Q&A - House On Fire

Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?
Yeah, the heats have been wicked. We entered because we needed to play some more gigs as we only became a gigging band as of April this year!

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?
The loudest three piece you'll probably (maybe) ever hear. Rocking tunes, sing along choruses and catchy hooks.

How do you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?We write and practice when we're together. twice a week usually.

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?Russian roulette.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?
Fairly close to some of the songs - Foo Fighters play a big influence in this band, as does Clutch, but we definately try to inject a hint of originality in our tunes.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?
The scene at the moment is great - Ed at Hedmag does a top job booking cool out of town bands and I just think it needs a little kick up the arse to get back in gear again. Due to circumstances we won't be gigging as much but we will still be around with an album coming out at the end of the year... hopefully.

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?
Rob Clarke's house.

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?
I would get every decent guitar player to pal up and do an acoustic set supporting the Dave Matthews Band. No reason other than that it would be awesome.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?
Outer space.

Q&A - You Will Fail

Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?
At first we saw the competition as a great opportunity to get our music out to a wider audience within our home city, but it soon dawned on us that we were really just doing it as an excuse to get rendered, like all the other gigs we play! We had a great time and forged some great friendships and we’re sure the final will be no different! We’ve nailed the drummer to his kit, so he’s going nowhere this time…

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?
We are four hairy friends who play hard metal, and play it loud! Featuring Welly Grosvenor on vocals and rhythm, Sam Frank on lead, backing vocals and keys, Jonny RAW on bass, and Jay Ward on drums we’re generally up for a laugh, and as long as we try our best to make the audience shake their heads and behinds along to our tunes we’re a happy bunch of 'Failers'!

How you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?
Most of the time one of us will have an idea for a song, riff, melody, or theme while going about our lives, and we'll get together at a jam and work on it, all with equal say in every aspect of the song. If one of us doesn't like something, we take it out of our set and work on it until we're all fully behind it. This way we tend to end up gigging material we're all proud of, and often for very different reasons. Saying that, there are other times when we just get on one and busk it!

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?
We'd amuse ourselves by making jokes at each others expense, which is what we always do if we get together in the same space for more than five minutes! Then we’d probably re-enact a donkey show, or wrestle naked.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?
Half of our number were dragged up in Scotland on a diet of folk, Irn Bru, and Whiskey, so there are strong Celtic undercurrents running through some of our songs, but we obviously take our main influences from all the varied and tasty flavours of metal we each consume.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?
The Preston live music scene (especially for metal bands) has had to ride the waves of some massive shake-ups within some of the main venues this year. Our roots were planted in Preston, so we'll always play here whenever we're wanted, and times when we’re not!

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?
Apart from strangers’ tables when they nip to the bogs, the nearest bar tends to be the best place, there's The Old Dog on Church Street that's open after The Venue closes, so that’s probably where we’ll be heading at the end of the night to keep the party going, come what may!

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?
Locally it would have to be the mighty Freakjesus (last year's deserved BOTB winners), and I'm sure both our bands could be tempted to gig with the legends that are Metallica, you know, if the opportunity arose.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?
As soon as we have a professional studio demo under our belts, we’re looking to gig all over, spreading the Fail everywhere, and doing our best to attract more attention to the awesome bands, fans and venues that exist here in Preston! We will make this occur whatever happens on the fifth, one path will just take us longer!

Q&A - Population Four

In the run up to the final of Battle of the Bands, here's a few Q&A from Population Four


Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?

We entered BOTB because we’re a really new band and it’s a great way to get regular shows and exposure in Preston. We've all been playing in bands for years and have all got to know one another through playing shows together. We’re really pleased to have got through to the final, after all, and we have only been playing together for about 7 or 8 months.

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?

Our band sounds like we’re having a great time. That’s the most important thing to us, we write songs that we love and that we can rock out to. We have a pretty contemporary alternative sound, crossing elements of punk with metal, and some catchy riffs and choruses that people can sing along to.

How you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?Song writing is a pretty collaborative process for us, we write new songs at practice or when we’re hanging out at someone’s house. Its great to have the facilities to write and record ideas on a day to day basis in one of the members own homes, having a Studio set up has allowed us to experiment with new ideas much more easily.

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?

We would play I Spy, Either that or work on some harmonies maybe so that we could form a vocal acapella band.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?

We all have a lot of different influences and favourite styles of music; it’s pretty eclectic, we listen to a lot of different kinds of music; a band favourite is the Jurassic park theme tune by John Williams. We figure any band or group of musicians should have a wide interesting in music in general that extends beyond the style or genres of music they write of perform. We bring all our own influences together in a weird kind of controlled chaos, obviously we know what we want to play and write, but that doesn’t have to be the only kind of music we enjoy.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?

Like any band with aspirations we want to break out of Preston, and have already started to do that. But it’s great to have a home town to come back to. We have cut our teeth here in Preston with our other bands, and the experience we have gained playing shows here has obviously contributed to the band we are today when we perform. The scene in Preston waxes and wanes like any scene in any City.

Despite the problems with the Preston scene there are people here who really care about music in this city, people like Des who puts the BOTB together every year. People that have a real passion for live music in this city. Even people like Joe Ivers who are spending there own money putting out independent complication CDS of bands around Preston its great that people have that kind of passion, even though a few people defiantly lack it.

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?

Ha-ha, who knows man, we tend to hang out at the guild and have a pint if it’s sunny and we have time to kill before band. We used to go to The Mercury Flux pretty frequently before it shut, we had one or two kick ass nights there. Any night out can be a great one if you are with your friends. Who cares where you go really?

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?

We would love to play with Alexisonfire. Pretty sure that would make for a great time its probably difficult to find any band that rocks out as much as they do. I guess our local band would be Exit State, we had a great time playing with them in our second heat and it would be cool to play with them again.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?

The pub? Come hang out with us! Maybe we will enter again, maybe we won’t, I guess we will decide in about as year’s time. Hopefully we will still be playing some shows to a bunch of people that have taken the time to listen to us.

SF

For the first semi-final in the LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue, it seemed necessary for the judges to agree on how many rounds of paper-scissors-stone would be implemented in case the four excellent bands dared to try that little bit harder.

Without Motive were late-minute replacements without warning, whose set really impressed with a devil-may-care attitude from the start. Gloriously outrageous rock in the best British style, the guitar skills were the very best example from the local brotherhood of metal. Population Four fired up the attitude for a really promising set from a young band whose energy brings a fresh approach to the skater-punk style. They were given the prized ticket for the final with House On Fire, the three piece who sound like the result of a dozen. Although some of their songs go for a wander without ever coming back, the ability is unquestionable, making their place in the final unquestionable.

Like so many post-rock bands, Red Winter Kapital can allow their compositions to flow and weave with no consequence to time signatures or conventional understanding of melody. Their stage presence was somewhat minimal which took a lot from otherwise strong songs.

Quarter Final 3

The third Quarter Final in the LEP supported Battle of the Bands had just about every ingredient for a top class gig in the hunt for the best local talent.

Three-piece Boy Genius run amok with wicked short-shrift choruses and considered melodies, heavy riffs shining out throughout the set in a highly strong aim for the final. Without any unnecessary gimmicks, their songs remain swirling around the head for some time after they’ve done putting the best of pop back into cut-glass rock. Their closest rivals in the confidence stakes must be House On Fire, whose set may not have the stand-out song needed to tie the set together but there’s enough technical talent to command concentration. Heavy rock guitars and thunderous drums make for some seriously smart choices, with the judges considering these two bands had done enough to make it to the semi finals.

With hints of the grunge amongst the melodic rock, Makers Of Venice belted out a set much heavier in character than their successful first heat. This collection of sharp rock songs reflected back the lights of cynicism and free will, broken up verses buttressing crashing solos in a style at odds with the initially melodic mood. Indie lads Innocents Abroad have a collection of interesting, well-phrased songs, in the wordsmith tradition, but the order of the set list knocks the emotion around a bit, leaving a slight sense of underwhelming confusion. Their obvious confidence suggests better things could well arrive.

Quarter Final 1

The first of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands Quarter Finals at Preston’s The Venue was a hard rock affair, with angst and attitude turned up to its fullest.

Kicking off by throwing all their weight towards the bright lights of the Semi Finals, Blunt Force Trauma lived up to their name, launching into brutal trash metal with all the subtlety of a thunderstorm. At their best when complex guitar riffs are rolled across the stage in a fest of gruesome vocals and windmill moshing, coming across all the more genuine for it.

Guitar heroes Without Motive improved on their first round show by turning out a highly enjoyable set. A markedly different and rounded number of songs kicked the proverbial ball into touch, their set balancing an archivist’s ear for classic riffs with a youthful vigour for melodies.

Little about nu-rave phenomenon Myth Of Unity surprises, firing up the neon lights and urban groove. A little clumsy at times, they are usually more balanced than tonight, they still create a lasting and exciting impression.

There has not been such a large group of Lancastrians at a Gallows Gate since the Pendle Witch Trails, but the crowd watching the indie rockers got a lot back, the neat little set really firing up an impressive mix of songs with an undercurrent of menace.

They and the rocking rabble from Myth Of Unity got the tickets to the next round.

Hello Bastards // Mad Ferret

The unassuming would see the Mad Ferret bar in Preston as a mere student haunt given its position nestled amongst the University’s campus. When the Hello Bastards night rolls in to the space, anyone, be they revision dodgers or not, cram in to check the promised radar botherers.

The night begins unassuming enough, with the ambient guitarist Niamh Starky, whose array of peddles and accompanying drummer spoke little but communicated much through a charming and interesting collection of instrumental numbers helped by sparks of samples and looped melodies. Nerves dug in a little too deep, but the quiet girl with big ideas strode nevertheless, check out her “Early Gentle” song for a good indication of her abilities.

Keeping things quiet and simple was not an option for long, given how little breathing space was left now the place was filling up. Caught between the bar and an unfamiliar face was the viewing position for the ultimately compelling and ear-splitting The Sefton Delmer, a colossal force of guitars turned up for the effect of all six Marshall amps stacked behind them. In common with their World War namesake, the message was prominent and encoded, in their modern way behind a flux of feedback and looped vocals. Their lead’s concerted effort to always look perplexed worked in his favour, the downbeat collection of songs pushed back the boundaries of just about every measurement, by virtue of their sheer force and velocity.

Sure, it was impossible to hear quite anything else properly beyond the echo of melodic creation, and their soundcheck alone would have knocked the glasses off someone walking past the next street, but in the spirit of the wartime icon who inspired their name, this was as brave and effective an assault as possible.

Crazy808 are the local lads doing their best for cross-genre harmony, employing rock types and a laptop DJ to work their merry way through excellent BSS-type punk-punches to the deeper soul, whispers of deeper flowing waters in extended instrumentals suggestive of more than the oft-repeated and many times failed groupings of the guitar and computer.

The long night was topped off by the expansive shoegaze heroics of Telekinetic Fortunato, whose ambitious post-rock builds on the obvious influences with a heap of characteristic ingredients – their manic melodies seem constantly changing, animated almost, their beats fluid under the growing guitars. For a night in what could be seen from the outside as a fringe bar on the outskirts of town, the immensely interesting and varied sets promise a mad sackfull yet to come.

Heat 8

The latest round of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands, at Preston’s The Venue, was a top drawer event with the four bands in the last first round heat not giving an inch as they aimed for the top two places.

Rock band Exit State have a confidence running all the way through, songs drawn from the very best of rhythm and melody, brought together with the kind of strong vocal often not heard in a predominately heavy metal group. Their better songs have no problem with catchy melodies not diluting the guitar action, using the best ingredients from pop to flavour their impressive rock sound. Balancing the rock beats with insatiable appetite for top class choruses seemed an easy task for Boy Genius, the three piece whose post-punk sound shared with Exit State the ability to mix the angriest lyrics with the hottest melodies.

The Boy Genius had confidence in spades, with the songs to match, which reflected not just in the warm appreciation for their set but also in their qualification for the next round.

The youth wing of Preston’s scene was represented by The Renovators, who had a terse anger about them, but the vocals tended to be shouted rather than sung. By under-using synths underneath the guitars any variety was merely hinted at rather than utilised to the full. Vicariux threw together occasionally brilliant mood music with confused additions of vocals and images, working in sporadic fits and starts.

Interview with Dallas Green

(As featured in High Voltage)

From the outside, the Royal College of Music seems the least expected venue for any artist associated with a hardcore/emo group. Amongst the clutch of students discussing classical compositions are a smattering of youthful types dressed in the whirlwind of Topshop’s finest. They are here as the college’s Haden Freeman Concert Hall is playing host to Alexisonfire’s charismatic and emotional singer Dallas Green, under his moniker City & Colour.

Born in 1980, Green has much success as one part of Canada’s finest emo types, and is now about to release his second solo album, the fragile and introspective Bring Me Your Love. I greet him in a cluttered backstage area, bounded on one side by a refreshingly healthy rider, and on the other side a full size gong for the next door performance of Pirates Of Penzance. Green laughs at the news that he has a double booking with Gilbert and Sullivan: “That would be funny,” he says, “if they came in midway through not knowing what to do.”

It is not unusual for Dallas to find himself facing fans in a seated arena as though he were a tutor. “It makes a change to not have beer thrown at me,” he jokes. “A lot of my Canadian shows are theatre shows, just me with a guitar. Most of the set is just me with a guitar, so it’s good for those who want to pay attention.”

The approach makes people more likely to concentrate, the singer explains, wearing a large pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a lumberjack style coat, something like a rougher Jack Peñate. “Yeah, people who are usually loud are quiet and have to concentrate. I like that it is a change for this kids too.”

He goes on, “It is beneficial to all if I speak to those kids who, you know are
there recording a gig on their phone? They want to remember it but aren’t
watching the gig, just through their monitor or screen.”

The first release as a solo album, “Sometimes”, is an album touched by the chill of lost love. A lot of the songs are personal, admitting the lyrics can be quite introspective. “Whatever is kicking me that day, whatever is on my mind. It is a very personal thing. Whatever takes my eye or my ear. I can’t write any kind of way else.”

“This stuff doesn’t follow some pattern, and if that means most of the
influences aren’t planned, like if I want to play a banjo or something.”

His fans may not be all fresh teens, but they are all more likely to be downloading albums and videos than queuing up at a theatre, a point he is happy to explore. He shakes his head at the very mention of the word “blog”. On the verge of laughing at the thought of it all, he says “It’s funny and weird how before I put my head on my pillow, a gig or a single is already on YouTube.”

He hits his stride, continuing, “I don’t like the idea of knowing everything about a band. I think there has to remain some mystery. It was so much cooler when I was a kid, when I would flick through magazines, see a band I liked, see what band t-shirt they were wearing...”

On the eve of a rare month rest, Green makes for the theatre floor, maybe secretly hoping for members of the Pirates cast to be sitting in the front row.

Heat 7

The latest round to discover the best local band in the region rolled up for a 4th July LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue. This heat saw a distinctly metal flavour, with the big boys of rock aiming for the next round.

The lads from Makers of Venice were an instantly noticeable sensation, their grunge-influenced rock carried off from the first song with a tight confidence, an intense opening riff rolling out through an expansive set. Singer Mark Richards carries a clear vocal, suited to their melodic style whilst using a hint of heavier menace reflecting the balanced set.

Things were not so balanced with Superthrill Temple, whose idiosyncratic manner threw together a subdued psychedelic style with sporadic bursts of heavier, almost thrash metal. What could have grown out of an unusual mix slumped into a wheezing compromise, the uninspiring drums and wayward solos all seemed lazily executed.

Metal troupe 32ft Gauge offered a much better example of a rounded, complete package, almost from the start ripping up the stage and crowd into a messy frenzy with vigour. They too had a touch of the psychedelic about them, growing into a highly competent and confident prospect. Without much restraint at all, Population Four captured the attention with their breathless American-accented onslaught of post-punk emo joyousness, all angst and attitude bundled together in slices of jagged guitars. They were worthy runners up to Makers of Venice

Heat 6

Convention was kicked off the dancefloor before anyone had time to order a drink at the sixth heat of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands in Preston.

With much controversy, not least through their choice of name, duo 2Girls1Cup jokingly declared their set would prove critics right that they were not a “real band”. Such considerations didn’t really matter in the end, their one-track mini-club night was a revelation, a pounding mix of dub and grime, powered by nu-rave beats and hip-hop grooves. With humour and neon-lights to the fore, the reactions to 2Girls1Cup said it all.

Startling as the dance duo had been, Capeman did not feel the need to tone down their own brand of genre defying stunts. Deconstructing the simple rock formula into a jagged collection of de-tuned chords and scattered drums, their confrontational style was a refreshing take on the rock standard.

Metal to the very maximum in content and style roared onto the stage in the shape of You Will Fail, whose set began with a vocally strong melodic number undercut by sinister, growling guitars. Their onslaught continued with an atagonistic balance of thrash riffs and viscious hooks.

They may have been too much for the young indie band Chasing Bob, whose nervous vocals took a lot away from the otherwise charmingly twee set. A very busy stage seemed to confuse their own concentration, letting the noticeable strength of the first song to unravel with unfortunate rapidity.

Indie band Innocents Abroad brought a good confidence to the stage, with the opening songs of foot-tapping quality. The closing half lacked the crunch needed to keep the attention but in a heat with so many extremes, their slice of normality helped.

Heat 5

The LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue could not have been more unpredictable had the bands been chosen by random lottery half-an-hour before the doors opened. With a festival load of people crammed together for the night’s enjoyment, the five bands on show did their best to lay claim to be Preston’s best top talent.

Metal band Force of Habit caught the eye as well as the ear, their flirtatious lead singer’s strong vocals and doll-pink hair shining out from centre-stage. The Force of Habit set was punchy and melodic, the vocals reverberating with the flickers of electro influences adding depth to an instantly impressive performance.

Youngsters Silicon Talent had a lot to say from behind their face-covering fringes, as they span around in great abandon with a shoegaze set punctuated with art-rock craziness. A highly interesting and tight set, Silicon Talent varied the moodier moments with kicking guitar heroics.

Guitar band The Cities launched into punk-infused rock, vocalist Steve switching from erratic screams and mumbles, which calmed down into a distinctive and arresting collection of moodier songs. A well balanced set had confidence and decently put together songs for a highly regarded stab for the main prize.

Blues and jazz combo Border Patrol had a great technical ability, although nothing they played seemed to attract the crowd despite the best efforts of all their long instrumentals.

For a better example of how best to put songs to such technical wizardry, prog-influenced House On Fire really shone with very impressive vocals in a characteristically ambitious set.

Heat 4

The Lancashire Evening Post supported search for the region’s best band continued at Preston’s The Venue. The five bands were welcome relief to the grim summer storms, the Prestonian equivalent of Dorothy stepping into Technicolor a long way from Kansas.

Indeed, Peter Simple gave a performance not too dissimilar to a dream sequence, their lead singer bounding with exhaustive glee. Whether his band’s ska/pop hybrid had any redeeming features did not matter, with unsuspecting members of the audience dragged into a celebration of hyperactive exuberance. When the better choruses kicked in, they were at their best, but this happened only fleetingly.

Peter Simple had not come alone in the funk stakes, for the gloriously named What The Funk had also packed the slap-bass for the trip. Their self-titled opener promised much, which sadly collapsed into a bland mix of wig-outs and ballads, culminating in a passable cover-version.

Metal stalwarts Without Motive ended on a cover too, preceded by a jarring and repetitive array of passable heavy rock numbers. The stadium sound was carried off very well but it all seemed quite forced.

Old gents Valvetronics sneaked two notable numbers into an otherwise bland set of rock standards, offering inoffensive songs with pleasing charm.

Telekinetic Fortunato were intense and invigorating, a burst of instrumental brilliance weaving melodies into knots, as thunderous as the weather.

Heat 3

The search for the area’s best new talent continued apace at The Venue in Preston with the Lancashire Evening Post supported Battle of the Bands now at its third heat. Quality in abundance may not have been reflected in the initially sparse crowd but the four bands filled the gaps in the audience with enough noise to compensate...and maybe even require compensation for temporary loss of hearing.

The techno kids of Myth Of Unity have a knowing confidence, their ambitious set throwing out rap/rock crossovers wrapped in bright neon lights. With apparent ease the dual vocalists played off each other with rave interpretations of the humble mic battle ripped to shreds.

If the “toasting” Unity crowd had it all to lose, the lads from 1.21 Gigawatts fought very hard as a comparatively quieter band. Their inoffensive rock spun interesting lyrics without a melodic hook to attract much attention, the nice character hidden beneath an earnest seriousness.

With their compelling if somewhat meandering set, Goonies Never Die were a complex bunch to decipher, all post-rock guitars layered with woven melodies, the lads were friendly without instant connection.

Their expansive set followed For Your Information, whose mix of rock styles had a particular charm, even though their songs appeared as slightly altered versions of the same generic source.

Totting up the votes, the judges awarded second round places to, acronym fans, GND and MOU.