Battle of the Bands - Esquires, 19th March 2005
Reviewed by Simone
One of the perks of this job is that occasionally, we get to witness 'behind the scenes' of our beloved Esquires. Tonight was one such night, as Rick and I were cordially invited to be judges in the Battle of the Bands competition, and thus see how the winning band is decided.
First up were Alias, who started off well with a pianist reminiscent of Ben Folds, and a great opening number which just managed to pull itself back from Keane territory in time. They showed their versatility with the drummer coming forward to sing a couple of numbers - unfortunately this move cost them a bit as he wasn't quite as strong a front man as the original (there is a lesson to be learned in the story of Phil Collins, let's never forget it). But they did show a fair bit of potential, and we duly totted up their marks before moving on to the next act on the bill, Acosta.
Acosta were perhaps the most original band of the evening, with a front woman who had more than a touch of PJ Harvey and early Throwing Muses. Announcing that they had come down all the way from Nottingham for the event showed their commitment to the band, and musically they were a really tight band, and in my opinion, deserved to win the night.
Now, we move on to the evening's proclaimed winners, of whom I confess I was not a fan. Arriving on the stage dressed up as clones of Goldie Lookin' Chain, musically they may have potential - once they learn the distinct difference between "inspiration" and "plagiarism" that is - but Chavius desperately need to decide what they want to be - the novelty act they were dressed up as, or a real live band? However, the crowd did seem to be with them.
Drive Like Casey probably shouldn't be in the competition, if for no other reason than they both look and sound like they're already headlining Esquires. Tight and competent, they did seem to be suffering from tuning and sound problems, and perhaps would've been wiser to have just carried on rather than starting a track again and therefore drawing attention to it. Aside from that, it was a good set from the band with the best name of the evening too.
I guess that part of the 'fun' in these competitions is the controversy that can surround them, and tonight's heat was was nothing if not controversial.
I'm just not sure that the other bands won't be wanting, quite rightly, to throw in a certain Johnny Rotten line, that's all.