Lock & Load’s Battle of the Bands Judging system and Criteria has been made publicly available in order to make clear how the competition will be judged.

THE JUDGING SYSTEM

On each show night four judges will be present. Three of the judges will have been picked from a pool of professional volunteers from within the music industry field. A fourth judge will be selected from online applications made through the battle of the bands website.

Judges will be given the opportunity to read through the marking criteria prior to the band performances in order to gain an understanding of how the marking system works, and how points should be awarded.

Against each criterion is a description of how each it should be observed and in places, examples given of how and where points should be awarded.

On each show night after performances are completed and copies have been made, the original marking sheets will be supplied to the bands along with constructive comments made by the Judges. Bands Please Note, comments and criticisms are provided on the basis of constructive suggestion and opinion only.

At the end of each show night, points and scoring will be processed and announced. The points will then be placed and displayed on the leader-board for that round. At the end of each round the successful bands will be notified and announced. Points are non-accumulative and are reset for the next round.

At this point bands are advised that the occurrence of only having one week between performances is possible due to the random nature of competition succession.

Displayed are five Main headings with three sub-headings for each Main Criteria. Point weightings are indicated besides the headings, e.g. 1 to 9 for Main or 1-5 for Sub-headings. The actual marks criteria sheets also leave space for the judges to make constructive comments to the bands in regards to each criteria section.

JUDGING CRITERIA ©

• Planning/Preparedness 1-9
• Evidence of performance planning; i.e. Choreography, was there any demonstration of the musical/movement or program dynamics, costumes, make-up, stage props, backdrop? 1-5
• Preparation. Tuning - were the instruments and equipment made ready prior to performance? Did the band start on time? 1-5
• Evidence of rehearsal e.g. lyrics learnt etc? Appeared ready and prepared to play? Setlist provided? 1-5

• Originality 1-9
• Material. How unique did the songs sound? Did the songs fit the set? Did the songs fit the genre? 1-5
• Appearance. Did the band look original? Did the band stand out? 1-5
• Improvisation. Did the band demonstrate any level of original improvisational skill? I.e. ‘jam out’ or vocal through an instrument change, repair or equipment failure (!!!) 1-5

• Interface with audience 1-9
• Verbal Interaction? Did the band introduce themselves at all? Did the band talk to or with the audience? 1-5
• Physical Interaction? Did the band physically participate with the audience e.g. Eye contact, head nod, acknowledgements, waving, gesturing, dancing with the audience or giving hand signals. 1-5
• Confidence. Was the band confident in their interaction with the audience? 1-5

• Quality of performance 1-9
• Confidence/Competence. Did the band look at ease whilst playing? Did the band appear to be able to do what they wanted to do? 1-5
• Set Dynamism. Did the band’s setlist appear to play according to a plan i.e. was it well constructed and able to manipulate the audience’s mood? 1-5
• Stage Presence. Did the band use the stage effectively? Did the band appear positive about their performance? Did the band interact effectively on stage? How did the band cope with any problems they may have encountered? 1-5

• Presentation 1-9
• Attitude. Did the band’s on-stage attitude appear suitable to their genre i.e. were they ‘Punk’ if Punk, ‘Raucous’ if Rock? 1-5
• Appearance. Did the band show personality on stage? Did the band appear to enjoy what they were doing? 1-5
• Entertainment factor/Showmanship. Did the band entertain? Did one or the entire band display showmanship towards the crowd? 1-5

CODE OF CONDUCT

• Bands and accompanying personnel are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and appropriate manner at all times whilst on the event premises.

• Bands and accompanying personnel are expected to cooperate with the event organisers and venue at all times, any verbal or physical abuse will not be tolerated. ‘Event organisers’ and venue includes all staff i.e. Lock & Load management, Judges, sound and lighting engineers, stage crew, venue staff, bar staff and security staff. Offenders will be ejected from the premises and any damage incurred or injury inflicted met with maximum penalty or dealt with by the law accordingly.

• Breeches of the venue security and health & safety regulations will not be tolerated and may lead to disqualification.

• The event organisers reserve the right to disqualify any band that is observed to be behaving in an uncompetitive or inappropriate manner. This also includes online etiquette and internet interaction with both the battle of the bands website and its patrons.