Glastonbury Festival New Talent Competition day 2

This is the second night of the band finals and tonight the weather is better ands me make Pilton in good time, this time we get to hear the introduction of the night and that there were over 2000 entries who were competing for the prize of an opening slot on the Other Stage.



Mankala
First up tonight were the laid back world beats of the Afro Caribbean fusion groove eight piece band from Bristol. The lead singer Roger Makessa plays congas and various percussion items, while singing zook and in his native Montinique while the full band fill the place with a dancing rhythm. The sound is made richer with the addition of a three piece horn section 2 guitarists one playing funky blues, a drum kit drummer to really fill out the sound and African basslines complete the numbers assembled on this small stage. They have a wonderful world beat rhythm and it's amazing to think they are a new band. Sunny, refreshing world jazz, blues with a gentle rhythm and some lovely musical set pieces, they’d be perfect on the Jazz World stage and any world music festival is bound to have them playing in the summer, well worth hearing and they are an impressive opening act.



Revere
Another eight piece but this time from London, the young Revere have been compared to Arcade Fire and with good reason. They have almost the same sound and with trumpet, cello, violin and keyboards to accompany the guitars they have that anthemic orchestral loud/quiet thing almost mastered. It's clear to see where they want to be but they aren't quite there yet. Keep an eye out for this lot, they have a burgeoning sound that once they do master could see them shoot to stardom. Although it's a little rough around the edges, these musicians would go down well on the Other Stage with their emotion driven music and Coldplay-esque set pieces. Additions like the glockenspiel led song and 'Hold Both My Hands' with it's almost a capella vocal and crashing full mid section show hints of a large stadium sound. Whether Revere will get there depends completely on them developing these early beginnings.



The Franks
This is the classic indie rock band, a four piece who are pleasant enough, with big hook choruses Perfect for The Other or John Peel stage, it's not my cup of tea but it's perfect current chart fare and the NME are sure to love them. They were described as sounding like "Nirvana cooking at a garden party for The Beatles" which just made no sense. They had the mop top head shaking melodies of the latter and the fuzzed up guitars of the former, but the lyrics lacked the depth of either band, for me they were sound and style over content. If my teenage daughter is anything to go by though, then this lot will be massive. They were her favourite of the finals, to the extent she hunted down their autographs. For me they had nothing that set them apart from the current crop of popular musicians – but then perhaps that's the point, they could slide straight into MTV2's playlist and not look out of place in the slightest.



Andy Hickie and the Merry Maidens
Andy Hickie packed up his job bought a van and decided to hit the road and become a travelling troubadour, and it's voice which really captivates, and with his backing band around him eight people take to the stage. Accompanied by a female vocal, mandolin, keyboards, and another guitar beside Andy’s acoustic, from the first song 'Let Me Stay' Andy reveals he has hell of a voice. It’s a good set all the way through to traditional song 'Matty Groves' with mandolin, keyboard and the added vocal of who must be presumably the merry maiden. They are for me the second best act of the two days, narrowly beaten by the richer sound of the Travelling Band but only just. Well suited to acoustic, John Peel or Jazzworld.



Rod Thomas
A solo artist with a guitar and a bunch of delay pedals and a Roland keyboard and make loops with everything created from scratch from backing vocal to instrumentation. It's been done before by Newton Faulkner and KT Tunstall but he does it in a much more complex way, Rod adds ukulele and tries to get the crowd to sing along to 'It's Not You. It's Me' but they don't. He already has a string of festival bookings for the summer and is bound to be more successful in a field than with a partisan audience. Acoustic, and any intimate small stage would suit Rod's style well.



Swimming
Swimming create a nice mix of computer gubbins and guitars, electronica rock and big hook choruses. The lead singer has a really distinctive voice but it is lost amongst the crash of rock guitars the songs have something to be said for them, mainly the rock guitars and each song showcases their range of musical endeavours. The five of them make a pretty big sound and it's pleasant ebough, but they don't win any plaudits on the night. Most suited to John Peel or Other Stage.



Liz Green is unnerving, her weird vocal style is one thing, but starting her show singing a cappella in front of the audience and then later springing up at the back on a table and singing and getting us all to clap along and between that playing melodic strange guitar pieces on a capped acoustic with funny, though still musical tuning, just added to the other worldness of her style. It's musically off kilter and honest and the raw truths of her lyrics that make her seem slightly touched. It's a good choice of artist to entertain the jittery crowd and has a calming influence on the nervous audience full of the acts many from both nights as they await the judges' decision on the winners.

Festival goer Michael Eavis thanks everyone, particularly competition regular Hilary for helping it run so well, and then announces that there have decided to choose two bands as winners. He struggles over the name of The Golden Silvers, a point he's vexed about later, who he says are the big Muse/Oasis type winners and The Travelling band as the folk acoustic winners. The standard of the competition has once again been excellent and in fact so good that when eFestivals are talking to Mr Eavis after his announcement he declares that all the bands that played over the two days and two of the best acts from a show for locals of the best of the rest of the competition entries will be given slots at the festival.

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