It showcased Australian musicians covering a wide range of genres in venues in the West End of Adelaide to industry professionals and fans, growing to three days in November 2003.

Speakers for 2008 included: Angela Beal, Martin Elbourne, Matthew Proft, Michael Chugg, Nathan McLay, Owen Orford, PJ Murton, Rev Moose and many others.

Eight bands were selected from around Australia to play and radio stations Nova and ABC Triple J held competitions to allocate two remaining slots on this bill.

Explode Bands for 2008 were: The Devoted Few, The Transatlantics, FunkOars, Leah Flanagan, City Riots, New Season Black, Eva Popov, Leader Cheetah, Tin Alley "Ignition", an uncurated event, was the open showcase for the Fuse Festival.

The 2009 Explode bands were: Behind Crimson Eyes, Cloud Control, Poetikool Justice, The Shiny Brights, The Sundance Kids, FisherKing, Jess Ribeiro and the Bone Collectors, and The Touch.

The 2010 Explode Bands were: KingFisha, The Beards, Mayfield, Foxx on Fire, Delta, The Paper Scissors, The Swiss, and Hungry Kids of Hungary.

For 2011 Fuse changed the structure of the festival, working more closely with the Adelaide Fringe in order to improve the benefits for showcase bands.