Rock

Bitter Sweet Kicks are a self-described "dirty rock n' roll" band from Melbourne, Australia. Influenced by proto-punk (The Stooges) and old school rock music (New York Dolls, AC/DC), their sound is a mix of raucous rock rhythms and rollin' guitar licks. Helmed by the gravelly rasp of Jack Davies (vocals), the rest of the band is anchored by Johnny Kicks (Bass Guitar), Chris Taranto (Guitar), Brendan Charlie (Guitar) and Joe Cunliffe (Drums). http://www.myspace.com/bittersweetkicks

Black Mountain is a Canadian rock band led by Stephen McBean. The band is an amalgamation of the Classic Rock / Blues Rock of Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with some psychedelic tendencies. Leader Stephen McBean also heads another similarly-named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities. Black Mountain is the front line band for Black Mountain Army.

The Cruel Sea is a multi-ARIA Award winning 90s Australian rock/blues outfit. Originally an instrumental band focused on surf sounds, the addition of vocalist Tex Perkins (also a member of The Beasts Of Bourbon and a solo artist) proved an inspired decision. Combining the charismatic Perkins with the highly talented musicians created an unstoppable force through much of the 90s. Members of the band continue to perform, though with the exception of Perkins, most activity is fairly low key.

Fresh on the back of their 2010 JD Set win which included a gig with iconic Aussie rockers 'Wolfmother' and a behind-the-scenes reality show on Chanel V, Sydney's New Navy are certainly on the brink of something special. Described by triple J’s Dom Alessio as “having a ton of potential, combining really well the sounds of Britain and the sounds of the U.S”, the young quartet draw influence from such great pop and indie acts as The Cure and Talking heads, combined with contemporary artists such as Vhs or Beta, Klaxons and The Editors.