Well, all votes are in, they’ve been counted and verified and the results are out. Numbers have been whittled down from twenty to twelve, all of who will be competing at Mr Kyps in two semi-finals on Sat 3 and Sat 10 April.

This year’s Dorset Music Awards is generating tidal-sized waves of support. Say what you like about music ‘competitions’ and the like… the vast majority of bands and punters love’ em. Well, this one anyway. It’s attracting loads of interest and focus on the local scene, it encourages bands to promote themselves and brings out the best performances.

Enough of that. Who made it through? Unlike last year with the likes of Otto and The Goodfoot there’s a clear lack of funk and soul, and rather surprisingly without Dubheart and Dusty Cuts getting through a lack of ska, dub and reggae too…

Enough of that! Who made it through!?

Bel Casino, Disco’s Out (Murder’s In), Lady Winwoods Maggot, The Longest Day, Mischa, Mutant Vinyl, The Neon Tigers, The Other Half, Sarah Griffin, Stop Go Sixty, Strangers and Madmen and The Sval Bards.

All the info you need on the bands and future events can be found on the DMA website.

For various reasons I’ve been unable to attend the three previous DMA quarter-finals at The Winchester, but the last one sees me free, feeling like a drink and watching some quality live music. Entering the venue Mischa clocks me, grabs me and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He’s like that… if this event was based on who’s the loveliest, Mischa would win. He’s a quality performer too, skilful, engaging, and fully deserving of the fantastic reception given to him at the end of his set.

Mutant Vinyl have been playing live for a matter of months, as a band, weeks. With this in mind tonight’s performance was quite stunning. Mutant Vinyl’s inspiration, Edwin Pope (pictured), is another totally engaging performer, enigmatic and totally watchable. Swapping between vocals, keys, guitar, bass, megaphone and sax, without looking like a complete show off takes some doing, yet Ed, primarily due to the quality of his songs manages it with aplomb. This kid has bucket loads of talent… can he win this competition? Quite possibly.

Deltorers had a hard act to follow. Unlike Mutant Vinyl they have always struggled to bring people to their gigs, presumably with this competition this would mean they’re also struggling for votes, which is a shame. Now down to a duo since Sam Hadley’s departure they’ve also come up with a new set of songs, only one of which was familiar to me. Not that song familiarity is important but these guys always seem to make things hard for themselves. They’re still quite fantastic though. Nathan, a blur of sweat and intensity, Brendan static, expressionless and wonderfully phlegmatic. Unfortunately (and I’d love to be wrong here) they’ve absolutely no chance of getting through to the next round.

Disco’s Out (Murder’s In) are a band on the up. Their appeal has been enhanced by their recent change of bass player, the band now seem more of a unit, more unified in their sheer joy of playing. Since their first half a dozen gigs their sound has been somewhat de-cluttered, giving the songs more room to breath. More than anything, DOMI have fun on stage, they’re not the tightest band around but any slight sloppiness is more than made up for by their energy, spirit and personality. It’s taken the best part of a year for this band to grow on me, now their songs are all over me like a rash. Bastards. The crowd loved ‘em too…

In more ways than one Lady Winwoods Maggot are the daddies of this competition. They’ve been playing as Maggots for just about as long as some of the other competitors have been living. Fifteen years performing has done nothing to dampen their enthusiasm, and it was great to see these guys make as much effort as anyone with promotion, meaning an impressive number staying to watch them shotgun through their set of punky americana. They’re promising a special performance called “And Now for Something Completely Different” if they make it through to the semis, a set full of one-off audience requests, apparently.

The fact that The Winchester was packed from the time Mischa started, right up until Lady Winwoods’ final strum goes to show one thing… promotion works. You can’t move on any online networking site frequented by local musicians without being bombarded by bands playing the DMA asking for support. Bands push the promo – people come to gigs. I see a plan here…

Voting ended lunchtime today – results expected tomorrow.

‘Six Miles’ sounds like a classic road movie. Like Vanishing Point, the main character dealing with the spirit of his soul and the sounds in his head. Kowalski, guided by Supersoul: The last American hero, the electric centaur, the demi god, the super driver of the golden west. Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind the beautiful lone driver, the police number are getting closer, closer, closer to our soul hero, in his soul mobile. Yeah baby, they’re about to strike, they’re gonna get him, smash him. Rape the last beautiful free soul on this planet…

In the next few days ‘Six Miles’ will be available for a short time as a free download from The Sables’ website, prior to being released as a limited edition single. In the coming months the track will also feature on the band’s new eagerly anticipated long-player – short wave story.

The Sables on ‘Six Miles’…

Turn the key and the machine starts to breath, familiar air hermetically sealed nothing and no one can touch you here. The windscreen is like a projector – all wide screen movie dream – forever changing, no fixed plot, yours for the making, a million extras with no directors all begging [with no need] to know the endings. On your journey you have seen the full moon, new moon, waxing waning and crescent moon – the bad blue howling moon. You have seen the sunrise ignite the day burn a trail and then burn away, arc and equinox, shepherds sun and sailors sun, lonely hazy lazy sun, you don’t know what your chasing or what your running from. You can go anyplace, anywhere from here, all junctions, connections, arteries, all veins feeding into a body that will not see, won’t bleed, that doesn’t know or doesn’t care if you were even here. What’s stopping me ma,’ I cannot engage, submerge, engulf or fully become, carbon, atom or other forms, are we still driving are we still movin are we getting further or are we returning. Love to everyone on the road hold what you love and hold it close. Made with one part gumbo and two part go go…

(photo by Grant David Read)

The Sables – ‘Six Miles’

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Tomorrow night (Fri 12 March) sees an event at Champions featuring three quality local bands, which is justifiably gathering a lot of interest and attention. Brothers Grimmer, Muddy Miles and Nion Abeo will all be playing sets, half of which will be their own songs, the other half covers. The credibility of covers bands is an ongoing issue amongst gig-goers, but anyone who knows these three bands will know that their usual live sets are made up of almost totally original music.

So why 50% covers? Well, Matt Cleary from Brothers Grimmer had an idea… Remembering the busiest nights held at The Metropole, when In Rock We Trust were putting on grunge tribute events, getting local bands to play songs by the likes of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine etc… well, he’s nicked the idea! It worked at The Metropole, and judging by the feedback he’s received there’s no reason why it won’t work elsewhere. Plus (and most importantly) his band are raising money for the National Autistic Society, a cause the band chose to support partly due to Matt’s brother (and the band’s dancer – check his moves!) Michael having Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. If this event is successful it could very well lead to more of the same in the future, Grunge CO. may be a monthly night in the making…

Brothers Grimmer will also be promoting the release of their new album The Big Red Book of Nursery Rhyme Rants, as well as their new single ‘Who I Am’, the proceeds from which will all be going to the NAS. Matt and Brothers Grimmer should be applauded for the amount of work they’ve put in to promoting this event, hopefully they will benefit from the hours they’ve spent contacting local press and radio, walking the streets handing out flyers, busking, wearing stupid wigs and costumes, and generally busting a gut trying to spread the word. For all the information you need about the event, take a look at the facebook event. The minimum donation on the night is £4, all of which goes to the NAS, doors from 7.30.