Dr Octopus

How many bands can you name from Australia? Well there's INXS, Midnight Oil, Silverchair and Men At Work, even Olivia Newton John is an Aussie. That's a fistful of music over the years, but how many ska bands have you heard of from Australia? Well for me it was none, until I saw Dr. Octopus at the Ska Summit. I walked up on them soon after their set began, but from the notes I heard I was hooked.

The energy of this band put the crowd into a frenzy, and to think this band was playing one of the side stages! Kim, the female lead singer was a sight to behold, dressed in a 50's style white dress with eight balls on the bottom, she looked cute, and did I mention she could sing! She really belted out her lyrics with passion and fun. The band fed off the crowd that was feeding off their raw energy.

Dr Octopus had an edgy rock sound flavoured with SKA. They enjoyed what they were doing and wanted all around to join in the party too. At one point they brought out an obvious Steve Irwin AKA the Croc Hunter impostor who wrestled with an inflatable 6ft crocodile, which he then tossed into the crowd. It was a carnival like atmosphere during their whole set, while everybody danced, smiled, laughed, and sweats under the Las Vegas sun.

Before they closed their half hour packed full of dynamite set, they paid homage to another Aussie band, none other than Men at Work. They tore into Men at Work's song "Land Down Under" as if it were their own, and when they were done I almost could'nt remember how the original went, having being sold on Dr Octopus's version. Do they come from the Land down under? OH YEAH!... And i was glad to hear their Thunder.

It's great to see the variety of Ska and Ska bands like Dr Octopus on a global scale. What do we have to look for in the future?, hopefully a Ska Summit with bands from every continent, well maybe not Antarctica, but just think, What a COOL SHOW THAT WOULD BE!!! - www.skawars.nu

.....Dr Octopus took the stage next, visiting all the way from Australia. Fronted by the charismatic Kimberley Law on vocals and occasional horn, their super infectious brand of ska was highly contagious. The original songs were memorable and their cover of "Land Down Under" by fellow countrymen "Men at Work" is the best ear candy you could imagine. Kimberley shows a lot of energy and enthusiasm - along with her band mates, there is little doubt that this unsigned band won over alot of new fans.

There may be inevitable comparisons to Save Ferris, but Dr Octopus is impressive enough to stand out and make all fans of cool ska take notice. They passed out many free CD's after the show and took the time to converse and make new American friends. If Dr Octopus ever make their way back to the the States, by all means check them out! And this goes for the record labels as well.... - Extreme Thing Mag

Dr Octopus have an early slot on Stage 2. Kicking the set off drummer Phil Kusiak thumps his way like a machine into a synth intro as the band takes centre stage.

More rock band with horns these days than ska band, Dr Octopus look the part and sound the part - with Kimberley Law's vocals improving tenfold since the bands inception. - Bianca Valentino