Before local Melbourne band Amethyst Close bring their brutal hardcore riffage to the stage at The Espy, they sit down to show us their humble sides, admitting that they’re pumped to be playing alongside such a diverse line up for round one of Emergenza Festival Australia. Hear what the band has to say in their own words.

WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NAME AMETHYST CLOSE?
We didn't want to invest our time into the name itself. We wanted all our efforts to be in the music and for our fan base. And we also wanted something that didn't have any real definition to our music but instead let the music define it.

WHO PLAYS WHAT IN THE BAND?
Jared D'Alfonso - lead vocals, Bradley Scott – guitar, Dimitri Moraitis – guitar, Robert Carlson – bass, Mark Yacoub – drums, Vernon Pope – synth.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO THE HARDCORE SCENE, AND HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BANDS IN THE GENRE?
We already had deep roots in different areas of the hardcore genre and thought we'd experiment with what we thought would give us an edge in the scene. In taking inspiration from what we listen to we don't confine ourselves into anything specific. Each song has a different feel to it, and nothing sounds the same.

WHAT'S BEEN THE KEY TO GETTING SUCH A LARGE FOLLOWING ON FACEBOOK?
Keeping in touch with our audience and taking any criticism and adapting based on it.

WHERE HAVE YOU PLAYED BEFORE AND WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM GIG BE?
We've played at venues such as Next and The B-east. We all have our own opinion on what each other’s dream gig would be but as a general consensus we'd like to play any high classed arena.

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE SHOW AT THE ESPY?
Plenty of practice and getting our act as tight as possible.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
We were approached through Triple J Unearthed and we thought it was a great opportunity to play with such a diverse line up.

For more details on the show at The Espy March 29th, click here.