BIGSOUND 2026: Artists Shaping The Future of Australian Music

2 days ago
12 min read

Writing/Interview: Aysha Swanson

Images: Aoife Hyland, Bridgette Winten, Kelsey Doyle, Alex Pugh-Harris, Maclay Heriot, Declann Shields

BIGSOUND is back, bringing some of Australia’s most exciting emerging artists to Meanjin for another week of packed venues and sounds from all over the country. But beyond the showcases, what does it actually mean to be an artist in Australia right now?

This year, that picture is complicated. Artists are navigating rising costs, struggling venues and an increasingly difficult touring landscape, while simultaneously finding new ways to build community, create independently and carve out space for music that exists outside the mainstream.

Ahead of this year’s festival, I sat down with eight of the artists I’m most excited to see at BIGSOUND 2026: Toy Shaw, Koady, Special Features, Any Young Mechanic, SUPERNEW, Teens, Public Figures and Stimpies. Across our conversations, we spoke about what Australian music needs more of, the challenges facing emerging artists and the importance of local scenes.

Their answers reveal an Australian music scene that is undoubtedly facing pressure, but is far from stagnant. If anything, these artists make a strong case for a future built on experimentation, community and a willingness to do things DIY.

*Above: Any Young Mechanic by Aoife Hyland*

AYSHA: What does Australian music need more of right now?

TOY SHAW: I think there’s so much innovative genre-bending music in Melbourne and Australia, but it doesn’t get promoted. We have so many cool artists doing interesting stuff but all we get shown is men with guitars.

KOADY: Need more world building. Need more people being mysterious. Need more dancing at shows.

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Zac] More surf rock. [Karissa] Support. Recently Laneway put out an announcement that some cities are not going through next year. I see so much negativity around everything, even from artists tearing festivals down. Clearly this is a sign that even the biggest festivals are struggling and losing funding, we should try to be supportive and positive.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Sam] Mistakes, I would say. A lot of Australian music or like popular Australian music that I hear, it sounds very clean. I think we've experienced going overseas and getting a sense of how people perceive Australian music. It really has been put in a box and I think that is to do with the cleanness of it, but also the whiteness of it as well. So we need more focus on First Nations and Indigenous artists as well.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] Australian music needs more support from Australian audiences as a whole. So many Aus bands are experiencing more success overseas than at home. [Rei] Australian music needs to reach more everyday Australians. I believe if we had more live music in pubs or at the footy, a lot of punters would come across their new favourite bands.

TEENS: [Shawn] The first thing I think of is venues. Definitely in Hobart, I feel they’re dying a little bit, so they’re not really jumping back like they used to. [Alex] I’d like to see more support for venues. I’d like to see more people with money doing interesting things to support the arts.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] I think Australian music needs a lot more industry support and government support. It's a really hard time to be a touring musician in Australia, especially because it's such a big country, it's really expensive.

STIMPIES: It seems like, outside of Melbourne, it's really hard for small scenes to survive.

*Above: Public Figures by Bridgette Winten*

AYSHA: Which artist on the BIGSOUND lineup should everyone make time to see?

TOY SHAW: Public Figures, Millie Strange and Ladyhawke!

KOADY: Probably been said a billion times but Special Features - still probably my favourite act to watch live. Everything is so expressive and almost feels theatrical. Also me.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Definitely Koady. He’s just the GOAT.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Luka] I think we all really like Dumbhead. We saw them earlier in the year, in Sydney at King Street Crawl and they're great. There are a lot of groups tackling the trip-hop thing, especially in Melbourne. I feel like those guys actually are bringing something inventive and original.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] Special Features and Koady. [Rei] Zach Stephenson, Local The Neighbour & Public Figures.

TEENS: [Alex] Obviously Teens. Very keen to see Special Features, Any Young Mechanic, Grace Chia as well. [Shawn] Public Figures. They are awesome. Millie Strange, really cool. Pretty dark, folky stuff.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] Everyone should check out Millie Strange. Awesome Naarm artist who's got like the most powerful voice, heartbreaking at times, but also really takes you to another place.

STIMPIES: Liquid Zoo. Couldn't ask for a nicer group of gentlemen.

AYSHA: What's the best advice another musician has given you?

TOY SHAW: Trust your instincts. It's really easy to get swamped by other people’s ideas and opinions about what to do with your music but ultimately it's yours for a reason.

KOADY: The best advice I have gotten from another musician is to be kind to others #kind

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Karissa] Practice. [Zac] I think to be a good bloke. When we first had a meeting with Luke Peacock from Minor Premiers, he just said be a good person and be nice to people and you will make friends. At the end of the day you just have to be a nice person.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Sam] We had a lecturer called Derek Pascoe. One thing he taught us was that when you have an idea in an ensemble, it becomes clear to you quite quickly, but it will become clear to the audience in twice as much time. So when you think an idea has reached its course, play it again.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] I remember when we were younger on tour supporting another band, people weren’t really responding to our set and were just waiting for the headliner. One of our friends told us that when you're headlining a show you can feed off of the crowd’s energy and it’s easier to perform, but when you’re supporting or the crowd doesn’t know you, you have to feed the crowd the energy.

TEENS: [Alex] I think the piece of advice I always go back to is keep it simple, and that’s musically and in life. I tend to overcomplicate things. As artists, we’re doing everything ourselves, which is a great privilege, but it also wears us down.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] I think just sticking to your guns and really backing your gut feeling. Whether that be creative or if you want to play a show or do a tour. At the end of the day, it's your journey and there's so much outside noise that happens and so many people giving you a million different titbits of advice, but deep down know what is best for you.

STIMPIES: Bryce from Amyl & The Sniffers said to “learn to love yourself as a player.” When you love yourself and your playing, you’re able to do it in a way that no one else can.

AYSHA: What does your local music scene mean to you?

TOY SHAW (Naarm/Aotearoa): New Zealand’s music scene has a huge focus on being DIY and alternative. Independent labels, like Flying Nun (rip), are such a fundamental part of the culture. There’s this funny shared sensibility that making things independently, and having your hands in the construction of things, is cooler and I love that.

KOADY (Meanjin): It is honestly the backbone of so many creatives even outside of music. Without the local music scene, we also don't have as many opportunities for film, design, and journalistic creatives. I think it is so important and right now more than ever, I think it's super exciting to be in. I wouldn't have even been able to pay for my rent last year if it wasn't for the film and music video opportunities I had.

SPECIAL FEATURES (Meanjin): [Karissa] It means a lot, becoming a part of the music scene is kind of the first time in my life where I've really felt a sense of belonging and community. Which sounds a bit cringe but it's a feeling I've never had before. It's filled with really innovative, kind people.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC (Kaurna): [Jay] To me, the local scene is a wellspring of what I want music in Australia and really the world to be. There’s a compilation called Sitting in the Same Chairs that documented a lot of what had been happening in the Adelaide scene over the past few years, and I’m really grateful to have those documents.

SUPERNEW (Meanjin): [Chris] We love the Meanjin/Brisbane scene and each of us have been deeply involved in the scene for over 10 years. Whether it be through playing shows, releasing music, contributing to 4ZZZ, managing bands or putting on gigs, we’re all deep Bris loyalists. [Rei] It’s how this band formed, we were all a part of bands in a similar scene.

TEENS (Nipaluna): [Shawn] That means a lot. I think in Hobart, it’s quite varied, but I think a lot of people still back each other, which is nice. [Alex] Tassie is really tight-knit and supportive, so there is a true sense of community. It makes life worth living. Without the arts, life would just suck really hard.

PUBLIC FIGURES (Naarm): [Gigi] We wouldn't be here without it, it's the lifeblood of our sort of existence.The music scene in every city is such an awesome, supportive community. We all champion each other for years now. I think we have to remember that you have to leave your house and get off the internet and actually participate in your local community and see because that's where things build properly.

STIMPIES (Naarm): It’s everything to us, seriously. We wouldn’t be here without Singing Bird and Frankston. We’ve basically grown up in this scene.

*Above: Special Features by Maclay Heriot*

AYSHA: What's something you're still trying to figure out as a musician?

TOY SHAW: I’m still figuring out what it means to be a New Zealander in Australia. I feel really wedded to Australia’s music community now and it’s where I started releasing music, but my music feels so New Zealand-ish, so I’m still figuring out what that means for me.

KOADY: Still trying to figure out how to open up more to collaboration in sessions. All my entire creative life has been so heavily DIY and almost lonely in a way that I have been super rooted in a specific routine of creating stuff , but for this next project after the current one, I really want to open myself up to a lot of different sessions and ideas.

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Karissa] My pedals. I don’t understand the knobs, I don’t understand what depth does. [Zac] I reckon amps for me. I know the basics, but when it comes to trying to connect a head to a cab, I don’t know how to do that.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Luka] I’m still figuring out when not to play. When your instrument is in your hand, it can be really difficult to restrain yourself, but so much of music is about knowing when to let other people breathe and when to have your moment. [Allan] My bass teacher said “you’ll get paid twice as much for playing half as many notes” and that is true sometimes, a tricky conundrum.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] How to write a hit. [Rei] How to write a fucking hit.

TEENS: [Shawn] Almost everything. I don’t think you’ve ever got it figured out. Even with songwriting, sometimes it’s really foreign and seems really difficult. Sometimes it may come easy, but almost everything, all the time. [Alex] We’re going on tour soon, so I feel like there’s a lot of learning happening there. Booking venues and dealing with bands, figuring out what we can manage ourselves.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] I think I'm trying to figure out, how can I do this sustainably forever without ruining my life? Which is a really unfortunate answer. You wish you could just have some universal basic income and just do music for the rest of your life. Hopefully that is with awesome government support or maybe I'll win the lottery or something like that. Who knows?

STIMPIES: How to love ourselves as musicians.

AYSHA: What's one piece of advice you wish emerging artists knew?

TOY SHAW: Keep being annoying and putting yourself out there, promoting yourself to radio, distributors, whoever. Just be shameless about doing whatever you need to do. Everyone that's making music is embarrassing themselves, it is the great equaliser.

KOADY: Probably the most repeated advice of all time, but don't wait around for the perfect moment to come - you literally just have to try and try and try. I found that I used to sit around a lot, just waiting for something to appear and come to me, but I've found creativity, for me anyway, does involve a lot of discipline.

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Zac] Don’t wait for people to do things for you. Don’t wait to go on tour to support another band, you kinda have to just do it yourself and ask other bands to play with you.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Jay] I’ve been thinking about this idea David Lynch talks about of “dying twice” - if you do something you care about and it fails, you can learn from that, but if you do something you don’t care about and it fails, you die twice. There’s no point putting lots of energy into something you don’t care about. I’d say listen to records you love that didn’t necessarily make a splash, and research the things that you care about.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] I think it’s important for emerging artists to try not to compare themselves to other acts at a similar level. I think it’s important to be supportive of the scene you’re in but also to make sure that you are making the art you want to be making. [Rei] A successful career in music takes time to build. The years spent writing, rehearsing and touring have been some of the most special moments in my life.

TEENS: [Alex] The industry doesn’t exist without you. The artist is actually really important, so do what you want first, and then get people interested. [Shawn] Don't give too much of a shit about all the other crap that comes along with it, like social media. If you’re having fun and playing music, just not to worry about any of that stuff.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] Try and be as DIY as possible for as long as possible and like, don't spend money on, on stuff that maybe isn't the smartest. Especially because there's no money. If you can record yourself, do that. If you can mix it yourself, do that. Go to gigs, meet other artists, because I feel like that's the hard part of getting your foot in the door if you don't know anyone.

STIMPIES: Don’t hesitate to be an artist, a life lived in art is a life well-spent.

AYSHA: What's inspiring you outside of music at the moment?

TOY SHAW: I’ve been obsessed with the christening dresses and the crazy ornate cribs in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. I also love Rae Klein. And Kelly’s Minks… She's Dr. Fab.

KOADY: It is pretty much always a film or visual. I think at the moment I am very into Michael Haneke movies. I watched the piano teacher last year and that was just amazing, and now I am going down the list of his filmography. Also for some reason I keep watching scenes from Gummo. I love the way that movie is structured and feels.

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Karissa] The cabbage soup I just ate, it was really delicious. Vinted coming to Australia is really getting my brain going. [Zac] I watch a lot of travel videos on youtube, of really random places in the world. I really want to get out in the world and explore things, I feel inspired by watching people on youtube.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Luka] I got my bike back from the shop recently and it’s got a new drivetrain. Every time I jump on my bike, it makes me happy, so that’s my inspiration at the moment.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] I think the abhorrent political landscape that we are currently living through in Brisbane / QLD has been inspiring me to write more, it has definitely been filling me with ammo. [Rei] The beautiful Brisbane, Magandjin winter, wattle blooming everywhere, new small businesses and local cafes and bars making this city a more exciting and vibrant place to live.

TEENS: [Alex] I do find inspiration in small community these days - community banding together and doing interesting stuff. I love people doing stuff and not expecting to get anything in return. That’s really inspirational.

PUBLIC FIGURES: [Gigi] Recently I have a few friends in the fine arts scene, that I've never really been versed in at all. Going to openings and all these weird art things that I'm never in normally cause I'm usually at a venue watching a band, that's been pretty cool just to see how the other side of creative stuff outside of music.

STIMPIES: Choppers, Chess, Printmaking, Sewing, Woodworking, Thinking about going swimming. Smoking cigarettes and looking after our bodies.

AYSHA: What's one Australian album everyone should hear?

TOY SHAW: This might technically be an EP, but I adore Eternal Recurrence by Romæo. So beautiful, intelligent and well-crafted.

KOADY: Everyone should listen to Love and Piss by Dirty Harry. One of the best projects to come from Brisbane.

SPECIAL FEATURES: [Zac] Ricky Albeck’s album that's coming out very soon. I don’t think it has a name yet, but he sent me the unreleased songs and it's genuinely the best album I’ve ever heard. [Karissa] Grace Cummings’ new album that just came out, Bloodhorse!.

ANY YOUNG MECHANIC: [Jay] There are so many great choices, but Before Hollywood by The Go-Betweens immediately came to mind. [Luka] I’d say The Sound of White by Missy Higgins, because it was really important to me when I was younger. [Allan] AC/DC’s High Voltage is another one. I've recently been discovering the value and power of AC/DC. [Sam] I’m gonna say Stella Donnelly’s Beware of the Dogs is another great record.

SUPERNEW: [Chris] Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Primary Colours. [Rei] Body Break - Beryl.

TEENS: [Shawn]I reckon The Vines, Highly Evolved. I think it still holds up. Everyone should listen to that because it’s a masterpiece. [Alex] Eddie Current Suppression Ring, Primary Colours. I still love it. It’s a classic.