The final heat in what has so far been an enthralling contest arrived. A real change in styles in comparison to other heats and another night of high drama, weirdness and disappointment. A smaller crowd than previous heats but no less vociferous provided one of the strangest results the event has ever seen.
Having travelled from the other side of the country, it was perhaps harsh that Haverfordwest’s In Which It Burns (8) drew the challenging opening slot. With fewer people in the room (the curse of the opening slot), the Pembrokeshire lads hit hard, heavy and with an intensity that was the theme for the evening. IWIB’s play a groove orientated thrash with vocalist and guitarist Wayne ‘Stretch’ Mayhew the focal point. Stretch’s roaring vocals, the combined guitar work with lead guitarist Steven Flynn and the rhythm section of bassist ‘Mikey’ Thomas and drummer ‘Vinny’ Lowe work cohesively as a unit and the band present as one tight outfit. Stretch used the time between songs to add a bit of humour, always a challenge when your songs are so freaking miserable. Listing an international directory of paedophiles before introducing The Creed, dedicating a track to The Westboro Baptist Church, “a bunch of religious cunts”, and the mysterious 6341 were among the highlights of a set that started well and improved as the band utilised the stage and their opportunity to the max. A fine opening to Heat 6 but nothing could prepare us for what happened next.
It’s almost impossible to describe the second band on the bill. For weeks the dread and worry had coursed through the event organisers. It was well founded but what happened next is perhaps best left unspoken. For those who like a challenge or were there, you can make your own review of the genesis of Trombonoscopy (7) featuring ROMBONOSCOP from the following words:
Skeleton Fear Crazy Milk Financial Intro Lights Milk Nonce Dancing Disbelief Disappointment Incredulity Dog Pension Track Octopus Trombone Dancing Organised Stuffed Market Police Backing Dog Milk Pit Insane Omelette 28 minutes Strange Dirty Laughter Banana Spoons Scratching Broccoli Unclean Darkness Freaky Dog Stock Burgers Shower Sandwich Weird Applause Milk Chanting Nonce Clef Stand Trombone Second Got Milk Dog Nonce Plan Prospectus Outfit Got Small Value Bizarre Lighting Smooth Squid Violated Help.
Unexpectedly, slot 3 of Heat 6 suddenly became the hardest slot of the entire event, it was up to the South Wales valleys metalcore of Epic Fail (7) to try and bring a sense of order to the evening. The band hit the stage hard, working with energy and passion which produced a strong reaction from the still reeling audience. Their hair is indeed sprinkled with a bit of the fantastic, and their music is polished, underpinned with melody and an experience which comes with a decade of experience. In my interview I mistakenly recorded that keyboardist and vocalist Natasha Sault had a broken foot but that was my error as it was main singer ‘Reggie’ Harris who was wearing the boot of shame, not that it affected his guttural roar in any way. It may have affected his ability to stand on the stage though and this detracted from the visual side of the show. As I said in my review of Heat 5, in a venue like Fuel, those at the back are often unable to see the pit area, and there were several people at the rear asking where the singer was. With one of the guitarists also decamped to the pit for the entire set, this weakened the experience and is something that the band need to consider for future shows. We need to see you all – it’s a visual experience too!
Having reformed for the second time, From The Depths (6) have a history that could fill a book (not a big book but a book). The band brought a sizeable following with them and their metalcore was lapped up. Vocalist Luke Powell plays the misery well, rarely showing any emotion throughout the short set. Guitarist Benjamin Morgan linked well with bassist David Williams and drummer Rhys Morgan, and musically the band were neat and consistent. Morgan’s additional vocals were a little low in the mix but that didn’t appear to worry the crowd. However, after around 20 minutes the band called their set to a halt, a quick goodnight and that was that. Little interaction, and perhaps a feeling that they had proved their point. There may be more going on there but having been late hitting the stage, even a decent number of votes was not going to be enough to put them through.
Closing off the night and Heat 6 was Throwing Knives (6). Sadly, the Cardiff based band drew the smallest crowd of the evening, but that didn’t faze Throwing Knives, in the slightest. Vocalist Brett Davies opening the set with a statement of intent, “we’re not really metal” before launching into 30 minutes of aggressive punk infused hardcore style rock. Despite their protestations, Throwing Knives were a classic demonstration of why M2TM is so interesting, pulling in a wider and diverse range of bands than we’ve ever seen. Throwing Knives were tight, competent and in guitarist Daniel Streeter a gem of a guitarist. His sound was the purest I’d heard all evening. Alongside Streeter bassist Steve Hubbard failed to stop moving for the entire set, whilst drummer Peter Kennedy was a blur of movement as he hammered his way around the kit. Maybe not the most comfortable of fits, Throwing Knives are probably an acquired taste for your standard metal fan, but their high energy set impressed.
With the votes in, it was another tight decision. The judges work to a set of criteria and this is matched against the fan vote. On the night, it was In Which It Burns who took top spot, a healthy number of votes and the strongest performance on the night. Wildcard slot surprisingly went to Trombonoscopy, the decision based on several factors, some of which you can consider in the following paragraphs. Commiserations to Epic Fail, From The Depths and Throwing Knives. As always, thanks are due to the organisers, the venue, the sound team, the bands and the fans for another great evening.
Roundup
It’s almost impossible to describe the second band on the bill. For weeks the dread and worry had coursed through the event organisers. It was well founded but what happened next is perhaps best left unspoken. For those who like a challenge or were there, you can make your own review of the genesis of Trombonoscopy (7) featuring ROMBONOSCOP from the following words:
Skeleton Fear Crazy Milk Financial Intro Lights Milk Nonce Dancing Disbelief Disappointment Incredulity Dog Pension Track Octopus Trombone Dancing Organised Stuffed Market Police Backing Dog Milk Pit Insane Omelette 28 minutes Strange Dirty Laughter Banana Spoons Scratching Broccoli Unclean Darkness Freaky Dog Stock Burgers Shower Sandwich Weird Applause Milk Chanting Nonce Clef Stand Trombone Second Got Milk Dog Nonce Plan Prospectus Outfit Got Small Value Bizarre Lighting Smooth Squid Violated Help.
Unexpectedly, slot 3 of Heat 6 suddenly became the hardest slot of the entire event, it was up to the South Wales valleys metalcore of Epic Fail (7) to try and bring a sense of order to the evening. The band hit the stage hard, working with energy and passion which produced a strong reaction from the still reeling audience. Their hair is indeed sprinkled with a bit of the fantastic, and their music is polished, underpinned with melody and an experience which comes with a decade of experience. In my interview I mistakenly recorded that keyboardist and vocalist Natasha Sault had a broken foot but that was my error as it was main singer ‘Reggie’ Harris who was wearing the boot of shame, not that it affected his guttural roar in any way. It may have affected his ability to stand on the stage though and this detracted from the visual side of the show. As I said in my review of Heat 5, in a venue like Fuel, those at the back are often unable to see the pit area, and there were several people at the rear asking where the singer was. With one of the guitarists also decamped to the pit for the entire set, this weakened the experience and is something that the band need to consider for future shows. We need to see you all – it’s a visual experience too!
Having reformed for the second time, From The Depths (6) have a history that could fill a book (not a big book but a book). The band brought a sizeable following with them and their metalcore was lapped up. Vocalist Luke Powell plays the misery well, rarely showing any emotion throughout the short set. Guitarist Benjamin Morgan linked well with bassist David Williams and drummer Rhys Morgan, and musically the band were neat and consistent. Morgan’s additional vocals were a little low in the mix but that didn’t appear to worry the crowd. However, after around 20 minutes the band called their set to a halt, a quick goodnight and that was that. Little interaction, and perhaps a feeling that they had proved their point. There may be more going on there but having been late hitting the stage, even a decent number of votes was not going to be enough to put them through.
Closing off the night and Heat 6 was Throwing Knives (6). Sadly, the Cardiff based band drew the smallest crowd of the evening, but that didn’t faze Throwing Knives, in the slightest. Vocalist Brett Davies opening the set with a statement of intent, “we’re not really metal” before launching into 30 minutes of aggressive punk infused hardcore style rock. Despite their protestations, Throwing Knives were a classic demonstration of why M2TM is so interesting, pulling in a wider and diverse range of bands than we’ve ever seen. Throwing Knives were tight, competent and in guitarist Daniel Streeter a gem of a guitarist. His sound was the purest I’d heard all evening. Alongside Streeter bassist Steve Hubbard failed to stop moving for the entire set, whilst drummer Peter Kennedy was a blur of movement as he hammered his way around the kit. Maybe not the most comfortable of fits, Throwing Knives are probably an acquired taste for your standard metal fan, but their high energy set impressed.
With the votes in, it was another tight decision. The judges work to a set of criteria and this is matched against the fan vote. On the night, it was In Which It Burns who took top spot, a healthy number of votes and the strongest performance on the night. Wildcard slot surprisingly went to Trombonoscopy, the decision based on several factors, some of which you can consider in the following paragraphs. Commiserations to Epic Fail, From The Depths and Throwing Knives. As always, thanks are due to the organisers, the venue, the sound team, the bands and the fans for another great evening.
Roundup
As the heats conclude, and with a couple of weeks until the first semi-final, it is worth pointing out a couple of things which really need to be said. Bringing a support really helps. Not only are the heats 50% based on the fan vote, the judges are also looking for crowd engagement and response. A raging room which is moving and responding is always going to impress.
The six heats have produced a huge variety of acts, some superb, others still learning and finessing their craft. The heats were drawn at random. With a different draw, it is a certainty that the semi-final line-up would be totally different. So, if you didn’t get through, it doesn’t necessarily mean you weren’t good enough; just unfortunate to be in a heat which contained other bands who were as good as you.
Planning your set requires time and effort and is immediately noticeable if you don’t. This is part of the criteria for the judging. Run to time and use the opportunity to gain maximum exposure for your band. 30 minutes should be easy enough to fill but if you can’t or overrun this won’t earn you any favours. Ask any of the bands that have played the New Blood Stage at BOA. The requirements that the festival places on you are tight and you need to follow this ethos from the start.
This isn’t a competition to win a recording contract or financial reward. It’s about promoting new talent. Entertaining the audience is key. Playing to the whole of the venue means visually as well as aurally. Several bands have had members deliver the entire set from the pit. You can’t be seen from the back! Get in people’s faces but ensure that everyone knows you are there.
If you didn’t get through, learn from the experience. The South Wales scene is buzzing now. Speak to bands who did get through, former finalists and winners. Establish their dos and don’ts. Find the work ethic that will push you forward. Promote yourselves and be confident without arrogance. Above all, be gracious.
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