Vandalism Begins At Home - Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06

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Vandalism Begins At Home :: General :: Gig Reviews :: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06

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Topic: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06 (Read 1,653 times)

timb
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Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Thread Started on Mar 5, 2006, 5:21am »

Another mixed bag at The Well which sees several bands, all experimenting with a number of different styles, and with varying results.

Opening the show are The Riot Plan, a local band falling somewhere in the metal/punk region, and not coming across as overly sure where exactly they're aiming. The enthusiasm is definitely there, although the band do seem a bit nervous and unsure of themselves on-stage I did get the impression they all wanted to be there and wanted to put on a good show. I thought the nerves got the better of them a bit, they were shaky throughout and never really built up a lot of energy. Along with their on-stage jitters, there was further evidence that they haven't got a great deal of experience through their music. I found it quite bland and not at all that entertaining; many young bands combine metal and punk these days while keeping it fresh and enjoyable, look at Hammerfluff for a local example. Unfortunately, not only is The Riot Plan's music uninventive and predictable, it's also not played too well, not very tight and in parts painfully sloppy. Maybe this was just an off night for them, but the vocals especially sounded like they needed a lot more work. Still, the audience enjoyed it, and hopefully these guys will improve as they carry on.

Next up are Hekz, another local band, another guitar rock combination, and I was sincerely hoping for better things time time around. Fortunately, this time, I was pretty impressed. Following in the footsteps of bands such as Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, Hekz deliver a combination of heavy metal and punk rock to sound somewhere in the region of a punkier Megadeth. It's original, but the influences are clear - these guys are obvious fans of Maiden, the guitarists especially do a lot of imitation which, although not as tight or well played as their veteran heroes, is still enjoyable and worthy of appreciation. Vocals could be better at times, but all in all the band plays together well to form a decent sound. They also had a good amount of energy on stage, and although again I got the impression some of them were a bit nervous, they did well and displayed just enough stage presence to keep it entertaining. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing them trying out a few more new things, but overall they're an impressive band that any fans of ye olde British metal should enjoy.

Headlining tonight, and continuing the tradition of The Well's varied line-ups, are The Sunflies. Unfortunately, another of the venue's traditions was upheld, as a large number of people had left by now, leaving the headline band playing to the smallest audience of the night. Regardless, the few who remained were enthusiastic and looking forward to a local band quickly building a name for themselves. They're definitely the most original band of the night, providing an atmospheric and moody blend of modern indie and 80s goth synth, a pleasant concoction which forms something in the region of New Order, or The Cure. Combine that with some punk energy and a few mellow numbers, and the result is a band that is both creative and good to hear. What impressed me most was their ability to do all these different things so well; the fast, energetic tunes were played with precision and intensity, while the slow songs were played with passion and emotion, and all the while the band kept their energy and displayed their talent. The vocals worked very well, and although no one musician really stood out as amazing, they combined very well to form a good sound. Although I do enjoy this kind of music, I haven't seen many local bands who play it, especially not this well. I'll be checking them out in future.

Although the gig went well, the gigs I attend at The Well always seem to suffer from the same problems. Sound was tolerable but not great, and the crowd unfortunately disappeared gradually as the night wore on, resulting in my personal favourites and the headlining band of the night playing to the smallest audience. Still, I wouldn't want to put the venue down too much, as this was just one more of several enjoyable gigs I've seen there.

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superflyguy
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #1 on Mar 8, 2006, 11:21am »

Thanks for the positive feedback timb. Could you drop us an e-mail sometime? info@sunflies.co.uk

Best regards,
J
Sunflies

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Corinne
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #2 on Mar 14, 2006, 4:58pm »

Quote:

Although the gig went well, the gigs I attend at The Well always seem to suffer from the same problems. Sound was tolerable but not great, and the crowd unfortunately disappeared gradually as the night wore on, resulting in my personal favourites and the headlining band of the night playing to the smallest audience. Still, I wouldn't want to put the venue down too much, as this was just one more of several enjoyable gigs I've seen there.

Great review!

Its true the sound at the Well isn't the greatest, its gradually gone downhill.

I do agree that the crowds disperse at 10pm - always when the headliners are on, but thats only because all the youngsters get kicked out by the bouncers then.
Which is a shame.

Maybe it should be done the other way round, but then it wouldn't be called 'headlining.' ::)

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mrpaddy
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #3 on Apr 12, 2006, 9:37pm »

This is paddy manager from The Well,just to let you all know that we are hoping that from june onwards the sound at the well should be first class,I have started renting this venue from the first of april, the owner from here would not spend money on this venue,I know my self that the sound is poor and today i have had a meeting with a few people to takle this ..I have also had a meeting to turn the place around and have live music thursdays fridays and saturday every week just like it used to be, any way i look forward to seeing you lot here in the summer and I also hope that you hear a huge difference in the sound ...
Many thanks
Paddy ...(The Well Music Venue)

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Chriss
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #4 on Apr 13, 2006, 7:19am »

Fair play to ya Mr P.

You'll probably see some pretty damning comments about past events at The Well on some of these threads.

But if that's all in the past then all er... WELL & good.

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Caseybean
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #5 on Apr 13, 2006, 11:16am »

ho ho ho

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Now you see once you get too close I put you right down
I never really leave I just slip away
But it's not my purpose to break your spirit
I'm not really interested in what's in your heart

But now I have to lay destruction on you
I'm not the lover man that you want me to be
I said well...

BoulderRogue/Third Law
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Re: Sunflies, Hekz, Riot Plan @ The Well, 2/3/06
« Reply #6 on Apr 14, 2006, 10:08am »

good luck mr paddy hopefully you can turn things round at the well

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