Making An Impression From Down Under

Whilst American and the UK artists have continued to dominate the rock and indie scene over the past couple of decades, Australian talent has been waiting in the wings ready to pounce. The few that have done so already have made a lasting impression; AC/DC, INXS and Silverchair are all highly regarded but in the grand scheme of things have had little effect in promoting their motherland as an excessive generator of talent within the industry.

Luckily, current artists are no longer displaying the patience their predecessors once demonstrated, and are fighting tooth and nail to battle their way to centre stage in order to stand proud with their Western peers. Empire of the Sun were the first to make an impression this year with their futuristic electro melodies and were quickly compared to last years’ much hyped American duo MGMT. Whether this is a fair comparison or not remains under debate, but the publicity created by said association provided the band with a faster-developing fan base than they would have perhaps experienced otherwise. Either way, they definitely don’t look like your run-of-the-mill band but it’s always the extraordinary ones that create the biggest impact, so their wacky outfits are more than likely going to work in their favour.

With a more commercially pleasing sound, The Temper Trap have made quite the impression in the past few months with their atmospheric a’cappellas as showcased on breakthrough song, ‘Sweet Disposition’. Industry types have been paying attention to these four Australian guys since this time last year however, when British music producer Jim Abbiss, best known for his work with English indie heavyweights Arctic Monkeys, Editors and Kasabian, flew to Australia especially to produce their debut record. During the recording period, they didn’t lose focus on self-promotion and drew in sell-out crowds to performances in London and the legendary South By Southwest festival. With their record ‘Conditions’ receiving rave reviews from critics and extensive touring planned into early 2010, The Temper Trap are definitely ones to keep an eye (and an ear) on.