Despite being knee-deep in studies and having one of the members of the band out of the country in the days leading up to the finals, Melbourne band Salad Days says that with a few jams, they’ll be perfectly in tune for the big night at The Hi-Fi. They’re ecstatic to get the opportunity to play at a venue where they’ve seen so many of their favourite bands, and they’ve got only one thing to say to the other bands that they’re up against on December 8th: “Bring it on.”

SO, DO YOU THINK YOU'RE READY FOR THE BIG NIGHT?
I feel that we are pretty confident in our current set list. We can bang out a 20- minute set, no problems.

WHAT’S THE BAND DOING TO GET READY FOR THE FINALS? REHEARSING MUCH?
At the moment we have been currently focusing on finishing our studies. So a few of us have been studying whilst our bassist is currently away in Japan. So a few jams are in need when he returns.

WHAT, IF ANY, CHANGES HAVE YOU MADE TO YOUR STAGE SET-UP OR YOUR LIVE PERFORMANCE WITH THE FINALS IN MIND?
At this point in time any new songs we might want to throw into the mix don’t require any new pedals or equipment so not particularly. The only changes may be if our guitarist Pat decides to add his Cry Baby or his Little Big Muff to his pedal board. But essentially, "if it ain't broken don't fix it."

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE BIG NIGHT?
Everyone is super excited to play The Hi-Fi Bar as we have seen some great acts on that intimate stage and we can’t wait to be one of them. Even if we don’t come away with a slot in the national finals, I feel that this is a great opportunity for us to get our name out there and reach some new listeners. But, above all, we want to give a really tight and sweet set for the panel of judges. There is no impression like a first impression.

WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK WINNING WOULD HAVE ON THE BAND?
We would all be over the moon! I think that would be almost a wake up call for us. The fact that we have made it to Sydney on our own steam? With our own original tunes? Awesome. We would have a real potential future for the band. We would be ecstatic.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE FESTIVAL SO FAR? ANY FUNNY ANECDOTES FROM YOUR PREVIOUS SHOWS OR REHEARSALS LEADING UP TO THE FINALS?
We have all had a fun time. It has been interesting to see how other bands react to our songs and it’s always nice to see random people really getting into it. We are all about having a good time because, if you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT PLAYING THE HI-FI IN MELBOURNE?
This is a legendary venue in the Melbourne CBD as we said before. We are looking forward to hearing ourselves through that beautiful sound system.

WHAT IS GOING TO SET YOU APART FROM THE OTHER BANDS AND SECURE A WIN FOR YOUR BAND?
Personally I think it could be our unique musical backgrounds, where our passions lie, and the combination of our diverse music taste. So many varying influences all clashing together brings out some interesting tunes. It doesn’t always fit together how we might like it, but everyone manages to stay on the same wavelength and can see and understand what one of us might be trying to do. I feel this is rather evident in our final products, as most songs sound completely different from each other. It also really helps that Josh can actually sing.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO BANDS THAT ARE CONSIDERING SIGNING UP FOR THE FESTIVAL NEXT YEAR?
Try to not let everything stress you out. This is supposed to be a fun experience. Get money for tickets off your fans upfront, it becomes a big hassle if you have to front for people and they end up cancelling, etc. Get your fans drunk. You want them to be as loud as they can be, while dancing their asses off.

IF YOU HAVE THE DESIRE TO SHOUT OUT TO ANY OF THE BANDS OR SAY ANY THANKS, DO SO HERE:
Bring it on.