HotWax walk off stage at Beyond The Music in Salford after sound problems

HotWax's bassist, drummer and singer all left the stage during the headline set on the opening night of Beyond The Music at Media City in Salford, according to a review by DIY Magazine. Bassist Lola Sim announced “Hotwax and GANS, out” before dropping her instrument and walking off 45 minutes early, DIY reports. Drummer Alfie Sayers followed, and singer Tallulah Sim-Sam then left too, saying: “I’m so sorry, this has never happened”.

DIY says the band had been dealing with bad feedback and a pause while a sound engineer worked out whether a guitar change was needed. The review adds that the crowd for the headliners was thin, partly because another band was having a group photo on a nearby stage.

A night of technical faults

GANS, described by DIY as a post-punk duo, came on 25 minutes late and then ended their set midway through the first song. DIY says the band cited deafening blasts in their in-ear monitors, and they left to confused applause. Earlier, the right side of the main stage suffered repeated power outages during walt disco's set, the review reports.

DIY attended only the opening night, which it says began its music at 6pm. Tickets cost £40 a day.

Grassroots in a corporate setting

The event describes itself as “redefining the meaning of grassroots”. DIY's account suggests the setting worked against that. The Salmon of Knowledge, a bar styled as an Irish pub, hosted a stage takeover by the Manchester promoter and label Akoustik Anarkhy, which DIY says is due to mark its 27th anniversary later in October. Founder Noel Vazquez told the magazine that such nights suit “a dark 70-capacity venue in a basement” better than “an airport-lounge-style bar”.

Venkappa frontwoman Abbie Howard told DIY the largely lanyard-wearing crowd felt “a bit more static and reserved” than their usual audiences. The review singles out Getner, whose frontman started what DIY calls the only mosh pit of the festival, and Holly Head, whose Salmon-stage headline set it says briefly recalled an Akoustik Anarkhy night in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

The venue question

DIY reports that an organiser told it after the show that Beyond The Music had been given favourable terms to use Media City, rather than the small Northern Quarter venues of previous years. The reviewer concludes that the festival has an identity crisis: it could remain in Salford as a corporate showcase, but would then need bigger bands to draw crowds, or it could leave Media City to champion Manchester's independent scene.

DIY also criticises a press release issued the following day that cited “standout performances” from a number of duos, including GANS. It calls this a “slap in the face” for those who attended on Wednesday.