This young band from Sydney takes on their very own musical vibe, called swagadelic, and can’t wait to have you experience it for yourselves. They’ve been honing their live performance in preparation for the semi-finals at The Factory Theatre, where they plan to put on an unforgettable show. Don’t miss out. Before the show, they hang out with Emergenza to explain this newly coined term and talk to us about their experience in the festival so far.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO YOUR BAND RUSSIAN CARAVAN? HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME?
The name Russian Caravan came about as a result of the boys' love for all things gypsy and Grace's love for tea, a pleasant compromise.

YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS SWAGADELIC. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION FROM?
I think the adjective swagadelic pertains more to the atmosphere of the band as a whole rather than the actual genre of our music. We draw our music from the different genres each member appreciates as well as a few collective influences, so I guess what I'm trying to say is, it takes many colours to paint a swagadelic rainbow.

WHAT DOES PERFORMING MEAN TO YOU?
It’s great to see people appreciate the music we write ourselves, which keeps things exciting and encourages us to write and perform more.

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
The highlight was probably seeing a couple of our fans (admittedly they were close friends) singing along to the words of our songs.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BETWEEN GIGS AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE COMPETITION?
Between gigs we've mostly been focusing on school but we've been practicing a bit- it’s a pretty good excuse for a study break.

IN WHAT WAY DO YOU THINK YOU'VE GROWN AS A BAND SINCE YOU FIRST ENROLLED IN THE FESTIVAL?
Our performances have become a lot more cohesive.

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
It’s pretty surreal.

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE FOR YOUR UPCOMING GIG?
Via snap chat.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST ABOUT THIS ROUND IN THE SEMI-FINALS?
Playing at The Factory Theatre, to be playing on the same stage as so many other awesome bands.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO ENROLL IN THE EMERGENZA FESTIVAL?
Emergenza has been a really great performance opportunity as well as allowing us to play in front of new people and potential fans.