Word of Mouth, Magnet!

Word of Mouth!

 

Magnet, Hardman street, Liverpool.

One night only!

11-03-09

 

Put your hands together or raise a glass for Jesse and Nia who managed to pull off a fabulous night of eclectic music at Magnet last week.

            Both first year management students @ lovely Lipa you can really see they are paying attention in their lectures!

            The venue itself was a great choice for a first night or a one off gig because Magnet tends to attract punters every night so they were guaranteed to get a crowd in, even it is was small. Safe bets always pay off, well most of the time and this was one such time.

            They pulled in the crowd and everyone seemed to have smiles splashed across their faces. The one thing I will say though is that the bands were on in the wrong order. Most people were there to see Dire Wolfe, a couple were there for Base Naked and no one was there to see Willy and the Surroundings. Seeing as most people were there for Dire Wolfe it would have made sense to put them on last to keep the crowds in for the other bands because after they played the crowd seemed to disappear and by the time Willy and the “half white” surroundings came on the dance floor was like a ghost town. Regardless they got them into the venue and opened them up to something new. Costing only £2 for entry who could refuse!

            Promotion on the Internet was great. Setting up a group on facebook definitely gave them the exposure they needed to pull in the crowds. Outside promo must have, also, been good because there were people there from outside of Lipa.

            Nia and Jesse took it in turns to man the door all night so I hope someone brought them a drink, they both deserved 1, or 3!

            Great night, Great line-up and great ‘up for it’ audience. Make it a regular thing and bring on the next one.

 

Jesse Mcnamara (one of organisers) –

 

Why Magnet?
Connections with management

Please with turn out?
Yes we had about 120 people.

How do you think it went?
All the feedback we recieved was possitive and it seems to be enjoyed by the bands
and the management att he magnet.
Overall I think that it went very well.

Would you like to do it again?
We are booked in to do it again at the magnet either the 1st or second week after the easter break.

Anything you would change?
Better promotion and more consideration for the customers (eg, goodies, maybe free shot on entry, seats)
A special ticket deal for the bands in which they will get some of the money of the tickets they sell, and a rider for bands.

Did anyone buy you a drink for all your hard work?
OH YES!

Pop quiz ……

Man bag or Bun bag?
Bum Bag

Electric or Acoustic?
Depends on the setting but in general Acoustic

Wellies in the sun or Sunglasses in the rain?
Wellies in the sun

Fred or Barney?
Fred

Ibiza or Glastonbury?
Glastonbury

Posh n Becks or Jorden and Peter?
Posh n Becks

Mods or Rockers?
Mods

Gin and Orange or Babysham?
Neither

Dangermouse or Spongebob?
Spongebob!!!

Gardening or Sex?
Sex

Alcohol or Sweets?
Sweets

High street or Charity shop?
High Street

Modern or Retro?
A bit of both

Nia Moore (second of the organisers) –

Why Magnet?
cos they asked us to do it

Please with turn out?
yep more than we expected

How do you think it went?
i think it went well everyone seem to have fun didnt see the bands much because we were on the door

Would you like to do it again?
Yes we are after easter so come it shall be grand

Anything you would change?
not really keep it simple

Did anyone buy you a drink for all your hard work?

no i bought alex and jesse one, no one bought me a drink gutted …… I’ll buy you one next time mate!

Pop quiz ……

Man bag or Bun bag?

Electric or Acoustic? Electric

Wellies in the sun or Sunglasses in the rain? sunglasses in the rain

Fred or Barney? barney but my dad looks like fred just to add a intresting fact

Ibiza or Glastonbury? Glastonbury im a fan of festivals

Posh n Becks or Jorden and Peter? can i say neither at a push jorden and peter because they know there a joke

Mods or Rockers? mods id be to scared on a motorbike

Gin and Orange or Babysham? babysham all the way

Dangermouse or Spongebob? Dangermouse

Gardening or Sex? sex of course but sex in a garden is a good mix

Alcohol or Sweets? sweets i like the sugar rush

High street or Charity shop? whatever i can afford

Modern or Retro? retro music

Willy and the surroundings @ Magnet, Liverpool.

Willy and the Surroundings.

 

Word of mouth, Magnet 11-03-09.

 

Time is getting on and the basement in Magnet looks strangely like a ghost town. In the back ground on the stage a band begins to set up in almost silence.

            “Welcome to Willy and the half breads!” The keyboard smashes out a couple of chords and Willy seductively speaks over the top “there’s the F sharp, that’s a G minor and another ….” And so on. The guitarists seem to be suspended form strings like puppets, their legs loose at the knees and head flopping to the relaxed beat. Having guitarists that look like each other gives a stylised look to the band set up and at times, if your not careful you could mistake them for one another.

            The first song begins, a total ‘mish-mash’ of sounds “you shouldn’t be afraid to do what you want to do” People slowly descend upon them like lions to their pray. You can see their minds ticking, trying to analyse what the hell is going on. It took them a while to realise that actually, if you let yourself go and stop trying to make sense of it all you get to be on the same wavelength as the band and all becomes clear. At first they were not trying to play you a pretty song that you could sing and dance along to they were trying to make a statement, as Willy said “its about having fun and letting go” I found it best when they started to close my eyes and really involve myself with their sound; I was totally carried up, up and away almost like coming out of myself and looking down.

            It was interesting watching the audience. Slowly but surely they started to do the same as me, they stopped worrying about what people thought and who was watching and let their selves go. Willy and the surroundings, which only formed 2 days before the gig, totally had the audience by the balls.

            They can really play their instruments, none of this basic chord progression that we all have heard thousands of times before. They smack the sound out and feed it to your on a silver platter.

            Their songs had the feeling of running a marathon. A slow and gradual build up then a massive sprint to the finish that ends in a climax and a deep breath of relief, Phew!

            By the second song the crowd loved them! Within the space of 5 minutes they had changed peoples mind and built up a crowd no less then 35 strong, which for the basement in magnet is a big crowd! I loved their second song but I would have liked them to inform us (being the audience) of the name somewhere along the line. This particular song was one of those songs you could listen to on your I-pod in the sunshine, hands in pockets, ray bans on, head held high, kicking you heels with a spring in your step. It reminded me of 2 things 1. The song ‘what a day for a day dream’ by Lovin’ Spoonful and 2. A children’s television program such as Rainbow from the 80’s. I have no idea what the song was about but I totally loved it. It was so refreshing on the ears.

            Its experimental, soulful, rocky pop crossed with a little country and a lot of passion. They are lively, energetic and full of fun. Not everyone’s cup of tea but if your able to open your mind to something a little different without judgement then give them a go. You’ll leave their gig exhilarated, exhausted and more confused then you were when you went in. Its everything and nothing all under the same roof and they knocked the socks off of that stage. When’s the next one boys?

 

Fred or Barney? Fred! In fifth grade I went by Wilma.
Alcohol or Sweets? Alcohol! Crunch bars, Snickers-the pork of candy bars.
Jenga or Connect 4? Jenga! Don’t mess with the best.
Master mind or Master chef? Mastermind! Take your mind to the park, walk in your head. Reality is fun to dismantle.
Marmite or Jam? Marmite!
Ibiza or Glastonbury? Ibiza! Where the honeys at?!
Rain or shine? Shine! Ahh if it’s pouring rain, I’ll make a dam.
Charity shop or High street? Charity shop!
Electric or Acoustic? Electric! Acoustic pianos over keyboards.
Gin and orange or Babysham? Gin and Orange! Jack straight.
Cheers or Fraiser? Seinfeld
Ringo ro Moon? Bingo!
Mods or Rockers? hah emos! screamos!
Eyes or Mouth? Eyes! butterfly kisses, eskimo kisses
Dylan or Marley? solo dylan, vintage marley
Sunglasses in the rain or Wellies in the sun? anythin with orange tint
Father Christmas or the Easter bunny? The easter bunny! EASTERBUNNY!
Danger mouse or Spongebob? Sponge bob square pants! See, I almost like squidward.
Kevin or Perry? pardon?
Fry up or Sunday roast? Fry up!
50’s cadilac or 90’s escort? 50′s cadilac!
Jeans or Suit? ash in my Jeans!
Weekends or Weekdays? Weekends, for sure