September 6, 2006
So it is Semi Final 2! As I said last week, judging these things is never easy as you get such diverse and different acts but as well as the those things I mentioned before coming in to play when judging a band (diversity, originality, energy, stage presence and image, tightness) also being a good sport matters.Every year in these sort of events certain bands moan about judges final decisions but to be honest if you can’t take it that some people might think some bands are better than your band, then you should really throw your instruments away and go get a job at Poundland! Ever heat of this year’s event has had at least 60 odd people watching and with loads of posters and advertising as well as several magazines, webzines and people who are really involved in the music industry watching every heat it is great for a band just to get to play so to moan and bitch afterwards in my opinion (which of course you don’t have to agree with) is bullshit!
ELvis is Dead
As in last week’s review I am going to try to point out where I feel each band can improve (people often say we aren’t harsh enough so this is us trying!). First are Elvis is Dead, a band with big, punchy and energetic music and with pretty good image and stage presence. However I felt a lot of their songs are to similar and simple in structure and their sound has been heard very much before (big punk with glam influences). They are very tight however but just lacked diversity for me.
http://www.myspace.com/elvisisdeadrock
Deny the Charge
Next on stage are Deny the Charge, a band who are almost the opposite of the previous act! They have loads of diversity, with a mix of rock, grunge, metal, emo, punk and hardcore and with interesting and clever dynamic and changes, this is quite unique. However it isn’t always tight and at times gets messy. Their stage presence is pretty good and the female vocalist/violinist keeps your attention well.
http://www.myspace.com/denythecharge
Aphemia
Third tonight are Aphemia, who have a great sound with a lot of depth, it is also pretty unique and original. This band are super tight and with catchy melodies stand out well. The only thing I think this band lacks at times is stage presence and image and some times the vocalist’s voice gets drowned out. With powerful and atmospheric music however, Aphemia really impressed!
http://www.myspace.com/myaphemia
Blindsight
Finally we finish the night with Blightsight. This band are powerful and energetic with decent stage presence, however I felt to many songs sounded the same with very little dynamic and no real tempo changes. They also got a little sloppy at times and by the end of their set I was fairly bored.
In this heat I was disappointed to hear some bands slagging of both the other acts and the competition and with some underhand tactics from one band (or a fan), it was sad to see some bad sportsmanship at times. However the two bands to go through were Aphemia and Deny the Charge, with a more diverse and interesting sound than the others, they deserved their place in the final.
Reviewed by: Gaz and Steph
