THE FESTIVAL

With over 150 bands spanning every conceivable niche of the genre spectrum (and then some we didn’t even think existed), punters at BIGSOUND ’19 were beyond spoilt for choice. Our tried-and-true formula for the past few years has been to mathematically map out the entire schedule down to the seconds between sets and metres between venues, then strategically plan ways to catch three songs from each band until the nights run out. This year, we managed to catch over a third of the artists on the program – and even so, there were brutal sacrifices to make.

And although BIGSOUND has a large industry focus, it’d be nothing without its talent – those who pack up their pedalboards and trek through hell and high water to fight for our attention. These are the bands that, while they might only have a couple of singles and a pub tour or two on their belts right now, will grow on to be the household name of music fans Australiawide. Previous years have featured such current chart-smashers as Courtney Barnett, Gang Of Youths, WAAX and Alex Lahey. It’s like a sneak peek at what your favourite bands will be in three years – if nothing else, a chance to say, “I knew them back when they played BIGSOUND” (a phrase our editor is

painfully guilty of showing off with). Narrowing down our shortlist to just 18 acts was nothing short of gruelling. By no means are these all the best bands we saw; rather, these are the ones that left us truly lost for words – that we’re certain you’ll see ruling the airwaves and dominating festivals at the turn of the new decade. Now, get those Spotify playlists ready and prepare to find your new favourite band to froth over.

BEING JANE LANE

Though plugging an album called Savage

Sunday, the Fat Wreck-esque punks favoured mateship over moshing with their defiantly smileinducing set of scorchers. The double dose of thick and fast guitars was especially punchy blaring through a tiny PA, and though loose and lively as the anthems it drives may be, its architects never once veered into sloppiness. Incredible.

BLACK ROCK BAND

Fusing traditional Aboriginal music styles with big, booming modern rock hooks, the Jabiru crew were an inescapable talking point throughout the weekend. Their concept itself was brilliant, but infinitely moreso were the songs – tight, catchy, and enormously fun. Guitar solos wailed over thumping tribal beats; it was something we’d never seen before, but are now dying to see again.

THE BUOYS

The foursome shined with a striking dichotomy of glittery vocal melodies and crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars. Their laidback and lowkey atmosphere made them easily approachable from the outset, but once they kicked into an all-out ripper of a jam, you’d be forgiven for flinching: the Sydneysiders mean business – and they’ve certainly got ours.

CRY CLUB

If we left their set in awe last year, we were absolutely blown to shreds by Cry Club the second time around. Tighter, louder, and furiously more forcible (and less reliant on backing tracks – there’s a drummer!), the alt-pop luminaries tore through a set of soon-to-be hits with energy cranked to at 11 and talent off the damn Richter.

DULCIE

At times industrious and dancey, and at others just bewitching, the Perthians reigned with a cool course of radiant indie-rock solos and bubbly pop hooks. The four-piece looked like they were having the time of their lives onstage, and with their tunes equally sprightly and surging with good vibes, the energy was totally contagious.

GRETA STANLEY

Heartwarming harmonies and rollicking guitars ebbed and flowed with a dedication unrivalled. Stanley herself was laidback and bubbly, letting her indie-folk anthems lead the spotlight with vocals tender and ethereal while her fretwork laid a dense, gravelly path for them to flow across. Cuts from her new EP, SunInMy

Eyes, were especially mind-bending.

HARLEQUIN GOLD

So great that we simply have to break our “all-Australian” rule, the indie-pop Canucks were equal parts dreamy and destructive. Bass reigned in the foreground, carried along by shimmering Stratocaster hums and sharp, rollicking drum fills. Their harmonised vocals cut deep, the melodies emotionally resonant and the rhythms infectiously groovy. An easy addition to our road trip playlist. LAURA IMBRUGLIA

The self-described musical chameleon rang out with a hypnotising twang, her off-kilter collision of country vibes and punk attitude an instant hit with her quick-filling crowd. Showcasing fourth album ScaredOfYou, we’re blown right away by Imbruglia’s next-level strumming and bright, biting snarl.

LITTLE QUIRKS

Harmonies resonant and strings immediately captivating, the young folk stalwarts stunned with a liveliness rivalling even the most caffeinated of pop acts. The aptly named trio are still yet to drop an album on us, but when they do, you can take our word that it’ll be next-level – the new material they played was big, boomy and beautiful.

LOSER

Some of the hardest and most hectic shredders we caught all week, their grunge-infused alt-rock burst through the PAs and into our hearts. The choruses were calamitously catchy – even when they hit us with an unreleased cut, we had to at least attempt to sing along. If their forthcoming debut LP is anything as massive as the jams they ripped out at BIGSOUND, we’re in for a treat.

MID CITY

From their first numbing wail to their last pummelling crunch, the Melbourne rockers held punters in their grip with riffs slick and sour and vocals narcotising. You might know them from Triple J hit “Old Habits”, but it’s the deeper cuts – those grimy and driven with a punkish fervour – that had us weak at the knees within seconds.

OUTRIGHT

Positivity lies at the core of these Melbourne hardcore hellions, but rest assured, they’re not keen to water down the heaviness. Dual shredders Lincoln le Fevre and Joel Cairns were downright ruinous with their string abuse, spurring chaos in the pits with their gruff and gory onslaught of breakdowns. So too was frontwoman Jelena Goluza captivating, her roars pernicious as her stare was piercing.

PINKISH BLU

Part chill, introspective shoegaze and part sunny, bubbly synthpop, the Adelaide four turned heads aplenty with their noxiously breezy, slowburning bops. Their guitarist was a standout amongst his peers, wavering alongside the gush of crisp electronics with his gruff and sizzling, post-punk-channelled shredding.

SHADY NASTY

Twangy and kaleidoscopic guitars, mathy percussion and blunt, banging hip-hop flavours collide into a cerebral force of energy and emotion that’s severely difficult to walk away from. Their set revelled in the polarising, each cut dense and demanding of your brainpower as the Sydneysiders whipped around their stage.

SLY WITHERS

Loud, livid and downright loveable, the Perth punks dominated the stage with their feelsy bangers. Their defining trait is a jaunty and playful looseness, but when it comes to the performance, they’re incredibly adroit, each ripping riff and gutpunching vocal hook as masterful as they come.

SUPEREGO

When the Perth quintet played in 2017 (as POW! Negro), we described them as “a scatterpaced assault of screamed rapping, jazzy sax and pulsing funk guitars stacked over glassy percussion and punky strums.” The same is true of Superego in 2019, except now they’re tighter, rowdier and a million times more impactful. How they aren’t already selling arenas out is well beyond us.

TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS

The combo of a knockoff Tele and amped-up SG created a growly, gristly wall of sound that allowed this Canberran pop-rock powerhouse to catch eyes on their stage like flies on abandoned pizza. They’ve already spent 2019 crawling up the ranks, but with a stack of new material in the works, 2020 looks to be the year they finally dive-bomb the mainstream – and deservedly so.

TOWNS

Somewhere between the Dune Rats and Short Stack, the Adelaidian pop-jam duo shone with a fun and fiery spirit that far eclipsed their minimal setup; with just a single axe, drum kit and mic, they managed a truly enormous sound. Bodies were thrashing around by the mid-point of their first song; you best damn believe we joined in.

WITHER

A supergroup of Australian metalcore icons, Wither kicked down the doors with their intense flurry of overdrive and distortion, the only thing more destructive than their mix being the venomous energy their wielded. Guitars ripped and wailed with stadium-level fury, frontman David De La Hoz spitting pure, unrelenting fire over them.

WOLFJAY

Defined by their lush and layered soundscapes, the Melbournite delivered a dreamy set of distortion-tinged indie-pop. Though songs often eclipsed the five-minute mark, they zipped by in seconds, vivid and twinkly synths soaked over with sharp and rhythmic guitars creating an effortlessly enthralling atmosphere. Too, there was a punchiness to their guitar work that hacked and hammered through the airiness of the synth leads. Stunning.