RiotZine

• Rob Himself
• Kalimist
• Saxon Sunday
• The Nova Acoustic
• Slow Riot
• The Sketch Outfit
• Rival Pilot
• Tamerlane

The day began about 12 noon on Sunday July 15th with bright sunshine, and a virtually empty field. People in bright green "SCAMFEST" T-Shirts were hurrying around the place, frantically setting up sound equipment on the stage, or rushing over to the activities. By about 1pm people were begging to arrive. On the far side of the field was a giant inflatable slide, a big bungee trampoline, and an inflatable gladiators thing.
The first artist to take the stage was Rob Himself, a talented young acoustic soloist, with a very educational set of songs. He played an excellent set of songs ranging from topics about why you shouldn't take drugs, to history class. Not only did he play exceptionally, he also managed to interact with the crowd well, even though there weren't many of us there at that point. He asked for a sandcastle to be built on the large patch of sand in front of the stage before his set was over, and a group of teenagers got to work on granting his wish. Rob didn't play many songs, but the few he played; he played with passion and energy. He kept it short and sweet, and sometimes that works perfectly.

Rob Himself: (*) (*) (*) (*)

Next up was Kalimist, a three-piece metal instrumental group. The line-up of this band was unique, in the fact that the vast majority of metal bands not only have vocalists, but are usually male. Kalimist however, break both of these common ideas, by only having one male member, and no vocalist. I think there are some bands that would have trouble making that work, but Kalimist pull it off, and they do it well. A lot of emphasis seems to have been placed on the guitar solos, which were short in places, but well thought out and practised.
Kalimist: (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

The third of the runners up was Saxon Sunday. Even the very first time you see this band, or hear their music, you can tell that they put 110% into it, there's energy and passion in every song. They're the sort of band you hear, and just feel like jumping around to. The vocalist and his unique clothing choice front the band and lead them down a road of determination and energy. Watching them play, I could see that they enjoyed every moment of their set, from the constant grinning across the stage, and audible giggling between songs. They clearly love what they do, and they provide the audience with a sense of light hearted fun. Definitely a band to make you smile.
Saxon Sunday: (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

The last of the runners up to play was The Nova. There are some bands that you hear for the first time, and you're addicted. You just have to keep listening to them, you want to learn the words to the songs and you sing them in your head for days afterwards. The Nova, I think, are one of those bands. Their catchy pop-punk tunes and lyrics about meeting the perfect person, and how it makes you feel make you feel like dancing and singing along. The Nova didn't play as their usual 4 piece line up however, as 'Woody' [Tom Woodward – Bass/Keys] was "working in a bakery today". They played an amazing set of acoustic songs, including 'Since I Met Her' (A personal favourite of mine that I suggest you all go and listen to) 'Jakes Song' and a perfect cover of 'I'm A Believer'.
The Nova: (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

After a short break in the bands while they announced the first "evictees" from the Big Sis House (Eleven Members of the Youth Club had stayed the weekend in their version of Big Brother) Slow Riot took to the stage. I'm not really sure how you would describe Slow Riot, he doesn't fit into any genre I can think of off the top of my head, yet he has a certain familiar air about him. He played a few songs on electric guitar, including a song about war. After a slight disruption caused by a power cut ("Someone forgot to put 50p in the meter" as Bones said...but I don't know if he was joking or not) he moved onto playing some very unique songs on a banjo. Even though the microphone was constantly cutting out due to a lose connection in the wires, he played on, delivering a fantastically unique set.
Slow Riot: (*) (*) (*) (*)

Next up was The Sketch Outfit, a band who we think have exactly what it takes to make it. Their lively pop-punk beats, with mad drumming and unique ways of creating guitar sounds are just a few of the things that set this three piece well on the way to making something of what they have. Unfortunately, the rain had begun to pour down by this point, and the stage was becoming dangerously wet. The vast majority of the crowd who had congregated to see them play had dispersed and huddled under umbrellas and gazebos, sheltering from the rain. They continued to play, including the (seemingly fitting) song, Super-Dangerous.
The Sketch Outfit: (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

Before the third of the finalists could set up, the stage had to be dried, with large amounts of blue paper. The black canopy over the stage was dripping water almost incessantly, creating bigger puddles by the minute, edging ever closer to the wires and amps. At one point I was beginning to think they might have to call it off, due to the fact there was so much electrical equipment getting steadily wetter. But, thanks to the crew, all was sorted, and the show went on.

Rival Pilot were up next, and their set was incredible. The first time we saw them we didn't think they had anything special, but the second time we were blown away by how much different they were, and abandoned our first impressions immediately. This being my third time seeing them, I knew what I was expecting to see, and they delivered, playing a flawless set, with energy enough to spread to the crowd. Out of all the bands that played on Sunday, they got the most people moving, although that may have been because they wanted free badges.

The last band to play was Tamerlane, fresh from playing at Guilfest literally a few hours before. Knowing this, I was expecting great things from them, and I wasn't disappointed. They clearly knew what they were doing, presumably from years of experience. Tamerlane are a heavy band, with a screaming vocalist, who manage to make it sound almost melodic, without losing any of the brutality, which is not an easy thing to do. At points the vocalist would simply stop and start talking to the audience, his father in particular, or introduce the band, even if he did forget what the instruments were called. An amazing set, and a band to look out for.
Tamerlane: (*) (*) (*) (*)

All in all, a good day was had by all, despite the technical difficulties and the weather. Every band that played the open air stage did so with confidence and talent. The overall winners were Rival Pilot, Well done boys!
And of course, Kudos to Bones and the Scamfest team for organising an amazing day! :D