Ixaras, The QUBE Effect 2024 Development Award winner. Image: Darcy Goss.

The QUBE Effect 2025

Brisbane City Council’s The QUBE Effect provides 12 musical acts the chance to take part in an annual music development program.

Being part of The QUBE Effect provides artists with the opportunity to network with and be mentored by some of the country's most influential music industry experts. Musicians will develop their skills, have live performance opportunities, make incredible industry connections and have their own music video filmed for thousands of people to watch and vote for in the People’s Choice Award.

Applications open

Applications for The QUBE Effect 2025 are now open until 4pm Thursday 7 November 2024.

Successful finalists will be notified by Monday 13 January 2025.

Apply now

View the terms and conditions.

The QUBE Effect 2024 winners and prizes

Check out The QUBE Effect 2024 finalists music videos on Council's YouTube channel.

The winners of all award categories were announced at The QUBE Effect Awards Night on Monday 19 August 2024 at The Triffid.

Prizes for The QUBE Effect 2025 will be confirmed later this year.

Innovation Award

Awarded to the song that shows the most originality, creativity and innovative composition.

Winner: Maarjn

About the artist

No two shows are ever the same. This six-piece band comprises of drummer, Charlie Newman, keyboard and saxophonist Josh O'byrne, bassist Massimo Dell'Annunziata, synth/sound designer Ocean Beck and keyboard, guitarists and backing vocalist Ryan Percival.

Having thrived in the studio for many years during the pandemic, Maarjn takes many studio production techniques to the live context to deliver a dynamic and captivating performance full of diverse textures and lush details.

Prizes
  • $250 Quiet Storm Records voucher
  • $1500 Store DJ voucher
  • $500 Valley Eyewear voucher
  • 4ZZZ artist package including an artist subscription

Original Song Award

Awarded to the song that shows excellence in the craft of song writing an original composition.

Winner: Allegra Neve

About the artist

Allegra’s music has been described as a cross between Lana Del Rey and Cage the Elephant with a mix of vocal prettiness and rock. Allegra plans on performing with a band, and just loves making sure the crowd is enjoying themselves. She has been performing for several years now and recently released her single Rewind

While currently completing a diploma in music and production at Music Industry College, Allegra hopes to perform across both Australia internationally with some exciting early conversations happening with American record labels. 

Prizes
  • $250 Sonic Sherpa voucher
  • $500 Silk & Squeeg merchandise screen-printing credit
  • $200 Triffid voucher
  • $500 Valley Eyewear voucher
  • 4ZZZ artist package including an artist subscription

QUBE Development Award

Awarded to support the act that has shown commitment, originality and great potential in their artistic pursuits.

Winner: Ixaras

About the artist

ixaras (Ixara Dorizac) is a 16-year-old singer/songwriter who is already making her mark in Australia’s music scene. Ixara is a Filipino Cambodian, born and raised in Brisbane who was a 2023 Triple J Unearthed High finalist, an opportunity that saw her music added to the station’s on-rotation list. In the same year ixaras and band secured a winning slot to perform at BIGSOUND and shared the Valley Fiesta lineup with with the likes of Mallrat and Hatchie.

If she wasn’t busy enough, Ixara champions youth, inclusivity and accessibility with sold out all-ages, DIY shows across Brisbane delivered by her company, ‘Anti-Dismal’.

In 2024, ixaras was nominated for the Queensland Music awards Youth Award for her song Sprouts and has supported the likes of Tones And I at the launch of Coke Studios in Sydney.  Her music boasts vulnerability, catchy melodies, and an impactful punch, drawing parallels to artists like Beabadoobee, Indigo De Souza and Wet Leg. 

Prizes
  • $500 Silk & Squeeg merchandise screen-printing credit
  • $250 Dutch Vinyl voucher 
  • $500 Store DJ voucher
  • Management advice session with Sunroom Group
  • A&R advice session with Dew Process Records
  • 4ZZZ artist package including an artist subscription

People’s Choice Award

Awarded to the song that receives the most public votes for their original music video.
 

Winner: Dublin Rose

About the artist

Dublin Rose is an upcoming singer/songwriter and guitarist from Brisbane. She has an upbeat, playful style mainly of the Indie-pop genre. Dublin captivates audiences with her relatable lyrics and storytelling. She has performed at countless weddings, festivals and bars and has busked at the Redcliffe markets since the age of 12. Dublin hopes for a career as a successful, touring musician, and is currently recording new music with her recently adopted backing band.

Prizes
  • $500 Silk & Squeeg merchandise screen-printing credit
  • $250 Record Store voucher
  • $2000 No1 Network music video shoot, edit and promo pack
  • 4ZZZ artist package including an artist subscription

Lord Mayor’s Live Event Award

Awarded to the group or individual that displays originality, creativity and potential to further develop their on-stage presence.

Winner: 01 Thurman

About the artist

01 Thurman is the indie rock project of Josh Bartlett. After playing in other bands around Brisbane and working on demos at home, 01 Thurman is finally coming out with a sound that borrows from post-punk and lo-fi pop. He released his debut demo tape in late 2023 and has been doing the rounds playing shows with his band over the past year. While 01 Thurman is primarily a solo project, the live shows with a band add energy to the songs that’s worth witnessing.

Prizes
  • $1000 Store DJ voucher
  • $500 Valley Eyewear voucher
  • 4ZZZ artist package including an artist subscription
  • Paid performance opportunity at Valley Fiesta
  • 2x BIGSOUND 2024 passes

Performance Partner prizes

In addition to the prizes for the five award categories, the expert panel, in conjunction with sponsors, chose finalists for the following paid performance opportunities.

2024 industry mentors

Check out the exciting panel of music industry professionals who were a part of The QUBE Effect 2024. Mentors for The QUBE Effect 2025 will be confirmed later this year.

Adele Pickvance

Adele Pickvance moved from Bury, Greater Manchester, Australia, to Brisbane, Australia, in the early '80s and settled into the music life of Brisbane, starting with playing bass in her father's band and gigging in clubs and RSLs during her studies. After her studies, she embraced the indie Brisbane music scene, playing in numerous bands. It was the mid-'90s when Adele commenced her long musical camaraderie and journey with Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, recording demos and playing shows. When Forster and McLennan decided to form the second incarnation of The Go-Betweens, Pickvance was asked by McLennan to join the band as bass player.

Back in Brisbane, in 2018, Adele formed Adele and the Chandeliers, a three-piece post-punk band with a touch of pop, with guitarist Scott Mercer and drummer Ash Shanahan. Adele & The Chandeliers released their debut album, "First Date," in late 2020 in Australia on Orange Carpet Records and on 12-inch vinyl on the Spanish label Pretty Olivia Records. Adele also works closely with the community radio team at 4ZZZ, hosting the weekly show "Brighten The Corners."

Bernard Fanning

Bernard Fanning has accumulated one of the most celebrated songbooks on the Australian rock spectrum. The former Powderfinger front man has collectively released 11 studio albums producing songs that have become ingrained in the Australian psyche. Tracks like My Happiness, These Days, Sunsets, Burn Your Name, Wish You Well, Songbird, Blue Toowong Skies and Belly Of The Beast have become the moving soundtrack for a generation, with Bernard’s emotive and distinctive voice completely capturing our hearts.

He has a trophy cabinet that holds seven number 1 albums, 23 ARIA Awards, 5 APRA Awards to name a few… his songs have appeared in triple j’s Hottest 100 an incredible 23 times including three #1 spots for These Days (1999) and My Happiness (2000) and Wish You Well (2005). It’s fair to say Bernard Fanning has firmly cemented his position as one of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters and lyricists.

Davey Thompson

Davey Thompson is a proud Bidjara, Inningai, Wakka Wakka, and Gubbi Gubbi man. Working across a number of art genres throughout his career, including film and TV, theatre, and circus. Davey is a shapeshifting producer, activist, writer, actor, and emerging filmmaker, as well as a sassy star of ABC’s "All My Friends Are Racist." Currently, he is working on new projects for Screen Australia as a Production Executive and on the second season of "All My Friends Are Racist."

Dominic Miller

Dominic started the management and venue booking agency Bluebeard Music in 2010, where he manages two of Australia’s most promising up-and-coming acts, Good Boy and Sweater Curse, as well as having booked iconic Brisbane venues such as The Zoo, Black Bear Lodge, The Milk Factory, and many more. He has also booked festivals and events such as BIG Festival in Geelong, Story Bridge 75, G20 Summit Festival, and more.

Since 2010, Dom has become a major contributor to the exponential growth of Brisbane’s music scene. He joined New World Artists as an agent in 2015, making him the first Brisbane-based agent working at a national level to be appointed by a major agency.

Dom represents all genres of contemporary music with particular expertise and focus in the indie music world, with over 15 years of experience in the music industry. Over that time, he has worked with some of the biggest names in the Australian music industry such as Allday, Bugs, Butterfingers, Clea, Grinspoon, Hope D, Mallrat, Northlane, These New South Whales, and many more. He has booked artists onto some of the country’s most popular festivals such as Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, Laneway Festival, and Groovin’ The Moo.

Dom joined QMusic in March 2020 as their Development and Program Manager. He has a passion for all things Queensland music and believes that Brisbane is “The Greatest City On Earth”. Dom currently works as a manager and event programmer with Ruby-Jean McCabe under Sunroom Management.

Fergus Jenkins

Based in Brisbane, Fergus is the General Manager of Publishing & Synchronization at Dew Process, an Australian music record label, and music publisher. Over his 15 years in the industry, he has worked closely with local and international artists including but not limited to Tkay Maidza, London Grammar, Sarah Blasko, Spacey Jane, Mallrat, Powderfinger, Sam Fender, and Oh Wonder.

He has placed music into thousands of advertising, television, and film productions, including award-winning campaigns for WWF, Ford, Isuzu, Gillette, Twitter, 7-Eleven, Instagram, and iconic series like Grey’s Anatomy, Please Like Me, Janet King, Bump, and Heartbreak High.

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Fred Leone

Fred Leone is one of the Butchulla Songmen, with Aboriginal, Tongan, and South-Sea Islander roots. He comes from the Garrwa and Butchulla tribes.

Fred's role as a Songman sees him as one of the custodians of the traditional songs of the Butchulla tribe and one of a handful of keepers and custodians of their language.

Fred has been touring the world for over a decade, throwing rhymes and traveling with artists such as Public Enemy, Dead Prez, People Under The Stairs, as well as receiving invites to collaborate ad play with contemporary artists such as John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, and many, many more.

His guest appearance singing in Butchulla on his cousin Birdz’s track "Bagi-la-m Bargan" helped see the song become a hit, with millions of streams, a cavalcade of synch placements and a placement at #30 on Triple J’s Hottest 100.

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Gabe Cramb

Founder and director of Scrabble PR.

Scrabble began in the nineties, helping events like Brisbane's iconic Livid Festival explode. Gabe has gone on to help discover the likes of Brisbane Festival, Party In The Paddock, Corona, Big Pineapple Festival, Splendour In The Grass Music and Arts Festival and a long list of tours by Australian and international artists. An in-demand publicist, Gabe has a knack for tailoring publicity plans to suit artists and events in unique, creative, and on-brand ways.

Georgie Luxton

Georgie is the Country Music Talent & Branding Director for Frontier Touring, working across the programming and marketing for Australia’s biggest country music festival, CMC Rocks, which is held every year at Ipswich. More recently, she has been working as part of the team establishing the city sister event, Ridin’ Hearts Festival.

Georgie is a passionate country music lover, who loves working on talent development for emerging artists.

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Hope D

Based in South Brisbane, Hope began as a solo artist who specialised in live looping and created her songs via the art. As of May 2019, Hope recruited four of her talented female friends whom she admires to bring her songs to life. Still incorporating looping songs that she performs solo in her set, Hope's live shows are ever excelling to be more captivating than ever before.

Playing major festivals and touring across the country, Hope is continuously collecting new fans wherever she performs. She is a QUBE Effect Alumni and a passionate supporter of Brisbane music.

Ian Haug

Ian is the guitarist for Brisbane rock royalty, Powderfinger, helping to create their legacy of recording five Number 1 albums, winning 18 ARIA Awards, 3 APRA Awards, and millions of record sales. Owner of Brisbane recording studio Airlock Studios, where the "Up In The Airlock" sessions are recorded and broadcast from, Ian has also established Airlock Records to support and develop upcoming talent.

Ian is also a member of the legendary Australian band "The Church," recording two albums and touring globally with them. Ian in also a member of "The Predators" with fellow guitarist JC, cementing his place as one of the finest guitarists in the country.

Jeremy Neale

Jeremy Neale hails from Brisbane and has been a mainstay of 'The Biz' since his "In Stranger Times” EP in 2013. There have been some truly powerful highlights along the way - from national and international touring to being awarded Song of the Year at the 2018 Queensland Music Awards and receiving his very own star in the Fortitude Valley Mall.

As a recipient of the Grant McLennan Fellowship, Jeremy travelled to New York in 2018 and wrote his most recent album, 2020’s "We Were Trying to Make it Out". Cancelled tours galore due to Covid saw Jeremy pivot into the wild world of musicals - co-writing the cult smash-hit musical "Absolute Objectivity" in 2020.

He has most recently been laying low, now a father of two and dealing with the associated sleep deprivation, but preparing for a most triumphant return to the stage in 2024. See you there! Jeremy is also the frontman and principal songwriter of Brisbane-based garage-pop group ‘Velociraptor’.

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Joc Curran

Joc is a mother, businesswoman, friend, and passionate music lover. She founded, owned, and ran Brisbane's seminal live music venue 'The Zoo' from 1992 until 2016.

Continuing to foster emerging musical artists in Brisbane and support the scene in any way possible, Joc works as The Laneway Festival Brisbane Promoter and Producer of the Hidden Lanes Festival. Joc still believes that a beautiful song and random acts of kindness can help change the world.

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John Collins (JC)

As the bass player for one of Australia’s biggest and most loved bands, John Collins has toured the world playing rock n’ roll with the best of the best. The Powderfinger machine earned a monolithic total of eighteen ARIA Awards, making them one of the most awarded bands in Australia. Ten Powderfinger albums and DVDs certified multiple-platinum, the cover of Rolling Stones, headlining festivals, and millions of album sales had led JC to have a broad and artist-led view of the music industry.

Upon Powderfinger's breakup, JC set his mind to creating music venues with the establishment of The Triffid, Fortitude Music Hall, and The Outpost in Brisbane. JC continues to perform with his epic band "The Predators".

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John Mullen

John is Head of A&R and Executive Producer at Dew Process Recordings and has worked with such artists as Sarah Blasko, Tkay Maidza, The Grates, Bernard Fanning, WAAX, Eves Karydas, Mallrat, and more.

A broad supporter of local music, John has worked with emerging artists WIIGZ, Lola Scott, Noah Dillon, Old Mervs & Tyne James-Organ. John is involved in community initiatives such as Rec Link Community Cup, is a board member of Queensland’s music industry development association QMusic, and is an active advocate for live music.

Having reached 20 years at Dew Process in 2022, John continues to work with new artists and established heavyweights.

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Kate Little

Kate has been working in the Entertainment Industry for over 20 years, with a vast array of experience with some of Australia’s leading festivals, ranging from artist management, publicity and marketing, tour management, concert promotion insights, and talent booking, making her a valuable mentor to emerging artists.

Some of the artists that Kate has worked with recently include Nahko & Medicine for the People (USA), Ziggy Alberts, Tay Oskee, Dustin Thomas (USA), and Rising Appalachia (USA). Kate has been the programmer of the Global Village and World Stage at Splendour in the Grass for 15 years and is always on the lookout for new and interesting acts to introduce to the Splendour audience.

Katie Rutledge

Katie is a graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Southern Cross University. She has been a performing artist with Opera Queensland since 2001 and has had the opportunity to perform and record for ABC Classic FM, 4MBS, and ABC Television. Katie has enjoyed working alongside international Australian Award Artists and Grammy Awarded Producers such as Nick DiDia and Aria Awarded Artist Bernard Fanning, where they have teamed up to build a state-of-the-art recording studio in the Byron Hinterland.

Katie is also a Judge for the ‘Bluesfest Busking Competition’ and is completing her Masters in Vocal Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She is preparing masterclass workshops with Madeline West and Rachel Beck for 2023. Katie is an international vocal coach with students from the United States and Australia.

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Luke Daniel Peacock

Critically acclaimed Brisbane singer/songwriter, Luke Daniel Peacock, is a proud descendant of the Meriam people of the eastern Torres Strait Islands.

Luke is a member of Halfway, The Painted Ladies, collaborator with legendary Vic Simms, and frontman of his current indie rock project, The Minor Premiers, as well as being a revered solo artist.

In 2016, his debut solo album "We've Come A Long Way Darling" put his name on the map. The album received high critical acclaim and led to Luke being awarded The Billy Thorpe Scholarship Award in 2016.

Luke's work can be heard in Tourism Queensland's latest campaign, and he's currently touring the country playing bass for collaborator Tia Gostelow.

Nat Dunn

Nat is the first Australian songwriter to be recognized for amassing more than 1 billion streams and has written for international superstars including Charli XCX, Rita Ora, Marshmello, and Anne-Marie.

An industry veteran, Nat has been successfully releasing music since she was 17 years old. Traveling the world honing her craft, she is now a highly in-demand singer, songwriter, and curator. With an impressive track record of bringing together creative songwriting teams to create huge albums, Nat is passionate about supporting young artists and creating opportunities for Queensland artists globally.

Nat is also part of the duo Naations alongside Nicky Nighttime and has recently released her “Digital Dust” project, which is a treasure trove of collaborative tracks with friends.

Nick DiDia

After 30+ years in the professional recording business, 2X Grammy Award-winning engineer/mixer Nick DiDia has worked in many of the world’s top studios with bands such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, and numerous others. Along the way, he’s engineered/mixed for producers such as Brendan O'Brien and Roy Thomas Baker, to name a few.

A producer in his own right, he’s helmed several seminal albums from Powderfinger along with many other Australian and international acts. This unique combination of skill sets and experience makes his knowledge valuable for any aspiring engineer, as well as those who produce/engineer and mix their own music. Nick recently opened his purpose-built studio, Brooklet Studios, in the Byron hinterland.

Patience Hodgson

Patience Hodgson is an artist and performer best known for her huge voice, energetic performances, and her time fronting the ARIA-nominated indie rock band The Grates. With The Grates, she toured internationally, received high rotation play and support from Triple J, and has graced the main stage of every major festival in Australia.

Loved by audiences for her dynamic and engrossing performance style, Patience still regularly takes to the stage performing trivia as a part of the cult music trivia night Not On Your Rider.

While her list of creative endeavours is long, some highlights outside of her time in The Grates include touring with Rockwiz, her collaborations with multidisciplinary artist Rachel Burke, The Minutes podcast she produced with comedian Melinda Buttle, her work with John Patterson creating and operating Southside Tea Room, Death Valley, and Red Robin Supper Truck, hosting and facilitating Splendour In The Craft for 5 years, and countless appearances on stage singing beside Australia’s best.

Ruby-Jean McCabe

After completing a bachelor of Music Business Management at JMC in 2014, Ruby began working at booking and management agency Bluebeard Music.

Over her time working at Bluebeard, Ruby was a booking agent for The Zoo, Black Bear Lodge, Milk Factory, Eat Street Markets, and Cardigan Bar. Ruby also currently manages guitar-pop trio Bugs, the next big thing Hope D, and grunge wunderkinds VOIID. Ruby previously worked for national artist booking agency New World Artists as an assistant agent and as the volunteer coordinator for Laneway Brisbane. Ruby now runs Sunroom Artists management with Dom Miller, managing a host of acts and curating lineups including BIGSOUND Festival and GOMA Up Late.

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Seja Vogel

Seja Vogel (pronounced say-ah) is a German/Australian solo musician who was a member of Brisbane bands Sekiden and Regurgitator. Formed in 1998, Sekiden was known for high-energy live performances and toured extensively throughout Australia, Canada, Japan, and the USA.

Touring and recording internationally with Regurgitator and Sekiden, Seja has a broad group of musical friends and collaborators, some of whom you can tune into on her podcast HearSej. Seja has also played in backing bands for Spod, Heinz Reigler, David McCormack, and Ben Salter. Additionally, Vogel has released her own material and toured widely, supporting the likes of Sarah Black, Warpaint, and Goldfrapp.

More information

For more information about The QUBE Effect you can:

Join Brisbane City Council’s Creative Register to receive information about future program opportunities.

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Brisbane City Council acknowledges this Country and its Traditional Custodians. We pay our respects to the Elders, those who have passed into the Dreaming; those here today; those of tomorrow.