‘Clash of the Cover Bands’ Recap: ’80s Icon Tribute Ends With Flawless Performances
Casey Durkin/E! Entertainment Reading Time: 4 minutes
Clash of the Cover Bands returned on E! for its newest episode that featured Strangelove covering Depeche Mode and Shot of Poison covering Poison. These bands were seriously spot on from the beginning, so it was tough for the judges to pick who improved the most.
This episode paid tribute to ’80s icons. Specifically, the unforgettable era of big hair, big attitude, and even bigger hits. These groups were known for being over the top larger than life, so that’s exactly what the judges expected from these tribute artists. As always they were looking for a group that looks, sounds, and acts like their tribute artist.
Although some younger viewers may not know who Depeche Mode is, some of their biggest hits are “Enjoy the Silence,” “Never Let Me Down Again,” and others. Each member of this band came from a different place in the world. They became a band based off of who fit the band member part the best. Leo, the lead singer, gathered them into the group. They play three times a week even though they are in three different time zones. Members live in New York, Texas, and Los Angeles. This group already tributes as a full-time gig.
This group stepped foot on stage and premiered music extremely similar to the original band. All band members wore dark clothes to match the vibe of the original group. The judges thought they looked like the group physically, but their vocals weren’t strong enough. Strangelove covering Depeche Mode was paired with the vocal expert, but they didn’t need a huge improvement.
This Poison Cover Band is “Nothin’ But a Good Time”
The other group on the show is Shot of Poison Covering Poison. Their band cam together in 2017 after connecting over Poisons music. They grew up playing rock n’ roll and loved the group during the ’80s. All of the members of this band are from Massachusetts. By day they’re business owners but on the weekends they’re rockstars. This band also helped one of the members meet his fiance! They want Poison to know they love their music and they want them to be proud.
As soon as the music started I couldn’t help but jam out to the classic song “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” They put on a great show but their vocals were off compared to Strangelove covering Depeche Mode. Adam Lambert said that this group was too composed/clean to be Poison. They were paired with the vocal and movement coaches going into the next round.
Strangelove covering Depeche Mode worked with vocal coach Kuk Harrell. He helped the group improve their vocals for a more round and full sound. Shot of Poison Covering Poison met with both Harrell and movement expert Ray Leeper. After working with both coaches they were able to add more energy and grit to their rock performance.
Both Groups Clearly Improve in the Battle Round
Going into the last round, both groups were feeling confident about their abilities. In the end, I think they truly rocked the Clash of the Cover Bands stage. Both groups gave larger than life rock performances.
The groups both received positive feedback from the judges, there was an improvement on both ends. Typically you can see which group the judges liked more, but the judges really seemed to resonate with them both. I really had no idea who they were going to announce as the winner.
“Strangelove, you’re just like badass… you worked with our vocal expert and it shows. I was like ‘I hear it he’s like a different vocalist today,’ it was amazing,” said Meghan Trainor. “Shot of Poison the way you guys perform and smile just like lights up my life and It’s so awesome to watch. The crowd was going nuts we were like ‘yeah, this is amazing.’ You worked with the experts as the group, as a band and it showed tonight.”
After a difficult decision the judges announced Strangelove covering Depeche Mode as the winner of the episode. Strangelove covering Depeche Mode is the seventh winner of Clash of the Cover bands. They are now going home with $10,000, a performance on The Jimmy Fallon Show, and the chance to compete to be crowned the ultimate cover band at the end of the season.
