TK Maxx presents The Lytham Festival joined forces with The Blackpool Gazette to bring you The Battle of the Bands, from Lowther Pavilion in Lytham
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:05 Good Friday brought sunshine and showers to Lytham,
00:07 but just up the road, the Lauda Pavilion was
00:10 preparing for a storm of epic proportions.
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00:16 TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival teamed up with
00:19 the Blackpool Gazette to bring you the ultimate battle of the bands.
00:23 Musicians will go head-to-head to win professional recording time and
00:27 Lytham Festival tickets as well as being crowned champions.
00:30 [MUSIC]
00:33 Our judges on the night are Editor-in-Chief of National World North,
00:36 Nicola Adam, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Lauda Pavilion,
00:40 Tim Lintz, and Senior Promoter at Cuff & Taylor, Julian Murray.
00:44 [MUSIC]
00:46 In this show, you'll get to meet Valentine, Spiral Scouts, and
00:50 Alpha State of Mind, as each act gets 20 minutes to impress the judges.
00:55 So let's meet our first contestants, Spiral Scouts.
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01:01 >> So the band is called Spiral Scouts.
01:03 Spiral Scouts.
01:07 And I put the band together,
01:11 about 2011, just for one gig,
01:15 on the end of the North Pier in Blackpool,
01:19 to raise some money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
01:21 [MUSIC]
01:31 The longest I'll remember is Heath Lavery on fiddle.
01:35 He's been playing with me for like 11 years.
01:39 I've got Ed Vernon on bass, he's been maybe eight years.
01:43 Nathan, only a couple of years on lead guitar.
01:46 Sean Zanaboni, he's only been with us a matter of months.
01:52 He plays keyboards and piano.
01:54 And the drummer, Young Sam, this is his first gig with us.
01:57 So we've only had two rehearsals, actually.
01:59 But he's mustered, he knows what he's doing.
02:02 [MUSIC]
02:12 Good music is good music regardless of the genre,
02:18 as far as I'm concerned.
02:22 And yeah, I've been affected by a lot of different great musicians over the years.
02:27 But hopefully, I'm hoping that the music that we're trying to make is
02:33 what we want it to be originally.
02:36 We have got influences.
02:39 But I don't know if the music sounds like any of them, to be honest.
02:45 Yeah.
02:47 [MUSIC]
02:57 Well, I was actually really late to the party.
03:07 I didn't actually start playing guitar until I was 37.
03:12 And I had never written any poetry or any rhymes or anything before that.
03:16 But for me, it was a way of dealing with, without sounding too heavy,
03:22 some major traumatic crisis of my life at the time.
03:24 And it was a good way of me funneling that negative energy and
03:29 getting something positive out of it.
03:32 So my songs, they often start just with a riff on the guitar.
03:39 And then they've varied greatly from laments on love to
03:44 rowdy observations on social situation.
03:48 I mean, that's kind of what we're writing about.
03:52 Yeah, I enjoy it.
03:53 I enjoy making music with all these guys.
03:56 They're all great musicians.
03:57 [MUSIC]
04:07 I've kind of avoided trying to get Spiral Scouts into the spotlight about
04:11 anything really.
04:11 But I think to be spoken about in the local press would be quite useful in
04:16 the moment when there's 60,000 releases a day on Spotify.
04:19 To be found in that mire is just almost impossible.
04:23 So any sort of mentions that you get, you know,
04:24 people enjoy your music, it's positive, then that's good.
04:28 It leads people to your music.
04:29 That's the reason I've entered the competition, really.
04:33 [MUSIC]
04:43 Yeah, I love performing.
04:48 As I say, I came to it very late, so I've still got the same sort of, you know,
04:53 verve and what have you as a young fella, even though I'm in my 50s, you know what I mean?
04:58 But I think I've noticed of late that it doesn't really seem to matter that much
05:02 about how old you are with the cast of music at the moment, you know what I mean?
05:04 It's just, it was a time that that was.
05:07 I mean, we play quite a lot of festivals, which are often unpaid, you know what I mean?
05:12 But it's for tickets and a good time with your friends kind of thing.
05:15 You know, that's what we set out to do.
05:17 And if you're gonna play original music, then nowhere better place to play it.
05:21 People are walking around in a field trying to find something new.
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05:27 When you're playing live, it's a different thing.
05:29 If people come out and see you live and enjoy you, then they're connected to you
05:33 through your music because they've seen you live.
05:36 It's a different thing, it's a different animal.
05:38 And so it's important to play live, but it's quite difficult because people are still
05:41 fearfully going out, you know, and the same social circles that were evolving before
05:49 are revolving around each other, you know, helping each other.
05:52 I don't feel like they've really gone back to where they were, but, you know,
05:55 maybe they will, you know, but playing live music is massively important in that,
06:00 you know, and even though, like, probably the most undervalued of all trades,
06:05 if you like, is to be an artist, it's, I don't know where we'd be.
06:10 What would we do?
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06:17 [APPLAUSE]
06:24 Put your hands together, give it up for Spiral Scouts.
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10:51 Can we give it up, everybody, for Spiral Scouts.
10:55 [APPLAUSE]
10:56 Amazing.
10:57 So, still smiling after watching Spiral Scouts.
11:01 They just, real feel-good factor to everything they brought to the stage,
11:06 from their performance to the music.
11:09 And it was nice to hear somebody doing something a little political as well.
11:13 It's, perhaps it harps back to another age where music actually meant something
11:18 to change some of the society that we actually live in.
11:21 But I think it was really, really, really happy music,
11:25 and made me want to get up and dance.
11:27 Amazing, what a band.
11:30 Yeah, you can see the levelers, new model army in there.
11:33 The last song totally threw everything out the window.
11:36 Really talented, great stage presence.
11:39 Good songs, yeah, good foot-tapping stuff.
11:42 Well, I haven't tapped my toes that much for a long time.
11:46 I think they absolutely got the crowd going.
11:48 And they look fantastic, those nasty outfits.
11:51 And then you've got an environmental message to boot.
11:54 So, yeah, everything there.
12:23 Hello, staff, state of mind.
12:25 I'm Vicky.
12:27 I sing and play guitar.
12:29 This is Nick.
12:30 I play the drums.
12:31 Ian.
12:32 I play guitar.
12:34 I'm Walshie.
12:35 I play bass.
12:36 So, yeah, the three of us started the band many, many years ago.
12:48 Gosh, was it about 12, 13 years ago?
12:50 2010.
12:51 2010 we started, went through a couple of singers,
12:54 and then I own a pub crawl, happened upon Vicky singing karaoke.
13:00 You were hosting a karaoke day.
13:02 Killing it.
13:03 Killing it, of course.
13:05 And quite inebriated, handed her a little note that just said,
13:10 "Have you ever been in a band? Would you like to be in one?"
13:13 And it's just gone from there, really.
13:15 We had a little hiatus for a few years, but we're back.
13:18 She's got the look, got the voice.
13:20 She was the missing piece of the puzzle.
13:23 There was a few singers we went through,
13:25 and none of them were like Vicky.
13:27 She was just the icing on the cake.
13:29 Just fitted us, we fitted her.
13:31 And they couldn't kick me out, so...
13:33 Yeah, and then we come and get rid of you.
13:35 We've all got really different things that we like,
13:44 so I'm more like... I like my metal and soul and R&B, blues type stuff.
13:50 Whereas everybody else has really different stuff,
13:53 and I'm always like, "Oh, a bit of punk."
13:55 Yeah, we like a bit of punk. A bit of all sorts.
13:58 Yeah, I'd say we're more... I'd say rock, punk, I'd say.
14:02 But all those influences are in there.
14:05 I'm more of an indie kind of guy,
14:07 but I also kind of like my metal and heavier stuff,
14:10 and it all just kind of fits together.
14:12 It all just rocks out, really.
14:14 We all tend to bring what we like,
14:25 and then we're all quite good at letting each other
14:28 just pick stuff apart or add stuff,
14:30 take stuff away, whatever it is, mostly.
14:32 Unless we get really precious about something.
14:34 Yeah, we're generally quite democratic with that side of it.
14:37 Sometimes Vicky will come with a few songs,
14:40 and then we'll just go with it.
14:42 Sometimes Vicky will come with a nearly full idea,
14:45 like, "I want the drums to sound like this,
14:47 I want the bass to sound like this."
14:49 Sometimes it'll start with me and Walsh,
14:51 he'll just jam something out on bass and drums,
14:53 and then Ian will chip in with a riff, and we just go from there.
14:56 Guys do most... Well, done all the lyric writing.
15:02 Yeah.
15:03 All of the melody stuff, like I say, guys can chip in,
15:06 but they don't care as much about lyrics as I do.
15:09 None of us sing, really.
15:11 It's your words, you're the one that's got to feel them.
15:14 I like that it's your baby.
15:16 Good time.
15:28 Yeah, high energy.
15:30 Yeah, high energy, we get up and play.
15:33 Not many ballads.
15:38 Yeah, definitely foot tapping.
15:40 Yeah.
15:41 Yeah, head shaking and all, yeah.
15:43 And talking nonsense, usually.
15:45 Absolutely.
15:46 I'm the best vocalist around.
15:48 I suppose just finally I should ask,
15:59 what would it mean to you to win this competition?
16:02 It'd be great.
16:03 I feel like we've been around a long time,
16:06 and we're not like the young'uns anymore and stuff,
16:09 so it always feels very much when you're doing anything music-y
16:13 that it's a young people type thing, like team thing.
16:16 Yeah.
16:17 So to have that kind of recognition as a somewhat mature band,
16:22 I think, would speak a lot,
16:24 because I feel like a lot of people hit a certain age,
16:27 and they feel like that's not something I'm allowed to do anymore,
16:30 and it's not accepted, or I'll be laughed at, or whatever it is.
16:33 So I think that if we won, I think that would be the nicest statement.
16:37 And I think as well, because it's stuff that we write,
16:40 that means even more.
16:42 People are digging the stuff that we write.
16:44 Yeah.
16:45 It's the best part of stuff like that.
16:48 # MUSIC PLAYS
17:15 It's true, we get ideas come in,
17:18 and that's the person who's brought the idea,
17:21 and then that's it, we start building on it and extending it
17:24 and adding various other different parts.
17:27 Before you know it, we've got a song created
17:29 with about four or five different elements in it.
17:32 Yeah, it's berserk music.
17:34 Yeah.
17:35 You started off by saying there's no one single genre,
17:38 but then you just sort of invented one as berserk music.
17:41 Yes!
17:43 There it is.
17:45 So you do have a genre, no-one else knows about it.
17:47 Yes.
17:48 Bring your berserk music to the world.
17:50 Yes.
17:51 You'll be a huge following, I'm sure.
17:53 # MUSIC PLAYS
17:55 Half a second of mine. Give it up for them. Come on!
18:08 CHEERING
18:10 How are you doing?
18:12 Hello.
18:14 Feel free to clap along and have a dance, if you want to.
18:17 # Take your lips off my lips
18:21 # Keep them still
18:22 # I, I, I
18:23 # Touch my arm
18:24 # Make you mine
18:25 # Nothing lasts forever
18:27 # Hey!
18:28 # MUSIC CONTINUES
18:30 # Talk, talk, talk
18:38 # Give me back to your face
18:41 # Tell the reality
18:43 # Put you in your place
18:45 # Talk in a way you feel
18:47 # Not to see what we see
18:50 # Take a heart and step back
18:52 # Be like an elf, please
18:54 # Easy talk
18:57 # Easy talk
19:02 # Easy talk
19:06 # My easy talk
19:10 # Easy talk
19:12 # I'm over it
19:16 # I'm over it
19:20 # I'm over it
19:25 # I'm over it
19:30 # I'm over it
19:39 # Feel the love of life
19:41 # Tell me I am different
19:45 # I know this world makes me different
19:51 # So I'm going to find
19:54 # That truth in you
19:56 # But I know I can't
20:00 # Do what I'm told
20:04 # I'm finally here inside
20:08 # Gave a smile
20:10 # We know we got the day
20:16 # One, two, three, four
20:20 # Got me here
20:22 # One, two, three, four
20:26 # Got me here
20:28 # Need some more
20:32 # Got me here
20:35 # Got me here
20:36 # Got me here
20:37 # Got me here
20:38 # Got me here
20:39 # Got me here
20:40 # Mm
20:41 # This is over
21:08 # A path of pain that's nowhere
21:12 # I'm a slave to this new life
21:16 # Sunshine's light
21:18 # Shines through my fingers
21:22 # So calm it burns
21:26 # A wasted minute's nothing
21:29 # Lose everything and don't be learned
21:33 # Time, I won't change
21:37 # Past life and life
21:39 # Have ceased and gone by
21:44 # I'm untouchable
21:49 # I'm nothing to hurt and fall
21:53 # I'm always to tell the tale
21:56 # Untouchable
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23:30 the drive going behind the music. He was playing the bass in a really unusual way, with just
23:36 his thumb. And I think that actually, the way the different musicians this evening are
23:42 bringing different styles to the music, and that should surely encourage other people
23:47 to try things and see what sounds they can get from their instruments.
23:50 We're Valentine, and my name is Charlotte. This is George. This is Rob. This is Tommy's
24:12 car. I'm from Sheffield. Me, Tom and Carl are all from Preston. And I'm from Stockport.
24:36 Where did the band name come from? Out of a list of about 300 other options. It's one
24:45 of those we threw around a lot of ideas. Some of them quite dark, some of them quite light
24:53 and poppy, but then this one kind of felt in the middle, and it summed up that dark,
24:59 old English romantic sort of sensibility that seemed to fit us well. Alternative from rock
25:22 to pop, but always a bit left of centre. Yeah, I think we all listen to different things,
25:30 so it's a mixture of different genres and different artists. But personally, I like
25:37 the influence of death tones, and a bit of the heavier side of music, whereas different
25:46 people like different kind of things as well. Yeah, it's always an interesting mix. So we
25:51 kind of still write pop songs with hooks and choruses, but then with some outrageous drum
26:01 fills. Yeah, I'm a massive Chili's head, so I'll try and shoehorn as much funk and that
26:08 type of stuff in as possible. I love the 1975 personally, and I've had them for the last
26:14 ten years. The way he plays drums has shaped me massively, the way I approach playing.
26:20 I've written a few, Charlotte's written a few, Tom's written a few, and then Carl and
26:26 Rob always contribute loads to our songs, and also got a few demos that both of them
26:32 have started to work on, so it's kind of a mix of all of our sounds. Usually we'll get
26:53 a rough demo from George, which is already polished, so it's sometimes hard to break
27:03 away from that. But even at demo level, it's already such a polished standard that it sets
27:14 the tone for the rest of the song. We like to be out there with our outfits, and our
27:43 stage presence, and something to remember basically. Many drum fills. I'll give it to
27:52 you. Maybe a couple of guitar shreds as well. Yeah, he's very shreddy as well. We released
28:05 a month or two ago, Under The Skin, our last song. It came out the first official Valentine
28:11 release. We're back in the studio soon to work on the next tracks, one of which is called
28:19 Serenity that Tom and Charlotte wrote. We do enjoy good competition. It kind of levels
28:40 the playing field a bit more, where it's hard to deny who is the best on the night,
28:46 as opposed to just who knows who, who gets put there. You can kind of fight your way
28:52 through if you are better. Like Rob said, it'll be interesting to see what everyone
28:56 else is like.
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