Blue Bridge Battle of the Bands
Round Five.
This week marked the last of the regular rounds of our competition, leaving only the Wildcard round before we go into the final rounds. In a change to the usual line up this week we had four bands competing so it was an earlier start than usual. This week we had Red Maser from Middlesbrough, Lithium Speed Dementia from Hartlepool, Heroes Fall First from East Cleveland and One Night Stands from Billingham.
Red Maser
Red Maser took to the stage in front of a packed Doctor Browns. All hailing from Middlesbrough this group met and formed at Marton College and have performed at various local venues over the past year. They describe themselves as a progressive rock band and they played a set made up of both original and cover songs.
Decidedly different, Red Maser, made up of Rob - Guitar / Keyboard / Vocals & Brain Manipulation, Andrew Yates - Bass & Closing windows that are high up and Chris Meek - Drums & Melting limes put on an outstanding performance with a lot of quirks - including an impromptu dance routine from Yatesy whilst playing bass which was entertaining and the audience loved it! The covered tunes were done in their own style which gave them a unique slant - not just a cover, these lads made the song their own.
Red Maser are both appealing and excellent musically, a pure pleasure to watch and a brilliant way to kick off the contest!
Lithium Speed Dementia
This next band have been causing quite a stir in music circles North of the region, not that well known down here, LSD still managed to bring in quite a crowd with them and put on a fantastic performance made up of all their own material.
LSD are a three piece punk/rock/indie band made up of Daniel Drinkwater - Guitars/Vocals/Synth/Piano, Louise Bourne - Bass/Vocals, Steven Armstrong - Drums. Their original material was extremely powerful whilst being also engaging and memorable. Having recently cut a demo, LSD are looking to appear more frequently in venues across the Teesside area and also further afield in the North East. Another stirring performance continued tonights pace!
Heroes Fall First
Our third band tonight were Heroes Fall first, a rock/pop punk/ zouk band who pushed the limits of entertainment!
This band are extremely energetic with a style and sound absolutely unique to them! They burst onto the stage with gusto and kept up the tempo throughout their whole set. Made up of Joe - vocals, Trav - Guitar and vocals, Chad - Guitar and Backing Vocals, Josh - Keboards and Vocals, Alex - Bass and Karl - drums, these are ones to keep an eye out for in the future. Having recently been chosen to appear in a film for the Saltburn Festival they have picked up a huge following in the area and are set to become one of the most sought after bands in their genre. A totally enjoyable, highly entertaining set of interesting and very unique songs performed with an energy and dedication from every single member of the band!
One Night Stands
Our final band of the evening were One Night Stands. This band from Billingham have been noticeably active locally over the last few months and are gaining a fantastic reputation in the local area. Describing themselves as an experimental pop band, ONS have put together a set of original material which is commanding and well structured.
Having recently won a place at the Yorkshire Lass Rock the Lass Festival and steadily increasing their fan base, ONS are proving to be one of the up and coming young bands to hit the local scene in recent months. Made up of Jonny Parkin - Guitar/ Vocals, Luke Birdsall - Synthesizer/ Vocals, Alex Blenkinsopp - Bass/ vocals, Scott Riby - Drums/ Vocals, & Craig Grounds - Guitar this five piece took up the gauntlet thrown down by the previous 3 bands and put on a spectacular performance to end tonights show.
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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tonights winner overall was Lithium Speed Dementia who will be joining Such Great Heights, Shoebox, Silent Club and Innuendo in one of our Semi Finals (lineup to be annouced soon) which will take place on 25th June and 2nd July.
