It’s funny how this job/hobby/whatever goes. Sometimes you get to see bands you love, sometimes ones you’re not so keen on. Sometimes you are in a crowd of thousands, sometimes you watch a great act give their all to two men and a dog. The dreaded coof knocked us all for six and that, coupled with the current cost of living crisis, has apparently been having a devastating effect on ticket sales for live events with many gigs and small festivals having to cancel due to low sales. On the flip side, lots of bands have emerged from lockdown with a tighter, more mature sound and an eagerness to just get out there and play. Tonight is no exception, and I’m pleased to see an almost-full live rooms play host to 3 of the best bands on the current small venue/support circuit. I know I say that about a lot of bands but trust me, the UK hard rock scene right now is packed with some truly awesome performers, and tonight I was pleased to witness three of them.

We start tonight with Mad Haven, a 3-piece band from Llandudno in Wales. I have followed these lads since they were school kids and can attest that they are all flying hair and power chords and they play with a maturity that belies their still-tender years. Their songs are catchy and simple but well performed. It’s all high-energy and fun-filled and there's a lot of bouncy hair tossing. Soundwise they remind me a bit of Y&T - I'm not sure whether it's the attitude, the songwriting or just the overall cheerfulness! They have one song that sounds a bit like Whitesnake’s ‘Ready and Willing’, in a good way. There's plenty of chance to clap along and a bit of a sing-along too. A new song ‘Unfold’ unfolds which is more of the same catchy bouncy classic rock; it would be good to hear a full album from them as so far they have only released a series of eps. Despite their relative youth they engage well with the crowd and they go down well. There's no complicated stuff going on here but for straight ahead good time rock they get it spot on.

I’ve raved a bit here about South of Salem before, as they too are a band with immense talent and hopefully a bright future ahead. The first thing I noticed tonight is that they are very very loud, almost to the point of distortion - I can hear the vocals and drums but there is no guitar and at first I think that's because there's a guitarist missing but then I spot him. The stage in the Live Rooms is triangular in shape and also quite small and he's actually off to one side in a pointy bit which is more or less in the dressing room! By song 2 the mix improves and when the two guitarists do a wonderful dual guitar solo on podiums with a knuckle punch/high five at the end I can hear it clearly and appreciate it greatly. I’ve been trying to think of a way to describe South Of Salem’s sound and at first the best I can do is “Melodic Goth”. They have the lyrics of a Hammer horror film but set to catchy almost AOR rock music. We do love a good woah-oh-oh chorus, and it’s even better when we get to sing along to it. This is another band who are able to fully engage the crowd and make them feel like part of the show. As usual they dedicated ‘Demons Are Forever’ to those we have lost due to mental health issues and suicide. It’s an important message to spread that there is always someone out there to listen to you so you should never be afraid to talk, you are not alone. I love the contrast in this band’s writing and performance, there's a lot of emotion and a lot of depth to the lyrics but it’s all wrapped up in a bundle you can dance to.  They do a song for the ladies (probably fruit-based) which is slower (but very riffy) called ‘Pretty Little Nightmare’ and it's the bastard offspring of Bon Jovi and Marilyn Manson. They finish with ‘Cold Day In Hell’ and it warms my frozen little heart. I have to say I've seen this band many times now and this was a stellar performance. I highly recommend going to see these guys now (Winter Rocks headliners) while you still can because I suspect they are going to outgrow spaces like this before too much longer. 

Mason Hill get off to an epic start, their sound is verging on power metal and that word “Epic” keeps popping up during my notes again and again. They too are loud tonight, so much so that the drum beat is making my ribs vibrate! There's a lot of emotion bundled with a lot of riffage in their songs so they get a huge crowd response. So much so that singer Scott is a little overwhelmed because he can't quite believe this many people have come out to see Mason Hill, he keeps looking around to see who he is supporting because up until this point they haven't really played to crowds of this size and enthusiasm. They have a modern and clean sound which involves a lot of air punching. Singing along to the choruses is not optional! These lads live and breathe their music and it shows in the quality of their performance, there are touches of alt rock, it's hard and heavy but also bouncy and catchy. They have a song ‘Out of Reach’ which puts me in mind of early Guns N’ Roses, although they still manage to bring a certain amount of Scottishness (is that a word?) to it. It’s not just the accent, there is a touch of the Biffy in the air too. The sound is fresh, with power and melody aplenty, good backing vocals and some virtuoso-level instrumental breaks. At the same time, it’s solid and comforting, and again the emotion comes to the surface regularly. They do a nice line in guitar face and gurning which makes me smile. The songs cover their whole career so far (some 7 or 8 years) and although their only studio album features heavily there are also a couple of old “singles” and even a new song thrown in. The hair is flying with this lot, they rock so hard that there was a broken string and I lost an earbud that thankfully got resolved fairly quickly. Their signature style seems to be a slow, minor key start to each song that then builds in layers to a powerful finish and they are extremely good at it. Random note: tonight singer Scott looks uncannily like the late Rik Mayall.  They're about to start recording album number two which by the sound of it will be another dish of power ballads and anthems, so something to look forward to. Mason Hill have really upped their live game since we came out of lockdown, and they pretty much epitomise what a modern rock band should be. They cover a lot of ground genre wise, and the crowd adore them. Ballad ‘Where I Belong’ is slow and bluesy, and at one point the crowd sing along so enthusiastically that they drown the band out completely – this is what rock music is all about, that unbreakable bond between musician and fan. There are more woah-oh-oh choruses and the band are introduced, I notice that Mason Hill in a Scottish accent is Mason Hell, which makes me snigger a bit. They finish with a cracking cover of Audioslave’s ‘Cochise’ and it really fits into their own style like a glove. Tonight they gave their all and they got it all back from the crowd, in spades. What a brilliant evening we had. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!