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Here it is; The Ticketmaster Australia & New Zealand Breakthrough List 2024
Let’s dive into exactly who we think is breaking through this year.
With so many epic tours rolling through Australia and New Zealand in the past 12 months you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s no more gas left in the tank when it comes to live music.
Well, we’re here to let you know that when it comes to the local goodness, things are only just getting started. We’ve put in the hours in venues big and small to give you the vibe of what’s coming in 2024. From psych rock to brand new experimental hip-hop, neo-soul and glam pop, there are plenty of breakthrough artists here to add to your gig shopping list.
RISSA
Gospel is back, baby! Polynesian-Australian powerhouse RISSA grew up singing in choirs and has done her time provisioning backing vocalists for some of our biggest R&B stars before working on her own project. She calls her music ‘untainted soul’ which is a fair approximation of what it sounds like to hear her and her amazing backing singers take to the stage. If you’re a fan of 90s neo-soul balladry (think Brandy and Monica, Lucy Pearl etc) and seriously mind-blowing harmonies, she’s definitely one to check out.
Listen: Made To Feel
Finnoguns Wake
For many local post-punk fans, there remains a gaping hole in the shape of where Sydney band Royal Headache used to be. But even as the band dissolved, frontman Shogun has stayed busy, dipping in and out of new projects. Finnoguns Wake is his latest, teaming up with Finn Berzin for a scuzzy, raucous set of songs that are melting walls at the select gigs they’ve already played together. Bands of this ilk either stay underground or tend to explode; either way, you’re going to want to see them up close and raw this year.
Listen: Blue Skies
xmunashe
The music world can often be full of hype, with the next big thing always around the corner. In the case of Munashe, a mysterious Frank Ocean-esque figure out of Perth, that hype appears to be justified. Known for playing live in-the-round sets with frequent collaborators Jonti and Joshuah, xmunashe has barely released anything under his own name but attracting legions of new fans to every gig, popping up in warehouses or parks across Australia. Known for his improvisatory style and ruthless guerrilla approach to music-making, he’s likely to become a huge deal in 2024, so keep an eye on his socials for his next pop-up show.
Listen: Follow xmunashe on Youtube
Radio Free Alice
If you’ve been to any music showcase this year, from SxSW Sydney to BIGSOUND in Brisbane, one group’s name has been on everyone’s lips. Angular, shouty and charmingly fresh, Radio Free Alice are probably the most likely to take out 2024’s Next Big Thing tag on chatter alone. It also helps that their songs, which evoke the spikiness of both Interpol and Gang of Four but with a distinctly Aussie flavour are very good – and even better live. They’re also co-managed by one of the most reliable discerners of taste in the business – Steve Pav, who founded the legendary Modular Records (Cut Copy, The Presets, Tame Impala), which should tell you everything you need to know, really.
Listen: Waste of Space
Mr Rhodes
Rapper, producer and composer Mr Rhodes has spent the past decade putting in the work and making his name known, but this is definitely his year. He’s certainly road-ready, having toured with Horrorshow, Illy and Winston Surfshirt all in the last 12 months, and his electrifying live show which comes with a live band sits somewhere between James Murphy and Kendrick Lamar, which is to say mind-meltingly awesome. Do yourself a favour and get on the Rhodes train soon.
Listen: Can’t You Tell, Fear and Loathing.
MOHI
Aotearoa’s Mohi Allen charmed the pants off us as part of the New Zealand showcase at this year’s South By South West. An old school R&B crooner with the kind of voice you’d bet your house on, MOHI comes off a bit like a Kiwi Justin Timberlake, all charm and swagger with the chops to match. He’s also just a lovely human, full of warmth in his lyrics. We’re predicting big things for him this year, starting with a headline tour across the country in support of his latest album, Elements of Aroha.
Listen: Kārearea, Come On Home, and Me Pēhea Rā.
Emma Volard
There’s something in the water in Melbourne, alright; from 30/70 and Ex-Olympian to Hiatus Kaiyote, future jazz and boogie just seem to seep out of the city’s pores. The latest to step up is Emma Volard, already a scene veteran and one whose dynamic live band regularly melts minds with their Thundercat-like rhythmic and harmonic acrobatics. Volard is readying a new record for 2024 which will see them hit bigger and louder stages, all the better for one of the best performers we’ve seen in bloody yonks.
Listen: Uncover, Femininity and My Desire.
Liminal
The race to uncover the next Tame Impala has become something of a national pastime by this point, with each year bringing a new psych rock outfit of long-haired larrikins with epic reverb and 7 minute songs looking to step up to the plate. By far the strongest contender in recent times is Lismore’s Liminal, a killer four-piece that is both stupidly young and talented. Their most recent album is epic and their live shows even more so. It’s only a matter of time before they become the next King Giz or Babe Rainbow, so tell people you knew about them before they were cool.
Listen: Sand Dream, I Live For You and White Dots.
FELIVAND
A fixture on triple j Unearthed for most of 2023 and picking up tour support for everyone from Boy and Bear to Soccer Mommy and Methyl Ethel as well as crushing plenty of her own shows, it was a big year for this wickedly good alt-pop producer and vocalist from Brisbane. The next twelve months are set to be just as hyped, with FELIVAND working on her much-awaited second album, which inevitably means more chances to see her perform it live.
Listen: Miss My Baby
Coterie
This Kiwi-Aussie band of brothers had a banner year in 2023. They sold out headline shows in their home country, topped loads of festival bills, won Best New Artist at the Rolling Stone Awards and collaborated with legend Dave Dobbyn on an update of his classic ‘Slice Of Paradise’ that would land at #4 in the charts in Aotearoa. With the excitement around the four Fisher brothers – not to mention their intoxicating live shows that seamlessly mix indie-rock and reggae – reaching fever pitch over the summer season, the world’s truly their oyster in the coming 12 months. They’re likely to roll onto a stage in your hometown soon, so make sure to be there for it.
Listen: Paradise
