Red Stripe Music Awards
Barfly, Cardiff
29/01/2010

It’s Red Stripe Music Awards time again in Cardiff, the competition that sees bands who’d never normally share stage space taking each other on in a bid to prove themselves the hottest local talent and win spots at some of the country’s biggest festivals. The musical diversity this competition promotes is one of its strengths; with evil electro/breakbeat monsters Sicknote blasting their peers out of the water last year in an unexpected triumph for the left-field. Tonight’s heat follows in the same vein, with The Committed, Touchfinder and The Alex Dingley Band peddling wildly differing wares – from melodic alt-pop to bittersweet indie with a stop off at good solid rock on the way.

The Committed kick things off with a clean, tight set, pairing insightful lyrics with a likeable energy and shaking off any potential comparisons to Fall Out Boy et al with their darker, edgier sound. ‘Modern Times (With Barely A Smile)’ is a highlight, its atmospheric opening making way for some spiky drum’n’bass rhythms. Next up, Touchfinder rock things up a notch to clear approval from the Barfly masses, striking a confident balance between metal-edged anthems and infectious crowd-pleasers. Occasionally a little Muse-ish and sometimes Biffy-esque, Touchfinder manage not to labour the references and keep things fresh.

Last on the bill is The Alex Dingley Band, a four-piece whose seemingly innocent brand of indiepop is underpinned with a knowingly dark humour – a bit like finding a copy of Viz behind the Tweenies annual in WH Smith. This faux-naïf, whimsical style is doing big business in Cardiff just now and The Alex Dingley Band has it nailed. So an eclectic proffering from the RSMA tonight and a difficult one to call in terms of deserved winners. 2010’s competition looks set to be fierce – just how we like it.

Megan Campbell