NEXT BIG THING, presented by Alberts

Jonti

When Danimals changed their name to Djanimals, nobody knew how to pronounce it. Jonti took the hint in 2011, stripped things back to a solo project, and released his long awaited debut Twirligig under his (admittedly awesome) given name. The first Australian album released through legendary LA label Stonesthrow? Check. Collaborations with Hodgy Beats and compliments from ?uestlove? Check and check. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for 2012. Website

Oliver Tank

It’s crazy to think that only a few months ago we received an email from an artist who was either called Tank or Oliver Tank, with an attached mp3 of a bizarrely beautiful and icy reworking of Snoop Dogg’s ‘Beautiful’. Crazy because, since then, he’s been ‘discovered’ by numerous other radio stations, been played all over the world, travelled to Iceland as one of our Northern Lights winners, and released an EP with local label Yes Please. Now, imagine what he’ll be able to achieve in a whole year. Crazy right? Website

Catcall

Don’t get us wrong – Catcall’s been around for a while now. But she’s been an enigma, having released an incredibly promising and stylistically Neapolitan EP in 2007 and then promptly disappearing. That all changed when she signed to Sydney label Ivy League last year and released the first taste of her debut, Mess & Noise Single of 2010 Swimming Pool. With her debut record finally around the corner, we’re expecting BIG things from this kitty in 2012. Website

Lanie Lane

Over the past couple of years, Rockabilly has swept through Sydney wardrobes like a Brylcreem hurricane. But despite her stylistic similarities, there ain’t anything gimmicky about Lanie Lane’s fearsome debut, To The Horses. That probably explains why it was impossible to get anywhere near her performance at this year’s Changing Lane’s festival. Her music, her shows, just feel real. It’s music from another era, performed now, and we can’t get enough. Website

Matt Corby

Ironically, the last thing we expected to come out of Australian Idol was a great artist. But that’s exactly what Matt Corby is becoming, and pretty soon we’ll never have to mention his inauspicious beginnings again. There was a moment this year when he came into to FBi and played his single ‘Brother’ live in the studio, and the whole of the office came in to watch. We’ve got a feeling the rest of Australia are about to follow suit. Website

Royal Headache

No band could have lived up to the rabid, persistent and decidedly underground hype that Royal Headache had thrust upon them right from the start. No band that is, except Royal Headache. How? By doing what they’ve always done. Playing rare, no-nonsense shows to full houses of fans who know every word to every stunningly no-nonsense song, and then finally releasing those songs that we’ve had stuck in our brains for years. They make it look easy. Website

WIM

WIM create beautifully dense and catchy tunes, filled with lush harmonies, reverb-drenched guitars and colossal choruses. Live, their tripartite frontline dazzles with the twin attacks of a floor tom-pounding keyboardist and bow-strumming guitarist. This is all instantly crystallised in a vocalist whose spine-tingling falsettos are as reliable as his not wearing shoes. Website