Live Review: Mercury’s Well w/Remnant, Arid Wave and Skunkworm at The Facebar in Reading!

“Because your help makes a difference” ~ Blood Cancer UK

Sadly there aren’t many who haven’t had their lives touched by the big C in one way, shape or form. Be it suffering the indiscriminate disease themselves, having lost a loved one, supporting or even simply knowing someone who has. It’s there, it’s in the background and it’s as scary as the monster that lived under the bed when you were 3 years old. That’s why the work of charities like Blood Cancer UK is so important, as is doing all that we can to fund them.

A charity fundraiser at the Facebar in Reading put together by the fun loving criminals that are Progressive Death Metal trio Mercury’s Well  means its time to dust off those dancing shoes and warm up those vocal chords once more. After the thrills and spills of their annual one day Hawaiian themed Beach party of a festival Summer Bash in July, it’s time to scream-a-long while putting our hands in our pockets for a very worthy cause close to our hearts. It’s dedication to humanities salvation one riff at a time!

When you’ve got a vocalist who looks like a young Zach De La Roche, a bassist with a “no music on a dead planet” t-shirt, a guitarist who wears a beanie hat despite roasting under the lights and an drummer who knows how to ride the Groove, what have you got? Skunkworm [7/10]. As a band they self-describe a “slime punk” and they’re so fresh that they only have one single out in internet land in “Burst“. So… what’s in a genre tag in 2025? Not much in all honesty as most bands leap between subgenres within a single song and Skunkworm are no different. From Post-Hardcore rants to Funk fuelled bass lines their upbeat sounds are completely engaging, each member of the band impressing with their musicianship despite their youthful appearances. Their clean guitar sound gives their songs an arty feel and there is no mistaking these songs are a good time, all they lack is a little bit of stage presence but that will come with time because everything else is in place.

Resurrected not so long ago, Remnant [10/10] are as slick tonight as they were at Summer Bash, the four piece providing us with another lethal dose of Melodic Death Metal. An In Flames t-shirt gives away one of their influences, their guitarist getting through the work of two with some tasty moments of lead and juicy whammy bar action, “Wolves” being an absolute pleasure. The other key aspect of their sound is their blue Mohawked bassists abilities with five strings which helps bolster the guitar sound. Pummelling groove laden percussion and savage screamed vocals are broken up by the odd moment of tranquility in fleeting clean vocal as they turn the stage to sawdust, each tune nailed to perfection. In truth there is so much quality in the cryptic writings of Remnant that they should really put themselves on a Metal 2 The Masses run because then New Blood Stage at Bloodstock is calling them like a siren calling a sailor crossing the seven seas.

Reminiscent of bands like Them Bloody Kids, the energy that Arid Wave [9/10] put into their live performance makes them seriously infectious, their old school Alternative sound fuelled by the riffs and curious thoughts of Ben Palmer. What could be more Rock ‘n Roll than your animal of drummer going through a couple of sets of sticks during your set, slinging the shattered sticks across the stage in before grabbing another set. Someone get him an endorsement quick! The trio are far more relaxed tonight than they were at Summer Bash, here to have fun and play a few tunes with “Life Is Combat” alongside brand spanking new pairing “All I’ve Gotta Be” and “Strange Hill” all sounding fan-bloody-tastic. They’re one of those bands who manage to squeeze another 5 percent more energy out of their songs in the live arena and when Reynolds leaps into the pit to play the final third of the final song facing his band, it’s another Rock ‘n Roll moment that’s going to live long in the memory.

Reading Progressive Death Metal act Mercury’s Well [10/10] are our headliners tonight and while they may only play four songs, three of those hit the eight minutes mark in a wave of style and substance delivered with aplomb. They start with the shortest song of the set, a brutal rendition of “Fire” that is enough to take you back to the days of cavemen finding heat for the first time and join in the screaming like a Neanderthal as their thunderous sounds envelop. “Blood” is the natural successor to that, a powerhouse offering that never tires especially live. Resistance is futile as the crowd always like marionettes to the tune of the pied pipers, Liam Fogarty getting through a serious work out on the kit. Between songs vocalist and guitarist Simon Davies has a few somber words for us about tonight’s cause. We’re here for a reason and that reason is to say f*** off to cancer.

In keeping with tonight’s theme during the bands eponymous track “Mercury’s Well” there is actual blood on the fretboard as out of nowhere Davies cuts his finger. He continues like a trooper, the songs Deftones like bridge an absolute pleasure. It wouldn’t be a Mercury’s Well show without the screams of “let the darkness swallow you whole!” as a final moment of catharsis from bassist James Tiffin, the wonderfully bleak “Nadir” bringing the curtain down. A fantastic night of banging tunes for a deserving cause comes to an end and there isn’t a dry eye in the house as everyone is left reminiscing about those we have lost. Take a minute. Phone a friend. Tell someone you love them. It’s important.