Eight Brisbane Bands You Should Be Listening To

We all know that Sydney and Melbourne have shared the 'Cultural Capital of Australia' title for a long while now, but enough is enough. Brisbane is quietly becoming a cultural mecca, with the art and music scene thriving.

In fact, music is one thing Brisbane has always done well, and to save you the trouble of jumping on the bandwagon when these bands blow up, we are giving you a slight heads up so you can say you liked them before everyone else did. Be quick though; more people are taking notice daily.

The Creases

A band that gets the collective nod from The Guardian, NME and Franz Ferdinand is one you should take note of. The fact that they come from our fair city is even more exciting. The Creases have been touring with big acts and fellow locals all over town, with their infectiously upbeat ‘70s style indie pop. Daggy caps and oversized denim have never looked so cool. And that’s just the debut single; check out 'I Won’t Wait'.

The Kite String Tangle

Danny Harley, known to his devoted fans as The Kite String Tangle, is selling out shows left, right and centre. Millions of online hits, remixes to boot, and even some fandom tattoos to his name, this solo experimental aficionado has seemingly exploded on the scene in the past 12 months. His unique and endearing strand of “ethereal pop” manages to fill the room with soundscapes. He’ll be going back into the studio for more releases; however, it seems almost impossible to tie him down.

Jeremy Neale

Jeremy Neale, the king of Bris-pop, the champion of hearts and the seducer of ear drums. He has been making serious splashes in the deep end of Brisbane’s talent pool. From his time with the riotous racket funsters, Velociraptor, to playing a '60s swinging, crooning, turtleneck-wearing pop outfit, the J. Neale stamp knows no wrong. He has recently released a new EP, spread the love to nationwide stages, all while managing the ongoing emotional output of social media streams.

Major Leagues

Major Leagues are of major excitement. From playing BIGSOUND in September, to hitchhiking interstate with pal Jeremy Neale, these guys are making home runs. They’ve recently released their debut EP, Weird Season, and gaining some serious media attention surrounding their live shows.

The John Steel Singers

Sometimes, when a band appears to be taking the world by storm, it’s a wonderful to remember that they share your hometown. The John Steel Singers, apart from releasing some mighty cool tunes in recent times, have been touring non-stop to share the Steely love. Their new album Everthing’s a Thread has been a long time coming from the five-piece, and is truly an album worth shouting about. Yes! Brisbane! Well done!

The Trouble With Templeton

BIGSOUND 2013 (plus 2012) was just the beginning for the nicest folks in the biz. The Trouble With Templeton played their part in the annual showcase, before jetsetting across the US and over to select parts of Europe to treat those in search of a great riff, a nice lyric, and a heathy dose of musical intrigue. They are the masters of the delicate ode to love and loss, and will hopefully continue their reign for some time to come.

Morning Harvey

There are many a great psych-rock outfit in our fair city, and Morning Harvey is no exception. Their dreamscapes of guitar fuzz and unstructured onstage jams are mesmerising to watch and are delivered with a charm that cannot be faulted. After a string of delicious shows, these guys will be heading into the studio next month. We eagerly await their next release.

Rolls Bayce

This band has a whole lotta groove. Rolls Bayce is the wunderkind from Brisbane gold stars Dean McGrath and James Wright. They’ve leapt straight into the spotlight, having played a string of shows and are wasting no time getting some tunes on deck in the studio – newest single 'Arrows' is a good time. Fans of their other bands will not be disappointed; in fact, we’ve got high hopes that these kids will fit in just nicely.