Best Original Band Contest at The Springhead Pub (Aston Rd, Willerby) 30 June 2004 By Elsie Creek

Next Page.

Thirty-six local bands, competing over a period of nearly six months to determine which will make it big and which should be thrown on the compost heap of shame . . . sound familiar? There are quite a few band contests for the amateur set, and certain faces are sure to be seen at each of them. The Springhead Pub, however, hosts one of the better events. The Bonnitts, Sonic Purveyors, cowfisH and Shindigg in the final: what more could a music-lover ask? Well, the live execution of all chart-topping teeny-bopping lip-synching twats would be an obvious starting point, but BOB (as it is affectionately known) 2004 has been about the best it ever gets locally. Anyone who has attended many open mic sessions will empathise when I say I was anticipating the standard of music in the heats with dread. It was a good ploy, for it meant that I was pleasantly surprised when all the bands were able to play their instruments and carry a tune. I didn't make many of the twelve weekly battles, each with three bands, but those I did attend were most enjoyable. I'll try not to mention the bands I didn't like - there were enough good ensembles worth praising to make the lesser ones inconsequential. The bands do enough negative promotion for each other. The greatest schadenfreud of the heats has to be the amount of backstabbing and bitching to which one becomes privy. The judging in this first round was weighted towards audience vote, and so the bands were encouraged to drag as many friends, acquaintances and men off the street along as they could beg, steal or bribe. While there were three judges, each with ninety votes to cast, the number of individual votes meant that it was not always the best band that went through.

I was particularly disappointed that the harriWattsBand were knocked out early on. They were unlucky with the sound system, 'tis true, and they were still getting a handle on the band dynamics. Favourites of the folk circuit and so much more besides, they were certainly well below par, but in a contest of originality they should have made the semis at least. They live in some kind of hippy commune full of musicians, groupies and mind-altering substances. Three members with two violins, two guitars, a flute and a keyboard - that's gotta be worth something, surely.

Ernest, too, should have done better, with their idiosyncratic sound and quirky lyrics. Their mix of styles grabs the attention, with funky riffs segueing into chilled-out and mournful ballads. You don't need drugs when you've got their EP (Pimps, b**ches and) Super Heroes, but like all the best musicians they are greater in the flesh than on plastic. It was their bad luck to be pitted against cowfisH in the semis, but there is talk of recording deals and the like, so I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them yet. The final was a tense affair, The Springhead Pub crammed to capacity with around three hundred eager punters. The bands I have mentioned notwithstanding, I felt the judging to have been remarkably fair under the circumstances. The four groups remaining by this point were all talented. Of course, rivalries were bubbling to the fore, but much as I tried I could not incite the performers to violence. For the most part they were depressingly sporting about the whole thing, though I sensed there may have been a few tears before bedtime.

The Bonnitts must have picked the short straw to end up going first; rather than making an impact, it meant that they were forgotten even more quickly. That is not to say that they were bad, exactly, but original they were not (comparatively, at least).

Highly attractive, and popular too in these parts, they'll probably do very well in rock and indie circles. They have been likened to The Stereophonics, and the lead singer's gravelly voice suits them well. They use mostly minor keys, and some of the riffs are pretty catchy, if you like that sort of thing.

They have the traditional four-musician line-up of drummer, bassist and two guitarists, all of whom play well. They are a little too aware of their beauty and talent, and they maybe didn't realise that this stage would be about more than making the right noises and pouting a lot. No effort was made to interact with the audience, which always annoys me in live music.

The songs included sudden changes of volume and tempo (the percussion was excellent), and I liked the way all the instruments came through at different points, but they were hardly inspirational. Perhaps by going first The Bonnitts hoped to make a greater impact, but in the event it simply meant they were forgotten even more quickly. They kicked off with their favoured instrumental, which was all very good, and it went downhill from there. Sorry, guys, but Ernest should have had your slot.

On the plus side, however, The Bonnitts did succeed in warming the audience up a bit for the Sonic Purveyors, who really came on with a bang. These guys are from Grimsby, and consequently no-one had heard of them before BOB. Hopefully, this will have made all the difference. Talk about crowd-pleasing; with humorous poses, ripped jeans and excess hair this foursome won the heart of every female in the room during their rock 'n' roll set. It was like being transported back to an era where men were men and music was an aural dose of hormones . . . aaah.

They started with a drum solo, which is in itself unusual, as the other musicians wandered onstage with drinks, unflustered by the screaming masses. The other instruments came in gradually, including the judicious inclusion of a half-moon tambourine. They simply oozed rockstar chic, and though a leopardskin guitar strap was the only concession to frivolity, they were as camp and glam as they come. There was a lot of energy in the performance, barely suppressed in the more haunting, melancholy numbers and unleashed in short, adrenaline-filled bursts.

The frenetic drumming in the punk songs was tempered by melodic guitars and more ambient tunes. Some of it must have been inspired by Muse, especially the track where they put down the flying V and brought out the electric piano. After enough arpeggios to get the crowd howling, they launched into some awfully familiar-sounding angst-ridden rock.

I'm not knocking them; they are excellent. Young and appealing, and lots of fun, the Sonic Purveyors will go far. They exited in a reversal of their entrance, finally leaving the drummer doing a solo amidst cries of . . . More! . . . More! . . . Full marks for stage presence, lads.

Continued on www.thisisUll.com...... Next Page.

Photographs courtsey and Copyright © Elsie Creek thisisull.com

Music Reviews - Radio in the Raw By Cilla
	It's a local radio station. Ok, it's the BBC so with that comes plenty of kudos. But it's BBC Radio Humberside - a place I have to admit that I'd steered clear of, probably since its inception, as a not-cool place to be. In those days there was nothing but Radio 1. And Raw Talent is a local live radio show. It's so local, you could see Alan Raw, it's presenter and Read more...

Music Reviews - Twice the riot, Die for, Flatline, Tear Jerk and Steel Rules Die @ the Adelphi, 27th June By John Pearman
	I wasn't planning on going to the Adelphi tonight. You see, I don't really like punk music and it's quite a well known fact amongst my friends. So why the hell did they turn up at my door and ask me to come? I have no idea. But upon contradictory insight into the bill as to whether Freak's Union was to play or not, I decided that the night Read more...

Music Reviews - Access to Music End of Term Bash At the New Adelphi Club, Hull 22nd June 2004 By Jeff Parsons
	The latest in a long line of Access to Music showcase gigs took place at its resident venue, the Adelphi, on Tuesday 22nd June, featuring the now customary eclectic mix of artists and styles. Access to Music is the country's top provider of popular music courses, running a variety of programmes at locations from Portsmouth to York Read more...

Music Reviews - The Bluetones, The Bonnitts, Bluesand at The Adelphi, Hull Thursday 17th June By Steve Rudd
	This was surely one of the greatest nights in the history of the Adelphi. Over the past 20 years, almost every band that has been worth its weight in talent has played here, and plenty have since gone on, in subsequent years, to become very successful and well known indeed.. bands such as, for example, Oasis, the Manic Street Preachers Read more...