It was meant to be 4 bands in the first heat, but the Middens never played. Then I was late and completely missed The Secrets......sorry, guys - next time!!
So it came to pass that I caught the final two bands. First off, the PA was really rather good, so that was a plus point from the start. 14 Miles From Home started their set and the vocal from the lead guy was wayyy up front but a bit of tweaking at the desk got the band nearly up there with him, on what was an energetic indie burner with a stinging lead guitar break. After it, the guitarist stage right asked the audience if it sounded OK as "he couldn't hear a thing on the stage" - no wonder - there weren't any monitors!! Anyway, they started the second track with a guitar intro that led into lurching beats as the upfront vocal enters but now the band are back in the fray as an indie-fied builder of a song intensifies, the singer and guitarist sharing vocal duties on what amounted to a kind of "indie power ballad" as a lead guitar break duelled with the fuzz of the fuzz of the rhythm guitar riffing, the baqnd then driving back into the body of the song. They described "Calm Me Down" as a new song and it began with an almost salsa-esque beat from the drums as deep bass and percussion add depth. Then, with a burst of guitar, they surge into a powerful driving number as the vocalist delivers the song with an emotive angst and the arrangement soars ahead to a chorus where the two vocalists trade leads and harmonies, a bit like parts of The Floor, only less "leftfield". There's a good depth of sound as they switch to a more staccato hook line and power ahead to another chorus.
Once more the guitarists asks "how does that sound?" to the audience and "can't hear a thing" - if so, they were doing really well.
"Telling Me Lies" was the best song of the set, starting with a strong guitar intro, crisp cymbal work and deep throbbing bass as the yearning lead vocal flew over everything and a song ensued that had passion and heart with a solid core. They then accelerated into a riffing sea of dyanmics before returning to the chiming guitars and emotive vocals. All this then clmibed even higher as the song roars to a buidling climax amid a balst of angst-ridden vocals, driving rhythms, wickedly solid rhythm guitar and surging lead guitar. The lengthy finale shot back and fourth in its chorus, dropping down to a less taut section with the guitar leads ringing away, cruising seemingly to an end - only then for the band to end in one hail of a chorus raining down on the audience. Quite superb!! The final song was "Please Forget", as a surge of guitar had the crowd clapping along before the band hammers into a mighty roar of a track, not particularly fast, but delivered with feeling and strength as the whole song lifts off with purpose and takes you with it. It drops down a notch to herald another good lead guitar break before piling on the pressure to rise once more as the band really charged ahead, driving towards a fast and furious guitars-driven rhythm-powered finale
I wasn't so sure of this at the start of the set, but have to say that, by the end, I was ready for more - always a good sign!!
Hello Pirates? (don't forget the "?") have been hailed by us for a while as one of the next Dundee big things, but for those of you not yet clued up on this amazing band, this review's for you..........
"Preaching With Your Soul" has a delicate guitar intro as a female vocalist reveals this voice that's immediately got you hooked by virtue of its mix of sultriness, purity, passion, delicacy and sheer emotion - slow and atmospheric. Then the guitar fuzzes forth, the rhythm section roars in, the vocals start to climb and one stunning slice of indie dance cruises in as the female vocalist climbs towards the infectious chorus, before dropping down and beginning the whole process all over again. It's a headlong rush of adrenalized magic with a pop heart, an indie soul and rock blood running through its veins. By the time the second track, "Delicate Procedure", starts, the audience is hooked. The band drive ahead into a solid slice of indie pop off the highest order with verses that ensnare thw audience, hooks that delight and choruses that take no prisoners. The female drummer also adds vocal depth by virtue of some exquisite harmonies, but it's the real focus of attention, with a voice that could move the hardest of hearts. The headlong rush of the verse is matched by the vastness of the chorus as a lead guitar break catches fire. "Fight" has a verse intro that sounds like a chorus - it's that catchy!! - as the band then power ahead into the chorus which lifts the song like a rocket laden with buckets of emotion. It's a trad pop structure with a solid rhythmic undercurrent, sort of like a heavy duty mix of Fleetwood Mac and Voice of The Beehive. Another steaming sizzle of a lead guitar break sees the song return as it drives into the deep and mighty chorus, the band now roaring with confidence. "Il Pleut" sees a mighty band-driven intro lead into a deliciously surging briefe verse before a mesmerising, insiastent hook then leads into the adrenaline-infused addiction of the actual chorus on a song of such powerfully perfect pop-rock proportions, it dives between verse, hook and chorus to jaw-dropping effect. The band end with "Keep On Dancing", as the audience do just that, lurching rhythms and choppy guitar chords charge into the uplifting chorus, all of which then climbs even hige for the verse, then higher still for the next chorus, vocalist and band flying majestically before returning to the choppy rhythms and it all goes round again. This leads into a surging middle bit then it's back to the chorus, taking hold with immediacy and infectious popdelight, defying you not to be dancing. A stunning set!!
As it's a "Battle of the Bands", there were two judges, both from Tay-FM, and the lady compere got them both up on stage to say a few words about the bands, something that, as a previous judge myself for other comps, I was pleased that they did. The first judge stated that "The Secrets had a huge following, that their second track was their best track" while Judge 2 said that they'd done "really well for a band who'd only been in existence for 3 months" and that he found them to sound "a bit like the Arctic Monkeys". For 14 Miles From Home, both judges acknowledged and sympathised with the onstage sound probs they'd had at the beginning, while Judge 1 stated that the "frontman had a great stage presence" and that "Postcards was the best song they did". For Hello Pirates? Judge 1 stated that they were "in technical terms, the best band on the night, but that "he found the songs a bit "samey", and that "the vocalist had the most incredible voice", while Judge 2, also saying that he found the songs "too similar", admitted that the band "had set the bar for the whole competition".
There was a public vote - and before you groan, let me say that Tay-FM handled this well, the idea being that each week the band with the highest public vote on the night gets put on the website and, at the end of all 4 heats, the band with the highest public vote, goes through to the final. Meanwhile the judges eventually returned and announced that, although a tough decision, that Hello Pirates? won the night - so it's Hello Pirates? that get an automatic place in the final.
I'll end with a couple of personal comments. First, the idea of the similarity of songs that Hello Pirates? have - all down to perception I guess, but I'd say that they just have a trademark style rather than anything overtly "samey", so as a criticism, I can see it, but I don't agree with it.
Secondly, and I'm sorry to have to blow my own trumpet here, I have to say that, while there's absolutely no denying that what Tay-FM and The Evening Telegraph are doing here is absolutely superb and that they can only be congratulated for showcasing local talent like this, I do find it highly ironic that it's impossible for any of these bands - or any local bands - to get daytime airplay on Tay-FM or Tay-AM - I do a weekly two and a half hour radio show on Radio North Angus every Saturday afternoon from 12.30 to 3pm where I play almost exclusively unsigned local and Scottish bands and artists, with all of it sounding absolutely perfect for daytime radio - no-one would complain about the quality. So, you have to say that, if I can put on a radio show like this for these bands every week and make it absolutely riveting, then why on earth can't Tay do this too!!! We live in hope........