Review: Battle of the Bands

10:12am Wednesday 21st June 2006

RUNAWAY favourites Cohesion stormed to victory in the latest Fibbers/The Press Battle of the Bands 2006 semi-final, with a rip-roaring performance that set a packed dance floor buzzing.

With their tight blues-rock sound, and lead singer Paul Clark's rasping vocals, they were every note a band on their way a revved-up Franz Ferdinand with smarter lyrics and more attitude.

Before they started their set the last of three bands to perform the expectation in the audience was palpable.

People were expecting great things. And they weren't disappointed. Their set was charged full of energy and exploded with Mr Doormat an anthem for anyone who's ever been walked over.

Storming guitar riffs and blazing solos from guitarist Adam Pickering followed on You're Such A Bore and new song Blind like Kaiser Chiefs crossed with Muse and the volume turned up.

Their massive legion of fans a product of their growing following on York's music circuit whooped with delight as they closed with Okay.

The song was a brilliant take on the quiet-loud formula, a bouncy, catchy anthem that was a perfect end to their set and led them to a place in the competition's final.

They will be joined by goth-metallers Digicore one of the highest scoring semi-finalists with 40 per cent of the vote.

They opened with Psalm 666 an assault on the audiences eardrums that left no doubt as to their intentions.

Their sound was dark and intense, with brooding bass lines, huge distorted guitars and rasping vocals from lead singer Psi.

But their maximum-volume bread-and-butter sound was brilliantly contrasted with digital samples, with a delicate piano riff used throughout standout track Vacant Headspace.

They were followed by five-piece The Academy, who made their American influences plain with anthemic pop-rock tunes.

Their clean guitar riffs and layered three-way vocals led by lead singer Alex Davies were reminiscent of the commercial sound of Blink 182 or McFly.

But at their best they aimed towards the happy-go-lucky positivity of the early Beach Boys, and they had the crowd singing along to Time After Time and Lucky Star.

Their standout song was Silently introduced with a pounding drumbeat, clashing chords and raucous guitars.

Cohesion are still outsiders to win the contest at 14/1. But at those odds they are worth a flutter.

With more performances like this they could be on their way to the Battle Of The Bands crown, if not much more.