Brendon Thomas and The Vibes is a New Zealand

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

consisting of members Brendon Thomas (born 1995), Timothee Nolier (born 1995), and Michael Anderson (born 1995). They formed in Auckland in 2013 and placed third on the second series of the New Zealand version of ''The X Factor''. Competing in the Groups category, they were mentored by

Willy Moon William George Sinclair (born 2 June 1989), better known by his stage name Willy Moon, is a New Zealand musician, singer, songwriter and producer. He is known for his 2012 single " Yeah Yeah" which appeared on the 2012 Apple iPod advert and peak ...

then Shelton Woolwright. They are the first band in the New Zealand version of ''The X Factor'' to make it into the final.

Musical influence

Brendon Thomas and The Vibes cite

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

as their main musical influences.

''The X Factor''

With the inclusion of bands in the second series (an X Factor franchise first), Brendon Thomas and The Vibes attended the pre-auditions for the second series of New Zealand reality show ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

in November 2014 and advanced through to the judges' auditions. They performed "

Foxy Lady "Foxy Lady" (or alternatively "Foxey Lady") is a song by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It first appeared on their 1967 debut album ''Are You Experienced'' and was later issued as their third single in the U.S. with the alternate spelling. It is o ...

" at their audition and received positive feedback from all four judges who advanced them through to bootcamp. They performed "

Georgia On My Mind "Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that same year by Hoagy Carmichael. However, the song has been most often associated with soul singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U. ...

" at judges retreats where then mentor

advanced them to the live shows. With the firing of their original mentor, Willy Moon, after the first live show,

I Am Giant I Am Giant is a rock band based in London, United Kingdom. They formed in West Auckland, New Zealand in late 2008 and released their debut album '' The Horrifying Truth'' on 1 August 2011 in Australia and New Zealand, where it has been certifie ...

drummer Shelton Woolwright took over as the mentor for the groups category. Brendon Thomas and The Vibes found themselves in the bottom two for the first time in week 4 against Sarah Spicer, after their performance of "

My Sharona "My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, w ...

" received mix comments from the judges. They performed "Power of Soul" as their save me song. The judges' vote went to deadlock and Brendon Thomas and The Vibes were announced safe with more public votes than Sarah Spicer. Brendon Thomas and The Vibes found themselves again in the bottom two in week 9 against

Stevie Tonks Stephen Reuben Tonkin, known as Stevie Tonks, (born 1992) is a New Zealand singer from Christchurch, who came 4th on the second season of ''The X Factor'' (New Zealand). In the boys category he was mentored by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and befor ...

. With a spot in the grand final up for grabs they performed "

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...

" and won the judges vote with only Tonk's mentor

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and Celebrity, television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an ...

voting to send them home. In the finale, Brendon Thomas and the Vibes were revealed as having received the lowest number of public votes against Nyssa Collins and Beau Monga and were instantly eliminated. This saw them place third overall. They are officially the first band in X Factor history to make it into a grand final.

Discography

Digital releases from ''The X Factor''

EPs

References

{{reflist The X Factor (New Zealand TV series) contestants New Zealand blues rock musical groups New Zealand alternative rock groups