Over the last year in the Emergenza Festival, we got to know a long list of totally talented local Australian bands, from Brisbane to Melbourne to Sydney. We reviewed their tunes, their live shows, and even sat down to do one-on-one interviews with the bands to hear all about their music and their experience in Emergenza.

We’re not going to waste any more breath. Let’s let the bands speak for themselves. Check out what some of last year’s national finalists had to say about the festival:


“In comparison to other live shows and competitions Emergenza has been extremely organized and allowed good time for sound checks and a great sound engineer.”

“The Emergenza competition is a great opportunity to perform in fantastic venues around Melbourne and beyond, and also a way in which to begin taking yourselves seriously amongst other bands in your area.”

—Mercury White, 1st place national winners


“I’ve spent a lot of time at The Metro seeing all my favourite artists rock out on that stage for years. It’ll be a bit surreal sharing a stage which people like Jeff Buckley and Muse have played on. A few nights ago, I went to see Franz Ferdinand and couldn’t believe I was going to be up there in less than a month.”

“Do it! There’s absolutely nothing to lose as, even by the first round, you’re exposed to new venues, new bands, and the chance to play for a live audience—an experience that every musician wants.”

—Domenica, 2nd place runner up national finals


“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’!”

“We thought [Emergenza] would be a great opportunity to play at some really good venues and to different audiences, and alongside some other cool bands.”

—Merlin Twist, 4th place national finals


“Getting to play in The Lair at The Metro to a phenomenal crowd. The atmosphere was electric!”

“The opportunity to gain more exposure and hopefully go international were the deciding factors for us. We would love to go to Germany! From the outset though, we have found Emergenza to be very professional in the way they go about things. We love that!”

—U:CODIA, 5th place national finals


There you have it, folks—straight from the horse’s mouth! These bands had nothing but good things to say about their experience with Emergenza Festival Australia. Check out our Facebook page to get an even clearer picture of what went down in 2013.

And get a piece of the action yourself by enrolling at our site. See you on stage!!