BIGSOUND WRAPS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
A NRL Final Series Debut, the Kebab Shop Gig Everyone is Talking About, New Music from BIRDLAND and Surprise A-List Guests Peppered the Week.
Photos (left to right): BIRDLAND (photo by Darcy Goss); Julia Jacklin (photo by Darcy Goss); Richard Cowin - British Consul General, QLD & NT, Country Director for Trade & Investment, Chris Tams - Independent Member Services BPI Ltd, Councilor Vicki Howard, QMusic CEO Kristy Ellis and Hon John-Paul Langbroek (photo by Simone Gorman-Clak); 3% with new singer Mi-Kaisha (photo by SomeFX).
Brisbane Magandjin, Queensland - And just like that, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most significant music discovery series BIGSOUND marked 25 years of enduring impact, industry connections and breakout music talent from across Australia, Aotearoa and beyond.
“We wanted 25 years of BIGSOUND to feel special, and I think this week has absolutely delivered,” QMUSIC CEO, Kristy Ellis has said.
“We’ve seen incredible support from across the industry, stronger ticket sales than in recent years, and Australian and international music leaders coming together here in Brisbane.
“This year we introduced new content and conversations, integrated Goolwal Goolwal more deeply across the BIGSOUND program and delivered an incredible line-up of artists. Through initiatives like Concert Care, we focused on reducing barriers to participation and creating a welcoming, supportive experience where everyone can feel they belong.
“Most importantly, we expanded our support for artists. Alongside professional development through the Artist Hub presented by Spotify, we directly invested in every showcasing act through travel contributions and additional delegate passes. Initiatives like Stage Drive by Oztix provided another way to support artists, helping create more opportunities across the week and beyond.”
From 1 - 4 September the who’s who of the music industry descended on Fortitude Valley, transforming the entire district into the largest music discovery playground in Australia and arguably the world. They came to talk music and listen to the 100 official showcase acts and were treated to not only impeccable live music showcases but also secret performances from a few Australian & NZ icons including John Butler, Nikki Webster and Scribe.
For the 25th year, BIGSOUND didn’t shy away from the BIG topics. The conference program delivered thought-provoking and engaging discussions about the current and future state of the music industry.
Brisbane City Councilor and Chair of Arts and Communities, Vicki Howard, opened BIGSOUND by declaring BIGSOUND her “favourite arts event in Brisbane”, three days later she echoed that sentiment dubbing 2026 “the best BIGSOUND yet” at closing event, the Sunshine State Lunch presented by the Queensland Hotels Association (QHA). The Minister for Education and the Arts, the Honourable John-Paul Langbroek MP also attended the lunch and shared the same sentiment. The lunch featured performances by Queensland artists Frank & Louis and Loose Goose.
Opening with a traditional welcome led by Tribal Experiences, BIGSOUND 2026 began grounded in culture at the BIGSOUND Mall Stage Presented by Amazon Music. Butchulla songman and acclaimed artist Fred Leone, was invited to lead a Call To Country, with visiting First Nations artists from Aotearoa and Canada sharing their traditional song and dance in response to the welcome, celebrating cultural connections across nations.
Then the FOMO-inducing moments started rolling. Surprise performances and guest appearances were peppered throughout Fortitude Valley across BIGSOUND week: John Butler played a pop-up set at Ric’s Bar before announcing a midnight headline show, while Nikki Webster joined Tuesday’s Sony And Friends party at The Beaumont before performing her own set on Wednesday Brunswick Street Mall Stage presented by Amazon Music. Scribe joined 3%, their new lead singer Mi-Kaisha and friends at Crowbar for the first live performance of Not Many – Ganay Biralunbar, the soundtrack to this year’s NRL Finals Series.
There wasn’t a day without something to clap your eyes on, furiously DM your mates about, or post in Instagram with a very urgent ‘you need to get down here.’
New music from genre icons like Ladyhawke saw its debut at hallowed venue Crowbar, Special Features didn’t expect a ‘sell out’ crowd for their final showcase at the same venue but you couldn’t fit another soul inside and DC Maxwell took the music beyond the usual stages with a surprise set at Shah Kebabs, bringing alt-rock and halal snack packs together for passers-by.
The Valley effect was evident with breakout artists BIRDLAND, triplets all the way from WA, writing, recording and debuting a track while on the ground at their first BIGSOUND. Set to be released at the end of October 2026, the song - Heartbreak was recorded in The Valley on BIGSOUND eve at James Angus Studios above LA LA Land, with award-winning producer Robby De Sa (The veronicas, Tina Arena, Grentperez, Coterie, Flume, Gretta Ray). The track HIT! debuting to a packed out crowd at the Brunswick Street Mall Stage presented by Amazon Music on Wednesday evening.
“Our first BIGSOUND was chaotic and so much fun, and we loved feeling just how alive, supportive, kind and wonderful the Australian music scene is! We're still getting over the crowds that showed up for our Mall Stage and Ric's Bar shows - that will stay with us forever,” said the BIRDLAND brothers - Francis, Oscar and Conrad Cvitan.
“We recorded a brand new song 'Heartbreak' the day before BIGSOUND in Fortitude Valley with Robby De Sa, and decided to play the final finished version for the very first time on Wednesday night. Our Mall Stage showcase was also our first time playing in Brisbane, so we loved being able to treat our awesome Brisbane fans with a first listen!”
This is just one example of the magic conjured on site by artists, creatives and technicians, to then be rolled out in real time, BIRDLAND were one of many BIGSOUND artists who left The Valley with new music, new contacts and a huge boost to their profile.
An evocative artist in conversation series delivered by some of the country’s most innovative talents, from trials, to Julia Jacklin, Stu Mackenzie and Lucas Harwood from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and, Kobie Dee and Tasman Keith offering candid and poignant insights into some of Australia’s most dynamic music careers.
“To all the artists in the room - not just Indigenous, but especially my brothers and sisters - you must be able to tell your story the way you want it told. Otherwise it will be told for you,” said trials.
“If you're generous with your fans - they'll give back," said Lucas Harwood.
Special guest and Aussie icon, Paul Kelly celebrated 100 years of Australian songwriting with APRA AMCOS, appearing in an exclusive conversation with ABC’s Sarah Kanowski the morning after a sold out appearance at Lefties Music Hall. Kelly unpacked his lauded career and experience leading generations of artistry in a rare, funny, insightful and intimate, interview that offered moments of poignancy and simple advice for the next generation.
“My Grandma gave me some great advice. If you get nervous before you go on stage, go find somewhere quiet and breathe.” Kelly said.Successful pilot programs for 2026 included the Ideas & Innovations Hub
presented by Amplify Music Education and Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology (CAST), CAST Founder - Gav Perry said,
‘’This was an important moment to have conversations on the role technology has played across the generations. From vinyl to new digital formats, from Oztix to Linktree, so much of it has been built by people from inside the industry trying to make a better one.
“Music has shaped the world around us, and with technology playing a larger role in the structure of the future, it’s more important than ever [that] we stay connected to it, so we can understand it and help shape it. BIGSOUND will be central to those conversations, and we’re incredibly grateful to be part of it.”
Integrated throughout BIGSOUND, Goolwal Goolwal brought First Nations voices and creativity across the program. Highlights included trials’ visual art exhibition, with all silent auction proceeds supporting Ya’Djin Women’s Collective, and Volume II: Mob Cypher – Magandjin edition, led by Fred Leone alongside Nooky, Birdz, Dallas Woods, Say True God?, DENNI, Flewnt and JJ VACANT, performing to an original beat by trials.
New artist support platform, Stage Drive secured its return for future BIGSOUNDs, raising thousands across the week with donations still rolling in. Brought to life thanks to event partner Oztix and launched just moments before kickoff, this brand new artist-initiative connects the wallets of music fans directly with the artists they love and want to support.
“The pilot program is part of our ongoing commitment to finding new ways to support the artists, promoters and communities that make live music possible and has already raised thousands of dollars for artists in its first year,” Oztix Co-Founder and Managing Director Stu FIeld has said.
The export business was in full swing at BIGSOUND, with international delegations from both the UK and Canada landing in South East Queensland for 2026, opening up more opportunities for global connection.
"Canada played big at BIGSOUND. I was proud to be there with my colleague Sharon, supporting our Canadian artists and music industry leaders as they connected, collaborated and opened new doors in Australia and beyond.” said Ghislain Robichaud, Consul General of Canada (Sydney).
Introducing international business leaders and artists to Australia as a music market on a scale not seen before, the delegation explored the breadth of Queensland’s live music and live performance infrastructure, touring venues including Cbus Super Stadium, People First Stadium and even Mansfield Tavern as part of their extended stay. Being able to showcase the high caliber of infrastructure and artistry to international visitors, while also welcoming some prime showcase performances from visiting artists as well, reinforced the cultural importance of BIGSOUND as an event.
The AI conversation dominated the week’s dialog. Annabelle Herd (CEO, ARIA and PPCA) brought a very clear message to BIGSOUND and the industry, commenting on the direct impact of copyright breaches and the threat of AI on the music industry,
“The threat to us is that they take our work, use it to train their models, and then those models are used like a slot machine to spit out substitutable content. …Every time our copyright is affected, it reduces the value of our work, and protecting that value is essential to keeping our industry profitable, sustainable and able to support the creators behind it,” she said.
Dean Ormston (CEO, APRA AMCOS), a leading voice on the opportunities and threats AI presents to the creative industries, particularly when it comes to copyright and the value of creators’ work, also offered,
“In an ideal world, the relationship between the tech world and music would be symbiotic, but this is just about payment…We need to consider the sheer scale of these companies. They have enormous financial resources, spending billions on data centres, engineers and computing power.”
“The issue isn’t that these companies can’t afford to pay creators, they absolutely can. They are choosing not to. They are prepared to spend billions building the infrastructure that powers their models, but when it comes to the songwriters, authors, artists and journalists whose work makes those models valuable, they want that input for free.”
Upstarters gave Melbourne artist Local The Neighbour $20k to kick off their music dreams. Presented by Up Bank and Monster Children in collaboration with BIGSOUND, the competition was open to any Australian act and saw hundreds of entries from across the Country. The five finalists played at The Beaumont before BC Michael (Dune Rats) presented David Quested of Local the Neighbour the inaugural giant check.
With official events kicking off the week before and events running early to early daily, putting on BIGSOUND is no small feat. From the 6am MILKLAB X BIGSOUND Morning Mix Run Club complete with coffee rave to the 25th Birthday Closing party to 2am BIGSOUND isn’t just BIG by name.
“There have been some incredible moments, made possible by our team, volunteers, venues and partners,” said QMUSIC CEO, Kristy Ellis.
“What I’m most proud of is hearing about artists being discovered and the opportunities already opening up through BIGSOUND. That’s what we’re here to do: create real outcomes for artists and live music venues, and strengthen our industry.”
The highly anticipated date announcement of BIGSOUND 2027 will likely land later this month.
ABOUT BIGSOUND
Established in 2001, BIGSOUND remains Australia’s premier music industry gathering and the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the past quarter of a century, it has helped launch the careers of artists including Flume, Tash Sultana, Tones And I and Courtney Barnett, while continuing to connect Australian artists with the people and opportunities that shape successful careers.
BIGSOUND is proudly supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, together with Presenting Partner Oztix and other valued industry and commercial partners.
For four days each September, Fortitude Valley becomes the meeting place for the Australian music industry where artists are discovered, careers are accelerated, partnerships are formed and the future of Australian music is shaped.
ABOUT QMUSIC
QMusic is the not-for-profit music industry peak body and development association for Queensland. The work of QMusic is critical to the success and development of Queensland’s music economy. It is the only significant and established not-for-profit organisation in Queensland dedicated to delivering sector and talent development, and recognition and capacity building initiatives including Industry Connect, the QMAs, and BIGSOUND.
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