Her Majesty was upriver, being entertained by the likes of Westlife and Mary Byrne, but the real action was here, where five of the best up-and-coming bands fought it out for the chance to open for Bon Jovi at their sell-out RDS June shows. With two places going a-begging, the odds were good (6/4, to be precise) and the competition fierce, while the judging panel included promoter Peter Aiken, Universal Music’s Mark Crossingham and Radio Nova’s Carol Dooley.
With enthusiastic introductions from Nova’s Pat Courtenay, first up were the already hugely popular five-piece, Jodi Has A Hitlist, who hit the ground running with a fiery set highlighted by their incendiary ‘Just Over A Year’. They looked very much the part too, with a bass-player who posed like The Clash’s Paul Simenon and a guitarist who looked a little like Suede’s Brett Anderson.
Next up were Doris, who have been around with various line-ups for the best part of five years. With big sounding dynamics, 80’s Euro-rock textures, well-turned out melodies and sumptuous harmonies, they went down a treat with the packed audience and looked like serious contenders.
The widely-travelled Simon Fagan (he’s recently toured the US and Egypt) looked and sounded like someone who’d been around for years. Backed by a full line-up, his well-delivered brand of classic Americana and singer-songwriter fare was full of accessible hooks, with the highlight ‘Damn Honey’ hitting the spot.
Clearly heavyweight contenders on the night, The Riptide Movement strode on stage and blazed through their brief set. Though they might baulk at Kings Of Leon comparisons, there’s no doubt that they’re supping from the same musical trough as the US southern rockers.
Purveying a more accessible brand of guitar-based indie pop, the night’s final act, Fallen Drakes rocked the venue home with their widescreen anthemic numbers, the best of them being the rousing ‘Don’t Cry’.
It was hard to call, with every act giving it their all on the night, but when the votes were counted, both The Riptide Movement and The Fallen Drakes triumphed. Congrats to everyone involved for what was a great evening’s entertainment!