Sydney band Hibernia is looking forward to using the enormous stage at The Factory Theatre to its fullest to create a spacey atmosphere for their dream indie pop sound. Catch them this Saturday, October 18th when they go on for the semi-finals of Emergenza Festival Australia. And while you’re waiting for the show, check out our pre-show interview with the band.

FOR THOSE WHO DIDNʼT GET TO SEE YOU IN THE FIRST ROUND, CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO YOUR BAND HIBERNIA?
Totally! So, weʼre Hibernia, a five-piece indie rock and dream pop outfit from Sydney. We formed in 2013 when we began jamming under this name in the attic of our guitarist’s house. We’re comprised of a bass guitarist, Bob Killalea, a vocalist, Sarah Azzi, a drummer, Malvin ʻChaxʼ Chakanyuka and two guitarists, Yianni Adams and Raiden Bitar. We hope you enjoy our set!

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
Itʼs hard to say because there were so many. A highlight would definitely have to be when our mate managed to climb up on a barrier and crowd surf. He ended up breaking his glasses but hopefully it was worth it!

OUT OF ALL THE SONGS YOU PLAYED, WHICH ONE GOT THE BIGGEST REACTION OUT OF THE CROWD AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
The song that got the biggest reaction wouldʼve been “Inertia”, which was our last song. Before we knew it, a mosh-pit started probably because it’s a pretty upbeat and dancey tune!

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST ROUND AND WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM IT?
We learnt a lot about crowd engagement and basically how to play whilst looking like youʼre having a good time, which is really important to us as performers. We also learnt that itʼs important to watch your feet, a few of us nearly tripped over cables and pedals at The Lair.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BETWEEN GIGS AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE COMPETITION?
Since our set at The Lair, we have been practicing a lot and focusing on getting new songs down. We are also looking forward to hopefully recording later this year or early next year.

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
Being one step closer to the Emergenza finals feels great! Playing at such great venues, which we never thought weʼd play at, has been very rewarding and exciting.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR UPCOMING CONCERT AT THE FACTORY THEATRE?
We hope to be able get better performance skills from this concert. The Factory Theatre stage is much larger than the one at The Lair, so we are hoping to use the stage to its fullest and create a spacey atmosphere with the crowd.

For more details on the show at The Factory Theatre in Sydney on October 18th, click here.