Teenage dreams…

Posted on 25th Apr 07 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Beginner 2 Band showcase
Author: Scott Edgar

So hard to beat"

Beginner 2 Band
The Burnavon" Cookstown
Thursday 29 March 2007

In 1979 Feargal Sharkey fronted a scruffy bunch of Northern Irish upstarts by the name of The Undertones as they unleashed "Teenage Kicks" on an unsuspecting nation. The song went on to become one of the most loved punk anthems of all time giving hope to boys and girls with guitars and dreams all across the country. Times have changed drastically in Northern Ireland and in particular within the music industry but kids inevitably still want to be like their idols and those "teenage dreams are hard to beat""

There"s an old saying "if you can"t beat them" join them" and as I"ve decided that rock and roll looks to be here to stay I took the chance to catch the next generation of rock legends in the making the Beginner 2 Band showcase in Cookstown"s Burnavon Centre. The event was the culmination of a project undertaken in 2005 to "provide an opportunity for young people to come together and explore their creative potential under the tutelage of musicians" with help from the Armagh Multi Media Access "AMMA" Centre and support from various education groups across mid"Ulster.

But enough of all this corporate talk. The lights in the Burnavon were down" the atmosphere was buzzing and backstage there were over 60 young people bursting with talent" passion and enthusiasm. It wasn"t long before this was all released upon the packed audience as guitars" keyboards and pounding drums filled the venue.

Armagh and Newry were represented by Double Stop who got things underway with a couple of mid"paced tunes with some funky guitar licks" quickly followed up by friends and foes gigging under the names of Macadamia" Pretzel Logic and the unfortunately named Xenophobia who treated us to some good old fashioned metal but may have to rethink their name before the big time beckons. After all that raucous teenage testosterone it was refreshing to see some girls take to the stage even if nerves did take a little hold on Banbridge"s Highly Flammable. The second County Down band of the night are gigging under the name of Diamond Shatter and put in one of the best performances of the night" which although a little bit clich"d was well rehearsed and executed.

Craigavon was represented by Pariah" Kaos and Rebirth who varied greatly in talent" genre" style and ability before the hometown acts brought the evening to a close. Dutchparty and Last Fix may have names that hint at a heady rock and roll lifestyle but we hope they spend a little more time honing their talents before being waylaid by the excesses of stardom. There"s a lot of talent on show here even with such young band members. Cookstown"s own homegrown talent receive a warm welcome" mainly from the huge crowd of young impressionable male"s in the room. They call their band Ethereal but the sounds are much more electro"pop"punk and with a bit of fine tuning and the knowledge that this shallow industry is just as much about attitude and image as it is about music" this female fronted act could go far.

The evening is brought to a close by Dungannon based Play The Thief. They"ve listed rock acts such as Muse and My Chemical Romance amongst their influences but I can detect more poppy influences like the Arctic Monkeys or Franz Ferdinand and that"s nothing to be ashamed of. Their catchy tunes prove a big hit with the older and younger members of the audience and whoops and cheers from family and friends reverberate around the room. Some bands have been bigger hits than others" some bands need a little more time in the practise rooms and studios but if hard work" perseverance" talent and guts are to be commended then everyone involved deserves a massive round of applause.

Photo Credit: Chris Semple

www.medialook.tv