Battle of the Bands - Heat 4
Thursday night’s heat opened with a swing intro from Kayak Attack, which went fairly unnoticed by the audience until they launched into their 20 minute set of constant, pounding rock fused with electro. Their instrumental tracks were separated by film sound clips played by their ‘technician’, dressed in a lab coat and safety glasses. Although lacking stage charisma, the band were a welcome return to pre-indie dance/electro with their Prodigy inspired sound. The band eventually came fourth, and perhaps deserved a higher position.
Of the two bands that made it through to the semi-finals, Girl of Prey and Kid Gloves, the former most definitely put on the best show. Dressed like Ian Watkins, and singing in a similar (and mildly annoying) faux American accent, the band delivered a rousing set of emo rock, culminating in a brilliant version of ‘Soulja Boy’. From the reaction the crowd gave to the band, it was surprising to see them finish second, perhaps this result was reflective of their repetitive pleas for votes. Kid Gloves gave a talented and polished performance, although their set wasn’t particularly distinctive before they delivered a cover of ‘On Call’ by Kings of Leon. They should have played this first, as it was fantastically executed and immediately had an effect on the crowd. Instead, it was sadly their penultimate song. However, despite suffering from sound problems throughout their set, the band still did enough to secure a deserved first place.
