Ones To Watch At Sugar Mountain

With just one day to take it all in, we don’t blame you if you can’t decide whom to see on the Sugar Mountain line-up when they hit up Melbourne’s Victoria College Of Arts, so here’s our round-up of the names to watch out for…

Oscar Key Sung

Oscar Key Sung is the Melbournian with the modern R&B voice, intricate production and model good looks. Known for his collaboration with fellow producer, Andras Fox, he has brought out solo material including the emotive ‘It’s Coming’. A must-see on any stage, he will also be supporting UK soul collective Jungle on their Australian tour at the end of January/ beginning of February.

Banoffee

Smooth yet layered vocals, textured production and a champion of new wave R&B, Banoffee is the female Oscar Key Sung. The solo project of Melbourne’s Martha Brown, Banoffee contains heavy synths and a deep, echoing bass with topics of soured love and inner strength and turmoil. Recognised by streaming service Spotify as one to watch in 2015, she knows her style and sound, and is completely owning them.

Twerps

Self-described as Janky Pop, Twerps are the foursome from Melbourne releasing charming, festival tracks like ‘Coast To Coast’ and ‘Through The Day’ – think 1970s Glastonbury. They have cemented their pop-folk sound with their 2011 self-titled debut album, 2014’s ‘Underlay’ EP and soon-to-be-released second album. Stints at SXSW and a US tour have honed their performances for quite the experience at Sugar.

Chela

Electro-pop starlet, Chela, has come far from her punk days playing bass. With one of the strongest identities in the industry, she’s a glowing example of evolution, producing music that’s ‘80s Madonna meets Haim. Influenced by the likes of The Jackson 5, The Pointer Sisters and Hall & Oates, Chela has worked with Ben Ely, Goldroom and Clubfeet, and performed at SXSW. Expect to hear a lot of ‘Handful Of Gold’ on 24th January.

NOISE IN MY HEAD

Something altogether different but perfect for Sugar Mountain is NOISE IN MY HEAD. Its inception was a radio show hosted by Michael Kucyk on Melbourne’s 3RRR back in December 2005, and has now branched out to London’s NTS network. Playing mixes from guest artists, producers and DJs of both unknown and renowned status, Kucyk could play absolutely anything from anyone for a sensual and out-of-this-world experience.

You can see all of these acts and more at Sugar Mountain when the festival takes over the Victorian College Of Arts. Get your tickets here.

By Charlotte Mellor
@cmellor_03