Venues

• The Reels
• Tom Mounsey
  

Six acts from the South West stepped up to battle it out for a chance to go through to the finals of the Red Stripe Music Awards. The packed-out Koola club in Newquay was taken for a stomach-flippingly-fun musical roller coaster ride – taking in indie, rock, folk and blues.
 
Up first, The Noel Prior Band set a high standard for the evening’s entertainment – and it never dropped. From the clever lyricism and distinctively rural sound of Louis Eliot – aided by an accordion – to the bluesy slide-guitar of Tom Mounsey, the crowd were never bored.
 
When six acts play in quick succession, and there is a good amount of Red Stripe flowing, one performance can tend to blur into another. But that didn’t happen thanks to a rare unique variety in sound.
 
Cheers greeted the popular three-piece, Blue Devil Circus, who served up their own brand of dirty blues – complete with a double bass. Last up the Reels’ melodic set wound down the evening.
 
But perhaps the night belonged to Devon indie/rock band, The Quails who rocked the venue with a full-power performance that got the crowd dancing and - no doubt - checking out their myspace.