Several local Perth bands flocked to the Rosemount Hotel on Monday night to play at the Emergenza International Band Competition.

Characteristic of band competitions however, it was more like a battle of the rent-a-crowds than anything else. This is when musicians find out who their real friends are.

Kicking off the night was Syrian Rue, a band whose style can be appropriately described as epic-ambient-post-rock. They began their set with End of the World, and, eyes closed it would’ve been easy to imagine yourself standing in front of an orchestra… or in a pirate movie. Lead vocalist Dave Blair provided strong and sometimes haunting vocals, and harmonies with Nicholas Gardiner (guitar, backing vocals) melded together perfectly. With a style of music that would probably be better suited to soundtracks of grand adventure movies, props go to these guys for going against the grain of the current indie music scene. Rain was a great way to end their set and it scored big points with the crowd.

Next up were Sidewalk Diamonds (previously known as The Least Resistance) who played the usual songs that got the best crowd response. Well, Here I Am had the room moving about as they reciprocated the band’s growing stage energy. At times when they were not so interesting, at least Tim Fawcett (bass) provided entertainment with his quirky dance moves.

Then Hailmary took to the stage and with each member a WAAPA student, huge things were being expected from this band and unfortunately they didn’t deliver. Frontman Kevin Curran was difficult to understand a lot of the time, and their very familiar cock-rock genre didn’t go down very well. The disinterested crowd began dissipating and when it came time to cast votes by a show of hands, it just had people looking around awkwardly at each other like someone had just passed wind.

Continuing the stream of music for the night, up next were Hi’helo (their name which is an acronym of the band’s actual name Here in Heaven Everything Looks OK) who didn’t start off strongly, but as they continued it became evident that these young faces contained more talent than first thought. Damian Stojanovic’s mature vocal tones were comparable to those of Craig Nicholls (The Vines) during their rock songs and yet were versatile enough to sing the melodic tune of Cloyd which could sway you into sweet slumber.

Welcomed by a roar of cheers, as the presenter called the next band to the stage, were those unstoppable juggernauts of funk: The Bigness. Consisting of eight members (one missing in action on the night) their name is a very accurate description of this band, if describing the energy or the impression they leave. The room suddenly filled and every second or third person was wearing “I Love the Bigness” t-shirts with personalised nicknames printed on the back. This was the mother of all rent-a-crowds.

Strutting out with the seven members clad in different coloured Adidas jackets, it looked like how the Wiggles would look if they went gangster. Opening with 5 Feet Under, this band knew how to work the crowded stage perfectly and the crowd was lapping it up. The Weekend Blues was another popular hit with Geetha Periakarpan’s impeccable vocals solid and strong enough to shade the fact that the band was not joined by Farren Wood due to commitments. Closing with What Ya Talking ‘Bout, Allen Le and Jason Shaw flaunted their flawless rap co-ordination to the ecstatic groupies. This had them going nuts and cheering for an encore. It was already clear who had won by now and pity fell upon the band that had to follow this fine act.

Long hair: Check. Black clothing: Check. Angular flame guitars: Check. Yes, must be a death metal band. Dethratican put on the best show they could have, considering more than half the crowd had left after the last band had finished. With bassist Jillali Kabriti (bass) missing, barely anyone had noticed as the attention faded from the stage as they failed to make an impression.

When the time came to announce winners, there were no surprises. The Bigness took out first place, Sidewalk Diamonds in second and Syrian Rue in third. The bands will go on to play the next heat sometime in October for their chance to play at the grand final held in Germany. All well deserved and much to be expected in future.