Rabble Rouser from Melbourne can’t wait to rock their psychedelic garage punk tunes on stage at The Espy for round one of Emergenza Festival Australia. Be sure to be there May 9th when they go on. They’re tightening up their set and it’s going to be on fire. While you’re waiting for them to hit the stage, check out our pre-show interview with the band.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO THE BAND? HOW’D YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME RABBLE ROUSER?
The band consists of Connor Tolson on drums, Stefan Unterwurzacher on guitar, Clancy Balen on guitar and vocals, James Jackson on bass and Andrew O'Connor on vocals and synthesiser. We play a unique blend of psychedelic garage punk rock with a synth sometimes. The band name was formed by trying to think of words that describe the chaotic and manic sound the band possesses, and it seemed to roll off the tongue real nice.

IF YOU COULD USE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Bi-polar, unhinged, uncategorizable.

WHAT KIND OF GEAR DO YOU USE TO GET YOUR SOUND?
To get our sound, we use a lot of fuzz and analog delay pedals on our guitars, our bassist James will often use a chorus pedal to fatten out our bass, and we use a Korg mini synth. We use ping pong and slap back delay on our vocals.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FOR SONGWRITING?
Real life can be pretty mundane, and we draw a lot of inspiration from everyday bullshit. Our sound is a melting pot of ideas drawn from artists that we like, which changes day to day, and often we draw inspiration from one another and jam until a song structure falls into place.

WHERE HAVE YOU PLAYED BEFORE AND WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM GIG BE?
In the past we have played at venues all around Melbourne, including The Espy, The Tote, Workers Club and The Evelyn Hotel amongst others. Our dream gig is to play on the summit of Mount Everest. We're aiming high...

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE SHOW AT THE ESPY?
To prepare for The Espy gig we've been playing a few local gigs to tighten our live set, and trying to refine our songs and set in general. Watching a lot of School of Rock.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
We're always looking for opportunities to play gigs, and the possibility of getting to play in Germany is really exciting. Emergenza offers an ongoing opportunity like no other battle of the bands, which is really awesome.

For more details on the show at The Espy, May 9th, click here.