Bigsound Festival is lauded as a place to discover the future of Australian music, and with alumni that includes Courtney Barnett, Flume, the Temper Trap and Gang of Youths, this is clearly no understatement. This year, the acts are similarly exciting, and we’ll be taking it all in over a few nights in Queensland’s capital.

Stay ...
We’ll be saying relax between shows at Spicers Balfour Hotel, a boutique offering in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm. Come for the art deco appointments and rooms that feel like home: think Bose sound systems and antique furniture, workstations, and courtyards on the lower floor. Stay for a meal under the frangipani trees at Balfour Kitchen, with locally sourced produce channelled into dishes like beetroot kingfish ceviche with gribiche sauce, and macadamia milk and labneh walnut tortellini, burnt butter, pickled pumpkin and celeriac. And before you head back out into the night, be sure to go upstairs to the rooftop bar for those city views.

See ...
With so many acts on offer, knowing where to start isn’t so easy. But among the best things about Bigsound Festival is that most acts will play more than once. We can’t hardly wait to check out Brisbane locals The Creases, surf rockers Hockey Dad, Smooth Operators The Harpoons and already-favourites like Body Type, Sloan Peterson, Wild Honey and Winston Surfshirt. The gang’s all here

Take ...
Comfortable shoes. The nights are long and the venues are many. You want to be able to get around with ease – and dance, obviously. Plenty of denim. A tee to show your support. Something soothing to take the night off, and the ultimate concealer – because there’s no doubt you’ll want to do it all again.