LIVE

Rip It Up, Issue 122, 1 September 1987, Page 40

LIVE

“No Ordinary Band” Contest Bel I block, New Plymouth, August 28 & 29 The first “battle of the bands” type contest held in Taranaki for more than a decade attracted 15 bands from around the central North Island. A main prize of SIOOO cash and SIOOO recording time at Auckland’s Mandrill Studio drew groups from Hamilton, Palmerston North and even Gisborne. The contest started with New Plymouth band Psychic, who played some straight-ahead rock with touches of blues. More than an hour passed before Casualty took the stage. The trio had nearly all their uninsured gear stolen the previous weekend and had to play on borrowed instruments. The punk band put in a hard fast set of three-chord thrash, getting through twice as many songs as other entrants. Next up was another local band the Candles. Normally a covers group, members performed a tight if uninspired set of pub rock. A new band showing a lot of promise played fourth on the first night. The Urchins were very reminiscent of

early Bats — a bit rough, but with some good songs already under their belts. Keep an eye on this trio. Palmerston North’s Harry Death was next, mixing wall of sound music with ranted ravings. The lead singer did a startling imitation halfway between Chris Knox and Quasimodo while wearing a gold glitter jacket left over from disco days. The five-piece drew the strongest reaction of the crowd — disgust and anger.

Cygnet Committee from Hamilton were due on last on Friday, but delays meant the band didn’t get underway till 10.59 pm. At 11 pm the lights came on, the plug got pulled and the band got put back to Saturday afternoon. As a result the competition resumed at the ungodly hour of 3.30 pm the next day. Cygnet Committee put its troubles behind it to deliver a very strong set, though the Bauhaus influences were very obvious. Fellow Hamilton band Pieces of Cod played

next but abysmal singing dulled its power pop approach. New Plymouth's the Nod put in a technically excellent set, jamming blues and heavy rock. Another local band the Bananamen had a rough opening but improved during its performance to be a highlight of the two nights. The trio put emphasis on melody and rhythm with the addition of saxophone making an interesting, if hard to define, combination. Three Leaning Men from Palm-

erston North played well but smacked of the Violent Femmes, while Taranaki threesome No Comment contributed some messy blues-rock. New Plymouth band Sticky Filth gave the event a solid thrashing about the ears. The trio played loud and hard but with confidence and commitment. Their loyal supporters gave them a good reception but the group also won over a lot of new fans with its performance. Hamilton nerd boys Joe 90 found

the Filths a hard act to follow, and their Icehouse-influenced synth pop was not well received. Bassett Road Murders from Palmerston North and Gisborne's Big Fix put in solid sets but problems with the sound mix and a lack of variety saw them dip out. After a private consultation the five judges (including RWP frontman Dick Driver) picked Sticky Filth as the winners over Cygnet Committee in a split decision.

David Bishop