Soundclash 2011 - February 9th

The night's line-up was always promising with an eclectic range of style on offer. From indie-pop to indie-rock, and a full house at Cox's Yard, these three bands had many treats to offer. However, the curse of Soundclash is a regular feature meaning that something was at stake. That something was popular band the Cosmics who had failed to turn up. Part of the Soundclash feature is for bands to self-promote, so all their dedicated followers come along and help vote for them. A staggering 152 people had turned up, so someone had certainly done their homework. The atmosphere was positively charged, adrenalin was running, the queue for the bar was ridiculous...oh yes, by far the most entertaining Soundclash night was on offer. It was a case of respect your elders, as Project Ozma took stage first. These Leamington based lads, with their beautiful female keyboardist, were impressive. With their indie-pop feel, which had a unique twist to it, they certainly had the crowd going. The band had an affinity with each other and their music. The heavy metal regulars had a sense of self-loathing because even they liked what they had heard. Never have I seen such an instant liking to a band from one set before. With visions of filming them in the grand final, you had to feel sorry for Basement Services, young teenagers performing on a school night. You could feel the twitching as people wanted to vote there and then, but this is Soundclash where anything can happen. Never underestimate youths, especially youths in a band. This five-piece band were performing their first proper gig. Hilarity was assured as MC Andi had to resist his usual type of banter (there are only so many restraining orders he can fit in his wallet) but the crowd loved him, and so they should. There was a weird sense of anticipation, you almost felt nervous for this band. Here they were, following the most infectious set Soundclash has seen for a while, with their very first. Like I said though, never underestimate today's youth. From the very first chord, looks were given, eyebrows raised, comments were spoken, and the moshing began...yes moshing for an indie band! The extremely talented vocalist mesmerised the crowd with astounding lyrics, the rest of the lads contributing by making the audience pander to their rock needs. The stage presence was energetic, ass-kicking almost, with cheeky little scissor kick jumps to go with the awesome guitar rifts, and drumming that would put people in the industry to shame. These were the guys that had invited about 90% of the crowd, and it was plain to see that maybe Project Ozma may not be in that final after all. Forget Basement Services, these guys should be called Penthouse Services. Their music lessons must be the best in the world. Votes means prizes though, so check out the podcast to see if Basement Services did the homework with their marketing campaign and talent or if Project Ozma were really that infectious... Check out the podcast to find out, and remember, you can tune in live for all the banter, interviews and sets only on Stratcast.