Post by Darby on Jul 30, 2006 13:24:13 GMT
This Review is from the Offical Battle of the Bands Website, given by the Offical Reviewer "Majere"....
Credit : www.lockandload.org.uk
"I'll admit it, i wasnt expecting any surprises tonight. Anyone who doesnt know what to expect when they see Shotgun Divorce these days must have been living under a rock -and a heavily soundproofed one at that- for some time. So it was with only mild curiosity that I looked over at the ‘Divorce setlist as it landed with a characteristic thud on the judging table, ready to return my attention to my customary bottle of Brown. Hang on a minute- or as our Teutonic friends would put it, ein minuten, bitte! No covers. Not one. This can only mean one thing- Shotgun Divorce have decided to go for the win. The cat is not only amongst the pigeons, it’s got a smug look on its face and feathers on its ears. The question is, of course, without ‘Bodies’ to wake up the pit or ‘Seek and Destroy’ to round things off, can Shotgun Divorce maintain their usual level of intensity? The answer is a resounding ‘almost’. Early in the set, things take another twist with the announcement that Old Crow have failed to turn up, leaving the prospect of two sets from Darby’s men- their BOTB all-original set, and a set of, to quote, “Massively fuckoid covers!”. The rapturous reception this news receives illustrates both the best and worst aspects of the band in some respects. Whilst the BOTB set is very well received, with everything from enthusiastic headbanging to genuine lighters-in-the-air moments, it’s only during the covers set that the pit truly erupts, with ‘Bodies’ generating the usual melee and ‘Seek and Destroy’ featuring two guest backing vocalists and a singalong from approximately half of Yarmouth. But more on the covers set in a while- the real point of interest here has to be on the development of Shotgun Divorce’s original material. ‘Execute’ is once again a set highlight and looks to become the centrepiece of the set, but ‘I Tried’ is also extremely promising, with what sounds suspiciously like a harmony coming from Ozzy’s backing vocals, as well as some rabble-rousing air-punching. For the most part, however, the backing vocals still lack a certain confidence, though when they have to stand up to Darby’s own oral onslaught this is quite understandable. ‘Gainback’ is dedicated to some ladies in the audience and local newcomers The Dollies, and features what can only being described as groping from some of the front row, which is the only thing to get close to knocking Darby off his stride all night. New track ‘Fall of the Last’ will need a little time to bed in, especially since it’s so new that the lyric sheet has to come out, whilst set-closer ‘Second Ending’ features a very tight, breakneck start and a distinctive scale-based vocal melody. As usual, the stage presence is provided mostly by Darby, Pep and Ozzy, with lead guitarist Dom content to let his axe do the talking. An interesting stage dynamic also appears to be forming, where Darby will turn his back on occasion and retreat to the back of the stage, allowing Pep and Ozzy to throw shapes and leap about in the space thus created. This unconventional manoeuvre helps make things feel more like a team effort than might otherwise have been the case, though it’s also undoubtedly down to the small size of the stage. This has been a strong performance, and as we all know by now it has topped the table. The only real worry for the band at the moment has to be the fact that their originals are still somewhat in the shadow of their covers, but few bands starting out are going to immediately write something better than ‘End Of Heartache’ straight out of the gate, and the originals are only going to get better with time- something that’s likely to give everyone else a lot to think about..
Now then, time for a quick word about the second set. It’s not every band that can find a second set worth of material at about half an hour’s notice, and Shotgun Divorce are visibly a bit knackered, but that doesn’t stop Part 2 from being one hell of a party. Indeed, not long into the second set the announcement comes in that Shotgun Divorce have topped the table, and things officially go utterly mental, with Darby proclaiming this to be ‘The happiest night of my life’. An already charged atmosphere now takes on overtones of a victory rally, although the band would be the first to accept that a lot could still happen. But tonight is, by anyone’s standards, Shotgun Divorce’s night, and though this second set is truncated due to fatigue, there’s still time to bust out the favourites- a rendition of ‘End Of Heartache’ that sounds just a tiny bit rusty compared to a brand shiny new take on Trivium’s ‘Dying In Your Arms’, that version of ‘Bodies’ and the aforementioned mass singalong of ‘Seek and Destroy’. Based on tonight’s performances- both of them- it would be an extremely brave man who bet against us seeing Shotgun Divorce in the final, but then last year at this stage I was saying the exact same thing about Forever Falling, so there’s still no room for complacency..."
Credit : www.lockandload.org.uk
"I'll admit it, i wasnt expecting any surprises tonight. Anyone who doesnt know what to expect when they see Shotgun Divorce these days must have been living under a rock -and a heavily soundproofed one at that- for some time. So it was with only mild curiosity that I looked over at the ‘Divorce setlist as it landed with a characteristic thud on the judging table, ready to return my attention to my customary bottle of Brown. Hang on a minute- or as our Teutonic friends would put it, ein minuten, bitte! No covers. Not one. This can only mean one thing- Shotgun Divorce have decided to go for the win. The cat is not only amongst the pigeons, it’s got a smug look on its face and feathers on its ears. The question is, of course, without ‘Bodies’ to wake up the pit or ‘Seek and Destroy’ to round things off, can Shotgun Divorce maintain their usual level of intensity? The answer is a resounding ‘almost’. Early in the set, things take another twist with the announcement that Old Crow have failed to turn up, leaving the prospect of two sets from Darby’s men- their BOTB all-original set, and a set of, to quote, “Massively fuckoid covers!”. The rapturous reception this news receives illustrates both the best and worst aspects of the band in some respects. Whilst the BOTB set is very well received, with everything from enthusiastic headbanging to genuine lighters-in-the-air moments, it’s only during the covers set that the pit truly erupts, with ‘Bodies’ generating the usual melee and ‘Seek and Destroy’ featuring two guest backing vocalists and a singalong from approximately half of Yarmouth. But more on the covers set in a while- the real point of interest here has to be on the development of Shotgun Divorce’s original material. ‘Execute’ is once again a set highlight and looks to become the centrepiece of the set, but ‘I Tried’ is also extremely promising, with what sounds suspiciously like a harmony coming from Ozzy’s backing vocals, as well as some rabble-rousing air-punching. For the most part, however, the backing vocals still lack a certain confidence, though when they have to stand up to Darby’s own oral onslaught this is quite understandable. ‘Gainback’ is dedicated to some ladies in the audience and local newcomers The Dollies, and features what can only being described as groping from some of the front row, which is the only thing to get close to knocking Darby off his stride all night. New track ‘Fall of the Last’ will need a little time to bed in, especially since it’s so new that the lyric sheet has to come out, whilst set-closer ‘Second Ending’ features a very tight, breakneck start and a distinctive scale-based vocal melody. As usual, the stage presence is provided mostly by Darby, Pep and Ozzy, with lead guitarist Dom content to let his axe do the talking. An interesting stage dynamic also appears to be forming, where Darby will turn his back on occasion and retreat to the back of the stage, allowing Pep and Ozzy to throw shapes and leap about in the space thus created. This unconventional manoeuvre helps make things feel more like a team effort than might otherwise have been the case, though it’s also undoubtedly down to the small size of the stage. This has been a strong performance, and as we all know by now it has topped the table. The only real worry for the band at the moment has to be the fact that their originals are still somewhat in the shadow of their covers, but few bands starting out are going to immediately write something better than ‘End Of Heartache’ straight out of the gate, and the originals are only going to get better with time- something that’s likely to give everyone else a lot to think about..
Now then, time for a quick word about the second set. It’s not every band that can find a second set worth of material at about half an hour’s notice, and Shotgun Divorce are visibly a bit knackered, but that doesn’t stop Part 2 from being one hell of a party. Indeed, not long into the second set the announcement comes in that Shotgun Divorce have topped the table, and things officially go utterly mental, with Darby proclaiming this to be ‘The happiest night of my life’. An already charged atmosphere now takes on overtones of a victory rally, although the band would be the first to accept that a lot could still happen. But tonight is, by anyone’s standards, Shotgun Divorce’s night, and though this second set is truncated due to fatigue, there’s still time to bust out the favourites- a rendition of ‘End Of Heartache’ that sounds just a tiny bit rusty compared to a brand shiny new take on Trivium’s ‘Dying In Your Arms’, that version of ‘Bodies’ and the aforementioned mass singalong of ‘Seek and Destroy’. Based on tonight’s performances- both of them- it would be an extremely brave man who bet against us seeing Shotgun Divorce in the final, but then last year at this stage I was saying the exact same thing about Forever Falling, so there’s still no room for complacency..."
