Early this morning the headliners for Bestival Toronto, the Canadian offshoot of England’s Bestival, were announced. Alt legends The Cure will co-headline with Australia’s own Tame Impala, topping a lineup featuring Grimes, Jamie xx, and more.
A few years ago this would’ve been headline-making news, but now it’s just another day in the life of Australia’s biggest band, right? Well, that’s still the question that remains unanswered. Just who is Australia’s biggest band and why?
Certainly Tame Impala are one of the biggest bands to come out of Australia in years. Their albums receive international attention as well as acclaim and they command armies of fans around the globe, who routinely sell out their shows.
Their last Australian tour saw them playing arena-sized venues like Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena and landmarks like the Sydney Opera House forecourt. They’re at the point now where they regularly headline prestigious international festivals.
When they made the Coachella lineup last year, they were billed only behind AC/DC… oh yeah, AC/DC, forgot about them. Inarguably Australia’s biggest band if we want to talk massive tours (AC/DC played Melbourne’s monolithic Etihad Stadium as opposed to Margaret Court) and brand recognition.
Of course, Acca Dacca’s brand recognition pales in comparison to that of The Wiggles, who at one time were worth more than the classic hard rockers thanks to their self-made children’s entertainment empire that comprises albums, DVDs, tours, merchandise, toys, TV shows, and movies.
But one could argue that The Wiggles aren’t exactly a ‘band’ in the same way that Tame Impala and AC/DC are. But then again, AC/DC is not a huge band in the same sense that Tame Impala are. Sure, AC/DC get more fans to their gigs, but they’ve had a good few extra decades in the game.
It’s also arguable how many fans flooded into Etihad Stadium during AC/DC’s Rock or Bust tour to hear songs from Rock or Bust. Tame Impala, meanwhile, had one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year in third album Currents.
“In the end it all depends on your definition of ‘big’, which is a relative and frankly difficult to quantify term.”In the end it all depends on your definition of ‘big’, which is a relative and frankly difficult to quantify term. After all, Nick Cave in any of his projects plays considerably smaller venues than AC/DC, but is arguably as influential as the latter.
It’s almost outdated to look at album sales as an indicator of who the biggest acts of the moment are, but if we were to just for a moment glance at the pop charts then you can’t escape names like 5 Seconds of Summer or Sia, who consistently top countdowns and appear on ‘most-streamed’ lists.
Sia became a bonafide international phenomenon with the release of the ubiquitous ‘Chandelier’ and if you count the records she’s sold writing for other artists, her sales could rival just about any other act you want to throw into the discussion.
Speaking of phenomenons, whilst the rock pigs would sooner cut off their ears than consider 5 Seconds of Summer a ‘band’, their numbers across all metrics are undeniable, from concert attendance, name recognition, record sales, and well, Twitter followers.
Of course, one must also consider the bands who never broke overseas but would have their own shrines in an Australian rock hall of fame – your Cold Chisels, Midnight Oils, and Living Ends. They may be unknowns overseas, but they’re undeniable giants to us.
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Before you even consider these names, you have to ask an important question: are we talking about the biggest band in Australia or the biggest band from Australia?
Any way you slice it, it’s clear our homegrown artists are kicking ass on the international stage and there’s never been more contenders for ‘Australia’s biggest band’ than there are right now.
Ultimately, it probably doesn’t really matter just who the biggest band in Australia (or from Australia) really is. It’s a beer hall debate that will likely never be settled. But the next time someone asks you who reckon the biggest Aussie band is, ask them, “What do you mean by ‘big’?”
