It’s that time of year again, where all the bands on campus and in town compete to see who is best. Many have already done battle, and three have prevailed, alongside one wildcard. The previous heats took place in Lonsdale, where current champs Atomic Brass won, and County, where The Trip defeated Ruby Beach (who are the wildcard option in the final) and Furness, where 3 minutes to midnight triumphed over the Alligators. The standard of competition has been surprisingly high this year, surprising in that three of the bands in the final have only been together for a small amount of time, for some it will be their second ever gig.
So what can we look forward to for the final then? Well let’s have a quick rundown of the acts:
Atomic Brass: Last year’s winners. They have become quite the name on and off campus, playing at the Grad Ball, across Campus and also taking up a sort of semi-residency at the John ‘O’ Gaunt in town. Their set is a composition of lively, and brilliantly brassy goodness, featuring a good mix of original songs and covers.
The Trip: These guys are pretty ballsy. Not only did they cover Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but they also turned it into Teenage kicks, what’s more, it worked. Their drummer is barely contained behind the kit and definitely draws some inspiration from the Animal, of Muppet’s fame. Their lead guitarist is also an asset which the competition should be wary of, the Free Bird solo ain’t easy.
Ruby Beach: Featuring well-known Campus musical figure Chris Brown as front-man, Ruby Beach provide us with a glistening array of indie, heartfelt tunes. They’re also the self-proclaimed ‘Tallest band in the North West’ so the others may quite literally feel the pressure looming over them. They were one of the tightest bands we saw in the heat and this chemistry is a great asset that shouldn’t be underestimated. They looked completely at home on stage.
3 Minutes to Midnight: Last but not least, these guys, fronted by another Campus musical figure, Jonathan Parks, are a brash dose of 60’s tinged classic rock. Drawing heavily from Hendrix and the Blues, these guys were a class act at Furness, remaining professional through a bass string snapping incident. Any band that can snap a bass string must be worth listening to really.
So the final, let’s get back to the final itself, where is it? Pendle. When is it? This Thursday! How come it’s not at Sugar? Let me explain…
Sugar, whilst simultaneously being used as a club in the small room, isn’t the best venue for a final. Imagine if a slow jazz band got to the final, that would kill your Dark Fruits buzz and probably trigger an intense phase of introspection. Not really what you want at the start of a night out anyway. So it’s in Pendle because Pendle is good for Gigs.
What’s the prize? A day in a recording studio with a professional producer. We’ll be hearing from the victor in no time.
