Consider your BIGSOUND schedule officially narrowed down.
If anyone has earned the right to hand over a BIGSOUND shortlist, it’s probably Thaddeus Rudd.
The Mom+Pop Music co-owner, whose label has worked with everyone from MGMT and Courtney Barnett to Magdalena Bay, Flume, Tash Sultana and underscores, has spent the better part of two decades with an ear trained on artists worth paying attention to.
And, in an act of commitment we very much respect, Rudd listened to all 90-plus artists heading to BIGSOUND this year before sending through the eight names he’s most excited to catch in Brisbane.
It’s a pretty telling shortlist, too. There’s no obvious genre loyalty here: breezy New Zealand indie sits alongside Naarm oddballs, garage punk, psych, R&B and sharply produced pop.
What connects them is that little something that makes you want to see whether it translates live.
Which, really, is what BIGSOUND is all about.
So if your schedule is already starting to resemble an impossible game of Tetris, Rudd has done a good chunk of the homework for you.
Here are the artists Thaddeus is looking forward to seeing at BIGSOUND 2026
Daily J
Breezy and homemade indie jams from NZ, and sounds like a ton of fun live.
Divers
Weird, wired jams from a Naarm collective that’s all over the map musically.
Erika Ever
With live support slots alongside underscores, MGNA Crrrta and Ninajirachi, I’m expecting good things from her new project under her own name.
Lara Buchanan
Female pop is a crowded space, but ‘Gold’ stands out. I’m excited to hear more songs live.
Koady
‘Hello’ is a smart, production-driven indie record by this new producer who seems to be onto something.
Public Figures
‘On to Something’ is full of homespun punk energy, garage-y sonics and singalong gang vocals. ‘Cut It Out’ is more insistent, bursting with riffs and attitude.
Stimpies
I’ve always been into psych and garage-influenced indie, especially when it’s as tuneful as ‘Planet of Love’.
Zipporah
A uniquely restrained take on R&B, letting the vocals and storytelling shine.
Catch Thadd in person at Connect with BIGSOUND Rights Holders – Labels / Publishing / Sync on Thursday, September 3, from 12:30–1:30pm.
Find out more and plan your BIGSOUND schedule here.
