Bands make it through first quarter-final of Plymouth Battle
THE first quarter-final of this year's The Herald South West Battle of the Bands competition was a corker.
There was drama, energy, a wicked crowd and – most of all – four bands who pulled out magnificent sets.
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But only two bands could go through to the semi-finals of our competition – and their names are Kernuyck and The Adventures Of...
And they both deserve their places in the final eight.
The opening quarter on Thursday at The Hippo, in Bath Street, saw the heat in the regional competition being turned up a notch.
All four bands deserved their places in the quarter final battle, but they each had to take their gutsy performances up to the next level to make it past the quarters.
And that's just what they did.
Fathom Fifteen, a unique metal act who sound like Lostprophets meets AC/DC meets Opeth, opened up the quarter-final stage with a block-rocking set which scored highly on the music but needed a sharpening up on the vocals.
The Adventures Of... followed up with a set from a Hammer Horror film. Which is a bonus in their case – because that's just what they do.
The indie-rock band, donned in tops, tails and phantom-white make-up, put on a real show straight from the circus. It was freaky and off-the-wall but effective and different – and the lads coped well when the bass drum skin snapped.
Cornish metal giants Kernuyck were on third and they played a masterful set which included some exceptional crowd interaction. They made the audience sit down for the start of one song before going ballistic.
Kernuyck – which means Cornish in Cornish, according to the band – played five high octane metal songs and just looked like they loved every minute. They are a real favourite in the competition.
Last up on the night was The Quantize, from Saltash. The indie-rock band brought an entourage to the gig and their fans were electric. And the lads put on an electric performance to complement.
The judges had a tough decision on Thursday – but it was eventually decided that Kernuyck and The Adventures Of... just shaded it and they will go on to the semi-finals.
Adam Hanington, who is believed to be 126 years old, is vocalist for The Adventures Of.... He said it was a night of drama due to the drum break, a jacket going on fire, an electric shock on stage and a 'crackhead' trying to mug a friend of the band in the streets outside the venue.
He said: "We will put on a proper show next time without things going wrong."
Dave Rotherham, drummer for Kernuyck, said: "It was a great night with really good bands. It's a great place to play and a great competition.
"Roll on the semi-finals."
The Herald's Battle Of the Bands will run throughout the summer. A total of 32 bands started in the competition a month ago. We're already down to 14.
The winning band will take a £1,000 prize from sponsor St Austell Brewery, four days' studio time at Plymouth's Deep Blue Sound and 200 CDs and digital distribution to iTunes from city firm www.thegenepool.co.uk – as well as other prizes.
The quarters take place throughout August, with the semi-finals on August 27 and September 3, and the grand final at The Hippo on Saturday September 12.
The second quarter-final this week will see The Teleheads, The Iconyx, Avalon Groove and Courting Summer on Wednesday night. Doors open at 7.30pm each night, with bands on from 8pm.
Check out the www.thisisplymouth.co.uk website for video footage of the heats.
12 Comments
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by anon, Plymouth
Friday, August 14 2009, 10:41PM
“Theres no confrontation here really, just a few people who are obviously too simple to make a considered point of debate. I agree with alot of the points made by everyone here that the judging system is clearly flawed and that Plymouth's attitude to music is completely wrong.”
by Luke, Plymouth
Thursday, August 13 2009, 8:28AM
“Who is a sore loser? I don't understand how this thread of comments has become so confrontational.”
by -, -
Monday, August 10 2009, 5:45PM
“sore loser.”
by me, torpoint
Monday, August 10 2009, 1:31PM
“wooooooooooo quantize go tom ottley”
by Mike, Plymouth
Monday, August 10 2009, 11:48AM
“All of the bands that compete in the battle of the bands must appreciate the fact that there are bound to be conflicting opinions regarding which bands score higher. The competition is not like a football match where the goals can be counted. The battle of the bands result is entirely at the judges discretion and therefore it may well be that had it been another set of judges, we would have reached a different outcome. C'est la vie.”
by Tom, Plymouth
Monday, August 10 2009, 1:05AM
“I find it amusing how the one person who doesn't like The Quantize decided to remain anonymous. I personally feel pretty insulted about what happened. They have recently been courted by 3 major label executives who praised them for their originality and craft yet they were marked lowest out of all the bands on the night for these criteria. Are you really trying to tell me that the judges of this competition have the heads up compared to major label scouts... I somehow think not and no original acts from Plymouth are ever going to get anywhere if this closed mindedness carries on. No wonder Plymouth was voted 3rd worst city in the UK for musical heritage”
by Anonymous, Plymouth
Monday, August 03 2009, 1:02PM
“I didn't like The Quantize to be honest.”
by John, Plymouth
Sunday, August 02 2009, 10:31PM
“GET OVER IT!”
by steve, plymouth
Sunday, August 02 2009, 4:22PM
“i was at the hippo on thursday...i saw all the acts concerned...i am 42 years old and have spent my working life in production,promotion and presenting live events.i know my job.the judges of the evening herald battle of the bands should be relieved of theyre duties and get a job in the house of commons, unbelievable...how do they slept at night?......no wonder no-one from around here gets to show their talent elsewhere huh??? when the so called local experts havent got a clue............”
by Sarah George, Plymouth
Saturday, August 01 2009, 2:18PM
“I agree.... The Quantize should have gone through....they by far had the most support on the clapometer, but the judges decided to ignore that.... the judges spent most of the night outside in the 'beer garden' and didn't even listen to or watch the bands...so I think the decision had already been made. The Quantize were the only original band there...the others were clearly just ripping off other bands acts...Kernuyck, for example, had audience interaction...a complete copy of what Slipknot have already done!”