Over and out
With a well received debut album ('Bi Polar') and a healthy amount of television time for the video to their single 'Mute' it was all looking so good for Ariel-X. It therefore comes as something of a surprise to learn that todays performance will be their last ever gig.
The good size crowds continue in the Rock Sound Cave for Ariel-X, who begin with a brooding and atmospheric intro whilst the stage is bathed in red lights. The sound is a bit quiet, meaning they don't make an explosive impact but does give the advantage of being able to hear all elements of the band clearly. They begin with a brooding, fairly lo-fi number that receives fairly muted applause. They follow it with another mid paced number that has a harder edge to it but still fails to really take off and at this stage the crowd are fairly passive.
Three songs in and there's a bit of an exodus from the crowd as Ariel-X fail to ignite. As a band they work well but although they produce a succession of hard riffs they never get above jogging pace and lack any real energy. Being their last gig you might expect them to want to go out in style and give 110% but the whole performance seems rather subdued. Things aren't helped by the (stage right) crowd speaker constantly cutting out, which cuts out singer Ben John's guitar completely.
To their credit, in front of an immobile audience they finish on a high with a cacophony of sound. On the whole though they just haven't got enough about them today, maybe they were just fulfilling commitments and couldn't wait to get it over and done with? Who knows? Either way it's a disappointing performance.