Battle of the Band round two – DING! DING! DING!
The second heat of this years Battle of the Bands took place in Bowland Bar on the 13th February 2013. But this was no ordinary Battle of the Bands, this was Battle of the Bands does Oxjam. Oxjam is a music event that is sponsored by Oxfam, the charity organization that co-ordinates a variety of campaigns to help raise awareness of some of the issues in the world and to help provide aid to those that need it most.
Bowland JCR set up the room in such a way that there was an air of anticipation as people took their places in the somewhat crowded room. The contestants were Emsland, Grandad’s Abyss, Signposted Disaster and Grahams Dead? appearing in that order respectfully. The contestants were a mixed bag, ranging from acoustic to rock, and everything in between, which provided a great atmosphere for the audience; there was literally something for everyone.
First up – Esmaland. Opening the night with a version of the Game Of Thrones theme tune, Esmaland went on to play a variety of well-known songs, but with a steampunk twist. Using his keyboard and vocoda he created an interesting sound that kept me intrigued. Along with this unique style of music, was Esmalnd’s steampunk attire, consisting of goggles and a hat, your typical seam punk image.
Next up was Grandad’s Abyss. The floor in front of the stage filled with people as they prepared to go on. They opened with a little guitar introduction that got the crowd going. These guys were acoustic, band members consisting of two acoustic guitars and a singer and played Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, the Abba classic that had the crowd clapping and moving along.
Up next was singer and part-time rapper Signposted Disaster. Signposted Disaster had an incredible stage presence and seemed to show no fear in getting the audience to participate in his dance moves and chanting. His lyrics were witty and very comical, and the audience laughed in all the right places.
And finally it was Graham’s Dead?’s turn to show they crowd what they had to offer, and my initial reaction was wow! these guys are loud. It was the first time in the evening that the sound system had been truly tested as the bass was up high and rattled the bones of everyone sitting there along with the bass of the drum kit. Graham’s Dead? reminded me of being at a rock band gig in a small venue somewhere listening to the music and enjoying the vibe that they were creating.
After the bands had finished it was up to the judges, Chris Allon, Steff Brawn, Ollie Cox and Lawrence Pullan to deliberate. The winner of heat two of Battle of the Band was Grandad’s Abyss, followed in second placed by Emsland who was the wildcard entry and will also be going to the final. Congratulations to all the band who played, the judges had a tough decision to make.
