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PLC Battle of the Bands CompetitionRoulette

Monday, 6th December, 2010.

By Louise Browne

ROULETTE where in a spin after winning the SCC Battle of the Bands competition on Monday night at Dublin’s music venue Academy 2. After claiming their prize Roulette’s Liam Geddes expressed his delight at the band’s success.

“I’m absolutely delighted that we won and especially the comment that was made at the end about the second song, along with the first one as well. Really delighted with the outcome of it, we’ve worked really hard non stop for two weeks so it’s fantastic to win it”

Geddes wrote and sang Roulette’s second song Suspended on Silver Wings which according to the judges Neil Mitchell of Jam Factory Rehearsal and Recording Studios and Grainne O’Brien, Trip the Light Publicity ‘the performance of that song really clinched it for Roulette’.

The Kylemore College band were the second on stage with Geddes’ singing partner Terry Kavanagh accompanied by fellow band members Aaron Donohue (rhythm guitar), Sean Farrell (bass guitar) and Ciaran Thompson (drums) singing Looking Back, which Kavanagh wrote.

PLC Battle Bands 2010After performing their songs, all the bands were required to perform two songs; Roulette had wooed not only their supporters who chanted “we want more” but the audience and more importantly the judges.

Mitchell, after watching all six bands perform, remarked “I thought all of the performances were excellent, they obviously all had a lot of thought put into them”

“But I was surprised by the lack of heavy rock music or grunge music which I don’t know is it the X Factor or if the market is having much more of an effect on them, it was nearly almost Christian rock which is surprising but it was good”

“There was good cohesion which was pretty positive and overwhelmingly tonight surrounded the attitude of all the different bands/musicians were there was less rivalry and less heated competition which is a good thing” concluded Mitchell.

Battered Soul, a seven piece soul band from the BFCE Rock School, with front singers Jen Tully, Anna Brennan and Natalie Turner putting in a stirring version of their songs These Streets and Messing with my Time claimed the second overall prize.

While the Orlaith Brennan Band, a four piece folk rock band made up of Brennan, Paul Flood, Ally DoPLC Battle Bands 2010nald and Caoilin Considine, finished third.

With the full support of the VEC Sports and Cultural Council backed by the hard working quartet of Kylemore’s Ger Flanagan and Alan Kelly and Ballyfermot’s Matt Kellegham and Francie Conway the Battle of the Bands has gone from strength to strength in four years.

MC Cassy Doherty opened the evening by thanking the judges and their sponsors X Music before introducing the first band New Foundation with lead singer Steve McGarry, backed by Gary O’Brien, Daniel Henederson and Des McGonigle, warming up the crowd with two jovial songs written by McGarry.

Rumours took to the stage after performances from Orlaith Brennan Band and Roulette. Lead singers Jen Tully and Claire Ann Varley’s strong powerful voices complimented each other throughout the blues rock band’s set.

Next up were Play with singer Sonia Farr getting the loudest cheer of the evening with her energetic and quirky showing entertaining the crowd before Battered Soul rounded off a fantastic night of music.

[ View the photo gallery of the event ]
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