2020
Airline Food
Following a monumental summer back in 2016 that changed the course of history, Airline Food was served to the world. The four-piece has spent the last few years performing at venues all across Perth, experimenting with different ideas and themes to create a distinct sound that revolves around 80s-style synthesisers and psychedelic guitar tones.
The band are more than excited to be back playing shows with a fresh new set-list and fire in their bellies. They are ecstatic to be included on the mega line-up for Wave Rock 2020 and promise to serve more delicious tunes via their passionate and energetic live shows.
DJ Blind Tiger & DJ Josh Grainger
DJ Blind Tiger (Nate Nisbet) is taking a break from making tunes for his dance label Picnic Records to do a deep dive into his record collection and rustle up some gems for another episode of Wave Rock and this year he’s teaming up with epic party starter and vinyl junkie, DJ Josh Grainger of Ningaloo Records. The boys are gonna light up the night with an all vinyl disco-castaway-soul-dance-sunset-funk-psych-cocktail-lemon-island adventure!! Expect a Limbo Competition and be sure to wear two pairs of socks cos they'll be getting danced off!
Carla Geneve
Backed by a captivating show and unique brand of brutally honest lyricism, Carla Geneve established herself as one of Australia's most prominent up and coming artists after the release of her breakout debut self-titled EP, which saw her tour Australia prolifically playing sold out shows and festivals such as Laneway Festival & Falls Festival as well as tour with/support artists such as Cat Power, Kurt Vile, Julia Jacklin, Belle & Sebastien, Fred Armisen and more.
Her critically acclaimed debut self-titled EP was released in June 2019 via Remote Control Records/Dot Dash Recordings receiving praise from NPR, KEXP, Beats 1, Triple J and more.
Dancing in Space Djs
The Dancing in Space DJs are a powerhouse DJ crew consisting of DJ Charlie Bucket, James A & Jehan. If deep disco, soulful house & tropical rhythms are your thing, look no further. Having supported such legends as Horse Meat Disco, Marcel Vigel, John Morales, Rahaan, Ge-ology, CC:DISCO! and more, The DiS boys never fail at putting smiles on faces & hands in the air.
Demon Days
With an eclectic mix of styles and influences, Demon Days have flourished into something greater than the sum of it’s parts, with a high-energy live set, accompanied by the dexterity and the chops to showcase it. Their unique blend of jazz, soul and pop is set to captivate audiences and “transform any group of 20-somethings into an appreciative audience of jazz cats” (themusic.com.au).
Demon Days’ mark continues to grow as a National act to watch in Australia having played alongside some big names including Winston Surfshirt and Nai Palm, and appearing on festival stages at Falls, Groovin The Moo, BigSound and Fairbridge. Their 2019 sophomore EP “Taking It Slow This Time” received praise and airplay from Triple J and landed rotation on stations including RTRFM, 3RRR, FBi, Radio Adelaide and 4ZZZ.
Downsyde
Formed in 1996 for a school talent competition, Downsyde kicked open the doors for West Australian hip hop artists as well as being early pioneers on the national scene. Since then they’ve released four acclaimed albums, won a stack of awards, had charting albums and singles and toured Australia and the world numerous times, building up a legion of fans across the globe.
In the year’s since their last release “All City”, the group’s members have been busy on numerous projects including Dazastah touring with Drapht and producing for A.B. Original and Optamus running hip hop workshops everywhere from regional communities to prisons. New album ClassicILL in stores now!
Galloping Foxleys
Titans of folk. Enchanting beauties. Spawner of myriad bands. Fremantle's answer to a question nobody has even thought of yet. Foxleys do harmony, whimsy, elegance with dirt. They are champions of Status Dysphoria; you don't have to be royal to be regal. Let a little bit of their majestic sparkle rub off on you. Your monochrome existence is about to go rainbow.
Ghost Care
The west-coast alt-pop trio Ghost Care have toured with the likes of Spacey Jane and Demon Days in the past year, as well as performing sets at WAMFest and more. Their live set brims with an energy and craftsmanship that comes with having three members strongly interconnected with one another; their energies and class ricocheting off one another to welcome something incredibly great to the Australian indie world that has some serious potential to turn into something special.
Grace Barbe
Grace Barbé hails from the sunburnt Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles, where a colourful history of slavery, pirates, coups d'etat and coconuts have produced a unique Kreol rhythm, language and culture. Drawing from the diverse cultural melange of the islands, Grace's music fuses the tropical rhythms and dances of the slaves with psychedelic rock, afrobeat, reggae and pop.
In performance Grace's trio conjures a bewilderingly huge sound - Barbé sings over her own complex polyrhythmic bass lines to Mauritian drummer Hardy Perrine's authentic island grooves while guitarist Jamie Searle adds a dense layer of Afro - guitar sorcery.
Great Gable
Great Gable (Alex Whiteman, Matt Preen, Callum Guy & Chris Bye) are a Perth band originally from the South West of WA, combining a wide range of influences to bring a subtle twist on the alternative-indie sound.
Having emerged as one of Western Australia’s premier indie-rock bands over the last few years, Perth’s Great Gable have spent 2019 throwing down impressive live shows right throughout Australia. With the release of their single ‘Cool Mind Blue’ earlier this year, which debuted at #5 on the Australian Community Radio charts, Great Gable gave fans a new insight into the sonic direction the band’s music was taking.
Their national tour in support of the single saw them sell out shows across the country, with XPress Magazine calling them “one of WA’s premier upcoming bands, their music is simple yet layered so cleverly that it punches you in the throat whilst still holding your hand.” They headed overseas for the first time in May, selling out every single show on their debut tour of New Zealand - a huge achievement for any band on their first international tour.
Grievous Bodily Calm
Grievous Bodily Calm are a five-piece instrumental band from Perth, Western Australia. Their genre-blending signature instrumental sound and high energy live show infuses IDM, beat music and jazz improvisation with modern electronic production and has seen them share stages with acts such as The Avalanches, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kaiit, Beach House and the legendary Mulatu Astatke as well as numerous festival appearances and sold out headline shows off the back of their acclaimed 2019 independent release Repel - a melting pot of lyrical melodies and intricate beats with a focus on conveying emotion through expressive compositions.
The release was highlighted by Bandcamp’s ‘New & Notable’ and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2019 Western Australian Music Awards. 2020 will see the release of GBC’s anticipated follow up with the first offering in the form of single Sync Step - an interpretation of house music through the GBC lens featuring a blazing drum take, harsh synths and soaring melodies to thread a dynamic narrative.
Lincoln MacKinnon & The Wrecking Train
Sometime assassins, sometime saints, Fremantle based rockers Lincoln MacKinnon & The Wrecking Train combine uplifting choruses, heartbreak harmonies and a barely contained menace to produce their own blend of alt-country-blues-rock.
With recent shows across the country with celebrated Australian artists: Tex Perkins, Kill Devil Hills, William Crighton, and Wagons, these port-town rockers have been wowing crowds across the country with their infectious melodies; energetic live shows and wild and unruly swagger.
“Front man Lincoln MacKinnon stalks the stage like a tousle-haired Delta preacher. He’s unpredictable, mesmerising and shakes out his words and guitar licks like he’s been shot through with electricity. Backed by one of the best bands going around, MacKinnon and his unholy henchmen own the stage.” - Andrew Thompson, Around The Sound.
After releaseing and touring his second studio album, Sparks Will Fly, to rave reviews, Lincoln is currently working on his third album while touring across the country. So kiss your lonely days goodbye, it’s time to knock over some beer glasses as Lincoln MacKinnon & The Wrecking Train bring their savage glee to the stage.
POND
At the turn of the 2010’s, Western Australia was going through a boom. Perth’s music scene shared in the wealth via government arts funding, so, consciously or not, their collective post-millennial take on sunshine-psych channeled that positive energy locally. POND was formed during those years, fronted by Nick Allbrook with Jay Watson and Joe Ryan. Their rhythm section at any time was fairly ad-hoc; Kevin Parker was their drummer for a bit, while he launched his own project, known as Tame Impala. Releasing three digital/limited-vinyl albums in quick succession circa 2008-10, which few got to hear outside of Australia POND only went genuinely public with 2012’s ‘Beard. Wives. Denim’ - a pulsating psych-rock epic, whose alive-in-the-room methods diametrically opposed Parker’s circa ‘Lonerism’. From there their fifth succinct and dark album 'Hobo Rocket' arrived before producing the colourful and unexpectedly funky sixth album, 2015’s ‘Man, It Feels Like Space Again’.
2017 saw POND’s 7th album release ‘The Weather’ produced by Kevin Parker. It sees the band pack some of their outright poppiest tunes to date. Critically acclaimed across the board 'The Weather’ perfectly lurches between moods, relevant in its synth-pop/guitar-psych balance, and bang on the money in its polemical anxieties. POND are one of the best live bands out there taking you on a euphoric psychedelic funk/punk journey of chaos. Not to be missed!
San Cisco
San Cisco are a four-piece indie pop group hailing from Fremantle, Western Australia. Initially whipped up in the wake of high school graduation, the foursome soon found themselves unwittingly defining hipster culture with the video for their breakout hit "Awkward." Fast forward to 2015 where San Cisco delivered their sophomore album Gracetown which debuted at #2 on the ARIA charts showcasing a new sound for the band -- a more worldly approach to life; exploring the tyranny of love, displacement, homesickness, heartache and heartbreak, via disco, funk, soul and hip-hop undertones.
The group released their third album The Water in 2017 and embarked on an extensive world tour -- playing 21 shows in 46 days across America, Europe and Australia. 2018 saw the band play their biggest tour to date in some of Australia's most iconic venues as well as the release of new single 'When I Dream' coming in at #48 on Triple J's Hottest 100 -- the latter's video of which was filmed in Joshua Tree, California. The single served as the first taste of their upcoming record, due for release soon.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Take the trail out of Perth via Leederville and keep on driving, and you might just stumble across an old horse shed – one where weirdness roams free. Across the bridge from said shed, house parties rage until the early hours and beyond, while around the corner there’s a sky-high pile of trash that acts as a makeshift home for the local rat population. It’s here, amongst jam sessions that would last six-hours plus, that the wacky, sprawling sound of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets was born. PPC's night-long jam sessions and unconventional abodes are just the tip of their iceberg of happy accidents.
Jack and pals needed something visceral. “We took the harder approach – big riffs,” he says with an audible grin, “When you’re on a site for six days a week, it’s nice to get back in the evening and go ‘RAAAAARGH’ into a mic.” That primal, intuitive style followed them through to their live shows, which would see the band writing a song one evening, and playing it in the local pubs the following night, inciting mosh-pits and wig-outs with barely a pause for breath.
That unforgettable name is yet another example of their go-it-alone approach - “I wanted something memorable like marmite – you either love it or you hate it,” laughs Jack. One thing’s for sure - the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’ tale is already one for the ages.
Shiny Joe Ryan & The Sky Dolphins
Shiny Joe Ryan is a marvellous trip through the musical worlds of pop, psych rock and country and of course, a wild journey through space.
Having released his first album (The Cosmic Microwave Background) in 2014 and with another one nearing completion, Shiny Joe Ryan is excited and delighted to play the famous Wave Rock Weekender alongside friends and local musical masterminds, The Sky Dolphins.
With soaring harmonies, groovy tunes and wailing guitar solos it's a hoot. A dizzy, dreamy fun time for all.
The Southern River Band
In a world where starting a biography with ‘In a world where’ is common practice, The Southern River Band are apparently no different. They say you’re only as good as your last, and whoever ‘they’ may be, they’re dead right. The Southern River Band epitomise everything about that statement. Be it a life changing live show, soundtrack-to-the-rest-of-your-life song, cinematic masterpiece video, anything, no, everything - They never fail to raise their own bar.
The band from Thornlie (Where? Exactly) spent their 2019 touring Australia, gigging relentlessly, taking their Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance Party to anywhere with a stage and a PA. Along with earning their keep at being one of the best live acts in Australia, the band released their sophomore record ‘Rumour & Innuendo’ to rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
There’s no sign of slowing down for Thornlie’s greatest ever export. To quote another Australian icon - “Do yaself a favour”.
Spacey Jane
From backyard barbecues to the stages of Splendour In The Grass and Laneway Festival, Perth four-piece Spacey Jane have forged a lightning path across the Australian music scene in the last few years.
Teaming off-kilter guitar riffs with infectious melodies and a sweat-worthy live show, the band have unleashed the hugely popular singles “Feeding The Family”, “Skin”, "Good Grief” and “Good For You”, the latter landing at #80 in triple j’s Hottest 100 for 2019.
With several sold-out Australian tours under their belts, Spacey Jane released their eagerly awaited debut album ‘Sunlight’ in June via AWAL Recordings - debuting at #2 on the ARIA album charts, and #1 on the vinyl charts. So much has happened, yet it’s really only just begun.
Stella Donnelly
Stella Donnelly has spent the past year touring relentlessly in support of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Beware of the Dogs’ released in March 2019.
The album received international praise from leading outlets such as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, The New York Times and Stereogum among others. The release of the record and preceding singles such as ‘Old Man’ & ’Tricks’ propelled Donnelly to new heights including studio sessions for NPR’s Tiny Desk & KEXP as well an envious international touring schedule which saw her sell out shows across North America and Europe as well as play prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury, Roskilde and a stand out performance at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival among many others.
Sunshine Brothers
Surf's up Wave Rockers! Leave your troubles at the gate and get ready to loosen up and feel free with WA's legendary dub/reggae/ska heroes Sunshine Brothers. Right out of WA, the unmistakable vibe of the beach, beer gardens, sea breezes, sunshine, banter and the best of times runs right through every element of their unique and joyful sound.
The Brothers are at their best live and in the moment and have been laying down the good times at festivals, pubs and clubs worldwide since 2005 with the same unbreakable line-up; including fifteen years of feeling the magic of playing their annual Sunday night slot at Wave Rock Weekender.
With hundreds of shows, major festivals and international supports across Australia, NZ, USA, UK and Europe they are, like all of us, stuck in WA during this 2020 schmozzle but couldn't be more thrilled to get back to their spiritual home, the Wave Rock Weekender, to throw down some warmth with tunes from across their 3 album, 15 year collaboration.
Teischa
Teischa has recently found a refreshed ownership over her music, production and songwriting - which has resulted in both the release of her mixtape momentary and her new single ‘be alone’. Using her distinctive brand of smoky, R&B-infused future pop momentary is an evocative journey through a scrapbook of previously released songs, rough recordings from past travels and raw voice note demos, layered over additional production by some of Australia’s most prolific producer exports including Lucianblomkamp (6LACK), Konstanin Kersting (Tones & I), Sam Sakr (Dua Lipa) and Carl Dimataga (Khalid).
After a reset, re-evaluation and refocus, the momentary mixtape marked a new era for Teischa and now, on ‘be alone’, Teischa feels authentically in touch with her direction and next steps. Her storytelling is honest, raw and relatable. Discover something you might have forgotten in ‘be alone’.
PETER BIBBY
Following the release of his ferocious sea-shanty Oceans, Peter Bibby introduces Marge. The third studio album from the West Coast musical cult figure and the disruptive Dog Act will be released on Friday 18 September via Spinning Top Records. To celebrate the album announcement Bibby has released the second single Whyalla, a guttural six-and-a-half minute jam that pushes and pulls across the beaten track until there's nothing left to give.
Marge is an album of splintered, volatile Australiana. Recorded with “Strawberry Pete” Gower and drummer “Dirty Dave” Taylor – Bibby’s third LP is a soundtrack to a surf movie where there's blood in the water; a dirt road leading to a dead end; the sounds of Diesels & Dust covered in... well, diesels and dust.
Peter Bibby’s rough-and-tumble approach and affable personality has gotten him plenty of mileage as a live act, performing at festivals such as Laneway, Falls and SXSW while also notching up his fair share of rowdy headlining shows as well.
Welcome to Country
Includes Smoking Ceremony