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Mid Wales Music Scene - GIG3: Newspaper Article
The date was February 16th 2007, and it was the Drill Hall in Llandrindod Wells that was the location for a music spectacular that went down so well that it left the promoters with no alternative but to add further dates to its calendar of upcoming events. The interest from music fans, coupled with the performance by the artists on the night, means Mid Wales Music Scene plans to double its already confirmed event schedule of 2 gigs, to 4, for the first half of 2007 alone. This means more live music, greater exposure, and more opportunities for bands from Mid Wales to perform on stage before a music loving audience and alongside bands from all over Britain.
Five acts entertained the larger than expected crowd. Although the evening got underway later than planned, all revellers, young through to old, were well behaved and it was a joy to see such a diverse crowd of people, who wouldn’t normally socialize, in the same place, and all there for a soul universal reason – the music.
As per usual the man simply known as “Matt” put together a splendid PA and lighting set-up, and organised the sound checking for all the musicians on the night. First to get the most out of the quality equipment was the talented acoustic performer Tom Jones, who was accompanied on stage for some of his set by the equally talented Tom Hopkins. Tom Jones is lead signer and guitarist for the Rhayader Indie trio The Hostages, and he wowed the crowd with some clever solo renditions of the bands better known tracks.
Next to take to the microphone was another acoustic musician, James “Alaktrokash” Kemp, who had Gary Grimshaw of the band Oneyeopen, accompanying him on drums. James’ repertoire of tracks seems to grow every gig, and he once again offered a diverse sound that, just like always, went down well. It will only be a matter of time before Alaktrokash gets a headline slot, with an acoustic event planned for later in the year, surely that would provide the perfect springboard for James to really assert himself on the local music scene.
At this stage of the evening things were progressing nicely, but nobody expected Synthetica, from Llandrindod Wells, to somehow raise the temperature several degrees! The band has only recently formed, but their brand of synthesised Pop Rock was always going to create a popular sound. Matthew Wheel and Phillip Hughes were joined on stage by brothers Gareth and Glyn Pugh, for most it was the first time they had seen this line-up, even if they knew the members from other disbanded groups, but nobody will be forgetting this quartet in a hurry. February 16th 2007 was the day that Synthetica announced their arrival, and instantly they displayed the intrinsic worth that means it no overstatement to say they are one of the best bands Mid Wales has to offer. They exhumed energy and radiated this to the crowd. It’s no surprise they were so impressive when you see four talented musicians who are not just gifted, but display a real joy and passion for what they do. Talking to the band before they played it was obvious that they were desperate to make an impact, and “put on a show” and my word did they do that. Merging their own tracks with quality covers, Synthetica set about trying to steal the headlines from the final two acts – and they certainly laid down the mantel.
The Kryptics, from Llanidloes, had the somewhat unenviable task of trying to follow a set like Synthetica’s, but this band haven’t played the Barfly in Cardiff for no reason. They are coolness personified. Without a seconds hesitation the band set about delighting the crowd, and it’s no great surprise that they too created a buzz about the Drill Hall. Harry and Jimi Love, Ali Lacey and the aptly named Oj Kryptic delivered a joyous set, which was made all the more remarkable by the fact Jimi Love – bass guitarist – had been suffering from the flu. But he showed great commitment to the band, and promoter, by still turning up to perform, and doing so with some aplomb. Track of the day was no doubt their rendition of the cult song Tumble Dryer.
And that left just Redditch act and headliners, BlackThorne Theatre, to try and finish off the evening in style, and of course they didn’t let any of their ever-growing Mid Wales fan base down. All night Aiden, Tom, Ashley and Ben interacted with their fans and enjoyed the other musician’s sets, like the consummate and modest men that they are. But once it was time for them to take to the stage they expertly performed loved tracks off their current EP, such as the guitar laced and crowd pleasing Learnt From Magazines and It’s Time You Knew. The band also treated the Mid Wales audience to rare live performances of untitled future tracks that will be appearing on their upcoming album, which is sure to be a huge success. BlackThorne Theatre have already agreed to return to Mid Wales during their summer tour, and they will be welcome back with open arms by all that attended what was a thoroughly enjoyable music event. The organisers would like to thank all the bands, Matt for his PA and technical support, Bethany Coles, Rosie Knight and Matthew Tanner for working the door, and also to everybody who attended and behaved so well during, and after, the show.
A full list of all upcoming events can be found on the MWMS website www.myspace.com/midwalesmusicscene. Any Mid Wales band that would like to perform, be promoted, or see their name on the site, should do so by either visiting the website, or contacting Kevin Martin on xxxxxxxxxxxx. MWMS is a none profit making promotional organisation and strives to get recognition for all bands and musicians in Mid Wales.
Copyright of Kevin Martin 2007
Published in the Mid Wales Journal 23rd February 2007
Post Edited By Kev2012, Feb/21/2007, 1:45 pm
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Feb/21/2007, 1:45 pm
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