1st: Scott Booth - without a doubt performance of the night. One man, one guitar but he can play his instrument like no one you have ever seen before. Mesmerising string talent from Booth and I absolutely can't wait until he gets some more of his tunes down in the studio. He may have been taking part in a guitar masterclass a few months ago but in my eyes he really should have been leading it.
2nd: Trip To The Sun - finishing the night with a healthy slice of rock 'n' roll blues, Trip To The Sun may not have been introduced to the 21st century but boy do their play well. Talent is abundant in these four and I thirst for future material with impatience. Take the word 'relevant' and rip it straight out of your dictionaries, it never existed and never will.
3rd: Peter Marchant - penta-instrumentalist Marchant and friends had the crowd on their feet with extreme guitar skills on energy packed songs, clearly influenced by legends Queen, Bowie and ... umm ... Cher? He and his band have got pure talent and I admire everything they do. Had a sudden urge to crowd surf but it wasn't that kind of gig.
Saturday 10th March saw annual Northamptonshire youth music competition The Y Factor return to The Roadmender for its whopping seventh final. The eight finalists performing were:
Villanova (aka Johnny Perkins and co.) - if Primal Scream and Mumford & Sons were ever to join together a) you would be able to hear my screams from the planet Mars and b) I reckon it'd sound a bit like Villanova. This is what the sun has on its iPod as it rises over Northamptonshire.
Badly Kept Fish - a fun rock foursome who had a blast on stage, and it spilt over to the crowd. People always go wild for their frenzied rock melodies and they make such a great noise. I don't seem to be able to find anyone who doesn't like them.
Imogen Longhurst - looking confident and assured on that stage, this seventeen year old proved she was more than just another singer/songwriter outfit. Armed with only her guitar and voice, one of the many young women influenced by Laura Marling and Florence got the second biggest round of applause. Told you she was a dark horse.
Korrozion - this young metal band sounded like they were going to bite the head off a goat or something live they went that far in. Heavy? Korrozion were utterly elephantine as they shredded into their guitars, smashed the drum set to pieces and generally left the stage in a much messier state than it started in.
36 Keys - pinching little tit-bits of music from three different continents (Europe, America and Africa), the political ska and reggae rockers were one of the most danced to bands of the evening. Their sound is unique, their lyrics challenging and their music: phenomenal.
Also playing were indie guitar duo Louie & Gary, pop cover artist Iain Watson (Mumford & Sons cover went down really well) and last year's winner, the gorgeous Sofia Benhayoun.
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