UniCentre Band Comp Heat 4
By Tessa Muskett
Listening to music should never be a chore, although it is acceptable for it to put you to sleep, that’s a genre all of its own: lullaby. The bands tonight, did their best to rock the room, and keep me awake, and they pulled it off pretty well.
Who knows if The Isle of Lesbos is a reference to a travel destination or not, but the band is no type of joke. Their music is lulling with dance electro style vocals; you know, short meaningless phrases that are spoken with such a sexy whisper that you believe they must have some power. This created more of a feel than conveying any concrete meaning. The electro vibe was lost in the live setting. Their songs, for example, ‘Two Girls’ are catchy and professional.
Ironhide are a trio of musicians who create music that is the result of rock and metal having a one night stand. Their music is the mediocre lamb in the field of music where the especially talented sheep are standing out from the rest of the pack whilst others are being counted as they jump a fence, one sheep, two sheep..zzzz. They have an EP out so support them on their way through the farmyard hierarchy. Robots are a very popular theme in current music. Think band names such as ‘Nobody Knew They Were Robots’ and song titles. Ironhide follow this current trend with their tune “Don’t Stop Robot”.
Despite their name, Entropy’s live show was well-organised as well as energetic. They have a demo CD out at the moment so get your grubby rock n roll hands on it. They play a brand of progressive metal that reminds one of Australian acts such as Karnivool with their loud, roary vocals and complementary melodic parts. Although the approach is typical they definitely do it quite well.
If April is the cruelest month (T S Eliot) then what is May? A future-metal band from Wollongong of course, not as cruel as April but definitely more exciting. The month of May has a sense of moving forward and that is what this band is all about. They push the boundaries and give you something different to listen to. When the oldies reach to cover their ears, you know what you are hearing must be unbelievably new and exciting and cool and you should be a part of it. Words are spoken in a poetic way which is artsy but there is also some very futuristic screams that are quite high pitched and thrashy. There is a good building of tension in the music, like in a thriller movie.
The Understatement were very typical of the local emo scene which is very competitive and solid. They have a good sound and a polished stage performance. The lyrics in their music revolves around truth and struggles, employing much life and death imagery. One of their songs is called “A Shortness of Breath”, for example. Layered vocals are a popular technique in this genre, but it is undeniable that they had a good punk feel.
The Sound Conspiracy are a funk/metal/rock, in the true trend of being a twenty-first century ‘slashie’. “I will never forget you” and similarly unimaginative lyrics were sung by a guy with a shaky and unreliable voice. They plugged an indie look that tended to the serious side in collared shirts.
There are five different areas that are judged in deciding who is the winner of each heat of the band comp. The Understatement came second, with Entropy taking out first place for Heat Four. This means that Entropy will play in the final on 14th August. Be there.
