triple j Unearthed High 2011: Australia’s best high school acts

triple j is passionate about unearthing the best young acts and bringing them to a wider audience. With this in mind, the station put out the call to high school students all over the country to put their best original songs on triplejunearthed.com as part of Unearthed High. A highly qualified panel including triple j’s Music Director Richard Kingsmill and Home & Hosed presenter Dom Alessio listened to over 700 entries, choosing seven best high school acts in Australia.

 

The finalists are:

McQueens (Wesley College Melbourne, VIC) The McQueens are four guys from Melbourne who make “indie rock with a splash of synths”. Their tracks have a pop sensibility that’s sure to get your toes tapping.

Danika Smith (Alstonville High, NSW) Danika Smith is a singer/songwriter from the far north coast of NSW. After years of lessons on the piano she recently swapped to the guitar – and the results are already astounding!

Snakadaktyl (Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School, VIC) The four young men and one young lady of Snakadaktal absolutely floored us with the maturity of their song-writing. Intricate, balanced and spacious arrangements with a great aesthetic.

Albert Salt (Scotch College Melbourne, VIC) Albert Salt is a promising young musician from Western Victoria. Currently studying in Melbourne, his indie pop gems showcase his beautiful voice fused with some hypnotic, bassy and chilled-out beats.

Guppies (Lambton High Newcastle, NSW) The Guppies are a raw and raucous 3-piece from Newcastle. They have a classic punk-rock sound and appreciation for catchy melodies that belies their average age of 16.

The Cactus Channel (Princes Hill High School Melbourne, VIC) The ten guys and gals of The Cactus Channel have been turning heads in Melbourne with their massive funk sound. They’ve got the chops and the groove to get down with the best of them.

 

triple j Unearthed has made it a priority to find and nourish Australia’s musical talent. Once the station finds them it continues to support them, playing their tracks on air, getting them on festival line-ups, exposing them to a wider audience and essentially helping them develop as artists.

 

Unearthed High focuses on unsigned high school acts – encouraging students to form bands and start writing and recording their own music.

Head to triplejunearthed.com to listen and rate this year’s Unearthed High finalists. Then tune into Breakfast with Tom & Alex on Monday 22nd August to hear the announcement of the triple j Unearthed High winner.