Sodasquid

Kicking off heat 2 in the espy basement was 2 piece band Soadasquid. They came equipped with a full sound that is made in part by heavily produced backing tracks. Whilst the songs are well structured pop rock songs, there was very little to no stage presence or energy. Soadasquid is a great concept but need to work more on becoming more suited to the live scene.

Public Service Announcement

Our first punk band for the season was Public Service Announcement who although are quiet young are quiet talented! The boys also no their genre very well and played punk the way it should be played, hard, fast and loud! The drummer was an absolute stand out of the band with his amazing ability behind the kit. As always seems to be the way with the punk bands there were random guests onstage, and it was awesome!

Learn 2 Fly

Learn 2 Fly brought a huge crowd with them to the espy basement and delivered a blistering set of their original songs that had the whole room head banging along from the get go! Energy is something this band has plenty of on stage which is always great to see from a band this young as they were not one bit shy! Learn 2 Fly are a band on the rise and it will be great to see what lies in store for them!

Ella's High

Three piece riff rockers Ella's High tore the basement a new one with their rock screamo tracks bringing a new flavour to the night. The songs were well constructed and had a solid sound but the fellas seemed to lack a little bit of confidence. If Ella's high bring some energy and stage craft to their set the show would go to a new level!

Logic Defies Logic

Logic Defies Logic played the stand out set of the night! Many factors made this so, including the tightness of the band, the tones that were perfect and the stage energy was electric. The crowd could not take their eyes from the stage! Some of the tunes were genre bending and we felt like we were witnessing something special that could be amazing to see on the big stage!

Kingston Crown

These Mo town groovers were one of the tightest bands of the night providing a solid set of tunes in their favoured genre. The bass player locked in with the drummer to provide a solid rhythm section for lead on guitar and keys to play over while the front man let his sweet and soulful vocals soar and sway over the top. Some beautiful harmonies were also provided by the drummer which was a real highlight!

Asher

Asher is a composer who brought with him friend Ari onstage and a bunch of fans keen to see this debut performance! The set was packed with beautiful arrangements, sweet vocals and clever looping. Ari puts a lot of emotion into his singing which really draws the listeners in while some nice harmonies were also provided by Asher on second last ‘Sentiment’! A little more stage presence would draw new listeners in. Some clever work with the use of a bow on the guitar was appreciated and final song ‘Lost for words’ was a highlight of the set!

Zuma

Indie rock band Zuma rounded out the night with their massive synth sound and bulk guitar effects. A really beautiful vocal was provided by the front lady although the band could do her a little favour by giving her some room to breathe. At times the band had sounds reminiscent of 'Muse' which is a fine compliment whilst also having their own unique feel. Unfortunately the band has a lack of energy or stage presence when performing. Some work on those attributes could see this band rise above the pack.