Battle of the bands final - MilkwoodJam
Posted on Tuesday, 04 August 2009 18:25Last night I went to do my bit supporting Nineplanfailed in the battle of the bands competition hosted at MilkwoodJam in Swansea. There were six acts in all, some good, some not so good.
I'll get the ones I didn't link out the way first of all. I wanted to come across as balanced, but I can't do it so here is a frank, and possibly overly bitter account of the night.
The Bad
No Obligation
How ironic, no obligation by name , yet they come up forcing little bits of paper on you that say how great Siany from the wave thinks they are, like some goth jehovah witnesses. May as well have a ringing endorsement from David Bellamy for all the weight it carries. Their lead singer was late, delaying the proceedings significantly (allegedly, not the bit about her being late, she was, the bit about her holding things up).
On stage, musically they were alright, lead guitar was well played, but ultimately they were let down by bland vocals, and I would go so far as to say they were using sex to swing the vote (I'm talking about Deano, not the lead singer).
Over hyped and under delivered. I also hear they promote abortion, or don't depending on which offends you more.
As the late Bill Hicks said:
"When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking ROCKED! I don't care if they died in puddles of their own vomit! I want someone who plays from his fucking HEART!".
These guys DO NOT play from their heart.
Nucleus
The competitions winners, Nucleus proved that as long as you bring enough people you could play the washboard for 20 minutes and still win. They weren't washboard players but god, I found the sound boring, and quickly became disinterested with the whole thing. The exception was that their drummer was possibly the most natural drummer I've ever seen at that age, I could swear he had four arms. Outstanding talent. Unfortunately for the good bans they bought with them an army of hormonal teen girls who were always going to throw the vote they're way. If only it was a school night!
The Middle Of The Road
The Unit
This punk band livened things right up, their rendition of pretty vacant got everyone in the mood. Pretty good sound, great punk vibe too. I could go either way on them, it depends on your preference I suppose, I'm not a huge punk fan.
The Cream Of The Crop
Based on musical output, I'd have been happy with any of these act's winning.
Psycho Kiss
This metal /rock act followed No Obligation and showed what a band with a real woman lead vocalist can do. What a contrast. They had stage presence, power, passion, Cliff Burton (No, He's not dead, I've seen him), and a drummer with no top. Fantastic act.
The bassist was an exceptional metal bassist. Great fingerstyle technique, sounded great, and the hair, the hair!
Lead guitar and drummer were both really good, and the vocals were first rate.
The Effects
Second time I've seen this young rock group. Very talented, sickeningly so, but that's not unique. What makes these guys stand out is the quality of their songs and the sheer fearless attitude they show when trying new things, experimenting with sounds and playing styles. The seemed so comfortable on the stage and were a pleasure to watch and listen to.
NinePlanFailed
I'm always going to be slightly, well okay, very biased when writing about Nineplanfailed. Last night however, they brought an energy to the stage that surpassed anything I've seen them do in the previous four times I've heard them play. I know Demetrie has had a few things brewing inside him, and he indicated it might come through in the performance, but it really took them to another level. The set was ferocious from the go, and was unrelenting, my favourite song of the night was Die Dionysis.
After the set, although I haven't discussed this with him, Demetrie seemed somewhat relaxed by the whole thing, maybe it was the chance to vent the rage? I can't wait to see them next time, these guys are getting better and more potent every time I hear them.
As the late Bill Hicks said:
"When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking ROCKED! I don't care if they died in puddles of their own vomit! I want someone who plays from his fucking HEART!".
These guys ALWAYS play from their heart.
Some choice comments, you'll never get me to confirm or deny my agreement with them!
I think that if you have a genuine interest in music, it can be fun to check out new bands in that kind of environment. HOWEVER, shoddy organisation can have such a negative effect on events that the fun can quickly dissipate. I'm sorry, Gos, if you ever end reading this, you seem like a lovely guy, but I don't think you can present an argument that says Monday evening flowed well.
Anyway, onwards and upwards!
Whilst I'm here, let me throw my virtual arms around you and squeeze your virtual buttocks and wish you the happiest of birthdays!
I just know that the year ahead of you is going to banish the dark times that you've been going through of late. Good, happy and prosperous wishes my friend.
Dim
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