I know it sounds cliché, but it doesn’t seem that long ago that Aurora’s Shadow won the last Band Blitz. We return to the Pitz once again as Rivers and co. put on the last Band Blitz and begin with the first heat. Already, we’re seeing quite a big range of acts with some acoustic work from Steffan Vale, hardcore from Rise Inside, Trash Monkey with some retro hard rock and some pop-rock from three-piece girl band, Rewriting Destiny. If one thing is for sure, it’s going to be an interesting night, let battle commence!
From the very beginning of the competition, you can already tell that there’s a bit of a mix on, the stage has a sole guitarist sat down with lights shining down, Steffan Vale is starting a rather intimate set. The sound is how you would expect an acoustic set, bright chords and a slightly melancholy mixture of vocals add a lot of whimsy to some tracks, particularly in “I Miss You, I Love You”. It’s a shame that quite a few people are talking through the set, playing solo takes enough balls as it is, but Vale sails through his set with little trouble. By the end it’s clear that people have been listening though, it’s promising to see that Steffan is received pretty well, along with a cosy intimate atmosphere, I’d guess that he has as good a chance as any.
Rise Inside were really one of the most surprising bands for me this year, as first I was seeing generic screamo hardcore, but I was proved wrong and I loved it! It seems that these guys are following a Fell Silent type of trend by mixing hardcore doom with some righteous, beautiful melodies and harmonies and have resulted in leaning towards the latter, “Jack of Clubs” managing to wind it’s way down a very long road of instrumentals and a little bit of screamo that drags in the performance from being too ostentatious. They aren’t perfect though and the backing vocals tend to go off a bit, but lengthy songs, stack climbing and a brilliant mix of sounds from sampling to down-tuned guitars are right up my street.
As for Trash Monkey, I’ve seen the guys around a few times and they have got better over time, now grasping tightly at leather jackets and jeans while packing in some decent riffs and a more flamboyant showmanship from their frontman. The guys have a pretty enthusiastic audience to work with, the crowd and band bouncing off each other as they tear off into some old-school power riffs and some pretty articulate solos that break up the tracks, but “Trapped” is my highlight as it seems along some the lines of Rage Against The Machine with heavy, driven blues kick to it but without the rap. It’s a good set and pretty tight (especially with a temp bassist), but it’s not quite as overwhelming as Rise Inside, it depends what the judges are looking for…
We wait for ages and ages before Rewriting Destiny make an entrance that seems a bit over the top, but despite reservations, this is the first time I have seen these girls in action. However, eventually the music becomes a bit bland, with “Can’t Get Over You” sounding a bit too similar to the other tracks, it’s well laid out but there’s nothing screaming out for me to listen too, no effects lead to a thoroughly clean and samey performance. Granted, these girls do have a chemistry, but they need to develop their ideas so their music has a heavier impact, be it effects, an extra guitarist to layer things or adjusting songs a little. But all the best to the ladies, sometimes a band can transform and surprise you in time.
Waiting for the results, I’m pretty sure that Rise Inside had made it, of all the bands they definitely had the most “wow” factor, even converting Steffi, most of the kids here seem to be here for them too, but it’s up to the judges on the panel and the deliberation seems to take a bit longer than I thought it would. Nonetheless, Paul Rivers returns on-stage to congratulate all of the bands, but announces the winners as Rise Inside, definitely a good decision in my book. Make sure you see the next heats too, and I’ll see you there.
Craig \m/
Steffan Vale on Myspace
Rise Inside on Myspace
Trash Monkey on Myspace
Re-Writing Destiny on Myspace
