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A fantastic performance by blues rock band The Haze and a promising set from The Stitch was enough to see them both through to the second round of the Battle of the Bands, knocking out The Renegades and The Flood in heat 2 of the competition. Proceedings commenced with The Stitch, who in the past have looked inexperienced playing on The Mill's big stage but took a big step forward with this confident and rousing set of baggy, psychedelic funk. As a band The Stitch have improved immeasurably since Listen Up last saw them, clearly making an effort to justify the presence of five musicians and having a much broader sound to show for it. The Flood begin with an out-of-tune, warped oriental melody before descending into an angry, scream-infested vocal that is so fluctuating in both key and pitch, it is hard to concentrate on. They show potential of governing both timing and tempo but you can't help but watch them like a child playing with matches, it's only seconds away from all going wrong. Either The Flood have an obscene grasp of musical direction or they just aren't ready for public consumption. Maybe its a grower, but after this performance we aren't going to get another chance to find out. Brilliance Listen Up knew not what to expect from The Haze as they jumped their formal introduction to hyperactively launch straight into twenty minutes of musical brilliance. The quartet reel off 90mph blues riffs reminiscent of AC/DC and Aerosmith and a lead vocal comparable to Motorhead's Lemmy. A talented lead guitarist underpins songs about Jehovah's Witnesses and Netto (Scandinavian value supermarket). Like Home Made Memory the previous night, The Haze suffered equipment problems, but rather than let it ruin their night, they bounced back twice as strong and turned their fortunes around. No indie hair cuts, no Parka jackets, no obtuse egos, this is just pure rock and roll. The Renegades took to the stage full of promise, having recorded some impressive MP3's. It is obvious that the funky, Americanised blues-ballads had a certain charm about them, but the bands' performance let them down on the night. They do not look at home as a band, with only the singer looking comfortable in his role, and irrational sound levels made it hard for the dwindling audience to work out just what they were getting at. Don't write them off entirely, if they can get it right, they've got a good thing going, but they've missed the boat on that £1000 prize money. |