Melbourne rock band Remission Theory are ready to take their mark on the music industry after winning Valleyarm’s rock heat last month, a series of A&R Showcase gigs running monthly, in search of the new labels newest signing.

The four-piece rocker group competed with fellow local bands – Middleton Road, Copse, The Villains Lair and The House of Honeys – and were handpicked by a panel of industry judges including Cassie Walker (SYN.FM, The Prince Bandroom) and Glen Stokes (Gangland Entertainment) to go through to the semi-finals. With an EP in the works and talk of an Australian tour this is a band to keep an eye on. Or both eyes for those fearful of missing them in their prime.

Valleyarm Vibes catches up with drummer and vocalist Matt Farace to talk blowing up PAs, taking up guitar lessons from his competition and going through some long DVD sessions in preparation for the A&R Showcase Series semi-finals.

How does it feel to have just won the rock heat for Valleyarm’s A&R Showcase Series?

Very excited! Remission Theory has never competed in anything like the Valleyarm A&R Showcase so to come away with a win in the rock heat is really encouraging. That said though, we’re pretty keen to go all the way to the final!

Each band was judged on crowd participation, musicianship and performance. You now officially have validation from a panel of music industry professionals. What importance does the band hold to this?

Remission Theory is still a relatively new band. That kind of validation is hugely important and very much respected. That panel of industry professionals had experience and knowledge that gives a weight to their judgment, which is really appreciated by us. We don’t pretend to have all the answers in this game any feedback and support we receive is really prized.

Were you surprised?

Very much so. Naturally we discussed as the night went on our chances of taking out the win but we didn’t rate ourselves particularly highly. The other bands were of a real standard and we were unsure of how our particular style, being somewhat different to the other bands, more poppy and electro, would impact upon the judge’s decision.

You played alongside Middleton Road, Copse, The Villains Lair and The House of Honeys. Did learn anything from their performances?

The great thing about the showcase was there was some real variety to the bands. Watching all four of the other bands gave us a series of great yet significantly different bands to compare both to each other and ourselves. Being a guitarist I was particularly shocked (possibly awed would be a better word) at some of the quality of lead guitar work. I actually asked for lessons from one guitarist! Four slick bands!

What do you believe makes a good live show?

People definitely do come to see a show. We have no intention of putting on a post-rock atmo-landscape that doesn’t engender even the slightest crowd interaction. People connect with people; a good live show needs to have a human side, an empathetic side, I guess you could say. Everyone loves a spectacle and people want to see something they’ve never seen before, something surprising. It’s a balancing act between these elements. Whatever happens we want the crowd going home feeling good about what they’ve seen and hopefully wanting to see it again!

Are you looking forward to any of Valleyarm’s other upcoming genre-specific heats?

Absolutely. Again it will be a real opportunity to get a taste of what’s happening in different genres and styles outside our own. We’re particularly keen to see the pop heat but the other heats will be interesting too.

The last band standing wins a track produced and mastered by the legendary Steve James (Thin Lizzy, The Screaming Jets, Sex Pistols) among a bunch of other goodies. What does this mean for you?

Winning the final would be a huge shot in the arm for us. It would provide a huge amount of validation, support, exposure and networking opportunities which any band in our position would crave. Not to mention the prize itself! Working with Steve James would be brilliant!

What is your most memorable gig to date?

Always a tough question. Playing at The HiFi in Melbourne is always great for me, definitely my far-and-away favourite place to play in Melbourne. Such a great venue! Although another memorable moment was blowing up the PA and two out of four fold back channels in the Gershwin Room at the Espy during only our second song during one gig there. I don’t know if its something we should be proud of but there was some kind of perverse pride thing going on afterwards!

How will the band prepare between now and the semi-finals?

Gigging and rehearsing is the order of the day. We are currently in pre-production for our EP too which will help to crystallise the tracks we’ve recently written and help us transport them to the live arena. Additionally we’re all big fans of so many live acts from around the world so there will no doubt be some long DVD sessions in between now and then.

Valleyarm’s A&R Showcase will continue the search for Melbourne’s ultimate artist and newest signing at St Kilda’s Prince Bandroom on Wednesday May 4 with the metal heat.

By Valleyarm intern Selenna Nieva