Eclectically Challenged

Photo: Finn Beales / madebyfinn.com

This summer just hasn’t felt right since I haven’t been able to spend any time in a muddy field enjoying some live music. I managed to rectify this on Sunday courtesy of Merthyr Rock.

The festival’s inaugural year was undoubtedly a success. To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken so long since the demise of The Full Ponty for someone to bring a festival to South Wales considering the bands it has produced in the past 10-15 years, a selling point that many live events tend to lack and one that made it such a great day out in spite of the rain. What made the day particularly noteworthy was the incredibly relaxed atmosphere that distinguished the festival from larger ones. Wherever you went there was space to move without getting trampled on or bumped into by someone old enough to know better than to have drunk quite so much, and band members, most notably Aled from Kid In Glass Houses, freely wondering around the festival or taking time to genuinely engage with fans.

At the end of the day, though a festival is invariably made my the quality of the music and this was, for the most part no different. The only band I managed to catch a significant amount of on the Big Deal stage was Spycatcher who made clear why, with their cries of I don’t like people made a point of proving why they are gaining so much support from other bands and why it’s highly likely that teenage rock fans will no doubt find their songs relatable. Similarly, on the mainstage My Passion were energetic, but I think a greater knowledge of their music than I possess is probably needed to really appreciate their live show, and I can’t quite work out whether this is a good thing from the point of view it engenders a sense of “involvement” for their fans, or bad because it makes it difficult to impress audience members discovering them for the first time.

Photo: Finn Beales / madebyfinn.com

The onset of a rather large amount of rain, ensured that Young Guns had the vast majority of people watching their set and, as ever, put on an impressive live show. To be honest their set list was slightly surprising, especially the omission of Sons Of Apathy; most bands will inevitably perform all the singles they have released at festivals to ensure as large a crowd response as possible. However, judging by the positive reaction, and sing along, received by new material, no one seemed to mind is some of the old was left out, and, personally, I appreciated the fact they included album track After The War because, quite frankly, I love that song. Skindred on the other hand, I’m not entirely convinced by. I can’t deny the showmanship displayed by the lead singer and admit they create a slightly surreal, and unique, experience by encouraging entire crowds to swing their shirts above their heads for Warning, but the music really doesn’t appeal to me, making it difficult to enjoy their set. Funeral For A Friend went some way to exemplifying why Welsh bands have found themselves enjoying so much success in recent years because, like Skindred, there was an element of entertainment that went beyond music. Welsh bands, with a couple of exceptions, seem to pride themselves on their ability to get an audience completely involved in their sets, whether it’s by constantly involving them in the songs, making them laugh or, as is usually the case, a mixture of both; FFAF utilised this to great effect as is to be expected from a band with as much experience as they have.

Photo: Finn Beales / madebyfinn.com

In all honesty, however, Sunday was about one band – The Blackout. Considering this is their home town it’s hardly surprising that after years of acting as support for various other bands, they found themselves above the more-experienced Funeral For A Friend on the bill but they certainly made the most of it. Earlier in the day they took part in a Q&A session regarding their time within the music industry which, even with Sean Smith’s customary asides, provided an interesting insight into the realities of how the music world works at the moment. When it actually came to their headline slot, it was abundantly clear how much it meant to them to be playing in Merthyr. The audience were just as appreciative, with even unreleased songs from latest album Hope leading to enthusiastic reactions. Their live show, like the album, contained the right combination of metal moments, for the moshers to make the most of, and anthemic songs, such as closer Save Ourselves, that allow for complete participation. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, their day.

The only criticism I would have of the whole day is that the Big Deal stage was outside, meaning that when the rain appeared the only real cover was provided by the Main Stage tent in the vicinity of bands already guaranteed an audience. I think, in the interest of the new music discovery it would have been wise to ensure there was shelter where the lesser known bands were playing. When you acknowledge that this is the festival’s first year though, you can allow for such an indiscretion. If, as was hinted upon, a Merthyr Rock 2012 goes ahead, I hope they keep the focus on local and intimate, and judging by the amount of care and attention that has clearly gone into organising the event, right down to a live on-screen twitter feed between bands, this is a festival that will hopefully have a bright future.