got even looser. The frontman’s vocals are unique in this industry and always continue to intrigue me. It was great to hear some newer songs including “Girls” but also some older songs including my personal favourite “Lonely in Your Arms”.

The true standout of Night Two of BIGSOUND was by far and away Safia. They utterly blew my mind. I mean, it’s gone. So with 21 bands over two nights, that brings BIGSOUND Live to a close for 2014. Well played BIGSOUND, well played. I’m spent!

BIGSOUND, Night 1 - 10 September 2014, Fortitude Valley

w/ Okenyo, Mosman Alder, Lanks, Stillwater Giants, Jane Tyrrell, Lime Cordiale, Little Odessa, Lower Spectrum, Fieldings, Rolls Bayce

BIGSOUND Live is always a great opportunity to catch some of the best bands in the business while also discovering new favourite acts you didn’t even realise exist! It is such a vibrant event full of networking and all round joy.

Opening the live showcases was Rolls Bayce at the Zoo. Dean McGrath, of Hungry Kids of Hungary fame, fronts this relatively new band and it truly has his style written all over it! In a nutshell, this band are really rather rad! They have a great stage manner and cut right crap and get to the good stuff. Rolls Bayce boast a fusion of styles including old school Rock, with a little bit of 60s Funk and Soul thrown in there for good measure. Their hit single “Don’t Get Me Wrong” was definitely a highlight of the set. I foresee good things for this band. Keep an ear out!

New up for the night was Fieldings at Ric’s Bar. The frontwoman sings with such conviction, passion and with a certain cry in voice that tugs at your heartstrings. The accompanying drums were mostly toms and this really suited this style of music. Couple this together with the ambient synth and it was the perfect combination of chilled awesomeness! “Shoots and Rattles” was a great tune and really sums up what this artist is all about!

Lower Spectrum was up next up at The Brightside. He creates a vast soundscape of true electronica goodness. Although I wasn’t able to stay for long, what I did see has definitely prompted me to look them up further.

It’s great to see The Elephant getting involved as a BIGSOUND Live venue this year. Their outdoor space out the back of the venue was the perfect location for a mid-size stage and Little Odessa was playing, truly knocking everybody’s socks off! They are just a whole bunch of fun. Nothing can stop the frontman from his rampage of being arguably one of the most exciting up and coming local frontmen at the moment. There were too many highlights in this set to mention them all, however, their performance of “All Night” was a too awesome for words. I was definitely a fan before, now I think I am a little obsessed. Forgive me!

Back at The Zoo, Lime Cordiale were tearing things up, sending their pop inspired vibes throughout the venue creating a dance party to rival all dance party. The two frontmen really worked well together and when backed with a Trombone and Bari Sax they created some very lush sounds. While I was uncertain at first, the more I hear of their set, the more I liked them! Their song “Falling Up The Stairs” was a definite highlight.

Heading back to The Elephant to see Jane Tyrrell was a good decision. She has a powerful voice that was backed by intelligent electronica programming. She dressed up for the occasion in a classy red dress and coat. Although I loved what was going on, she kind of lost me half way through her set.

I love the Stillwater Giants to pieces and I was very disappointed to see that there was such a small crowd for their set. They are really good at what they do and it was quite sad to see he venue less than half full! The harmonies created by the vocalists are exquisite and are a real signifying feature of the band. I remember them being a lot more fun live, however, tonight they just weren’t all there. “Fly Under the radar” is still an amazing song and I was glad to see that they finished their set with it.

It’s so great to have the opportunity to discover new artist, and BIGSOUND definitely gives you that opportunity. Lanks was a band I picked off a list, and I was very pleasantly surprised. They have a really cool groove with their synths and the addition of some flute over the top as well. Even though I only saw part of their set, they are definitely a band that needs looking up!

I have a bit of a thing for the frontman of Mosman Alder’s voice. His baritone is so smooth, and tonight it was just as perfect as ever. I haven’t seen this band live in the longest of times and I was really pleasantly surprised with how polished they were. With this band, because of their mellow vibes I don’t know if having them in the final timeslot of the night was advantageous for them. I know I wanted to finish the night with a bit of a party. Because of this I trundled across the road to Ric’s to see who was playing.

This turned out to be the best decision of the entire night. Okenyo was, in my opinion, the highlight of the entire night, and I almost missed her! She has so much soul and passion for the music she was performing and at times I got some Janelle Monae vibes. Her song “Mirage” was mind boggling, with everything about it being truly perfect. The simplicity of the drums and synth coupled with the intricacy and control of the vocal pyrotechnics was just incredible. It just all seemed so effortless. “Rising” was also another amazing tune. It was definitely a great decision to finish the night off here rather than with Mosman Alder.

That brings Night One of BIGSOUND Live to a close. The true highlight of the night was Okenyo, with some other great sets from Little Odessa and Rolls Bayce. Night Two promises to be just as fun filled and just as hectic. Stay tuned!

The Aston Shuffle - 29 August 2014, The Zoo

w/ Just a Gent, CLN, Jordan Burns vs Jordan James

There was a lot to love and a lot to dislike about The Aston Shuffle's gig at the Zoo on Friday night. The good things came from The Aston Shuffle themselves, however the long wait before the boys hit the stage was much less enjoyable.


Up first with live remixes and mash ups was Jordan Burns vs Jordan James, who set the right mood buy unfortunately played to an empty room - there's only so much a DJ can do without an audience. Next up was CLN. He had a really interesting thing going on. His music was super groovy and was really great to sit and listen to.

To play to a dead room is a musicians worst nightmare. Even more so for an electronic artist, but CLN handled it quite well. What made CLN’s set a little tedious, however, was the tempo of his electronica music. He kept it really mellow and while it was complexly and densely layered, it lost its impact after the third or fourth song. His remixes towards the end, however, were clever and nicely done and ended things on a strong note.

Just a Gent played next and opened his set with a remix of the theme from the Phantom of the Opera. I think that this sums up this electronica artist wholly. In his top hat and three piece suit, with tails, he was the first act of the night to actually get people to the front of the room and up and dancing. His range of repertoire was diverse and kept everyone guessing. One minute he was playing recent tunes the next he was back to obscure 90's pop. To tell you the true though, I was totally ok with that and it worked cohesively.

While the support acts weren't all that bad, the major problem was that they played for up to an hour each. With three acts it makes for a very... very long wait to see the headline act, who played only as long as any one of their support acts. Now, I know The Aston Shuffle are an electronic band and I love them to pieces for this, and I know they cater to that type of crowd and that type of timeslot, but that sort of build up was bit much.

What made the night oh so worthwhile was the genius that is The Aston Shuffle. Their sophisticated electronic music uses so much ingenuity that they are able to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. Throughout the set, they welcomed two vocalists to the stage to perform the vocals from their latest release Photographs. It was such a nice touch to their live show that gives their brilliant record the strong outing it deserves.

Postcards tracks littered the set, with “Back and Forth”, “Never Take it Away” and “Ordinary Love” being particular highlights. But it was when they got to the end of the set when things got really special. During “Tear it Down”, their guest female vocalist, appeared on stage mid-song in a Mirror Ball suit. The strobe lighting focused on her in center stage as she subtly moved her body to reflect the light throughout the entire venue. It was truly stunning!

Although the night was disappointingly long, The Aston Shuffle have really stepped up their live shows, making them one of the most exciting live electronic acts around. Kudos lads.

A Great Big World - 2 August 2014, The Tivoli

w/ Jordan Leser

If you’re ever feeling sad, down or just generally bleh, can I recommend you go put on A Great Big World’s record, or better yet, just go to one of their shows. I was blown away by just how heartfelt, sincere and just plain happy these two young gentlemen are when they perform.

When the lights dimmed, Jordan Leser took to the stage to get the night started. With her rich, mellow alto tones, she sang of heartbreat, and of loss. She gave her performance to a very captivated audience, to the point that she said, “you’re a very attentive audience considering you’re not even her to see me. Thank you”. Her songs “Brother Moon” and her self-admitted ’happiest song’ about her Grandma were definitely the highlights of the set. Accompanied by only her piano, Miss Leser’s set was quite simply beautiful!

A little while later the lights dimmed once more and the “Circle of Life” from the Lion King started playing. As it the song finished, A Great Big World, together with their band, walked on stage and immediately got straight into it with “Rockstar”. I don’t really know what the “Circle of Life” was all about, but hey, it was pretty rad all the same.

There was the perfect balance of storytelling, band banter and performing. It was enlightening to hear how some of their songs came about and the stories behind their inspiration. Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino are both such sensational musicians and have talent that well justifies their successes. I mean, their falsetto voices!? Wow! But what makes the duo such amazing performers is their ability to convey their music with such positivity, enthusiasm and pure passion. I had a silly little grin on my face for the entirety of the night.

With songs like “Cheer Up”, “You’ll Be Okay” and their cover of “Got to Get You Into My Life” the hopeful nature of the repertoire is transparently clear. This is not even mentioning their song “Everyone is Gay” a song they penned in support of a website offering support for LGBTQ youth. It is such a positive and fun song, and their performance of it was actually hysterically funny and one of the highlights of the set.

In the middle of the set, they played their smash hit “Say Something”. What was really spectacular about this song was that it was just Ian Axel and his piano. No bells, no whistles, no other members of the band, just pure passion. There were moments where his voice broke on the high notes and it made it tear at your heartstrings even more. It was such a beautiful moment.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is certainly the happiest I’ve been at a gig in a long while. Every moment was filled with unexpected excitement and wow moments and is something I will not soon forget.