In just two days time Aussie musical movers and shakers from far and wide will 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 with just two days to go until kick-off, today spend some time with Melbourne metalcore mammoths Windwaker.
Heavy newcomers Windwaker have been ripping it up of late with their seething brand of metalcore and razor-sharp tones. Originating in Wagga Wagga, NSW, the group packed bags for Victoria, later dropping their debut EP 'Fade' in 2017.
Having already played alongside a unique range of artists, from progressive Haken (UK), The Algorithm (FRA), to post-hardcore Slaves (USA), Miss Fortune (USA), Windwaker are no strangers to tearing it up onstage - but before then unleash at BIGSOUND 2018, Windwaker got 'H-O-T-A-N-D-H-E-A-V-Y' with The Soundcheck to chat trajectories, necessities and why a couple of country boys packed up and moved to Melbourne.
H - HEAVY AND ALTERNATIVE MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA: Describe the Aussie heavy/alternative music scene in three words: Passionate, Unique, Growing.
O - OPPORTUNITIES: What made you sign up for BIGSOUND 2018? What opportunities are you hoping will come out of playing at Bigsound? As an independent band, we are constantly looking to expand on what we know and what we could be doing to better our brand and platform. A large majority of artists who attend BIGSOUND have a clear trajectory, I think, and seek further information to help them reach the destination they’ve set out for.
T - TELL US A SECRET: What’s something no one else knows about your band? I guess most people don’t know that we are from the country! 4 of our 5 members grew up playing music in Wagga Wagga area, and eventually decided to take the next step to move to Melbourne to pursuit a career in music. We even moved into a house together!
A - ADVICE: What’s one piece of advice about the music industry you wish you knew when you first started out? Not to be afraid to talk to people. When we first moved to Melbourne, we knew nobody in the scene. No bands, no musicians, no promoters, nobody. We honestly didn’t know how to get a show because we weren’t part of the culture. My greatest advice to any artist starting off would be integrating yourself into the community. Don’t add randoms and inbox them links to your music. Attend shows, small talk with the bands, connect with their fans. Make yourself aware to these people before selling yourself.
N - NECESSITIES: What are some of your must-have necessities when you’re touring? Baby wipes, deodorant, vitamin – anything to improve our hygiene and health.
D - DAY IN THE LIFE: What does a usual day in the life of your band generally consist of? Well, we are currently self-producing our upcoming EP, so that’s been pretty full on. We all practice flat-out, and we all have the ability to record ourselves, so a long of our time is spent learning and writing.
H - HEROES: Who are some of your band’s heroes and musical influences? Honestly, I don’t think anyone in the band particularly “idolises” an artist/figure, and our influences toggle so, so often. One week, we’ll all rock up to band prac discussing how unreal a band like TesseracT are, and then the next week we show up like, “What did everyone think of the new Ariana Grande album?”.
E - EVOLUTION: Where do you see the future of Aussie heavy music heading in the near future? If we are talking size and prevalence, I hope much bigger. Festivals such as UNIFY Gathering, Download, Good Things Festival, Invasion Fest, are all making big waves across the country, and we are dragging more and more international acts over here.
A - ABSOLUTE MUST-SEES: What band(s) are you most keen to check out at BIGSOUND 2018 and why? We’re keen to just get amongst a heap of bands that we don’t know.
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? Over the past few years, we’ve burned through about 6 guitarists, but we finally feel that we have a very solid, permanent team. Our recent single ‘New Infinite’ is the first song with this lineup, and it’s hard to see anything stopping us now.
Y - YEAR AHEAD: What’s your band got planned for the next twelve months? A few wild laps around Australia and writing our first album.
WINDWAKER WILL BE SHOWCASING AT BIGSOUND 2018,
YOU CAN CATCH THEM HERE:
Tuesday 4th September - The Brightside - 9:00pm - 9:30pm
Wednesday 5th September - Crowbar Brisbane - 9:40pm - 10:10pm
FOR ALL YOUR BIGSOUND INFO, HEAD HERE.
AND FOR ALL OTHER WINDWAKER INFO, CHECK OUT:
BY TIANA SPETER