James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
The 'half' of the band's title suggests that more was needed to make a whole, and the four-piece certainly tried to make up for this by incorporating beatboxing, funk, blues and indie into their set. With each song underpinned by a hugely funky bass, the band swerved between Ocean Colour Scene-at-their-best organ driven tunes, and more rocking moments making the most of their wild-eyed female vocalist, who bought a feel of a classic frontwoman, most recently seen in the Noisettes, to the stage.
A cover of 'Play That Funky Music' sealed the deal for me, although it was a shame that the smokey male vocals weren't given enough of a chance to shine, more of a technical problem than an issue with the band. The set was accomlished - certainly for a group which had only formed in December.
Second to play were hotly-tipped 'Juliet Bravo.' Amidst controversy surrounding Ents Tech allegedly refusing to allow the band to use their own sound man, the band didn't seem fased. Not afraid to throw out a huge riff when needed, or to break down to whisered vocals they made full use of their new singer - whose passing resemblance to Fightstar's Charlie Simpson translated into his performance, tortured and hair-tossingly professional.
Third band of the evening were Murderface Williams, bringing some of the hottest drumming of the competition so far. The band were surprisingly successful in what seemed to be an attempt to merge sunny California-style funk with heavy rock, as a selection of tunes ending with the Cooper Temple Clause stylings of 'Juggernaught' filled Goodricke.
Finally Megawatt Winged Avenger took to the stage, and wallowed gleefully in a brand of rock beloved to the long-haired, black t-shirt wearing masses. Incorporating an inspired cover of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' in the style of an 80s rock ballad, the band rocked in a brilliantly theatrical way.
Results:
1 - Half a Dog
2 - Juliet Bravo
3 - Murderface Williams
4 - Megawatt Winged Avenger
The Yorker pick: Half a Dog.
Watch out for Half a Dog! They're amazing! Odds on winners?! I think so!
"Amidst controversy surrounding Ents Tech allegedly refusing to allow the band to use their own sound man" As one of the EntsTech managers and the sound man mixing Juliet Bravo I would like to question where this controversy occurred as I was completely unaware of the bands wish to use their own engineer. We fully comply with bands providing their own engineers as long as they respect the equipment. Bring your own sound guy to the semis guys; Can anyone shed light as to where this allegation came from?
From the guy who claimed to be their sound tech on the night.
Oh, forgot to mention... more exclusive interviews and coverage from Battle of the Bands on the next edition of The Yorker Artscast. Available to download from Monday from Arts/Podcasts
Hey. I'm in Juliet Bravo; we asked at the start of the night and were told our friend Shaun could "try for one song" and if it sounded ok he could carry on. When we asked later however, we were told it might "spoil the reputation of Ents Tech" if Shaun did a bad job of it. Sorry to sound like I'm moaning, the mix was ok in the end, but it would be cool if we could use our own guy for the semis.
I am sorry if someone incorrectly informed you that you could not provide your own engineer; Other bands have used their own FOH engineers during the week namely Megawatt and Hung. I will be emailing all our crew informing them that they will have to accommodate bands personal choices (just as they would in any professional setup). Of course we have to ensure that our equipment is used properly as not to be damaged. It falls under the job of our guys to supervise any people wishing to mix and determine competence at their discretion. Any band wishing to provide their own sound guy need only approach the FOH engineer working on the night and inform him of their intention to mix.
Congratulations on progressing to the Semi-Finals.
Ian Hodgkinson
EntsTech Manager
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