It's the wee hours of the aftershow party, and The Victoria Hotel bar in central Cork is heaving with hyperactive band members, their equally energetic friends, Coca–Cola Blastbeat organisers and RTÉ film crew. Yet tucked in the corner of the foyer, at the edge of the hubbub, Cliff Masheti from The Impressionists sits with his eyes shut tight.
He’s freestyle rapping to the table-drumming of his bandmates, unaware that by the end of his extended rhyme, everyone within hearing distance is grinning widely at him. At 17, he’s not quite Eminem just yet, but by God that’s where he’s heading.
“Did you hear that?” asks an astonished Alan Good, from the Irish Examiner. “That was literally about five minutes. And the scary thing was it all made complete sense.”
Alan, along with others, including yours truly, judged The Impressionists as the winners of the Coca–Cola Blastbeat competition, an All-Ireland battle of the bands with a twist. The idea is that transition year students form mini-music companies with positions ranging from CEO to head of security. The person appointed A&R manager then scouts for a local act to groom for a battle of the bands, where they pit their talents against other artists who've been recruited in the same manner.
Making it through from the local finals, to the regionals, to the national, the Cork band have progressed significantly since they were first picked up by their school’s mini-company.
“When we started out we barely knew what we were doing,” admits Cliff after the show, in his curious half-Kenyan, half-Cork accent. “I think we played the Cork finals just to make up the numbers. It was only when we won it and went through to the regionals that we realised we really stood a chance. We set ourselves the goal of getting to the final.”
Such drive is shared by all of the young groups that made it to the final, held in the Cork Opera House on Saturday May 12. Seven bands competed, each performing three original songs in front of families, friends and fans. With nearly every genre represented – from the glam rock of Enniskillen’s Nice ‘N’ Sleazy to the Arcade Fire-ness of The Neighbourhood from Sligo – the task of placing them on a linear scale was a toughie, especially as the standard was consistently high. No band was average, and all deserved to win. The final verdict, however, was that Dublin indie rockers Home Star Runner were third, and 13-year-old Metallica fans Transgress second. “It was great to come first out of all the great bands that played, but waiting to hear that was the hardest thing – my stomach was in bits,” Cliff laughs.
The Impressionists’ winning set was admittedly aided by a home advantage, but the flipside is that they could have had
a biker bar crowd from Nebraska eating from the palm of their hands. Their show was a cacophony of visuals (there’s two breakdancers in the band), music (a superslick DJ and impressively tight rhythm section provide the ideal foundation for Cliff to do his thang) and action (beach balls! Spray guns!). All aspects were rolled tightly into one explosive performance that won them the main prize: an offer of a record contract with Blastbeat Records, time in Grouse Lodge and Temple Bar studios, and a backline of amps and such, courtesy of Waltons. Not bad going for six Ballincollig lads.
Yet the bands who weren’t awarded first place didn’t lose out. Apart from the phenomenal amount of experience gained, they all spent time in the studio to record a track for the newly-released compilation, Coca–Cola Blastbeat Vol IV. Featuring 37 tracks over two CDs, it showcases some of the outstanding talents uncovered by the competition. Steer Clear, a passionate, emo-punk foursome from Belfast are represented with ‘Sarah’, while the Sum 41 sounds of The Dumbellz from Thurles, Co. Tipperary are heard in the form of ‘Keep Your Distance’. And clocking in at over two hours, there’s plenty more besides.
Coca–Cola Blastbeat’s conception was the brainchild of Irish music activist Robert Stephenson. He’s also the man responsible for Blast, the underage, alcohol-free gigs that keep kids off the street/away from drugs/whatever it is they’re supposed to be doing these days. Over the years, it’s seen performances from over 2,000 acts including The Revs, The Marshals and Director.
“The Coca-Cola Blastbeat format came as a flash of inspiration,” he tells me. “I took kids on to do work experience, and they really enjoyed it. At the end, they would always say that they wished they could carry on doing it. One day the penny dropped that they could do it for longer. So I took the mini-companies idea, which is well-established in schools, and just plugged it in to the music industry.”
It’s now taken off around the globe, running in three countries and with interest from 19 others. Closer to home, RTÉ2 have been following the progression of a selection of mini-companies involved on the Blastbeat TV series.
“It’s important to recognise that the support structure is as critical to a band’s success as the band themselves,” Stephenson adds. “In Ireland, there’s an abundance of great bands with plenty of potential, but not enough really great managers, and promoters, and event organisers, to carry them forward.”
In recognition of the mini-companies, accolades were given out throughout the band finals, with the overall award for the mini-company going to Pulse TY from Donegal. They win the prize of E5,000 and a gold disc.
“I can’t even explain how cool it is, it’s brilliant,” says Laura Browne, their marketing manager, soon after the win. “It was such tough competition. Everyone else did really well so we didn’t think we won. I’d probably have cried if we hadn’t won. Although I cried anyway, I was so happy!”
So what do they plan to do with the cashola? A suitably excited Natasha Duffy, production manager for the company, already has it accounted for.
“All of us squeezed into a minibus for seven hours to get down here, and it ended up costing a grand, so we’ll be paying our debts off first. After that, we’re going to split the money between the class and just go crazy with it, we’ll probably go on a mad group holiday to Spain.”
But as she points out, not before they give a share to 2winaid, the charity set to receive between 25 to 100% of the companies’ profits. As their website at www.2winaid.org explains, their purpose is to twin schools from Ireland and Sri Lanka, to help build and support these communities.
So there’s a benefit for charity, a boost for bands, a learning experience for budding industry heads, and a TV series and album for us all to enjoy. If there’s any negative side to Coca–Cola Blastbeat, it’s lost on me.