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!
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