Cook Up x Brunswick Music Festival 2021
We’re very excited to be teaming up with Brunswick Music Festival to celebrate the labels and artists performing at this year’s festival; to highlight the stories behind these communities and discover what working and performing in Brunswick means to them.
In line with our mission to showcase the ecosystems that make our local music community what it is, our collaboration with BMF will see us deep diving into the significant personal spaces that have defined four beloved local labels and their artists.
Emma Donovan and The Putbacks
Ahead of their huge Brunswick Music Festival showcase/album launch, we teamed up with Hopestreet Recordings and College of Knowledge Records - two local labels who have continuously been at the forefront of the multiple waves of Australian soul and funk over the years.
Tucked away on a Brunswick backstreet, we headed to Hopestreet Recording’s studio to catch soul powerhouse Emma Donovan and 3/5 members of The Putbacks blitzing through ‘Leftovers’, an invigorating standout from their stunning second album ‘Crossover’.
Follow Emma Donovan and The Putbacks:
instagram.com/emmadonovan_music
instagram.com/theputbacksSurprise Chef
Performing the title track from their latest album ‘Daylight Savings’, here’s DIY funk-soul freaks (and AI Bakery enthusiasts) Surprise Chef transporting us into their intoxicating world of vintage grooves and cinematic soul charisma, from within Hopestreet Recordings' cosy hideaway studio.
Follow Surprise Chef:
instagram.com/surprisechef
surprisechef.bandcamp.comKarate Boogaloo
Pulled from their forthcoming third mixtape, here’s groove-masters Karate Boogaloo treating us to a taste of their warped and crusty funk-soul blend as they ooze through ‘Bumpy’s Lament’ from College of Knowledge HQ.
Definitely a track to burn your incense to.
Follow Karate Boogaloo:
instagram.com/karateboogaloo
karateboogaloo.bandcamp.comIzy
Blurring between neo-soul, jazz and evocative r&b, and tied together by the group’s hypnotic chemistry, here’s rising powerhouse Izy performing ’Truth/No Further Than You’, live from the College of Knowledge living room/jam space.
Follow Izy:
instagram.com/izy.music
izymusic.bandcamp.comLauren Sheree
We teamed up with the good people at Bad Apples to present an intimate session with Wakka Wakka person and emerging songwriter Lauren Sheree, performing her unreleased track ‘Next Gen’.Captured on a sleepy Saturday morning in Brunswick, here she is guiding us through Gilpin Park (the home of BMF this year!) and into her stunning world of serene folk-pop. Follow Lauren Sheree: instagram.com/lauren.shereeChitra
For our next string of performances, we headed out to Our Golden Friend HQ to discover the label’s glorious family vibe firsthand, as we caught three acts from OGF's all-star roster in and around label-head Lorrae McKenna's home.
Captured beneath a lemon tree in the backyard, here’s indie-rock charmer Chitra wooing us with a stripped-back cut of ‘Better Than Before’ from her enthralling debut EP.
Follow Chitra:
instagram.com/chitramusic
chitra.bandcamp.comPoppongene
Moving into the office space at Our Golden Friend’s home base, here’s dreamy pop master Poppongene transforming the room into a radiant pink fever dream, as they perform ‘Already Gone’ - a shimmering standout from their 2020 debut EP 'Futures Unsure'.
Follow Poppongene:
instagram.com/poppongene
poppongene.bandcamp.com808s and Greatest Hits
A kaleidoscope of light, colour and frenzied energy, here's psych-pop purveyors 808s and Greatest Hits letting their freak flag fly high from inside Our Golden Friend’s office space, as they charge through their unreleased track 'Authoritarian Blues'.
Follow 808s and Greatest Hits:
instagram.com/808sandgreatesthits
poppongene.bandcamp.comHachiku
Next up, we headed into Milk! Records’ Sydney Road storefront to catch a session with alternative-pop mastermind Hachiku and her band.
Transforming the dreamy sound of their debut album into something a whole lot more fiery and frenetic, here they are performing the explosive title track from 'I’ll Probably Be Asleep'.
Follow Hachiku:
instagram.com/hachikumusic
hachikumusic.bandcamp.com
Liz Stringer
BONUS BMF CLIP! When we headed into the Milk! Records store to shoot our Brunswick Music Festival session, we were lucky enough to catch a song from Australian indie-rock royalty Liz Stringer.
Giving us a sneak taste of her forthcoming sixth album ‘First Time Really Feeling’ (dropping in April through Milk!), here she performing a stunning, stripped-back cut of the title track.
Follow Liz Stringer:
instagram.com/lizstringeraus
lizstringer.bandcamp.com