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.
First on stage, opening with what sounded like an upbeat version of the theme from Shaft, was Little Jimmy’s Flaming Funk Orchestra, whose combination of a full brass section, tight drums and funky bass combined with strong female vocals in a couple of songs. They clearly enjoyed themselves on stage, and although the first slot is inevitably the toughest to fill, their closing cover of the Ghostbusters theme provided a memorable start to the night for those who’d arrived early enough, and they were rewarded with second place on the night.
Delta! followed, distinguished on stage by their masked drummer and piano-led set dominated by power ballads. Covers of Pink and Christina Aguilera will have pleased some members of the crowd, and, indeed, the judges’ negative comments were met with audible disapproval. Their performances were emotional, and almost often Eurovision-esque, but I fear that if we sent them there this year, the challenge to improve on recent ‘nul points’ valuations might be beyond them.
What seemed to be the largest crowd of the night congregated for Frankenstaines’ set. Heavy on metal riffs, head-banging guitar solos and over the top vocals, their reception outshone all others, but occasionally, some vocal and instrumental elements of their songs were lost in the mix. Nonetheless, their performance was confident and their stage presence impressive, leaving their fans happy.
Fourth on the bill were Buck 92, friends of Frankenstaines who were called in at extremely short notice after another band pulled out, and were therefore left without a huge fanbase in the audience. The punk trio produced possibly the strongest ensemble performance of the night, which, considering how late they were added to the line-up, was revelatory. The judges praised their "bad-ass riffs", but most of their support in the crowd was from Frankenstaines fans, so they lost out in the final vote.
The evening came to a drunken but fulfilling close with Jonny P and the Howlie T Experience. Jonny P was brash and confident, relying on comedy for the best crowd banter of the night. Any other band might have struggled to raise such a strong response from the crowd, but these guys were a resounding success. Their closing number included fragments of songs that topped the charts when we were 12 years old (‘We’re Going To Ibiza’; ‘Time To Say Goodbye’), and it was hardly surprising when, following the judges’ clear approval, they came out on top in the overall rankings, booking their place in the semi-finals.
Coming up tonight:
The Leylines | Man is Slapped | Magnapow! | Arctic Fury | Drunken Chimney Sweep
For more information and a complete line up for the week visit URY’s BotB site. Tickets for BotB are available at the YUSU online shop and OTD.
Coverage of the events will be provided by formidable campus media trio URY, YSTV and The Yorker.
Don’t forget to visit us right here at The Yorker for news, reviews, podcasts, information on the next day’s line up and to join in the BotB banter.
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