By BRIDGET SCOTT
A LOCAL band has headed overseas to make it in the big time after winning a national competition.
Seven-year-old alternative rock band Band Mercury White set off for Germany yesterday for a world band competition, after it went to Sydney last year and won the Emergenza competition for unsigned bands. This event hosted more than 300 bands across the country, with Mercury White coming out on top.
More than 150 cities will take part in the competition in Germany and this band will represent Australia in the world final.
Paul Cooper, 28, from Berwick started the band and is the only original member.
He said the band had found where it wanted to be and he looked forward to Germany.
“It should be a hell of an experience,” he said.
Paul said in his six years with the band he had never been part of a competition this big, despite entering similar ones when the band first started up.
Paul, who has his own rehearsal studio in Dandenong, said his group met up whenever they got the chance.
The band member, who writes the lyrics to all their songs, said he enjoyed the connection with the music and his fellow musicians.
“The creativity of it, and expressing yourself,” he said.
“But nothing beats a live performance.”
The musician said for him music used to be something on the side.
“I didn’t really have much to do with music, I played soccer,” he said.
“It was a hobby, or something to do at school.”
Paul said he had always been creative, and one day he realised he had something for music and writing lyrics.
“I get inspiration from day to day life.
“Music inspires the lyrics for me, I play around until something pops and then I go with that.”
