The audience in Basel, Switzerland, pronounced 7 Dollar Taxi from Lucerne victorious at the country's annual Red Bull Soundclash on Saturday. The band beat rivals Da Sign & The Opposite from Bern in a rousing musical battle fought out across two stages.
The music spoke for itself and the roar of the audience made it loud and clear: before a sold-out audience of 800 in the Basel Kaserne, the band from central Switzerland prevailed over their opposite numbers from Bern in an exciting four-round contest. Variety, deftness, strong audience rapport and a fighting spirit were the winning mix needed as the contest got underway at around 11pm following a warm-up round.
With roots in the Jamaican 'clash' tradition, Red Bull Soundclash is a live-music concept that features two bands on two separate stages engaged in a duel to outdo the other and win over the audience. The favoured band in each round is decided by an 'applausometer'.
In a laid-back setting, fired up by the DJ duo The Famous Goldfinger Brothers and in the capable hands of presenters Fetch and Danielle Bürgin, the two four-pieces faced a divergent set of challenges: to be able to cover songs, pass them onto the opponent on the spot for reinterpretation and play them country, reggae and bossa nova style.
'We were impressed by what our opponents managed to do with our songs' – 7 Dollar Taxi
Backed by their rock 'n' roll influence, the band from Lucerne went at it with fervour utilising the limber voice of the band's singer and sophisticated arrangements, while the band from Bern charmed with cool dancefloor moves, pulsating electro elements, pop appeal – and false beards.
In the final Wild Card round, each band could call a surprise guest to the stage. Straddling divergent genres as always, Da Sign & The Opposite summoned rap grandmaster Baze to the stage to let loose a crossover attack. 7 Dollar Taxi turned to Basel's street musician Beat and succeeded in drawing an impressively accomplished blues solo from him.
With an incontestable final score of 6:1 – one win pulled off by a mere decibel and not until the final round – the trophy, a Basler Fasnacht carnival drum, went to the rock virtuosos from Lucerne, whose second album is coming out in two weeks. "The challenge was big and the opponents formidable," said the contented victors following their win and a sip of champagne. "We were impressed by what our opponents managed to do with our songs. Luckily, we were ultimately able to sway the audience enough in our favour to score a win."
However, this electrifying evening of superb sounds was best summed up by the defeated band from Bern just an hour before things kicked off: "When it comes to music, there are no winners!" Although, from the looks of it, everyone was a winner at the 2011 Red Bull Soundclash in Basel.
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