The Stumpy Chumps

The Stumpy Chumps were the first band for the night in The Gershwin Room Semi Finals! A new guitarist and a new singer for this band was a surprise, but the new and improved line up definitely worked with a much better performance than their Espy Basement show! They started off with an up tempo number before going into their second song which was a surf influenced version of wipe-out with some spoken word in there as well! This band thrives on instrumental jams and their loyal fan base seems to enjoy going along for the ride with them! The last song of the set was a pshycodelic instrumental journey with some nice use of delays on the guitar! A great start to the night from The Stump Chumps!

The Fallen Angels

The Fallen Angels seem to bring a loyal group of fans to all of their shows and their gig in The Espy Gershwin Room was no exception! Many gathered at the front of stage wearing TFA t-shirts! Just like at their first performance they brought the energy in the room up a level! You can tell that this band spends a lot of time rehearsing as they are all very highly skilled musicians in their own right, but they pull it all together very nicely as a very tight band. Aaron’s vocals are a stand out as well as the lead guitarist’s fine work! The Fallen Angels rocked out as hard as anyone we have seen so far this season! They were definitely up for the night and the band was on song! The boys changed it up for an acoustic number which was a nice touch and featured a killer guitar solo! So much energy from these boys, especially drummer Chris who was going nuts behind the kit and had many stick tricks! ‘Touch the Sky’ was a rocker before the boys pulled out the acoustic again for a slower starting tune that ended up being an epic rock anthem! Rock on The Fallen Angels!

For the Most Part

When For the Most Part opened their set lead singer Jade started with some very sweet vocals which drew the crowd in before the whole band kicked in and the rock begun! Now we had some great guitar playing as well! Keyboardist John added his dirty scream vocals for a dual vocal effect which was shown off well in the bands second song. For the most part have definitely improved since their last performance in The Espy Basement which is a great thing to see in a band so young! The band gave away a free demo on the night which was a great way to reward their loyal fans! Well done For the Most Part!

At the Age of 440

At the Age of 440 are a band that are very hard to describe, but one thing for sure is that they love the big stage, especially front man Paul who loves playing up for the band’s fans! After the first three rocking bands, At the Age of 440 was a nice change up of music styles for the night in The Gershwin Room. The music is somewhat more of a theatrical performance than a straight up set of music. Again, it is hard to describe. You are better off to just go out and witness it for yourself! In the bands second song, a surprise burst of vocals from Steph was a great touch as well as some good backup vocals from bass player Estelle. In the third song Steph showed it was more than a rare appearance in the previous song by taking over the lead vocal duties, and wow, what a voice! The band finished with both girls on vocals in a great epic piece! Thank for the experience At the Age of 440!

James Caddy

Before James Caddy played a note he asked the crowd... “Are you ready to have some fun?” It seems this is a band that has a lot of it themselves! Starting off with an up tempo one called ‘Trouble Girl’ that got the band going before they went into a slower ballad called ‘Forever.’ James brought out the electric guitar for the first time in the Emergenza season for him and it was a great touch that added to a reggae tune. The band also brought a new guitarist with them who provided some nice electric licks. Again James played a new guitar for himself in final song ‘Free My Mind’ which was a real highlight of the set with some rocking lap slide sounds! Roots rock reggae from James Caddy!

The Children of the New Forest

The Children of the New Forest hit the stage with lead singer Tony wearing a very eye catching jacket which looked like it was from out of space. Drummer Ben provided very solid drumming to hold this four piece together that played a unique style of mod indie synth rock pop. Singer Tony has a very different singing technique and guitar playing style which makes this band stand out! Final song ‘Watching Over You Watching Over Me’ was a highlight of the set with its catchy chorus and solid synth playing.

Jason Lives

Jason Lives are a punkish band with a sense of humour! A three piece that loves to rock out and between songs give the crowd a good belly laugh! They played a flat out up tempo set of their own original tunes that gave the whole backline a good work out! Jason Lives have a great stage craft with bass player Luke very energetic always running around on the stage throughout and he is also like a salesman of the band, whilst Joey on guitar provides a very dry humour which works well together! Gav on drums is a fine player holding this all together! Fifth song ‘Ronald’ was a highlight of the set, both musically and stagecraft wise! Thanks for your energy Jason Lives!

The Ambience of Rain

The Ambience of Rain kicked off their set in front of an adoring crowd. A five piece from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, they are quite a young group of musicians, but they gel very well together on stage with their pop rock indie styling’s! Great use of guitar effects and a solid bass and drum combo blend well together with front man Scott’s vocals soaring over the top!

Elemental Burn

Elemental Burn is a metal band of the highest calibre and boy oh boy do they know how to rock! Fronted by a female lead singer in Sarah, she shreds the main vocals! That is not the only shedding occurring onstage thought with great solo shedding from Andrew on lead guitar! I must mention the bass player Brad who had the rustiest bass strings on his instrument that I have ever seen! This did not matter though as it was still fat! Maybe that is his secret? Drummer Nick is pure quality and one of the best metal drummers we have seen this season with great double kick and hi hat work throughout the set! Elemental Burn kept the crowd in the Espy Gershwin room after a long night where we saw nine bands play! Not only did they keep the crowd but they had many people having a head bang and I am sure they converted a few new fans to their music! Their final song featured one hell of a heavy riff as a finale which was totally awesome! Horns up Elemental Burn!