New Music: Bugs

We're shining a spotlight on the best new Australian artists set to dominate 2019. Our handpicked BREAK OUT stars are the best, buzzworthy up and comers we're certain you need to meet. Welcome Brisbane's happiest punks Bugs.

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Ticketmaster New Music is your one-stop destination to discover the best emerging live acts before they explode. These are the artists we’re expecting to make waves in the live music scene, and we want you to know about them first.

Originally the solo, bedroom-project of Brisbane songwriter Connor Brooker, Bugs are the charming Aussie punks we’re all destined to be best mates with. Whether it’s relationship troubles or lousy neighbours, worrying about growing older, or even a love for instant coffee, the trio wrap honest, everyday tales of Australiana suburbia into infectiously catchy, hook-filled jams that make us all feel a little less alone in our battle with the daily grind.

Their relatable, high-energy garage-pop has seen Bugs garner a loyal following of fans around the country and has led them to share stages with the likes of PUP, Modern Baseball, Twin Peaks, Cloud Nothings, and even opening Falls Festival.

Every Bugs show is overflowing with joy – expect huge singalongs, endless smiles, and a night filled with sweaty good times. With an evergrowing catalogue of material under their belts – including 2018’s Social Slump EP – the trio are continuing to grow in confidence, and if their current momentum is anything to go by, we predict they’ll be stepping up from bandrooms to the big stage in 2019. Watch this space.

The Story

From the beginning

“I guess I started making music when I was about five. My childhood friends and I would pretend to be pop bands. We’d write lyrics on napkins at the kid’s table every time our families got together for dinner at the local surf club, then we’d go home and record tape demos to the automated tracks my old keyboard would play. I think we just did it because we were bored, but I loved pop music from a very early age, so I think I was trying to imitate my idols.”

What you’ll hear

“I would like to think of it as a pretty unique amalgamation of all three of our musical tastes. It started much more lo-fi and almost grungy when it was just me on a laptop, but we’ve all slowly chipped away at creating something that was a true expression of our musical ambition as opposed to trying to take inspiration from sounds or bands. Years of working together and not hesitating to be brutally honest with our opinions has helped us develop quite organically. ”

Influences & inspiration

“My mum is my greatest personal influence, she has worked so hard her whole life and is such a remarkably flawless role model. Also, some of our friends whose bands have gone on to do bigger things than any of us had ever imagined. It’s cool having distant heroes, but when you see people you know and love achieve something from a place that you can relate to, it tends to motivate more (for me personally anyway).”

For the love of music

“Getting to hang out with two of the only people in the world I feel truly comfortable with, using it as an outlet for the frustrations of my day to day life, seeing the impact it can have upon other people via the emotional magnitude of connection.”

Kicking goals

“It’s hard to single out one, we have had a very fortunate few years. Touring with the Hard Aches was unreal, playing to thousands at Beer Incider Festival and Falls were pretty special – in my opinion, a sold-out hometown show always means more though. It’s honest, it’s intimate, it is intense in terms of the energy you get back from the people there. I recognise so many faces at our own headline shows so it feels like a big catch up and chance to see all my friends.”

The hard yards

“Staying both mentally and physically healthy. Working so hard to maintain momentum often requires huge weeks at work off the back of interstate tour legs. It makes it hard to maintain a stable lifestyle and therefore attaining balance in most aspects of your life can be difficult. I feel like I am finally finding a groove, but it’s an ever-shifting beast. As the requirements and commitments surrounding the band evolve and change, so must your strategies of coping with the negative side effects. But I am learning to be more embracing and open toward change.”

The year ahead

“We’re recording our second full-length release at the start of the year, we’ll tour around the country shortly after to show everyone some of the new songs and have a festival in VIC early in the year too. The middle part will probably be more releases and lead up to the album in the back half of the year.”