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.
Monday 30 June 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
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