What to Catch at BIGSOUND 2025 (So You Don’t Miss the Good Stuff)
From September 2 – 5, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley turns into a non-stop music takeover – gigs in every corner, industry folks everywhere, and the kind of late-night moments you can’t plan for.
BIGSOUND is where new acts blow up, deals get made over drinks, and you discover your next favourite artist without even trying.
Here’s your guide to the stuff worth showing up for.
Goolwal Goolwal: Where Culture Meets Fire
This year’s Blak Loud Showcase (curated by Awesome Black) is set to be the festival’s beating heart, an unfiltered celebration of First Nations excellence.
The Goolwal Garden becomes your daytime sanctuary, sip on bush tea while BRIGGS and Kobie Dee debate the future of Blak music, then stay for after-dark showcases that’ll rewrite your definition of live performance.
Pro tip: Don’t miss the Block Party Connect, West Coast hip-hop meets Meanjin as FLEWNT and 12-year-old prodigy INKABEE trade bars in what might be the most talked-about cypher of 2025.
BIGSOUND Country: Boots, Beer & Big Chords
Honky Tonks becomes Nashville Down Under for three nights running, where rising country stars prove why the genre’s gone global.
Picture this: ice-cold beers, stolen cowboy boots, and songs so honest they’ll give you goosebumps under the Queensland stars.
Keynotes: Legends, Rebels & Rulebreakers
Innumerable icons take the spotlight for 2025’s most anticipated talks.
Highlights include Darcus Beese OBE, the maverick A&R behind Amy Winehouse, diving into his memoir Rebel With A Cause in an intimate conversation with triple j’s Tanya Bunter.
Or catch Blur’s Dave Rowntree unpack his journey from Britpop royalty to film composer, politician, and space enthusiast, while Tash Sultana strips it back to their looper roots, reflecting on global fame and the raw honesty of their Return to the Roots EP.
Mallrat also joins the speaker lineup, bringing her boundary-pushing insight as a chart-topping artist with global tours and praise from The New York Times, NME and Billboard.
Live Nation’s Ones to Watch
This is where careers are born.
Past editions spotted Flume and Tash Sultana before they exploded, 2025’s lineup is so stacked, scouts are already calling it “the talent draft of the decade.”
Amazon Music Sessions: Pop’s Playground
La La Land transforms into a non-stop audio-visual feast where electronic meets R&B meets pure magic.
Oztix Official BIGSOUND Party: Sunshine, Suds & Stage-Dives
Thursday afternoon at The Brightside’s outdoor jungle is where the festival’s pulse kicks into overdrive.
Fuelled by Aether Brewing’s icy taps and a lineup that swings from Kisschasy’s punk nostalgia to The Southern River Band’s sweat-drenched riffs, this QMusic-collab shindig is the place to spot scouts singing into their beers and future headliners shredding under the golden hour.
The Tivoli’s Closing Night: Expect the Unexpected
Brisbane’s most iconic venue goes “in the round” for a night of secret sets and industry revelry. Might Dave Rowntree debut new material?
One thing’s certain, you’ll want to be there when the night takes that left turn everyone’s still talking about in 2026.
BIGSOUND 2025: September 2–5. Grab your tix before the music world beats you to it.
