FEEDBACK: A Music Conference For Young People

After years of well earned respect in the Australian Hip Hop scene and wider music community, hundreds of shows including almost every major music festival in the country and punctuated by sweat and smiles, Thundamentals released their 3rd album ‘So We Can Remember’ in 2014 – the only record to be nominated for an ARIA Award, AIR Award, J Award, FBi SMAC Award and The Australian Music Prize.

Debuting at #1 on the Digital, Independent, Australia and Urban Charts and #3 on the Album ARIA Charts, SWCR sprouted massive singles in ’Smiles Don’t Lie’, ’Something I Said’ ft. Thom Crawford, ‘Quit Your Job’, 'Got Love’ ft. Solo and ‘Missing You’ and resulted in three tracks in Triple J’s 2015 Hottest 100 and one in 2014.

With a jaw dropping live show and a fan base that grows exponentially every time one of their groove-laden songs lands on the radio – it’s fair to say that Blue Mountains via Newtown hip hop trio Thundamentals are an absolute mainstay. Clearly focused on the big picture, Thundas are all about using broad brush strokes on their ever-widening sonic canvas, never more evident than on ‘So We Can Remember’.

In the time since they first started work on beats and rhymes in their hometown of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, the three guys – MCs Tuka and Jeswon and DJ Morgs, all now based in inner-city Newtown – have been all about pushing themselves. With one foot firmly planted in Hip Hop history and the other kicking down the walls, they stride forward growing with them an army of loyal Thundakats and a vast and impressive catalogue of forward thinking songs.

See more on Thundamentals website and facebook 

After casting a spell on all with her debut EP, ‘Rosie’, Thelma Plum has put down her guitar and taken a step in a brave new musical direction.

With Triple J Unearthed, NIMA and DEADLY wins under her belt, Thelma relocated to the Inner West of Sydney, absorbing the city and its sounds, developing her craft to expand beyond the 6 strings. 

Collaborating along the way with beat smith, M-Phazes (Kimbra, Eminem), lending his sought after talents to sculpt a sound that is forward thinking and modern without compromising Thelma’s warm colloquial purr. 

‘How Much Does Your Love Cost?’ is the first single off Thelma’s forthcoming EP, ‘Monster’ and is mixed by Eric J Dobowsky (Chet Faker / Flight Facilities)

Opening with the jangle of an Ennio Morricone western score, Thelma’s voices commands focus as a crescendo of strings builds beneath, breaking into a truly hypnotic chorus.

Still only 19, Thelma is already a seasoned performer, completing a run of SOLD OUT national shows in 2013. Now, in 2014, Thelma has will be bringing her Monster to a town near you – best be on the look out.

See more Thelma Plum on her website and facebook

Jake Stone is a music industry journalist, performer and songwriter. He was a singer and songwriter for platinum-certified BLUEJUICE, garnering several ARIA Award nominations and playing Australia’s biggest music festivals.

Jake has written for The Brag, the Sydney Morning Herald, junkee.com and The Vine. He is currently the Education Officer at Music NSW, assisting graduates, journalists and aspiring music industry types to gain a foothold in music and the media industry.

A dark tangle of raw lyrics, honest and haunting melodies and voices upon voices upon voices; Little May represent a new generation of songwriters.  Undefinable and expansive, Little May’s sound is created by age-old friends Annie Hamilton, Liz Drummond and Hannah Field, who in the last couple of years have acquired over 25 million Spotify streams and whose records have made their way into the ears of fans and tastemakers far beyond their Sydney home.

Since releasing their debut single ‘Boardwalks’ in 2013, the outfit have been making waves internationally, topping Hype Machine three times, receiving high rotation as the triple j  Feature album and the FBi Feature Album for their debut LP, For The Company and selling out swathes of shows across the globe. 

They have been plucked as a favourite by BBC Radio 1 goddess, Fearne Cotton, a ‘Next Hype’ slot with Zane Lowe, along with plays across XFM, Amazing Radio and BBC Radio 2 in the UK following from their two sold out debut London shows in late 2014.  Little May have graced the pages of Britain’s The Sunday Times and been highly tipped as an “act to watch” by The Guardian, and all off the back of just one five-track EP.

Across the Atlantic, Little May have performed to sold-out rooms across NYC for CMJ where they were officially selected as one of the “11 Breakout Acts of CMJ”.  A show with Cold War Kids at Rough Trade, a nod of approval from NPR heavyweight, Bob Boilen, recommended by the Huffington Post as an ‘Artist You Need to Start Listening To in 2015’ (alongside the likes of Broods, Mark Ronson and Vic Mensa) and a spread in Nylon Magazine saw these young over achievers crack #42 most added to college radio across the country in 2014.

Wowing crowds and selling out shows on their recent 2015 tour, Little May have played the Great Escape Festival, a string of shows across the UK, Ireland and France, in addition to Southside and Hurricane Festival in Germany and Best Kept Secret in the Netherlands.  Joining arguably one of the strongest festival line-ups, Little May performed at Bonnaroo Festival as well as Gentlemen of the Road, where they joined the likes of the Flaming Lips, Alabama Shakes and Mumford & Sons. Reading Festival, Leeds Festival and Electric Picnic all followed, as Little May’s ever-growing resume of mesmerising shows climbed to higher and higher points.

Alongside bassist Mark Harding and drummer Catriona Hunter, their five-piece live set up is as mesmerising as the records. On home soil, they have supported Angus & Julia Stone, Rodriguez, Big Scary, Bernard Fanning, Mikhael Paskalev and played alongside the likes of Lorde, Haim, and Cloud Control at St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival. They also played a sunset spectacular at Splendour In The Grass 2014 alongside Asgeir, Foals, Lily Allen and Foster The People ahead of their own second sold out national headline tour.

However, it was in October last year when they really made their mark, with the release of the Aaron Brooking Dessner (The National) produced debut album For The Company. Recorded in the main hall at Future Past Studios – a converted nineteenth-century church in Hudson, New York, the unique setting helped capture an intensity now trademark of Little May’s music. With the remainder of the album completed in Aaron’s garage in Brooklyn, New York set the visual soundtrack for this unique experience, as documented in the accompanying video for their huge single, ‘Home’.

They followed that with the release of ‘Remind Me’, a track which introduced a heavier side to Little May’s atmospheric sound when it first appeared - electric guitars replacing acoustic, and heavy percussion, the foundation upon which they built a dense soundscape.

A tour supporting Canadian heavyweight City & Colour followed in April this year, before the band embarked on their own landmark tour in May – playing the largest venues they’ve ever headlined in their home country.

Their return to the Splendour stage marks the peak of this chapter of their career, as they deliver For The Company to one of the largest and most devoted audiences in their already amazing history.

www.andybull.com.au

Currently work as the Sydney based Publicity Manager for Remote Control Records. They do some pretty rad things. Check it here.

I used to work with the lovely legends at Bossy Music + Laneway Festival + Vivid LIVE Festival + Warner Music Group.

I make radio for the amazing FBi Radio based in Sydney, Australia.

You can catch me on Friday afternoons from 3-6pm.

If you’re in Sydney it’s 94.5fm. If you’re overseas or you want to web stream go here.

victoriazamora.com

Sureshaker is an independent music company based in Sydney, and working with artists: Sticky Fingers, Lyall Moloney, Bootleg Rascal and Boo Seeka in variety of roles. Among them artist management, touring, merchandise, publicity, publishing and distribution. And artist development – those artists have all been with sureshaker from early in their careers. The company is founded by Neal Hunt. He’s been interested and involved in music since the Jurassic era.

This first manifested by being in bands: writing songs and playing sax and guitar. Somewhere along the line this sidelined into music journalism, for some reputable and some not so reputable, music mags and sites.

Along the way this then segued into a kind of not-for-profit consultancy, an innocent enough pursuit to begin with, helping artists in areas where it might be that they needed work, e.g. publicist or agent. That turned a little more serious when he took on the management of The Beautiful Girls. Within a few months of the band forming (before their first release), managing them, through their development from 2000 until Aug 2009. This took in all kinds of national and international hijinks: Tours, releases and whatnot, forming relationships at home and away.

He continues to be driven/obsessed by music and has worked on the development of new acts since then. In the Sureshaker guise, Neal currently works with Sticky Fingers, Lyall Moloney, Bootleg Rascal and Boo Seeka.

www.sureshaker.com

L-FRESH The LION is renowned for his powerful presence, inspiring live shows and thought-provoking lyricism. In a short space of time, the Western Sydney artist has gone from underground community events and ciphers to national tours and major festivals. It speaks of an MC with a sense of purpose and self-belief.

Inspired by the soulful movement in US hip hop of the late 1990s / early 2000s, and the love and respect for his own cultural and ancestral roots of the Sikhs from Punjab, India, L-FRESH is an artist like no other.

Aligning himself with many social justice issues, L-FRESH The LION has dedicated himself to working tirelessly in the community. At present, he is an ambassador for All Together Now, Australia’s only national charity that exists solely to address racism.

His debut album ‘One’ (May, 2014) announced L-FRESH The LION as part of the new generation of hip hop artists currently making waves in the music industry. It’s a time of change and there’s excitement in the air watching young people magnetised by the uplifting narrative of L-FRESH The LION’s single ‘Survive’ - embraced by Triple J and community radio stations all over the country.

Since this release, he has been busy on the road with his live band playing with the likes of Remi, Dead Prez and Talib Kweli, as well as at Woodford Folk Festival, NYE On The Hill, The Plot and other Australian festivals. L-FRESH The LION has recently returned from a trip to the UK, taking his first steps onto the international stage, supporting the Hilltop Hoods and Thundamentals as well as his own sold out headline show at the 52 CLUB in London.

He has approached time in the studio with enthusiasm and a new energy to produce songs that are big, bright, direct and full of life. Having signed to legendary Australian hip hop label Elefant Traks in 2015, L-FRESH The LION is set to release his sophomore album ‘BECOME’ on May 13, featuring the singles ‘Get Mine (feat. Parvyn)’ and ‘1 in 100,000’.

l-fresh.com

After taking many a twist and turn, Yeo's musical evolution has seen him tackle countless genres, backed by a bulletproof and ever-changing live act. Fresh pop sensibility is a high priority on this artist's agenda, and has been since his debut in 2006. 

www.snackswithyeo.com

Katie Rynne is a booking agent at Select Music, a Sydney based agency.

She represents a roster that includes The Preatures, Japanese Wallpaper, Patrick James, Montaigne and Tora, as well as having worked day-to-day logistics on acts such as Boy & Bear, Passenger, RUFUS, Seth Sentry, San Cisco and Josh Pyke amongst many others.

Katie runs all social media aspects of the company, as well as for their international touring sister company Select Touring. In her time in the music industry, she has also worked in publicity and management / tour managing for acts such as Lior and Passenger (UK). 

Independent Australian Record label Rice is Nice was formed in 2008 to help promote unique Australian artists. The musical genres of artists singed to the label vary greatly. 

Since the label’s inception they have signed and released the works of a number of artists including The Laurels, Straight Arrows, Seekae, You Beauty, SPOD, Summer Flake, Sarah Mary Chadwick, DARTS, Donny Benet, Angie, Seja, Richard In Your Mind and curates a mixtape series.

With allies around Australia and in the US, Rice Is Nice MO is supporting and championing unique artists across the globe.