Band Comp Final Review

By Matt Dawson

Five heats, thirty something bands and countless fanboys and groupies later, the 2008 Wollongong Unibar Band Competition came down to the wire with the final being fought out last Thursday 15th August. Seven bands were set to take the stage with the winners of each heat joining two qualifiers from the repercharge final in a celebration of local metal, punk and indie rock.

First up were qualifiers, The Greenroom. With supports alongside Thirsty Merc and British India under their belt, they brought a strong professional show to their strong legion of fans. After initially having dedicated vocals and one solo guitar for the first song, they brought in the second guitar and really rocked out for the rest of their set. It was also great to see a strong crowd at the start of the night.

Next were winners of heat four, Entropy. If we thought the pit was already packed we were soon all in for a shock. The Entropy fan squad booked out two fully loaded buses for the night to bring their punters down from the Highlands and soon enough, all 90 of them were down and rocking away to their metal tunes. A very tight band who put on a great show to-boot, they resonated a likeness to Karnivool and Tool in parts.

Third up we had another qualifier, The Conspiracy Plan. Taking the stage donning their fashionable white skivvies and fancy blue vests, these guys would have fitted in at the most expensive (read: preppy) of Sydney’s high schools. However, they then busted out their fun filled punk rock songs and put on one of the best shows of the night. With a guitar solo taking place on top of the Unibar pool tables and numerous spinning guitars, the energy here was simply amazing.

We then came to the sad point of the night as winners of heat three, Bennie James and The Hesitant Few were forced to pull out due to sickness. Lead singer Ben Stoza had met with the evil appendicitis and was stuck in hospital awaiting entry to theatre. This was a true shame to miss one of the hottest bands in the comp.

However…the night forced ahead with heat one winners Sonamulate taking to the stage. Another band launching into the metal genre, they mixed in elements of rap and old-school hip hop to their original sound. With more samples than Usain Bolt will get endorsements, they had obviously done a lot of work behind the scenes to compile this big set. Definitely a band to watch out for in the future.

The second last band to take the stage were heat five winners, The Jacket. Having already played sets alongside Bluejuice and last year’s NSW Uni Band Comp winners Mild Ryan, their quick, catchy, indie rock set had the whole crowd dancing in their shoes and brought many punters down from the bleachers to move and shake.

Finally we had come to the last band of the competition. Heat two winners, The Howling Tongues had already booked in their British India support slot at Unibar and with that brought a strong crowd out to rock away. Playing that traditional old-school rock that has others saying I’m ‘less diligent and creative,’ they keep it simple with a good old three-piece setup. Long, Fabio like hair gracefully flowing in the wind, the lead singer’s shredding of guitar is truly something to marvel.

It was then down to 2007 winners Reason Strikes to “whack out the whiteboard and give these kids a lesson in rock and roll.” These guys always put on a great show and the passion and energy they displayed on stage was not lacking despite the fact they weren’t even competing this time round. Check out their new EP These Songs We Sing, available at all good local outlets, or live at the Oxford on 19th September.

Anyway…it was finally time…the judges had made their call, they came out the front and began to plan their quick exits and security escorts.

Third...The Greenroom. Always a bridesmaid, not yet a bride, you can catch these guys at the oxford on 12th September.

Second… Entropy. Newcomers to the competition, they bring a strong crowd, book the lads some shows, they will bring you the crowd.

First… The Jacket. Fast, catchy, indie rock, it’s the way of the future like it or not. Catch them this Friday (22nd) at LUSH at Cooneys Tavern.

Heres to the end of another big band comp at Unibar… Start writing those riffs, ironing those outfits and talking up that mail order crowd and get ready for a bigger and better 2009.