The Pilerats Guide to BIGSOUND 2023

Image L-R: Miss Kannina, Nat Vazer, POOKIE

The biggest week in Australian music kicks off today, with BIGSOUND taking over Fortitude Valley for four days and nights of conferences featuring some awesome speakers, live showcases with over 140 artists showing what they’ve got, and a range of special events, running from September 5 to September 8.

A quick glance at the lineup can prove overwhelming with so many names on their, so we’ve dug through and hand selected the ten acts we think you don’t want to miss at this year’s edition:

Boox Kid

Proud Noongar man, Fremantle-based artist Boox Kid crafts addictive, emotional electro-pop that showcase his skills as a musician, producer and vocalist. Find out more here when we premiered the awesome video for his latest single, The Battle.

Catch Boox Kid:

Boox Kid - Tue Sep 5 - 8.15pm - Tomcat

Boox Kid - Wed Sep 6 - 8pm - The Wickham

Chitra

Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Chitra's sound has evolved over the years from more folk-leaning sounds to atmospheric indie-rock, as heard on her latest single In My Opinion.

Catch Chitra:

Chitra - Tue Sep 5 - 9.15pm - Soapbox Beer

Amazon Music After Hours: Up Late & Unsigned - Tue Sep 5 - 11pm - The Brightside

Chitra - Thu Sep 7 - 9.30pm - The Outpost

Dr Sure's Unusual Practice

Hailing from Naarm/Melbourne, DSUP craft politically subversive sounds that combine post-punk, new wave, rock & roll and more into a unique combination, as heard on their latest EP BUBBLE, and have made a name for themselves with their raucously engaging live shows.

Catch Dr Sure's Unusual Practice:

Dr Sure's Unusual Practice - Tue Sep 5 - 11.15pm - Superfly Studios

Dr Sure's Unusual Practice - Thu Sep 7 - 8.30pm - The Outpost

Gut Health

Big guitar hooks meet driving rhythm sections and squealing synths in the post-punk meets no-wave sounds of Naarm/Melbourne's Gut Health.

Catch Gut Health:

Gut Health - Tue Sep 5 - 9pm - The Brightside

Gut Health - Wed Sep 6 - 9.15pm - Wonderland Brisbane

Izy

Far North Queensland born and now Naarm/Melbourne-based trio Izy (pronounced eye-zee) craft slick jazzy, r&b influenced neo-soul sounds with an emphasis on grooves, which they recently took in a more dancefloor oriented direction with remixes of tracks from the debut album Irene by the likes of Osunlade, Silentjay and many more.

Catch Izy:

Izy - Wed Sep 6 - 7pm - The Wickham

Izy - Thu Sep 7 - 8.30pm - The Prince Consort Hotel

Miss Kaninna

We got to know proud Yorta Yorta, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman Miss Kaninna a few months ago when she dropped her acclaimed debut single 'Blak Britney'. The now Naarm-based artist on the rise promises to captivate at Bigsound if the below live version of her single is anything to go by.

Catch Miss Kaninna:

Goolwal Goolwal x Yirramboi Mixes Event - Tue Sep 5 - 4pm - Blute's

Miss Kaninna - Tue Sep 5 - 11.15pm - The Valley Loft

Miss Kaninna - Thu Sep 7 - 10.30pm - The Brightside Outdoors

Nat Vazer

With Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Nat Vazer's new album Strange Adrenaline just a month away, her atmospheric & emotional, dreamy indie rock sounds are set to impress.

Catch Nat Vazer:

Nat Vazer - Tue Sep 5 - 10pm - Stranded Bar

Nat Vazer - Wed Sep 6 - 9pm - The Wickham

Otiuh

Boorloo/Perth-based hip-hop duo Otiuh have been holding it down for a little while now, honing their unique brand of playful, bouncy & melodic rap sounds.

Catch Oituh:

Otiuh - Tue Sep 5 - 8.15pm - Wonderland Brisbane

Otiuh - Thu Sep 7 - 10.30pm - The Prince Consort Hotel

POOKIE

We've been singing Naarm/Melbourne-based MC POOKIE's praises a lot over the last few weeks for good reason, premiering the live version of her cut with longtime fave producer Kuzich, and last week including her new single in our best tunes of the week - find out what all the fuss is about live.

Catch POOKIE:

POOKIE - Wed Sep 6 - 10.30pm - The Outpost

POOKIE - Thu Sep 7 - 9.15pm - Wonderland Brisbane

smol fish

With their new EP Crocodile Tears having just dropped last Friday, expect Boorloo/Perth indie rockers & longtime Pile faves smol fish to be at the top of their game as they bring their irresistible brand of indie rock to Bigsound.

Catch smol fish:

smol fish - Tue Sep 5 - 7.15pm - Tomcat

smol fish - Thu Sep 7 - 8.30pm - Stranded Bar