They'll bring two chaotic live shows to the event, after tirelessly carving out a fierce presence in the Aussie underground with heart, humour, and urgency.
Before they take to the stage, though, we got to know Last Quokka vocalist Trent.
Who is Last Quokka?
I'm Trent, the vocalist for Boorloo/Perth garage-ragers Last Quokka. We like to play loud, raucous rock music with a strong influence from the 70s and 80s Australian pub rock era. We sing about what's important to us, which means a lot of political content in our songs, as well as love songs about the beautiful country we live on. We like to believe that you can love country and despise nation, and I think a lot of our music explores this dichotomy. "F... the government, hug a eucalypt" kinda vibes.
We sound like...
I'm not sure, we have always forged our own path and done things our own way. Personally, my current influences include Midnight Oil, Floodlights, Erasers, Phoebe Bridgers, Bad//Dreems, Hunters & Collectors and The Bug Club. But this will be different for every member of our band, we are an eclectic mix of weirdos with a huge variety in what we listen to and the music we like to write. Someone recently said we were like an Australian IDLES once, maybe it's that? I don't know. Don't tell anyone, but I actually know very little about music, I leave that to the rest of the band.
Do you have any queer influences, musical or otherwise?
This is a more difficult question than it should be for me. Being a more 'straight-presenting' (whatever that means) pansexual person, I have often felt that the queer scene doesn't have much to offer me, or that I kind of don't fit in. This has caused me to kind of not engage in queer culture as much as I maybe would have liked. I want to change this but I don't quite know where to start. Any suggestions? If I had to come up with an answer though, Phoebe Bridgers big time, she explores sex and gender in the most beautiful way and I will always be grateful to her for being such a wonderful songwriter and lyricist. I am also a huge fan of Ethel Cain, she's absolutely incredible and I have had her new record on repeat since it came out a few days ago.
In the studio we usually...
I sit around looking (and feeling) extremely confused until someone tells me to yell at the microphone.
If we could tour with anyone...
My Phoebe. I am not sure we are sonically aligned but I don't care. I'll make us write a sad girl indie pop album if we have to.
Social media is...
A dumpster fire with a lot of potential for good. This description actually mirrors the society that uses it, which is no coincidence.
My favourite app at the moment is (why?)...
The AFL app. I'm a boomer trapped in a millennial's body.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains...
Tequila.
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in, was...
Hm, I mean I guess this is a tour-related question but I can't quite escape the fear caused by watching power-hungry f...heads destroy the world. Every time I see a new fossil fuel project approved here I enter a panic. Tear down the government. We have watched the Burrup Hub expansion here in WA destroying the sacred rock engravings of Murujuga. It is also projected to pump a total of six billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. This has been approved by the State and Federal government despite clearly breaking laws. The level in which our State government over here in WA has been infiltrated and manipulated by oil and gas companies is outrageous. The corruption is blatant and terrifying. Nothing scares me more than this.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why?
There's this amazing archipelago in Norway called Svalbard which I have been obsessed with moving to for a while. Arctic winters, northern lights, polar bears, staying in pyjamas all day. It just seems like a vibe. It's also visa-free so you are allowed to move there and work without a visa.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party (why?)...
I actually think about this a lot, the obvious answer is Phoebe Bridgers but I don't think I'd be able to eat or talk if I was at dinner with her. I'd probably end up blubbering the whole time. So I'd like to invite Netanyahu, Trump and Vance over for dinner so I could lace their food with poison and do the whole world a favour.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us?
My mum used to make this chicken spaghetti dish for us a lot when we were kids, we used to love it so much. So I started making it and building on the recipe as I became an adult and I love to cook it for people because it's delicious, and warm and just so lovely.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends?
Who the f... is going to come out and say they hate our furry friends? Let me at 'em.
No matter the expense, send me a case of...
Gaviscon. Honestly, what a wonder drug. I started having issues with my voice lasting a couple of gigs in a row, turns out it was reflux as I slept damaging my throat (hell sick being 36 years old hey). So send us the Gaviscon please.
Do you have any phobias... please explain?
Heights. Terrifying, terrifying heights. It was barely manageable when I was younger, so I decided to go skydiving to confront my fears. F.... That. Now it's a completely unmanageable fear.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? If so, what type?
I want to be on 'The Mole' soooooo bad.
Which fictional character best describes your personality (why)?
Someone recently said to me "I am so sad you can't live in Barbie World because you are such a Ken". I think I am somewhere between him and Homer Simpson. To be fair, I have actually never seen a better representation of my personality than watching Homer Simpson circa seasons 4-6.
What sorts of messages do you want to send to your listeners through your music?
F... the government, love the land.
Last Quokka play The Brightside 3 September and Blute's 4 September as part of BIGSOUND in Brisbane.
