Des Chio

First band on for the night of Heat 4 was Des Chio who brought a loyal following down to The Espy Basement. The band was lead by front woman and strong vocalist Kiana who was backed by a very tight band consisting of Dave on drums, Joel on bass and very tasty guitarist Dante who used his effects very well. The first three songs were chilled tunes to kick off with, but the band slowly warmed up the longer the set went on. A lack of stage presence and energy is something that this band really needs to work on to take them to the next level. The songs are very well constructed, it’s just the live performance and energy that will make them stand out a lot more. ‘Yoyo’ was the highlight of the set with it’s up tempo nature and it was also when the band seemed most confident on stage! It also featured a killer solo from Dante on lead guitar! The band finished with a cover tune which was a shame as their original material held its own! Looking forward to hearing more original material from Des Chio!

The Strangers in Town

Five piece punk rockers The Strangers in Town were the second band to hit the stage and they burst into opener ‘Dysfunctional Family,’ grabbing the audience’s attention straight up! Two bass players featured in this band which was something we haven’t see in the Emergenza Festival this season. For a band so young they are quite tight and obviously spend a lot of time rehearsing! A good attribute of the band is the four guys up front all hitting the microphones and provide some solid backing vocals! A self titled second song got things really rocking as the boys got the crowd involved in a big way! There was no doubting the quality of this band when they burst into ‘Must be Love’ as confidence grew and the crowd really started enjoying things! The tune ’27 Club’ was a rocking tribute to a tragic club of musicians. In final song ‘All Over You’ the boys demanded the crowd to get up to the font of the stage which was a fitting way to finish a rocking set, with the loyal fans chanting back in the final chorus! Hats off to The Strangers in Town!

Mokoan

Mokoan were the next band up to play their mix of classic power pop rock! Decked out in matching Mokoan shirts there was no mistaking who was onstage, with band member names also present on the back! The band started with a couple of slower numbers before cranking into riff driven tune ‘Misconception!’ This is where the band really seemed to find its feet! Mokoan powered through their set playing seven songs in total! One thing the band needs to work on is a bit of stage craft and energy with each song starting to blend into the other by the end of the slot. This is something that can be easily fixed but will add so much to the performance. The band stepped it up in the second last song of the set with a nice riff and melody played on the guitar by lead guitarist and vocalist Mike. Thanks for the music Mokoan!

Rejuvenate

Our first heavy band of the night was Rejuvenate! This five piece consisted of dual singers Tom on dirty vocals and Taylar on really nice clean vocals! Taylar has quite a voice! Third song of the set ‘Purgatory’ was a real highlight of the set! Rejuvenate are a really tight band and they nail all of their intricate tunes; even a new one they busted out was floorless! Second last song of the set ‘Realize’ showed off what the band could do! The band really saved their best til last with the final song ‘Dr. Chunder’ going off its head, with front man Tom going mental off the front of the stage whilst the band grooved some syncopated moves onstage! Heaviness from Rejuvenate!

Jess Heiser

Jess Heiser brought an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar player, a sax and her vocal range to The Espy Basement! She performed a set of folk style singer songwriter tunes that chilled the crowd out. The tunes were tales of life. Each song was punctuated by some nice guitar solos. One solo even featured a pleasant sax solo from Jess which was the highlight of the set!

Sarah Jean

Final band of the night was Sarah Jean. The first thing that stood out was the tastiness of drummer Corey’s playing! So much feel! Sarah was backed by a great band that consisted of Brandon on bass and Chris on guitar. Sarah’s songs were an interesting concoction of rock and pop ballads, with varying tempos and styles! Sarah is the front lady with a very solid voice and nice Hammond keyboard playing! The fourth song of their set was a more up tempo tune that got some girls up and dancing straight away! A real highlight of the set! Beautiful music to finish off a Saturday night from Sarah Jean!