The opening band is Canterbury-based South Coast Saints, a relatively new pop-punk band formed in October 2011, consisting of four members. Having listened to some of their recorded material on their Facebook page and enjoying it, I felt a certain excitement about hearing them play the material live, and was really looking forward to it. Their live performance, however, didn't quite match the standards of the recorded tracks I'd previously heard. The music was good. The vocals were good. But, when put together, there simply seemed to be something missing, some element to the performance that could have glued it all together but, unfortunately, was lacking. Indeed, their cover of Girl All the Bad Guys Want by Bowling For Soup sadly came across rather shambolic, as half of the lyrics were actually missed out, and this was perhaps a slightly rushed cover that does not hold a candle to their recorded cover of, for example, Gossip by You Me At Six. Their original tracks had a certain creative flair, and credit where credit's due, not many bands can pull off decent quality originals in just six short months. Overall, their performance was not as good as it could have been, but this could simply be down to inexperience or the fact that they have not been together for that long a time period and are still trying to find their comfort zones when performing live with one another. There's still something I like about them though, and I think they could definitely go places if they work on their live performance so that it matches the standard of their recorded material. I'd certainly recommend checking out their recorded tracks on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SouthCoastSaints
Next up are Throughout Our Fears, a metalcore band also from Canterbury. They definitely hit the crowd in a completely different way to the previous band, turning off all the hall lights and switching on a strobe light for their entire set. This gets people pumped before they even strike a single chord, which definitely works in their favour. The vocals and music, lead guitar in particular, completely fill the venue and hit the audience in a way that most were definitely not expecting which, again, is a strong advantage to the band. Not being a fan of the genre of music, I didn't recognise many of the songs that they performed, be they original or covers. The one song I did recognise, however, was Sorry You're Not a Winner by Enter Shikari. This being my favourite Enter Shikari song, I know every word, but even I struggled to follow their cover of the song as the vocalists, both lead and backing, seemed slightly disorganised, and the lyrics were all over the place. However, despite my personal dislike for this cover version, it received the best reception from the audience, with people clapping along and moshing in the middle of a small town hall, and it went down pretty well. I think, compared to the metalcore band that are set to follow them, they are not quite up to scratch, but then again, other people from the audience seem to feel completely different. Although I personally think their live performance needs some refinement and some more practise, they seem to have a pretty decent fan base that love them just how they are, and they'll probably be much better listening to their opinion above anyone else's.
The middle band of the line-up are The Homecoming, based between Folkstone and Canterbury, and they are the second metalcore band of the night. However, they manage to set themselves apart from the other bands straight away purely with their level of professionalism. Having already been on tour as a band and released singles and an EP of their own, they seem to have gained some experience that makes them stand out amongst the other bands, and this is refreshing. They have clearly considered their audience and their image as a metalcore band, as the two vocalists are on the floor in amongst the crowd instead of on the stage right from the beginning of their set, and this sparks interest amongst people who are unfamiliar with the band. This must be a minority of the audience though, as many people in the hall seem to be big fans of The Homecoming and are moshing and starting circle pits right from the first song, and the band absolutely encourage this, even joining in themselves when they get the chance, creating a great atmosphere. The band connect well with most people there, and the audience involvement is the best out of all the bands so far tonight. Again, not being a particular fan of the genre, it seems like a foreign language to me, but for hardcore fans of the genre, this band are obviously hitting the spot. From what I can see, I'm inclined to take their side, and say that The Homecoming pull off a good performance with a great atmosphere.
The penultimate band of the night are Faversham and Herne Bay based The Roswell Decision, a band that blur the boundaries between funk, pop, rock and indie to try and include a little something for everyone, and that is something they provide tonight that other bands so far have failed to do. Their covers, for example, include Hyper Music by Muse, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, After Midnight by Blink-182 and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, and their own original tracks have a definite funk twist on the otherwise vague genre of 'rock'. There's not one person in the audience- which has, unfortunately, thinned out a little by this point as many came to see mainly The Homecoming and didn't want to stick around and see what else the remainder of the night had to offer- who doesn't know at least one song in their setlist, and this is definitely a benefit for The Roswell Decision. The audience participation has also lessened in comparison to the previous band, as their music doesn't open itself up to quite as much madness as the metalcore music proves to, but this does result in more people actually stopping and listening to the band instead of being distracted by people throwing themselves around in the middle of the hall. This is the case for the first half of the set, anyway. Their singer- the same Amber Whiffen who has organised the entire night- seems a little restrained at first, but then she follows their guitarist off of the stage and onto the floor and suddenly seems to let loose. She becomes relaxed and comfortable with her own performance and gains the same level of confidence and ease as the rest of the band, and this is when it all truly comes together. At this point, the music and vocals meet in the middle, both of which are at a high standard for a relatively young band. With conga lines and clap-a-longs, The Roswell Decision definitely pull off a great set, and it is clear that they are a band full of potential.
The final band of the night, closing the five-band charity event, is Lite Vinyl, a young rock band from Herne Bay. It is a huge shame that a large proportion of the original crowd has left by this point, because it would be fair to say that Lite Vinyl are probably the best band of the entire evening. However, they don't seem at all deterred by this, and this has simply opened up the floor to the remaining audience who respond very positively to their set, clapping, dancing, singing along, and just basically enjoying themselves, which is what live music is all about. The boys on stage also seem to enjoy the set, and although it is assumed that they are quite a young band, they perform excellently for their age. They take the audience back to the 1980s with classic rock covers such as Back in Black by AC/DC and Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne, and then straight back to the 21st Century with Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they also throw in a little blues with Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix, providing a fantastic range for the audience to enjoy- which they do! The vocals are clear, coherent and sound great, flowing perfectly with the well-executed instruments that are played with good skill. If you were to shut your eyes and simply listen to the band, they would be just as easy to enjoy because, musically, they are obviously very talented. The only thing possibly missing from their setlist is an original song or two, but this goes practically unnoticed as the covers that they play appeal to the tastes of most people anyway. The audience enjoy them so much, in fact, that nearly all of them climb onto the stage by the end of the performance and sing-a-long to their final song, Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it is the perfect way to end their set and the night. The variety of bands that have played over the course of four hours has been diverse, interesting, and enjoyable, but, in my opinion, Lite Vinyl just about steal the show.
To check out any of the bands mentioned from this gig, follow the links below:
South Coast Saints http://www.facebook.com/
Throughout Our Fears http://www.facebook.com/
Lite Vinyl http://www.facebook.com/
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