Bands

Hailing from Melbourne, BLACKCHORDS, fronted by songwriter 27-year old Nick Milwright, have been widely acclaimed with critics raving that their darkly majestic collection of understated songs recalls the best bits of Ryan Adams, Elbow and Jeff Buckley. | www.myspace.com/blackchords

BLUEJUICE‘s musical style has variously been described as “too straight for funk, too groovy for indie rock and too sweaty for pop”. The five piece from Sydney have to albums to their credit and have played Australia’s biggest festivals and supported acts such as Tricky, Pnau, Dizzee Rascal, and The Specials. | www.myspace.com/bluejuice

BRIDEZILLA are one of the most compelling new Australian bands in years. Years in the making, their full-length debut, ‘The First Dance’, is destined endure as one of the decade’s most fascinating Australian recordings; not to mention one of 2009’s finest albums. Formed in 2005 during the dizzy days of high school, Bridezilla began as a group of teenage girls and one boy battling boredom with strings, horns, and a storm of emotion. Steadily building buzz, they’ve taken to the stages of major festivals such as the Big Day Out and a couple of All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals curated by The Flaming Lips and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. They’ve also supported Wilco, Cold War Kids, Stars, Dirty Three, The Drones and Sia. | www.myspace.com/bridezillaa

Australia is known for two things: Vegemite and Men at Work. Soon to be three, actually, thanks to the DAPPLED CITIES. Since 2004, the quintet has been entranced with their particular blend of avant-garde minimalism, complex tempos and neo-new wave sound. After a four year hiatus (and a colourful stay in New York’s East Village) the guys from Sydney are back on the scene with their third record ‘Zounds’. The result is an album that defies characterisation.  Each song is different, and everyone will have their favourites. Yet no one can deny the virtuosity of these men from down under. | www.myspace.com/dappledcities

While the mention of their name often invokes raised eyebrows and amused smiles among the uninitiated, Brisbane four-piece HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY produce music that inspires equal measures of curiosity and joy. Forming in March 2007, the band has wasted no time in carving out a name for themselves in the Australian music scene. Dressing their immaculate indie tunes with a healthy dose of 60’s pop sensibility and lashings of soul, Hungry Kids have clearly done their rock history homework, but manage to apply their learning without ever sounding formulaic. | www.myspace.com/hungrykidsofhungary

KAV TEMPERLEY is the frontman of one of Australia’s most successful bands, ESKIMO JOE who formed in 1997. Their sound has taken giant leaps forward, from 2001’s Girl to 2004’s A Song Is A City and on to the four-times-platinum mega hit Black Fingernails, Red Wine, Eskimo Joe have stepped up to again prove why they’re one of the most heralded and enduring rock bands around today.  This will be a rare and candid opportunity to hear their music stripped back and acoustic. | www.myspace.com/eskimojoemusic

LARISSA MCKAY is a singer/songwriter who taught herself to play the piano and wrote her first song at 15. At 21 her self penned track ‘Ricocheted’ receive an honourable mention in the 16th Annual World Song Contest. McKay, now 23 has toured the United States and has recently arrived in the UK where she is now based. | www.myspace.com/larissamckay

THE KITS formed in the Melbourne, Australia in 2005 and relocated to London shortly after. In the UK they have been embraced by the garage music audiences, winning them over with a sound based in the 60′s, combining furious Motown-esque rhythms and tales of crime, passion and addiction.  Their debut album ‘Primitive Tales’ landed in September 2008 on London garage record label Dirty Water Records and was followed up by extensive touring with UK/Europe and Australia. THE KITS have just stepped out of the studio after working with legendary ‘The Saints’ front man Chris Bailey. With Bailey at the helm he has helped produce a stunning new single for The Kits called ‘Salvation’. This is their first single from second album ‘Lead Us Into Temptation’ planned for release late 2010. | www.myspace.com/thekits

ONE MOVEMENT FOR MUSIC (OMFM) in Perth is the essential tastemaker and music industry event in the southern hemisphere. In 2009 One Movement For Music (OMFM) descended on the Australian seaside city of Perth in October and proved itself as one of the most important music industry conference and showcase events. OMFM takes place between October 6th to 10th in 2010. There will be over 200 artists, 100 speakers, hundreds of delegates and thousands of music fans will again descend on Perth for four fabulous days of impressive business outcomes, relationships building and the sharing of important insight and knowledge. | www.onemovementmusic.com

PHDJ (Martin Novosel) is a DJ dude, business dude, music producer dude, and an all round party dude. He one of Australia’s highest profile indie party mash up DJs, founder of indie club brand Purple Sneakers, owner of label, events and tastemaker company Boundary Sounds, manager of Philadelphia Grand Jury and according to press “a pioneer for a generation of left-of-centre party-goers and music lovers”.  As a DJ PhDJ’s mashed up versatility behind the decks is huge and his stylistic flexibility has been demonstrated via the numerous support slots and festivals he’s played (or slayed). PhDJ has played with La Roux, Santigold, Grizzly Bear, Ratatat, Bloc Party, The Presets, The Rapture, The Kills, DJ AM and Chk Chk Chk. PhDJ consistently tours internationally and never one to shy away from the great outdoors PhDJ has graced the stages at festivals like Field Day, Big Day Out, Splendour In the Grass, Falls Festival, Good Vibrations, and Parklife national tour. June 2010 sees PhDJ mix a disc on the Purple Sneakers ‘We Mix You Dance’ dual disc compilation out through Inertia. | www.purplesneakersdjs.com

STAGE MOTHERS is an events company supporting Australian musicians attending overseas music conventions. Their objectives and events have expanded each year since 2002. Stage Mothers produce international live music showcases featuring Australia’s finest artists, known as The Aussie BBQ. The Aussie BBQ series takes place across the USA every March and in 2010 is being introduced to the UK and set to be firmly on the calendar every May.  Artists who have played the Aussie BBQ include Paul Kelly, Hoodoo Gurus, The Living End, Powderfinger, You Am I, The Vines, John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, The Grates, Ben Lee, The Panics, Beasts of Bourbon, Josh Pyke, The Drones, Youth Group, Airbourne and Temper Trap, to name just a few.