National Campus Band Competition

Getting lost in Northcote is more fun than it sounds. After looking for a parking spot for 20-odd minutes, getting lost in the labyrinth of one-way streets, private parking and a strong convinction that Northcote was the Amityville suburb: popping up things of it's own accord just to get us more lost ("Merri Station...where the fuck is Merri??? Merri's not somewhere!! Where the hell are we???) you learn to laugh at your own misfortune. Remember, kids: no matter how bad things get, you can always laugh at something.

Anyway, the NSC was buzzing tonight. Not only because of the beautiful spring air outside, but the collection of terrific acts from around the country all assembled in one fine venue. We entered the room to the jazz-folk strains of Tasmanian gems The Emma Fair Band. Leadwoman Emma Fair (duh) froze the room with her Katie-Noonan-esque serenading and soaring tones. Their folky pop beauty was no more apparent than on the gorgeous Anything Left. Do listen. Also, props must go keyboardist Ben Fair for his "What Would Maguyver Do?" t-shirt, that I later complimented him on, much to the chagrin of co-pilot ("No "nice show guys", no "good songs", no, you say "nice t-shirt". You're an idiot" "You are" ). Anyway, Emma Fair Band were a great start to a full night and are well worth badgering to come to Victoria more often.

Will Stoker and the Embers were up next. Crazy punks from WA, they stormed onto the stage and beat the hell out of it. I constantly felt like they needed a much bigger one, frankly, as frontman Will Stoker alone is a maniacal force to be reckoned with. Too bad if you were an Sociophobic (real disorder, check out http://phobialist.com/reverse.html, if, like me, you have way too much time on your hands) because Will likes to get up close and personal with the audience. When the band are doing their rock and roll thing (Ashley Doodkorte on drums is a wizard), Will goes into the crowd, shakes a few hands, meets some folks, and then is back up on the stage like a flash, jumping onto the drumkit and hanging from the ceiling. He's truly a born entertainer, sounds like Captain Sensible from The Damned and looks like the lovebaby of Sid Vicious and Rik Mayall in Drop Dead Fred. That's a compliment. With the addition of tambourine, kazoo and thorough keys-beating, The Embers have a great, rampangingly unique sound to give us. 'Five Beds for Bitsy' is a favourite, a dark, stomping tune that could one day become an Aussie punk classic. Here's hoping.

Pop-rock Sydney group Mild Ryan (named from a misheard Ben Folds lyric...can you guess which one? The winner gets a sandwich) certainly got a big fuck-off tick in the "crowd reaction" box. The first few rows were pogo-ing and arm-waving to their heart's content, bless. Their flying keys and singalong qualities made the NSC look like a church congregation. Although the singer's hair could battle Andrew Stockdale's in a Roman hair-ena (it's a pun on 'arena' ? But it's for hair? Geddit??) their genuinely charming Planet got butts off seats, and, really, that's what you want, innit?.

Ah, the Victorian band. I am hugely patriotic, but I felt kinda guilty. They had a huge backing here tonight, having the unfair advantage of a home-crowd, and I hoped they would live up the competition. Luckily, all-girl group Aysu Souls proved their worth above and beyond. Jazz-soul with a Middle Eastern flavour (including a bellydancer), the crowd didn't need to feel obligated to cheer loudly for the hometeam, because they wanted to. Frontwoman Aysu woos the crowd with haunting crooning, then entices a dance or two with a venture into funk-town. With local band Cherry having disbanded, I was looking for a new nu-soul group to follow around and sway to with a cold one, and I found it in Aysu Souls. Yay!. Standout track 'Ebony' had every flavour of their course, including Door-esque keys from Bronwyn Cumbo and awesome jazz-funk bass from Fleur Warner.

Now to the ACT. And what attention the boys from Rubycon gathered. Riley Conway, their drummer of a staggering 12 years old, should've been in bed, or packing his bags for school, and here he was, on stage at the Northcote Social Club having made the Nationals. Sweet!. The "family affair" (The three Conway brothers, Riley, Max (17) and Sam (18), along with Rueben, a close mate) produced some Kings of Leon-esque soft rock that definately had the punters paying attention to more than the diminutive drummer (how is he so good at 12? So not fair! I was still burying my Barbies in the garden at 12!). I felt that maybe they were a weaker point, though, in the general flow of things here tonight, having slowed things down a touch. The talent is there, but it got a bit stagnant, and a good energy boost would really set the boys up for success.

Where else would reggae-punk-funk grow in Oz but sunny Queensland? Producing some great classic-rock guitar licks blended with ragga rhythms, Bark at the Moon got the steadily-drunk crowd swaying and booty-shaking like nobody's business. We Are The People felt like a strange 70's trip that would involve a helluva lotta pot and colourful graphics. I shoulda bought axeman Chris Cameron a beer, having been wowed with selections from every musical catalogue, from stellar rock riffs to fast-paced punk shredding. Go, man. One of my favourites of the night, and you know how hard to please I am. They made me wish I was on those QLD beaches with a Carlton, listening to Marley (and them) in the height of summer, fucking loving life.

Indie-pop Room One from Adelaide had a strangely prominent fanbase here tonight. Not only did they receive the loudest cheers during the introductions, but I saw more than a handful of girls wearing "I HEART ROOM ONE" home-made singlets. Dedication, that's what I like to see. Although the band's performance didn't necessarily match the hype I had allocated for it, they had an enjoyable catchiness to them that was undeniable, made concrete by addictive hooks and shouts. Nine Times had a shuddering, animated rhythm that had heads bopping all over the place, and even those that weren't in the Room One fan club (who were going off by this stage) couldn't help but boogie a little.

Finally, the time came.The Judges deliberated, band members stood nervous, attempting to look non-chalant, and the crowd exchanged ideas and opinions over who would go home with the gold. It was more tense than an Australian Idol finale, lemme tell you (except people actually cared who won tonight, zing!). And the winner is....*drum roll*.....Should I even tell you? It'd be funny if i didn't, with all the build up and everything, then you'd have to go and scour the Net and find out 'cos it'd be killing you. You wouldn't sleep. Anyway, it was Will Stoker and The Embers. Awesome! Beer for all!

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