Knowledge Is Power
Formed in 2004, Encyclopedia have done pretty well for themselves in their short career, winning the final of the Exeter Cavern Singles Club and subsequently releasing their debut single.
Today they are the first band on the Rock Sound stage and there are a couple of things that instantly make you take notice of them. The first being that there are only two of them, Ben Wood on vocals/guitar and Oliver Herdsman also on guitar, the rest of the band are made up of backing tracks. The second thing you notice is that Ben Wood is the happiest person on the planet! Every song is delivered with a smile and plenty of head bobbing, you can't fail to like the guy with his whiny Buzzcock's vocal style.
The music is melodic power pop/punk with the odd geeky electronic sample thrown in. It's an unoffensive start to the day and they go down fairly well in front of a couple of hundred people. They play to the backing tracks well and whilst Wood does his best as a kooky front man, they would be improved tenfold with a full band behind them. They get away with it in this fairly intimate setting but they would struggle to fill a bigger stage.
Some of the songs are a little weak but others suggest they have enough songwriting ability to nail a hit single. They are certainly entertaining although the in between banter ranges from cute to just cringe worthy! 'Best Days of Last Summer' captures the mood nicely with its cheery summer pop overtones and last song 'You Can Say No (But I Hope You Don't)' is pretty catchy and shows promise. There's no real edge to Encyclopedia, they are totally unoffensive and they just play feel good melodious songs. Take them home, your mum will love them.