In just over a month, the city of Austin, Texas will be throwing open its doors to tens of thousands of music fans, industry officials and musicians for the annual SXSW music festival and conference. Amongst that number are thirty-eight Australian artists. Over the course of the next couple of weeks we'll be profiling these artists, offering a brief introduction to what they’re about and what they have to offer.
360
360 is the alter-ego of hip-hop artist Matthew James Colwell. The ARIA award-winning artist has released two albums to date. His most recent album, Falling & Flying, peaked at #4 on the ARIA charts and produced a number of charting singles including “Boys Like You”, his collaboration with Gossling (Helen Croome). The album also garnered him a number of ARIA nominations including Album of the Year and Urban Album of the Year. Back in June last year, he announced that work had begun on his third album. It goes without saying that it will be interesting to see how 360 translates to the American audience.
Alpine
Melbourne six piece Alpine are no strangers to the SXSW festival. Last year they played a total of ten shows over a three-day period. Since then, the band have recorded and released in Australia their debut album A Is For Alpine, which is due for release in America May 21st through Votiv Records, been nominated for an ARIA (Best Breakthrough Artist), played Laneway nationally, got on the Hottest 100, and the record was named Australian Album of the Year by The Age. This should mean nothing but good things for the group heading back over to the festival...
Atlas Genius
Adelaide’s Atlas Genius are set to release their debut album When It Was Now in the US on the 19th February, through Warner Bros. Records. Though reasonably unknown to most Aussies, the band already has an EP, 2012’s Through The Glass, to their name. Not to mention their chart topping single “Trojans”, the song that ultimately kick started everything for the band in the States. Currently in the midst of a US tour, which includes a series of sold out shows, the band will be stopping at Austin for SXSW on the 13th and 14th March.
The Audreys
Since the band’s formation in Adelaide in 2004, songwriting duo Tasha Cootes and Tristan Goodall have released three albums as The Audreys, winning three ARIA awards for Best Blues & Roots album for their three albums: Between Last Night and Us, When The Flood Comes and Sometimes the Stars. Live, the band grows and expands into a quintet, fleshing out the duos tracks. It's unknown if the full ensemble will be going over to the States to perform at SXSW but it will be great to see them on the stages there. We can't wait to see how this acclaimed duo fair!
The Beards
Australia’s most hirsute band is ready to spread their bearded philosophy to the rest of the world; having already achieved (according to their official site) an overall increase in beards per capita in this country as well as shifting public perception on the issue, through a series of national tours and a trio of albums. With track names like "If Your Dad Doesn’t Have a Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums" and "You Should Consider Having Sex With a Bearded Man", the latter of which made it into 2011’s Hottest 100, The Beards are one of the hottest live bands in our own country, so it's only natural that the US will want some bearded love too. Their record Having a Beard is the new not Having a Beard will be released in the US around the time of SXSW so seems that everything's looking good for this bearded group...
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Stay tuned for more Aussie artist profiles as we prepare for our fourth annual trip to SXSW, bringing you the most comprehensive coverage of the event in Australia!