Delamere triumph in Blissfields Stoke Heat

 Stoke of Genius:

Venue: The Sugarmill, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

Date: April 5, 2013

Battle of the bands arrived at Stoke's Sugarmill on Friday (April 5) and the local talent delivered in fine style.

Five up-and-coming bands took to the stage with the chance to impress the judges for a place at the Road to Blissfields final in London.

First up was the energetic The Ruby Dukes with a great delivery of crisp, upbeat indie with a fantastic stage presence and audience engagement.

They were not startled by opening the competition and took the opportunity to grab the eyes of the judges instantly.

The third song was the highlight, with pitch perfect harmonies from rhythm guitarist Josh and a well-timed, offbeat ending.

It was clear these boys were relishing the limelight and hoping to prolong the set before their impressive electrifying high-speed finish.

Beautiful effortless vocals from Faux Feet's blissfully airy Sian Matthews and some catchy guitar riffs soothed the audience for the opening two tracks.

Although strong influences of The xx were heard, particularly in the keyboard of the third song, they clearly had an original sound.

Unfortunately for Faux Feet, the audience seemed uninterested towards the end; they undoubtedly impress more with the electronic-heavy sounds of their recordings.

The classic psychedelic rock of Psyence arrived and impressed with the recently-recorded 'Forbidden Fruits', much to the appreciation of the full Sugarmill crowd.

Following the beautiful keyboard intro for 'Brother, It Was Just A Dream', the falsetto vocals in the chorus were delivered with confidence.

The band showed a strong ability for composition and an understanding of the genre, but the repetitive and unoriginal sounds were uninspiring at times.

Nevertheless, they built up their final track to produce a high-standard climax with effective intricate guitar playing and admirable solos.

Fans screamed their support for Delamere as they took to the stage during their rap/rock recorded intro song.

New single 'Heart' saw lead singer James Fitchford combining with Will Mason on drums for an intriguing opening into a track which utilised James' unique vocals to great effect.
 

'Vampire' had an addictive, repetitive chorus which lasted long in the mind after leaving the venue and also included an effective break down at the bridge.
 

The first performance of an unreleased song was quite possibly the high-point for the act, using a simple pop-indie intro with a fast, running drum beat.
 

A strong variation of drumming speeds brought the set to a convincing climax with the help of a confetti cannon exploding on the band and the audience, much to the satisfaction of those in attendance.
 

Final act Troops of Mafeking were your decent standard heavy rock outfit with clear American grunge influences.
 

Despite some general repetitive sounds, 'Broken's' memorable chorus and tight instrumental bridge had the crowd entranced.
 

Troops clearly had their fans amongst the audience and were generally well-received and in with a chance of clinching the win.
 

Chants lingered on for 'Dukes' and 'Delamere' before Blissfields judge Alex Thomson announced Delamere as the successful act.
 

Worthy winners in the end, Delamere provided something original and, although some might say the confetti cannon was a cheap stunt, it was assuredly their very well-constructed music which won them their place in the final.
 

The Ruby Dukes were unlucky on this occasion, but with so much potential, there is no doubt the boys will be confident of their future.
 

Stoke-on-Trent proved that local talent is still rising and there is much more to come from all of these young musicians.