Reviews / Battle of the Bands: Autopilot lands the prize
Later this year, a number of young local musicians will leave the Lerwick ferry terminal with hopes, dreams and a bittersweet kiss on the cheek from mum as they head south for university or college.
It inevitably will sound a death knell for some bands – or render them dormant for months and months – as Shetland’s youthful musicians, often so pertinent in the scene, hit the big city.
This time there will be some particularly distinguished young guitarists and drummers absconding south, so there’s probably never been a better chance for fledgling teens to stake their claim in the local music scene and fill the gaping void; thankfully, the next crop of young ‘uns seems to be in good hands.
On Friday night, the Shetland Young Promoters Group hosted their annual Battle of the Bands event at the Scalloway Hall as teen groups got their chance to showcase their skills. There was no booze, and not very many elders – just a gaggle of giddy kids having a good time listening to Shetland’s next wave of wannabe musicians (and their doting parents – at the back of the hall, obviously).
The premise was simple. Each group had a 20-minute slot in which they hoped to impress the judges, who included drum tutor Russell Gair and sound engineer Amanda Pearson, on aspects such as stage presence, originality and performance.
The carrot-on-a-stick meanwhile was a slot at August’s The Buffet 2014: The Shetland Rock Festival in Lerwick.
First up were Blind Summit, who morphed the Scalloway Hall into a time machine by performing covers such as Blur’s Song 2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Under The Bridge. Strong female vocals and robust musicianship meant an impressive benchmark had already been set.
Toxic Flames took to the stage with added clout in the form of hefty SIBC airplay, with the enthused audience parroting along to their lyrics. It was a set of original tunes and pop-rock tracks like the plinky-plonky Catch a Shadow, which has almost become cult in its own right within the isles, installed the quintet as early favourites.
Whilst the two young acts lacked somewhat in stage presence and swagger, Mass Firestorm took it up a notch with some metal flourishes and self-penned instrumental verve. Kudos to bassist Callum Anderson meanwhile, who channelled Iron Maiden’s nimble-fingered dynamo Steve Harris with aplomb.
Next up were Autopilot, who, with age seemingly on their side, had the chops and the confidence to rattle through the likes of The Clash’s I Fought The Law as they flitted between sounding like Shetland’s next punk band and/or the isles’ only Arctic Monkeys tribute act. They worked the crowd meanwhile with pizzazz and injected some vitality into the atmosphere with well-executed backing vocals.
The final slot went to the aptly named Avenged Shetlandfold, who paid homage to popular US metal act Avenged Sevenfold. With no bassist, the ambitious tribute project was devoid of low-end – leaving their sound depleted – but the quartet found their feet on their closing track Dear God, which gave rise to some notable acoustic guitar work. And yes, one of their members did indeed wear a horse head during their first track. A name change to Shetlandfoald required, perhaps.
There was even time meanwhile for effervescent local collective Pivot Dance Squad to entertain the audience between some of the acts, who performed well-rehearsed contemporary routines at the back of the hall and somehow rarely broke sweat.
Last year’s Battle of the Bands winner Höygir later reared their hairy heads with pumped-up bombast to show the young pretenders the stepping stone potential of the competition, lording the Scalloway stage with speed-freak guitar riffola and keen bravado that had rarely been seen in the sets prior. A mosh pit soon ensued, with bodies, arms and the aforementioned horse head bundling about the dance floor.
So, the moment everyone had been waiting for. The three judges ambled on stage to deliver their verdict with the sincere hope of not breaking the hearts and smashing the dreams of the more sensitive musicians out there.
The panel – not quite Simon Cowell, but close – acknowledged the work of the event’s five entrants, but it was Autopilot who ultimately landed the prize. There were cheers, whoops and woohoos from the group who, despite not having played original tunes, arguably deserved the title in terms of their tightness and stage presence.
The quartet took to the stage once more to play an encore set, which was readily lapped up by the young audience and the one drunk man who wobbled in from outside and banged on tables near the sweetie stall before being swiftly removed.
Upon reflection, however, there were no winners or losers on the night. Each band showed that even if a number of pivotal Shetland musicians are leaving for pastures new this year – perhaps the scene’s true battle – then there is an army of talented, budding performers and songsmiths out there ready to take their place.
Chris Cope
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