15 Australian/New Zealand acts added to The Great Escape

Image: Ainslee Wills

Thirteen Australian acts and two acts from New Zealand are among 100 new additions to UK conference The Great Escape’s showcase roster.

Held in Brighton from May 18 to 20, the event has developed a reputation for showcasing the best emerging indie acts from around the world. Over 3,500 executives attend from each end of the globe to do deals.

The Australasian acts are listed below alphabetically:

Melbourne artist Ainslie Wills and collaborator Lawrence Folvig, who are signed with US agent Russell Warby of WME (Foo Fighters, The Strokes, The White Stripes). BBC6’s Guy Garvey said of her, “This is the piece of music I’m most excited about at the moment.”

Sydney-born Betty Who, who played cello at the age of four, is dropping her second album The Valley in mid-March and heads out across North America the following month to promote it. Her debut album Take Me When You Go was released in 2014.

While working on her second album in a farmhouse in regional Victoria, Gabriella Cohen is focussed on breaking the international market. Last month, she signed a worldwide deal (except ANZ) with New York-based label Captured Tracks to issue her debut album Full Closure And No Details, which made its presence felt in Australia last year.

New Zealand’s Fazerdaze is the brainchild of songwriter and producer Amelia Murray. It began as a series of late-night bedroom sessions, and became fully formed in 2014 with a debut EP. The mix of pop and electronica has been irresistible for Fazerdaze to expand to a touring four piece, with appearances in New York and Australia planned.

Melbourne band Gold Class have held an international presence since their 2015 AMP-nominated debut album It’s You got rave reviews from the US and Europe. They’ve signed with major international booking agency 13 Artists, touring Europe and the US and showcasing at SXSW.

At 22, Sydney folktronica artist Gordi (aka Sophie Payten) made her mark with her debut EP Clever Disguise, not only for its songwriting depth but her production skills. “It’s music that gets it both ways — ambitious big pop that doesn’t give an inch of artistic concession,” said one review.

Dunedin-based Kane Strang’s debut album Blue Cheese on Ba Da Bing Records – recorded entirely whilst house-sitting for his parents – also got international interest for its lo-fi psych-pop sound and sharp lyrical observations. The follow up is set for this year, in which Strang used new gear for a stronger sound.

Set to screen her new two-part video/film (made with Vanessa Gazy) in Sydney at Golden Age on February 2, Lisa Mitchell’s folk-pop roots emerged on her debut release recorded at 17, and the follow up when she was 18. Her third album Warriors saw a widening of scope to beats. When performing live, she uses a tape recorded to reproduce beats when “I can’t fit a drummer on the stage.”

2017 had a strong start for fast rising Sydney band Middle Kids. It included record deals with EMI Music for Australia and Domino for North America, a massive US tour locked in which included SXSW showcases and some shows with the Cola Kids, and their debut EP set to drop in mid-February.

Melbourne pop singer-songwriter and guitarist Olympia (born Olivia Bartley in Wollongong, NSW) released her debut album Self Talk last April. It was nominated for a 2016 ARIA Award in the Breakthrough Artist category, and was also shortlisted in the Australian Music Prize.

Parcels are a five piece pop outfit based in Berlin after forming in Byron Bay two years ago. They toured here in Australia and dropped a new single Gamesofluck and the EP Hideout. Making the decision to move to Europe has worked for group, generating festival appearances and drawing comparisons with Daft Punk, Steely Dan and Frank Ocean.

Zambian born Sampa The Great made a quick impression after the release of her debut mix-tape a year ago. Her musical and political influences has helped use her music to inform and inspire. Working with producer Godriguez, she touches on blues, jazz and soul and makes it sound effortless.

The Goon Sax plan to relocate to Berlin from Brisbane midway through the year. They released their first single while still in high school in 2015, and was thrashed on BBC6 and featured in major music magazines, as did debut album Up To Anything from early last year. In September, the group played UK/Europe shows during the school holidays.

Triple j staples, Sydney band Tigertown, are this year taking their soft pop sounds out globally with tours with P!ATD, Troye Sivan, St. Lucia and MS MR. The siblings/husband and wife team released a single Papernote late last year.

Perth band Tired Lion are keeping up the momentum in 2017 after last year signing to Island Records in the UK as well as finding themselves playing Glastonbury and Latitude Festival. It wasn’t that long ago when they claimed the WAM Award for Best Rock Act, beating out the likes of Tame Impala and Pond.

Among the other 100 acts from around the world announced early this morning were Slaves, Abattoir Blues, Anna Straker, Dead Pretties, Horse Thief, The Age of L.U.N.A, Childcare and The Japanese House.