The KirBens

The KirBens began back in 2007 when Kirsty, a piano teacher/uwa music student, and Ben, a cable guy, met by a campfire on a chilly autumn night. Beginning as a duo and doing their fair share of open mic nights it wasn't long before they invited the local Chiropractor, 'Dr' Gareth Calvert into the band as the drummer. Playing the pubs of freo and a few north of the river their unique sound was catching audiences ears, but they still weren't satisfied with the line-up. So mid last year they went down south to Esperance and found Michael Savage sitting in a pub and asked him to bust out some funky bass line grooves. Michael to the Kirbens, is like Sid Vicious to the sex pistols.... He is the tone deaf, image of the band. While David Willis returned from Bugle calling in the army, and accepted position as head brass player in The KirBens, elevating the group to a whole new level. The newly acclaimed members added a delicious cherry to an already very delicious cake.
Their style of music?? Well this is somewhat reflective of the very different personalities and musical tastes that each individual contributes to the band. The two songwriters, Kirsty and Ben, differ greatly in that Kirsty is a classically trained pianist and vocalist, with a love for Jazzy, Bluesy, pop and a powerful voice that falls somewhere between Janis Joplin and Ella Fitzgerald. While Ben, is a passionate guitarist, vocalist and song writer, whose voice falls somewhere between Barney the dinosaur, and David Beckham. Although the styles are contrasting they somehow work and the tunes they produce create a very 'ear catching' exciting mix which they often call Blusey Folk Swing with a tease of Rock.
"The Kirbens create a mix of many different genres, and in a way, resemble a 'family friendly' version of the Dresden Dolls....but better." (National Campus Band Competition, State Finals 2009)