Bourke Street may just be starting out, but don’t think that means they shouldn’t be feared in the Emergenza Festival Australia competition. They produce a mean mix of blues, soul and funk rock… Check out this pre-show interview with the band where Bourke Street talks to us about where they get their musical inspiration, entertain us with the story about how they got their name, and tell us what their expectations are for their show at The Lair next Thursday, May 29th.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME BOURKE STREET?
We were originally called Q-mo, which stood for an accumulation of people, passion and music. But we soon had a change of heart when Aiesha, our singer, went to what she claims to be the best bakery in the world, known as Bourke Street Bakery. She told us the sausage rolls were so radical we had to name our band Bourke Street. It’s a bit of a random and unpredictable name, but we’re a bunch of pretty random and unpredictable people, so I guess it suits.

WHO PLAYS WHAT IN THE BAND AND WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED TO PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER AS A BAND?
Aiesha sings and manages the band, Jackson slams it on the guitar, Ethan plays bass and Luke likes to bang around on the drums. We all individually enjoy a diverse range of music, so we try to incorporate our different styles and tastes into our music. Our passion for music and performing is mutual so it’s something we all equally enjoy. I think that’s really important, because we’re all on the same page with our music and creative flow.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN FOUR WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Jazz meets funky reggae.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MAJOR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Ethan is a huge fan of The Who and Kiss, whilst Aiesha and Jackson are a little crazy for Jimi Hendrix. Luke being the drummer likes house music and anything with a fat bass line. We all enjoy a little bit of blues, jazz, funk or reggae and we usually mix things up and play around with the characteristics of these genres.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU'VE DONE TOGETHER AS A BAND?
We’ve done some crazy gigs at some of the most random places but one of our fondest memories is our first gig as a band. We performed our first original song which didn’t have a name until Aiesha introduced it on stage for the first time not knowing what to call it and luckily Jackson whispered the first thing that came to mind which was “Dave”… ever since then it’s just stuck

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT YOUR SHOW AT THE LAIR?
We all draw inspiration from the music we hear and experience, so I think we are all really excited about seeing some really talented bands and soaking up the vibe as we love performing and being around music of all genres and styles.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
We like new experiences and opportunities so when something knocks on our door we take it. Emergenza stands for all the right things, getting unheard and unsigned music out in the open for people to enjoy, and that’s why we make music, because we enjoy playing and we love the joy our music brings to people.

For more details on the show at The Lair @ The Metro Theatre in Sydney on May 29th, click here.