Interview by Ali Williams
WIN BIG may be one of the newest names heading to BIGSOUND, but there is nothing particularly calculated about how they got there. In fact, vocalist Finn seems just as amused by their inclusion as anyone. “We’re so new,” he admits, before asking the perfectly reasonable question of why the fuck they are even on the lineup.
The answer probably lies somewhere in the fact that WIN BIG are uncomplicated in the best possible way. The Adelaide band started with Finn and guitarist Fraser, two mates already well acquainted with playing serious music in other projects. Fraser had spent time in Sleep Talk and various death metal bands, while Finn continues to play with Colourblind and hardcore outfit Mirage. Eventually, the pair decided they wanted another creative outlet, preferably one where every musical decision didn’t require an emotional debrief afterwards.
So they started writing songs for fun. That sentence should probably be printed and distributed at band practice rooms across the country.
The brief was simple: catchy songs, strong hooks, no unnecessary complications and sufficient structural integrity to survive a couple of beers. What began as Finn and Fraser messing around with a laptop on random Tuesday nights somehow produced an album within about ten to fifteen weeks. There was no serious plan to form a band, no elaborate career strategy and apparently no committee meeting about branding. They wrote the record, realised they loved what they had created, assembled WIN BIG properly and kept going. Six months after their first release, BIGSOUND came calling.
That pace becomes even more ridiculous when Finn reveals BIGSOUND will be roughly their eighth show.
WIN BIG have barely had time to develop bad backstage habits. Before BIGSOUND they will get their first interstate runs alongside friends Bad Neighbour, including Brisbane and Melbourne, before arriving in Fortitude Valley for showcases at The Brightside and Tomcat. For a band still counting its live shows in single digits, it is a fairly substantial introduction to the wider Australian scene. Finn, however, appears far more interested in whether people turn up and jump around than attaching too much ceremony to any of it.
That attitude makes considerably more sense once the conversation moves back to Adelaide.
Finn grew up around the city’s melodic hardcore community and remembers watching Fraser play long before they became bandmates. Starting his own bands eventually turned people he once admired from afar into friends, and that sense of community still matters enormously to him. He speaks enthusiastically about the current strength of Australian hardcore and credits people actively creating inclusive shows and opportunities in Adelaide with helping keep the scene healthy.
For Finn, that community is not some pleasant side effect of playing music. It is the point. “All I’m looking for out of this is community and friends and a place,” he says. It was something he wanted when he was younger. Now he has it.
Musically, WIN BIG are equally happy to admit exactly what they enjoy. Finn names Angel Du$t and Militarie Gun as major influences and makes no attempt to dress that answer up for credibility. There is something refreshingly adult about musicians being able to say, “We fucking love these bands and wanted to make this kind of music,” rather than pretending the entire record arrived through divine intervention during an obscure vinyl listening session.
The band is already preparing to follow its first album quickly. This time, however, songwriting will involve the full WIN BIG lineup. A recent rehearsal was abandoned in favour of beers and an actual conversation about how they would divide the writing process between themselves. Frankly, resolving band democracy over drinks before anyone starts recording may be one of the more sensible decisions made in Australian music this year.
They have also finished recording a split release with fellow Adelaide band Energy Angel, with both acts contributing two songs and a cover. WIN BIG chose Pixies’ Debaser, maintaining the essentials while adding power chords, distortion and considerably more yelling. Finn’s explanation is wonderfully free of artistic nonsense: it is basically the same song, only louder and angrier. Correct. No further paperwork required.
More importantly, the split reflects the same motivation that sits behind WIN BIG itself. Collaboration. Friends. Community. Making something because making it is enjoyable. Finn has also reached the point where fantasies about instant rock stardom hold considerably less appeal. He has a job he enjoys, he wants to keep playing shows and his financial ambitions are impressively grounded: make enough money to cover the flights.
Considering the current economics of Australian touring, that is practically reckless optimism. There is no grand declaration about world domination from WIN BIG. Finn simply wants the band to play more shows, have more people come to them and make sure everyone involved has a fucking good time.
It is difficult to argue with that.
WIN BIG are arriving at BIGSOUND ridiculously early in their lifespan, but they are not behaving as though someone has suddenly handed them the keys to the kingdom. They know they are new. They know there is work involved. They also know exactly why they started doing this in the first place.
Music is supposed to be fun. WIN BIG remembered that before anyone had the opportunity to teach them otherwise. Catch them at BIGSOUND festival Tuesday, September 1 at Tomcat and Thursday, September 3 at The Brightside.
BIGSOUND 2026, 1 – 4 September Fortitude Valley Brisbane, QLD. For more festival info and tickets head to https://www.bigsound.org.au/
