Hello Friends, It's a Friday night and you know what that means.. A LARS Promotions event in my hometown!
The Stage was set.. Bands were Ready.. The crew were ready.... The weather is a bit meh.. But on with the show!
Another 3 awesome acts to grace the stage for this event first up Tales Of Autumn.
This 4 piece band from Brighton describe themselves as a Progressive Rock/Metal band and we have seen them come a long way since meeting them at their second ever gig back in 2017.
Kicking off their set with their track Worthless , the guys were truly on form and had the crowd captivated straight away with their unique sound on this melodic and powerful track. It has passionate lyrics in the verse before kicking off into the powerful chorus with a driving beat, a firm favourite with the crowd.
The band also treated us to one of their newer tracks. Reflections breaks away slightly from the sound the band have had for their first album, yet retains their uniqueness still. It has a melodic guitar lullaby riff and solos with a deeper, haunting bass riff. The powerful vocals and thumping back beat give you a track to rock out to.
The bands whole set was energetic, hard hitting and filled with passionate tracks, the guys stage presence has got tighter and they can flow effortlessly from track to track giving the crowd one hell of a live show.
Next up we had My Pet Shark.
These guys describe themselves as a 4 piece Funk-Rock Band from Brighton, Forged from the ashes of a sharknado.
Newcomers to the stage here at a LARS Promotions event, we were eager to see what this band had in store for us.
Kicking off their set with a jaws style intro they flowed into a track called Aunt B. This is a real funky track , with a beat to move your feet and melodic vocals.
The track Top Knots And Come Downs really reminds you of an early Red Hot Chili Peppers track. The bassist told me he takes a lot of inspiration from Flea.. You really can hear those vibes in this punchy, toe tapping track. The slightly rapped vocals and screaming guitar solos give it a different hint of metal edge to set it apart from generic funky chili's style.
Their whole set was fun-loving , head bopping and groovy. The bands energy on stage was immense, jumping about all over the place and interacting with the crowd. They are such fun to watch as well as dance away to their beats. Definitely a band to catch live if they play near you.
Headlining the evening we had Reawaken.
They describe themselves as an alternative rock band hailing from Southampton.
The band are no strangers to our stage having performed twice before, however they've got a new vocalist with them this time and while Meg left some pretty big shoes to fill Miranda is doing on hell of a job of filling them considering this was only her second gig with the band.
She brings with her a fresh style to the band and while performing some of their older songs under a new name her influence has given a new spin on these.
Kicking off their set with a melodic piano and breathy guitar intro launching into Reset it's clear straight away that the band have tightened up their sound while still keeping their alternative rock sound.
The track has a heavy instrumental start before the melodic, powerful vocals kick off the verse. The sweeping guitar riffs and thumping beat give this track the heavy side of rock that you hear. There is also a fantastic duel harmonic guitar riff in the middle of the track which gives it a slight classic rock twist.
Midway through their set the band treated us to a cover track putting their own unique spin on it. Can't Get You Outta My Head originally by Kylie, had the crowd head-banging and moving to the bands take on it, making it a bit heavier and chunky than the original.
The track Bricks is a slightly slower paced track, with haunting vocals over guitar bluesy, sweeping riffs and melodic tunes. The driving back beat and heavier bass riffs signal the turn into a chunkier part of the track. This one does also show the range that Miranda's vocals have switching between light and breathy to powerful and passionate effortlessly. It really fits the alternative description of the band.
Their set was amazing to watch and listen to, the band have really gelled with their new vocalist and have refined their set, honing their craft if you like. The band on stage were energetic and passionate in their performance, yet still showing they can have a bit of fun and banter with the crowd, effortlessly flowing from track to the next.
So after being treated to and evening of alternative, funky, unique sounds, we kicked back for while listening to Metal Meyhem's tunes to finish out our night.
Thanks to LARS Promotions for another fantastic event,
Thanks to The Crown for hosting,
Thanks to Crimson Craft Audio for equipment hire,
Massive Thanks to all the bands for their amazing performances,
And lastly Thanks to Metal Meyhem Radio for allowing me to chat with these amazing people and write this show report.
Keep Rockin',