Live Review: BIGSOUND Live: Tkay Maidza, Little May... Bradley Armstrong Reviews Night 2

Nursing a nasty hangover Bradley Armstrong reviews Day 2.

Kicking off affairs at Alhambra Lounge, locals The Phoncurves initially bring an easy sound to soothe the hangovers of the crowd from the night before. Tonight as a four piece, the groups main ladies are the stars of the show harmonising, switching instruments and tag teaming vocal lines to a clearly baited audience. The choppy Heartstrings is an early highlight resonating sounds of First Aid Kit. But when the ladies go solo for some new material things go electro and dangerously borderline the sounds of Chet Faker. Still, a more than acceptable way to start the evening.

Over at Rics, Males bring the energy and enthusiasm to kick the night into overdrive. The groups upbeat Wavves style indie rock seem to divide the audience as the set progresses as the group tread rather close to their influences. The groups frontman with his higher register towards the end becomes the only defining characteristic as things awkwardly come to close.

Making the venture up from Melbourne, Evelyn Morris aka Pikelet has drawn a rather large crowd, of which are hooked as the group (tonight a group featuring a live bassist) venture through Morris' trademark oddball pop with mathematical intricacy. The set takes an intriguing turn as Morris sources a guitar from the audience to premiere a brand spanking new track which proves to be the highlight of the set.

South Australian rapper/MC Tkay Maidza draws a rather large and enthusiastic crowd to the daunting large outdoor area of The Brightside. The problem? The sound is unnaturally low and Maidza for the most part is almost inaudible for the whole set. The crowd don't aid affairs with bitching about the sound proving to be louder than what is on offer. Still, for those whom pay attention Maidza's quick fire delivery coupled with accessible beats is clearly something to watch out for in the realm of pop/hip hop as despite all problems, the set is dominated.

Over at the Press Club Sweet Jean simply radiate authenticity despite being stuffed into the corner of the room. For a band that has such definable roots within their influences of Dusty Springfield and Karen Dalton the band just pull it off with Alice Keath proving to be the one to watch as she plays the banjo with pure virtuosity. Again, a recurring theme with the stylised acts on offer at The Press Club they could perhaps benefit from a more intimate setting but regardless it is hard not to be captivated in the atmosphere this group set up.

Down at Oh Hello, Little May are met with a A class audience (including Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop whom copped a bit of drink spillage). Things kick off strangely with an MC introducing the band which just feels awkward. Comparisons with this group and The Jezabels are easy to make, though the group tonight seem to have more of an edge to them. The set is at its best when it is loud and when it is quiet it is hard to stay within the same atmosphere. The set takes some weird turns though as an ill-fated partial cover of Rowland S. Howard's Shut Me Down fails to be appropriate considering the setting. The sound also takes a dramatic shift down half way through. Still, the punters are happy and the group deliver a polished performance.

Back over at The Brightside' outdoor area, sound issues cause delay and confusion of which leads to Gold Fields taking the stage close to fifteen minutes late. Despite the issues the band bring instantly tight beats that have the crowd consumed within minutes. Rounding out things at Black Bear Lodge, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders mix old and new material to a packed out bar. The talk of the town being the tall man's new material is clearly influenced by his backing band (featuring Sydney disco personality Donny Benet on bass) ventures from upbeat accessible pop numbers to calypso style dance numbers. Older numbers such as the atmospheric Cold Feet still work in this environment despite the change in sound and as the set progresses in perhaps one of the biggest WTF moments in this years BIGSOUND, Ladder and co. are joined by Killing Heidi frontwoman Ella Hooper for a collaborative track. In this years appearance Ladder has understood his audience and has clearly capitalised on his ever changing sound and has most certainly created some hype for his upcoming release.