Children of Indigo

It was hard to move in The Espy Basement because our opening act of the night ‘Children of Indigo’ had brought a huge crowd to the venue! ‘Caution’ was a solid way to start the set but it was a shame that they backed it up with a cover for the second tune. While they did nail the song it was original material the new listener wanted to hear! In ‘Revelation’ the band started to look more confident and it was a song that really showed off the vocal prowess of front lady Kara! Kara has a great voice and with a little more work on projection of her voice and practise using a microphone live her vocals will shine! Children of Indigo are an all girl underage band which, if you close your eyes is hard to believe as they are extremely talented for their age! Kasia on the drums hits the skins like a demon! ‘Warning Signs’ was a highlight of the set and featured a nice melody on the keys from Alanna! The whole set was well backed by Kayla on the bass guitar and Liana on guitar! Another cover was played by the end of the set, but this is not needed as the girls’ original material stands up on its own! Some nice dance moves toward the end capped off an awesome set from Children of Indigo!

Recrudescence

Recrudescence is a three piece grunge band that obviously loves Nirvana! They played some original material surrounded by Nirvana covers. The boys obviously love this style of music and enjoy playing it together. Some of the tunes sounded better than the others but a murdering of the well known hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ didn’t sit very well with what was a left over crowd from the previous band. There is much work to do for Recrudescence.

SheWolf

SheWolf took to the stage with a cover song by ‘Greenday,’ which was a shame because this crowd had come to see what they could do of their own. ‘Time Turner’ was a much better tune that was more up tempo and suited the girls a lot more! This is where the girls seemed more confident in themselves, especially drummer Nikki who played an amazing drum break mid tune! The girls then played another cover song, which again was cool, but it will be good to hear more of the girls’ original material in the future! ‘Chances’ was a great song which featured a catchy chorus and great backing vocals from all the girls, particularly in the bridge! The band got better and better the longer their set went on and finished with a bang in ’Poison Mist,’ a song that again featured great vocals from the girls up front! SheWolf’s original material is so much better than the covers they chose! Pop rock girl power!

Third Best Friend

Third Best Friend took to the stage with a fresh energy, featuring father and son duo up the front with Darren on guitar and vocals, Jeremy on bass and solidly backed by Petrus on the drums! Third song of the set ‘Penny’ was captivating with great harmonies provide by Jeremy who also played some nice bass parts! The song then took a turn from what was a slower ballad type tune to a full power rock song which was very memorable and a highlight of the set! It was great to see Jeremy on bass guitar enjoying his time so much on stage! Some gear changes were even made mid song with a string broken, which was not a worry for Darren on guitar who just put that guitar down, picked up another one and continued on! Rock and Roll! It was also great to see how much Darren enjoyed playing alongside his son! High fives all around on stage for Third Best Friend!

Awaiting the Hail

Our first metal band of the night brought the double kick and brought the heavy! Awaiting the Hail must spend a lot of time rehearsing together because they are one tight metal band! Cam’s vocals are very suited to this genre and the whole band has a very deep understanding of this style of music which shines through in their live show. Most of all, the band looks like they enjoy doing what they love!

King Evil

King Evil not only brought a loyal following to The Espy Basement, they also brought groovers! As soon as the first note was played in opener ‘Simulation Theory’ the crowd was dancing! I’m not sure if we have seen so many people getting down to the tunes this season like this crowd was! King Evil plays a pshycodelic style of rock tunes with plenty of groove, creative arrangements and spacey light and shade. Third song of the night ‘Family’ was a real beauty with its catchy backing vocals by the boys and anthem like melody! King Evil are a hard band to describe, crossing many genres with eclectic styling’s, one minute soft and soothing, then heavy and gutsy the next. King Evil are sure to go a long way with their music in the future!

The Spoof Maggots

In what is surely a world record, ‘The Spoof Maggots’ played twenty songs in twenty-five minutes! Some highlights of the set included ‘Mum’s Kissin Dad’, ‘Chicks can’t Drive’, and ’40 Pound Black Marlin.’ There were other song highlights as well but none that can be printed here! The band is a concept band that will not suit everybody’s taste but if you enjoy this humour then you will definitely enjoy The Spoof Maggots!

The Weight of Silence

The Weight of Silence started with a cool sample before bass player Ben threw off the beanie for opener ‘To Carry a Secret’ before demanding the crowd come forward, which they did! These guys brought so much energy to the stage and gave their set everything they had! ‘As the leaf falls’ was a well constructed song and a highlight of the set! Nick on the drums was super skilful and really held this band together!