Black Wax was tasked with programming and promoting an event to celebrate and reunite the ethos and people that made a small local venue so special.
The brief was to showcase the best of what Harlow (Essex) has been missing out on since the closure of The Square in January 2017. Some rules were to be followed:
- No Covers/Tribute bands (they still have plenty of opportunities to play in town).
- At least one act that has never had the opportunity to play in Harlow because of lack of music venue supporting new original music.
- One band reformed especially for this event.
- At least one band who have recently released brand new material.
A decision was taken early on to not promote the event under the Black Wax name. BW would take care of everything behind the scenes, but everything publicly was promoted as The Square. The Square name represents a lot more musical diversity than BW, and the acts were booked to appeal to a wide ranging audience across generations and genres.
The Square’s name and reputation are still strong, so much so that the event fully sold out (640 tickets) in the equivalent of 3 days before any acts had been announced!
A number of bands were contacted and names from the ‘hit list’ were being crossed off or ticked off accordingly, in line with the rules above.
BW worked with Doug Hunt Sound & Light to provide audio and visual support for the event. Harlow Rugby Club and The Ram’s Kitchen provided all of the catering. A team of volunteers helped stage manage and production manage the event, with security provided by local legend Paul Brown.
The event ran smoothly and to time, and the audience were a real representation of what the venue was all about. Inclusivity and fun.
Here’s to next year….
Full line up on the poster –
