Emergenza: Uncovering local Brisbane talent
Emergenza is a world-wide music competition to fish out the best of new and upcoming local musicians, and to take the winners through to a global audience. From Tuesday April 4 through to Saturday April 10, it was Brisbane’s chance to show what home-grown musos we have sitting in our backyards. From the great, to the not so great, here are the highlights from the five nights.
Words: David Callaghan, Leah Holdsworth, Clare Kempnich and Kate Scantleton
Pictures: Kate Scantleton
Tuesday April 4
The Frail Marys kicked off the evening with their own blend of garage rock. Not particularly original (think Oasis meets Nirvana) but they were not bad, which is better then I can say about some other bands playing this evening. The Marys could definitely do with some fine tuning of their stage presence, however they showed potential. Only a fresh band; they will get better the more they play together.
On the other hand, the Ben Eaton Trio obviously have been playing together for a while. Their acoustic funk/rock showed lots of class and musical ability, particularly a blinding classical acoustic guitar solo in one of their latter songs that had the attention of all in the room. These guys have been around for a while and it showed – top class.
These two bands were the standouts of the evening; the winners, Unplanned Holiday, successfully taking advantage of the flimsy ‘scoring’ system that involved people raising their hands at the end of each band counting as a vote and in no way reflecting their musical originality or prowess.
I will give an honourable mention to the Greenwich Means who attempted hip-hop and failed miserably. I am sorry to anyone that appreciated their attempt but…..no I am just really sorry to anyone who appreciated their attempt. That might seem a bit harsh I know and to be honest they do have potential. Credit should be given to them for trying something original, however they were not ready to unleash it unto the world. Some time in the practice studio will serve them well.
Wednesday April 5
At first it appeared that unless a band had a cult following, there was little crowd support.
His Merry Men changed that. One of the last acts of the Wednesday round, their unique style was a potent fusion of funk, reggae, and Latin, combined with suave outfits and great energy, His Merry Men wowed the crowd. No encouragement from the band was needed to get punters up the front grooving.
Another band from the Wednesday round was a young and timid band named Stonemason. Their take on ‘Indie rock’ showed some individuality and skill, with influences of CSS and Paramore quite apparent. Some of their songs were enticing, and catchy.
Thursday April 6
I will keep this brief. Purity Device were hindered by technical difficulties throughout their set resulting in one of their guitarists not playing for 3 songs and the band constantly playing out of time (due to them using a bass backing track that they could not hear in the loud sections). The result was them stopping at the end of each heavy section to establish the beat once lost and then start playing in time again. When they got it, it worked, but they rarely did. Nine Inch Nails was unquestionably a strong influence for these guys, however they lacked the force and musicality to pull it off.
For something different, Timbah, local 5-piece acoustic/ska/gypsy/folk/rock group, dazzled us with their authentic blend of original tunes. These guys were the breath of fresh air I was looking for in this ‘battle of the bands’. It was turning into the battle of the non-talented alternative punk rock bands versus the bored indie/grunge rockers. Not that I don’t like my fair share of grunge or alternative, but every band was beginning to sound very similar. Back to Timbah – these guys are a must see for all music lovers alike. Just fun music, great stage presence and good times all around. Do yourself a favour and check them out sometime.
Friday April 9
Friday night was generally a night of mediocrity, and there wasn’t too much of ups… most of it was a down.
The understated band of the Friday round was Columbia Delilahs. Their soft and sometimes calmly paced Indie music was captivating, and catchy. The singer had a strong presence on the stage, complimented finely by the talents of the bassist and drummer. Columbia Delilahs will be an upcoming name to watch out for, they showed great potential.
Saturday April 10
Notables from this night were jazz/blues influenced Ragu. Vocalist Rachael Sheffield had a spectacular voice, and their musical influences (Fat Freddy’s Drop, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings) shone through in terms of song construction and timing.
In my opinion, the pick of the evening were a punk-piece, Friends with the Enemy. Lead singer Chelsea had an engaging stage presence, and she was backed up with a great band that showcased some serious talent throughout their performance (particularly Matt on drums). Not being a fan of punk myself, I had to appreciate their music for what it was; very well constructed and performed. If you’re into the punk scene and love to support our home-grown local talent, don’t miss their performance at Rosie’s on May 7th.