Betws RFC Carmarthenshire Battle of the Bands April 27th 2013

By Trudi Goldsmith

Betws RFC was the place to be on Saturday 27th April where Son of One Eye, Blacksphere, Zookeepers, Stand Up and Shout and Void all battled it out in a bid to win a spot at the Beach Break Live Festival which is being held in Newquay, Cornwall between 20th-24th June 2013.

The night kicked off with Void who recently got back together after a two year hiatus and the Betws RFC Battle of The Bands was only their second gig since reforming. Void demonstrated that they can put on a set that would easily fit in with some stadium filling rock bands such as Bon Jovi, Nickleback etal….. you get the picture. The band played an epic set finishing off with their original song Zer0.  Half way through the song you’d never have noticed that the drummer lost one stick, if you didn’t see it flying through the air, closely followed by the other stick which he threw, because he continued expertly playing without a hitch with another set of sticks that he had to hand. It was real easy to see why Zer0 won best rock song at the Exposure Music Awards back in 2010.

Zookeepers were up second . This young and fresh band have only been together around a year and they quickly got the crowd up onto the dance floor with their brilliant, unique blend of vibrant original indie music. The crowd continued to fill the dance floor during their set and  Zookeepers finished off their set with their original song ‘Winter’ which when you hear it  sends a chill down your spine. During ‘Winter’ the singer’s  powerful vocals and the visual energy and stage presence of the band was topped off by the bass player leaving the stage and going down on to the dance floor amongst the crowds mid song and rocking out before returning back to the stage to end their set.

Son of One Eye were up third and played a blinding set showcasing their perfected alternative electro pop sound to a full dance floor which was filled with many of their local supporters. The band’s original song ‘The Man is a Child’ is extremely catchy and the electro synth sound set them apart from the other bands that performed on the night. The band finished their set with a cover-  a flawless version of’What is Love’  which sent the dance floor into a frenzy, even problems with the singers mic during the set didn’t disrupt the outstanding performance that Son of One Eye gave on the night.

Fourth Band up was Stand Up and Shout that kept the crowds dancing to their Brilliant classic sounding rock and roll set which they all looked like they thoroughly enjoyed playing. The band opened their set with the super catchy original song ‘Woman’ which sticks in your head after one listen. This followed a blinding cover of ‘You Sexy Thing’ and amazing version of ‘Just Too Close’  with the drummer pounding at his drums with full enthusiasm during the set and the bass player coolly wearing a pair of shades passed to him by a crowd member.

Last up was the female fronted band Blacksphere who captivated the crowd from the start of their set with the singer’s powerful vocals that got everyone engrossed. The band played a superb set including original song ‘Watching’ and a cover of a  Queens of the Stone Age  song which saw two crowd members get over excited and join the band on stage before swiftly needing a helping hand off the stage. The band finished up with an epic and flawless version of the Guns ‘N’ Roses song ‘You Could be Mine’ which finished their set on a high to end the night.

Just after midnight and after thoughtful deliberation the Winners were announced as ZOOKEEPERS who took to the stage to collect their award for winning the Carmarthenshire Battle of the Bands 2013, and a well deserved place at the Beach Break Live Festival in June 2013

Photos of the night by Emma Buckley for more info check out her facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ebphotographyllanelli

Check out the Zookeepers on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zookeepers/317473771626384?fref=ts

And listen and download for free to the Zookeepers demo track for ‘Rob, Kill and Deceive’ on Llanelli Music Scene’s downloadable cd release at www.llanellitown.com/musicplayer

Check Emma Buckley’s photography  page and Llanelli Music Scene on facebook for more photos of all the bands  from the night coming soon!!

https://www.facebook.com/llanellimusicscene?ref=hl