Veterans to the Emergenza competition, SWAP is prepared for their upcoming gig for step one of this year’s festival. They’ve made it to the higher rounds before and have experience on the big stage, so let’s see if they’ll be able to do it again with their signature prog metal sound. Emergenza sits down with them to find out what their strategy is for this year and what’s in store for their up-coming stage performance at the Lair in Sydney. Whatever it is, you surely won’t want to miss out. So, make sure to head down to see them this coming Thursday night. So…

HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER AS A BAND?
The brothers Pete and Luke McDermott wanted to rock the world but lacked the testosterone to do it on their own, so they joined forces with Tom Lynch and advertised in the Drum Media for a singer. After auditioning for vocalists, they found one who Pete described as “not sounding like what I don’t like”. Not only did he have the voice of an angel and the endowments of an elephant, he was a perfect fit for the band.

WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NAME?
The band members were searching Wikipedia for a heavy and powerful sounding band name, and came across the acronym SWAP, used by the social activist group Scottish Women Against Pornography. The band thought this was hilarious and named themselves after this fine upstanding institution.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Rock with skill.

WHAT’S YOUR PRACTICE SPACE LIKE?
A tiny square room, packed with amplifiers, drums, dozens of guitars, a piano, other random instruments, posters of old bands and a plastic beer hat.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN EMERGENZA?
SWAP has played at Emergenza a few times before and greatly enjoyed each opportunity to show off their music and stage antics. The first year that they entered, their singer Tim wasn’t available, so they made up some comedy songs and Luke painted himself blue and dressed as a Smurf. They have played in the later rounds of Emergenza to a large audience previously, and being self-centred bastards who crave glory really enjoyed the opportunity.

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THIS STAGE IN THE COMPETITION?
Most importantly, SWAP has changed its bass player to the talented Mark Oakley, who Tony Abbot would describe as “having sex appeal”. As usual, the band has been practicing their songs from their new EP to perform at the Emergenza gig.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE?
Playing to a large audience at great venues, listening to other bands, comparing musicians in bands to each other.

WHAT WILL BE THE KEY TO MOVING YOU FORWARD THROUGH ALL THE STEPS OF THE COMPETITION?
Bringing a crowd, song variety, having fun on stage, brilliant guitar solos, soaring vocals while strutting the stage like a peacock in mating season.

HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER BANDS, AND WHAT MAY HELP TO GET YOU TO THE FINALS?
SWAP shows incredibly strong musicianship in their songs, which makes them stand out from the crowd. They perform well on stage, and have a great presence. There is also a lot of variety in the dynamics of their songs.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THE EMERGENZA EXPERIENCE?
Publicity, industry contacts, groupies, and also a fun experience at the same time.