September 13, 2006
Well after 10 weeks we are here, the Junktion7 Battle of the Bands Grand Final 2006! </br>Over the previous weeks we have seen a huge mix of some of Nottingham’s top acts including punk craziness from the likes of Hoofbite, Danny and the Deadbeats and Long Drop, some metal mayhem bought to us by Blindsight, Hallowed Ruin and To Die For, plenty of rock n roll antics from bands like Dirty Saint, The Sons, Elvis is Dead and Dust Bunnies and even some dynamic and interesting progressive fusion from Nephu Huzzband, Vim and Vigor and Thousands of Reflections but sadly all of those bands and more have now been sent packing and we are left with the 4 finalists.</br>It is an interesting mix with two old hands, Spirytus (last year’s runners up) and Aphemia (self confessed old men of the competition!) and two new, young guns, Deny the Charge (their heat was their first gig!) and Zenith (Barely out of school!).
Deny the Charge
Deny the Charge start the evening and seem nervous, they weren’t as tight as we had seen them in the past heats and a few mistakes slipped in but this band have possibly the most exciting and original sound in the competition in my mind and with their diverse song structures and mix of dynamic influences, they have a bright future but this performance wasn’t their best and they will be lucky to win on this, still Battle of the Bands final on your third gig is nothing to turn your nose up at!</br>
http://www.myspace.com/denythecharge
Aphemia
Aphemia take the stage second and after a few nervous songs, their brilliant anthem, Safety in Numbers, kicks them in to life. The set was tight and powerful and with an interesting sound and loads of depth, this is one of the best performances I have seen from this band. Frontman, Frank, has improved loads on his stage presence and manner and chats with the crowd well, and his vocal is much more powerful than it was 10 weeks previous! </br> They can still keep improving on these things but Aphemia have certainly got a good chance of winning!</br>
http://www.myspace.com/myaphemia
Zenith
Third are Zenith a band who I felt had already grown massively in this competition and as they take to the stage the frontman shows his confidence by singing ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor’ as the huge crowd gets ready!</br> Zenith burst in with huge, catchy riffs and the frontman is the real deal, winding the crowd up, getting them clapping and singing along. Zenith seem on fire and put in a tight as hell performance that is full of attitude, beef and power and for me was so impressive just because they were a shadow of this band in their first heat! </br> Even though Zenith’s sound isn’t unique and has certainly less originality than the first 2 bands, their stage antics and the power of their sound really puts them in top contention!</br>
http://www.myspace.com/livezenith
Spirytus
Finally we end with Spirytus, last year’s runners up seem to have been in 3rd gear to me for much of this competition but as Joe, Andy, Adam, Ben (the bassist) and Ben (the drummer) take to the stage, it is clear they have rammed it up a few more notches tonight! Possibly due to the top performances from some of the previous acts!</br> Joe roams the room and has real power in his voice and with a very tight and building performance, they look the part. </br> I feel Spirytus could do with some newer material as I have heard these songs many times before (their set is almost the same as last year) but they did treat us to a few new songs and old classics like Personal and Spirytus get the crowd going.</br> Spirytus are always a great band to watch but have they done enough to better last year’s final?</br>
http://www.myspace.com/spirytus
Awards….
After a few more drinks and Diane thanking all the sponsers (Sandman, Soundcontrol, Eskimo Studios, Jack Daniels and some magainze called Saggy Pants?!?) and bigging up all the bands and fans, the prizes are announced!
Best Guitarist – Kyral
Best Drummer – Aphemia
Best Bassist – Fat Lady Singh
Best Vocalist – Lights out Vegas
Runners up – Spirytus
Winners – Zenith
Well Done all and THANKS JUNKTION 7, Julio, Diane, Adrian and all the staff! See ya next year!!! (sob)
Reviewed by: Gaz, Steph and Glynn
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