#konchordat
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Photo
HRH Prog V
@ Haven Hafan y Mor
16/03/17 - 18/03/17
HRH Prog is a veritable psychedelic daydream for lovers of the genre. Attended by a eclectic mix including hippies, wizards, punks and bikers, this is the sort of place where sticking out means fitting in. Loads of great t shirts and jackets. The crowd consists mostly of the 50+ male demographic, but not everybody fit both of those descriptors, me included. Last year HRH Prog 4 coincided with the Sci Fi Weekender, which was a bonus for crossover fans like myself. But that meant the two festivals had to share the same site and the bands were all playing in the hall behind the Mash Barrel, which had a fair amount of (horribly uncomfortable) seating, and a basic stage setup.
This year the two festivals were separate, and as a result I’m back in Wales again in another two weeks. HRH Prog 5 was held in the main two rooms near the site entrance. The main stage has an impressive lighting setup and potentially great sound (when they get the mixing right of course). Our MO was to flit between venues early on, then stay in the main venue when it came time to see the headliners. This seemed to work well as we managed to see a lot of bands. Finding seating later on in the main venue was a big issue. So unless you have the superhuman ability to stand for 6+ hours, I imagine VIP/royalty would make things a lot more comfortable.
On Thursday all of the bands were in the main arena. Jump were a folk rock band with some nice songs that told stories. The singer was the first of the weekend to attempts to speak Welsh. I saw The Enid last year and was impressed. Speaking to someone more knowledgeable confirmed that they had indeed lost two members since last year. But they had retained their very tight, flashy aesthetic. There was a big problem with levels at the start of the set but thankfully that was sorted out. Pendragon is a band I should probably have listened to before. Strong performance. Definitely also need to listen to more of the headliners, Gong who I can only describe as psychedelic madmen. Brilliant show. A bit Frank Zappa, a bit Velvet Underground. A fusion of spacey psychedelia and unhinged 60s pop. The singer was mad and brilliant. He came out with such gems as “I’m searching for clues on how it feels to be dead” and “men are green and women are blue”. If you’ve been to Hafan y Mor before, you might understand that last one!
Friday is when the festival really kicks off. Two venues and a relentless schedule of bands. More coffee required, as well as a couple of visits to the bar! (I’ll indicate whether bands were in the main venue or the second by a 1 or 2). Red Spektor [2] were first up with their funky hard rock. Genuinely excited to be there and play new songs for us. Good crowd for first band in the main venue, Pearl Handled Revolver [1] They were an unusual blues rock band, reminded me of Tom Waits/Nick Cave/early Black Sabbath. Maschine [2] first struck me as prog metal but they turned out to have a fusion of different styles. Major problems with bass volume on more metal songs levels, definitely not right for drop D tuning. Male and female vocalists. I preferred their more ethereal, gothic rock sounding songs. Reminded me of the Flower Kings in places. Dream Circuit [2] played their last ever gig for us. A few songs sounded gothic/eastern, a bit like The Mission. Mostly melodic instrumentals. The Pretty Things [1] brought their 60s vocal harmonies and simple cheerful songs. I loved their 60s style suits and jazz blues style. Credo [2] had heavier guitars and synths, reminded me of Arena. I was happy to see Curved Air [1] who were supposed to appear last year but were replaced at the last minute by the excellent Purson (who have now sadly broken up). Electric violin and a fantastic strong female vocalist. Good to hear Backstreet Luv live. Barclay James Harvest [1] turned out to be a lot more proggy than I gave them credit for. Great performance and synths. Hawkwind [1] is a band that I only recently discovered that I liked a lot more than I thought I did. Just in time to see them live! Opening with Assault and Battery was like a dream. I love their sweeping, epic songs. Also their background animations were trippy and awesome.
By Saturday they had sorted themselves out, the levels were perfect today. Konchordat [2] were the first band of the day. Great musicians, energetic with an awesome drummer. Luna Kiss [2] were more dark and atmospheric. Mellow and harsh sections. Singer reminds me of the Mars Volta. Verbal Delirium [1] were theatrical, which is always welcome at a prog gathering. Great time signature changes, with both a saxophone and flute. Almost prog overload! Haze [2] are folk rock like Jethro Tull and early Genesis. They were by far my favourite band that I saw on the second stage this weekend. They were so good I only caught a couple of songs by Karnataka [1] But what I heard was very good. Second female fronted band of the weekend! (I may have missed others). The Strawbs [1] are a 60s bluesy prog rock band. Played a full album that they told us was in the top 50 prog albums. Great to hear whole albums in order live! Atomic Rooster [1] are a psychedelic mod band from the 60s, great style and sound. I had been especially looking forward to seeing IQ [1] and they put on a great performance. I liked their Monty Python themed video. Wishbone Ash [1] were great to see again. The King Will Come and Blowing Free are great songs to hear live.
All in all, a great weekend. Outstanding value for money in a remote but beautiful part of the world. And I liked it so much I’m going back again this November for Prog 6, where I will be wearing a royalty crown and probably a very big coat. Rain and flooding is an interminable problem onsite, but well worth enduring!
#hrh prog#prog#prog rock#hrh prog 5#hrh prog v#jump#the enid#pendragon#gong#red spektor#pearl handled revolver#maschine#dream circuit#credo#curved air#barclay james harvest#hawkwind#konchordat#luna kiss#verbal delirium#haze#karnataka#the strawbs#atomic rooster#iq#wishbone ash
0 notes