w/ Regurgitator, Eagle and the Worm, Karl S. Williams, Glass Towers, Stonefield, Willow, Tkay Maidza, Cub Sport, The Audreys, Patrick James
There is a magical time of the year, when all the stars align and the
live music scene in Brisbane booms. This magical time of year is called
BIGSOUND. Step 1: bring together industry gurus from all over the
country and from across the seas and throw them together in a conference
room for 4 days. Step 2: On the middle two nights, then bring them out
for to party, and invite the people of Brisbane who love live music.
Step 3: Watch the bliss unfold. This year BIGSOUND live boasted 120 acts
over 12 glorious stages. This is a but snapshot of the two-night
festival.
Opening night one of BIGSOUND Live was Patrick James at Ric’s
Bar. There’s a warm spot in my heart for this gentleman and his band.
They make me happy and put a smile on my face that I can’t wipe off.
“Bugs” sensational song and was the perfect way to start BIGSOUND 2013.
When the band breaks into 4 part harmonies, it is such an amazing sound.
Put that in the narrow space of Ric’s and it envelops you and draws you
right into their sound. Stunning.
Across the way at Black Bear Lodge were The Audreys. It was so nice to see the stage dressed for the occasion, complete with fairy lights! Frontwoman Taasha Coates
is so charismatic and carries the band so unbelievably well with her
pure vocals. There were also a decent amount of beards on stage. The Beards
would approve. “Small Things” was definitely a highlight of the set,
and really captured in one song what the band are all about.
Down at Channel V’s Stage at Coniston Lane was Cub Sport (formally known as Cub Scouts).
This is the first time where I felt the party getting started. They are
such a fun band all round, and their songs really endorse and encourage
this. Frontman Tim Nelson has such a great tone to his vocals,
even if he still looks 14. The bands’ new single “Paradise” is rad. It
is a testament to this band that they can change up the arrangement of
their music from tracked to live.
Warning: Etiquette rant. It is at this moment I will take a
second to mention amateur photographer etiquette. People, you can’t just
stand in front for the entire set and take awkward photos with your
wanky hipster cameras holding them at arms length trying to get that
shot of the drummer. There a thing called “zoom.” Use it. I’m all for
photographing bands, in fact I encourage it, however get your shots, get
out. People actually want to enjoy the bands they came to watch. Rant
over.
Something completely different came to me form Tkay Maidza at
The Triple J Unearthed stage at Oh Hello! Things you need to know about
this young lady. One, she’s tiny! To compensate this she had at least
3-inch platform boots on. Two, she is a powerhouse! She has seemingly
come out of nowhere to steal the BIGSOUND stage. You don’t see to many
proper female rappers and she is pretty darn awesome. So much so that
she blew the sound system at the venue. There was smoke, lots of smoke.
She took it in her stride though. Re-plugged things and 5 minutes later
she was back in action. Kudos!
At the Press Club, Willow were breaking hears with their soul infused tunes. Frontwoman Bianca Sciuto
has such an “old” voice. It has all the colours and inflections of a
50s jazz singer. It was amazing to witness. In the final song of the set
where it was just her and her guitarist, it was then I believe that she
shone brightest. All the heaviness of the rest of the band was gone and
it was raw, and rough just they way it should be!
Next was my first experience of the all girl rockers Stonefield.
The sisters are still so younge and have so much talent! It still
unbelievable. Their latest single “Put Your Curse On Me” Is just how it
should be. Raw, untainted Aussie rock. As I was watching, witnessing a
revival in ‘Girl Power’ I was thinking to myself that they’ve been
around for a good couple of years now, and how the hell had I not seen
them live until now…
Glass Towers were up next at the Channel V Stage with their
own take on rock. They are a whole lot of fun and that led to a lot of
uncontrollable flailing from the crowd. It may or may not have been some
form of dancing. “Jumanji” was a really rad song and definitely the
highlight of the set. It had a really interesting groove that was
different from the rest of their set.
Karl S. Williams is an entity unto himself. He mesmerized the
press club with his melodious guitar. His vocals reminded me of Antony
Hegarty, brainchild of Antony and Johnsons. And I got a little bit of
that vibe from him as well. He has an amazing falsetto voce and that
really was showcased in his piano numbers. The song that goes “I fell
for you, did you fall for me too” broke my heart! It was so stunning and
beautifully performed.
Where have Eagle and the Worm been for the last little bit of
my life! They seemed to have slipped off my radar, and this has made me
realize that they are really on of the bands of look out for again this
year. Brass always make a sound edition to any band, and for a party
band such as EatW, it is a nobrainer. Tonight they showcased both old
and new songs, with newbie “Electricity” being a true highlight. “Too
Young” had some stunning 5-part harmonies and was a little Beatle-esk.
Ending with “All I Know” was a great move. Really finished with a bang,
and got those feet moving in the crowd.
I was so looking for to seeing Regurgitator again! But as I
walked into Electric Playground, there was not a single centimeter of
space. I ask myself, why oh why did they put them at that venue! Why not
the Zoo! It is easily the biggest venue. As I stood at the back trying
to enjoy the flawless music I could not see 2 meters in front of me. And
I had to laugh at the soundman, (who was just in front of me) he was
having even less luck than me. It was a shame really, as I was really
looking forward to ending the night with the Gurge.
Whew! What a night! The highlight would have to be Eagle and the Worm
though. They lost me for a little while, however I am now most
definitely back on the band wagon. Unexpected pleasures were found in
Glass Towers, Patrick James and Tkay Maidza. Three completely different
acts, yet all so pleasing. Stay tuned, BIGSOUND is not done just yet.
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