The first set of curve-balls thrown at this year’s #CIVLBattle reared their awkward head in week 3 of round 1, which saw Aldergrove’s Hrdwtr, Abbotsford’s Poppy and the Pistols, and Mission’s The Nacaals, who replaced Surrey’s Kara Kata Afrobeat Group last minute due to a scheduling conflict.
The set-up made for excitement enough, with a surprise entry from the highest rated submission not originally included in the initial 18 band competition, as was pared down from the whopping 47 submissions CIVL received from bands across the Fraser Valley.
But as Randy Bauchmann famously said, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Though Hrdwtr performed admirably in their opening slot with no shortage of catchy and well orchestrated tunes, it was The Nacaals and Poppy and the Pistols who finished off the night with, of all things, a tie for first place!
Both bands will now advance to the playoff round, and all bets are off for what happens in the next three weeks of preliminary competition!
Stay tuned for next week when Abbotsford rock quartet Minnesota Nice, Langley ska-punkers Guts and Glory, and Abbotsford post-hardcore virtuosos Losses square off in what is bound to be one of the barn burner nights in this first round of the #CIVLBattle!