Local Bands

G Factor

G Factor 2007

Over 100 bands from Coventry and Warwickshire entered the G Factor competition for a chance to play at the Godiva Festival in Coventry.

A panel of judges selected the twenty bands to play in four heats, with the top two in each heat going through.

Heat One - Review by Phil Huxley

The first heat took place at Warwick University SU on Saturday, 28 April with five great bands playing.

Warwick Uni Battle of the Band winners Young & The Damned opened proceedings with their distinctive brand of indie-pop.

DbMA (Pic Annie Chalmers)

Next on were 2006 finalists DbMA. The Coventry six-piece were probably favourites for the heat and went down well with the crowd, playing a powerful and polished set including the tracks Jesus Reason and Lock and Load.

The middle slot was taken by Shakes and Shivers. Frontman Tom Sutch's oozed charisma and personality as they charmed the crowd with their scuzzy punk melodies,  though they had to contend with drum problems midway through their set.

King Hermit played fourth. The trio were drafted in as last minute replacements for The Rrrrs and they delivered a strong performance.

Men In Caves

Finally Men In Caves brought proceedings to a close. Another trio, this time from Leamington, they played a blistering set leaving both the judges and the audience with the tough task of deciding who to vote for.

Any of the five bands could have gone through in what was a tough heat, but it was DbMA and Men In Caves who triumphed. A special mention must go to Shakes & Shivers who just missed out in third by the narrowest of margins.

Heat Two - Review by Mike Smith

The second heat took place at the Phoenix in Coventry on Sunday, 29 April.

Leamington quartet The Carter Manoeuvre kicked off in twitchy style, their nervous but ambitious fusion of The Cure and Bloc Party charming the audience for the duration. Their considered use of intricate guitar playing, grainy keyboard textures and melodic bass-playing combined in a short but brilliantly paced set that clearly found favour with the judges.

Being Coventry’s sole remaining reggae band is quite a responsibility for Kifaru, who are the second act to take to the stage. The band groove effortlessly, and their powerful sound does not fail to enliven the audience, even on this sleepy Sunday afternoon. 

What About Cube? (Pic. Annie Chalmers)

G Factor veterans What About Cube? put in a tight, effective performance, and wear their Jeff Buckley/Muse influence on their sleeves. While the band are obviously proficient, and the hooks stadium-sized, they seem to lack inspiration this time out.

Sun, Zoom, Spark are next up, and their name alone is enough to put a smile on your face. Living up to this initial promise, the five-piece are energetic, exciting and unpredictable. The deranged slide guitar is straight off a Captain Beefheart record, while the challenging, hectic arrangements evoke Zappa. Crucially for Godiva, the band also know how to hold their own on stage, and engage in cheeky banter with the audience to great effect.

Coventry’s own Bootleg Poets round off a great afternoon’s entertainment with a charismatic set of indie pop that owes much to The Libertines in their pomp. The catchy hooks, the cynical lyrics and the aggressive guitars are all present and correct, and if the band had been able to play on, we would certainly have had a riot on our hands judging by the screams of certain female audience members.
 
Again it was a tough call for the judges and audience alike, but after much deliberation The Carter Manoeuvre and Sun, Zoom, Spark came out on top.

Heat Three - Review by Phil Huxley

A gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Nuneaton and what better way to spend it than watching some great bands in the Nag's Head.

Coventry band The Crooks get drawn out of the hat first and begin proceedings with a tight and confident set. Frontman Raff's voice rasps and growls like he's just smoked 100 cigarettes and eaten a large bag of gravel and the band match his intensity - building an impressive organ-led wall of sound. The penultimate track Whiskey is a highlight, much to the delight of their considerable fanbase.

Warwick Uni band The Rrrrs are next on and singer Sharliza is irrepressible as ever onstage. She wears yellow hotpants and the boys in the band go for Hawaiian shirts. The addition of a bubble machine and Sharliza's hyperactive stage presence mean it's an enjoyable and fun set as always.

Nuneaton's The Juliana Down have home advantage and turn in a tight and well-honed performance, with the track Hidden Agenda in particular featuring some great guitarwork from Michael Brown.

The Treehorns play next, before heading Status Quo style down the A444 for their set at Covstock later in the day. They finish their set with a cracking version of Small Change and the first and only appearance of the day of a harmonica - will it be enough to sway the judges and public?

Little Girl Screaming play last, putting everything into their performance. The also play in Cov later in the day, but don't hold anything back. Breathe is the standout track and LGS leave the judges and public a tough decision as who to vote for.

The voting takes an age to count as it is the closest heat yet.

The Crooks were the clear winners of both the judges and the public vote, but it's anyone's guess for second place.

After a thorough count it's exactly tied between Little Girl Screaming and the Juliana Down. The judges debate and then vote, with Little Girl Screaming going through to play at Godiva.

Sunday, 6 May @ Golden Cross, Coventry.

Jamson's Nook and The Hearing go through - Review will appear shortly.

G Factor acoustic

The heats of the G Factor acoustic competition take place on Thursday nights in May (10th, 17th, 24th, 31st) at The Hope and Anchor in Coventry. Doors for each heat open at 8.30 and music starts at 9pm...free entry. Full lineups for each heat will be announced shortly.

G Factor urban

Hillz FM will be holding Open Mic heats on Thursday 17 & 24 May. They will be judged by the the Kray Twinz. Entry is open to all urban artists from Coventry and Warwickshire. For more information visit www.thehillz.net 

About G Factor 2007

The G Factor competition is back for 2007. G Factor gives every band and singer in our region the chance to play at the Godiva Festival.

This year we will be widening the musical scope of G Factor and there will be three categories:

Decatone (pic. Annie Chalmers)

• Band
• Acoustic solo/duo
• Urban

As in 2006, G Factor is open to any band or singer from Coventry and Warwickshire who wants to play at the Godiva Festival.

As well as a public vote - this year there will be a live final in Priory Place on Thursday, 24 May where the overall winner will be chosen.

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Last year

In 2006 well over a hundred bands from Coventry and Warwickshire entered our competition to play at the Godiva Festival in Memorial Park. After a selection process by music industry professionals, twenty bands were picked to play in four heats. With voting split 50/50 between judges and the audience, eight bands then won through to the Godiva Festival.

They were Decatone, The Great Blind Degree, Death By Miss Adventure, Fiori, Trailer, Hobo Exile Hotel, 7th Wave and What About Cube?

Eight-piece funk band Decatone were triumphant in BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's public vote to become the first G Factor winners. This meant they got the chance to play on the main stage at Godiva along with the likes of Mercury Rev, The Cooper Temple Clause and The Enemy.

Tune in to Sounds

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire will be following the G Factor competition each step of the way - right here on the website and on our local bands programme Sounds. You can listen to Sounds every Thursday from 9-10pm and right here on Listen Again.