Turock, Essen, Germany1st February 2019
Prime Circle - “Innocence” Tour 2019 - Special guest: Make Plain
South Africa’s No. 1 Rock stars have returned to Germany in late winter 2019 for an extensive tour to spread some warmth in the confined spaces of fourteen clubs all over the county. PRIME CIRCLE have built up a large fan audience here in Germany. With their single hit ‘Ghosts’, which has been played over 7,000 times on German radio, as well as their enormous festival and touring presence, they slowly and steadily conquered the German audience.
Make Plain
Alternative Folk act MAKE PLAIN from Switzerland occupied the opener slot for that night. The duo has released two albums so far (‘Side Street’ in 2016 and their debut album ‘Make it Plain’ in 2013), and they have released a new single ‘You are the One’ end of January this year. https://www.facebook.com/MakePlain.Folk / http://www.makeplain.ch
Music & Performance
Five minutes earlier than announced, the two musicians from Switzerland took their seats in the front of the stage. They were seated primarily because they were sharing all musical duties such as drumming, playing guitar, and singing. Their music style is best described by a ‘made plain’ (Sic!) version of MUMFORD & SONS with Alpine ingredients. They did not only play their own songs, but also a cover version of the timeless classic ‘Stand by Me’ from BEN E. KING, for which they recruited the vocal help of the audience. Inexplicably, the two sympathetic Swiss-Italian gentlemen also featured their mascot, a mini rocking horse at the centre of the stage, which scored some bonus points for sweetness with the female part of the audience.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6.8 / 10
Prime Circle
All six studio albums released by Alternative Rock band PRIME CIRCLE so far have achieved multiple platinum and gold status in South Africa. With countless No. 1 hits, the band is enjoying an incredible success in their home country. The band’s records also include the number of weeks their songs have been in the national sales and radio charts. Throughout the band’s history, PRIME CIRCLE have appeared over 1,500 times on the stages of Africa, the Middle East and Europe. In their native South Africa, PRIME CIRCLE have played almost every major festival in the last 10 years. Among the highlights are their appearances at the legendary Nelson Mandela concerts (2x), but also the European tours with 3 DOORS DOWN, or the PRIME CIRCLE arena tour through South Africa, which took place for the first time in 2014 and sold out over 100,000 tickets. www.primecirecle.co.za / https://www.facebook.com/Prime.Circle
Music & Performance
Around ten past 9pm the room lights were dimmed, and the introductory notes of the song ‘Closure’ from the 2010 album ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ resounded over the speakers while the band members entered the stage. At last singer Ross Learmonth appeared and the band played the song to the excitement of the approximately 400 visitors. Seeing such an experienced band with almost two decades of stage experience in such a small and intimate venue is definitely an experience in itself, and the fans loved it. Furthermore, PRIME CIRCLE did not exude any superstar allures during their stage presence. Ross and his crew always kept things positive, and during the song breaks, Ross reiterated how much he appreciated to be here. The band showed a great degree of professionalism and versatility during their set, as they both mastered the more energetic, Hard Rock oriented songs, as well as the Rock ballads, such as ‘Turn me to Stone’. The audience returned the favour by engaging in sing-a-longs, e.g. echoing the catchy tune of ‘She Always Gets What She Wants’ well into the song break.
Bit of a bummer was the fact that PRIME CIRCLE were not allowed to play any encore, as the club wanted to open the club for the regular operations on a Friday night. Thus, the gig ended after 90 minutes of playtime around 10:40pm. However, people had the chance of witnessing their good share of 2000 Alternative Rock music, and started their weekend right.
Setlist
01. Closure
02. Ghost
03. Love to Hate
04. Let the Night in
05. Only Way Out
06. Breathing
07. My City
08. Not Alone
09. Out of This Place
10. Message
11. Evidence
12. Turn me to Stone
13. She Always Gets What She Wants
14. Class Clown
15. We Are Here
16. As Long As I Am Here
17. Live This Life
18. Pretty Like The Sun
19. Consider Me
20. Weapons
21. Innocence
22. The Gift
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7.8 / 10
All pictures by Christian Beyermann
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