Rock Contest - Controradio

There are several ways to explain the essence of Controradio's Rock Contest. We could start with the numbers, which tell the story of a talent forge born in 1980 that, despite a few sporadic interruptions, safely reached its twenty-fourth edition in 2012. Or we could talk about the wonderful Florentine audience who, at 10pm on a Saturday, December 8th, lashed by freezing wind and a few centimetres of snow, queue up to get into the Flog and actively take part in a genuine musical ritual, not only supporting the young talents on stage but also casting their own vote.

That's exactly what the Rock Contest is: a meeting point where industry insiders mix with ordinary spectators, while the young hopefuls give their all to show off their talent.

The Florentine event is, in a sense, a privileged thermometer for gauging the state of today's Italian scene. Among those who have passed through it are Offlaga Disco Pax, Baby Blue (now Blue Willa), and Samuel Katarro (today King Of The Opera). And it's clear that, beyond the healthy competition and the odd significant door that opens - the twelve semifinalists are automatically included on the compilation distributed by Audioglobe - what really matters to Controradio's tireless organisers is shining a spotlight on new Italian talent and giving them the chance to perform on a prestigious stage, in front of an audience as large as it is engaged.

For the record, this year's win went to the talented Florentines Farewell To Hearth And Home, a six-piece whose indie-rock recalls Arcade Fire in places. But the other five finalist acts hardly disgraced themselves either, all delivering excellent performances. The Tuscan Sonalastrana, a genuine twelve-piece instrumental orchestra with an infectious groove; Filarmonica Municipale LaCrisi, also from Tuscany, skilled at blending rock and singer-songwriter fare with just the right dose of theatricality; the Bergamo duo Fletcher, a garage-rock act and legitimate offspring of Black Keys and White Stripes whom we'll surely hear more from; the Romagna outfit Tequila Funk Experience, who despite the name are skilled purveyors of a folk-rock halfway between Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and The Decemberists; and Turin's Incomprensibile Fc with their gritty, street-level electronics.

After the six finalist bands had performed, and while waiting to find out the results of the voting, the evening's special guests took the stage: Giardini di Mirò, who delivered a blistering set lasting over an hour.

And so the curtain came down on the 2012 edition of an event that, in a country increasingly short on opportunities and venues for young artists, presses on undeterred with its mission: giving a voice to new talent. See you next year, Rock Contest.

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