The list of finalists boasts a variety of genres, including folk, pop-rock, hip hop and instrumental. The 12 finalists and their take on Melbourne are:
Self taught Matt Walters wrote the lyrics to Melbourne Goodbye on a plane to Los Angeles, to travel around the States for three months – and the exhilarated feeling of returning to Melbourne.
The Lion, as he calls himself, submitted an instrumental piece called The Urban Jungle inspired by the sound of the city at night.
Hip hop act NY aka Nyuon, who is part of the rap group TPDIB, tapped into rap’s rivalry about who’s got the best with a song about how Melbourne is better than Your City.
Boyeur, made up of Tim Ishia and Hugh Middleton, wrote Southern Sky about finding the beauty in community and a collection of people that are all contributing to the pulse and rhythm of an ever-busy city.
Selki aka Alliyah-Shanti Kenny, who moved to Melbourne from Nimbin to pursue music, wrote Hey Hey Hey to remind us how lucky we are to live in such an awesome town.
This Public Life aka moody singer songwriter James Pollock’s Born Again is about his joy of returning to Melbourne after three years in the UK.
Self taught Rick Steward’s Follow Me is about living in Melbourne – living free, racing downhill longboards and building guitars whilst playing music.
Bluegrass folk band Davies West’s Home was written by band member Alex about her sister leaving the family to live overseas and reminding her that how long you stay away, your home and family will always welcome you back.
Heloise’s This Is Home is about continuing her music career in Melbourne, arriving from Tasmania, and how she fell in love with the people and places of her new city.
Guitarist and singer Richard Cashion wrote After Dawn about his first summer in Melbourne after moving here from Tasmania.
Melbourne 3-piece folk rockers Under The Arch say Free is about the freedom the city offers its people – “ it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor you can fall in love with this great city and get lost in a dream.”
When soulster Alex Brittan, who taught himself ukulele and guitar, first arrived from Perth he found it hard work to get around Melbourne. But he found it so rewarding and fun that he thinks of it as a playground, hence Technicolour.
Members of the public are now invited to vote for their favourite act and narrow the field to four semi-finalists. The final four acts will perform their song at the Melbourne Recital Centre in front of an expert panel, who’ll determine the 2014 winner of Melbourne Music Bank.
Voters can share in a bundle of weekly prizes including Melbourne Recital Centre tickets, iTunes vouchers and the best prize of all time, tickets for a hot air balloon ride with Melbourne Music Bank Ambassador Ella Hooper.
