Sounds Australia Returns To AmericanaFest, Reeperbahn

Sounds Australia will showcase 25 Australian acts in September at AmericanaFest in Nashville, and Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany, for the first time since 2019.

Because of crowd numbers, both events are important stops where Aussie acts get noticed and their managers and agents get to network.

AmericanaFest last year drew an aggregate attendance of 23,000 while Reeperbahn – marketed as “Germany’s largest club festival” – had 40,000 visitors over four days in 90 venues.

Sounds Australia will highlight 15 acts over three events in Nashville from September 13 to 17.

They are Al Backstrom, Catherine Britt, Colin Lillie, Fanny Lumsden, Georgia State Line, Helen Townsend, Henry Wagons, Katie Bates, Kingswood, Lachlan Bryan, Lozz Benson, Mark Wilkinson, Melody Moko, The Weeping Willows and Tim Bowen.

The three events were A Taste of Australia at the Lookout club, the famous Bluebird Café where new talent is traditionally discovered and the Aussie BBQ at the 5 Spot club.

AmericanaFest was set up in 2000 by the Americana Music Association, and Sounds Australia has been there for 10 years.

Board member and past president Mark Moffat observed some years back, “Australia has emerged not only as a key market for Americana music but has developed its own very strong roots music community with many of its artists recently attracting global industry attention. 

“Sounds Australia has played a large role in building these bridges.”

In 2019 Australia was the focus country at Reeperbahn, with 50 acts and delegates making trading inroads with the third largest music market in the world after the U.S. and Japan.

Events included APRA AMCOS’ SongHubs program, bringing together German songwriters, producers and creatives to collaborate with Australian talent to create new music.

Festival director Alexander Schulz applauded the diversity and high volume of Australians making global waves, attributing it to “the ever vibrant live scene of the country and also the outstanding work of Sounds Australia.”

In 2022, 10 acts play the German festival from September 21 to 24 around the streets and the St. Pauli entertainment precinct.

They are Alex Lahey, Bec Sandridge, Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, Greatest Hits, Hatchie, Hazlett, HighSchool, Josh Cashman, Kingswood and Merci, Mercy. 

Sounds Australia will again host the Aussie BBQ with the acts performing across two stages.

September also sees the organisation representing Australian music at the Going Global summit in Auckland, the indie-focussed Zandari Festa in Seoul, BreakOut West in Calgary in Canada which draws 10,000, and All That Matters in Singapore which has10,000 at the music, sport, gaming, digital and marketing meet.