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| Courtesy of Norfolk Photography |
It's not often in life you wish you
were older. Perhaps when you're a teenager desperate to get into a
nightclub or the latest horror film at the cinema, but pretty much as
soon as you hit 21 you wish you were back in school.
I had the exact opposite feeling this
weekend when I stepped foot inside Epic Studios for the Oval Rock
House Reunion. I'd have given anything to have experienced it first
time round given the buzzing, vibrant atmosphere that welcomed me on
Saturday afternoon.
Erin Rockowitch and her team created a
masterpiece in just 3 months, combining the sights and sounds of the
Oval as was, with a sprinkling of sparkly new local talent – many
of whom would have graced the famous stage today, had it not sadly
closed its doors for the final time back in 1998.
At just £10, tickets were an absolute
bargain and the proceeds went to a very good cause, the MIND mental
health charity, and with plenty of impressive raffle prizes on offer,
kindly donated by the bands and other supporters of the reunion, the
impressive crowd ensured plenty of money was raised.
Over 620 people filed up the stairs of
Epic Studios, many hoping to relive the glory years of rock music in
Norwich, and plenty hoping to catch a glimpse of the perfect blend of
fresh and vintage talent adorning the large stage for 11
action-packed, eardrum-shredding hours.
The darkened studio provided excellent
acoustics, plenty of standing (and dancing) room and a breakout area
for those whose feet simply couldn't take the pace (including mine).
With large projector screens positioned either side of the stage,
every member of the crowd had a perfect view of the performances, as
the whole show was recorded by Epic camera crew and streamed live
online for those who couldn't make it.
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| Courtesy of Norfolk Photography |
For those who could, the atmosphere was
electric, excitement built up throughout the day, helped by an early
performance from Jim Higgs, a young acoustic artist who's music is a
breath of fresh air and was a perfect way to start the day.
Under the Radar upped the tempo with
their energetic set. The trio made as much noise as any five-piece
band I've heard, with plenty of charisma, and an audible Green Day
influence in their original work – they're a band I'd like to see
again, and with plenty of local gigs coming up, including a set at
the Rock Monster event at the Waterfront in September, the chances
are I will.
Joining them on the bill that day are
Silenced by Shadows, who gave us an insight into things to come on
Saturday as they well and truly rocked Epic Studios to its
foundations. The last show for their brilliant bass player Johnny Liu
couldn't have been a better one, with great stage presence and an
infectious metal sound, they certainly took me by surprise.
Erin professionally punctuated the day
with introductions before each band went on stage – the personal
touch you just don't get anywhere else, and as the crowds started to
grow bigger, she left the stage to Synaptic, a band made up of some
former Oval regulars who provided an absolute assault on all my
senses – in a good way of course. Clearly experienced musicians,
their tight set heavily influenced by the birth and growth of heavy
metal grabbed the unfaltering attention of the room, and the matching
Synaptik smart shirts worn by band members were a welcome change.
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| Courtesy of Norfolk Photography |
Continuing the metal theme as the
afternoon began to turn into evening was the brilliant four-piece
Saigon Kiss, fronted by the talented and timelessly charismatic Kev
Saigon, who brought punk and heavy metal together in an electric
half-hour set dripping with energy and plenty of sweat for good
measure.
The drinks were starting to flow from
the bar (which was pretty much drunk dry by the end of the night!) as
Wicked Faith brought a bit of technical rock & roll top
proceedings fresh from their headline performance at another
celebrated local rock venue – King Edward VII the night before.
Jade, Becki, Tim and Matt tantalised the tastebuds of every classic
rock fan in the room with plenty of catchy 70's style riffs brought
bang up-to-date with refreshing lyrics and an energetic stage show-
Wicked Faith do exactly as the latter part of their name suggests –
restore your faith in the timeless nature of classic rock.
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| Courtesy of Michael Wilkinson |
Blending rock and metal together was
the order of the day as all 600 attendees took a ride through
Norfolk's music history, and Soulborn tattooed 'metal' on the chest
of each and every member of the crowd with their pulsating, feel-good
take on the genre, with catchy yet powerful riffs and an addictive
stage show, these guys are sure to continue to go from strength to
strength in their bid to plaster a smile on the faces of metal-heads
everywhere.
The ringing in my ears was allowed to
subside with intermission performances by 'Thunder Mental
Entertainers'. Made up of fire breathers and semi-clad dancers armed
with angle grinders, the scent of parrafin filled the air and sparks
flew across the room as the group mesmerised with their grinding,
sexy routines.
Rock & Roll took centre stage again
as 6 o'clock struck in the shape of No Mercy, the first band of the
day to have played at the Oval back in the nineties having formed way
back in 1988. The guys reformed two years ago to once again bring
melodic, classic rock to the people of Norfolk, which is exactly what
they did, with help from a guest on-stage appearance from Denny. No
Mercy are back to their best – and back at Epic Studios supporting
the Burning Crows this weekend as they continue to spread the word.
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| Courtesy of Norfolk Photography |
My highlight of the day was fast
approaching, and it couldn't have had a better prelude than a set by
the brilliantly fresh and talented Strange Tail. Having seen them
recently at the Lady of the Lake, I was looking forward to seeing
what they had to offer. Despite only forming 7 months ago, I was
astonished with how well they owned the Epic stage – hypnotising
the audience with their Thin Lizzie inspired performance. Toby and
the boys did tremendously well and well and truly stamped the strange
Tail name into the minds of hundreds of die-hard rock fans.
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| Courtesy of Michael Wilkinson |
Sparks flew once again as the Thunder
Mental performance group warmed up the crowd once again and allowed
Bad Touch to set up. It was time for a little bit of funky as the
boys – who provided the back line for the whole event – pumped up
the volume and made their presence well and truly known with a
fantastic rendition of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock & Roll'. Sporting
brand new shiny Hagstroms, Seeks and Rob on rhythm and lead worked in
perfect harmony as the boys introduced party track 'Waiting on the
morning light' and blues-inspired 'Preacher'. Finishing their
fun-filled set with Skin's 'Look but don't touch', rehearsed
especially for the reunion as a nod to one of the greatest bands to
ever grace the Oval, the boys did themselves and their fans proud.
The fun didn't end there for me, as
Mastema took to the stage. I'd been told about these guys and made
sure I looked out for them. With a clear Papa Roach influence, their
version of heavy rock envelopes your senses and makes it impossible
to stand still. Belting out tracks from their latest EP 'Close to
Breaking', the five-piece set the tone perfectly for a night of hard
rock partying.
As the beer continued to flow, the
floor of the once pristine studio floor took the brunt of all the
dancing and spilled drinks, taking on a sticky glaze to bring back
some memories for those lucky enough to have been at the Oval Rock
House back in the day: 'Now it feels like the Oval!' were the cries
of delight as your feet started to stick to the floor.
The anticipation was building for the
headline act Sods Law, and Sweet n Innocent fed off the atmosphere to
absolutely rock their set, which was unfortunately cut short With head-pounding riffs and raw
energy emanating in spades, the crowd was in seventh heaven with
tracks from their latest EP echoing in their skulls.
Words were being slurred and
inhibitions were being lost as the party headed towards its peak, and
Kamikaze Radio, combined with the 'surprise' reformation of the Oval
legends Spot was the perfect catalyst to really send the crowd into
overdrive. Belting out classics with an audible nineties rhythm, the
50-minute set left the over-excited crowd screaming for more as the
re-lived the old days with friends old and new.
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| Courtesy of Kevin Watson |
And so, after 10 hours of
spine-crunching, ear-blending, skull-shaking rock and metal, the
headline act were ready to take to the stage. Reforming for only two
gigs after their split in 1999, Sods Law were better than ever as
their first performance plastered a smile to the face of every single
member of the audience. The 5-piece absolutely stole the show with
pulsating rock beats in tracks like 'Whats done is done' and
'Violation', it was as if no time had passed since their final show
at the Oval. With one more show booked at the Spalding Rock Club in
November, this reformation has been a huge success and a sign that
rock music is, as we all predicted, utterly timeless.
Erin and the team at Epic Studios put
on a fantastic show, and what started as a one-off reunion gig
celebrating a great venue has snowballed – with 'Ovalfest' already
booked for 2014. And the 11 months in between then and now should be
just enough time to recover from the awesome show we were treated to
in 2013, proving that Norwich still has a want and an inherent need
for pure rock talent. Roll on Ovalfest 2014!
