The Angels
The irony is The Angels have never gone away. As the book The 100 Best Australian Albums points out, “The Angels can lay claim to being Australia’s longest-lasting band.”
The Angels have a storied history. And it’s a story that’s still being written by founding members John and Rick Brewster, and singer Dave Gleeson, drummer Nick Norton, and John’s son, Sam, on bass.
John Williamson
His unofficial anthems, tributes to legends and unsung heroes and tender ballads have captured the spirit of the nation in song unlike any other. His honest and passionate songs are synonymous with the country that inspires him and connect him with his countrymen regardless of age, sex or creed.
Add to this his ability to deliver unforgettable live concert experiences that combine the perfect blend of humour, romance and campfire stories woven together by his music. You can understand why he remains one of the most in-demand live performers in Australia.
John Williamson released his twentieth studio album, Butcherbird, in August 2019. This was his first original album since 2014 and garnered John a new Golden Guitar to add his mantel at this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival.
John is a master storyteller and Butcherbird is no exception to that. Songs on this album are a combination of humour, romance, travelling songs and campfire stories. There is no doubt it will resonate with Australians all over.
Busby Marou
The overwhelming feeling that emanates from BUSBY MAROU is joy.
Tom’s playful onstage presence combined with Jeremy’s freakish instrumental ability has cemented their reputation as one of the most loved live bands to come out of Australia in recent times. They have created a completely unique vibe based on Tom’s everyman’s approach to story telling interspersed with Jeremy’s guitar virtuosity. They sell out shows everywhere from Surry Hills to Cairns and have an incredibly loyal and diverse following.
BUSBY MAROU have recently released their latest single “Sound Of Summer” produced by Oscar Dawson (Alex Lahey/Holy Holy). This is the first single from album 4 which will be recorded in February and released in mid 2019.
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley has released 10 studio albums throughout his thirty years of making music. He comes from a long line of storytellers and shares his musicianship with so many artists across different styles of music.
His passion to pen stories about this land and what lies at the heart of it has been a driving force in his career.
Troy’s natural authenticity is the bloodline of his music that endears him to his ever-growing number of fans from every walk of life.
Troy has been awarded numerous accolades including 37 Golden Guitars, 4 ARIAs, 2 APRA Country Song of the Year awards, 9 Deadlys (Australian Indigenous Artist Awards), 4 CMAA Entertainer of the Year awards plus 2 NIMAs (National Indigenous Music Awards). In 2017 Troy was honoured as the 50th inductee into the prestigious Australasian Roll Of Renown. He has had numerous gold and platinum albums and achieved a staggering 32 Number 1 chart singles.
His songs have been the soundtrack to the everyday triumphs, struggles and good times for Australians from our small towns to the big cities.
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll’s everyman appeal lies in his honesty, he strikes a chord with legions of music fans, tapping into a pure emotion that’s both his own and instantly relatable.
His rise to fame as the first runner-up of the initial Australian Idol series in 2003 changed his life from farm hand in Condobolin forever.
Since taking to the stage and commencing his successful recording career, Australia’s favourite son “Nollsie” has on to receive acclaim with certified triple-platinum sales, number #1 hits, five top 10 albums, has 17 platinum and three gold accreditations, and boasts a reputation as the only Australian male artist in national chart history to have ever achieved ten consecutive top ten singles.
Undeniably, Shannon Noll has captured the hearts and minds of music fans around Australia and overseas with his raw, gifted rockvoice. He remains one of the most recognisable names and faces in the Australian music industry with only a few matching his success.
A loving husband and father, he is also a voice to be reckoned with. Shannon is currently working on his next album which will once again be sure to only add to his success thus far.
The McClymonts
The McClymonts have enjoyed incredible success since the release of their debut EP in 2006 with over 250,000 album sales and 20 million track streams. They have achieved one Platinum and two Gold album sales accreditations and received thirteen Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA Awards and an APRA Award all whilst becoming one of Australia’s favourite touring groups. Their latest single "I Got This" recently achieved the highest debut in the history of the The Music Network Country Hot50 Airplay chart when it entered the top 10 upon release. It is the first taste of their sixth studio album ‘Mayhem to Madness’, which will be released on Friday 12th June.
Fans can expect to hear songs from the new album along with their trademark hits such as "House", "Forever Begins Tonight" and "Like We Used To", performed with their full live band when they hit the Deni Ute Muster stage for the first time in 3 years.
McAlister Kemp
Country-Rock titans, McAlister Kemp made a triumphant return to the live arena with two huge shows at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and they are now ecstatic to be coming back to the Groundwater Country Music Festival for the first time in five years.
Consisting of Drew McAlister and Troy Kemp, McAlister Kemp are one of the most successful Australian country acts of the last decade. From the immediate breakout success of their debut album ‘All Kinds of Tough’ in 2010 through to their parting in 2015, the pair earned their stripes as one of the highest selling and most exciting touring acts in Australia.
But it is not just the strength of their live shows that brought them acclaim, their three albums; ‘All Kinds of Tough’ (2010), ‘Country Proud’ (2012) and ‘Harder to Tame’ (2014) are veritable classics of the genre packed with hands-in-the-air rockers such as “Hell Yeah”, “Hard Work”, “Country Proud”, “Harder To Tame” & “Tats” and anthems like “It Don’t Buy You Love”, “Home”, “Fight Me”, “100 Years the Anzac” and “All Kinds of Tough”.
The five year break has been rewarding for Drew & Troy individually with solo albums, hit singles, awards and touring and with a legacy as enduring as the MK catalogue, it was only a matter of time before the pair would unleash once again.
Sara Storer
Writing from the heart and singing from the soul, surveying the people and land around you and letting stories inspire your creativity and guide your craft. That’s what makes a songwriter genuine and honest and 21-time Golden Guitar winner Sara Storer has consistently shown she personifies those qualities. In fact, she’s done that right from the start, nearly 20 years ago when she released her first album Chasing Buffalo. Now she has a brand-new collection of songs that comprise her 2019 album Raindance, another fascinating musical chapter in the life of Australian songwriter Sara Storer.
Born in the Mallee in country Victoria, Sara has studied in Melbourne, wrote her first song in Western Queensland, worked as a teacher in the Northern Territory and now lives on a rural property outside of Albury, NSW with her husband Dave and their four sons. The land, family and an innate and empathetic understanding of what it is to live in Australia are themes that run strongly through the songs on Raindance, the title track in particular continuing a tradition of songs about rain that feature on many of her albums.
Shane Nicholson
Shane Nicholson inhabits a rare space in the music industry: songwriter, recording artist, producer/engineer, multi-instrumentalist, guitar pedal builder, whiskey-enthusiast, motorcycle-lover, and musical mentor.
Shane has received three ARIA awards – most recently for his solo album Hell Breaks Loose in 2015 and for his hit collaborations with Kasey Chambers – Rattlin’ Bones and Wreck and Ruin. He has also won 10 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards, including 2018 Male Artist of the Year, and an APRA award.
Felicity Urquhart
Felicity Urquhart has long been one of the best-loved and most decorated singer-songwriters in Australian song. In a career encompassing seven studio albums, two EPs, and countless sold-out headlining shows and capacity festival appearances.
2020 will see Felicity going from strength to strength off the back of her success at the recent 48th Country Music Awards of Australia – The Toyota Golden Guitar Awards.
Felicity was the night’s big winner taking out five awards from her eight nominations for Frozen Rabbit including APPLE MUSIC SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Chain Of Joy), APRA AMCOS SONG OF THE YEAR (Chain Of Joy), FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR, TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Frozen Rabbit), and TOYOTA ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Frozen Rabbit). She also took home a sixth award, a recognition as co-writer of ‘Sing Me A Song’ (co-written with Luke O’Shea, who recorded the track with Lyn Bowtell). The song took out the HERITAGE SONG OF THE YEAR award.
Felicity’s Golden Guitar Award tally now sits at fourteen. Her seventh solo studio album ‘Frozen Rabbit’, was also nominated for a 2019 ARIA Award in the Best Country Album category. These accolades acknowledge the strength of the album, Felicity’s first stand-alone album release in over a decade, and her first since signing a new record deal with ABC Music.
A constant presence on Australian screens and airwaves, Urquhart has hosted ABC Radio’s flagship country music variety show Saturday Night Country since 2010—as well as serving as the face of Tourism NSW’s nationally broadcast Heart of Country NSW campaign.
Hurricane Fall
Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, Hurricane Fall, are living proof that raw talent, ambition and honesty can still prevail in today’s music industry They do it the old fashioned way, touring constantly and winning fans at the gigs with a performance style that is reminiscent of the glory days of Classic Rock and the Golden Age of Country Rock of the early 90’s.
Hurricane Fall’s sound is a modern but earthy fusion of their Country roots, and the classic rock heritage of the Steel City where they reside. This combined with a Pop sensibility in their song writing suggests a wide range of influences. Classic country like Garth Brooks, Aussie Rock legends Cold Chisel and modern contemporaries like Brothers Osborne.
The band is one of the hardest working acts in Showbiz.
Hurricane Fall also toured Canada in July 2019, playing at the prestigious Cavendish Beach Music Festival alongside Carrie Underwood and Eric Church. The release of the Band’s Debut Album “Aint Leavin” has seen the band being hailed as the next big thing is Australian new age Country.
Their live show is second to non..
Darlinghurst
Whatever and wherever they perform, Darlinghurst are creating a buzz and garnering a positive reaction, nowhere more so than at CMC and all major country radio networks who’ve helped keep Sorry … at #1 on The Music Network Country Music airplay charts for an incredible five weeks.
Only four other Australian artists [Morgan Evans, Amber Lawrence, The Buckleys and Lee Kernaghan] have scored the coveted #1 slot in 2019. Some seriously good company for a debut artist to find themselves in!
