Music Features

The Cambridge Band Competition has proved once again that with the support of the local music scene comes the spawning of bands that will appeal to every demographic and to every trend that makes the Cambridge music scene the diverse machine it is today.

After Effect

To the delight of many, the first band of the evening was 'After Effect', who were quick to prove their worthiness to a venue of potential critics who would perhaps argue the band's appeal, despite being a band more than capable of replacing youthful pop favourites 'Queen and Two Jacks'.

After Effet, photo by Elii Bright

With this said, the harsher critics seemed not to be in attendance, as 'After Effect' stormed through a performance dissimilar to their previous Band Competition appearance, which denied the audience the pleasures of their older tracks, well hidden within the realms of their extensive back catalogue.

This humble yet confident band passionately compiled a set-list that relentlessly shifted from driving guitars and a technically ambitious rhythm section, to emotive bass-driven rock songs that appeal to anyone with a palette for contemporary music. The presence of 'After Effect' was impossible to ignore, with the bass overcoming the technical faults that temporarily tainted the trio's previous performance, and thus generated a definition rare to find within a band of this set up.

Ed Hope and Friends

The second band to perform were folk favourites 'Ed Hope and Friends' who introduced themselves with a fragility that other bands on the bill consciously tried to avoid; especially when performing in a venue of this size. Unrestricted by the size of the stage, the endearing front-man quickly professed his band's appreciation of being welcomed to the night's proceedings, and announced that the size of the stage made the band's instruments 'appear smaller' (in future Sallis, avoid the temptation, no matter how overwhelming!).

Ed Hope and Friends, photo Elii Bright

Aesthetically speaking, the band is distinguished, with a genuinely sentimental ambience that few have touched upon throughout the qualifying heats of the competition. It was again the drummer who took it upon himself to elevate the band above the usual plodding rhythm sections that saturate this underexposed genre of music, and allowed the following assembly of instruments to creatively excel, once again highlighting the band's defined knack for subtle technicality that remained unnoticed by few in attendance.

A set list full of conviction, a vulnerability that appealed to many and a well travelled sound make for a band capable of surpassing the expectations of fans and critics alike, Ed Hope look set to blaze a trail of success upon the local scene and beyond.

A.R.T

Employing ever increased levels of confidence, determination and a youthful energy in anticipation of the final, Cambridgeshire's self-proclaimed art punk rockers A.R.T. provide a lighter edge on a bill of particularly intense performances.

A.R.T, photo by Elii Bright

The splitting of a drum skin within the foundations of the set proved to be a minor contributing threat to the refreshing performance, and after quickly commencing with the next song, the band bounced their way through the rest of the set, which in turn evoked the flailing of limbs and po-going of bodies within the crowd. It was the showmanship of each member of the band, most notably the vocalist, which encouraged the audience to erupt with applause after the conclusion of every song.

The band performed to a crowd that remained non-judgemental of the apparent aesthetic appeal of the band, and to their notable gain; to judge the band on such shallow criteria is to miss out on what they truly have to offer.

The Scissors

The penultimate band of the bill and it's the turn of 'The Scissors' to take to the stage. The only band to consciously change the aesthetics of their instruments, the band have a certain theatricality about them, not least because the members appear to take on the role of numerous protagonists with every performance.

The Scissors, photo by Elii Bright

This time saw the turn of the bassist to change persona, performing under the guise of a pirate, with the aid of a hat that refused to leave his head throughout the performance; a remarkable feat considering the enthusiasm of his response to the adoring applause of the audience. The Scissors own a defined look on a stage this size, and own a certain naivety that remains appealing to a vast majority of the spectators, and ultimately saw the band sail through a mid tempo set without any notable threats.

Sensible Fun

The final band to take to the stage remained loyal to their name and previous performance by erupting onto stage with a bassist that can only be compared to Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit fame. Whether this was a deliberate or an accidental achievement could ultimately define the bassist's credibility, arriving head to toe in white face paint, and white boxer shorts to match.

Sensible Fun, photo by Elii Bright

Exploding their way through a set of familiar sounding hardcore songs reminiscent of early 'Glassjaw', the band reach the conclusion of the introductory song, and in turn evoke a massive response only rivalled by fellow bill fillers A.R.T.

The band's use of inflatable props mid-set sees the audience delight in a much earned distraction to the relentless ear bashing the band creates, and further proves to critics that the band's technical ability isn't quite to the extent of previous qualifiers.

Proving the Cambridge Band Competition still has room for surprises after 20 years of success, the winners were Ed Hope and Friends. Upon acceptance of congratulations from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Jeremy Sallis, the band was quick to leave the stage and share their excitement with the loyal fans within the crowd!