strummerville's unsigned heroes

First up is BILL DAVRO, a foursome who trade in alternative indie rock with a slightly melancholic undertone. The majority of their melodies are upbeat and poppy, whereas the lyrics tend to be downtrodden and wistful. The result is pleasingly quirky; Kieran Gallimore’s bluesy vocals suit their sound brilliantly. Hoewever, one wonders if these guys have something different enough to make them stand out in the competition. Next on stage are DOLL & THE KICKS, hailing from the opposite end of the indie rock spectrum. They are all attitude; radiating confidence, striking poses and delivering high quality, driven, eccentric pop. Singer Doll’s voice is a perfectly spotless hybrid of Kate Bush and Gwen Stefani. Her energy is frantic yet focused and she’s working the crowd like a pro. This band is looking like a favourite if the audience reaction is anything to go by (units of alcohol collectively consumed by said audience notwithstanding…) Final contestants for the night are MOLLOY with a healthy helping of hyperactive electro pop. There is a megaphone. There is a neon plastic laser gun. There’s more Ziggy Stardust glitter makeup than Bowie himself would have been able to cope with. Their sound is funky, synthetic, bratty and going for the glam. What they do, they certainly do well, however there has been a bit of an epidemic of this sort of music of late and Molloy could be in danger of being ‘just another…’ The audience is marinated at this point so we pass on checking for their opinion. After some tunes from the Strummerville DJs, Bill Davro is announced as the winner of this evening’s round. They’ll be going on to the next round to win a spot on the Strummerville Stage this summer. It has been an eclectic evening indeed – if only the rumours of free booze for press had been true!