Article By: Mae Kirkpatrick
Battle of the Bands prelims recently occurred, and ever since it has been the conversation piece around school. Students have been going on about their favorite acts, the winners of the raffles, and who they think will end up winning the main awards at Battle of the Bands finals. With 6 Vocalists and 7 Bands moving onto finals, competition is fierce and all the artists have been constantly preparing for the upcoming final. While all artists perform exceptionally and practice consistently, what are the specific criteria judges use to decide which acts get to move on to finals and ultimately win BOB?
Mr. Macinnes, one of the judges at the weekends Prelims, specified the criteria judges use for both Vocalists and Bands. For Vocalists, the most important aspects they look for are “being able to hold the melody, being able to transition from one part of the song to the other, keeping the tone and certainly having stage presence.” It seems that although the vocals are a huge part of criteria, the performer’s interaction with the audience is crucial in making them stand out against the other competitors. As for with bands performing, criteria for them include “musically, how well they combine different instruments in their collective sound; technically, how well they play overall; and timing wise, time in between drums and other instruments to maintain smooth transitions.” Mr. Macinnes also emphasizes band energy as an important criteria, with “Argent being a great example of fantastic energy and stage presence.” Moreover, The Shire was great technically because “they added something extra as they had the electronic element with their synthesizers, which created a unique sound for them.” Overall, he felt the bands and vocalists that ended up being most successful were the ones who chose songs that they knew inside out and fit well with their style. Mr. Mawer, a second judge at BOB prelims, supported this, agreeing that out of all the criteria used, the most important aspect would be “knowing the song and the time spent rehearsing.” Looking at all the bands moving on to the finals, it’s obvious that they all have achieved these criteria effectively through their excessive practice over the past few weeks and unique and energetic stage presence seen on Saturday.
With such fierce, neck and neck competition, this years BOB finals will be one to remember. Which vocalist and band will prevail? Come February 14 to have the chance to win standout raffle prizes and find out who will be crowned!
