The anticipation had been building up since early this year, it reached its apotheosis on 7th July 2012 as 5 bands went mano-a-mano for the final.
The audience was treated to bands such as the groovy hard rockersBomber whose music blend elements from East to West. Refiy stood out for a catchy jazz pop set entirely sung in Putonghua with a strong female lead singer. Long-time metal veterans Tie-Shu-Lanknown for their gripping live performances, great heavy riffs and thunderous bass and drums, it's no surprise they have drawn comparisons to metal greats such as Korn and Deftones. Venue; energetic hard rockers who clearly take their musical & fashion cues from Japan's visual rock scene. Playing last was the eventual winners, Turtle Giant; this band combines the best parts of post-rock, indie rock and chamber pop to create a winning sound. Their very tight performance got the whole crowd going and they are most certainly a band to keep your eyes on.
All this was witnessed by a record crowd of above 300 people in Backstage, and was judiciously overseen by a panel of judges from the music industry.
Each of the finalist bands were also presented with FocusriteTshirts and a Scarlett 2i2 -a nifty portable recording interface.
The moment of reckoning elicited some very emotional reactions and a lot of cheering from the crowd, as Turtle Giant was declared the band to represent China at the Envolet Macadam festival in Canada.
Says Chris B, organizerof Planetrox China, "It wasn't just about winning. We all are proud of this night, because every band played great music. Local bands are improving every year and are more confident to forcus on their own style and compositions. Competitions like Planetrox give them international opportunities."
Beto Richie, drummer of Turtle Giant reacted with, "We're very happy to have participated in Planetrox China. It was a wonderful experience, very professional and motivational. We are also taking this opportunity provided by Planetrox to prolong the trip and tour Canada and possibly the US. It's a great opportunity."
Turtle Giant, based in Macau, China already have a busy year planned. In the second half of 2012, Turtle Giant is gearing up for the mid-September North American release of their All Hidden Places EP. The prolific tunesmiths will be balancing select festival and showcase appearances with creative time to finish yet another release of all-new songs before the year is out. http://turtlegiant.com
Envolet Macadam
An urban festival featuring outdoor concerts and live indoor shows in downtown Quebec City venues since 1996. Each year over 25,000 people attend and it's also an ECO-FRIENDLY event with on-site-recycling, recyclable cups, reusable bags etc.
Last year's headliners include Rise Against and Flogging Molly.
http://www.envoletmacadam.com/en/festival/
Planetrox
A worldwide music competition, whose mission is to discover the best new bands and expose them to a wider international audience. In 2012, Envolet Macadam is expanding its ties to the rest of the world and hitting it with a big bang: alternative bands from 15 different countries will win the chance to play at the Envol et Macadam Festival in Quebec City, Canada in September 2012.Planetrox China is organised by The Underground in Hong Kong, a musician run organisation supporting original music.
http://undergroundhk.com
