At The Age Of 440
 
At the Age of 440 had the job of opening up the night at The Espy Basement and took it on in great fashion! A nice intro piece got the sizeable crowd of fans attention. First song ‘Wax Museum’ was a quirky piece with front man Paul singing to the crowd telling them they were trapped in the room and there was no escape! This didn’t bother the punters though as they loved what they were hearing and At the Age of 440 had them in the palms of their hands. Second song of the set ‘Get It Together’ saw the only lady of the band Steph take on lead vocal duties and wow what a voice! The crowd knew they were seeing something special here! It was as if we were at the theatre witnessing a show, but this was not an act, it was the songs that had a theatrical feel. The last song of the set ‘Play It Again’ was an epic tune that had a fine part at the end by Peter on the drums. The keys played by Michael added a nice touch to the band and the set was full of tasty solos from guitarist Matt. A truly unique band!

Kiddo
 
Kiddo brought a large fan base to The Espy Basement and once they started playing it was easy to see why. This brother and sister duo silenced the large crowd with their beautiful harmonies and cleverly arranged songs. Acoustic guitarist Jayden led the set with his guitar and voice, but it was when Sister Melissa joined him for some vocal parts that jaws hit the ground! Both Jayden and Melissa have great voices in their own right, but when they sing together it is special! There is a sibling chemistry that cannot be taught, it is just natural and Kiddo does it as well as anyone! Fourth song ‘Helplessness Blues’ was a highlight of the set with its Irish feel, nice open guitar tuning and duelling vocals. It is a dream of Kiddo’s to build a career in the music industry, and no one would be surprised if this dream became their reality!

Diamonds of Neptune
 
The third band for the night Diamonds of Neptune stepped the night up a notch with their rock tunes. They powered through a set of original rock/indie tunes led by an energetic front man. They certainly blew any cobwebs out of the amps! Guitar and keyboard driven tunes were all held together by Kynan and his tight drumming. The last song of the set sounded like the band had influence of ‘The Kooks.’ Solid bass by Alex under laid by keys, crisp guitar and tight drumming.

The Shrunken Heads
 
The Shrunken Heads chose to debut their tunes for the first time at The Espy Basement. They are an eclectic band playing Alternative Indie songs with hints of pop. Lead singer Emily has a distinctive voice that maybe leads back to her Belgium heritage. Guitarist Sajhu adds vocals in places as well as second guitarist and keyboard player Andrew. The set started out fairly mellow, but it built up more and more as it went on, with more rocking tunes and more and more energy on stage. You could see the bands confidence growing the more time they spent on stage! Going into a heavy version of Mary Poppins ‘My Favourite Things’ brought a smile to the punters faces. They surprised with their last tune ‘Screaming’ which was almost a metal tune! A nice debut!

Lune Zoo
 
Lune Zoo swooned their way through their first song, melting many girls’ hearts in the process. A three piece playing acoustic rock tunes reminiscent of bands from the 90’s. Singer and guitarist Luke has a mellow but husky voice, that at times sounds like he has spent a lot of time in smoke filled rooms. He has a great voice that filled the room. They stepped it up a notch in their second tune, with drummer Adam putting the brushes away and opting for the sticks for some very tasty drumming. Bass player Razz locked in with Adam and played with some very nice feel to make this band’s set one of the nicest of the competition.

James Caddy
 
James Caddy is an acoustic singer songwriter who uses 12 string and 6 string acoustic guitars to blend a mix of folk and roots rock tunes. A truly Aussie sound played on Aussie made guitars! James was backed up by his band which featured Simon on electric lead guitar and lap slide guitar, solid bass grooves by Sam on bass and plenty of light and shade on the drums with lots of use of the toms by Alaister. James has a very charismatic personality, telling the crowd stories in the between songs, often drawing a pleasant response from the crowd. Third song of the set ‘This Old Fool’ was a heartfelt apology song which the crowd lapped up and was a highlight of the set! Final song of the set ‘Trouble Girl’ was the most upbeat tune from James Caddy and his band and had many in the crowd bopping along. An enjoyable set from James Caddy!

Black Fuel
 
Black fuel hit the stage all dressed in Black and hoping to be the fuel to ignite the party! Bass player John and drummer Dave laid the canvas for lead guitarist Ian to solo consistently throughout each song. The crowd was enjoying the energy this band was putting into their music. Lead singer and guitarist Chris had a good stage presence about him that suited this band. In the last song he stepped out into the crowd to show off his own guitar skills with a fine solo. Old School no frills rock!

Irie

Irie means positive vibes, and this is exactly what was floating around the room during this bands set! One of the fattest bass grooves of the night led this band through a set of upbeat reggae tunes! The lead vocalist’s voice soared above this eight piece band which consisted of sax, congas, guitar, drums, keys and backing vocals. Last song ‘Respect’ was a great way to wind up the night! The whole crowd was shaking it as this band finished off the night with one of the tightest sets we have seen! A reggae band of the highest calibre!