Salocin

Battle of the Bands

I got back from work just in time to go to the first heat of the bands competition in Windsor Arts Centre today. It's a bit weird going to venues on your own, because it's the kind of thing that you expect to do with friends, but at the end of the day, if you don't know anyone in a town you've just moved to, and there's something going on at the local arts centre, you might as well go along, and so that's what I did.

As the first band moved into their second song, I got a little worried. The lead singer was having trouble with the high notes, and while the beat was Ok and the lead guitarist was good, the rest of the music was just falling apart at the seams. But it got better...

I went back upstairs to the bar, in the hope that some alcohol might improve my appreciation of the music, and met some people at the bar. In particular, I met Richard, Drums/Percussion for the Betts, the last band to play that evening. They and their friends turned out to be an interesting bunch, and when I went down to hear them play, they turned out to be a great deal better than the first band I heard, which raised the level of the entire evening. What's more, they played their own music, which was a plus. They're quite Oasis-like, and (at least in comparison to the first group I heard) very solid in the way they play - they've got a group feel to them, rather than 4 performers on stage doing their own discordant thing. That's a bit harsh, but there you go.

So the first band sucked, The Betts were good, their website really sucks, but you can see it anyway by clicking here (all the pictures are broken), and if you're into discovering amateur bands that are still refining their musical repertoire, then you could do worse than make the effort to go and hear them if they're playing near you.

It's a good thing to have the arts centre nearby. The people who go there are more open to meeting new people, and this whole new-in-town joke is getting old fast, so it's nice to go to a venue where you're welcome and people like to speak to newcomers. I'm pretty sure you'll be hearing more about the arts centre in the months to come.