The date was Sunday 10th July 2011, at the infamous Rock City in Nottingham, where anyone who is anyone has played at one stage in their career...and i should explain why the hell we were there...
The event was the final of 'Nusic' The future sound of Nottingham, which in a nutshell, meant that the hundreds of entrants for bands and singers across Nottingham had been whittled down to the final 6, and these guys, and girls, had to battle it out for the top spot...and the chance to play on the main stage at Splendor Music Fest! WOW!!
So, the bands, who were they? well, id only heard of two of the bands before i turned up, 'the money' who i was rooting for, and 'the tastebuds' - a Mansfield based punk style rock band. But, i was pleasantly suprised when all the rest of the bands and singers were just as great!
Lets get down to business here then, 6 bands, one audience, and some highly qualified judges (6?) ...the votes were split: half went on the amount of decibels the crowd made with cheering for the band, and the other half went on judges votes.... so in order of play....
The Harli Kings
Austin Francis Connection
An absolute breath of fresh air, i cant think of anyone else at the moment doing anything at all similar to these guys, which is fantastic as it means they stand a great chance of getting very very far, and far they will go if this performance is anything to go by. They describe themselves as 'hip-hop' acoustic, and are made up of 3 guys : the singer (who introduced himself to the 'rowdy boys' at the front as Eddie, was chanted through the set by them, very amusing to watch!), the guitarist, and the beat-boxer (Hobbit i believe his name is), (WHO WAS FANTASTIC!!!). Well i can tell you from tonight that they found themselves a new fan! I was on the front row, bopping away, thinking i can dance, you get the picture! Anyway, i cant hype these guys up enough, when they came on they looked like half of a barber shop choir and just a random local they picked up outside, BUT, a book should never, ever be judged by its cover right...RIGHT! Very clever if you ask me, because as soon as they started beat-boxing and rapping/singing, the audience was totally stunned, take a listen...
Opie Dieno
Aww what a lovely girl with a big big voice, she was fantastic and really won the crown over too, so well done to her!! Very acoustic, folk rock in style (very much like myself), but she was, edgy? is that the right word? i loved her style, her little habits and the way she spoke was quirky, and, aww i just loved her.
The Money
These guys were the reason i was at rock city... Quirky, funky indie rock with catchy lyrics and riffs you'll be singing in your head all day, and i have been singing their song 'feels like you saved me' all day! I'm so pleased i stumbled across them a month or so ago because they're now one of my favourite bands! I happened to be playing a gig at the Maze in Nottingham on the same night as the guitarist Jake (check him out on YouTube (Jake Buckley), some very clever songs!!), heard he was in a band, did a bit of stalking to find out who they were, and voila, I'm the new biggest fan! The songs remind me of something by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, its that sort of style, and they're one of my favourite ever bands so... Instantly catchy, easy to bop and sing along to, i mean what more could you ask for!? I also loved the set opening, where they played the famous sound clip from Jerry McGuire 'show me the money...' and i also loved how they adapted the song 'Ride with me' so that Jake sang the main part of the song, and the crowd had to sing back 'hey, must be the money.' Such a simple idea but it worked really really well, and i think probably helped them to win! Anyway, here's one of their songs...
Kurt Martinez
He had a lot of fans! Either that, or he has one hell of a family! I seriously thought this guy was going to win on the sheer amount of screams he received. There were mosh pits breaking out left right and centre (i was lucky enough to be on the edge of one, but after a few scowls to some 14 year old lads, they soon calmed down...hey i may only be 5ft 3, but i can look mean when i want to be!)
Anyway, yes, I don't know how id describe his style to be honest, something similar (but not as hardcore) as pendulum and Chase and Status. He was great, had the whole crowd jumping along with his dance rock music, yer the guy was great!
Finally...
The Tastebuds
My local band really, which is why Iv heard so much about them (although id like to point out I'm not from Mansfield, as I'm from Derbyshire, BUT these are pretty hot around where I live)... My friend described the lead singer as having something 'Russell Brand-esque' about him, she clearly found him rather attractive...i will say nothing...Anyway! The music! Very old school rock in style (60s/70s), which hey, Im a sucker for so I bloody loved it!! The dress sense and style, the funny mini Angus Young jumps across the stage the lead singer had a tendency to do, and the fact they'd incorporated just about every instrument meant i had massive admiration pretty much before they started!! A great end to a great free event, so congratulations guys (and girl)! Youll have a made some loyal fans from the night, myself included....
So, after my little review i guess your all dying to know who won!? First id like to give you MY TOP 3 before the actual top 3:
3rd: The Tastebuds
2nd: The Austin Francis Connection
1st: The Money
THE REAL TOP 3, AND THE WINNER WHO WILL PLAY SPLENDOR MAIN STAGE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TIME...
3RD: THE HARLI KINGS
2ND: THE TASTEBUDS
1ST: THE MONEY!!!!!
So i got two out of three that's not bad right!?! Anyway a massive congratulations to everyone who played and especially the Money, a well deserved win, and next stop Splendor...
Thank you to all those involved in putting on an absolutely fantastic night! Ill leave you with The Moneys music video for their sing 'looks like rain,' enjoy.
Over and out! x
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