The day had a feeling in its very bones that toward evening it would pull a nasty trick on everyone. And that prospect was unnerving, since I had the "metal opening of the Plan B club" on my schedule for the evening.
First and foremost, credit must go to the club's administration for ensuring the fun started a full two hours before the concert. It only took thirty minutes of walking in the wrong direction to understand that the map had clearly been drawn by someone unfamiliar with the area. Who would have guessed that a left turn on the map actually means a 180-degree rotation on the spot? "Well," I thought — "never mind, the main thing is I made it" — with two minutes to spare before the press conference began. But no, the security guards had other ideas about my immediate future. For a long, stubborn stretch they refused to let this poor journalist in, on the grounds that the cashier hadn't arrived yet. The only question preoccupying me over the next ten minutes: why would you need a cashier for that? (For what it's worth, as far as I know the cashier never appeared; someone else from the "in crowd" was put in their place.)
The crowning achievement of my introduction to the club's staff was two unsuccessful attempts to make me hang an ARIDA VORTEX banner on the stage — which they eventually managed to affix themselves about twenty minutes before the concert began. (It stubbornly refused to hang, tearing away from the wall with it.)
But I'll stop rambling and get to the press conference. We were herded into a small room located in a corner of the main hall — essentially a private bar — and the musicians were brought in similarly. That was about it. Standard questions, unremarkable answers. Although S. Mavrin did mention the imminent release of a double studio album, and A. Lobashev shared his impressions of the recent premiere of "Khroniki Sumerek" — specifically regarding the staging of "The Elven Manuscript." The club's pricing policy was also raised — more on that shortly.
Time now to describe the club itself. At first glance the hall seems very small. But once a crowd of this size packs in and somehow manages to organise a slam pit, you realise it isn't. The hall becomes simply enormous. The lighting was quite acceptable, though the lighting engineer was audibly complaining about it in my presence. It's worth noting that the smoke machine was only working on one side, which one could chalk up to the club's quirks — though I suspect the other one had simply broken. The terrible ventilation meant that before long everyone was simply dying from the heat. Combined with the malfunction of the aforementioned smoke machine, the whole thing began to resemble the Soviet cartoon "Hedgehog in the Fog." Some complaints could also be directed at the sound: the quality was generally decent, but periodically the speakers produced horrible feedback. A pleasant surprise was a bar counter literally two steps from the stage — though getting to it that day was quite a challenge. The concert itself ran fairly smoothly and left mostly positive emotions among everyone who attended.
First to perform was the moscow melodic metal band SHADOWHOST. The guys were excellent — that much is certain. Fans got genuine pleasure, while everyone else warmed up and got ready for their heroes' performance. The only minus: sound. The drum kit was shaking the floor, the guitars were testing eardrums to their limit, yet the vocalist (Viktor "Anger") was barely audible. In that respect one could only envy the front rows — especially those standing next to the speakers.
Next the stage was taken by the guys from ARIDA VORTEX. Here I must apologise: objectivity fails me entirely. The band was blazing. So much energy, emotion, and pure childlike joy — I haven't felt that in a long time. If for nothing else, just for the cult track "Vortex," which they saved until almost the very end. The brief delay at the very beginning, the broken string — these minor inconveniences couldn't even come close to spoiling the impression that was shooting through the blood like a drug alongside the furious drive.
Next to perform was a man whose mastery and talent deserve respect, admiration, and reverence — former ARIA guitarist Sergei Mavrin and his ensemble of musicians. What these guys were doing on stage simply defies description. Such energy, such emotion! The impression left by Comrade Mavrin and Co. was somewhat marred by the heat, which had by that point become unbearable, and by the smoke machine that had filled the entire space with haze — about which Sergei made a couple of very apt jokes, earning him points for a good sense of humour. Some might have found his guitar god's programme a touch long — but anyone thinking that had clearly wandered into the club by accident.
Unfortunately, few people had the energy or inclination left for FAKTOR STRAKHA. (In truth, many had come specifically for Mavrin's set.) A shame — because right before their programme kicked off, a valuable prize was being raffled (a disc by this band). As a result of the already multiply-cursed and multiply-mentioned heat, the musicians only performed a small portion of what had been planned before, with sincere apologies, leaving the stage. During their brief set, however, a couple of significant moments occurred: first, the band introduced their new members (why so many, they manage perfectly well without them — author's note); and second, they delighted the audience with news of the upcoming release of their new album "Teatr Voennykh Deystviy 2." One can only feel for FAKTOR STRAKHA that their first-ever concert didn't go entirely smoothly — and wish them the best going forward. Both the weary fans and the musicians, however, left quite satisfied, which I can only welcome.
The verdict is straightforward and simple. Plan B — to be consumed in moderate doses, for fans only (or for lovers of steam baths). For those who don't know how to spend a free evening and aren't devoted body and soul to one or another direction of rock, attendance is categorically not recommended. One can only hope that all the minor shortcomings of the club described above are the result of the venue's "inexperience" and "youth," and will be corrected soon — and that Plan B will continue to grow in renown and popularity.
Report by VanCyric
Special thanks to TMS and personally to Alexei Kholoptsev for the accreditation provided
Photo report (photos by Alan)
SHADOWHOST
ARIDA VORTEX
MAVRIK
FAKTOR STRAKHA
