Review: Load of Meat Fest 5 – The Maze – Sunday 22 March

Overall I would say, the Load of Meat night is a fantastic event. Set in the Maze, on Mansfield Road. The venue provided a really treat and a great chance to see so much young talented bands and individual on your door step; as well as being part of such a keen crowd.

There was a small crowd to begin with, when we arrived around 6pm, but the atmosphere was buzzing. As the night went on, the crowd built up, and the atmosphere just got better and better. The musicians would come and go; setting up on one stage whilst the other act did their set on the other stage. Often  hanging around in the crowd, listening to each other, making it feel like one big community.

The event is set up over 3 stages offering a variety of rock, alternative and acoustic music for one afternoon/evening. Turning around, from one stage to another, in a way that reminded me of the Sonsiphere festival; but on a much smaller scale.  The main stage offered the heavy hitters and regular acts, whereas the acoustic stage provided a quieter but driven acoustic experience. The second stage, across the courtyard and upstairs, counteracted the others, offering an up-close-and-personal setting that was similar to an informal garage set. Thrown into this mixed, as the name suggests, there was food provided – by way of a rather smoky barbeque in the courtyard, that you could smell in most areas of the maze.

There was countless memorable performance making this a refreshing fun evening. Notably, ADAM ZAREBA on the acoustic stage worked the crowd well and provided friendly banter throughout his set. There was a number of sing-alongs, to the Killers and the Friends theme tune, intermixed with his own stuff that got the audience involved.

GREEN HILL ZONE followed on from this, on the main stage. They added a punk/rock feel to the night, with a relaxed skaters image. This change in music (from acoustic to rock) enhanced  the lively and upbeat mood. This buzz was emulated by the band finishing their set with the song ‘Restart’; a well-deserved/ironic conclusion to their 30 minute slot.

Another worthy performance was CONNOR SPRAY AND THE INDIEBEES, their first act as a band. This started as a solo performance, by lead vocalist Connor Spray, who set out a more mature, deeper rock sound than previous acts, which was vaguely reminiscent of Danzig. As his band joined him on stage the music got deeper and heavier, although with a mix of Blur thrown in for good measure. The set provided a true sense of what this band can do, performing original music with no covers in sight. A real gem of the night, with clear talent and definitely one to watch for the future.

Following them, was an acoustic performance by MATT HUMPHRIES and then OUR SAVING DAY did the penultimate set on the main stage. These guys offered a loud and upbeat performance.  The small stage was a little crowded for the 5 band members, encouraging lead singer, Josh, too often vacate the stage and perform in the crowd. Generally, these guys offered a nice mix of 90s covers and their own stuff, with a lot of cheeky banter and beaming smiles throughout the set. However, there was often personal reasons for the songs this band had chosen to performed. The spontaneous vocal support from their parents singing the chorus during the last song added to the informality of the night and showed how well connected these guys are to their music.

Finally, the much anticipated headline act HELLO TOMORROW set up to perform, and they didn’t disappoint. Having performed here before, this band have matured well, with extra attitude and a punkish/rock sound that meant lots of energy overall to finish the night.

Generally, I’d say with good music, good company, a great atmosphere and the added bonus of (interesting) barbeque food you get loads more than the usual gig night. This is a great part to Nottingham’s music scene. Long may it continue.

Review and Photographs by Chris Marsh.