Rob HorganFROM hip-hop to head banging, El Intercambio’s Battle of the Bands had something for every type of music lover.
Estepona’s Louie Louie nightclub welcomed nine of the region’s top musicians to battle it out for the third instalment of the competition run by newspaper editor Gary Beaumont and DJ Grande Gordo Papa.
Rap/ reggae group Futu Matano took home the El Intercambio shield and scooped the €300 top-prize after an energetic performance including a cover of Bob Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff.
Heavy-metal quartet Kathew claimed second place with The Tragic Company completing the rostrum.
Teenage rockers MidRiff took home the Judge’s Merit award and the People’s Choice gong.
Futu Matano’s Juan Carlos Belmowitz told the Olive Press that he was ‘overjoyed’ to win.
He said: “This is great for us. It should be a stepping stone for us to move on to better things. I am so happy for the whole of the group, we have worked really hard for this.”
Organisers are already planning next year’s competition, with Beaumont hinting at plans to stage a ‘longer format’.
