It is not often a Monday night can produce a well ran and promoted gig, and many would say a gig on a Monday night is pointless. Well I beg to differ, if a gig is well organised, well promoted and has good bands on, it doesn’t matter what night it is on people will come. This gig proved it with an attendance in the region of approximately 80 that was a decent attendance for any local unsigned band. Often on even a Friday or Saturday local unsigned bands find they playing to an audience of the bands plus their partners, In Elegance defied the odds and put on a fantastic gig.First up was a female fronted commercial metal outfit called SETBACK. I have been too many a Setback gig and on occasion have played on the same bill as them. Their music is full of energy, well structured and with vocals that can range from gentle singing to all out screaming it is a joy to listen to. Despite the band in dire need of a bassist they battle on and show determination and courage to continue on whilst hunting down their perfect bassist. Off stage these guys show their chemistry more than on stage. The main thing I find frustrating about Setback is their on stage performance. Their showmanship is none existent; with the exception of the man-bear they call Afro. Not often a drummer is spotted and is seen as more charismatic than the bands front line but for Setback that is the case. The effortless playing from the guitarists is commendable but with a lack of energy it’s hard to really getting into the band during solos or throughout songs in general. One major factor towards not being able to connect with the band whilst performing is the lead singer turning her back to the audience and singing to the rest of the band. Often coming off the stage to sing but again turns to sing to the band. I find it very difficult to connect with a singer when the singer doesn’t try and connect with their audience and I find that a major flaw for performing live.  At one point they did have the audience clapping along but then went back to playing to each other as if they were in practice. After about their third song I found that the audience had lost interest and I believe that is simply down to the lack of connection the band attempts with the audience.  Other than the sound guy letting down the vocals throughout their entire set, which lets face it isn’t something new for a gig in Annies, their songs truly are fantastic. Even if you aren’t into heavy duty rock this band is worth seeing if just for the in between song banter from the drummer.Fury’s Verdict: If Avril Lavigne and Iron Maiden had a baby it would be Setback. The band has the potential to be a lot better. I think Setback won’t have many more Setbacks once they work on their performance side of things and try to connect with the audience.
Second band up, Wingmen, was in my opinion out of their depth and misplaced on the bill for the other bands that were on. The 5 piece student indie rock band just looked lazy, bored and uninterested on stage. Off stage they pretty much kept to themselves without really making an effort to socialise with the other bands. Their sound is the generic Arctic Monkeys type stuff. I won’t lie I can’t stand that style of music so I find it hard to say anything nice about it. It is difficult to get up and dance to music that makes you want to slap the parents of Brit Pop. If an Indie band comes along that can stand out and make those that aren’t into that music pay attention then they are doing something right, unfortunately that’s not Wingmen. The only 2 songs they performed that anyone seemed to enjoy were their covers and in fairness they were the only 2 songs they performed well. I don’t know if their own material was supposed to sound sloppy but I personally find a lead singer of a band standing there with his arms crossed and looking around the ceiling very irritating.Fury’s Verdict: Should stick to the covers and be an Indie Brit Pop cover band.

Everyday Superheroes

The penultimate band of the evening was by far the best on the night. Everyday Superheroes are another female fronted outfit. They played a very intriguing pop rock sound that had the audience’s attention from the word go. They looked great on stage, they sounded great and they structured their set list perfectly having a big song to open with a prolonged introduction that built up slowly to an orgasmic explosion of musical talent. This band in my opinion will go a long way. Effortless playing from the guitarist left you mesmerised and in a trance it was that good. The drummer and bassist had so much chemistry on stage you would think they are related and as for the lead singer, only one word can be used to describe her professionally trained Amy Lee styled voice...WOW! This girl did not have to do a lot to command the audience’s attention. She was the full package for the front woman. Obviously made an effort with her appearance, sang to the audience and got lost in her own music opening up to the audience and letting them connect to her. Vocally this girl is possibly one of the top 2 female vocalists in the unsigned scene along with Katie Richardson, Katie and the Carnival. I was honestly left gob-smacked watching and listening to this band and when I looked around the room it was the general consensus of the audience.Fury’s Verdict: Refined, current and just awesome! I highly recommend checking them out on facebook and MySpace. Definitely get out to a gig to see these guys!
The headline act of the evening was the band that ran the gig. In Elegance was the third female fronted band of the night. This band started off many moons ago as Red Returned but has evolved to this well oiled machine of musical ability and professionalism. The band obviously practiced a lot and was very tight on their songs. The new bassist was truly a delight to watch, playing simplistic bass lines but entertaining the audience was a pleasant surprise. The singer looked subtly sexy on stage and definitely had a lot more confidence than the first time I seen her on stage. She even commanded the audience to a degree that by the end of their set she had everyone up dancing whilst her and the bassist were down on the floor rocking out with everyone. Again some sound problems which again were caused by the ever so competent sound guy provided by Aunty Annies, lead to a shaky start to the band but they did not let it deter them. The only serious issue I could come across was the sound coming from the rythym guitarist, whether it was his playing or his head but for every single song the sound coming from his guitar was just mesh and drowned out the fantastic sound coming from the other guitarist. This may be an issue the band needs to address but other than that I see this band getting stronger. At the minute I don’t believe they will do a lot and will need to work hard to keep the gig attendances up but these guys are loveable and likeable, they are avid supporters of the local music scene so they know what they are doing.Fury’s Verdict: Drop the guitarist or practice a lot more as a band and an individual. Also get new equipment as the sound coming from the guitar drowned out everything great about the songs.
That is all I can really comment on regarding the gig. The bands put a lot of effort into promoting the gig and I have to say I am very glad I turned up as Everyday Superheroes are now on my watch-this-space list. Until next time check out your local gig listings and go support the Unseen, Unheard and Unsigned talent of Northern Ireland!

Authors: Scott Wilson

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