Diggaz4life

The Lair was alive as the first Emergenza heat for 2015 was about to kick off! Opening up the set was something truly original! Three piece hip hop rock act Diggaz4life have a unique set up on stage with a DJ on the decks as well as guitar and vocal as well as an MC. It results in a sound that is rock influenced with its huge sound but hip hop flavoured. Plenty of energy on stage meant the crowd couldn't help but watch and head bang along! ‘Ye olde green butter’ was the highlight of the set with its duelling mc's and sax solo. A great opening to the season!

Octavian

Wow! Talk about raising the bar from the very start! Octavian is a force to be reckoned with! The most polished set of the night came from this three piece blues rock outfit as they oozed skill, confidence and pure class! Opening songs ‘One way track’ and ‘Ghosts’ were huge blues rock power numbers before the beautiful ballad of ‘Crossroads’ showed great song writing ability. The whole set was very well constructed with the boys then bringing up the set again with ‘Time will tell’ and final track ‘Will sparks shuffle’ where Josh gave us all master class on the guitar! Great bass and drums playing were provided with perfect harmonies by Corey on bass.

The Phazes

The Phazes brought with them a loyal fan base that made lots of noise for the boys when they hit the stage. They burst into a set of their original material which were very catchy and well constructed pop songs! The sound was great and the musicianship very good but unfortunately the band lacked any real stage presence, especially Daniel on bass who looked like he would rather be somewhere else. The vocal by Hayden was a little pitchy at times but he has a very unique tone that reminds the listener of a 'Jebadiah' sound which can only get better with more rehearsals. Final song of the set ‘Alone together’ was the highlight with its opening riff going into a solid rock track! A crowd pleasing set from The Phazes!

Sloppy Kiss Soirée

The first thing that catches the eye of listeners of Sloppy Kiss Soirée is the bass player who has taken an electric guitar and put bass strings on it. An interesting concept and if played well could be quite cool but the playing of chords on this instrument was very messy and along with hectic guitar and drums the idea didn't really sit well. Others would say though, that is punk music man! I would say it was Sloppy.

Bradley Owens

Young up and comer Bradley Owens doesn't lack in enthusiasm and shared it on stage when delivering an energetic set to his loyal followers! A mix up of genres and styles kept the set fresh while Bradley's charisma kept the mood light hearted. 'Monday' was a highlight of the set and came across as when the band felt most comfortable on stage. A bit more work tightening up the band combined with their already present energy could see this band go places.

Circlework

Circlework took to the stage to play their hard rock tunes to their loyal followers and immediately made an impact with their punchy tunes. What was noticeable from the very first song ‘Day in Day out’ was the great lead guitar playing of Roscoe as he shredded away under many songs. There was also a great chemistry between the band members apparent as they rocked out over many tunes and it was easy to see these guys really enjoy playing music with each other.

Narcolypso

The night was starting to take shape with a heavier feel towards the end of the night as Narcolypso brought their diverse set to the stage. A lot of passion was shown by the members of this band throughout the set and also from the crowd towards the end as they totally lapped up the bands original tunes! There was some great use of effects on lead guitar by Andrew and the final song of the set ‘Talkin’ was a highlight.

Barside

Continuing on from the heavier band theme Barside took to the stage to rock the house! Heavy guitar and bass with energetic drumming and a true rock vocal saw Barside deliver a very powerful set! There was a lack of stage presence and energy up front though which would be great to see be developed in future rounds!