Live Review: BIGSOUND Festival 2016 Night One

A standout electro artist on BIGSOUND's 2016 bill, Sydney’s BUOY, also known as Charmian Kingston, takes to The Flying Cock’s stage early on night one to delight punters with her jolty, dreamy-style electro-pop.

Being her second BIGSOUND, Kingston appears quite relaxed on stage, not letting a room full of delegates faze her as she plays through an array of her melodic electronica. Although lonely onstage, she fills the space with calm and rhythmic dance moves, taking the crowd away from the stressors of BIGSOUND to floating on BUOY’s electronic goodness. A special mention to Kingston for keeping her cool during untimely sound difficulties on the drop of her track Exit. A soon forgetful event after she slays the end of her BIGSOUND set.

Hideous Sun Demon are loud, raucous and their lead singer looks like he's flown straight out from the London '70s punk scene — he's got the whole bleached blonde mop top, elfin thing going. Their opener is a shrill, fuzzy number and the manic way they shred seems to lend itself to the idea that these guys have played together a lot and have refined their brand of controlled chaos. Expect to see the guys' eyes rolling in concentration, shaggy hair mussed up and the glitter glinting off their guitars. Their riffs are catchy and high in energy — if you want throwback punk, Hideous Sun Demon are your guys. 

There are those who jump around the stage and there are those who jump ALL around the stage. Melbourne artist Alice Ivy is the latter. And her boundless bounding energy is infectious. At the climax of this set, the crowd packing the Mane Stage room was raising the roof. The soul futurist from Melbourne (an almost one-person Avalanches) starts the set all loops, samples and noodling guitar. Then she delivers a vocal that the most accomplished divas would cry for — her aching ballad take on Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams is astounding. As Ivy adds a guitarist and rapper to the stage thats when she brings the party. It’s not easy to make a BIGSOUND showcase feel like a peak summer festival set, but Ivy did it with ease… and a helluva lot of jumping.

"A wonderfully raw, rough-hewn set of irreverent indie-rock."

What an entrance! Two dancers in hot pants and glitter bomber jackets invite soul queen Clairy Browne in all white, a huge faux fur stole around her shoulders. Browne's voice is huge and does whatever she wants it to, foregrounding the synths/samples guy (this is where you're hearing the brass from), drummer and bassist perfectly. It's groovy stuff — fun to watch — and you just know if given the budget her set would shine on a much bigger stage. Birthday Suit is a TUNE and a half, with a snappy drumbeat you can't help but move to. We see a few punters attempting her dancers' awesome moves — we fail miserably but we're sure Clairy's glad we tried. 

Cult-favourite Brisbane four-piece Thigh Master offer a wonderfully raw, rough-hewn set of irreverent indie-rock that recalls the insouciance of the '90s alt-scene in more ways than just sonically. Frontman Matthew Ford strikes a casual-cool figure centre-stage, only occasionally erring on the side of being a bit too cynical about the music industry at large given the event at which his band is playing, but it all forms part of their wider, give-no-fucks charm. Ford takes pains to point out that, despite their newly buoyant profile, the band have been around for four years and that their recently released single Company is actually just as old, so please stop calling it a new song (sorry!), and it proves a natural highlight, given they've been refining it — if "refining" is really the word for it — for so long. Side-note worthy of its own mention: drummer Byron Innez is a fuckin' beast and frequently in danger of upstaging everyone standing in front of him. 

Cairns country girl Leanne Tennant is a powerhouse of emotions and anecdotes about her music. Her set is fun and a little raunchy, and she gleefully introduces us to her backing band members as they each sound off an energetic and dance-inspiring solo. She tells us stories about her songs before she plays them, like Gentle Annie, a bus her neighbour always parks in the same spot, who she croons to “run away” with her (the bus, not the neighbour). 

Bringing that big-band rock sound to BIGSOUND, Shining Bird hurls their classically indie, yet distinctly Australian, melancholy-style rock tunes at punters congregating in the pits of The Brightside. Singing about riverbanks and bushfires, it was clear that Shining Bird’s Australian heritage informs and stylises their distinctive sound and, although reminiscent of classic Australian artists such as The Church and Nick Cave, it is truly unique in its own way. As Shining Bird’s set trucks along, the fellas become nothing short of entertaining with their progressive tunes and atmospheric guitar solos calling for some stand-on-speakers style antics and epic crescendos into beautiful chaos. Complete with an incredibly fitting alto sax player, mimicking and complimenting frontman Dan Taylor’s deep, brooding vocals, the seven-piece entice delegates and avid music lovers alike to enjoy their set.

With maybe 10 pedals, a sample pad, her guitar and a mic set up, Tash Sultana takes the stage to cheers. She builds a hazy, sometimes-reggae, sometimes-psych rock, sometimes-R&B soundscape with her loop pedals and percussive samples, her delayed vocals creating a beautiful harmony of sounds. Um - how does such a small human hold so much talent? The girl can multitask like crazy - she's slamming two or three pedals one after the other, tending to her pads and picking up a mandolin and wooden flute while she's still strapped onto her electric guitar. Then comes the voice! She's pulled a huge crowd tonight - Oh Hello is shoulder to shoulder and it's unsurprising considering the buzz on Sultana these days. She's having a blast too — it looks like she's piecing together a musical puzzle for us to marvel at afterwards. 

Gold Coast electro-indie-pop sibling duo Lastlings only put out their debut EP, Unreality, at the start of the year, but — given the talent on show and the size of the crowd entranced in front of them — you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for a far more experienced pair than that factoid would suggest. Despite a delay to the start of their set — it's worth noting for artists that, with so much music to take in, these sorts of setbacks can be detrimental to an act’s success here — the crowd at The Flying Cock remains packed-in and powerless to resist as the pair make their BIGSOUND debut one to remember with a lush and layered line-up of carefully constructed tunes.

Melbourne artist Ainslie Wills is accompanied by a guitarist and drummer tonight, with a backing track supporting her on the imaginary bass guitar. The singer-songwriter plays keyboard on the chorus of I Never Know What To Do, throwing in a series of expressive hand gestures throughout the song. She's an effortless performer, her voice fluttering deftly up and down the scales of Hawaii. The three-part harmony on Constellations is stunning, and she goes solo with a clean electric guitar for most of the Elvis-referencing Sorry My Love, before the instrumentalists join in to give the track some burning love of their own. Wills is sounding as confident as someone twice her age, recalling Patti Smith in her black and white outfit as she closes the set out with the anticipatory groove of her recent single Drive.

Downstairs at the Crowbar, Singaporean post-rock outfit In Each Hand A Cutlass are doing their homeland proud with a meaty, meticulous serve of instrumental power that has no problems instantly ensnaring their captive audience by the balls and hurling them around the room — so to speak. The effort with which IEHAC lay forth their dynamic, deliciously destructive fare is clear — sweat drips and glistens from artists and audience alike as everyone — everyone — heaves and churns in response to the technically proficient, hugely rewarding sounds on offer. This is truly a band that demonstrates the universality of the language of music, their lack of lyrics proving no barrier at all to understanding this band's intensity and intent. Sure, they'll never top the mainstream charts, but they're magnificent musicians who leave us thoroughly wiped out by the time the dying strains of epic closer Marauder ring out and we depart for quieter pastures.

Flowertruck could be this BIGSOUND’s most fun band (okay, tied with The Belligerents). There is something about their anti-poseur enthusiasm that recalls the silver age of ‘80s pub new wave (one nearby punter mumbled a comparison to Mental As Anything). But there is way more to Flowertruck - there’s the bellowing Julian Copesque vocals, the shambling ‘80s indie vibe (Lotus Eaters, Prefab Sprout maybe?) and even a touch of the pastoral electropop of China Crisis (just a touch). Their set is punchy, their in-between song banter is stupidly fun and Sunshower stays stuck in your head for hours after.

Oh Pep?! More like Oh Yep! A standout folk act and undoubtedly one of the best live performers of night one of BIGSOUND, Olivia Hally, Pepita Emmerich and band-mates graced the Black Bear Lodge stage to a packed-in crowd. Playing a collection of truly beautiful tracks, Hally swoons the crowd with her charming, clever, yet incredibly deep and melancholy storytelling-style lyrics, whilst Emmerich makes playing a mandolin look like one of the most impressive, god damn rockstar things we've ever seen at BIGSOUND, shredding that thing like she’s Slash. Oh Pep! have been our most recent folk export, having played at CMJ and SXSW in the past, and it's easy to see why. 

As one of the few Aussie female rappers embracing the distinctly homegrown spin on the genre, Sarah Connor got the memo to freshen things up in the hip hop scene. After building up a name for herself in the industry, most recently receiving Hilltop Hoods/APRA AMCOS initiative grant and opening up for massive home-grown hip hop acts like Thundamentals, Connor seems ready to let rip at BIGSOUND and show off why she is one of the best in the biz right now. Spurring up the crowd with her passionate and thought provoking lyrics, egging punters to come closer and get all up in her face, Connor’s live show begins to stand out among the few hip hop artists on the bill this year, like the breath of fresh air Australian hip hop needed. 

With the vocal gymnastics and pop-culture-heavy lyrics of January’s Justin Bieber, chilled Melbourne-via-NZ electro-lords Fortunes announced themselves as a wonderfully wonky, glitch-riddled option for people pining for glorious, intelligent tunes just fucked up enough to not lose all sense of accessibility amid the gleeful alt-R&B-pop subversion. Said track — which we almost teasingly don't get on account of our lukewarm response when asked if we're fans of the pop star — is actually an easy highlight of their nigh-faultless set, though they’re not short on standout moments. The charming duo of Conor McCabe and Barnaby Matthews lead their enthralled parish with casual aplomb, emanating carefree ebullience from start to finish. As the healthy audience at Ric's Backyard sways helplessly to their smooth, soulful beats, it's easy to see the big things sitting comfortably on these dudes' horizon in the near future.  

Adelaide synth-wizard Luke Million is in his element this evening, surrounded by synthesisers on the Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage. The curly-haired keytar warrior brings the funk with Archetype, featuring the smooth vocals of Thundamentals rapper Jeswon gliding throughout the room. Fear The Night sees him exercising some vocoder harmonies, while Midnight is upgraded with some added percussion. He plays his Stranger Things theme song remix for first time live, building up the tension magnificently for a few minutes. Light And Sound brings back the spirit of disco, before Million tells the audience that they're going to need some more energy for this next one, and finishes with the almost cult-classic Arnold. It's a crowd pleaser, but he's too nice to deny them tonight.

Having played last year too, Polish Club are back with their soul rock, packaged in their easily digestible two-piece. Unbelievably, they tear into Powderfinger classic On My Mind, making it faster and brasher, before it turns into one of their own. The duo are good - but they were good last year, too. We'll just have to wait and see if they can stand out from the pack. 

Having travelled all the way from India, it's a pity no one is giving Prateek Kuhad the respect to stop talking as he plays, never mind standing up the front. It's delicate, pensive folk rock he plays, an accent hardly visible in his singing voice though it's evident when he speaks to the room. He's got sweet tunes and a lovely voice. 

As if BIGSOUND couldn’t cram enough talent and energy into their bill, Tkay Maidza bursts onto stage. The Queen Of Australian Hip Hop is an apt title, her rapid-fire flow burning through the crowd with a renowned vigour, revitalising a crowd of punters and delegates after an enormous first day. Her set features crunching drops, deep stomps as she dances around stage with a grin plastered on her face, and an all star attitude. Maidza is a pop explosion capable of absolutely outright owning a stage that has seen far bigger shoes than hers.

You might have noticed, lately, that Brissy locals Columbus seem to all-of-a-sudden have garnered the kind of serious, unstoppable buzz heaped upon fellow prodigies The Goon Sax at last year’s BIGSOUND — but, with tight competition from other strong headliners splitting loyalties, they're playing to a smaller crowd here than their reputation and work ethic has earned them. It's everyone else's loss, though, as the three-piece turns out a break-neck, polished and party-hearty run of next-gen pop-punk intelligence, all heart-on-sleeve rumination underpinned by unabashed hopefulness and idealism, and it's just an absolute joy to behold. Their set naturally draws pretty heavily from their just-released debut album, Spring Forever, the title track itself putting an ebullient exclamation point on a wider performance of which the boys should be truly proud. Australia has a wonderful tradition of incubating some incredible alternative musicians, and Columbus have well and truly set themselves up as ready to receive the torch as their forebears inevitably grow up and slow down.

"It's explosive stuff."

It's hard to pinpoint Ecca Vandal but perhaps the best way is nu-metal. She raps, screams, sings and does everything in between, all the while dripping attitude a la MIA or Die Antwoord's Yolandi Visser. With cornrows swinging over her back and always wearing clashing, bright prints, her shows are cool because you can switch from having a headband to a booty shake in moments. She's been a busy gal this BIGSOUND, from playing two parties (Woolly Mammoth and The Triffid) on Tuesday night and her own set as well as jumping on with DZ Deathrays tonight. It's explosive stuff. 

An act that is on almost everyone's to-see-list, Alex Lahey takes out night one on the triple j Unearthed stage in front of an impressively sardined BIGSOUND crowd. Seemingly humbled by the experience, Lahey clearly enjoys herself as she plays through her short back-catalogue of indie-pop tracks, dancing around the stage with an infectiously innocent smile across her face for the entirety of the show. Although Lahey's career has been short so far, she’s gained so much traction since the release of her popular single You Don't Think You Like People Like Me earlier this year, even opening up Splendour In The Grass this year as part of taking out the j's Unearthed competition. It is clear that Lahey is about to go gangbusters with her catchy, indie-pop crackers and if her energetic and fun live show is anything to go by, she has a busy couple of years ahead of her.

Here' s everything else you need to know about BIGSOUND 2016.