Battle of the Bands week one - First four through
It is, quite simply, going to be the biggest and best contest yet.
Two heats have been run this week – on Wednesday and Thursday nights – and four wicked bands have made their way into next month’s quarter finals.
Wednesday night saw the masterful Violent Virtues and The Quantize take a step closer to the £1,000 prize and Thursday night saw metal heroes Kernuyck and The Vics win the war of riffs.
About 100 people packed The Hippo, in Bath Street, on both nights to catch the eight bands – and the atmosphere was nothing short of electric.
The bands were treated to quality self-penned music. There was something for everyone in terms of musical styles.
Wednesday opened up with The Rising, who brought some great melodies and an ‘80s rock feel to the party.
They were followed by Violent Virtues, who were ultra-tight and ultra-venomous – a thrash metal sound that would get any rocker moshing.
Next up was Melancholy, whose lead singer was bouncy and fun but the lads needed some more work on their sound. It was their first gig, though...
And the final band on the night was The Quantize, who put on an excellent, high octane set, with shades of The Killers and Fightstar.
The crowd had a hoot when they cheered for their fave bands during the ‘clapometer’ judging – which carries half the marks for the bands – but it was The Quantize and Violent Virtues who got the nod.
Matthew Olver, 19, is the frontman for ‘epic indie band’ The Quantize. He said: “The first heat was really good – a lot of exciting acts.
“We were really pleased to go through.”
Evers King, 18, is frontman for Violent Virtues. He said: “We are the only band in the competition playing this sort of music, so hopefully we will just get better and do well.
“We are looking forward to the quarter-finals now.”
Thursday night was just as good. The Vics kicked it off with a great rock-indie set. The band featured in The Herald’s Under-18s competition last year – but they’ve grown since then.
Next up was Digital Bob, a six-piece with plenty of talent and a sound which made them stand out. But there seemed to be too much noise, which lost them marks from the judges.
Third on the stage was Roadhouse Bound, a classic AC/DC-esque rock outfit with plenty of guts – but, sadly, they didn’t fulfil their obvious potential on the night.
But last up was Kernuyck, from Cornwall, who were only drafted in as last minute replacements for the absent Melancholy Moose Society.
And the Kernuyck lads were masterful. Awesome vocals, a wide range of catchy metal melodies and a real warm, fun vibe.
They were voted winners alongside The Vics, making it another successful heat.
After the show, James Rotherham, 23, frontman for Kernuyck, said: “I didn’t think we would get as good a reaction from the crowd. It was a great night.”
John Miller, 17, from The Vics, said: “We have worked hard since the last battle of the bands and we are now really looking forward to the quarter finals.”
This week’s heats are, on Wednesday, Ultrateeze, Kaideka, Hobby Horses and The Teleheads; and on Thursday, Psychedelica, Sparrowfall, Avalon Groove and The Kadellas.
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