Orkney Bands

Blindspot have been announced as the well-deserved winners of Battle Of The Bands 2006. After mind-blowing performances from all six finalists last Thursday and a difficult decision from the three judges, the overall top three bands were announced as Superego, Roll Machine and Blindspot respectively.

With plenty of clapping and chanting right from the start, it was clear that there was going to be huge enthusiasm from the crowd throughout the much-anticipated night. Audio Narcosis kicked off the final with their bass-driven, often political nu-metal, including the album tracks Nuclear Holocaust, The Funky One and Ricochet. The audience didn’t even need warming up – they were immediately showing their appreciation, giving the band a much better reaction than they received two weeks previously. Guitarist Gordon Kovachich impressed the audience further when he played guitar behind his head and the band managed to introduce the night perfectly.

Dazed were on next, starting off amidst a flock of screams as they immediately drove the crowd into a frenzy. They set the scene with a catchy, upbeat song, currently unnamed, which was followed by a song of a similar trend. Each song managed to show off singer Nadine Headley’s outstanding voice perfectly as well as the talent of each of the other members. They performed a collection of very punchy songs with catchy riffs that enticed the crowd and stood them in good ground for a placing.

The winners, Blindspot, showed us what they had next, giving their set an explosive start with Muse’s huge hit, Plug In Baby. It received what was probably the biggest cheer of the night so far, and amongst the continuous chants, they ploughed through some tracks that will feature on their upcoming EP, White Spark.
In the title track, guitarists Darren Tait and Josh McGregor (also on vocals) treated us to two fantastically-written solos, showing themselves as a very tight band. Hold On followed, slowing down the atmosphere and encouraging lighters to be waved in the air, and they finished on another slow but atmospheric song, Think Straight. Josh’s voice sounded great along with the music, and each member has a talent that no one can deny.

Chants of ‘ROLL MACHINE’ announced the next band to play long before the compere, Dave Gray, even came onstage. Roll Machine, five 15 and 16 year olds from both Kirkwall and Stromness, were clear favourites in Heat 1 of the competition, so there were plenty of fans to support them.
It’s clear that these youngsters have a load of potential with their well-written classic rock songs that emulate a Metallica-esque sound. Their slower tunes show their versatility while the heavier ones prove their obvious musical talent.
Performing songs such as Roll With The Punches, Pretty Devil and Laugh At Death, the band were extremely energetic throughout almost their entire set, sending the crowd into a frenzied mosh and proving themselves once again to be extremely popular.

Up next was another popular band, Showcase Jay, who performed the previous week in Heat 2. They started off energetically, but still managed to keep the crowd going when they slowed things down. Their sound was a strong stadium rock and metal sound, a somewhat similar style to Roll Machine.
With well-written songs and varying sounds with new styles and techniques appearing constantly, Showcase Jay quickly became one of the favourites to win. The changing speeds during their third song emphasised how tight the band are as they managed to keep together perfectly.
As their songs changed dramatically throughout, it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite, but it was clear from the crowd reaction that all of their performance was enjoyed.
Catching up with Marcus afterwards, he told us modestly, ‘We didn’t come here to win or to be judges, we just came here to impress. And I hope we did that.’

Finally to take to the stage was the Stromness-based Superego. Fronted by Ciaran Delaney, they set off into their collection of great pop-punk songs, reminiscent of early Green Day. Two weeks previously, they got one of the biggest cheering crowds of the evening. Tonight, they received more fantastic feedback, and they even managed to get a small sing-along going.
Infectious, energetic, catchy, melodic. There are many ways to describe Superego’s music, and none of them are negative. Their second song slowed things down a bit and encouraged plenty of clapping along, and they chose to play a cover of Feeder – Buck Rogers, which went down a storm among the audience. The next song, contrasting a little with their pop-punk sound, had tinges of Red Hot Chili Peppers in the funky riff, and they finished on one of their seemingly most popular songs, Hot Stuff.

Each and every band of the night put on a fantastic performance and it was clear from the beginning that the competition was going to be fierce. Everyone who attended had different opinions of who was going to win, and it was impossible to tell who would make it to the top.

Eventually, after a painstakingly long wait for the judges to come to a final conclusion, the members of all the bands stood together waiting and hoping for their names to be called. The atmosphere was intense as Superego and Roll Machine were called up to collect their awards for third and second. Finally, to the disappointment of Showcase Jay fans but much to the thrill of the rest of the audience, Blindspot were announced the winners of Battle Of The Bands 2006.

It was a difficult decision for the three judges, Neil Stevenson, Brian Cromarty and Jacky Smith – Brian explained, ‘The whole standard of everybody was ridiculously high. I was pleasantly surprised by so many diverse styles, all the bands were wonderful.’
‘Blindspot played out of their skins. They put on a fantastic gig and didn’t put a foot – or note – wrong.’

I also spoke to Ciaran, singer of Superego, after the announcements, who said, ‘We weren’t expecting anything. There were some really good bands, so we thought the competition was really close. The quality of bands was so high.’
‘Our performance seemed to go fine. The only problem I had was we didn’t get a soundcheck – none of the bands did. But it was really good.’

Guitarist of Dazed, Andrew Cowan added, ‘I thought [our performance] was good. The sound engineering wasn’t, though. All the bands deserved to get where they are. It’s a good event, I totally support it. I also totally support all major charities, I’m not racist and I don’t drink…’

Blindspot were of course thrilled by the announcement. After hearing the third and second placements, all four members expected Showcase Jay to walk away with the prize, so it was a pleasant surprise when their name was called instead.

‘We entered the competition with the aim of being in the top three. We had no idea we would win, singer/guitarist Josh McGregor told us.
‘We did work very hard, so it’s brilliant that it all came together. We really focused on aspects that could have been better in heat 2, so that really paid off. It was perfect because it felt like everything fell into place at the right moment.’

If this year’s young and incredible talent is anything to go by, the next Battle Of The Bands in 2008 is something any type of music fan around Orkney should be highly anticipating. All I can say is bring on the next batch of high talent.
By Clarissa Linnet.