It’s that time of year again, everybody! That crazy time of year when the local music industry and representatives from abroad swarm the bustling streets of Brisbane’s hallowed and storied Fortitude Valley for Australia’s premier music industry conference, BIGSOUND.
This year’s BIGSOUND conference is absolutely jam-packed with internationally renowned speakers, buzzed-about up-and-coming local bands and musicians, and even a few bonafide music legends, as well as countless industry stakeholders, who are all here to talk music and maybe even find the next big thing.
Keeping with tradition, we at Tone Deaf decided to pack our bags once again and head up north to see what all the fuss is about. We’re here for the sights, the tastes, the smells, and most of all, the sounds, because at the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Panel Beating
Things were finally given an official start with an opening keynote address from living legend Peter Garrett, whose talk focused on placing music at the centre of national life, which he argued would benefit Australia’s transformation from a polluting, “planet destroying” society, into a “planet friendly” one.
The former Midnight Oil frontman said there was a “growing body of science” that connects music to the cultivation of social attributes needed to transform “21st-century Australia” into a sustainable society, as well as touching on issues such as the digital revolution and US dominance of Australian commercial radio.
We were then illuminated by a range of panels, talks, and discussions, including ‘The (Not So) Humble Record Store’, ‘Festivals: It Ain’t The Size That Matters’, ‘Publicists On Publicity’, ‘Still The Most Important Companies In Music’, and ‘Clickbait, Listicles and Features’.
The latter panel, which featured appearances from a selection of PR professionals and representatives from a range of Australian music publications, discussed not only the current state of music journalism, but what its future might be in a digital space increasingly fixated on clicks.
While everyone agreed it was difficult to come to a conclusion on just what the future looks like for music journalism, everyone agreed that it is certainly in a state of flux and that regardless of how it looks, it will exist in one form or another.
Bands, Bands, Bands
Showcases came in like a crossfire hurricane and we didn’t waste any time in hitting the Valley to see how many we could fit into one night. One of the most buzzed-about bands at this year’s conference have been Sydney boys Green Buzzard and their performance at The Winn certainly lived up to the hype.
Meanwhile, over at The New Globe Theatre, High Tension were busy blowing away the crowd gathered inside grungy venue. When we arrived, frontwoman Karina Utomo was in the crowd, death-growling right in the face of an entranced punter, as the band dominated the stage with ear-piercingly crunchy riffs.
We felt like our ears simply weren’t ringing enough and decided to head to Crowbar. Inside, Melbourne’s Witchgrinder were putting on a punishing set of industrial metal, with churning riffs and a powerful, domineering stage presence reminiscent of veteran bands like Gojira.
We managed to sneak in a little bit of a breather to check out some of the amenities in the Valley. After sneaking a quick Philly cheese steak, it was time to get back to work. Of course, when we say “work”, we mean excellent performances from the likes of Methyl Ethel, Ella Thompson, Harts, and more.
Somewhere on the outdoor stage of The Elephant Hotel, lost in a haze of smoke and white light, were Methyl Ethel, who were proving once again that Perth is one of Australia’s music hot spots. Meanwhile, Ella Thompson was making good on the promise of her latest release, the acclaimed Janus.
After a trifecta of quality performances from consummate showman Harts, the rightfully buzzed-about Babaganouj, and the incredible vocal talents of Ngaiire, we finished the evening with a performance from Woodlock, whose skills on the stage, which they honed busking in areas like Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall, will no doubt see them ascend to higher planes soon.
