Somewhere in the depths of their musical lineage, this Sydney band is related to Harry Potter. Or so they say. If that knowledge does not suffice for getting you out to see them on the 19th at The Factory Theatre, then I’m afraid you are not human. In a pre-show interview with the band, they recount their story and let us in on what they’re looking forward to the most about the semi-finals.

FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T GET TO SEE YOU IN THE FIRST ROUND, CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE MUSIC OF INTO THE FIREPLACE?
Imagine all the best bands in the world had a baby. That baby then grew up and married Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the amalgamated-seed of the greatest music in the world had two children. The second child was born a muggle and was cast into the world of mere mortals. He lived the life of a hermit in an old hut by the ocean. James, Jack, Pat, Tom and Chiara one day stumbled upon this isolated hut and were each individually granted one wish (he was also a genie). Four of the people blew their wishes on drugs and alcohol; however one requested that they form the most awesome band in the world. The genie granted this wish, and here we are today.

WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR LIVE SHOWS LIKE?
Really good or really bad. Hopefully the one you come to will be really good (but no guarantees).

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
Making it through. I was also hallucinating from LSD and thought I was playing alongside David Bowie. How cool is David Bowie.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST ROUND AND WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM IT?
The Metro Theatre is too close to Bar Century and the drinks are far too cheap at Bar Century. It started off as a good experience and turned into a bad one by the end of the night when we found Jack trying to make love to his guitar.

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
Pretty good. One more step closer to all of those hot European babes over in Germany. Wait for us Yvonne, Katja, Marina and Anja!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BETWEEN GIGS AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE COMPETITION?
We totally just recorded the best debut EP by an Australian band. It will be released soon so if you want to buy a copy you’re more than welcome. It will totally save me from starving for a few days. We are readying ourselves for the next round by going on a strict pre-competition diet of alcohol and alcohol. Mark our words Emergenza, by the semi-finals we will have the best alcohol tolerance of any band in Australia.

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE FOR YOUR UPCOMING GIG?
We thought we might give our mate K. Rudd or Tony Abbott a call and see if they could whip together a national broadcast or something.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST ABOUT THIS ROUND IN THE SEMI-FINALS?
Winning.