MEARFEST MUMBLINGS

QUARTZ

11/6/2019

I want into your blood let me in!

Quartz black tour bus had driven all the way from the birthplace of heavy metal, Birmingham. A space had been sectioned off for them by our dedicated security team. They arrived at the village hall car park just in time for some English tea and an eclectic selection of home baked cakes, donated by most of the mearfesters inside. This tea and cake thing all started at last years Mearfest within the same village hall. Claire really fancied a cup of strong tea in a mug and just so happen to be sitting with Tim Perry Quartz manager, who also said, oh yeeer, go on! There were no cakes around, so she rounded up all the boxes of Belgian chocolates, which had been donated by Patrick from Belgium and handed them out 'FREE' to everyone in the hall.

David Garner was Vocals, Mick Hopkins on Guitar, Derek Arnold on Bass, Malcolm Cope playing Drums. In true retro spirit their flux capacitor had been set for 1979, which by then they had already had success with their first album QUARTZ by Quartz which had been out for two years, produced by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.

Their opening track 'Mainline Riders' reverberated to perfection around Farnham Royals village hall, thanks to the crystal clear sound management of John Bell and his delightful assistant Abi. Although David Garner is not the original vocalist, he certainly gave it forty years of retro effort, with his long black fringe glam rock shirt sleeves, swishing that stage with moves akin to Jagger, sending the audience back to the late 1970's.

I am transported back in time to the very early eighties, where not far from here I sat in my good friend Chris Hall 's bedroom listening to this amazing band for the first time.
Every teenage cell in my body opened up to this new sound of British heavy metal in particular, I have a lot to thank Chris and his brother Tim (R.I.P).

It's hard to explain just how much it meant for me to have Quartz play for Mearfest a band I hold very dear to my heart.
For one, my established friendship with their manager Tim Perry, who has over the years donated so many incredible priceless rare collectors items to auction or raffle, not only that he has attended many of our events in the last three years, staying to the end, for which we both are very grateful to anyone who stays to the end. The music of Quartz, brings back many treasured memories of my youth.

Seeing these legends perform under Molly's hand, was incredibly emotional for me, in fact it was the defining moment of the whole day, if not the whole weekend. Against all the odds my wife and I had out of such sadness and loss, now truly created something exciting and abundant, creative and memorable.

In memory of Tim Hall.