sage
It's
always a daunting task to be the ones to break the ice at any competition. Sage's
first piece was a brooding melody that built into a crescendo of wailing flute
and heavy chords that floated into a haunting finale. The seemingly delicate female
vocalist then ripped off her black wig to reveal a shock of fuschia-pink hair
and a t-shirt which boldly stated 'Bitch'.
Sage
then burst into Can't You See the Night, a song that leans heavily into the
style of bands such as Sisters of Mercy. The lead singer, bedecked in make-up
a la Nefertiti, made his appearance, leaping, strutting and generally taking over
the stage in a style that would leave even Ian Astbury gasping. With an achingly
discordant lead guitar that well suited this baroque setting, Sage impressed with
a high impact and visually spectacular set.
groove
cradle
Second
in the line-up of six was Groove Cradle. Enter the guitar and finish with an instrumental
wall of sound that still maintains the original funk/blues feel: a great intro
for Groove Cradle. The singer came on for their next song Sins of the Father,
a song which incorporates good use of dynamics through heavy rhythm. Strong and
emotive vocals complemented the classic rock style, finishing with a pumping rock
number to which the audience went crazy.
jebediah
After
last week's catastrophes on stage for Jebediah, they had a complete back-up
of guitars which thankfully weren't needed. Ferris Wheel was the top of the
set, a high energy pop song with catchy riffs, and very danceable. Jebediah do
pop with grunt, expelling much energy for their three minute specials. Very English,
very good.
Bouncing,
flopping, hopping, rocking, the crowd roared their approval with gusto. For such
a young band (this being their tenth gig) they are very strong songwriters and
have a real 90s flavour to them. As the crowd died down at the end of their pumping
pop set, the singer humbly announced (and with conviction from the heart): "This
has been the best fucking gig we've ever done. We love you all". Well,
Jebediah, in my humble opinion, we ain't seen nothing yet.
thermos
cardy
Thermos
Cardy are a three piece outfit who have the outstanding feature of a six string
bass and a bagful of happy/sad pop songs. It is an art to sing aesthetically out
of tune, but Thermos Cardy seem to be able to pull it off. By any indication of
the enthusiastic punters, they did it well. Coffee Shop is a laid back little
ditty which builds up nicely but never becomes harsh. Thermos Cardy write deceptively
relaxed pop songs that don't disturb the inner ear, and are performed with
the vocals just out of whack. They had a huge response through their whole set
and seemed the darlings of the crowd. The last song was a toe-tapping one with
an almost bouzouki-type effect on the guitar. A wall of pop? The pit was gently
moshing.
squidfinger
Squidfinger
glided onto the stage in flowing metallic capes. I didn't know this was a
fancy-dress! The drummer, with his metallic red cape, held out on both sides like
some weird kitsch bat, launched into the set with a full on funky groove thang.
They then announced that due to their outrageous outfits "tonight we are
Glamburger". And indeed they were.
Next
was a crooning ballad that Stu Spasm would die for and then on with the more pumping
Juicy Lucy, with that hard groove grind that Squidfinger excel at. Winding up
with a soprano riff that led into something like Staying Alive, only to be regurgitated
back as a chorused 'oi'/funk anthem slam finishing with no less than stage
pyrotechnics. Here are three serious musicians having fun, so in their own words:
"Funk It Up".
effigy
By
the time Effigy approached the stage Planet was near capacity and the mob were
well and truly primed. How many packets of Memphis BBQ can you consume in one
sitting? Effigy began with a dark, moody tune which hinted at malice. Very different
from the Effigy of last year's campus band comp, they have matured and refined
their already credible and distinctive style and the crowd loved them.
Peter
announced the next title with "this is not a cover", a comment made
because a DJ played a CD version of their song earlier in the evening during one
of the breaks (to the absolute delight of the band). Small was the local pop special
and the three piece powered through the up-tempo number despite a high pitched
squeal from the PA that persisted during most of the set. Their last song, I Give
In, intros with reverbed guitars which fills out to a grinding tune with almost
child-like vocals chased out by the guitars. A real effort from a band who has
worked hard the last 12 months, and it shows.
...
and BEAVERLOOP!
The
judges finished their bit and the scores were taken off to be tallied. The club
was full and a general feeling of anticipation was in the air. Beaverloop graced
the stage and reminded us why they took the prize last year. After the pleasant
rock/pop genre of the evening, Beaverloop were just plain hard-core. These guys
just screamed in like a sneak attack and a psychotic set was too follow. Leon
Ewing, in true form, broke a bass string in the heat of the opening number so
whilst he changed and tuned his instrument, Brad told a few jokes and anecdotes
about their experiences over East as last year's finalists.
With
Leon strung up, Beaverloop hammered through a 30 minute set with such faves as
Cybernetic Grrrl and Shot Hole Fungus. Fuck Off, Richard had a good response and
shows that people do listen to the lyrics, even if they are screamed. Their staccato
melodies and abrasive style was totally diverse from the toe-tapping tunes of
the eve, and for me, was the icing on the cake. Yum! Good cake, too.
Oh,
and the winners...
1.
Jebediah
2.
Effigy
3.
Squidfinger (Glamburger)