Big Special Announce Debut Australia Shows

Big Special have announced their first Australian shows in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. The UK duo will be joined by Radio Free Alice and Sex Mask.

After releasing their debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues earlier this year, Big Special have gained attention from the likes of Rolling Stone UK and Clash. They’ve performed at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, and toured the UK, Europe, and South America with Placebo, The Pixies, John Grant, and Sleaford Mods.

Joining them are Naarm/Melbourne’s Radio Free Alice, who released their second EP Polyester in August, and post-punk group Sex Mask.

For Big Special, made up of Joe Hicklin (vocals) and Callum Moloney (drums), their music reflects the voices of frustrated young working-class people. They blend influences from Sleaford Mods, Tom Waits, soul, and rock into a unique sound.

Hicklin describes Postindustrial Hometown Blues as “an album about depression. It’s about the different shapes it takes; personal, social, generational… and it’s about coming face to face with those ghosts and what we do or how we feel when that happens.

“Though dark and rageful, the album holds a quiet sentiment of love and hope. It’s about laughing at the face of the void, recognising its oppressive weight, holding hands and moving forward.”

Their standout single “Black Dog / White Horse” highlights their introspective style, with Hicklin’s vocals capturing the journey from fear to hope. He explains, “It comes from a thing I wrote years ago, about a burning snake travelling in the hot sun and a small wren flying high above it to block the heat and give it shade, taking the burden of the sun, because the little bird loves the snake and won’t see it defeated, for whatever reason.”

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An early demo of the single “This Here Ain’t Water” convinced Moloney to join the band, as it touches on mental health and the struggles faced by the working class. Hicklin adds, “It’s thinking about how everything’s shit, and using that to egg yourself on.”