ONCE again the Battle of the Bands at Birdwell Club was hit by a late withdrawal.
But once again the two remaining bands raised their game and produced a thriller.
There was nothing like the difference in styles seen the previous week, but Rainfly and The Flux Capacitors were still on top form.
Rainfly took to the stage first, looking dark and menacing in their mostly black T-shirts. Well, all right, dark.
But at last, there was a lass in the form of drummer Jess Race to prove that girls can rock just as well as the boys.
Lead singer Paul Ashley is clearly the best vocalist of the four bands so far. I Can’t Hear You was cracking, and Chapter Final was enjoyable.
The change of pace which came with the acoustic In Memory was welcome, although the song never quite convinced. They ended with The Awakening, an interestingly different track.
Perhaps they don’t quite look the part on stage yet, and they maybe need to work on finding their own sound, but they certainly have talent.
On to The Flux Capacitors, then, in this reviewer’s opinion in possession of the best moniker out of all the bands in the competition.
Singer and bassist Scott Heald has a rather shouty singing voice which proved hit and miss, largely depending on what song they were playing.
With the right tune, he sounds spot on, and he soldiered on with the ones not suited to him.
They were good to watch, and their character comes through. Feels Like Jealousy was a decent start, and by the time they launched into Feeling Good Lately drummer Paul Holden, putting on a storming performance, had taken his shirt off. At times they showed some serious pace to their music and in 1+1=3, they managed to fit in a song about doing maths in Barnsley.
A cheeky cover version of the The Proclaimers’ hit 500 Miles went down well.
Ultimately, a split decision from the judges gave the win to the Flux Capacitors, who will join Midair 91 in the final.
• The next heat takes place on Tuesday September 19, featuring Abbledy Flowers, The Headliners and Junktion 37.
