Matt Harrop + Rob Gamball + Ant & Ben (AntDavid) + Jess Gardner & Ali Lawrence (GRAND FINAL REVIEW taken from Talk Magazine) - 7th June 2005
The Heat was on, and I could feel it under an ill-advised selection of leather retro and too much hair product. I don’t have to thank the turn of the year for crash weight loss alone though, by the end of the evening I had been complimented by splendid splashes of acoustic talent against an inventive backdrop of video imagery to compensate for my vacant body fluids.
First up was Matt Harrop playing folk and blues like he’d been kicked in the face before performance, and that’s the way it should be kids! Some slick guitar and the inclusion of a beer bottle on slide won over my musical naivety and taste for novelty.
Following the ‘Rop was Rob Gambell, described as a cross between “Vanilla Ice & Tom Waits” by able MC for the night Alex King. Rob had great presence and control in the lower registers of his voice & played an enthusiastic folk guitar pick alongside cameo instrumentalist for just about every song.
It wasn’t long before York’s college-rock revolutionists Mark II (you guess the other ones) Ant and Ben started to command the audience with some smoother-than 50’s hair gel harmonies. Shortly after I turned to another to say “these guys remind me of John Mayer” they played a cover of “No such thing” by the man himself! Pure as the driven snow and delighting it was too.
There wasn’t a cover that came short on the evening, Jess and Ali pulled off “where’s the love”, and a few people found love for her voice, me being one. She manages soulful expression while dictating note control like the Queen bee of treble clefs. I just wish she’d open her voice that little more, greed will swallow the world people.
Ending the night is serial story teller Daz Cooke from Scarborough. If you can keep up with the pace of his monologues he’s a rather charming rogue with an excellent vocal range & he’ll gladly flaunt it with cheery bundles of soul-pop, probably my favourite style of the night though dwarfed by the banter between songs.
Rob Hughes (winner from 2004) threw in some rock-out banjo, and New York tinged Ukulele until before you knew it we have winners announced. Well done to Ant & Ben, not only winning the 1st prize, but also being York’s best chance of getting on the soundtrack of “the OC”…way to good for Dawson’s Creek.
Sam Robson
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 24th February 2005
 Stew King
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 24th February 2005
 Sarah Glayzer
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 24th February 2005
 Dan Lucas
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 23rd February 2005
 Robin The 12-String Gent
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 23rd February 2005
 Matt Appleton
Turn of the year 2005 (heat photos) - 23rd February 2005
 Andy Curry (Dust Bowl Central)
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