AIM, Livesoc and Rocksoc came together once again for the annual Roc Party at The Cube, with a lineup that ranged from national major label artists to local indie talent.
First up were the university band and unsigned act Ideawake, who mixed bouncing rhythms, tight musicianship and charming vocals into a concoction that did a rather impressive job of moving the crowd for an opening act.
I Remember Tapes raised eyebrows with their somewhat unique stage setup: instead of the boring old drums at the back/guitars in middle/vocalist at front setup they were arranged around a semi-circle of samplers, keyboards, a couple of pieces of a drum kit and a macbook, tagging in and out to play the occasional bit of guitar and bass, though the drum machine and soulful vocals tended to dominate over everything else. This innovative approach to problems of stage space did unfortunately lead to a couple of songs being cut short by technical malfunctions, but their Duran Duran indebted indie pop nonetheless went down well.
I Remember Tapes
Butterflies On Strings were a more anthemic affair, with big guitar riff-driven numbers and keyboard sing alongs. Their somewhat more mid-paced style was in contrast to the more dance friendly inclinations of the the first two acts, almost a club-sized stadium-rock band.
Finally the headliners hit the stage, hard drinking hair metal revivalists Jettblack. Using the tried and true 80’s formula of hard rocking numbers mixed in with the odd epic power balladry that spoke to the Rocksoc part of the crowd more than the more alternative acts had done. Another great year with a little something for everyone, the only possible improvement is to make it all bigger!
