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 second BIGSOUND 2018 heavy artist feature, today we're chatting with hardcore Radelaide-ian rockers Sleep Talk.
Adelaide newcomers Sleep Talk are already a force to be reckoned within the Australian music scene. Energetic? Yep. Addictive? You betcha. Already managed by 5/4 Entertainment (Tkay Maidza, Japanese Wallpaper) and booked by Harbour Agency, the band are set to unleash their take on alternative-rock through to post-hardcore with the release of their thumping debut album in 2018.
Now with BIGSOUND firmly in their sights, this enigmatic quintet got "H-O-T-A-N-D-H-E-A-V-Y" with The Soundcheck, chatting new music, illegitimate children and, of course, heavy music.
H - HEAVY AND ALTERNATIVE MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA: Describe the Aussie heavy/alternative music scene in three words: Strong, youthful and maturing.
O - OPPORTUNITIES: What made you sign up for BIGSOUND 2018? What opportunities are you hoping will come out of playing at Bigsound? We saw Bigsound as one of the many logical next steps in our career, and we look forward to showing the festival what we have in store for the future of our live show.
T - TELL US A SECRET: What’s something no one else knows about your band? Michael Belletti is the illegitimate son of Tony Libatore.
A - ADVICE: What’s one piece of advice about the music industry you wish you knew when you first started out? Um… Alex Kay is our manager and our best friend in the world.
N - NECESSITIES: What are some of your must-have necessities when you’re touring? Extended trips to La Panella Bakery in Preston, Melbourne.
D - DAY IN THE LIFE: What does a usual day in the life of your band generally consist of? Wish there was a more romantic answer than this one, but, work and studying. One in every seven days in our lives we have band practice.
H - HEROES: Who are some of your band’s heroes and musical influences? There’s a vast range bands and influences. To broadly cover most of us: Touchè Amorè, Title Fight, Royal Headache, Ceremony, Bad Bad Not Good, King Krule, The World Is Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Deafheaven, the list goes on.
E - EVOLUTION: Where do you see the future of Aussie heavy music heading in the near future? I feel as if we are seeing a much wider variation of genres and styles, all quickly growing in popularity, that still all fit under the term ‘heavy’, which is great. I think it’s fair to say we are seeing more public interest into what can be considered ‘heavy’ music as of late, which can only mean good things.
A - ABSOLUTE MUST-SEES: What band(s) are you most keen to check out at BIGSOUND 2018 and why? We’d love to see Thornhill again. We love their fresh take on the metalcore sound. Would also love to check out Kwame, Slowly Slowly, sweater curse & East Brunswick All Girls Choir.
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? The completion of our debut record which will be out when it’s out.
Y - YEAR AHEAD: What’s your band got planned for the next twelve months? The rollout & release of said debut record. We cannot wait.
SLEEP TALK WILL BE SHOWCASING AT BIGSOUND 2018, YOU CAN CATCH THEM HERE:
Tuesday 4th September - Crowbar Brisbane - 9:40pm - 10:10pm
Thursday 6th September - 256 Wickham - 10:30pm - 11:00pm
FOR ALL YOUR BIGSOUND INFO, HEAD HERE.
AND FOR ALL OTHER SLEEP TALK INFO, CHECK OUT:
BY TIANA SPETER