Inside Reality

Inside Reality had the task of opening up the first semi final show for the season at The Espy Gershwin room. These guys are young and raw but play with a lot of heart! They started their set with a few up tempo numbers before slowing things down for a love song written by one of the boys for his girlfriend. It was a nice touch to the set with its ballad type style. No more slowing down for these boys, they ripped straight into another high paced tune! This song was the highlight of the set with stacks of energy being shown by front man Tom along with Sam and Mitch on guitars! ‘Drift with the Tide’ was a great way to finish the set!

Sonic Milf Castle

Sonic Milf Castle are a band that is hard to describe. They are a very tight 3 piece with clean guitar, bass and drums. You can tell that these guys spend a lot of time working on their songs each one is a little journey in some way. One thing that makes them stand out is lead singer Joey’s unique way of singing which is a mixture of howling, spoken word and screams. This results in a voice that sounds a little like Andrew Stockdale of ‘Wolfmother.’ Sonic Milf Castle surprised their fans with a new song on the night called ‘Dirt’ which had a very catchy groove/riff. A very fresh performance from Sonic Milf Castle!

Cryptic Abyss

Last time Cryptic Abyss played it was their very first gig, but they stole the show that night at The Espy Basement in Heat 9! And they must have pleased their fans because they brought a dedicated crowd once again to The Espy Gershwin Room to see an epic metal show on a Wednesday night! It was loud and proud and featured our first mosh of the night! These guys seemed to lap up the bigger stage and took everything in their stride! Rock on Cryptic Abyss!

Mischievous Thom

Mischievous Thom was one of the really memorable bands of the heats with their captivating performance in The Espy Basement. This time they hit the stage with more of a bang, opening up with a fairly rocking tune called ‘So Unreal.’ The set followed a similar path for the next few songs before the band took it down for a tune called ‘Valium‘ which was a great way to show off front man Brandon’s voice. They finished with a song called ‘A funeral in the sun’ which was the highlight of the set with its sweet country feel. Thanks for the entertaining set Mischievous Thom!

Mercury White

Mercury White is one of the freshest acts we have seen in the Emergenza competition this season! After a strong set on The Espy Basement stage in heat 6, they hit The Gershwin Room stage with a bigger following, a tighter sound and some new songs! The first two tracks they played were new tunes and the bigger stage just seemed to suit their atmospheric sound perfectly! A band could consider themselves lucky if they have one amazing singer in the group; Mercury White is blessed with two! Tammy on female vocals, violin and synth, teams up with Paul on vocals, Keyboard and synth to make a killer combo as they both provide amazing vocals! Cam on guitar is also quite the handy vocalist. Second song ‘Bullet for my Baby’ showed off great use of these vocals toward the end of the song. The band then burst into a crowd favourite called ‘Cocoon’ which amped the set up and showed off some more lovely vocals with some effective keyboard providing nice light and shade. The final song featured some fat synth from Paul. Drummer Kevin was instrumental in keeping this band together with his fine skills on the drums! An eclectic and improved set from Mercury White!

Hollows

Hollows are a young band with a stack of energy! Although they don’t have a large fan base it doesn’t seem to worry them as these guys just go off! They blasted The Gershwin Room for 20 minutes and they then made their exit!

Chris Watts

Chris Watts has a very likable stage craft. His songs are crisp, clean and well written. The third song of his set ‘Honey’ is a real catchy number which showcases his vocal, guitar and song writing ability. He is very well backed up by a very polished band that consists of Dom on drums and Mark on bass. Chris’ music would fit in any venue big or small, pub or hall, and could easily be heard on many styles of radio stations. Final song of the set ’Taste’ was a real highlight and a great way for Chris to finish the set! A sweet set from Chris Watts!

The Mere Poets

The Mere Poets finished off the first night of the semi finals in The Gershwin Room and delivered a very classy set! These guys are a very tight and polished four piece that blend acoustic pop tunes with touches of electric. A point of difference for this band is the saxophone played by Chris that adds a nice groovy jazzy feel. The first three songs were acoustic numbers influenced by the likes of Mumford and Sons, before lead man Jake switched to the electric guitar and this is when the band really started to hot up! Jake is a natural on electric and the band seems to feed off his confidence with this instrument when he plays it. Thanks for the class The Mere Poets!