ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 14, 1986
By Steve Newton
The heavily hyped Spotlight ’86 Battle of the Bands drew to a close last Friday (March 7) at the Town Pump, with Twentieth Century narrowly beating out Daryl Burgess & the Rhythm Snakes in the voting. It was actually the second straight Spotlight win for T.C. leader Steven Drake, who was also a member of M.T. Vessels when they won last year’s competition.
A judging crew that included local rock managers Bruce Allen, Lou Blair, and Cliff Jones gave Drake the nod for his streamlined and energetic harmonic pop, which could be compared to the slick sound of Squeeze. But the decision was surprising. Daryl Burgess and his Rhythm Snakes drew a much stronger reaction from the crowd and had the dance floor packed.
Burgess’ material also covered a wider range of musical styles, whereas Drake’s was more uniform and one-dimensional. That uniformity–and its commercial viability–probably won Drake and his band a lot of points. Meanwhile, Daryl Burgess’ encore version of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me”–although nicely done–probably cost him a few. Cover versions are a no-no at this type of event.
At any rate, Twentieth Century are the new champs and–among other goodies–they will have a video made, and be included on an album with the Rhythm Snakes and semi-finalists Hoi Polloi, XYZ, the Shape, and Six Billion Monkeys.
A few bands that didn’t make it to the finals but deserve special mention are Brilliant Orange, Ground Zero, Fabulon, Matrex, and Red Herring. A hand should also be given to music critic Tom Harrison, Spotlight producer Maureen Jack, and everyone who sponsored or worked on the project.
Despite all the hype, the intent to help local bands shone through.