AFTER three weeks of tense heats, Okehampton?s Battle of the Bands culminates tonight (Thursday) with the grand final boasting the pick of local musical talent.
The bands will be competing not just for the honour of being named ?best band? but also for prizes, including a day in a top recording studio, vocal training and new guitars.
The final spots in the Millennium Music-promoted Battle of the Bands were booked at the last of the three heats held in the Charter Hall, last Thursday.
The third heat got off to a fun start with the ukulele-playing Mr Perfect. When not demonstrating the versatility of the ukulele, Huey Walker utilised that undervalued musical instrument, the kazoo. The Exeter-based group have been together for a couple of years and certainly put the emphasis on fun.
Next up were Paradox, a three-piece instrumental band from Okehampton The rock band are looking for a singer to complete their exciting sound, if you think you have what it takes, you can contact them through Richard Appleby at Millennium Music in the Arcade.
One man and a laptop, St Paul managed to deliver an electro set which offered a welcome tangent from the dominance of the guitar.
The Charter Hall was perhaps not the ideal setting for the beat fiend?s pulsating sound and there were some technical problems, but despite this, the saintly Paul got a warm reception for his 20-minute set.
It takes a brave band to start their set with the Clash?s classic ?Should I Stay or Should I Go??. The audience emphatically opt for the former, and are treated to some more laid-back original numbers from South Zeal six-piece Wishful Thinking.
Held up by technical problems with their keyboard, the band don?t let that trouble them and quickly develop a good rapport with the audience. The band close the set with two covers, Enrique Inglesias? Hero is given an Eagles-style reinterpretation followed by a muddled The Boys are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy.
Plymouth hard rock band Remember the Alamo get one of the best responses of the evening. Their heavy riffing and pounding drums may not be brimming with originality but it is done with great self-assurance. They bring their loud and proud set to a close with cranked-up blues standards and members jumping off the stage into the audience.
An Okehampton duo, Shockwave Generators are up next and do very well at their first live performance. Using just drums and guitar and girl/boy vocals, they generate plenty of energy.
The contrast between their sound and the strong visual aspect of their show is intriguing. Their stirring version of Beck?s Devil?s Haircut sits well alongside their own dark material.
The honour of bringing the curtain down on the heats falls to energetic indie outfit the Splits. The three-piece, raised on a diet of guitar pop bliss served up by the likes of Nirvana and the Undertones, play a fast and loose set which gets the crowd excited. A sparkling way to bring the heats to an end.
The most eclectic of all the heats, the judges face the difficult decision of cutting across the variety of styles to choose the winners.
In the end, Remember the Alamo win to book their place in the final, to be joined by joint second-placed Wishful Thinking and Shockwave Generators.