Walking into this year’s BIGSOUND, I feel inspired. 150+ acts, 15 venues, and looking at the program, I probably can recall a song or two from maybe 10 or so artists. This is what BIGSOUND is all about, the opportunity to walk into a venue and have no idea what you are really walking into...
Up first for the evening was Mike Waters. From the first note, he caught the attention of the crowd. His vocal style is so powerful, yet completely effortless. He has some very controlled guitar playing that really complemented the lightness in his voice. “Daisy” was a particularly great tune which utilised some whistling and again that lightness, both in the guitar and vocals. He is definitely one to watch!
Moving onto The Zoo, where Big White were already playing. They had a really fun vibe to their music that had the shy crowd introvertedly grooving away. There were some interesting tempo and style changes in the middle of their songs, which made me wish I had heard more.
Back at The Flying Cock Timberwolf were playing up a storm. Their opening song started off quite simple and soft, but then grew and grew into something that was loud and frankly a little loose. Really nice stuff. Once coming up in that opening, they didn’t come down, they continued to set the party standard high.
At the Black Bear Lodge was Robbie Miller. It was apparent there were some technical difficulties, however, despite this there were some sensational vocals coupled with acoustic guitar and some synths. Unfortunately the synth drum sounds sounded quite manufactured and detracted from the acoustic beauty of the solo artist. There were some beautiful moments of vibrato in the guitar playing that really complemented the falsetto of Miller’s vocals. His last song of the set was easily my personal favourite.
Next up, for a nice change of pace was Ali Martin and her band at The Zoo. As the first female artist for the evening I was hoping for some excellent things, however, it just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Looking at her promo pics and write up, she seemed quite arty and alternative, yet just ended up be a little mundane. So it was time to move on.
At The Flying Cock was Howqua. Holy wow he is sensational!! His vocals were mellow and he crooned the audience with his music. He performed with ease and really connected with the audience. It was disappointing to miss most of his set.
Black bear Lodge then brought us All Our Exes Live in Texas. The four ladies brought such sensational old-school harmonies to a packed out crowd. With their accordion, mandolin and ukulele they just created some amazing music. It was the type of music that you can’t help but smile listening to! This is a band that definitely needs another listen!
With Lulu Raes at The Zoo, I didn’t really know what I was in for. Their profile didn’t give too much away, but you know what! That’s BIGSOUND for you! Somethings are just a bit of a wildcard. To my enjoyment, they were a mix between a bit of pop and a little bit of rock and little bits of other styles as well. This made for an eclectic set that was full of surprises!
Sahara Beck was my unexpected favourite of the night. She absolutely slayed her set at the Black Bear Lodge and was easily the most confident and engaging performer of the evening. She had it all. The looks, the pipes, the band and the music. Holy wow, the music. She was so passionate about her songs and it showed that she truly loves what she does. Together with her band, they never missed a beat. And there were a lot of unusual things going on. If there is one performer you need to check our Sahara Beck should be your pick!
A performer who I was very excited to see at BIGSOUND was NGAIIRE. Performing at newly redeveloped Foundry, she was on fire. On stage she brought together some friends including three backing vocalists, and a synth-programmer, she was exceptional. She performed a couple of new tunes together with her smash “Once”. A pretty rad set!
Closing the night was Yukon Blonde back at The Zoo. They were a great party band to close the night, with a set full of indie-pop tunes and it was such a shame that there was such a small crowd.
BIGSOUND Night One has proven to filled with unexpected surprises and I can’t wait to see what excitement tonight brings!
Stay tuned for the rest of the AU reviews BIGSOUND coverage! PART TWO IS HERE!
