Open Party

May 2010

At Factory 251

Four-piece band Open Party, played at meekly filled factory 251 we have always thought that a band is meant to entertain, it was as if I had walked into an intimate open mike night! Factory as a venue possesses an embarrassment of riches, yet empty it remains when it comes to bands displaying their talent or lack of.

If it is frustrating for Quenched as a reviewer, I cannot hope to understand how it must have been for the artists. No wonder so many venues are emptying and MySpace is turning into the virtual arena for so many bands, which is a travesty.

Away from the mesh of musical politics the band had a somewhat stop, start approach be it the technical conundrum of the venue’s acoustics or just the uncomfortable silence of the venue’s emptiness.
 
As the set continued, it was obvious this band deserved more, with strong vocals leading the line Open Party went on a barrage of drawing the number of spectators.

Their sound when clearly heard funnelled around and amongst the audience, they used techniques common to dark indie outfit Radiohead this was mournfully applied in track 'plastic people,' as the sound sang out the crowd grew more enthusiastic.

As the night progressed the audience grew twice the size it had originally appeared to be, this seemed to re-energise the band especially with other stand out track ‘Inertia.’

The track had everyone dancing and baying for more as this chant died harmlessly in the air it was obvious this band should have commanded this sizable crowd from start to finish.
 
I hope to see this youthful four piece with a crowd they deserve and FAC251 showing why I believed them to be the potential live venue flagship of the North West.


©Words - D.J. Skerritt/ ZANI

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