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North East Live Battle of the Bands
Round Two.The second round of the NEL Battle of the Bands at Doctor Browns took place on Wednesday May 21st. Taking part in round two were Dark Messiah from Middlesbrough, The Banter from Whitby and Shoebox from Middlesbrough.
We were a little bit concerned about tonights turn out as the Cup final was on! We needn't have worried though, all three bands attracted their own supporters and once again the pub was full!
Dark Messiah
 Up first we had Dark Messiah, this is a very young band who we have watched over the past year or so blossom into what could become one of the finest bands in the area. The average age of Dark Messiah is just 13 years old but this means nothing when it comes to performance and professionality!. Recently appearing on Sky Television, Dark Messiah have earned themselves a great reputation despite their youth.
 The band is made up of Zoe as Lead Vocalist and Rhythm Guitar, Matty on Lead Guitar, Paul on Bass Guitar and Backing Vocals and Sophie on the Drums
Dark Messiah played a great set made up of well known and loved cover songs and their original material too.
Zoe belts out the tunes with a voice that is undefinable and astoundingly powerful for one so young. This band have all the right ingrediants to be a fantastic act and from what we have seen so far they will go all the way!
The Banter
Up next tonight we had The Banter. Hailing from Whitby this young band are something decidedly different. Comments made by a few of the onlookers were ranging from these are like an upbeat Oasis to these remind me of the Killers! The Banter burst onto the stage to give us a fantastic performance made up of all original material and frankly putting many a local seasoned band to shame. They are fresh and fun and brilliant at what they do!
  The Banter is made up of Jericho Keys - Guitar & Vocals, Sean Stuart - Guitar & Backing Vocals, Nicky Baxter - Bass & Backing Vocals & Kane Waterfield - Drums. Each individual of this act performed whilst on the stage with an energy and drive seldom seen, reminiscent of the Jam this band knows how to put on a performance and certainly knows how to entertain!
Shoebox
 The final act of the evening were Shoebox. A four piece from Middlesbrough these guys describe themselves as an alternative indie band. They played a fabulous set of original songs and even played through the penalty shoot-out without missing a beat! I do suspect that they had their eyes on the big screen though!  Having recently performed with Alistair Griffin of Fame Acadamy fame and also cut their first demo, Shoebox are slowly building up a reputation in the local area as being one of the most sought after bands in the area. They have a slot at Traders during Middlesbrough Music Live and numerous gigs in the local area over the coming months. Shoebox is made up of Sam - Lead Vocals/Guitar, Ash - Lead Vocals/LeadGuitar, Jonno - Bass & Mark - Drums.
Over to the judges. We have put 5 categories in the judging criteria for this battle. Entertainment Value, Originality, Presentation, Musical Ability and Overall performance. Each band can score a maximum of 50 points from each judge based on the five categories.
Again the quality of the bands who performed in tonights battle was outstanding. Each band had a unique style worthy of winning any competition.
Tonights winner overall was Shoebox who will be joining Such Great Heights in one of our Semi Finals which will take place on 25th June and 2nd July.
Next Wednesday we have Cynical Breakdown from Middlesbrough, Silent Club from Middlesbrough and HED from Ashington.
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