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FOREVER IN DECEMBER/ CYNOSURE
10th May 2004
By Terry Bullen
The penultimate week of the first round was unfortunately met with a very thin crowd, compared to last weeks heaving turn out. But this didn't stop people from dancing again, as many enjoyed a good boogie on the floor. Rafe and Guy were at it again!
B-MOVIE HEROES (Forever in December):
The evening got underway with the hard modern rock sounds of the 4 piece group B-Movie Heroes. The band looked confident on stage and the front man leapt about with real energy and hunger for the music that was being delivered. The bands choice of covers was different but well selected.
The band opened their set with an energy fuelled cover of the Hell is for Heroes song “You Drove Me to it” which saw the front man immediately burst into life as he leapt about the stage while singing. The band followed this lively opening with their two best covers of the night. The first of these contained some pounding bass playing and some confident work by the guitarist, as they reeled off the Incubus song “Circles”. This was followed by a Biffy Clyro cover “Questions and Answers” which saw the guitarist take the opportunity to show off his skills with his black and silver guitar. The band paused after those two songs to ask the crowd to join them in showing their appreciation for the sound crew, Dale and Suzi. This was a nice touch by the band and underlined how much the band appreciated the hard work put in by the sound team.
The middle part of the bands set was kicked off with their one and only original “First”. This song enticed a few head bangers to the side of the stage, as they whipped their heads back and forth, as if trying to separate their spinal column from their necks! This song was impressive and contained some great guitar breaks and some screeching vocals by the effervescent front man. This was followed by a slower song as the band covered another Biffy Clyro song “Just Boy”. The vocalist didn't seem as comfortable with singing a slower song and you could tell this in his vocal, as he struggled to contain himself. The band rounded off the middle part of their set by attempting to take on a cover of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers classic “By the Way”. The opening to this song didn't sound right to me but it got better as the song progressed and with more work could become one of their better covers. This song did prove popular with the crowds though, as a few people took to the floor to sing along and enjoy the bands efforts.
The B-Movie Heroes closed out their set with a Finch cover “What it is to Burn” which was opened with a well controlled, yet screeching vocal by the front man. This song saw the moshing posse of Atlantis get drawn to the dance floor like bees to honey, as they frenzied in a smallish pit in front of the singer.
For me the B-Movie Heroes delivered a set of two halves, as the first 5 songs seemed more together and crisper than the five that followed. This band do have areas for improvement, in that the vocalist needs to try and contain his vocal more for the slower songs in their set “Just Boy” and “Wish You Were Here”, as the adrenaline did affect his voice when dropping down in tempo. This will come with time and also in the way the band structure their set in future, to fit these slower songs into an area which suits the singer. The band showed signs of passion and a real will in their performance, which is a good catalyst for the band to develop from here. The one original was impressive and should be used as a linchpin in developing some more material. As a whole the band done well but as I keep saying each week, this year is very tough and the competition is so strong that this band may find themselves just missing out on the next round.
CYNOSURE:
Next on stage was the six-piece funky rock band Cynosure with an infectious set that was laced with some fantastic guitar licks and some awe inspiring work on the saxophone and violin. All of this was complimented by a clear and accomplished vocalists, as the band delivered a well-served dish of music to the Atlantis crowd.
Cynosure opened their set with a song titled “Schmenuss Ka Demush” as the arena was filled with the sweet sounds of the saxophone, which supplemented the funky vocals by the full of life front man. The band followed this with an excellent original “Whining Vodka Thief” in which the guitarist really shone with some well executed riffs, as his face twisted with an expression of real enjoyment in what he was doing. A member of the crowd was instantaneously taken by this band and couldn't resist performing a caterpillar crawl across the dance floor.
The middle of the bands set is where they really came to the fore, as they dispensed to the crowds a great cover, along with two fantastic originals. The cover was the recent Franz Ferdinand hit “Take Me Out” which was performed exquisitely well and really suited the vocalists style. The first of the bands originals was “My Friend” which was kicked off by a few screams from the crowd, as the guitarist shed his shirt to play the remainder of the set with a bare chest. This song had a funky intro to it, which saw the violinist shine once again. The talented guitarist brought the song to a close with a wonderful piece of work, as his guitar weeped in his arms. The next original “Let Me Be” was the highlight of the bands set for me; as they slowed the pace down to deliver a song filled with some soul plucking sax, along with a solid vocal and a whimpering violin. This song really grabbed me and was certainly up there with the best originals in this competition. Unfortunately the guitar needed some fixing after these three songs but the band was very professional, as they kept the crowds going by filling the gap with some jamming. The guitarist rejoined after this brief interlude and the band couldn't have chose a better song to get back on track with, as they got a large number of people on the floor with a well done cover of the popular Chilli Peppers song “Scar Tissue”.
The guitarist then introduced each member of the band to the crowd before they brought the curtain down on their set with a deeply bass filled song “Funky Schoue”.
Cynosure are an extremely tight band with a full and crisp sound. They were confident in what they were performing and seemed to enjoy every minute of being on stage. The impressive point about this band was their own material, which was well written and well executed. There weren't any glaring weaknesses in this band and it would have been nice to have seen more people in the arena to appreciate their music. Cynosure have every chance of making the next round but from then on will be up against some very good bands, who at the moment have a slight edge over them.
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Other reviews:
Suzi Wrote:
Forever In December:This band got off to an energetic start, showing some strong drum work and a confident vocalist. The first track was a pleasant start to the set but the second track was stronger I thought. The first Incubus cover of the evening, Circles, demonstrated prominent bass skills and let the band relax a bit more. I thought there was a bit of Brian Malko to the vocals on this one too.
The crowd were still warming up, but a few cheers were heard. A Biffy Clyro cover came next, showing enthusiastic guitar work which got the headbangers to the stage instantly. The next track, She drove me to daytime television by FFAF, brought out some screamin’ vocals and a rawer sound from the band. It was tightly performed and again the drumming was strong. Next came the only original of the set, First. This was a very strong point of the set I thought. It had a rounded sound, you kept to your strengths and it paid off. More like that in future please! One pointer if I may, experiment with the distortion sound of the guitar, metal may not always be the most effective, so try a different setting and work on the ‘mood’ of the song. Make any sense?
The second Biffy Clyro cover came next, with a moody but light start, melodic and strong. You guys produced a nicer sound with this one. The dynamics on the vocals and guitar were good, but don’t strain your voice, you went a bit off key towards the end of this one.
You seemed a lot more relaxed on stage by this point. Energy and movement from all band members created better stage presence, nice one.
Track 7 slowed the mood of the set down a bit, lost the crowd a bit at the start but the guitar was good, making up for slightly weaker vocals. This was probably your weakest song, in my eyes and ears anyway.
Next came the classic Chilli’s song ‘By the way’. You clearly enjoyed playing this and you got a great crowd reaction from it. Pit!!! Tight drumming, with prominent, strong bass from Griff. It was well polished and brought a needed boost to the set. Alkaline Trio’s ‘maybe..Stupid Boy’ was up next. Excellent drum and guitar start and I thought the vocals suited this music style well. The crowd got skankin away too. Ended tightly as well. Nice.
Finch’s What it is to burn was the final song of the set and seemed well rehearsed, out to prove a point? An atmospheric start by the guitarist, teamed with screamin vocals and raging drums and bass made this a notable version of the song. It was a strong end to the set.
Summary: Write more originals like ‘First’ and you’ll be a great addition to the live circuit. You can play very well and you show energy on stage, which crowds react too, so I thought it was a tight set overall. Plus you coped with technical difficulties with professional ease. Nice one guys!!
Cynosure:I’d seen these guys before, so I kinda knew what to expect from them.
The funk-rock band of the evening began with a tight drum intro. There was strong rounded vocals from the start and a funky guitar sound which created a nice mood to the set. Upbeat, funky and tight. All good so far…
The James Brown cover ‘Whining Vodka Thief’ came next. I thought there was even a bit of RATM tot he intro to this. It was tightly played, with energy from the guitarist and vocalist in particular. A strong sax break and improv vocals showed live experience from this band, but…
One thing I began to notice was the bassist facing the drummer for a majority of the time. Be careful with ignoring your audience, it could make it look like a jam session rather than a gig.
The crowd’s body –poppin antics showed they were warming to you.
Track 3 brought the violinist into play. Ice 1 had a smooth start and a heavier sound from all involved. The vocals turned a little RHCP on this too, it suited the song well I thought The energy on stage got a boost from this song and the swap of dynamics on the sax and violin was awesome and really effective.
Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out came next. A strong bassline and catchy guitar riffs got the audience pogoing to this one. Followed by the de-robing of the guitarist which doubled the crowd at stage level! (Maybe a bit too much leather under those lights!)
Track 5, My Friend, had a deeper more meloncholic mood to it which worked well. The guitar solos at the start and mid-way got great reactions from the ever-growing dance floor crowd too. Nicely played that six-string was!
Elegant Woman was next and got the crowd going well. Bass and sax intro was smooth, then the drums and bass showed some solidarity while the vocalist changed from soft rap to smooth singing quite naturally. I t was a smooth transition and your voice was suited to both styles. This song was well mixed I thought, especially with the violin getting stronger mid-way, it added a nice touch.
An impromptu jam session took place next, covering a guitar technicality. This showed your live professionalism. Well done for having the confidence at doing this.
Track 7, Let Me Be. A moody, dark start, followed by perfected instrumental subtlety made this song very strong in the set. It showed superb dynamics this one, well crafted and well rehearsed. It reminded me of sex-scene background music in a movie! Beautiful, smooth ending too. Liked it.
‘Can’t Stop’ by RHCP was next and the crowd loved it! It was softly played and well rehearsed, but vocally I thought you seemed a little less confident with this one, but it’s damn fast lyrically so it must be hard.
Gingerbread Man seemed less strong to me, than other tracks. I thought it was ending the set a bit too quickly, but as a wind-down song it was ideal.
The final song, Funky Shout, showed off some guitar riffs and technique, great picking. It was a funky song to end on, but I didn’t feel it was the tightest or strongest of the set. The crowd appreciated you guys quite a bit. The dance floor as crowded for most of the set and while your music style may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, I thought it was a great set of funk-rock tunes. Well played.
Summary: These guys were professionally tight and had excellent instrument technique. Their energy on stage was good, but could have been stronger (i.e. the bassist facing out not in.) and the vocals were very strong, an original sounding voice complimented the songs very well. Congrats to you.
THE END Love Suzi xx
Janistalis wrote:
Forever In December kicked off to a smaller crowd this week. The much talked about and anticipated 4 piece band, started by a Hell Is For Heroes cover that demonstrated the musical passion of this band. The lead singer stood out in his enthusiasm, and continued to do so, putting his heart and soul into the vocals, as he leapt about the stage.
The bass sounded a bit odd at the beginning, but was soon corrected and although loud, almost drowning out the guitar in some places, it was proficiently played by the bassist, who soon showed he was quite a character! The guitarist did well, although his backing vocals were not to be heard. Whether this was deliberate (as he didn’t look to keen to approach the mike) or an error, we don’t know, but it was a shame.
After about 3 songs I wondered where all the fans were – no mosh pit?! But eventually they began to amble towards the stage and the band seemed to play better with a little support.
The band went through a range of covers. Incubus (Circles) was brilliant and suited this bands style, FFAF (She drove me to television) was one of the best and the vocals on this were superb as was the bass.
The weaker covers I thought were the slightly quieter ones – both of the Biffy Clyro numbers, which didn’t suit the vocalist as well as the heavier numbers. “Wish You Were Here” was quite good, but the singer, surprisingly, hit some flat notes in this one, which was a pity.
“By The Way” (RHCP) was carried off really well, the bassist clearly loving that great bass line! “What it is to Burn” was a good one to end on with some really good ‘shouty’ bits in it that the lead vocalist loved.
Forever In December only presented us with one original – “First”. Musically I liked this one. The lyrics were a little repetitive and not very melodic in places, but it was certainly good enough for me to advise the guys that they really need to do some more like it!
I really enjoyed watching this unassuming bunch of lads. With more originals they’d be a cert to get through – luckily their covers were well done and chosen quite carefully so I hope to see them in the next round, if they can beat off the extremely stiff competition!
Cynosure were a late entry into the competition, and we knew little about them. The 6 piece funk rock outfit took to the stage calmly to a drum and bass intro. They looked very professional. (Am I allowed to say we may have found the ‘best looking band’?!! – probably not, but there you go!)
Their first number was very funky and contained a wicked guitar solo. I’m not normally that fond of brass, but the sax fitted in perfectly to compliment their unique style.
“Whining Vodka Thief” (I think) was the next number which, with all its stops and starts, showed how technically excellent these guys were – very tight. They were all smiling and clearly having fun. “Ice 1” was a heavier number and I’d have liked to have heard another like this later in the set too, as it was a little different and broke up the pure funk. I was really surprised with the entrance of the violinist – these extra strings really enhanced the sound. I don’t pretend to be an authority on violins, but I suspect this guy was pretty good! This was again the case with “My Friend” – such a full sound, with a great guitar solo at the end! “Elegant Woman” was a favourite of mine, but resulted in a guitar string break. This was handled pretty well, with an impromptu bass/drum/sax jam, but did, sadly cause the great atmosphere to suffer slightly.
Unfortunately, “Let Me Be” seemed to do nothing to bring the dance atmosphere back as it was a slow number. I’d recommend always being aware of the crowd and maybe changing the order a little to bring the mood back after a lull. Having said that, I was entranced, as I thought it was brilliant – extremely powerful and sung with heaps of emotion.
Just in time RHCP’s “Scar Tissue” had everyone leaping to their feet again – at the end of the day, crowds love to hear stuff they know occasionally. The guitarist was outstanding and there was some great slap bass performed with ease. The crowd went mad and Cynosure lapped it up!
“Gingerbread Man” came along next and it was OK, but stood out as being their weakest number – not quite as tight and certainly not one to finish on, as they nearly had to.
Luckily P.J. granted one last song and after an introduction of the band, Cynosure launched into their last number, which certainly put them back on track.
I really enjoyed the talent (and yes, I do mean musical!) of this great band. The crowd reaction was good, the set was highly original and stage presence and technical ability was superb. Theoretically this should get them to the next round – they certainly deserve it in my opinion!
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The reviews listed are an opinion by the individual carrying out the review which happens to be a personal and honest account. These reviews are displayed on this website for the bands to obtain some truthful feedback on their performance. There is no point in us posting dishonest reviews here, as this will not benefit the bands who are looking for advice and constructive feedback.
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