Merlin Twist swiped the most votes of the night in their first heat of the festival with their power rock, and they’re hoping to do it all again, although it may be a little more difficult for them this time around, as they’re scheduled to go head to head with seven other incredible semi-finalists. You won’t want to miss out on their show at The Factory Theatre on the 7th. Be there. And in the meantime, check out what the band has to say about what’s keeping them motivated for the semi-finals.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO THE BAND?
On lead vocals and keys we have Jonas Thomson, on guitar Patrick Berryman, bass Marcus Newton, and on drums we’ve got Oliver Morley-Sattler. Together, we are Merlin Twist.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION FROM?
We all come from a fairly separate musical past and as a result everyone brings his own musical styles and interests into the band. Rock, blues, grunge, piano pop and indie elements can all be found within Merlin Twist's music. That's what makes us crazy unique.

WHO WRITES THE SONGS AND WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT? WHAT'S YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
All band members contribute to writing the songs, with the creative process nearly always starting with a riff or a groove, with the lyrics coming far later at the end of the process. As a group of teenagers, we obviously don't have many deep life experiences to sing about so we make do with things like daydreaming, living it up, waiting for a lift. Oh and also discombobulated and tragic love based around melancholic distrust and loneliness.

WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH TO YOUR ONSTAGE PERFORMANCES?
We try to make the crowd as jumping and electric as possible by playing with maximum energy and movement. The drum kit does little to restrict Oli's excitement as he has become an enigma on stage, while Jonas' bizarre piano dancing is balanced by Marcus' strong two-step and Patrick's loose grooving.

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
The highlight of the first round was certainly the response received right after the final song. It had been an amazing gig and to hear the audience's reaction was incredibly gratifying and rewarding. Also I will never get tired of hearing girls screaming "Merlin Twist”.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BETWEEN GIGS AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE COMPETITION?
Between the first two rounds of Emergenza, MT has been rehearsing often, writing a couple of new songs and refining our sound. We played a gig at the Marrickville Festival, which was good preparation.

IN WHAT WAY DO YOU THINK YOU'VE GROWN AS A BAND SINCE YOU FIRST ENROLLED IN THE FESTIVAL?
Since we enrolled, two of our favourite songs were written, and have been integrated into the lineup for both first and second rounds. Merlin Twist has been around for a while now, but we are always getting tighter and developing our sound. Hopefully our second round will be even better than our first.

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
Very exciting, playing on a stage like The Metro was a memorable experience, as will no doubt be the case with The Factory Theatre. We're trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves though.

WHAT IS A LIVE MERLIN TWIST SHOW LIKE?
Merlin Twist live is BIG. Not necessarily loud but the aim is to have the crowd jumping until the last chord. There is a variety within the set list that allows the audience to experience a full range of sounds, genres and moods.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO ENROLL IN THE EMERGENZA FESTIVAL?
We thought it would be a great opportunity to play at some really good venues and to different audiences. And alongside some other cool bands.