Live Review: BIGSOUND Festival 2017: Night Two Live Reviews

Feels kick off the night at The TBC Club. They start with their latest single, Prior Engagement, and throughout you can hear the rustling of the pair's matching shimmery jackets. There are parts that feel a little chaotic at times but they're met with rewards like a perfectly synchronised drum routine.

Down in what feels like the hidden clutch of Fortitude Valley, Brisbane’s Osaka Punch get down to business kicking off the second night of BIGSOUND with a lively and pulsating set. Despite being so early into the night, those in the crowd are already dancing with such enthusiastic delight. With a mixture of both heavily well-layered riffs with overbearing influences of jazzy overtones, the self-identified 'brutal pop music' group blow out into one glorious display of heavy grooves.

There is plenty of hype surrounding Kardajala Kirridarra as we wander into The Elephant — given that the Northern Territory band launched a crowdfunding campaign to get themselves to BIGSOUND — and it proves to be a masterstroke. After starting the set with just two of their members on stage in a slow, powerful build (seriously stunning vocals) it's not long before the line-up is complete and the crowd, which has filled up in just two songs, is utterly immersed. Catchy beats and impressive rhymes - there is a lot to love about Kardajala Kirridarra.

Starting off night two of BIGSOUND at the Brightside Carpark is Victorian band Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird. It’s a little jazzy, the songs sound a little political, and would seem like the perfect pick-me-up to the rager that was day one, but asides from a small crowd at the front (who look like they’re having fun), the rest of the punters don’t seem that attentive.

Centred on the euphonious vocals of Kirsty Tickle, Exhibitionist deliver a masterclass in tightly constructed, soulful electro-pop to the early crowd at the Brightside. Their harmonious, expectation-defying set washes over us, a brilliant wave of sweeping synths, a blend of live and electronic percussion, the occasional guitar and even Tickle's trusty saxophone. Both keyboardists, introduced as Adam and Gabby, juggle multiple roles with aplomb — they shine especially during Truce — while drummer Jonathan Boulet displays his renowned dexterity over the kit with metronomic precision, especially apparent during the hi-hat-driven Hands. They finish on a particularly strong note — in more ways than one — with an angry, mournful, at-times gut-wrenchingly discordant, reflection on contemporary womanhood that has all in its vicinity entranced to its final blow.

Ariela Jacobs is quiet but confident for her set at The Empire Hotel. "All my songs are pretty mellow, which could be good for the start of a BIGSOUND night before everyone starts drinking," she says after inviting the crowd to come closer to the stage. Jacobs' voice fills the room and part of the street, even attracting passersby to stop and peer through the windows.

There wasn’t anything WHARVES needed to do other than start smashing out into the floor tom and snare to get their modest crowd right into motion. With no delays in-between their first two tracks, their performance is overall quite impressive, shredding into flashy guitar lead-lines mixed relatively glowingly with drums, bass and vocals that’ll heavenly bless your ears. As the boys close their set with fan favourite It’s You, around the New Globe Theatre, the realisation that their brief set has already ended seems almost impossible.

As featured on The Project, Arnhem Land’s Baker Boy debuted his live career before our eyes. Opening by first acknowledging his Indigenous ancestry, he sets the tone early. As he drops hit Cloud 9 with running mate Kian, bars in rapid fire fly out in both his native tongue (Yolngu Matha language) and English. The set is short and sweet, replete with didgeridoo solo to a full house beaming in the promise of what we’ve yet to see from the Top End’s Yolngu hip-hop talent.

Upon entering The Flying Cock, we’re met with quivering harmonies and the huge voice of Teischa echoing through the room. She sings songs from the bottom of her heart, and it sounds almost like she’d be quite at home in an old-timey, smoke-filled jazz parlour, if it weren’t for the electronic aspect of her set.

This may sound a little defeatist coming from a professional writer, but words alone couldn't hope to do justice to the magnificence and untethered joy of experiencing a performance from multi-talented funk/soul/hip hop septet Billy Davis & The Good Lords. From their first song, the rap-splashed, hugely danceable Ball & Chain, they have their whole floor grooving along to the vibe. Plenty of acts can get an audience moving, but few manage to make a room dance the way this band does tonight. Complementing Davis' prodigious skills on keyboard are his 'family' — a trio of vocalists who all bring something different and equally enthralling to the table, as well as funk-touched guitar, deep bass (and bass synth) grooves and body-shaking rhythms that frequently evoke vocal appreciation from the crowd mid-song. No Longer Lovers is an early standout, as is the wah-bass strut of Goldfish; in fact, their entire set is a cut above. Easily one of the most fun, memorable acts across the entirety of this gargantuan bill, and a true highlight of the night. Goddamn.

You'd hate to be the act going on after Karl S Williams. The Gold Coast songwriter attracts an impressive crowd into Laruche and though, at first, there is only a small amount of dedicated fans at the front, by the end of the first track even casual punters at the back are fully attentive. Williams' charm oozes through his powerful vocals, and we're hanging off each word. As well as bouncing from the guitar to piano, Williams finishes the set a cappella and you can hear a pin drop. If you haven't already, make plans to see Karl S Williams.

Jess Locke brings a full deck of brand-spanking new tunes from her forthcoming sophomore album to the earholes at the Black Bear Lodge tonight. The Melbourne-based artist leads a tight three-piece with simple riffs and driving beats laying the foundation of the work. The band provides a solid backdrop to Locke's dreamy vocals, which do most of the heavy lifting during this set, with some of the most powerful moments being when everything else falls away. Locke is effortlessly charismatic, and while her comfortingly familiar sound might not break down any barriers, it's difficult to disengage. Definitely one to watch.

The New Globe Theatre packs out yet again for Adelaide boys Horror My Friend. After a wildly impressive set at Against The Grain only a week ago, the band leaves no fan unimpressed with their indescribably breathtaking rock arrangement. With fans spin-kicking, moshing, yelling out every single breathable lyric, it’s impossible to find any reason to not enjoy the set. Shredding into fave tracks Stay In, Admit None and DIYS, the band leaves the stage once again, their fans overwhelmed with excitement for what’s next in store for the legends of Adelaide.

Ascendant Adelaide electronic musician Lonelyspeck starts his set at the TBC Club unassumingly enough; the chatter around the room actually drowns them out during the earliest stretch of their first song, but it doesn't take long for attentions to turn to the heavenly vocals and velvet vibes emanating from the stage. Watching them infuse their alternately delicate and soaring voice among an in-kind duopoly of samples and irresistible, meticulously layered soundscapes through tunes such as Heatdeath and upbeat closer Autopsy, the only marvel that rivals the maestro in front of us is the fact they're playing to such a criminally modest audience (among them, fellow electronic wunderkinds Max Byrne/Golden Vessel and Gab Strum/Japanese Wallpaper — community, yay!). It makes for an intimate — and sometimes sedate — affair, but in some ways that only heightens the effect of Lonelyspeck's gripping excellence.

And the award for funkiest performance of BIGSOUND day two arguably goes to Yoko-Zuna. The New Zealand quartet draw a healthy audience into The Flying Cock and the energy they throw into their performance is infectious. Their beats are catchy as anything; imagine music from a Tarantino fight scene, make it just a tad dancier and you have Yoko-Zuna. The band's guitarist, positioned smack-bang in the centre, grooves his way around stage, as magnetic as the most engaging frontmen you've ever seen. No need for a mic; music is all Yoko-Zuna needs.

Back at The Brightside Carpark we find Sloan Peterson, returning for their second BIGSOUND performance. Vocalist and frontwoman Johanna Jackson oozes '50s pop with every word she sings, but her guitar and her band show off a grungy, '90s rock vibe. It’s a beautiful combination, and their audience is loving every second of it. They play a few slower numbers, which gives us a much needed breather, before finishing their set on the more energetic 105.

Technical issues mar the start of Haiku Hands' set; there are a few false starts before they finally get started for real. Once things are under way, the songs are catchy but are heavily masked by the amount of reverb throughout the building. 

No introduction nor illumination to the talent in the corner, Willaris K bangs his push-button genius as hard as he bangs his head to the beat. For such a tight, back-room gig it seems unnatural to contain the elements released from his booth, destined for a larger atmosphere. Midway through, there seems a slight glitch, hardly noticed except for Will’s break in his own headbanging to correct himself. Unprepared without an appropriate kicker, it is still a decent listen. His last track is a night drive through tunnels using only the neon lights to guide.

Miss Blanks is bringing the party to the Valley. After the first track, Blanks invites any women and gender non-binary identifiers to come to the front of the crowd because "your place is not in the back". Keep an eye on Miss Blanks if you're after a party sound with an important message.

You know what to expect from a Kylie Auldist show — to have a dance and have a damn good time. The Empire Hotel fills out relatively quickly and Auldist makes sure to include the global-charting remix of This Girl early in the set to perhaps attract the attention of people passing by the venue. The Bamboos and Cookin' On 3 Burners singer is having as much fun as the audience, and is as engaging with everyone from the punters directly in front of her to the people all the way at the back of the room.

Hayden Calnin starts off nice and slow at The Brightside Carpark, and his heavy, bluesy voice combined tied with the subtle harmonies of his band mates ring across the space. The vibe is a little melancholy, with heavy use of keys throughout the set, but he doesn’t leave us wanting much.

Just a soundcheck alone is more than enough to completely pack out Crowbar for Clowns. Known for their overwhelming stage presence, fans breaking barriers and overall madness, this was one set to witness. Undoubtedly, as one of the most anticipated acts of the night, fans squashed against each other amid a packed venue dive into the glorious mess of the mosh pit. Even during their opening cut, the conditions were grand enough for vocalist Stevie Williams to leap into a successful crowd surf. Nothing can be said other than: Whoa.

While it takes a while to set up the large, seven-piece outfit, we learn it's the first time Evan Klar has performed with the complete band tacked together. As wondrous as the journey is, as delivered from the music, and glowing vocals from their eponymous songwriter, it seems there are three or four layers of textured instruments too many. With a tight drum section, bass and guitar setup, the result would be a clean-cut path to the same destination. Nevertheless, the overall show is taken well by a heaving industry-laden crowd.

If you think you've been to a packed-out gig before, friend, you've never been to TOTAL GIOVANNI's showcase at Ric's. So crammed in are the punters to catch a glimpse of the glistening disco-dance-pop outfit that it's almost impossible to eke a path through the frighteningly solid mass of bodies to find a respectable vantage point to enjoy the spectacle. The band are resplendent in kitschy sporting outfits, and there's no denying the sparkling, infectious hold they have asserted over their monstrous audience. The urge to dance is hampered only by something of an inability to do so without accidentally brushing up on nearby strangers, but that doesn't stop the mass from being best described as 'thrusting'. It's a damn good time, at any rate, and the band turn in a performance par excellence that will surely have a lot of folks leaving tonight's spectacle as newly minted — or even further committed — converts.

If you've heard Polaris' name thrown around a lot this week, it's no surprise why. The Sydney outfit are tipped as one BIGSOUND's buzz acts this year, and their live show justifies it. 256 Wickham is crammed; the mosh pit is going crazy and if you aren't game enough to jump in, finding a vantage point at the back is no easy feat. Polaris carry themselves on stage with such professionalism that you'd swear these guys have been around for far longer than they have. All five members are animated, energetic and an absolute fucking blast to watch. Polaris are set to do some very big things.

Over at The Elephant Hotel, it’s hard to ignore the punchy, in-your-face voice of Midas.Gold. There’s a lot of chanting, a lot of jumping, and a lot of energy, on stage and in the crowd. It’s his first set at BIGSOUND this week, and he seems excited and humbled to be here, but the set lacks a sense of organisation, with Midas having to ask his DJ to cut tracks, and generally just seeming like an over-excited karaoke fan. Nonetheless, the small crowd there to see him play seem to enjoy themselves, but here’s hoping Gold can find his direction ahead of tomorrow night’s set at Ric's Bar.

On a more so solitary spectrum, Mammals took The Flying Cock’s stage to close off the venue's second night of BIGSOUND festivities. Giving off a beautifully calm yet wondrously developed set, those sitting on and standing around the barstools of the venue receive what can only be described as a delicious treat. Playing tracks off their new EP (including Cruise), it feels innocently sweet finishing the night on a quiet and relaxed note.

An eclectic funk soul party is delivered via WA-born rockers POW! Negro as the night comes to a close inside The Brightside. Punters are unsure whether to sway in time with the soulful sax and dreamy guitar or get their mosh on to the band's punkier elements, the latter led by bursts of unwavering aggression from vocalist Nelson Mondlane. If you're looking for a band to get you in the mood to party, look no further than POW! Negro.

The Brightside outdoor area fills up quickly for Cub Sport. They share new track Hawaiian off their forthcoming album and nail it, with vocals so flawless you could be forgiven for thinking it's a pre-recorded vocal loop. It's easy to see and hear why Cub Sport have become so beloved so quickly.

The smooth sounds of trombone and deep beats are emanating out of the Woolly Mammoth's Mane Stage area, courtesy the effortlessly cool figures in Winston Surfshirt. The up-and-coming outfit have amassed a sizeable following in recent times, and it's pretty understandable why that is. Bouncing along to the casually funky Ali D — an early high point that garners a massive response from the get-go — the audience can't resist singing along to its recognisable refrains, earning plenty of vocal cheers along the way. The band serve up an exceptionally polished set of ease-infused party vibes, and it proves the perfect tonic with which to round out yet another gargantuan night of gigs at BIGSOUND.