ACID DROP - MERE MORTALS - 26.04.2025 - Skatepark Laverdure - Beauvais (FR)

I'm starting this report, and I confess I don't really know what to say about this evening, just a stone's throw from where I live, which is rare enough to already be there, because local initiatives are always worth supporting, and also because the 2 bands on offer are of sufficiently high quality not to be picky... Also the venue, an old skatepark that looks like a squat, is well worth the trip !

So what's the problem? A great HardCore/Punk line-up that promises to kick ass on a Saturday night, a €5 admission, a cool venue - regulars who skate their hearts out and have fun - a relaxed, festive atmosphere... What do you think is missing ? The audience ? Yes, absolutely, THE goddammed AUDIENCE ! Honestly, if there were 20 entries, it's the end of the line... I was sorry to see how few people showed up... Seriously, PEOPLE, where were you ??? There's already not much going on around here, really close by, and here... for once there are people with enough balls to organize something... nobody... so please stop complaining and get out of your way when it's happening ... otherwise, shut up and FOAD as one says...

From that point on, you'll understand that the general atmosphere wasn't unbridled, wild or electric... no, it was rather quiet and calm... and yet the 2 bands didn't disappoint, delivering their sets like beasts giving everything they had .... ACID DROP (from Tours) stormed the stage first, delivering a HardCore/Punk influenced by Black Flag, The Adolescents, Agent Orange - wild and full of energy! They got the job done, nothing to reproach them for... The set was well put together, the tracks were well executed, and the compositions were straight to the point - energetic as f**k ! Well done, guys!

MERE MORTALS - from Lille - then takes over, their music is faster (“Fast-Core” some would say), but I can feel the good old crossover/hardcore influences from Cryptic Slaughter, SOD or DRI whose “Reaganomics” they cover in the current French sauce, i.e. “Macronomics” (Yes, there's a lot to say on that subject too! And they're not shy about it!) - Intense and wild, with no downtime, they play fast and hard, they give it their all, they don't cheat... raw energy, the best!

All this in a dull atmosphere.... well yes, how can you talk to a non-existent audience ? How can you warm up the audience when they're not there ? Nothing to reproach the bands for, really nothing... I even take my hat off to them for being able to play the way they did in front of so few people - in fact, it was more like a rehearsal session in front of a few friends who came to see them... not what I call a concert... I feel sorry for the organizers (TV HEAD) that really deserved much better/much more than this... that's not ok... I keep on believing next time there's something like this happening, some more people will show up... wait & see.

All pics used with kind permission from MESS WITH ME Photography.