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Fight Night Gig Review

Posted by archifCLICarchive from National - Published on 28/10/2009 at 13:36
0 comments » - Tagged as Culture, Music

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Being a concert powered by youth, Fight Night, held from within the Muni Arts Centre, was another musical success for Pontypridd.  Taking place on October 10th, an energetic crowd awaited the revelation of fresh and raw talent in this very area.  With a shortage of entertainment for young people, the concert provided that important antidote to boredom in a creative fashion, providing social relief and allowing self expression. 

 
With the tap-tapping of multiple pairs of converse shuffling throughout the filled hall, the energy was inescapable.  By taking centre stage, the beloved and very cool Fight Night host, Dave, concentrated the mass of fans in a wave of cheers and screams at his feet.   Attracting the youngsters with crude yet harmless chants, he established an impulsive atmosphere while demonstrating an impressive hold on the crowd. He soon introduced the first band, and the room was pooled in darkness.


Curtains parted, revealing the enthusiastic The Missive led by the young, blonde female vocalist Emma.  “Hi guys!” she boomed, greeting the crowd confidently as her band began to fill the hall with the upbeat sound of pop-punk.   The best reception was given to the performance of a Bonnie Tyler cover, sparking a few spontaneous dancers to take the floor, although at this point the gig would have compared better to a primary school disco than a rock concert; with young people swinging each other by the arms and power-sliding in all directions.  One fan, Bonnie, 16, rated the band:  “I’d give them a seven-out-of-ten for that performance!”  Quite average, but has definite potential.

The heavier sounds of Conquer the Decade were introduced, immediately implanting a more Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe into the audience; despite beginning with the cheesy theme tune from the well known TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  The music was very well performed, especially due to the talented drumming of long-haired mosher Haydn Wright, whose beat was the glue of the performance.  While parading around the stage with his trousers half-way to his ankles, vocalist Dean Koash failed to deliver clear lyrics and at other times, favoured the harsher tones of screamo.  However the fans seemed to enjoy all this, while opening a mosh pit towards the front of the stage.

In contrast, Richard Fisher emitted the clearest performance of the night with his band Death Before Sunrise.  More about music than long hair and tight jeans, this band of five young men demonstrated maturity in their style of pop-punk, feeding passion and energy into the night’s line up.

Fight Night’s second half was one eagerly awaited by a crowd dotted with close friends and supporters of seven-months-old novice band, Her Game Is Over.  Their set was very attractive, with pink and blue rays of light cleverly reflected from the drum kit’s symbols.  Silhouetted against the lights, frontman Martyn and his bandmates darted across the stage’s background, attempting to warm the crowd through a reaction of cheers from the young fans. With a natural belonging to the stage and an unlimited supply of confidence, Her Game Is Over began to perform their electro-punk song Russian Roulette in such a manner that it became obvious that this band didn’t know the meaning of “beginner”.  While demonstrating amazing showmanship and crowd control, Martyn Howell encouraged participation from his faithful fans who hung on his every command.   As for the other bandmates, the excellent drumming of Max couldn’t go unnoticed from his upbeat solo, which structured the performance further, breathing life and passion into something that is usually a string of songs for many first-timers.  Also with a need to mention guitarist Rhodri Parry, cousin to the lead singer, his lively playing demonstrated that talent must run in the family.

As this performance ended, it became clear who the majority had come for.  There was a sudden scramble for the door, with a mass of young people leaving the hall. This was perplexing as the headlining band were yet to play, yet only a trickle of these people stayed to witness the performance.

Appearing soon after from within a pool of red upon stage, Go-X seemed unfazed and carried out their performance to full positional.  Showing this true dedication to music, the band delivered a decent performance and the remaining crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The confidence of leading man Josh was so extreme; I can only assume he didn’t see the large amount of youngsters heading for the nearest exit. 


The night in all was a good one, with many coming to socialize some for the fun of the rough and tumble mosh pits and others to loyally support their friend’s bands.  The concert’s highlight was most defiantly the crowd pleasing Her Game Is Over, who attracted the most fans and conducted the best atmosphere.  One young fan Charlotte, 14, placed her view on the event: “It’s exciting to watch the local bands play that you’re familiar with. It’s all about friends, and being proud of their bands up there on the stage. But on the other hand, I think it’s good that we can get to know other bands that we weren’t aware of before”.   On that note, it’s an idea to keep your eyes open for next month’s gig, which will prove itself as a fair night out, especially for under 18’s.

By Adele Williams

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