Rumours Lounge in Weltevreden Park has for the past two months been the arena for the battle of the bands with a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Battle for Iron Maiden has seen 28 bands perform at Rumours for the chance to open for Iron Maiden on their Book of Souls Tour at their Carnival City performance. At each event bands play four original songs and one Iron Maiden song, which they need to cover with their own flare.
The semi-finals, held on 21 and 28 April, saw New Born Fire, Deadline, Jasper Dan, De Wallen and Man As Machine through to the finals. However, organisers Barney Simon, a radio personality, and owner of Emerging Sounds, Simon Foulds, decided there were some bands that deserved a second chance, and a wildcard semi-final was held on 3 May. The Slashdogs, The Jack Rolling Dandy’s, Rescind and Nebula 9 faced off with a fist pumping, head banging crowd at their feet.
“I have been involved with Battle of the Bands for almost 20 years but this is the first time we have done anything like this. It was Barney Simon’s idea and Big Concerts loved it and jumped on board. There has been a great vibe and energy every night. It gives the local, young bands something to work towards and is a great opportunity to play before an international act,” said Foulds.
The bands were excited to get this second chance to compete in the finals. Lead singer of Nebula 9, Chris Budai, said, “We were deflated on the night because we believed we only had one shot. It is such an honour to be here and it would be an even greater honour to open for Iron Maiden.”
Guitarist for Rescind, Myles Hartelmüller said the opportunity would be extra special for him as the guitarist of Iron Maiden, Adrian Smith, was the reason he started to play guitar.
However, The Slashdogs made the cut and will compete for the win on 7 May at Rumours. Doors open at 5pm and the first band is on stage at 7pm. After the winning band has been announced, Barney Simon will deejay and play alternative, rock and metal tunes. Entrance is only R50 and patrons who attend can win Iron Maiden tickets to their Carnival City show on 21 May.
Details: Simon Foulds, zasoundz@gmail.com, 082 770 7524; Rumours Lounge, rumourspub@polka.co.za, 079 825 7995.
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