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Band Competition Final 2004 |
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AR win the Grand Final
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An emotional AR collect their prize!
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Wednesday 31st March,
RED STRIPE CAMBRIDGE BAND COMPETITION 2004 - THE GRAND FINAL
Enthusiastic metal riffers, Anachoic Reflection, were winners of
the 1st prize of £1000 worth of music industry goodies at last night’s Red Stripe Cambridge Band Competition 2004. DieAwayFromMe won ‘The Audiences Favourites’ vote.
Anachoic Reflection will now enjoy free recording and mixing time at a local studio. They have also been offered a high profile gig at The Corn Exchange on 21st April.
This year’s annual Red Stripe Cambridge Band Competition saw determined and often outstanding performances from 5 heat winning bands – Ten Second Window, Anachoic Reflection, DieAwayFromMe, Jaywalk Buzz and Sex Jones.
For more pics, take a look at photos in the freebies section.
Review -
The Junction is already busy and a mixed but mainly teenage audience is arriving in droves for the Grand Final of the Red Stripe Cambridge Band Competition 2004. Compere Tom Dalpra introduces the bands dressed in a rather fine gold lame jacket, shadowed by the equally magnificent Chris ‘Elvis’ Fuller.
At 8pm, appearing through the atmospheric clouds of smoke, Ten Second Window take to the stage, rising to the challenge of opening the night with apparent ease. The power and conviction is obvious and this trio really shine tonight. The sound is full, the songs have huge dynamics, the drummer’s face tells stories of pain, anguish, ecstasy and determination. This three piece strike a great balance between kicking hard live and producing the type of tunes you’d want to listen to repeatedly beyond the live situation. I’m already impressed by the level of bands tonight and hedging my bets that these guys will be the ones to deliver the longest lasting legacy to contemporary culture. Definitely a grower.
Next up, Anachoic Reflection are what they say on the packet – ‘heavy guitar drives, hard hitting slap bass grooves and gruelling drumbeats’. Flying V, posturing, huge energy, sense of humour – this is entertainment! The guitarist is spinning in circles, running across the stage and out onto the crash barrier. The crowd down the front are going wild, turning the front of a busy Junction into a heaving moshpit full of young contorted faces, applauds and demands for encores which suggest genuine fanaticism. Fun, hugely entertaining, this band brings a smile to your face.
DieAwayFromMe’s lead guitarist is wearing a T-Shirt, which reminds us not to forget Black Sabbath. True to their influences, the band take us back to bluesier, rockier, more psychedelic times with both the image (plenty of long hair), the tight riffing of bass and lead guitar, plus a couple of tunes where the acoustic guitar comes into play with some sweet lines reminiscent of spliffier sunnier afternoons and paisley shirts. The rhythm section of the band are powerfully driven and the bass player certainly has presence; his extreme dexterity and bobbing about bring a visual dynamic to the funkier rock-outs. Some of the numbers are rapped, bringing a more contemporary flavour to the set and the instrumentation really impresses. The singer, meanwhile, is laid back almost to the point of nonchalance, but this isn’t putting off the young lady at the front waving the banner declaring, “I love Pranny”.
Band four, Jaywalk Buzz from Huntingdon, open with a beautifully constructed building rush of guitar. The singer’s powerful tenor voice immediately impresses. The material is strong and drummer and singer in particular, are notably talented. That said, the relaxed humour (one song is called ‘Bryan’ because they “couldn’t think of a name for it”) sits a bit uncomfortably with the ethereal opener. It leaves one uncertain as to whether Jaywalk Buzz want to change the course of music or would feel more comfortable with the adulation of boy band status. With the good looks up front it could go either way. Pulling it all back into the realm of serious intent is the drummer - a wonderful mop haired sight to behold who brings a sensitivity and hypnotic visual poetry to the bands overwhelming use of three four beats.
Last of the five finalists, Sex Jones, impress with their self-confidence and presence. The songs are good, even the “one written at 1 o’clock in the morning.” Being brutally honest, at times it gets a bit raggedy around the edges, but the drummer is a powerhouse, lead singer has attitude with a voice to match, and young women will swoon for that lead guitarist. This band knows where they want to be and it is obvious from the determined larger-than-life stage antics that they have aspirations well beyond a gig at The Junction. Good stuff.
As the votes are counted, Chris Fuller brings one of Elvis’ finest anthems to life, followed by previous band competition winners Tom Dalpra, Ezio and Booga who deliver a short raucous apocalyptic set of Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop covers.
By the time the winners are announced and take the stage, nobody can be in any doubt that the East of England has some great emerging musical talents, some of which were shone brightly this evening. And, like Tom Dalpra says, sometimes the cooler thing to do isn’t to win at all…
Gordon Glass (31 March 2004)
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