Battle of the Bands at East Durham Community College, Peterlee. 2nd May 2008
Freaky Weasel started as a night at Peterlee's East Durham & Houghall Community College to replace the popular Sounds Alive 14+ gig nights. Things are still very much the same, although things have got much bigger with moving to the sites theatre and welcoming almost 400 people each month. We went along on the 2nd May to see one of their popular Battle of the Bands nights.
The Bands taking part were; 2 Many Units, Isotopia, Stone Free, This City Romance, Meta Music and Fallen Fate! Each band was voted into the competition by the members of Freaky Weasels myspace. Over 60 bands were in the original line up, the 6 finalists selected by the most votes. From the onset we noticed that the bands taking part all showed a camaraderie that appears to be a part of the North East music scene. Each band was competing for the prize money yet they were all supportive towards one another which set a great atmosphere for the evening ahead.
The judges for the battle were Marc Oliver - Founder of Sounds Alive and lead singer of Indoor Fireworks, Willy from Sunderland Music, Kimberley Wray, Emma Fisk, Freaky Weasel Promoters and Michael Fitches.
It was apparent that the entertainment nights put on by Freaky Weasel are popular, this BotB managed to attract a vibrant, fun crowd, they came in dancing! These kids were clearly up for it and the bands were sure of a full house for their performances. This kind of event allows local bands to gain that valuable experience of playing to a larger than average crowd in a relaxed setting. Each band was to play 3 songs tonight - two originals and one cover.
 
Up first were 2 Many Units - a four piece Post Punk band from Darlington. Too Many Units opened with one of their original numbers which resulted in a bunch of the audience up there on the stage with them. True professionals, they carried on with their set whilst the stage was cleared and put on a fantastic performance including a sword eating demonstration towards the end of it! Not something you expect to see at a battle of the bands! 2 Many Units are appearing all over the North East over the next few months including a spot on the Homegrown Stage at Middlesbrough Music Live. Website.
 
Next up we had Isotopia. This band have just released a demo and are busy pushing it around the North East at the moment. From the response of the audience, these guys have picked up quite a following in the time they have been together and are on at Rock the Barn in Horden at the end of this month. Again they played two original tracks and one cover, an unusual choice for Isotopia in Kelly Clarkesons Since you've been gone, but it appeared to go down well. Website.
 
The third band to play were This City Romance from Middlesbrough. These guys are gaining popularity on Teesside very quickly but tonight seemed to be the wrong venue for them as they were the only Indie band to play so far in what was clearly an evening dedicated to heavier music. The guys played a fantastic rendition of Where is My Mind by the Pixies as their opening song followed by two cracking original tunes. This City Romance have a 5 track demo available and are busy writing more new material as well as gigging around the North East. Website.
 
The fourth band to grace tonight's stage were Stone Free from Newcastle. Another seasoned band who have been together for about two years belted out their tunes to a full house. Stone Free are very popular in the Tyneside area and regularly play at high profile venues such as The Carling Academy.
By this time the kids in the audience were wired and the atmosphere was fantastic. Website.
 
The penultimate band tonight were Meta Music. Another slightly different band for this evening, Meta Music describe themselves as enigmatic and endlessly inventive. These guys had a unique sound and turned out a polished set. They are due to play Rock the Barn in August as well as many gigs around the North East over the coming months. This band is definitely one you want to try and catch! Website.
 
The Final act of the evening were Fallen Fate who unfortunately due to some on and off stage high spirits were disqualified from the competition. Regardless of the disqualifaication, Fallen Fate from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham are one of the more popular local Thrash Metal Bands out there. No taking away from the guys, the engaged the audience and put on a fantastic performance. They currently have an EP released for sale which can be obtained via their myspace site. Website.
Ultimately there had to be a winner on the night and surprisingly to us, given the genre of the majority of the bands who played, Meta Music were voted as the best band on the night and walked away with the prize. Meta Music will now appear at The Freaky Weasel Festival on the 28th June.
Photographs of this event are courtesy of Bex @ Freaky Weasel.
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