The Bring the Noise finals were held at U-Bar on Friday, 16 August. Six bands competed but only one came out on top. The winners were the indie rock band Purple Dog who have seen a surge in popularity this year, playing multiple Pint Nights, featuring in a Critic article (the highest praise) and releasing two singles. Yeah, dog.
Lead singer Imogen was stoked when Critic Te Ārohi caught up with her. Speaking to her victory, she said, “[It] feels unreal you know? I felt a bit nervous before but just tried to give lots of energy out when we played and the crowd was absolutely superb. We feel so lucky to have played in the final and are super stoked for recording with Sublime!” Yeah, dog.
Some might say Purple Dog were the underdogs compared to fan favourite No Danger, who placed second, with King Mary coming up third. One of the judges, Radio One Station Manager Kristina Simonsm (‘Tina Turntables’ if you catch her at a gig), had this to say on the matter: “They had a very clean, clear, concise sound. Really well constructed songs, really good stage presence. It came down to decimal points, it was really close.” Yeah, dog.
The two other judges were Steve Harrop and Tom Havard – the former the creator of Sublime Studios and the latter the live-in engineer for the studio. As the winners, Purple Dog gets to spend one night and one day recording at Sublime Studios up in Waitaki Valley, a prize valued at $2,500. Yeah, dog.
Fans (who Critic dubs the “purple pups”) were happy with the results and cheered with passion as the band walked on stage to be congratulated on their winnings. Long-time fan Sophia said, “I thought it was well deserved, the dogs have worked hard and grown so much from what I’ve seen of them since the beginning of last sem. I’m stoked to hear their upcoming work and to continue supporting them!” Yeah, dog.
In true sportsman-like behaviour, fellow musician, Henry – who also played in the finals as part of Achtung! – was chuffed about Purple Dog’s success: “I think it was pretty awesome. Purple Dog is a fantastic band and showed some great musicianship and songwriting so they absolutely deserved it.” Can we get a “yeah, dog” up in here?