ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2013: Jeremy Neale

2012 has been a pretty hectic year for Brisbane’s JEREMY NEALE. You’ll probably know him as the frontbro of the category twelve garage pop hurricane that is Velociraptor, or for drumming or singing in half a dozen other Brisbane bands, but this was the year shit started to get real with his solo act.

There were Australian tours, both solo and with Sydney’s The Preatures, and the release of three of the most instantly fun and surprising singles of year in “Winter Was The Time”, ‘Darlin’” and “A Love Affair To Keep You There”. Oh, and there was the whole ‘winning a Queensland Music Award for best rock song for “Winter Was The Time”’ thing, if you’re into that stuff.

Also worth mentioning is the insanely rad video for “Darlin’” which combines crime fighting, pugs and top-notch acting with a swoon inducing pop hit complete with sax-a-ma-phone solos and smooth as silk vocals.

It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much down time for Neale in 2013, after he got picked up by Triple J Unearthed for the Brisbane leg of next year’s Laneway Festival where he’ll be mixing it up (and, for my money, holding his own) with the likes of Twerps, Real Estate and Japandroids.

So yes, you should definitely keep an eye on Jeremy Neale; like him on Facebook, find out where he works, start going to his gym**, WHATEVER IT TAKES GODDAMN IT.

You can download all three singles FOR FREE from Triple J Unearthed. Now that’s value.

**Purple Sneakers does not condone stalking.

Words by Madeleine Laing

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