Live Review: Santa Muerte, Ratking, The Lake & The River, 88 To Yesterday

It was the school of hard rock at Amplifier on Wednesday night for the dawn of the Academy's Battle of the Bands competition. The night followed a familiar format with each band thrashing their 25-minute slot for a chance to share in a host of prizes. Punk rockers 88 To Yesterday opened the competition with a ballsy set of frantic punk beats and classic riffs designed to pay tribute to a time when life was about beer and girls. A quality act oozing energy, these boys are well positioned to ride the inevitable return of the mighty punk rock genre. The Lake And The River took over, immersed in the more modern and emotional incarnation of the punk sound and utilising complex riffs and drawn-out sequences to provide the listener with a deep and transient journey through a teenage life. Quality musicianship and a strong outpouring of followers kept the band competitive.

Ratking took the stage, looking like a patchwork assembly of filthy juvies spawned from the formic grime between the toes of society. It became clear from the outset this was a special band, lighting up the stage with a blistering energy that can only come from raw, genuine thrash and possessing a certain je ne sais quoi that hadn't been seen for a long time. It became clear that Ratking were a band that really felt their style and delivered with a quality that would prove to be hard to beat. Perhaps the most polished band of the night, Santa Muerte looked and sounded like true musicians with complex variance in their sound. It's tough to use the term unique in the world of music; however it was abundantly clear that this was a band that has assembled talented musicians keen on forging their own path and kicked it off tonight by putting on a truly excellent show.