BIGSOUND ANNOUNCES MAJOR KEYNOTES:
BEST COAST’S BETHANY COSENTINO,
REVENGE OF THE SHE-PUNKS AUTHOR VIVIEN GOLDMAN,
FRONTIER TOURING’S SAHARA HERALD
& ARTIST MOJO JUJU
+ REVEALS THE OFFICIAL PARTY PROGRAM, OUR INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OVOLO THE VALLEY

Australia’s biggest music industry gathering BIGSOUND has revealed even more of its amazing 2019 speaker lineup today, with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, music writer and industry figure Vivien Goldman, Frontier Touring’s Sahara Herald and acclaimed artist Mojo Juju.

Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino has become an important and outspoken artist voice. As well as writing some of the best indie anthems of the last decade, she has also lent her voice, speaking out against sexism and sexual assault, sharing her journey to sobriety and struggle with insomnia.

Vivien Goldman has had an incredible journey through the music industry, working as a journalist in the UK on publications such as NME, Sounds and Melody Maker, hosting on pirate radio, working in labels as Bob Marley’s first publicist, becoming an artist herself as part of 80s new-wave duo Chantage and finally becoming an acclaimed author, with her latest book ‘Revenge of the She-Punks’ chronicling female voices across the punk movement.

Sahara Herald has been a staple of the live music industry for decades, with eighteen years as National Event Co-ordinator of the Big Day Out before moving to Mushroom Group’s Frontier Touring where she was appointed Tour Director in 2018, being integral in the success of record breaking tours such as Troye Sivan, Lorde, The Killers, Paul Kelly, Shawn Mendes, Midnight Oil and Sam Smith.

Mojo Juju is one of Australia’s most important artist voices who takes us on her journey of self-discovery and storytelling through music and breaking through in 2018 with her triple-ARIA nominated album ‘Native Tongue’.

BIGSOUND has also announced their party program today, with purple pass holders in for a real treat with no less than 16 official events. Kicking off with the BIGSOUND Virgin Australia ‘HOME’ Welcome Party featuring music from Electric Fields, DRMGNOW, Deline Briscoe and Mambali and the Women in Music lunch and moving across four days of treats including the massive Levi’s® Showcase (with music from Milan Ring, Kobie Dee, Stevan and Dulcie), Nettwerk Music Showcase (featuring Riley Pearce, Jaguar Jonze, Hayden Calnin and Harrison Storm), the Unified Showcase (with Tones And I, Jack Botts, Stellie and RINI), Music Industry College Bacon & Bangers and the famous Bloody Mary Brunch.

We also welcome international delegations from Singapore (Hear65) and Canada (Music BC and Indigenous North), as well as this year’s national spotlights Adelaide and the Gold Coast with artists and industry from across these regions hosting parties to show off their best new talents.

BIGSOUND also celebrates 10 years of partnership with the famous Oztix Party (this year with music from KYVA, 100, RINI, The Moa, Sly Withers, MID CITY, Concrete Surfers and the now-traditional surprise closing act!), the Infamous Secret Sounds After Party plus a special closing party event with details still under wraps.

Not to mention plenty more surprises up our sleeve… (did you catch the secret Paul Kelly show last year?)

For the first time, BIGSOUND is also pleased to announce its official hotel partner, designer hotel, Ovolo The Valley. The host of BIGSOUND’s opening night party and Late Night Supper Series is ZA ZA TA Bar and Kitchen, where wonders never cease. A place to come for a quick drink, stay for an all-night adventure. Inspired by the vibrant Tel Aviv bar scene, amidst a soulful setting rich in eclectic character, it’ll be the place to be for late night beats, booze and bites till 2am each night; serving BIGSOUND inspired cocktails, an extended bar & dining menu with rotating DJ’s. Ovolo will also be putting on transfers and a range of other special inclusions for BIGSOUND guests at both their Valley and Inchcolm.

BIGSOUND OFFICIAL PARTIES:
Women in Music
HOME: Official BIGSOUND Welcome Party
Made In Adelaide
Hear65 @ BIGSOUND
Levi’s® Showcase
Bacon & Bangers
Gold Coast Showcase
Unified Showcase
Music BC Showcase
Oztix BIGSOUND Party
Nettwerk Showcase
BIGSOUND After Party
BIGSOUND Bloody Mary Brunch
Indigenous North @ BIGSOUND

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES:
Tickets for BIGSOUND are on sale now! Purple passes give access to all BIGSOUND events, keynotes, forums, panels, parties and live music across four big days and nights. Special rates apply until July 31 so grab your tickets now! If you are just looking for live music, for just $85, a BIGSOUND Rainbow Pass gives you access to all performances: 150 artists, across 18 venues, with just one wristband. For more information and ticketing options, click here.

BIGSOUND’s app will also been refreshed with a unique Spotify integration, allowing attendees to get a personalised discovery playlist from the BIGSOUND lineup based on their own favourite artists, listening history, and genre preferences!

Spotify and Apple Music have also created official BIGSOUND playlists for you to sit back, click play, and discover your new favourite artist on the line up.

FIRST SPEAKERS & BUYERS ANNOUNCEMENT:

KEYNOTES:
Bethany Cosentino – Best Coast (USA)
Vivien Goldman – Writer (USA)
Mojo Juju – Artist (AUS)
Sahara Herald – Frontier Touring (AUS)
Terry McBride – Nettwerk (CAN)

SPEAKERS & BUYERS:
Abbie McCarthy – Radio 1 & BBC Music Introducing (UK)
Adam Kreeft – The Feldman Agency (USA)
Anamaria Diaz – Páramo (COL)
Andy Snape – Raw Power Management (USA)
Bekah Zietz Flynn – Sub Pop Records (USA)
Ben Coleman – Green Man Festival (UK)
Ben Morris – Domino Creative Sync (USA)
Brid Walpole – Pitch Perfect PR (USA)
Brendan Moylan – ECO (MEX)
Casey O’Shaughnessy – Select Music (AUS)
Ellie Jones – Stay Loose PR (UK)
Fabrício Nobre – A Construtora Música e Cultura (BRA)

Jamila Lyndon – Paradigm Agency (USA)
Jon Halperin – The Glass House (USA)
Kamran Haq – Live Nation UK / Download Festival (UK)
Kim Frankiewicz – Concord Music (UK)
Kiran Patel – A&G Sync (UK)
Kristin Genovese – Third Side Music (USA)
Matt Brinkworth – Omnian Music Group (USA)
Michael Nieves – Sugaroo (USA)
Mike Ajayi – AMF Records / Virgin EMI (UK)
Mike Sniper – Captured Tracks (USA)
Nando Machado – ForMusic (BRA)
Natasha Parish – Ground Control Touring (USA)
Nick Holroyd – Primary Talent International (UK)
Owen Mallon – Paradigm Agency (USA)
Paul Brindley – Music Ally (UK)
Shannon Kurlander – Terrorbird Media (USA)
Suzanna Slavin – Mom + Pop Music (USA)

• more to be announced
  BIGSOUND FESTIVAL FIRST ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT:
  100
  3K
  Ainsley Farrell
  Alana Jagt
  Approachable Members Of Your Local Community
  Aquila Young
  Bad//Dreems
  Being Jane Lane
  Black Rock Band
  Bobby Alu
  Butter
  Butternut Sweetheart
  Chakra Efendi
  City Rose
  Concrete Surfers
  Deline Briscoe
  DREGG
  DRMNGNOW
  Dulcie
  EGOISM
  Electric Fields
  Fan Girl
  First Beige
  Fletcher Gull
  Flossy
  FRITZ
  Future Haunts
  Gordon Koang
  Hannah Blackburn
  Hemm
  Hope D
  Johnny Hunter
  Kat Edwards
  Kobie Dee
  Kymie
  Laura Imbruglia
  LOSER
  Louis Baker
  Love Deluxe
  Lucy Peach
  Mambali
  Marco
  Mariam Sawires
  Mermaidens
  Mickey Kojak
  micra
  MID CITY
  Miiesha
  Milan Ring
  Nerve
  Outright
  PINCH POINTS
  P-UniQue
  Raj Mahal
  Rebecca Hatch
  Reija Lee
  Reliqa
  RINI
  Royal And The Southern Echo
  Ruby Gilbert
  Ryan Fennis
  SCABZ
  Shady Nasty
  Spacey Jane
  Stellie
  Stevan
  Sycco
  Tasman Keith
  Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
  THE DEAD LOVE
  The Money War
  Temgazi
  Tones And I
  Wolfjay
  yergurl
  ZĀN
• more to be announced

Following the success of their infectious singles ‘No Sofas’, ‘Switch’, ‘Juggathon’, and ‘Century’
hitting screens Australia wide after being added to MTV Australia’s rotation, the trailblazing West
Australian hip hop trio of Figuero Jones, Black Napoleon and ErikiBeatz (K9INES) have
announced their highly anticipated collaborative 9 track project ‘Gully SZN’ is scheduled for release
Friday, July 5 th via Day Ones Records.

As a result of the architects behind the EP ‘Gully SZN’ being exposed to varying environments,
cultures and upbringing from across the world, the K9INES music evolves into a dynamic, hard
hitting, rhythmic and progressive sound that represents and displays the cumulative conflicts,
frustrations, and grind of having come up from nothing and having to earn your keep.
‘Gully SZN’ hopes to shake up and offer something new not only to the growing and emerging
Australian hip hop landscape, but also to the global hip hop market. K9INES also hopes that the
project cements itself as a pillar and foundation of their future releases.

The listeners can expect another music video on the way for the infectious, melodic, and bouncy
banger ‘Shakey’ that sees Figuero and Napoleon exchange fun but surgical braggadocio bars over
ErikiBeatz production. Venturing away from their more well known hard hitting anthems, ‘Shakey’
displays the trios versatility but also exhibits a more playful, wavy sound that will keep heads
nodding and bouncing the whole way through.

Queenscliff Music Festival 2019 announces its soulful second lineup

The line up gets bigger as the 2019 Queenscliff Music Festival releases its next round of acts. Queenscliff Music Festival’s second soulful serving of sound for 2019 includes Mojo Juju, Remi, Kent Burnside (USA), Nano Stern (CHL), Ross Wilson, Joe Pug (USA), and Ian Noe (USA).

Mojo Juju embodies a space between expectations as an unapologetic and proud voice for the myriad of identities that shape the Australian landscape. Hip-hop artist Remi similarly delivers dynamic and honest observations of Australian life through his semi tongue-in-cheek braggadocios style. Acute perception also accompanies Nano Stern (CHL) who is praised as “the best young Chilean songwriter of his generation,” by Joan Baez.

It wouldn’t be QMF without a bed-rock of blues, roots, and rock ‘n’ roll. As the grandson of R.L Burnside Kent Burnside (USA) performs bare boned blues filled with grit and groove. Ross Wilson also joins and with no less than 26 ARIA Top 40 hits to his credit he is one of Australia’s most awarded artists. Joe Pug’s (USA) introspective insight into the human condition provides a respite accompanied by a range of folk and country compadres such as the Kentucky troubadour Ian Noe (USA). Karen Lee Andrews is hitting new strides with a style described as Oceanic Blues.

Rounding out the announcement The Mamas, Devorah, and Tanya Georgeare powerhouses not to be overlooked. The rowdy and raucous follow suit with The Barren Spinsters, Doc Halibut, The Swamp Stompers and The New Savages. The explosion of sound doesn’t stop there with The Strides building an electric and eclectic base of reggae-pop and dub that is as daring as Sky Eater’s Mermaid Trip-Hop Dub. For a mellower mood GraceJean’scompelling and compassionate storytelling stands alongside the rich Gothic imagery of the Weeping Willows and the Long Johns with their tincture of dark country.

They join the already announced artists Allensworth (USA), Alysha Brilla (CAN), Amaru Tribe, Ash Grunwald, Brekky Boy, The Cat Empire, Charlie Collins, Claire Anne Taylor, Clare Bowditch, The Delta Riggs, Dubarray, Fools, Hiatus Kaiyote, Merpire, Missy Higgins, Newton Faulkner (UK), Paul McDermott & Gatesy, Steve Poltz (USA), Stevie Jean, Tim Finn (NZ), Troy Cassar-Daley, The Waifs

The pristine beauty of the Bellarine is accompanied by the best live music, craft beers, fine wines, and local produce and family-friendly activities. Queenscliff continues their war on waste in 2019, following the incredible 90.07% diversion rate of rubbish which was recycled into picnic tables and benches. Attendees of this year’s festival will most likely be wining and dining on the results of this great initiative.

The 23rd Queenscliff Music Festival will run from 22nd – 24th November 2019.

The second line up announcement is:

Devorah
Doc Halibut
GraceJean
Ian Noe (USA)
Joe Pug (USA)
Karen Lee Andrews
Kent Burnside (USA)
Mojo Juju
Nano Stern (CHL)
Remi
Ross Wilson
Sky Eater
Tanya George
The Barren Spinsters
The Long Johns
The Mamas
The New Savages
The Strides
The Swamp Stompers
The Weeping Willows

As premiered by Nkechi Anele on triple j’s Roots N’ All, East Coast based roots-reggae band Sun Salute are pleased to share their soulful new single Hold On. Evoking shades of classic Motown, the inspired feel-good track is an ode to Mother Earth with a message to hold on and not give up on mankind just yet.
The band says of the song, “In a world of super consumerism, Hold On shares a story of faith in the bond between mother and child.

We, the children of our mother earth must act now and do all we can take less and start increasing our giving back to nature. Little by little, we can all do our bit to save what is left of humanity through the eyes of hope.”
Born of the snow season in Victoria, jamming and snowboarding together, Sun Salute are an international collective that draw inspiration from nature, travel and community. Their philosophy is both simple and infinitely complex: to use the power of music for healing and change.

Politically driven and unafraid of voicing the truth, Sun Salute are not without their bite, but even at their most lyrically pugilistic they are positive and uplifting. Hold On is the second single lifted off their album due out this year, following first taster No More. Taking a full reggae ensemble, giving the horns a delicious Motown twist, and delivering socially conscious lyrics through epic tropical melodies; Sun Salute shine with a glorious hybrid of tones, styles and ideologies.
Returning to their roots in the Victorian snowfields, the band tracked their new material at reggae icon Nicky Bomba’s mountain cottage with legendary engineer Robin Mai
(John Butler Trio, Melbourne Ska Orchestra). Refining and finishing the tracks with reggae maestro Paulie B (The Beautiful Girls, Bobby Alu), Sun Salute’s ARIA Award-winning production team has done an exceptional job in capturing all of the classic reggae rhythms, dubs, solid grooves and jams of the band’s notorious live show.
Taking this movement worldwide, Sun Salute are a bright hope in dark times, which the world needs now more than ever. A product of the band’s own rich cultural diversity, Sun Salute exist as a shining example of how humanity’s differences only make us stronger together.
New single ‘Hold On’ out now via Firestarter Distribution

SWAN
RELEASES BRAND NEW TRACK AND VIDEO “SWEAT BABY SWEAT”
MATT SWAN – A FOUNDING MEMBER OF MASSIVE ROCK OUTFIT ROYAL BLOOD,
IS GOING SOLO WITH DEBUT TRACK & VIDEO

Swan is the brainchild of Matt Swan. A founding member of genuine worldwide rock phenomenon Royal Blood, “Swanny” is today announcing his debut release, an absolute hip-swinger of a single and video entitled “Sweat Baby Sweat”. The single will see the light of day in all digital outlets and streaming platforms from Friday July 5th.

The filmclip (produced by Clint Gough) for this high-octane belter comes in the form of a black-and-white clip where Swanny rescues a stranded woman with a broken down car and takes her for a ride on the back of his motorbike and then into the skies, as he then proceeds to skydive, all the while singing the 100-mile-an-hour, foot-to-the-floor track.

Swanny has been writing and recording this track and an entire batch of new songs just north of Byron Bay in his home studio – and this new track is the first to be released. “Sweat Baby Sweat” was mixed & mastered by Forrester Savell (Cog, Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus), produced by Matt Swan & Clint Gough (Like Thieves) and engineered by Nathan Stanborough & Bernie Wedrat.

Swan says that “Sweat Baby Sweat is simply about letting the good times roll live life to the max – life is one big party. It was written after a long hot Summer’s night of no sleep in Byron Bay in 2018. I had just got home in the early hours of the morning after playing drums at one of Byron Bay’s crazy warehouse parties – I picked up the guitar, cracked another beer and the main riff quickly came to me. I then laid down some drums and Sweat Baby Sweat was born.”

“These warehouse parties are famous throughout Byron Bay’s rock scene, they are a wild, hedonistic, sweaty mix of rock ’n’ roll and creativity. When it came time to lock down my lyrics I was still on a high from my experience that night so I wanted write this song as a homage to it. That night was hot and sweaty, the dance floor was full of people sweating as we rocked out. There was this one beautiful woman that I couldn’t take my eyes off, we locked eyes and it was like we were in a trance. Sweat was rolling off her body, i loved the way she moved and I loved the way she just didn’t care… Sweat Baby Sweat!”

A genuine Rock ‘N’ Roll Crocodile Dundee, Swanny grew up just north of Byron Bay in a small town called Terranora in New South Wales. Beginning his love of music at the age of 12, Swanny realised his passion and purpose in life had to be in the form of music – and began his journey as a drummer. Not long after, Swanny toured all around Australia and carried out drum workshops in remote Aboriginal schools, while gigging throughout the country towns and cities, before breaking away and moving to Nashville at age 21. His side project The Swamps have played at Falls Festival 2019 and for Margot Robbie’s Wedding (yes, you read that correctly) as well as supporting Wolfmother,
Omar Rodriguez, Kingswood and Stonefield to name a few.

Set the scene – it’s 2011 and Swanny met Mike Kerr in Brighton and the band ‘Royal Blood’ was born in March that year. The duo lived together and spent their time writing, recording and establishing Royal Blood as a band. Their first single was recorded at Rockfield Studios UK in 2011. The band decided to move to Australia in 2012 and recorded their first EP in Brisbane. “Come On Over” which was previously named “Leaving”, went to air on Triple J’s ‘Home n Hosed and the rest is history….

BOY & BEAR SHARE NEW VIDEO FOR SINGLE ‘HOLD YOUR NERVE’

NEW ALBUM ‘SUCK ON LIGHT’ RELEASED FRI SEPT 27th

GLOBAL ‘HOLD YOUR NERVE’ TOUR KICKS OFF IN AUSTRALIA NEXT MONTH

BRISBANE SHOW NOW SOLD OUT WITH TICKETS TO MELBOURNE, SYDNEY & PERTH SELLING FAST

Following on from the release of new music last month, Boy & Bear today have shared the official video for their upbeat and optimistic new single Hold Your Nerve.

The video celebrates the return of the Sydney band with an intimate and energetic performance video, shot by director Onil Kotian (Angus & Julia ‘Snow’ and ‘Cellar Door’) who the band worked with for the first time.

Shot in black and white, the video is intercut between scenes of a constantly revolving camera around the band’s performance and a series of open-ended abstract visuals that add texture. The coloured visuals are lifted from the artwork of the band’s forthcoming album which was designed by Leif Podhajsky who is behind the album artwork for artists Tame Impala, London Grammar and Foals to name but a few and the creative director for Vivid Live Festival.

Director Onil Kotian says, “When I first heard ‘Hold Your Nerve’, what resonated for me very early on was to be minimal & abstract in the concept – that didn’t detract from this energetic rhythmic drive that the song presented. Focusing on generating movement in the video that mirrored the dynamic of the song became the focal point of the execution.”

Killian Gavin from Boy & Bear says of the video, “Making this clip was a real treat. We’d obviously been away from this world for a few years and were keen to rethink how we’ve gone about clips in the past. We’ve often layered stories over performances as we felt like it helped make clips more intriguing. But this was different. We wanted to find a way to captivate an audience with just a performance-based clip. It was a challenge we sort of came up with on the spot while shooting Day 1.”

Announced on Boy & Bear’s socials last week, their highly anticipated fourth album Suck On Light, will be available digitally, on CD and standard & limited edition coloured vinyl on Friday September 27th through Island Records Australia. Fans can pre-save, pre-order and pre-add from here.

Produced by the band and Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) in Nashville’s Southern Ground studios, and mixed in part by Grammy Award-winning mix engineer Tom Elmhirst (Arcade Fire, Beck, Lorde, Amy Winehouse), the 12-track album will include the recently released ‘Hold Your Nerve’ and ‘Work Of Art’.

Met with an incredible reception from fans and media on release, their first and current single ‘Hold Your Nerve’ was instantly added to triple j (hitting #1 Most Played on the station) and added to playlists across the country. The first new music since the release of their 2015 #1 ARIA album Limit Of Love, it revealed the personal and professional storm of a band delivering their next album. One they feared might never come to exist. As first told on triple j Hack, the band were faced with the challenge of vocalist-guitarist Dave Hosking battling a debilitating illness, that pushed them to create their finest album to date; a record that takes the trademark analogue warmth of their sound and pushes it to places the Sydney quintet have never explored before.

To protect the purity of their musical vision, the band – which also features guitarist Killian Gavin, drummer Tim Hart, bassist Dave Symes and keyboardist Jon Hart – wrote a brief for the album; a

clear memorandum of exactly how they wanted it to sound, and how they would achieve it. “We still wanted ’70s tones, ’70s drum tones and guitar tones, we still wanted to embrace harmonies, but we wanted to push it more into the 21st Century and mess with it a little bit, more than we had in the past,” says Hosking.

While Hosking’s health remains a work in progress, the fact that he and the band have reached this point is nothing short of a triumph. Motivation was never hard to find.

Boy & Bear will be hitting the road once again for their global ‘Hold Your Nerve Tour’ which kicks off on Thursday August 15 at at The Tivoli in Brisbane. Tickets to their Brisbane show have already sold out with Perth, Melbourne and Sydney selling fast.

Tour Details
Thursday August 15 | The Tivoli, Brisbane – SOLD OUT
Friday August 16 | The Forum, Melbourne – SELLING FAST
Saturday August 17 | Enmore Theatre, Sydney – SELLING FAST
Friday August 23 | The Astor, Perth – SELLING FAST