Amid the mania of the Trinity Ball ticketing and reading week deadlines, Trinity Ents has announced the line-up for the forthcoming Battle of the Bands semi-final. The upcoming gig in question takes place in BelloBar on February 26th, a noticeably more intimate venue than the Grand Social loft, where last year’s was staged.
InBetween Honey, a modern indie-rock band hailing from Meath, certainly have a classic yet catchy aura to them. The sound delivered is remarkably full – their five-person line-up allows the group to accommodate a live performance on par to that of the band’s studio recordings.
Perhaps the most imposing inclusion of the incoming semi-final line-up would be alt-pop sextet Sourfruit. Overwhelming harmonies can be found overlaying melodic verse vocal hooks, in a manner that also somehow effortlessly blends the modern hip-hop beats of today with intermittent, yet welcomed, rap lines.
The groove implemented by Long and Greasy’s tight rhythm section is also not to be ignored. The saxophone and synth-wielding Red Heron employ a groovy display of melodies in a manner not dissimilar to that of previous Battle of the Bands-favourites Dysfunktional.
What is perhaps most refreshing in this year’s line-up is the number of newer artists. The vast majority of acts’ debut single releases are less than a year old, with bands such as Banríon only being conceived months ago. While indie-pop remains the most prevalent genre on show this year, the inclusion of such fresh blood is to be welcomed. For the measly price of €5, you’d be hard pushed to find a better display of the variety of talent that Dublin musicians have to offer than this on a Wednesday night.
Previous winners of the competition are Cooks But We’re Chefs, who are set to play Trinity Ball in April.
