Presented by Rockfact Music Club & IRON-T21

Rockfact Music Club, Münchenstein,  Switzerland – 23.11.2024

Sometimes you make a discovery in the world of music. These bands create their own special sound and generate interest as a result. I find bands like that in the USA, Germany or other countries. This time I came across a group called Flector in my home country of Switzerland. Their style is psychedelic, spherical hard rock. Their concert announcement at the Rockfact Music Club in Münchenstein aroused my curiosity. So I attended the event. The Rockfact doors opened at 8 pm and people were allowed to enter. One hour later, the band members took to the stage and “Sky Echo” was the first played song. The band around singer & guitarist Carlo Gartenmann played at a high,

technical level and gave the impression of a prog rock band at first sight. However, clear hard rock influences from the 70s were also audible and the mood of the songs changed, as did the tempo. Carlo gave a great vocal performance and impressed with his stage presence on the rhythm guitar. Lead guitarist Rolf Wiking was allowed to shine in the spotlight with guitar solos and earned a lot of enthusiasm. The spherical elements were added by keyboardist Adi Baba, which added a melodic note to the sound. Carlo played harmonica in the song “Pilot”. This was followed by the ballad “Children of Tomorrow” about the war and the children who grow older and carry this trauma. “Think so small” was about small- minded guys who get upset about every little thing. The announcement “Now it's getting complicated. Let's see if you can follow us” by Carlo caused astonishment. The song “Disaster” was about a bad day where you got up on the wrong side of the bed. “Don't miss the daylight” started with cell phone ringtones when you are woken up in the morning. I thought it was pretty cool because I'd never experienced that live before. The hard rock returned with “Mighty Man”, what I really liked. Bassist Rolf “Basso” Preisig was able to show off his dexterity with a bass solo. In “Can't by Bought”, the harmonica was used again and Carlo played this instrument confidently and with a lot of passion. The first set ended with the groovy “Rock Festival” and was followed by a 30-minute break. The second set started with “The Hope”. At the beginning, the music seemed very Pink Floyd-oriented and completely different from the first set. This didn‘t detract from the atmosphere, but made the live performance more interesting. After the second song “Spaceflight”, Carlo called for Iron-T21 member Metalgod to come on stage. Carlo thanked him on behalf of the band and as he was celebrating his 55th birthday that day, he received a birthday serenade from the audience. After these brief excursions into Pink Floyd territory, the rock returned. “Shining” without Jack Nickolson let the walls of the Rockfact shake and turned out nice and catchy. After “Follow the rules”, Matt McAllen was given the honor of presenting a drum solo. He did it with a lot of fun and passion and also shone with his sunglasses. “Still War”, the latest song about violent conflicts, followed.  Carlo took the opportunity to point out to the upcoming album, which will be released in January 2026. “Land of the Free” was followed by a critique of their own country, which gave the impression they were free until Covid came along and this changed abruptly. The last song was “Mr. Arrogant” about an arrogant stockbroker who only cares about money. That's when it got really tough and the speed increased massively. The spectatords weren‘t yet satisfied and demanded an encore. This was granted with “Expect no mercy”, which lasted 10 minutes. Afterwards, both sets were played and the band members were bid farewell with much applause from an enthusiastic audience. They left a great impression at their live premiere in the red bar canton. Setlist Flector Sky Echo It’s reigning Pilot Children of tomorrow Think so small Disaster Don’t Miss the Daylight Might Man Can’t by Bought Rock Festival Break The Hope Spaceflight Shining Time Has Come Follow the rules Still War Land of the Free Mr. Arrogant Expect no mercy After the concert, you could buy the latest CD and T-shirts at the merchandise table. Thanks to sound engineer Stefan Walker, we were able to enjoy a great evening with first-class sound and a perfectly coordinated light show. I'm already looking forward going back to the Rockfact Music Club and experiencing concerts again. Livereport by Dominic Latscha