BIGSOUND festival review – the sound from down under

I’ve just returned from Australia, lured by Brisbane’s BIGSOUND festival, a showcase for emerging Australian and New Zealand acts, and the prospect of discovering some new glimmers of musical brilliance. All genres can be found here; from sounds deeply rooted in First Nation traditions to artists wearing their baggy and Britpop influences firmly on their sleeves. 

Across three nights and 18 venues packed into a strollable section of the city known as Fortitude Valley, more than 130 acts performed 30-minute sets for locals and music industry delegates, hoping, like me, for their jet lag to be overridden by goosebumps.

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For me, that moment came while watching Australian singer-songwriter Georgia Knight wrap up her brilliant set, performing songs from her forthcoming album Beanpole by singing languidly into a red rotary phone, accomplishing that tricky feat of making the stage fully her own despite the short stage time, something I might have missed had I not been able to see her live. 

A clear barrier for artists from this part of the world is finding the resources required to showcase their talents to a European audience. “For me it’s financial most pressingly,” Knight says when I ask her about the challenges of reaching fans overseas. “But I think more generally probably social; audiences need time to build trust and recover their desire to search for the unfamiliar.” She remains optimistic, however. “There’s a challenge in spreading the word, but I feel quite happy for things to grow naturally and have always liked hiding Easter eggs for people to find. Eventually I foresee people getting underneath or away from the gluey skin of social media, it’s becoming uncool, so more and more we’ll be drawn to congregate IRL around whatever gets our hearts going.” Given the visceral response I had to her live show, I’m inclined to agree. 

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I was equally moved by Intermood, a Melbourne band I caught on night two, expertly executing the kind of infectious danceable jazz show that seems to have been solidly popular in the UK for the past five years or so. For them, BIGSOUND was an energising experience which provided further perspective on how hard they’ll need to work to ‘break’ the UK, despite already having received airplay on UK radio. “So many great bands come out of the UK and there is so much to experience in a small place,” they tell me. “The most intimidating thing is probably the sheer number of bands and artists in the UK, as well as its proximity to Europe and the rest of the world… Melbourne is very far away from everything.” UK artists also have more opportunity to build up a fanbase at a grassroots level by playing regular local gigs, whereas for bands like Intermood, “touring costs a billion dollars”.

Overabundance of great music, wherever it’s coming from, does strike me as a nice problem to have, and despite the obstacles, the artists I spoke to at BIGSOUND are optimistic. “It seems like maybe there’s a curiosity in the UK about what and why people are making things down here, which is well placed,” Georgia says. Intermood agree: “At the end of the day the music speaks for itself. Bands like King Gizz, Mildlife, Surprise Chef, Folk Bitch Trio and Glass Beams are all a testament to that.”

When it comes to identity, both resist being boxed in. Intermood tell me, “We think our music doesn’t necessarily scream Australiana, our sound belongs to our favourite bands and musicians who we look up to and are inspired by. When you meet us we are definitely Australian, but we hope our music transcends that.” Georgia says, “Aside from where I live, which has been fairly fluid over the last year, (my music) hasn’t really been rooted anywhere apart from the room I made it. I wrote everything for Beanpole in
a very wet apartment in Melbourne, but now I’m spending so much time in New Zealand I’d like to make another album here. 

“Down in the South Island where I am based there is a kind of trend toward the gothic. People are compelled to deal with the elements and that is reflected very much in the music; I can see myself delving into that.” 

Another factor which will no doubt be relatable for a UK audience. Georgia is unequivocal in her ambition “Coming to the UK with this album is at the top of the list,” she says. “I am so hungry to test out new audiences and it’s looking like the UK is where we’ll begin.” Intermood also hope to tour and have their sights set on London’s iconic George Tavern as a port of call. “There’s definitely physical distance,” they tell me. “However, the sonic waves travel quick!”

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