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STARFISH/ TENEX
26th April 2004
By Terry Bullen
Week nine and a fairly sparse crowd compared to previous weeks were treated to a double dose of punk by two more local bands.
Tenex:
The three piece band Tenex were first on stage with their mix of originals and covers influenced by Green Day and Blink 182. The band had the right look for their style of music, as the bass player and guitarist both sported a shirt and tie, of which the bass players tie was a vivid red colour. The band looked a bit tentative as they came on to the stage but they soon settled and went on to deliver a good set. The front man was well suited for the songs that the band played and it really brought the best out of his vocal, even though there was the odd occasion where he was slightly out of key but nothing worth worrying about.
The band kicked off their set with a song titled “These Letters”, which contained some nice work on the drums and a good harmony vocal between the drummer and the confident vocalist/guitarist. Tenex followed this with their first cover of the evening as they performed the well known Green Day song “Basket Case”. This was a good cover but the crowd were made to wait for it, as the guitarist had failed to check the tuning of his guitar prior to starting. After overcoming that slight mishap the band delivered a very catchy original called “They'll Never Know” which grabbed my attention and seemed to get the subdued crowd onboard. This was followed by another cover and then an original “1097”, which contained another classy piece of work by the talented drummer.
Mid set saw the band deliver their best original and best covers of the night. Their original “This Time” was a well written song which included a contagious piece of guitaring. The bands best covers of the set were both Green Day songs. The first of these was “Hitchin a Ride”, of which the bassist was impressive throughout and the vocalist interacted with the wild crowd as he got them singing the words back to him. The second Green Day cover was “Dammit”, which the crowd requested and the band duly delivered. The whole band seemed to move up a gear for this song and gave the impression that they really enjoyed playing this number.
Tenex closed out their set with a change in style, as they attempted a cover of “My Generation” by The Who. The band performed it well but it didn't seem to hold the crowds attention and was maybe the wrong song to cover for a punk band. The last song of the evening “Welcome to Paradise ” was a well chosen song to finish on and it certainly left the crowds on a high, as the dance floor filled out with people.
Tenex are a good band but they strangely didn't hold my attention all the way through, as there was something missing which I couldn't quiet put my finger on. Maybe they need a fourth member to give the band more depth or maybe I simply just need to hear them again. As I've stated previously, this year is of a very high standard and as a result of this some very good bands won't be making the cut of 12 bands. In my view Tenex could be one of those unfortunate ones and it's 50/50 as to whether the band goes through to the next round.
Starfish:
The second band of the evening was another punk band in the shape of the four piece outfit Starfish. The band were lively throughout their set and each member seemed confident with each other as they delivered a more frantic style of punk music to the awaiting audience. The singing was shared for most of the songs, as both guitarists regularly switched vocal throughout the evening. This was impressive, as both of them compliment each other in their singing and they really worked well when singing in tandem.
Unfortunately Starfish followed the lead of Tenex when opening their set, as they also had to halt proceedings whilst the guitarist tuned his guitar. This was soon forgotten though, as they opened their set with a wonderfully delivered musical intro, which immediately gave each member the opportunity to show their skills, as they treated the crowds to some fine guitar, bass and drum solos. They followed this intro with a cover of the Ramones song “Sheena”, which was then followed by the bands first two originals; the frantic “What I Win” and the well executed song “The Whore”, which apparently was written for the guitarists ex-girlfriend……I bet she loved that!
The middle of the bands set contained their best songs of the evening, as the band started to get the crowds involved and interacting with the band. They pulled off a crowd-pleasing cover of the Beach Boys classic “Get Around” which had a group of people forming a spinning circle on the dance floor. This was followed by the bands best original “Waxing Buttcracks”, which was the stand out song of the night with some strong vocals and a gifted guitar solo mid song. Starfish then went on to perform a song referred to as the “Audience Participation Song”, which had the crowds shouting out the main word of the song ‘beer'. The band then played a song called “Revealed” which was obviously a favourite for the drummer, as he belted into his kit while shaking his head wildly. The lead guitarist managed to break one of his strings in this song and it was nice to see the friendship between two competing bands, as the Tenex guitarist offered him his guitar for the remainder of the set.
The band started the end part of their set with one of the all time classics “Should I Stay” by The Clash, which they stamped with their own up tempo style, which I have to say didn't really work for me but that's not to say it didn't for others. The band closed their set with two final songs “What Did I” and the short but sweet “4 Inch”. “What Did I” contained some good vocals by both guitarists and it was a very catchy tune that was well chosen for the end part of the set.
Starfish were musically sound and played as a tight unit but for me the tempo was constant throughout, which at times got very samey. I know that punk music is pretty much like that in general but it may have helped the band if they had of included a few songs at a different tempo, as even the covers by The Who and the Beach boys were performed at the same frantic rate. My conclusion of this band is much the same as it was for Tenex, in that the band done well but with the standard being so high this year they may just miss the boat for the next round.
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Other reviews:
Suzi Wrote:
Ok, here we go for another week...
Tenex: Impressed me with their professional planning in terms of their set, they had an intro cd, which for this comp so far, is a first. That was a good start. But unfortunatly, there was a bit of a pause due to tuning, which kinda slowed down the start for me. To me these guys seemed to tend toward the young, American Punk Rock stylee, and showed this by covering
classics such as Green Day's Basketcase and Welcome To Paradise, which I think seemed to thrill the younger audience members.
Those of us who have been around maybe a little too long, might have seen these choices as a bit old and cheesy, but they pulled them off and got a great crowd reaction,
chants were even heard! Their originals also seemed to impress, tight and consistant, they showed just how much effort the band had put in. Not sure where Finch came into it though, a different choice and not expected. I liked these guys and the audience appeared to agree, the band interacted with the audience throughout the whole set and were eager to please their new fans. I hope they do well, but I think that they've got some tough competition this year. (I did like the Sugarcult sticker on the amp though!)
The Starfish: I thought these guys needed to tighten their performance a little, to be honest. They had energy and instrument talent that was noted on by another band in the comp, the bassist was found to have a great technique and style while playing. But I thought they lacked a general cohesivness on stage. The only song that stood out to me was the Beach Boys' Get Around.
I found the other songs a bit too monotonous for my liking, but that's just me. I think that if you played a few more mainstream covers and varied the tempo a bit, your audience reaction would improve too. The start-stop-start was unfortunate. I did like your style, and I'm sorry if this all sounds really harsh, remember I'm not a judge, this is just my honest opinion. I reckon you guys could be a great, entertaining band, but I just think that your performance just needs a bit of polishing, that's all.
For a new band, you did pretty good, I'm just saying that you've got the talent and potential to do even better next time!
Good Luck to both bands! (Please don't hate me)
Love Suzi xx
Janistalis wrote:
Tenex smooched onto the stage quite self assured and unassuming. Once their intro had finished, they launched straight into their first number “These Letters” I was immediately struck by what a good sound they had, especially for a 3 piece. I was disappointed that the guys had to re-tune their guitars, particularly as I watched them cut short their sound check! But still, they joked about the tuning so it wasn't too distracting!
“Basket Case” was next and was very well done. The vocalists voice really suited this type of music – it was clear and strong and could be melodic when necessary too. I thought the original “They'll Never Know” was brilliant – very catchy and in my opinion, equal in standard to its predecessor, “Basket Case”! The other originals were also well written, very much in the Green Day/Blink 182 style. I particularly liked “Welcome to Paradise ” with its great bass break in it.
Of the covers, I'm not sure that the Finch one had the right impact and although “My Generation” was fun and well known, I felt it was a bit ambitious and the famous bass solo didn't quite come up to scratch. Green Days “Hitch A Ride” was performed brilliantly – I love the bass riff in this one!
The band looked comfortable and have certainly found their style. They played well and with enthusiasm and although all their numbers tended to be similar in genre, they did it really well. Whether their originals, however enjoyable, are quite ‘original' enough to make it, I'm not sure, but they will certainly wow Green Day and Blink fans everywhere! I think the crowd reaction and their technical ability and enthusiasm should see them through to the next round.
Starfish began their set, stopped, had to re-tune their guitars and then started again! Maybe there was a de-tuner in the room! Luckily this just interrupted the introduction which was no big deal as they then went into their first number, “Sheena” by The Ramones, and set the scene for the set of heavy, punk music that was to follow. The band were confidently enthusiastic and very ‘together'. Clearly they loved what they play and the passion shone through which was great to see. Again the vocalist was fantastic at this style of music and the rest of the band were competent and played well together. They are lucky to have a second quality vocalist to back up the lead, and occasionally take the lead.
Some great originals – The Whore (nice!), Waxing Buttcracks (painful!) were good and very lively. A unique “Audience Participation Song” would go down an absolute storm in a venue packed with fans, although not everyone in this audience bought into it! “Envy Me” was my favourite and in this I picked out a Nirvana style riff which was quite a focus.
Of the covers, “Sheena” was good and an unusual (and very fast) arrangement of the “Get Around” was pretty popular.
A broken string caused no problem for the guitarist and the drummer showed initiative during the change of guitars by filling the silence with an impromptu solo.
For “In Your Head” the lead singer lost his guitar and, as is often the case, his vocals improved a great deal (not that they weren't great before!) The Clash cover was a bit of a let down in an otherwise interesting set – I felt that the 2 nd guitar was missed on this number as the sound wasn't quite full enough. It also ended a bit shabbily.
These guys played their hearts out, craved for audience attention and did their best to involve everyone, and while their music may not be to everyone's taste they should be contenders for the next round.
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