These underdogs are hoping to come out on top this Friday, September 12th at The Espy when they play alongside six other local bands in round one of Emergenza Festival Australia. They’re rocking a mix of indie and pop punk with raw, edgy energy that we're thinking should go down pretty well with the crowd. Check out this pre-show interview with Half Breed Heroes to find out more about them:

WHAT'S THE MEANING BEHIND THE NAME HALF BREED HEROES?
We thought of the name when it was only Josh, Curtly and myself in the band. We were at my house trying to come up with a list of names and I thought this one sounded cool. It had sort of an underdog vibe to it. Coming up with a band name was probably one of the most frustrating things we’ve had to do.

WHO PLAYS WHAT IN THE BAND AND WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED TO PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER?
Josh on vocals, Martin on lead guitar, Ryan on rhythm guitar, Jono on bass, Curtly on drums. We all have similar tastes in music, and we all really want this band to go somewhere. We’re always screwing around with each other and I think that keeps things fun in the band. I don’t think we’ve had a band practice so far that hasn’t involved something being broken or someone being embarrassed. I think we all get along too, I’d love to go on tour with these guys and the thought of visiting other countries and playing in front of hundreds of fans (that is, if people even LIKE us) is probably the main thing that drives me.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Catchy, raw, crappy.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MAJOR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, Yellowcard, A Day To Remember, The Story So Far, State Champs, Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, The Wonder Years and Seaway… just to name a few. Josh is also really into indie music, Curtly and Jono are also into hardcore. Although he won’t admit it, Ryan is the biggest One Direction fan you’ll ever meet. We like a wide range of music and I think that’s important when being in a band.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU'VE DONE TOGETHER AS A BAND?
Honestly I don’t think we’ve done anything crazy together, which is a pretty poor effort on our behalf. One time Josh suggested checking out an abandoned mental asylum but we all sort of forgot about it. We’re all going to a house party the day after Emergenza so I’ll make sure we burn a forest down or graffiti a mansion. I’ll let you know how it goes.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT YOUR SHOW AT THE ESPY?
There’s a sick place that sells froyo further down from the Espy. I’m keen.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
Curtly was the one that signed us up. I think he saw that it was a massive festival and could be a great opportunity for us to play with some new bands and build our fan base.

For more details on the show at The Espy, September 12th, click here.