The Battle of the Bands from Fresh Entertainment certainly got heated this month. Two rounds of local alternate music presented a deep contrast of what our local talent has to offer. Round 1 was a display of tender talent, while Round 2 bought out the darkside, bringing heavy music to Seaford Hall, no matter what genre these bands were playing to get to the finals.
Round 1 kicked off with Frankston Highs own Shoot the Messenger. This young band delivered a strong performance and definitely set a high bar for the other bands to beat. Playing their self-composed 15-minute track Spearmint, this band was my personal pick to win. Next band to grace the stage was up and comers DTSD an acoustic cover band who almost embodied Kurt Cobain himself, this duo had husky vocal talent that definitely put a grunge spin on their covers. The Battle of the Bands drew out Cryptic Jim who had come straight out of John Paul College; this band bought pop punk to the stage and was definitely bringing some tough competition. Most of the crowd was waiting for Melanie Grace, with a voice of an angel this girl has the vocal power to do the unexpected and was definitely one to be rivaled. Bringing on some more acoustic talent Pocketwatch Knight bought some acoustic indie, which definitely was a standalone sound. Wild Nite bought a stripped back version of their original sound, 6 years ago I saw this band play a battle of the bands and their sound still does not disappoint. But lets be honest, you want to know who won! With no surprise at all Melanie Grace won this round and joining her on the stage will be DTSD and Wild Nite.
In a complete contrast to Round 1, Round 2 bought some heavy hitters, emphasis on the heavy. Starting out strong with a sound that was truly unforgettable was Static Revenue bringing together some classic sounds mostly relying on that of Rage Against The Machine. The band describes their sound as “Something you can nod your head to in the car or mosh you a$$ off in a pit” which it definitely stays true too. The Escapist bought a sense of challenge to the stage, being another “core: band” and describing themselves as “Angry, emotional, hard hitting vocals, melodic riffs, with massive breakdowns, stuffed together like a hardcore burrito”, the band bough some hard hitting competition. A band that was certainly surprising was Cyprus, the youngest band on the bill who bought some extreme metal. I don’t think anyone in the room was expecting their performance, it was definitely explosive. Hailing from the Carrum Downs area Flesh Of The Earth bought a very mature sound black metal to the stage as well as playing with the already built up energy in the room, they were personally my pick to win. Finishing up the whole battle was crowd favorite Along Shorelines, a local hardcore band who have a refined sound and have played some incredible shows. But again, who won this round? It honestly was a complete mixed bag of victors; Flesh of the Earth taking out first place, joining them at the finals will be Along Shorelines and Static Revenue.
Be sure to keep the 9th August free in your calendars because Fresh have bought you a lineup not to be missed. Headlines by heavy weights Elegist and I, Valiance these guys will be joined by Melanie Grace, DTSD, Wild Nite, Flesh of the Earth, Along Shorelines and Static Revenue, so it is un-missable!
MILLI RANSOM