Oxygen battle of the bands final

The J- Walkers,Seven Days, The Resistance, Colin Scallon, Box Social, I-Pheonix

The Dewdrop Inn

Platform 5 Battle of the bands for Oxygen

19/06/09

The Dew Drop Inn, Kill is a really pleasant gig venue with friendly staff. This was my first visit there for the Battle of the bands final, to play at Oxygen; A dream opportunity for any Irish band!

Three judges, six bands and it was looking like it would be a fun night. A sense of excitement was about when I met the guys from the band I was here to see, The J-Walkers. I was on a panel of judges, when this new and gifted band won at a similar contest a few months ago. But in most of the contests where I was just a spectator in the past, I’ve found you may expect the unexpected and with the standard so high, it’s anybody’s race. However, I was delighted to notice a few familiar faces among the other participants, plus a cheerful audience.

The first band was called Seven Days. Ciaran Black, the MC helped build up an atmosphere of celebration as he introduced the show and each act was given a huge reception of approval. He reminded us that each band tonight had won four previous heats to get this far, which is a huge accomplishment.

Seven Days started with a song which had lovely harmony, a funky beat and with a gorgeous and charismatic front man, they looked to be a very polished and well prepared act.
The singer Ian White plays acoustic and the bassist, Darren Sweeney does exceptionally noticeable slap style funky notes. I liked the way that they got the audience involved too.

They did a number called Temptation, with a thumping rhythmic intro and fantastic lead. Slinky and seductive, this song had a nice build up to the chorus. They have a sound similar to The Police and other influences include Foy Vance, Dave Matthews band and James Taylor.

They finished with Harder to Breath.
Keyboards are played by the singer in this moody song. A lovely lead solo held my interest. The guitarist Nicky Brennan plays a semi solid and does it justice.
Before they finished their set, the singer introduced each band member and I liked the way that with each introduction, they each played a little solo. What a nice start to the night!

The Resistance

This act consisted of an acoustic guitar, lead, rhythm, sampling and an Electric Double Bass. Interesting!
Members are Rob McDowell, David and Eanan Patterson, Rob Allen and Diarmuid Breathnach. They combine their many instruments with well performed lyrics and melodies, using catchy harmony throughout.

To have and to hold was the first number which had a nice little riff throughout. The violin is plucked in this and the presence of such an array of strings added to the full, vibrant sound.
These are an original act and continued with The Water. Lots of bass here, a sliding riff on lead and the chorus memorable and sweet. This lively piece comes to a big crescendo and got a great response from the crowd.

In Time was their final song. It has a trickling intro and a quiet verse building up to a choppy chorus. Harmony close, this number ebbs and flows with it slowing down and picking up again. It wasn’t going to be easy to pick a winner if the rest of the bands were this good.

The J- Walkers

From Castledermott Co. Kildare they are a blues/acoustic/jazz act. Front man Steven Cassells – Guitar/Vox, Clifford Deane – Drums, Bernard Kavanagh on Bass and Steven O’Connor on lead guitar took their places onstage.
Lead singer and guitarist Steven Cassells has trodden the boards around Carlow and Kilkenny and in many prominent venues. They are together only a short while. But they have a catchy sound and are a truly likeable bunch of lads. Influences include Damien Dempsey, The Frames, Jack Johnson and many others.

They began their set with Waiting Here.
This has a trickling intro, building up to big resounding chords. The verse is quite laid back. Lots of chops and changes keep your interest. This number is jazzy, with a delicious lead solo too. It also has a nice melody line and sweet chord combinations.

The Courage to Struggle on involved backing vocals sung by Bernard on bass. The lead guitarist Steven O’Connor shines here too. This has a sweet melody and lovely ascending notation in the chorus. You just lose yourself in this band’s music and you can feel how much they enjoy entertaining.

So Damn Easy

This is a song I particularly enjoyed. A cheeky flanger laden intro takes you into the verse. It has a foot stomping beat and Steven Cassells sings the catchy chorus; So I go, so I go go go getting the audience to join in. Choppy, cheerful and simply gorgeous, this was the last of the J-Walkers set.

Box Social were a very young band and seemed to have a rent-a-mob with them. Distortion packed chords and a choppy beat in the first number This is what you wanted made it quite enjoyable. The vocalist Daire has a superb voice and despite the screams from the groupies up front, this song was excellently performed, although I found it a tad repetitive.

Time, song number two from this interesting bunch of guys had an anthemic feel to it. It reminded me of a band I’ve reviewed in the past; ‘Suddyn’, who are now treading the boards over in the U.S.A.
Lovely guitar, Daire performing on synth and the explosive chorus seemed to lift the roof.

Lingerie was jettisoned onto the stage during the final song Mixtape as the young ladies up front were enjoying this act. It was hard not to be impressed by such young lads, with such potential and oozing talent.

Colin Scallon

This singer songwriter was a nice easy-to-listen-to act. His first song was from his new album ‘Songs for a Sinking World’. It’s called Daisy Chains and his bassist was able to frame the number nicely, adding depth along with barely there backing vocals.
This was a refreshing contrast to the earlier acts which were all bands. He did a number which I liked called The last Battle. It had wonderful chord riffs in the intro and although there was only Colin and his bassist, I found his music soothing and his sound full.
He finished up with Build me a woman. This had a strut style tempo and a catchy riff behind the verse, with an air of mystery to it. He played the most amazing solo in this sexy song with a taste of Van Morrison moodiness. His other influences include many of my own favourites such as David Bowie, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits
Colin’s performance was exceptional and his guitar prowess very evident.

I –Pheonix

This band who I’ve reviewed before took to the stage and from the get go were explosive and alive. Taking their influences from Queens of the Stone age, Interpol and Future Kings of Spain, I-Pheonix are exciting and performed Lights which involved magical baselines and thumping rhythm along with lead singer Conor Wilkins’s fabulous guitar riffs. It has a dramatic and memorable chorus. They also did Amnesia and Polaris. Like every other act this night, these guys put every ounce of energy and effort into each number.

After a short interval, Ciaran Black announced the winners of the Battle of the Bands for Oxygen. First prize went to Seven Days and second went to Box Social.
The battle had been fought and won. Any one of the six were worthy of this prize and it must have given judges Charlotte Flood(Phantom fm), Niall Morris(Platform 4) and Paul Downing a real headache trying to select a best.
As I left The Dewdrop Inn, my own voice was worn out from shouting for the J-Walkers. There was a moment of disappointment for certain when the winners were announced and Steven and the lads weren’t among them. But despite this, I was uplifted by the sense of camaraderie among all of the contestants. The solidarity and grace of these fine musicians, all of whom are sure to reach success is heartening indeed.

Angela Macari O’Looney