Live Nation Preps ‘Ones to Watch’ Showcase at Bigsound

Kanada The Loop and Carla Wehbe headline the Brisbane leg of Live Nation’s Ones to Watch showcase, part of next month’s Bigsound live music program.

Also confirmed is Forest Claudette and Selfish Sons, who’ll line up for the ongoing live event series, something the concerts giant created to “provide emerging artists with the opportunity to connect with local music lovers, and perform in front of key industry professionals,” a statement reads.

The showcase will be held Wednesday, Sept. 7 at The Outpost, part of Fortitude Music Hall complex on Brunswick Street in the Fortitude Valley.

Chris Akavi, Live Nation promoter and Ones To Watch curator, hails the Queensland event as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our featured artists to connect with key industry forces and spotlight their extraordinary talent.”

Bigsound returns as an in-person pow-wow this year, after skipping 2021 and going ahead in 2020 as a virtual event.

Produced by trade body QMusic, organisers are predicted the “biggest ever” Bigsound music festival this time.

Spread over the four days and three nights of Sept. 6-9, Bigsound will commandeer 21 venues in the Valley, with the likes of Budjerah, flowerkid, Hope D, Mia Wray, Teenage Joans, Boy Soda, Dallas Woods, The Terrys and Adrian Dzvuke set to entertain the crowds.

“We’ve watched Live Nation’s Ones to Watch program with great admiration as it has launched and grown nationally,” Kris Stewart, CEO of QMusic notes, “and the entire Bigsound team is ecstatic to have them as a part of our 2022 event, where we share the goal of springboarding a new generation of Australian artists.”

Previously, the online emerging talent event has taken place in Adelaide, and on the Gold Coast, featuring performances from Colourblind, East AV3, Teenage Joans, Hoodzy, Saint Lane, and WIIGZ.

Sydney-based fans of new music will get their own showcase next Thursday (Aug. 25) at The Albion Hotel, in conjunction with Sound West.