All That Went Down at BIGSOUND 2014

Here’s a sporadic recap of things that went down across the 2014 edition of BIGSOUND.

SOMEONE ACCUSED TRIPLE J OF PERPETUATING RAPE CULTURE
One of the most talked about panels from the conference was the one revolving around triple j. During question and answer time, one punter brought up a song he’d heard on the station three years ago – that song being ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails. His gripe? The lyric: ‘I want to fuck you like an
animal’. His words, “I’ve got daughters and I wouldn’t like four young boys around 19 or 20
driving around town singing ‘I want to fuck you like an animal’, pick
someone off the street and rape them.” 

Everyone was suitably confused.

DRUGS WERE A HOT TOPIC (OBVIOUSLY)
In The Church‘s keynote talk on Thursday, lead singer Steve Kilbey said he’d never seen someone write a good song while fucked on coke. Apparently it’s not a creative drug. Bluesfest‘s Peter Noble said he wanted marijuana to be made legal and Neil Finn potentially tampered with the big bowl of M&Ms sitting on the stage.

#ProTip of the day from @NeilFinn – try the blue m&ms… They’re laced with LSD #Bigsound @BIGSOUNDtweets

— Samantha Myers (@AngrySamanthaJ) September 10, 2014

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT COUNTRY MUSIC IS ANYMORE
With all the T-Swizzles in the world now claiming to be country and the hipsters with banjos and beards purporting to be ‘alt-country’, things got a little heated when it came to defining just what exactly country music is. Apparently there are more sub-genres in country than in any other type of music – and here I was thinking it was all ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ and nothing else.

You guys, I’m really scared. I think I might love country music… #bigsound

— Jack Crane (@jackcrane) September 10, 2014

SAILOR JERRY’S WERE GIVING OUT FREE TATTOOS
Because who doesn’t want to be branded by a rum company for the rest of their lives?

‘BIGSOUND LIVE’ IS A TEST OF ENDURANCE
With 140 bands spread out across two nights and 14 venues, BIGSOUND LIVE makes you question: A) how much you really like that band you want to see, B) how far you’re prepared to run to catch said band, and C) how much you really just want to stay where you are and drink. With those three questions in mind, here’s a recap of the bands we managed to catch.

Brissie trio Avaberee kicked things off on Wednesday night at The Elephant with their delightful pop harmonies, while Melbourne lad Yeo completely tore things up over at the Woolly Mammoth with his keytar and A++ dancing. Outside at the Brightside, Adelaide’s BAD//DREEMS took full advantage of the (for now) lack of noise restrictions and belted out their classic garage pub rock, while we questioned whether or not we should be buying drugs off DMA’s due to their chav-inspired tracksuits.

Thelma Plum put an end to her ‘cute as a button’ look, debuting a textured new sound with a full band on stage and looking smokin’ in leather x lycra. 1000 piece band Saskwatch wrapped the night at the Zoo with tunes so danceable we had to sit down for 15 minutes just to get some feeling back in our feet.

On Thursday night, opening the triple j Unearthed stage at Oh Hello, Brisbane quintet WAAX proved just why they were plucked from the clusterfuck that is Unearthed to open the show. With their big riffs, bluesy psych-rock and raised-lip snarl, they were one of our top picks. Kiwi lad Eden Mullholland snagged some new fans with his lyrical content (“Don’t be such an asshole. Don’t be such a pussy”), while little pocket rocket Eves bounded around the stage oozing with confidence and basically just showing everyone who’s boss. 

Tkay Maizda stomped around like a brontosaurus in platform sneakers the Spice Girls would be proud of, despite noise complaints from the previous night that had her set turned down to grandma appropriate levels. Back at Oh Hello, indie darlings Little May were delightful but just not quite as engaging as the powerhouse that was to follow – Client Liaison. With their turn of the nineties synth pop, they ripped through the likes of ‘End of the World’ and ‘Feed the Rhythm’ while cutting glorious shapes that you haven’t seen since rage circa 1992. 

And that mullet, totally on point.

And to summarise, a few tweets that encapsulate the whole BIGSOUND 2014 experience:

#BIGSOUND “I’ve been pooing h’ordeuvres for days” – Pauly

— Janey Mac (@rearviewclouds) September 12, 2014

Hey Brisbane, you know it’s a bad day when it’s too hot to masturbate #bigsound

— Whippet of Wisdom (@whippetofwisdom) September 11, 2014