Committed to the Music

Velvet Asylum are a 4-piece indie/rock covers band hailing from the Steel City herself. Comprised of Martin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Jerry on lead guitar, Robert on bass guitar, and Dave on drums, with Robert and Jerry providing backing vocals as well.

15th of March at The Milestone in Crystal Peaks welcomed three quarters of the band into their hundredth gig. But SNAFU was the centennial gig of their drummer, Dave. Marked with a not insignificant (but not quite 100) amount of candles and cake, the band led a singalong and the crowd followed suit. This milestone is no mean feat, so we’d like to offer our congratulations, and we hope to see a hundred more!

Now onto the review.

Firstly, I want to mention the stage positioning. SNAFU has a built-in drum riser towards the back corner of the stage, which is the preferred choice for many drummers who play the venue. 

The only potential drawback to this set up is that if you are positioned towards the left side of the bar, you may not have the best visibility of the drums. Of course, the sound is not impacted, and my solution to that is always to get into the middle of the dance floor to enjoy the music! However, Velvet Asylum opted to set up their drum kit on the main stage, which gave the band a more tight-knit feel, as Dave could be right in the middle of the action.

Speaking of tight-knit, it’s clear to me that this band are just that. They play an eclectic mix of fan favourites with an ease that only comes from years of collective musical experience.

Their set list struck an enjoyable balance that kept things interesting; My Own Worst Enemy by Lit being a definite crowd-pleaser and my personal favourite! It was also great to see them engaging directly with the audience, with singer Martin taking full advantage of his wireless system to get out onto the dance floor. He even trusted a particular crowd member to play a couple of notes on his guitar, which as any musician will tell you, can be a dangerous game when alcohol is involved! Luckily for everyone, the guitar remained unharmed, and the crowd felt part of the fun.

If I was to give one point of feedback, it would be that the stage presence didn’t always match the energy of the set. A bit more dynamic movement around the stage could have elevated things further. That being said, it didn't take anything away from the set, and Martin’s dance floor adventure was certainly a welcome addition to the overall performance.

With a strong turnout and the milestone of their 100th gig under their belt, Saturday night felt like a solid gig by an experienced set of musicians. 

I look forward to seeing more of them!