The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THEY did not capture the grand prize, but Bahamian rock band Avante Guarden are proud to have left a mark on the Global Battle of the Bands competition in Thailand.

The band returned home on a week ago after leaving the country to participate in the global competition. Although they were not deemed the winners, they managed to establish contacts and build relationships with other musicians from Thailand and the rest of the world.

The Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) is the world’s biggest music competition for bands playing original music live. Every year, GBOB searches for the best new bands around the world through hundreds of local music battles.

The bands participating in the world finals came from Australia, Bahamas, Belarus, Czech Republic, England, Greece, India, Malaysia, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.

The concert was hosted by Sonia Pim Couling, actress, model and MTV host in Thailand.

The world finals ended with the Firekind band from England wining the competition; Doctor Victor (Czech Republic) placing second; Need (Thailand) placing third; Crawford Brothers (Australia) placing fourth; Vox Mira (Belarus) placing fifth; and Dudes (Norway) placing sixth.

“The competition was similar to our local GBOB, nerves before and after the performance. It was great that it was televised internationally. We got emails, Facebook and what’s app messages while we were at the competition site.

“Unfortunately we did not place in the top. But I will say this, the competition was fierce. I am disappointed, but on the other hand we lost to some great performers so it is not so bad, said Vallon Thompson, the band’s guitarist.

Vallon said the band had a chance to play on MTV which was a major achievement. “We played and socialised with a magnificent array of musicians. So the fellowship and the exposure is what we are taking from this,” he said.

“The band “Rushk” from Pakistan, “Dudes” from Norway and “Bombing the Avenue” from Greece are some of our new friends. We are keeping in contact with them and GBOB in hopes of possibly being of assistance to each other in the future,” he told Tribune Entertainment.

Fans of the band were to view the competition over a live stream from GBOB Bahamas’ Facebook page. Most of the songs performed at GBOB Bahamas, including “The Difference”, “The Fade”, “Enter The Garden”, and “Cross The Waters” were performed during the competition in Thailand.

Before leaving the country, the band sought counsel from members of Stinkin’ Wayz, GBOB Bahamas’ 2012 winners, who emerged third in the international competition in 2013. He said Colyn McDonald’s advice went a long way while in Chaing Mai also known as the City of Music.

“We got a great deal of help from Colyn from preparing our stage performance to what kind of batteries we should use in effect pedals; believe it or not it is the small stuff that often causes problems.

“There is always room for improvement and this has shown us that we cannot take things for granted. We will constantly be growing both individually and as a unit. There are lots of things that could have been done differently but no point crying over spilt milk, we can only say we are better because of our experience,” Vallon said.

While in Thailand, the band got a taste of its culture, mix and mingled, and learned from the people living there.

“Thailand was great. The people were very friendly and professional. I was very impressed with their Ministry of Tourism who made sure we got to our hotel and we were taken care of. It was a beautiful place, a mixture of modern and ancient architecture and lifestyle. I thought it was charming.

“It seems so, everywhere we went there was Thai culture, history and music being expressed. The opening act for the contest was a band of little local kids, their music was very advanced for their age, this speaks volumes on the way music is viewed over there,” he said.

Now that the band is back home, they are focused on the release of their album “Dying Out Loud” next month.

Avante Guarden is also preparing to shoot a video for their next single.

They will also continue performing at Senor Frogs every Friday and Saturday night.

See pg 5 for more photos