Monday May 12th 2008 @ The Medicine Bar/Factory Club, Birmingham
Words by Stephen Hudyba
Stage 2 Showcase
Science will save us
First up were alternative rock four-piece Science Will Save Us. One of the stand-out alt-rock bands from the first stage, they didn’t disappoint at the Custard Factory’s Factory Bar, giving another fine performance of their American influenced sound. Hints of Incubus and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are littered throughout their material yet never to the degree that it takes anything away from what is a well thought-out and distinctive sound (but enough certainly to draw fans of those acts to their music). Despite being the first band on they quickly got things going – delivering their set with even more intensity than last-time – and set a high standard for the other acts to follow.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit
www.myspace.com/sciencewillsaveus
Somatic
The next band was Nuneaton based three-piece Somatic. Hard and heavy Alternative Rock dripping with distortion and twitching with energy they create a powerful, infectious noise that really works for them. It’s the quality of their material where they really stood-out – lyrically they have found the perfect balance of anger and angst and all their songs are well-constructed, showing a real talent for writing material that makes the most of their three-man setup. A strong vocal from Alex (and some excellent call-response parts with Nick), tight guitar work all-around and sharp, punchy beats from Oliver made for a refreshingly raw, stripped down set, even topping their great first stage effort and showing they really mean business in this festival.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit
www.myspace.com/somaticuk
Sarcastic Comment
The third band of the evening was Dudley based four-piece Sarcastic Comment. They’ve got an urgent, melodic Pop-Punk-Rock direction that is, on the surface, nicely accessible and instantly likeable yet thanks to some strong lyrics and slight Hardcore edge, it remains (to their credit) nicely removed from the usual Pop-Punk fare. At their strongest when they took it heavier and darker, their material is particularly effective on these tracks and gives the band the chance to show off an impressive technical ability across the group.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit
www.myspace.com/sarcasticcomment
Sour Mash
Getting the crowd going like no other – Sour Mash gave another excellent performance of their unique, Pop-ish Alternative-Rock sound. Drawing influences from a wide range of old and new, predominately Rock sources, they have picked out the best parts and thrown them together for something wholly contemporary and exciting. It’s good to see a band trying out new songs rather than just sticking to the tracks that got them into Stage 2 originally, and in this case it ranked amongst their strongest material and showed that as a band they are definitely heading in the right direction.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit
www.myspace.com/sourmashuk
Inertia
The last band of the evening was Telford based three-piece Inertia. Blending elements of Classic-Rock, blues influenced Garage-Rock and Contemporary-Alternative, they create an energetic noise that jumps in and out of more than a few genre ‘boxes’ but nevertheless manages to sound focused and very much the bands own. Some excellent, hook-filled material shows the bands talent for writing a memorable song, and they maintained a consistent high standard of tracks throughout their set. Tight and engaging onstage, the energy and enthusiasm the band puts in comes across well in their music, delivering an impressive set that made them standout on a night with some stiff competition.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit www.myspace.com/inertiatelford
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