Rocky Hotel Battle of Bands heats up

Four bands and a solo artist will go head to head in the third heat of the 2014 Rockingham Hotel Battle of the Bands on Friday night.

Perth-based band Sciatika will deliver retro-sounding original tunes and frontman Peter Lake said he hoped the band's experience and professionalism get them over the line.

"I guess we're a combination of Alice in Chains, Grinspoon and Sound Garden," he said.

"We're a bit retro sounding, like the late 80s and early 90s. That era was our major influence.

"Our music is heavy but not metal. If I had to box it, I'd say it was heavy rock with a few songs in drop tuning."

Sciatika's set will be all original material which Lake said he spearheaded.

Lake said a win in the Battle would boost the band's confidence.

"A win would mean we've been recognised for our talents and it may lead to further opportunities for us," he said.

Rockingham teenager Calvin Donnelly, 19, is returning to the contest as a solo artist.

He competed last year in a duo and he's hoping his new sound will impress the judges.

"My genre is called looping," he said.

"I use bass guitar so it's different, and it's very effects driven.

"Looping is very precise. It comes down to the millisecond.

"There's no room for error and if you make a mistake you have to start again."

Donnelly hoped his unique sound would give him an edge competing against bands.

"I've been playing solo for three weeks - it's been a very intense three weeks," he said.

"I hope to deliver really well structured songs. I want to do something that people watch and wonder 'how is he doing that, how is he making that sound?'"

The Bachelor of Audio student said winning the competition would enable him to focus on production.

"I've got songs I want to take to a studio," he said.

"I want to get my music out there."

Trio Midnight Boulevard is using the Battle to share its original work, having released an album and single on iTunes.

Lead guitarist and vocalist Dane Wellman, from Rockingham, said the band played alternative, modern rock and had been likened to Him and Placebo.

"We will be working the crowd a bit - there's a fair bit of energy in our performances," he said.

They will face stiff competition from five-piece band Seer Cya which hopes to increase its fan base before an east coast tour next year.

Mark Rodrigues said the band would deliver something fresh.

"We play balls-out rock - it's a genre I believe we have created," he said.

Highway Breakdown is the fifth act.

BATTLE OF THE BANDS *

HEAT 2 WINNERS ARE *

THE SCARED RATTLER AND *

SOUTHERN CROSS *