The Artists to Look Out For From The Now & Next Lineup: A Festival Recap

Friday, November 15 was Now & Next festival, a celebration of Australian music with Island Records Australia at an intimate festival hosted at Moore Park for friends, family and superfans.

Hosted by TV presenter Matty Mills, who kept the crowd engaged and excited the whole night, the festival boasted many up-and-coming Aussie artists and some bigger stars, all signed to the Island Records AU label.

All the artists to discover from the Now & Next lineup

Artist Kalani Artis opened Now & Next with his new single, “Sounds Like Home,” a ballad of melodic nostalgia backed by an acoustic guitar and his dulcet tones. The song was written for the Music Making a Difference campaign of 2024, an Australian charity that transforms young lives through music. He also played an unreleased track titled “Supernatural.”

Pop-rock princess Charlie Collins followed, performing a few unreleased songs from her upcoming album and a few old hits of hers. Her upbeat, bouncy pop-rock tunes brought up the energy of the eager crowd. Despite the heartwrenching, emotional lyrics, Collins left the crowd buzzing, waiting for more. 

Country-pop star Bella Mackenzie energized the crowd next, accompanied by a fiddle player for her yearning country tunes. She performed her hits “Georgia,” and “Wasted,” a collaboration with US country artist LECADE. She performed songs from her upcoming EP “Wild Thing,” and charmed the crowd with her Australian drawl. 

Sweet-voiced New Zealander Luca George sang next, and truly impressed the crowd with his superb writing and artistry. He performed his hit song, “Before You Hold Me,” stunning the crowd with a heart-wrenching ballad about changing yourself for someone. He also performed a ballad on the piano titled “Crying In the Bathroom.” Newly signed to Island Records, George will certainly be on everyone’s radar soon, with his repertoire of both upbeat pop hits and soulful ballads. 

Changing the energy completely, Hellcat Speedracer brought a wildly energetic, frenzied DJ set with tunes from their just-released album, “No Chaos, No Future.” The alternative electronic duo were having a blast on the stage, headbanging and jumping around, getting the crowd pumped. Artist Laura Hyde joined them on stage to accompany their songs, “Our Friends,” and “Daybreak.”

Changing the pace, artist Redd. absolutely stunned the crowd with their unexpected performance. Their music is currently only available on streaming platform SoundCloud, but their pop-rock-hip-hop medley left the crowd energetic and enchanted. The 19-year old Melbournian was joined by a band of their friends who supported their act. They began with  upbeat rap song “Fugh Shi,” going into punk-pop track “Exploding,” before transitioning into slow indie-pop love song “Shimmy.” Truly an act to remember and look out for in the future. 

Possibly one of the more anticipated acts of the evening, Baker Boy showed up and showed out with a fantastic set that set the crowd on fire. Performing some of his hits like “King,” rapping in both English and Yolŋu Matha, he was joined onstage by background dancers and by singer Belle Banga. Baker Boy’s headlining set was one of the longer sets of the night, and definitely a crowd favourite. Baker Boy’s entrancing rhythms, smooth flows, and occasional yidaki (didgeridoo) solos were a highlight of the festival. 

Sydney based, funk-rock, soul-pop singer Ben Swissa took to the stage to perform his new singles “Angel,” “Hush,” and “Superficial.” His electronic melodies and mesmerizing guitar and piano playing entranced the crowd, peppered with high-pitched, ethereal backing vocals and groovy synth sounds. The nostalgic feeling brought about by his lyrics and vocals surely mark him as an act to look out for. 

One of the final acts of the night was indie singer Jack Gray, whose acoustic sounds and raspy tones were a big hit. He played an unreleased song from his upcoming album titled “Swimming in Jeans,” his hit song “I Got 3,” and “Tattoos,” a song that he wrote at a songwriting workshop with Aussie artist Peach PRC, who was headlining the festival. He opened for Canadian singer Tate McRae on her tour last year, and will be releasing more music next year. 

Vera Blue, alternative-indie pop singer, dazzled the audience with her folksy, ethereal vocals and melodies. She performed some of her hit songs, including track “Regular Touch,” and kept the crowd upbeat and energetic throughout her set. She is most well known for being the feature on techno and electronic-style songs for artists such as Flume and Illenium, but her solo career is continuing to prove itself a success. 

Peach PRC, clad in bubblegum pink, closed out Now & Next with a bang. Performing her biggest electronic pop hits, “God is a Freak,” “Like a Girl Does,” and “Time of My Life,” she danced around the stage with her backup dancers, keeping the energy high as the crowd sang along to every lyric. Quite well-known, Peach PRC has 421,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, but is still one to look out for.