NEWS

Happy New Year!

The SOUNDS AUSTRALIA team took the opportunity to take a tiny break over the Christmas/New Year holidays as we’re staring down the barrel of a very packed 2014.

And so it has begun! It’s going to be a very large year for Australian artists abroad, with Europe as our starting point. It wasn’t easy packing for sub zero temperatures amidst the heat waves of January, but Glasgow was calling and we certainly weren’t going to miss THE AUSSIE BBQ at Showcase Scotland; our very first showcasing event for 2014.

This marked the second year of a three year partnership with Showcase Scotland as part of Celtic Connections with Australia and India; the combined focus countries for 2014. Showcase Scotland highlights the best in folk, Celtic and traditional music from around the world, with an invite only delegation of folk-based booking agents and festival organisers looking to book artists for their many and varied festivals around the world.

As this year is the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, we were honoured to share the podium with India as the spotlight country. We’ve worked closely with India on projects such as Ozfest and The Aussie BBQ India, so it was great to work with them again to highlight the great musical talent coming out of Australasia and India.

The four Australian artists invited by Showcase Scotland were Jeff Lang, Jordie Lane, Shellie Morris and The Mae Trio. This is the second time Jeff has been invited but this year, alongside his solo shows, he also collaborated on an inspirational project call Maru Tarang (Desert Ripples) featuring Jeff, award-winning tabla master Bobby Singh, with Rajasthani musicians Asin Khan and Bhugra Khan. Jordie Lane has been touring extensively through 2013 and into 2014 he impressed this international audience with his combination of humorous storytelling and Americana folk. The Northern Territory’s Australian of the Year Shellie Morris felt like she had somewhat of a spiritual homecoming of sorts, having blood ties to Scotland through her grandparents. Her shows were wonderful and the Scottish audience lapped up the stories of her history and childhood. The Mae Trio on their first overseas trip where like kids in a candy store playing alongside some of their musical heroes. The highlight being a performance in front of a 4000 strong live crowd at the SSE Hydro Arena as part of Burns Day celebrations, which were also telecast live across UK TV.

We now move on to SongHubs in London and then to MIDEM in Cannes, where Jeff, Shellie and The Mae Trio will perform as part of THE AUSSIE BBQ, MIDEM. With over 25 Australian companies doing business throughout the event, we are very happy to once again offer them all a ‘home base’ at the SOUNDS AUSTRALIA stand, where many introductions, business meetings and great conversations can be had.

Looking forward, the USA will be our next port of call this March, with over 55 Australian artists taking to stages throughout Austin for SXSW. Stay close to our twitter and facebook for updates and download the free SOUNDS AUSTRALIA app for iPhone and Android to see a comprehensive guide to all the Australians doing us proud abroad.