The Espy Battle of the Bands runs across five heats at the Gershwin Room before a grand finale on 27 September.
The Espy Battle of the Bands is back at the Gershwin Room, and every ticket counts as a vote.
Running for the first time in many years, the Espy Battle of the Bands packs 25 up-and-coming acts into five heats at the St Kilda room, thinning the field each night before the strongest acts meet in the grand finale.
The Espy Battle of the Bands
- 12 August – Heat 1
- 19 August – Heat 2
- 26 August – Heat 3
- 2 September – Heat 4
- 9 September – Heat 5
- 27 September – Grand Finale
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Here’s how it shakes out: every ticket bought counts as a vote, and so does every drink at the bar. The judges hold half the say and the crowd holds the other half, with the split deciding who survives each heat.
The winner takes home $4000 in cash from The Espy, plus a paid slot on The Espy Live stage at St Kilda Festival 2027. There’s also a promotional photography session with Indianah Hayz Photography, printed posters and flyers from Shout Out Loud, band t-shirts from OPM Designs, and a feature interview across beat.com.au and Beat’s print edition.
Second place doesn’t leave empty-handed, collecting $1000 from The Espy along with a run of A3 posters and A6 flyers from Shout Out Loud. Every finalist also has one song filmed and recorded live at the grand final by Darius Papak of Mudbrick Studios and Mix On The Move.
The opening heat on 12 August brings together Starlet, Ella Joan, Umbra Moon, The Dropkicks and Charlotte Bridie. The 19 August round lines up LIAR, Brave New World, Distortion, Everlyne and Atriox, before XANDRI, Supermodels, Pepper La Floyd, Bella Fior and Mollie’s Hug take over on 26 August.
September finishes the heats, with ITRI of the sands, Operation Karma, Department of Music, In The Caverns of Death and Franjapan on 2 September, then The Masons, Condensed Milk, The Dums, The Peppermints and CHOMP on 9 September. Entry sits at $10, the room is 18+, and pre-vote tickets let you back a band before a single note is played.
For more information, head here.
