Tell us a bit about the journey of 01 Thurman so far?

01 Thurman started as just quietly writing songs and recording them at home in between playing with other bands - at some point I racked up a fair few that I felt like I wanted to do something with and thought I could just release what I had done at home with no need for studio recordings and such, fully DIY, so I just put them out randomly. People were cool about them and so I put out a few more and brought a band together to play them live and now we’re here.

Who are you musical influences?

There’s definitely influences in my writing that are sort of drilled into me from a lifetime of listening, indie rock stuff like The Strokes and Blur. Wth this project though there was a lot of influence from more artists like Guided By Voices and Porches and Alvvays as well as noisier stuff like My Bloody Valentine and Pixies. How much of any of it actually ends up coming through is up for debate.

How many live gigs have you played up to this point?

We’ve been kicking about the Meanjin scene for the past year or two in a few iterations, It started as a few solo situations around the place, I eventually got together a trio which quickly turned into a four piece, which I think brought the songs to a whole new level and gave them a whole different life to when I recorded them by myself at home. We’ve played some really fun shows with great bands.

Will Valley Fiesta be the largest gig you have played?

It’ll be up there! It’s a pretty huge lineup to be apart of, we love a lot of the bands playing so it’s sick to be amongst them - it’s also really cool to be playing a show that’s not only all ages but also free, I think not having the usual barrier to entry that comes with playing clubs is important for live music. It’s very nice.

You recently came away with The QUBE Effect’s Lord Mayor’s Live Event Award, which has given you the opportunity to open Valley Fiesta – what does this mean for you?

It meant an awful lot, I honestly think so much of how far we’ve come rests on the shoulders of the band I play with and the way they elevate these songs so it’s really sweet to be recognised in that way that not only focuses the music I've written but reflects the people around me that have helped shape the project. We‘re also happy the mayor is down with the sound.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing live at this year’s Valley Fiesta?

I’m super keen on Porpoise Spit, they rock it for real. I've been hoping to see them for ages. And of course The Buoys, their recent record was extremely good. The energy’s unreal!

EVENT DETAILS:
What: Valley Fiesta
When: Saturday 26 October
Time: From 1:30pm – 10pm
Where: Fortitude Valley Brunswick Street Mall and surrounds
Cost: Free event for all ages

FESTIVAL LINE UP

BRUNSWICK STREET MAIN STAGE

Meg Mac
May-A
The Buoys
Daste
Velvet Trip
Porpoise Spit
Deafcult
01 Thurman

BRUNSWICK STREET DJ STAGE

Zed Mero
Danyon
Eve
Eljae

WINN LANE QUIVR STAGE

Patricia
DJ EmGem
Kodos
First Beige DJs
Sophie McAlister
Andras

BAKERY LANE DJ STAGE

Luke Brazier
Jimmy Ellis

Valley Fiesta is delivered in partnership with QMusic.
Visit www.qmusic.com.au/valley-fiesta-2024 to find out more about the full program and set lists.

A Quick Chat with 01 Thurman