13.06.2015 Mesh

Blackfield Festival

Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Tamron SP AF 17-50mm 2.8 XR Di II LD Asp IF and Sigma AF 50-150mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

From the rocking sounds of Unzucht, it seamlessly transitioned back to electronic sounds. From Bristol, a veteran was guest: Mesh. Since 1991, singer and guitarist Mark Hockings, along with his band mate Richard Silverthorn on keyboards, have been conquering stages. Over the years, they've amassed quite a bit of material, with one hit following the next.
For live shows, they are also supported by Sean Suleman on drums and Lord Richard Broadham on keyboard, who replaced Neil Taylor in 2006. Unfortunately, the entire performance was plagued by constant technical problems, which unfortunately dragged down the quality of the show. Sometimes the vocals were too quiet and the drums too loud, then Sean Suleman apparently couldn't hear his monitors anymore and played so confusedly that at some point his band mates even took a break. At least during such a break, the audience could sing a short birthday song, as Richard Silverthorn, who had a Happy Birthday balloon on the keyboard, was celebrating his anniversary. The fans (although there were fewer than perhaps deserved) tried to make the best of the performance despite all the negative side effects, which ended with persistent singing to “Taken For Granted” from the latest album “Automation Baby”.
It's a shame, but Mesh didn't really grab me. Although I have to say they certainly had the potential to. The problems unfortunately spoiled the music and negatively affected the stage performance, as the artists were more concerned with themselves and the technology than with the songs themselves. Hopefully, this won't repeat itself over the course of the evening.