On 26 September 2009, Brisbane’s own Sounds of Spring music festival will once again open its gates at an impressive new venue at Victoria Park, Gilchrist Ave, Herston (opposite RNA Showgrounds & Royal Children’s Hospital) to an impressive line-up of the country’s best indie acts and 15,000 antsy music lovers. After cutting our teeth on the festival scene last year, Sounds of Spring invites you back for a bigger, better, louder festival, in every way. The response from bands wanting to play at SOS09 has been incredible and we’re extremely proud to present an exciting blend of your favourite Australian acts, and a few new ones we think you’ll really enjoy.
Making up the first of two line-up announcements are the following 28 exciting acts:
THE LIVING END have turned-out a long list of memorable shows since the release of their third album, White Noise, and are without doubt one of the countries best live acts.
Sydney folk boatie JOSH PYKE has been strumming smiles on faces up and down the coast, with his incredible guitar-boat and infectious album, Chimney’s Afire. Old-school punks FRENZAL RHOMB have dusted off their road cases for a set full of short, fast, brutally uncensored tunes — you’re sure to know a few.
Having recovered from a huge US tour for his solo album, Mat McHugh reunites with THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS. Kiwi industrial-rockers, SHIHAD, now call Melbourne and have been known to share a stage with TLE on occasion — could be something special to look forward to. Local heros and masters of genre-mixing hip hop, BUTTERFINGERS are on the verge of dropping another huge album in 2009 and the stage is set for a stadium-rocking show, full of new material. DOWNSYDE are back running material from their all-Australian, All-City album (2008). Head lyricist for The Herd and a celebrated hip hop artist in his own right, URTHBOY continues to hook us in, with a brand new album, Spitshine, on the doorstep this year. Title track “Farewell Rocketship” saw CHILDREN COLLIDE slide into triple j’s Hottest 100 for the first time in 2008 and the new record is jam hot.
The all-female Japanese garage pop punk band championed by Sonic Youth and Nirvana, SHONEN KNIFE, with a new album out in May — need we say more! Regurgitator frontman QUAN, gets a flow on with his R&B-meets-Aussie-hip-hop MC stylings. PEZ brings an arsenal of killer tracks from his debut album A Mind of My Own, featuring “The Festival Song”. Melbourne rapper PHRASE rides the wave of press from his Sophmore album Clockwork (2009), and guest appearances with Bliss N Eso, Jade McRae, Jackson Jackson and Daniel Merriweather. Australia’s most successful independent band, punk rockers THE HARD ONS hit Sounds of Spring off the back of their recent tour of Japan. Still throwing their weight around after well over 1000 gigs, THE FAUVES return to Brisbane to rip through their ten album discography and show us why their still jamming after more than 20 years.
Wikipedia says they’ve broken up, but we’re bringing RHUBARB back for a trip through the material that Rolling Stone called, “totally irresistible”. Island party boys TOOTHFAERIES line up to give everyone a thorough roots attack with their new EP. We also welcome some beats from 3-time Australian DMC Champion DJ PERPLEX. Heart-pinching country folk act TEXAS TEA return home from their European tour to swoon you. Hydrofunk Records founder and Resin Dog DJ KATCH loosens up the decks. MY DISCO‘>MY DISCO are on their way up after years of hard work, touring, and their second album, Paradise.
Unearthed by triple j in 2008, NUMBERS RADIO have a string of tracks receiving regular airplay on triple j and have proven their worth as an energetic live act. Hip hop MC, THE TONGUE (as heard on triple j) lives by the motto, “go hard or go home”, and he ain’t ever at home, notching up a bag-load of collaborations with everyone from Urthboy to Katalyst and Bias B, and a full length album of his own expected this year. Local “Nerd-core” outfit GIANTS OF SCIENCE will be giving everyone a dose of their album Here is the Punishment, which debuted at #4 on the AIR Independent Albums Chart. Since returning from their European tour in 2008, ROGERTHAT have been flying their freak flag, Amish beards and anti-establishment grooves all over the country with their recent EP Tangerine Bird in hand. Having twice performed at the US’s prestigious SXSW showcase as well as a host of this country’s biggest festivals, KATE BRADLEY returns home for a special springtime set.
There’ll be over 50 acts appearing at Sounds of Spring 2009, all blasting out of 3 Big Tops. Leave your fluoro at home, along with your umbrellas and come for the music — rain, hail or shine!
Sounds of Spring 2009 is an 18+ event. We’ve got a little something up our sleeve for all other ages though… bag the news first by joining us on twitter, facebook and MySpace. Head to www.soundsofspring.com.au for more info on tickets to this year’s festival, all the announced acts, and to sign up for good-old-fashioned-VIP-email-updates.
Tickets on sale 15 May from www.soundsofspring.com.au, 1300 GET TIX, and usual outlets including Rockinghorse, The Music Shop, Kill the Music and Butter Beats.
1ST LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT: THE LIVING END, JOSH PYKE, FRENZAL RHOMB, THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, SHIHAD, BUTTERFINGERS, DOWNSYDE, URTHBOY, CHILDREN COLLIDE, SHONEN KNIFE, QUAN, PEZ, PHRASE, THE HARD ONS, THE FAUVES, RHUBARB, TOOTHFAERIES, DJ PERPLEX, TEXAS TEA, DJ KATCH, MY DISCO‘>MY DISCO, NUMBERS RADIO, THE TONGUE, GIANTS OF SCIENCE, ROGERTHAT, KATE BRADLEY AND THE GOODBYE HORSES PLUS MANY MORE STILL TO BE ANNOUNCED.