deadset

“When you guys tour America, you’ll have to call yourself the Bu-eys”, I joke with Tess and Courtney over a couple of pints in a dark backroom of a bar in Prague, emphasising the American version of pronouncing those floaty guys out in the sea. 

“Oh yeah, luckily I have literally no desire to go over there just yet!” they both laugh in agreement.

The Buoys are an infectiously charming group of women from Sydney, quietly making waves in the independent music scene both at home and abroad. They played a show in Prague back in September, and I had a chat with drummer Tess Wilkin and bassist Courtney Cunningham afterwards about the good ol’ days of the Aussie scene, and how things are going for a working band today.

“We’re surprised anyone even shows up to these gigs! But we’re so glad to be out here, even on a Monday night” says Tess in a typically Aussie self-deprecating manner. Fresh out of the northern hemisphere summer festival season, it gets colder and harder to get punters out to local shows in central Europe, especially on a weeknight. Granted, the intimate venue at Cafe V Lese was hardly at capacity, but it only added to the charm of the show. 

It always fills me with a certain sense of national pride when an Aussie act pulls through this unknown corner of the world. There’s a certain quality to Australian creative output that consistently demands respect from all scenes – I’ve seen it in hardcore for sure, and indie/alternative is no exception. This reverence was especially felt by The Buoys on this mini tour. 

Tess explains, “Everyone’s been so lovely on this tour. People have come up to us at shows who have said they came simply because they had heard we were from Australia. They seem to associate Australian music as something being worth their time, even if they haven’t heard any of the music before. I think that says something”

Hearing their tunes onstage transported me back to my own halcyon days at Unibar gigs, supporting local artists both new and familiar. It was a real nostalgic trip for me after spending more than ten years abroad. There was a certain quality in singer Zoe Catterall’s voice beyond the Aussie twang that triggered many emotions as I looked around the small room to see a new generation of Czech indieheads connecting to this music. 

As a direct foil to this experience in a basement venue, Courtney chimes in about their time playing The Domain in Sydney supporting Arctic Monkeys. 

“That was a surreal out of fucking body experience for sure. With that large of a crowd, and those lights…you can’t even see anyone out there! You don’t even know who you’re playing to, to be honest. Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but yeah I wasn’t really with it during that show”  

(She then went on to explain how the out of body experience wasn’t helped by the fact that she had just had a near-death experience with a stonefish on some travels in South America. But I guess that’s besides the point).

The Buoys are no overnight success, with Courtney sharing years and years of experience playing in bands around the Sydney scene. Speaking of The Domain got me thinking back to Homebake days. This triggered the table conversation to reminisce about other flagship festivals like Big Day Out and Soundwave and what it was like coming up in the music scene those days. 

“Can you believe a festival ticket was only $90 those days? You can’t even get a single concert for that now!”

When asked about the financial pressures of being a working band these days, Tess is quick to thank the support of NSW Arts for supporting their tours. As they looked ahead to the 2026 European festival summer circuit, I was surprised to hear them say they hope they can get work off. 

“It’d be impossible for us to tour overseas without the government grants. We’re lucky enough to have been around for a little bit and received this support, but for younger bands these days, I really feel for them”

Despite the repeated news of local bars and venues closing down and facing increasing costs, they say that there is strong solidarity locally. The scene is admittedly smaller, but somehow thriving in its own way. Whether it’s innovating by playing smaller house shows, or forming artist co-ops, Tess and Courtney agreed that they are really impressed with the attitude of younger artists, especially women coming up in the Sydney scene. 

Naming your band The Buoys, and your next lead single “Bitch” is unapologetically feminist-forward. I was curious what the experience is like for working female musicians in the 2020s. Both Tess and Courney don’t mince words and share that there is still a huge amount of misogyny to be felt, and unfortunately, really dirty laundry that gets swept aside regarding treatment of both female artists and fans. Rather than accept defeat, they feel more emboldened to push forward with their music and tours to represent a more pleasant side of Aussie music to a new generation of listeners. 

Humble, talented and affective, The Buoys are pretty excellent Aussie cultural ambassadors. Their warm reception in Prague was just a taste of what they can do elsewhere. As Tess says, “I’m more spiritually linked to the UK more than USA anyway. I can’t wait to play there!”

As we parted ways into the cool autumn air, I was thankful for this brief reminder of the good old days in Australia, and comforted by the fact that the good times and good Aussie music still continues to roll on.