It's very nearly that time again when musical movers and shakers from far and wide descend on Fortitude Valley in Brisbane for four days and nights - yes fellow music lovers, BIGSOUND, aka one of the biggest events on the Aussie music calendar, is back for its seventeenth year!
Notorious for launching of some of the country's most successful artists in the past (including Flume, The Temper Trap, A.B Original, Gang of Youths and more), BIGSOUND has been instrumental in uncovering the stars of tomorrow and shaping the future of the industry, and this year The Soundcheck will be showcasing some of the hottest heavy acts who will be slaying the stages at the BIGSOUND 2018 festival showcases.
Join us as we get "hot and heavy" with some epic up-and-comers in the lead up to this awesome event! And for our first BIGSOUND 2018 heavy artist feature, where better to start than in Brisbane itself with lovable punk trio Bugs.
Lovable Brissie trio Bugs consist of Connor Brooker, Brock Weston and Jordan Brunoli. Coming to life as a trio in 2015, Bugs have continually won themselves fans and airplay with their infectious blend of coy, high octane garage punk pop. Their buzzing hooks and distinctly Aussie tones has seen them open Falls Festival for triple j Unearthed, jump onstage alongside PUP, Modern Baseball, Hockey Dad and Spiderbait to name but a few, as well as recently embark on a national tour for their EP 'Social Slump', including sold out shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Wollongong. 2018 has without a doubt been a huge year for the Bugs boys, and BIGSOUND is set to be yet another feather in their charming caps.
But before BIGSOUND kicks off, Bugs frontman Connor Brooker got "hot and heavy" with The Soundcheck, chatting all things success, secrets and, of course, heavy music.
H - HEAVY AND ALTERNATIVE MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA: Describe the Aussie heavy/alternative music scene in three words: Diverse, unique and supportive. It’s a colourful social tapestry of passionate people who care about each other.
O - OPPORTUNITIES: What made you sign up for BIGSOUND 2018? What opportunities are you hoping will come out of playing at Bigsound? We’ve been playing in bands for 6+ years so it’s always just been on the bucket list to get a spot at Bigsound. We’re not hoping for anything specifically in terms of results, generally we just want to put our best foot forward and represent our music in the most genuine and honest way possible. I think it should be a really good time!
T - TELL US A SECRET: What’s something no one else knows about your band? Jordan our bass player usually plays Drums, Guitar or Piano - bass is his ‘worst’ instrument :O talented freak!
A - ADVICE: What’s one piece of advice about the music industry you wish you knew when you first started out? Make sure you are getting into it for the right reason, and that is a very pure love of music, otherwise you’re wasting your and a lot of other people's time / opportunities. If you want to play in a band to look cool this industry will generally chew you up and spit you out. And believe in yourself and where you are going. A lot of people will give you reasons to doubt your choices, they’ll even potentially question them to your face. Something sustainable is very rarely grown overnight, be patient and resilient.
N - NECESSITIES: What are some of your must-have necessities when you’re touring? Water, deodorant and noise cancelling headphones. These three things combined have the power to save your life.
D - DAY IN THE LIFE: What does a usual day in the life of your band generally consist of? I manage a fashion boutique full time so a lot of work, Brock is a full time engineer and Jordan does landscaping so we just manage to cram the band commitments into the gaps. There’s is no typical day for any of us haha, the nature of being interstate every third weekend of the month means regularity and consistency can be tough but we are all managing our own routines.
H - HEROES: Who are some of your band’s heroes and musical influences? Personally I adore Paul Kelly, he is the greatest storyteller our country has ever know and the way in which he carries himself is inspiring. Ben, Upto and Hughey from the Hard Aches have been like family to us since we met last year. I really look up to them and the how they promote diversity / inclusivity.
E - EVOLUTION: Where do you see the future of Aussie heavy music heading in the near future? I think it is only going to keep growing its market / reach and accessibility to a more mainstream audience. Watching bands like Parkway Drive and more lately Amity Affliction chart so well on the ARIA charts proves Aussies love it. Plus it’s only becoming more broad in terms of what is considered heavy - DZ, King Gizz and Soho own claim to being included so I am looking forward to watching it evolve.
A - ABSOLUTE MUST-SEES: What band(s) are you most keen to check out at BIGSOUND 2018 and why? Very keen to check out local mates Sweater Curse, Pink Matter, Nice Biccies and Eliza + the delusionals. It’s been so awesome watching them all grow as bands and people over the last year and I’m so lucky to have a bunch of mates playing this year. RAAVE TAPES and Good Doogs are firmly on my radar, can’t wait to let my hair down to them. It’ll be great to catch Greta Stanley again, her voice is so pure. Plus i finally get to catch my pal Calums new project CANDY, I see someone post about them every night in my news feed so it’s been building some anticipation. TOO MANY GIGS.
V - VICTORIES: What’s been your biggest win as a band so far? E.g. an epic gig, great response to a release, or even just band members showing up on-time to rehearsal? Just being in a band this long and like never fighting, I am so lucky Jord and Brock are so level headed. We are all aware and tolerant of each others shortcomings, but I wouldn’t rather be doing it with any other mates. Being friends with them is the most successful result this band has achieved.
Y - YEAR AHEAD: What’s your band got planned for the next twelve months? We’ll smash Bigsound, do a huge show at the RNA Showgrounds for Beer Incider - then a hot lap around the country with the Hard Aches for their national tour to round off 2018.
BUGS WILL BE SHOWCASING AT BIGSOUND 2018, YOU CAN CATCH THEM HERE:
Tuesday 4th September - The Valley Drive In - 10:00pm - 10:30pm
Wednesday 5th September - The Valley Drive In - 5:00pm - 8:00pm (Levi's Showcase)
Wednesday 5th September - Crowbar Black - 10:40pm - 11:10pm
FOR ALL YOUR BIGSOUND INFO, HEAD HERE.
AND FOR ALL OTHER BUGS INFO, CHECK OUT:
BY TIANA SPETER