EIGHTHNERVE RUN RIOT ~ 30th September 2005

EighthNerve battered their way through the opposition at the Drill Hall last Sunday with a no holds barred performance of metal which secured their berth in the Battle of the Bands Final on Saturday 29 th October.

First up on the night were a bunch of whippet thin floppy haired guys from Steyning called The Snarfs . Their first number 'Slow Down for Corners' had a nice punchy foot tappy feel to it, with Pete on vocals and guitar doing all the hard work in trying to get the torpid crowd moving. In contrast Rob on lead looked so laidback I felt like taking him up a sun lounger; that said he roused himself enough to pull off a decent lead break which indicated a fair amount of technical skill. By their third number my memory juices had been stirred enough by Pete's vocal delivery to realise that they had, not a necessarily bad thing, an undercurrent of The Cure running through their sound, less melancholic and more ebullient maybe but similar enough to make a connection. They flittered on the edges of Country for their fourth song and finished with 'For You' which had a nice guitar thread running all the way through it but may have been just a bit too repetitive. Ultimately they showed some good technical touches and had enough stage presence to win the crowd; overall 'B-' good catchy tunes, bit sloppy, have the potential to do better. The Snarfs finished third.

You wait for ages for an Electronica band and then two come along at once, typical! However, unlike FMI last week who were all bass and thumping rhythm Register , performing as Synthia, came delivered in the more traditional Kraftwerk package. Teaming up with his sister Charlotte, Tom says his inspiration comes from 'the underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country and offers a blissful journey into the corner of your brain marked blip', of course! They started with 'Shining Future' which used a variety of gadgets and gizmos, including a melodica, to produce a veritable feast of noise, no dish more palatable than Charlotte's sensual, slightly robotic, pitch perfect voice; people will dream! Their second song I can only describe as a Crunchie being dropped into a blender closely followed by a pack of wine gums all topped off with Strawberry yoghurt, brrrrpopopppsluuppvomvom! Nice! Horsham's very own alternative electronic juice bar! They suffered with a smattering of technical problems but it didn't stop them having some fun and incorporating some quirky choreographed arm movements which were copied by the now enthusiastic crowd. Their set finished with Tom bent over his keyboard and gadgets like some electronic alchemist tentatively searching for that elusive elixir of sound only for it to build up into a keyboard thumping crescendo of electronic bleeping release.

After the avantgarde approach of Register, Luke's Fault opening number 'Lust' came as a bit of a shock to the system with its thrashy abruptness and crispy vocals, which in parts got a little loose. 'Nothing to Do' was more stable with Jam and AJ working well with each other and providing a solid base for James to have a go at a lead break; the wow wowing vocal filler at the end slightly took the shine off though. I liked 'So Confused', especially the chorus which had a nice hook running through it and a good potent beat which gave the pit something to get their teeth into and with a few tweaks could become quite anthemic. By the end of their set the guys looked more comfortable and began to really get into the music which helped their overall performance and sound. Luke's Fault have something to offer, and potentially have some good songs but I think they all should take a leaf out of the Anas boys book and go with the feeling and let themselves go; have a blast, enjoy, its what its about after all.

EighthNerve then strolled on stage and proceeded to bludgeon everybody else into submission with some swiftly thrown combinations of power, pace and downright passion. 'Polarise the Thought' set the tone for their set with its bombardment of drumming, thumping bass and twin guitar attack coupled with Dave's gut wrenching verbal assault which seems to bend him double with every line; some nice hair swishing by Matt too. Will on drums gave a fine performance during 'At least I Value You' with lots of people edging closer for a look, at one point the side of the stage looked like a Who's Who of Horsham drumming. The crowd responded to the furious onslaught with some of the best head banging and moshing I've seen in a long time, there must have been some sore necks in the morning. Don't however confuse EighthNerve with a band that just go for noise and power above substance, to pull off this type of music you have to know what you are doing technically, gig regularly and rehearse otherwise you end up with a bit of a mess. When all was done and dusted and the pit had broken from its frantic semi malevolent embrace I heard the battle weary utter the word 'awesome' a number of times which, although simplifying a bit, succinctly sums up this dominant performance.

Its always difficult to follow a band like EighthNerve and the unenviable task fell to Warning to Candidates for what I think was there first gig, tough; although vocalist and guitarist Andy does have some experience of Battle of the Bands as he took part in the acoustic heat last year and won some well deserved praise. After a slightly jittery start, which to be honest was rockier than I expected, they settled down into their second number 'I'm Still Here' which had the framework of a well crafted song underpinning it and a few nice touches, I even saw the AD/HD little dudes having a slow-mo bop. Yet another song titled 'New Song' made the set list, which I suppose goes to show that the creative juices fairly slosh out of the Horsham District, and gave Andy the chance to stretch his voice which at times was clear and strong. I know that this band is fairly new and I got the impression that they are still exploring exactly what it is they want to do, all the component parts are there they just need to slot into place, but then that's what gigging and rehearsing is all about. 'Cross the Line' with its melodic rhythm, relaxed feel and indie style seemed more 'them' compared to some of their other numbers and perhaps gives a pointer to the direction they should head; will be interesting to see what they come up with next year.

Last up were the Black Arrows who came tagged as the dark horses as they had recently won a mini Battle of the Bands competition organised by the Needles Youth Club. One thing is for certain none of them want to hide as they all jostled for space right at the front of the stage; I half expected Jim to keep shuffling his drum kit further forward so as not to be left out. Their first number 'Society is Fallen' made you prick up your ears with its honest all out Rock n Roll approach and I saw a few people nodding approvingly. 'Deep Down' saw Liam interacting well with the crowd and David on guitar pull off perhaps the best lead break of the night; two things are for sure - he knows what a wedge monitor is for and the term 'bedr oom noodler' could have been made for him - he could go far. They need to work on the rhythm section as it got slightly muddled now and again and you couldn't help but think of Guns & Roses, so originality was a bit compromised, but these guys are young and pulled off a pretty fine set, the judges also thought so as they placed them second.

Heat 4 takes place on Sunday 2 nd October at the Drill Hall when Salvaged, hAND, Certain Everything, Jalopy, Forsaken Effigy and Stolen Monkey will be fighting it out to be the third band to make it to the final. Doors open 18:30 , first band on at 19:00 . Entry £5 (£4 HDLMA members).

Battle of the Bands is organised by the Horsham District Live Music Alliance and Horsham District Council. For a full review go to www.hdlma.co.uk for more information contact Nick Jenkins 01403 215216 nick.jenkins@horsham.gov.uk

Nick Jenkins

ENDS

SERRATED CUT THEM TO SHREDS ~ 23rd September 2005

It proved third time lucky for Serrated at a packed Drill Hall last Sunday when they narrowly beat Freddy Man to pole position and secured a coveted place in the Battle of the Bands Final on 29 th October.

Implicit had the tricky first slot to fill and started with what was essentially a warm up 12 bar jam/intro piece which seemed to have the desired effect of getting rid of any nerves that may have been loitering about. 'Angry Song', although retaining the blues feel, had a heavier chunkier riff; it also allowed Matt to show off his technique on the guitar which included some nice noodling. Their last number 'Linda Maclean' saw them slide into a more skater punk style, ala Green Day, which suited them better and matched image with sound. Sure they're a bit rough around the edges, and the rhythm section was a bit loose now and again, but they showed potential and they now have a decent gig under their belts; will no doubt find their sound.

For the Fallen are made up of the remnants of After Black but from the moment they played the first chords of 'I Close My Eyes to See' it was clear they have shifted away from Emo/Rock into a darker heavier metal sound. On the night they adopted the blanket noise approach punctuated with staccato bursts of screaming vocals and heavy rhythm section. Tim on drums had a chance to show off his no nonsense approach and chops on 'Dreams like Screams', which used the tried and tested formula of mixing a slow build up to a frantic chorus and included a surprisingly nice, but elusive, 'Van Halenesque' riff by Mat é. Their last song 'As we Pretend' was their best and had a nice hook; it could have been very good but lacked enough contrast . I think the band need to decide what they want to do, if they ride the metal pony then fine, if not I think less is more.

As ever Dwell jumped onto the stage full of energy and bounce and launched straight into 'It's Been Too Long' which, with its up beat tempo and tag team vocals, epitomises what these guys are all about. Simpson, by far the group's strongest vocalist, seems to have a never ending desire to involve the crowd and encourages them at every given opportunity; he also plays air guitar so much he'll wear his T-shirt out - somebody just give the man a guitar. Speaking of guitarists Liam still has an obscene amount of pedals which a) muddies his sound b) must confuse him c) means the band fail to maintain a coherent identifying sound; no more so than on their last number 'Thank You' which ended up sounding like three songs in one, do yourself a favour and add a rhythm guitarist to the band. That said Dwell are professional, technically sound and good entertainment. Mention must also go to Ali who played bass as well as he played drums for The Bounty Hunters last week, give him a mouth organ, strap a pair of cymbals between his knees and you'd have the best one man band in the District. Dwell finished third on the night.

It would be fair to say that Serrated was where the smart money was being placed for Heat 2, however past performances have suggested they can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but not this time. They opened with a new song called 'New Song', or at least that's what they told me, either that or it's so fresh out of the ground they haven't had time to label it yet, which from the start invigorated the crowd with its ferocious lighting pace. Warner on drums provided his usually barrage of punchy intricate drumming which is becoming the hallmark of the band with Westy on bass supplying a hefty gallop of bass. Their last number 'Subject to Entry', at least it has a name, was perhaps their best song and had some good combinations and vocals with Sean managing to pull off a few nice guitar licks. The crowd certainly seemed to like it and produced the first decent mosh pit of the night. Dare I say it but I think that Serrated are finding their sound and are on their way to reaching their potential. If they can build in a bit of consistency and reproduce this performance on the 29 th October I think they stand a decent chance of walking away with the goods.

It might not be every bands dream to have a 450 strong crowd shouting Wally Wally Wally at it, however for Freddy Man Inc it was sheer bliss. In their front man Wally they have unearthed a star of quiet charisma and genuine quality, he had the crowd eating out of his hand. The band began their set with 'Laser Quest' which immediately marked them out as offering something different for Battle of the Bands with its fusion of heavy techno, jungle, electro beats. To say it was original or work in progress would be an understatement as I'm sure they were making most of it up on the spot. Horsham has not seen anything like it before. 'Jungle' summed them up best with Andy providing some brilliant, if restrained accented drumming on his electronic kit, with Tom on bass and Pete on keyboard linking well. They all endeavoured to keep Wally on his toes; all it needed was somebody in the audience to blow a whistle. Best moment of the night was the look on Wally's face and the small shout of surprise and chuckle he gave when crouched expectantly over his DJ table only for a song to finish slightly before he thought it was going to, classic. At the end of the set Wally made an 'unfortunate' departure from the stage, tsk, tsk, but may have had no choice in the matter. The question may be asked in years to come 'were you there when FMI played there first gig in Horsham'? I can say yes I was; FMI finished second on the night a miserly two points behind Serrated, the closest Battle of the Band heat ever.

I have seen About Blank three times now and this was without doubt their best performance. They managed to crash their way through 6 numbers all of which were played at full punk/metal throttle. Chris on vocals and lead, with his ¾ length shorts, black spiky hair and piercings, looks every inch a skater punk and is the driving force and energy of the band. During the chorus of 'Start a War' he let fly with some scatter gun vocals which had enough vehemence in them to make me believe he really meant it. 'Go' also had a nice primal feel about it and roused the crowd enough into performing some nice circular moshing reminiscent of sardines spiralling up to avoid a pack of predatory sharks; a local well known rock star mentioned to me that this was 'nice'. I felt a bit sorry for the guys as in another heat they may have finished in the top three; such is war.

Heat 3 takes place on Sunday 25th September at the Drill Hall when The Snarfs, Register, Lukes Fault, Eighthnerve, Warning to Candidates and The Black Arrows will be fighting it out to be the second band to make it to the final. Doors open 18:30 , first band on at 19:00 . Entry £5 (£4 HDLMA members).

Battle of the Bands is organised by the Horsham District Live Music Alliance and Horsham District Council. For a full review go to www.hdlma.co.uk for more information contact Nick Jenkins 01403 215216 nick.jenkins@horsham.gov.uk

Nick Jenkins

ENDS

THIS WEEK’S TOP FORTY ~ 16th September 2005

The first heat of Battle of the Bands took place last Sunday with Forty to Fall managing to book their place in the final on the 29th October.

The honour of kicking the whole competition off this year fell to Scandinavian death metal influenced Osiris. They certainly looked the part with lead vocalist Erin dressed as a dark gothic fairy, her waist length hair and large luminous eyes being backed up by the rest of the band all in black. When they get it right they sound good too with Erin sometimes producing Julianne Reagan type light, airy, slightly breathless vocals, which contrast nicely with Mikko’s guttural, throat clearing growls which seem to come from the darkest depths. ‘In the Wake of the Black Sun’ showed exactly what they are all about with a combination of speed and melody working well together; Mikko even managed to pull off the circular hair shake while in the middle of a guitar break, tricky. They worked the crowd well and have without doubt improved from last year; don’t sell out guys, keep doing what you’re doing; deserved to finish in the top three.

Avarice were new to me, and to most of the audience, so I was unsure of what to expect. They sold themselves as heavy metal and started their set with ‘Moral Agenda’ which had a nice choppy riff holding it together. The guys must have liked it too as they played it for the next five minutes and seemed unsure of what to do next. Technically they had a few good moments during ‘Anger is the Best of Me’, Dan the drummer showing potential, but ultimately they left me feeling disappointed that the songs never turned into anything, a sort of intro practice playground – enough said.

Glen, vocalist and lead guitarist of The Bounty Hunters must have had a ‘To Do List’ in his pocket this weekend, move house - tick, take part in Battle of the Bands - tick, win loads of new fans – tick, win heat 1 – ? Three out of four isn’t bad but no wonder he looked exhausted after his set. With Glen being accompanied by just Ally on drums at first you think you’re going to get something similar to The White Stripes but their music is less rock and roll and more dirty blues. Glen’s languid vocal delivery couples perfectly with Ally’s simple but effective punchy drumming style, none more so than during ‘It’s Time’ which in some places sounded beautiful. No doubt this was an ambitious set but I’m glad they tried; good music, good attitude; they came second on the night – shame there’s no wildcards this year.

From the moment Offside took to the stage and played the first chords of ‘Rock n Roll’ you couldn’t help but think of Oasis. Like it or not their shades wearing front man Dan has the same nonchalant swagger, stony face and elongated vocal delivery as perfected by Liam Gallagher, and he does it well. The band reinforced this notion with a twin guitar sound which worked with the solid rhythm section and had the crowd bouncing around for the majority of their set. They must have given the judges a problem as they were technically sound, had good stage presence and musicianship, however I think the likeness to Oasis probably hindered them in the originals section. It maybe worth them going the whole hog and forming a tribute band, there’s good money in it apparently; I think they’d do well.

Forty to Fall either brought a large following to the Drill Hall or made a lot of new fans, either way they kind of employed home fixture tactics and played it safe to make sure they made it through to the final on the 29th October. They did everything they needed to and were technically very good; especially Doug the drummer who drew a few admiring glances. Their last number ‘Last Word’ was heavier than the rest and suited them better; it also allowed Sam to have a decent crack at a lead break which he seemed to enjoy. Forty to Fall ticked all the right boxes and deserved to win, the question they will have to ask themselves is will they be able to defend a 1 – 0 lead against some stronger bands at the final? Or should they bring on a couple of backing vocals, beef up the attack and just go for it?

Anas on the other hand cut loose with abandon and decided to replace polished performance with all out enthusiasm and slack brutality. They produced a fusion of punk thrashiness with an undertone of Ska rhythm with a splash of groove thrown in for good measure which meant most people were unable to stay still. I liked their bold and honest approach and from scanning the crowd lots of other people did too. Sure they weren’t technically the best (I seem to remember saying that about a band last year) but hey, that’s not going to bother these dudes. They even had time to drop in a nod to politics with ‘George W’ and pushed Osiris close for best hair; they finished third on the night.

Heat 2 takes place on Sunday 18th September at the Drill Hall when Implicit, For the Fallen, Dwell, Serrated, Riotlife and About Blank will be fighting it out to be the next band to make it to the final. Doors open 18:30, first band on at 19:00. Entry £5 (£4 HDLMA members).

Battle of the Bands is organised by the Horsham District Live Music Alliance www.hdlma.co.uk and Horsham District Council. For more information contact Nick Jenkins 01403 215216 nick.jenkins@horsham.gov.uk

NICK JENKINS

ENDS

BATTLE STATIONS ~ 9th September 2005

Saddle up the old war pony its battle time again - Yes the waiting is finally over and bands across the Horsham District are dusting off their Marshall stacks, polishing up their cymbals, whacking on a new set of Ernie Balls and making sure they still fit into their Lycra pants, well some are anyway.

Horsham Battle of the Bands 05 kicks off this Sunday with Heat 1 of the Originals section featuring Osiris - picked up quite a few new fans in last years competition with their own brand of Gothic Power Metal which falls somewhere between Deathchain, Dragonforce and Bathory; always put on a good show. Avarice - a Horsham based heavy metal group who could be the dark horses this year? The Bounty Hunters - entered as the Broken Arrows last year and made a real impression on many music aficionados, say they are back bigger and better, but still only a 2 piece apparently. Offside - formerly known as THAAF, are influenced by Oasis and Kasabian and are proud to fly the BritRock flag. Forty to Fall - call themselves the laziest band around, but after coming second in the Covers section last year their original stuff should be interesting, one to watch out for . Anas - a 4 piece punk outfit, fresh from their recent performance at the ET Bar, who practice in a damp shed in Pease Pottage and promise to play it loud.

All heats will be held at the Drill Hall, Denne Road, Horsham, Doors open 18:30 first band on stage 19:00, Entry £5 (£4 HDLMA members). Running orders can be found on the BOTB 05 page.

Heat 1 (September 11 th ) - Anas, Avarice, Forty to Fall, Offside, Osiris, The Bounty Hunters.

Heat 2 (September 18 th ) - About Blank, Dwell, For the Fallen, Implicit , Riotlife, Serrated.

Heat 3 (September 25 th ) - Eighthnerve, Luke's Fault, Register, The Black Arrows, The Snarfs, Warning to Candidates.

Heat 4 (October 2 nd ) - Abaddon, Certain Everything, hAND, Jalopy, Salvaged, Stolen Monkey.

Heat 5 (October 16 th ) - Ghoad, Gridlock, Incarnate , Last Letter Read, Silver One, They Drop Fire.

Heat 6 (October 23 rd ) - Band of Garry's, Disaplinatry Hatred, Laid to Waste, LoKi, MASH, Used Ink.

Covers Heat will be on November 13 th featuring - GreenDae, Lee-Roy's Dad, May Contain Nuts, No Experience Necessary, Sleazy Jesus and the Pitstop Girls, The Delta, The Session, The Speedboatz, Virtual Sabotage.

The deadline for applications for the Acoustic Heat has been extended until September 16 th and will be held on October 9 th (venue tbc), f or more information contact Nick Jenkins 01403 215216. Battle of the Bands is organised by the Horsham District Live Music Alliance www.hdlma.co.uk and Horsham District Council.

NICK JENKINS

ENDS

BREAK OUT THE AXES IT'S BATTLE TIME AGAIN ~ 2nd September 2005

The summer maybe drawing to an end and the nights are closing in but don't despair, all is not lost, as its time to welcome back from the darkest, dusty, slightly smelly corner of the cupboard the music monster that is - Horsham District Battle of the Bands.

The event which started 12 years ago, as a small one off event during the Horsham Town Festival, now takes place over a seven week period with up to forty of the best, most talented bands in the District taking part.

Nick Jenkins, Arts Inclusive Officer, speaking on behalf of the Horsham District Live Music Alliance (HDLMA) and Horsham District Council (HDC) said 'Battle of the Bands has become a fantastic showcase platform for local bands of any genre, and although it is technically a competition its real enduring purpose is that it gives all local musicians, regardless of age and ability, the chance to work with professional technicians, first class equipment and perform to an large audience of music fans. It also gives everybody in the audience the chance to see and hear some of the best bands in the district and over years has thrown up some real gems. What more could you want? It's what the music business is all about'.

Over the years participants have tried everything in their power, including bribery, threats and tantrums, to add the coverted trophy of Battle of the Bands Winners to their collective mantelpiece. Last years winners, 'Fisticuffs', in a rare moment of clarity, realising there isn't actually a trophy, and they didn't have a mantelpiece, settled on a cheque from the HDLMA for £500 and a day in 811 Sound Studios instead, good choice.

This year the event is bigger and better than ever with the Original heats being held on Sunday September 11 th , 18 th , 25 th 2 nd 16 th and 23 rd at the Drill Hall , Denne Road, Horsham. The spectacle of the originals final will take place in the Carfax on Saturday 29 th October and promises to rock the bandstand to its very foundations.

The Covers heat will take place in the Drill Hall on Sunday 13 th November where bands will slug it out for a cheque for £100 and free use of the HDLMA PA for 2 gigs. Last years winners Rise of the Robots, covering a very fine selection of Rage Against the Machine numbers, were reportedly 'chuffed to bits' and decided to spend their winnings on 'baggy jeans and Smarties'.

Acoustic music is not forgotten with a heat planned for Sunday 9 th October (venue to be confirmed) when the chance to win £100 will be on offer. So far only a couple of applications for the acoustic heat have been received so the deadline has been extended until the 16 th September. Applications can be downloaded from www.hdlma.co.uk or call Nick for more information on 01403 215216.

Battle of the Bands is organised by the Horsham District Live Music Alliance and Horsham District Council. What are you waiting for? Grab your coat, grab your mates, even grab your granny, stick her in her favourite hat and tell her she's going to a barn dance if you want, just get down to the Drill Hall ; what else are you going to talk about on Monday morning?

NICK JENKINS

ENDS

BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2005 ~ 29th July 2005

The Horsham District Live Music Alliance are inviting entries for the Horsham District Battle of the Bands Competition 2005. The competition will start on Sunday September 11th with the first heat at the Drill Hall, Denne Road, Horsham, culminating in the Grand Final which will be held on the Carfax Bandstand on Saturday 29th October. There will be three sections for original bands, covers bands, and acoustic/songwriting artists. The originals section winners will receive prize money of £500, a day in a recording studio, two free rehearsals at QM Studios Horsham and a guaranteed headline spot at a future HDLMA organised gig night. Runners up in the originals receive £100, third place £50. Bands in the covers section have the chance to win £100, free use of a PA for two gigs plus a support slot at a HDLMA gig. Winners of the songwriters/acoustic section receive £100. There is also a discretionary 'Spirit of the Competition' award of £25 for the individual artist or musician who most impresses the organisers with their ability, talent, attitude or performance. Details of the rules and entry forms are available on the web site at www.hdlma.co.uk or from QM Studios, HDLMA, Denne Road, Horsham, West Sussex,. RH12 1JR, and Horsham Music, East Street. The closing date for entries is 31st August 2005. Horsham District Battle of the Bands 2005 is jointly organised by Horsham
District Council and the Horsham District Live Music Alliance. For more information call Nick Jenkins on 01403 215216 or e-mail nick.jenkins@horsham.gov.uk

Mark Daly

END