AGUNG MANGO

Debuting in 2017, Agung Mango quickly established himself as one of the most exciting artists to bubble up from Australia’s underground rap scene. Gritty, brash and completely unbounded, Mango’s music pushes the sonic limits of what we’ve come to know locally, drawing inspiration from experimental rap, punk, jazz, alternative R&B and his rich Indonesian and Italian heritage.

On the mic, he channels a ferocious presence and an unapologetic, punk posture, but stands apart from his contemporaries, demonstrating an ability to move through flows, cadences and genres like no one else. Since first emerging under previous moniker ‘Son Of Agung’, he has released a slew of standalone singles, and a slick EP titled ‘MAN ON THE GO,’ which earned him the award for ‘Best Hip-Hop Work’ at the Music Victoria Awards in 2023.

These releases have seen Mango’s mainstream stature rise steadily, leading to appearances at Laneway Festival, Spilt Milk, Meadow and Golden Plains. He boasts a long list of support slots for acclaimed acts including Anderson Paak, Tame Impala, Wiki, Kaycyy, Paris Texas and more, as well as national tours supporting Freddie Gibbs and Genesis Owusu, and has been praised from triple J as their Unearthed Feature Artist.

COOL SOUNDS

Cool Sounds is the key project of Australian pop polymath Dainis Lacey, with a live band that sees up to six musicians crowded onstage. Across five albums to date, Cool Sounds’ shapeshifting indie rock has given nods to 80s pop, cheerful funk, and alt-country, all with a lightness of touch that disguises Lacey’s thoughtful, perceptive songwriting. Their latest album Like That (Chapter Music) “rips into a slicked n’ slippery, dance-ready aura of disco and funk-flexed pop.”Raven Sings The Blues This evolution continues with their new EP, BUG0BEAT (2024, Chapter Music), delving further into an oddball funk-damaged pop sound.

Like That was Album of the Week on RRR and has been covered by The Evening Standard (UK), The Guardian (UK), Scottish Daily Express (UK), Radio France, Frankie Magazine, Pilerats, Brooklyn Vegan and NME Australia amongst others, with airplay on BBC 6 Music, Triple J, Double J, Rage and across community radio at home and abroad.

Cool Sounds toured Europe in 2023 and 2019, most recently selling out shows and performing at festivals alongside Gilla Band (IE), and Panda Bear and Sonic Boom (US/UK). At home they have shared stages with Mdou Moctar (NE), TOPS (CA), Los Bitchos (US), Twin Peaks (US), Spiral Stairs (US), plus Australian indie royalty like Good Morning, RVG, Snowy Band and Mod
Con. Their 2019 album More to Enjoy and EP Sleepers were nominated for AIR Awards, and previous releases have been featured in Line Of Best Fit (UK), Raven Sings the Blues (US) and elsewhere.

DR SURE’S UNUSUAL PRACTICE

Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice create modern punk with no rules, blending post-punk, new wave, krautrock and avant-garde influences. Their ethos is one of creative resistance, using music, performance and visual art to deliver politically subversive yet hopeful messages.

Across 5 years – releasing 4 LP’s & a string of EP’s, support runs with the likes of Tropical Fuck Storm, Bad//Dreems and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 12 Oz tours & 2 European tours – Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have fostered a global community of odd-balls while honing their powerful live performance. The 5-piece lineup with Dougal Shaw (Vocals, Guitar, Synth), Miranda Holt (Drums), Jake Suriano (Bass, Saxophone), Tali Harding-Hone (Guitar, Bass) and Mathias Dowle (Guitar, Synth), delivers precise motorik rhythms, gang vocals and a revolving mix of synths, guitars and horns.

Through their relentless work-ethic Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have built a reputation as one of Australia’s hardest working bands, hailed by Rolling Stone as “a forward-thinking powerhouse” and “one of the most important bands in Melbourne”. Emerging from the underground as a clarion voice, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice document the dystopian absurdity of our times, informed by an innate hopefulness and staunch belief in a better future.

FOLK BITCH TRIO

Folk Bitch Trio—Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her) and Heide Peverelle (they/them)—are known for enrapturing audiences around their home city of Naarm/Melbourne with sensitive and thoughtful arrangements of three part harmony. What began as an unserious collaboration between three friends has led the trio to share stages with acts such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Alex G, Julia Jacklin and Courtney Barnett. The trio manifest a unique kinesiology of relaxed indie-folk with a quietly confident, assured underbelly. Born out of what they describe as a “mutual love for songwriting and truth-telling,” most significant to their rise and consistently captivating to their craft is the joy they take in making music together — it surges with the power of friends and collaborators executing a unified vision.

Their brand new single “God’s A Different Sword” follows on from the 2023 released singles “Analogue” and “I Heard”, which Rolling Stone described as “resplendent in gorgeous harmonies and confessional songwriting”, and a triumphant run of shows at SXSW earlier this year.

GOOD MORNING

Good Morning is a band/duo/recording-thing from Melbourne, Australia. 

Stefan Blair (29, brown hair, 6 foot something) plays most of the instruments and sings half the songs. Liam Parsons (30, brown hair, 6 foot on the dot) plays the rest of the instruments and sings the other half of the songs. 

Their seventh record ‘Good Morning Seven’ is a double album filled with strings, synths, samples and singing. 

This year is their 10th year anniversary of being a band. It’s all downhill from here.

GRACE CUMMINGS

Critically acclaimed Australian artist Grace Cummings hit a new high in 2024 with the release of third album, Ramona. “It felt like the wind of a hurricane entered the room,” said fan and new friend, Angel Olsen. “I remember feeling so activated and surprised by Grace’s vocal capacity that I actually felt my body brace itself against the wall.“

Acknowledged worldwide in outlets ranging from PAPER to The Guardian, Rolling Stone to NPR, Ramona is a work of raw truth rendered in its most beautiful form. In a departure from the self-produced approach of her 2019 debut Refuge Cove and its 2022 follow-up Storm Queen—the Melbourne-based artist worked with producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price) at his Topanga Canyon studio to dream up a lavishly orchestrated sound that fully accommodates the depth and scope of her vocal prowess.

GUT HEALTH

Gut Health are a six-piece hypnotic dance-punk ensemble from Naarm / Melbourne. Stiletto is their debut album.

Recorded in 2023 with long-term collaborator Julian Cue (CIVIC, Screensaver) and Gut Health’s Dom Willmott at Button Pusher Studios and APAX Warehouse in Preston, produced by Dom Willmott and bandmate Adam Markmann, mixed by Portland’s Evan Mersky (Lithics) on a 24-track reel-to-reel tape machine, and featuring additional contributions from saxophonist Yang Chen, Gut Health’s debut offering is an immersive ten-track foray into dancefloor-inducing soundscapes and punchy prowess, with songs oscillating between infectious up-tempo numbers, hypnotic bliss and chaotic noise edging precariously toward collapse.

KAIIT

Kaiit, born in Papua New Guinea and now based in Naarm/Melbourne, made her debut in 2017 with “Natural Woman.” Her soulful sound quickly caught attention, leading to the release of her EP Live From Her Room and its standout track, “OG Luv Kush Pt 2,” which fueled a sold-out national tour and a Bigsound 2018 appearance.

Since then, Kaiit has amassed over 30 million streams and won Best Soul/R&B Release at the 2019 ARIA Awards for “Miss Shiney.” She’s sold out multiple national tours, performed at major festivals like Splendour in the Grass, and opened for artists like SZA and The Internet.

Inspired by Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, and contemporaries like Noname and SZA, Kaiit’s music blends nostalgic production with contemporary soul, creating a vibrant, feel-good sound. A self-described “musical love child” of Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, Kaiit’s work is rooted in a deep spiritual connection to her ancestors, exuding positivity, boldness and a sense of community.

MISS KANINNA

A proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman, Miss Kaninna is a Naarm-based (Melbourne) First Nations artist, hailing from lutriwita/Tasmania. Making waves with her breakout debut single Blak Britney in May 2023, the rapper/singer/songwriter has been on a meteoric rise, emerging as a potent voice of punk and power in so-called Australia. 

Raised on the shores of Bruny Island, Miss Kaninna has been commanding stages from a young age, carrying forward the storytelling of her ancestors and fearlessly bringing them into the present. Her art serves as a powerful expression of her experiences as a young Black woman on stolen land, drawing from her rich cultural heritage and paths paved before her by her Matriarchs.

She has commanded stages across the nation, her electrifying live performances spreading like wildfire. Securing coveted spots at premier festivals such as Meredith Music Festival, Haydays Music & Arts Festival, Beyond the Valley, Wildlands, Sun Cycle, and a spot on the national 2024 Laneway tour alongside Stormzy, Raye, and Steve Lacy, she solidified her status as a rising star. Her standout performances at the inaugural SXSW Sydney earned her the inaugural Justin Cosby Award for Best Emerging Artist, further cementing her as one to watch.

THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS

The Belair Lip Bombs are Maisie Everett (Guitar & Vox), Mike Bradvica (Guitar), Jimmy Droughton (Bass) and Daniel Devlin (Drums), four close friends from Melbourne, Victoria.

The band has really hit their stride recently with the release of their debut album ‘Lush Life’. The record is 10 tracks of evocative exploration; stories that run a gamut of longing, seeking new horizons and discovering new paths to satisfaction and self-fulfilment. It showcases the bands evolution and song writing abilities with striking indie arrangements and catchy hooks. The album is starting to catch worldwide attention and the band is in the midst of a break out year with international appearances at SXSW Austin and The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK.