Rock

From the sleepy sprawl of America's 'Mile-High City', Denver, Colorado, United States, comes The Fray, a foursome whose melodic pop-rock songs and soaring vocals resonate with sprawling tapestries and tales of hopefulness and heartache. Formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade (vocals, piano) and Joe King (guitar, vocals), The Fray earned a loyal grassroots following through impressive area gigs and the support of local radio which led a listener-driven campaign to get the band a record contract.

Custard were a masterful band of pop craftsmen with an uncanny grasp of the two-minute-something single who seemed to have equal amounts of Devo, Pavement and, oddly, disco in their genetic makeup. They were also blessed with singer Dave McCormack, whose voice was innocent and boyish-sounding enough to get away with things that might ordinarily cause a fuss – from songs about speed labs to geeky dedications to Jim Henson and an infamous declaration that “music is crap”.

A Mexican guitar was the catalyst for the formation of Intercooler in 2001. Had it been made in the US, perhaps the story would read a little differently. Jaded by the ‘struggling artist’ cliché, Joel Potter (bass) hung up his instrument and pissed off to the UK, perhaps resigned to the fact that running around in circles for the sake of music wasn’t worth it. Meanwhile, back in Oz, vocalist and guitarist Phil Ballantyne was getting restless.

Progressive hard-rock band Breaking Orbit formed in Sydney, New South Wales, in August 2005. Known then under the name "Nucleus", the band released two EP's - 2006's "9 Months in Solitary" and 2008's "Circumvolution" - and played hundreds of shows around the country, establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with within the Australian independent music scene. After changing their name to "Breaking Orbit" in late 2009...