So we have had 4 Auditions for Glastonbudget 2012 and so far they have been great, last night’s was certainly a lot of fun!

Bands such as Tribal Suns, Daniel Dobbs, Harlikings, Early to the Vineyard, Union Station Massacre, Just James and The Fade had already showed the Glastonbudget team what they can do in Augusts Auditions and last night we had 5 great bands doing it again.

First was Cut the Heroics, a young band whose style is a mix of catchy pop punk and rock. Think Blink 182 meets Weezer. The band were fairly tight especially for a new band who are all under 20 and the singer at times shows he has a strong voice and bounces around the stage.

They pull out a few covers (King Blue’s ‘I Got Love’ and Blur ‘Song 2′) but if I am honest I felt these weren’t as strong as their original material. A good strong opening set however from a young band with plenty of potential.

Up second were another group of youngsters, The Gnome Architechs, this time a more indie rock n roll influence but with overtones of punk, they covered Pigeon Detectives among others and had some strong songs of their own too. Some nice guitar work and catchy melodies but you could tell the band hadn’t been gigging long as they felt inconsistent at times and need to get tighter to really impress but again plenty of potential here!

Third on are Vanity Box, a band with much more experience than the previous acts and it shows it a very tight performance of well written and catchy indie pop rock tracks. The singer has a very powerful voice which holds true to great British singers from the rock n roll hall of fame with a gruff growling edge to it but still clear and strong. The bass and guitar licks interlink really well and their are some very catchy sing along melodies/hooks in most their songs. A really impressive band and one you should check out!

Following that strong showing are Let’s Go Friday, another young band but one who have been gigging the hell outta Nottingham and Derby over the last 8 months, I know this as I have seen them here at the Maze a bunch of times! Fast, catchy pop punk/rock with female vocals.

They kick off at some pace and Charlotte (vocalist) is good at getting the crowd involved, telling them to come to the front and join in. Her vocal is also very powerful for a female artist which is good as the guitarists and drums and fast and furious and many vocalists would get lost in the noise with a band like this, but Charlotte’s shouting and singing bursts through clearly. These songs are bouncy and catchy with plenty of energy and with a pretty tight set you can clearly see that gigging is the best form of practice when a band like Let’s Go Friday are gigging so much and getting so tight! Another strong performance.

Finally ending the night are Nottingham’s blues/funk/rock n rollers, Freaky Riverstyx. The start of the set is delayed due to technical difficulties (someone had rearrange the drumkit!) but frontman Fin straight away shows his charismatic and comfortable style by announcing over the mic ‘Sorry for the delay, please stay calm and keep your arms in the vehicle, we will be with you shortly’. This sets the tone for a charming and energetic show not to mention one of high class traditonally gritty rock n roll.

Freaky Riverstyx mix the 70′s rock of Zepplin, The Rolling Stones or Cream with a modern touch of american rock influence aka Red Hot Chilli Peppers or even Pearl Jam.

Dark gritty guitar licks mixing funk, blues and rock n roll lead the way with a tight rhythm sectin backing it up and Fin’s true rock star quality mixed with a strong vocal polishing it off.

This wasn’t a faultless performance and at times the tightness did slip but after learning later that the band hadn’t practice for weeks due to health and safety closing down their rehearsal space, it was damn impressive. Fin sips wine and chats idly to the crowd, really working them up whilst Dave (guitarist) leads the drummer and bassist in a barrage of truly great british rock influence. Freaky Riverstyx are a great end to a very good night and I am sure we will be seeing some of these bands at Glastonbudget Festival in 2012.

Next week we have another audition this time with…..Best Served Chilled, The Pulpits, Flaming Fields, Mastercharger and Leela and the Spaceship.

If your interested in your band auditioning to play Glastonbudget 2012, please email (info@themazerocks.com)