Live Review : Lawnmower Deth + Ward XVI + Solitary @ Rebellion, Manchester on December 16th 2023

And so, we descend into my final gig of the year and what a year it has been… And my life being one of extremes, I have gone from Wednesday night at WARGASM on my ownsome to being out tonight with a vast swathe of people from Primordial Radio’s #PRFam. Well, I might not be a fan of Christmas but what better way to spend the festive period than with your mates, watching live music. The place is full of Santa hats and Christmas jumpers and even I, the Grinch, put on my Millie Manders and the Shutup Christmas jumper. But I’m more enamoured by the access all areas pass I’ve been given at (that’s a first, though I did not use it to its maximum potential).

Live Review : Decapitated + Obscura + Inferi +The Materia @ Club Academy, Manchester on December 15th 2023

To the uninitiated ear all death metal must sound the same. However for connoisseurs this is a genre with a infinite multitude of different shades and textures. We have four bands on offer this evening, four bands all operating in distinctly different universes within death metal forever evolving superstructure.

Live Review : Wargasm + Dropout kings + Harpy @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on December 13th 2023

It doesn’t take too long as Harpy’s set gets underway for the whole venue to be filled with smoke and that mixed with red atmospheric lighting means it’s hard to make out what is happening on stage. What I can see is she is a girl after my own heart, absolutely rocking the long black hair, liquid eyeliner and PVC outfit. Described as industrial/ goth pop, her soaring vocals remind me a little of Cassyette with musical undertones not dissimilar to A Perfect Circle, and a strong message in songs such as ‘Swallow’, which is about turning pain into power when you suffer abuse at the hands of another.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Samantha18 December 2023O2 RitzWargasm, Dropout Kings, Harpy, O2 Ritz, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Samantha Harwood, Darren BirchComment

Live Review : The Darkness + Bad Nerves @ New Century Hall, Manchester on December 12th 2023

If we are honest with ourselves, the early noughties were rather a bleak and monochrome time for rock. Radiohead were being self-consciously awkward, the Strokes were plying an insipid brand of faux-rebellion that is only possible when you are the trust fund kids of Wall Street billionaires and The White Stripes were busy whitewashing the blues of all of its cultural heritage. Then into that world appeared The Darkness, a vivid Technicolor explosion in a valley of greyscale. Like all good explosions, they burnt bright and died young. A brief extravagant glimpse into a parallel dimension of lurid colour and tight spandex.

Live Review : Fit For A King + Emmure + Thrown + The Gloom In The Corner @ Club Academy, Manchester on December 11th 2023

Manchester Club Academy is already pretty damn busy as we enter the venue soon after doors for the excitingly packed bill of tonight’s Fit for a King headliner. It’s clear to see that there’s a mix of fans for all the bands tonight, even if their takes on the sub-genres target slightly different markers, and the anticipation builds and builds as we wait near the barrier for our opening act of the night.

Live Review : Urne + Mountain Caller + Tribe Of Ghosts @ Satan's Hollow, Manchester on December 10th 2023

Urne have had such an impact in the last few years, that is hard to reconcile the fact that this is their first major UK headline run. Covid (as with most things) takes a lot of the blame as their phenomenal debut "Serpent and Spirit” emerged at a time when touring wasn't really an option. This comprehensive jaunt around the aisles is nominally in support of their deeply personal (and rather cracking) sophomore effort “A Feast of Sorrow” but really, it's an opportunity for the band to prove to all and sundry that they deserve the hype that has been heaped upon them.

Live Review : Therapy? + Bokassa @ Academy 2, Manchester on December 8th 2023

Out on a Friday night? Near Christmas? Yep, but I’m not going any closer to central Manchester than Oxford Road. I’m not mad (and I don’t want to get sent to Whamhalla)! We arrive just after tonight’s support band Bokassa have walked on-stage. It is quiet, much quieter than expected, so I’m guessing everyone is still in the pub or making their way over for our headliners. I’ve heard of Bokassa but am not sure I have heard them.

Live Review : Wolfsbane + The Spangles + Spunk Volcano And The Eruptions @ Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on December 7th 2023

So what could drag me out on a trip to the seaside on a cold, wet filthy night? The chance to spend the evening at The Waterloo Bar in Blackpool watching the original lineup of Wolfsbane of course! These rock stalwarts are back on their Tough as Steel tour and playing at the Waterloo Bar tonight.

The first of three bands, Spunk Volcano And The Eruptions kicked off proceedings at 7.15 pm prompt. I know very little about these, as the band enters the stage with a very definite punk attitude in tow. Then emerging from stage left, the main man Spunk Volcano himself, a very tall robust imposing chap resplendent in a spiky leather jacket and balaclava with safety pins complete with an orange Mohican on the top!

Live Review : Gorgoroth + Aeternus + Impalement + Aran Angmar @ Rebellion, Manchester on December 5th 2023

We are entering an interesting timeframe where bands that we consider rebellious upstarts and proponents of new blood are now celebrating landmark anniversaries. Gorgoroth are marking 31 years of hellish existence, not bad for a band that exists primarily to stick two-fingers up at the musical mainstream. To ensure that they are not supping bloodwine alone they have brought with them an impressive 3 bands undercard.

Live Review : The Bites + Deshine @ The Jacaranda, Liverpool on December 4th 2023

I arrive at the Jacaranda in a bad mood. It’s been the day from hell at work, the weather is terrible and the last thing I feel like doing on a grim dreary Monday is heading to an unknown venue to watch an unknown band from California. However, there’s a real buzz going around about The Bites at the moment. Rumour has it that they are on the verge of being the next big thing in rock, but rumour and truth are not always perfectly synchronised. So when, a couple of days after they went down really well at Winter Rocks Festival, they came to Liverpool to play a tiny cellar venue in front of maybe 20 people I dragged myself down to watch, even if moaned about it all the way there.

Live Review: Tyketto + This House We Built @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on December 3rd 2023

It’s very busy early doors at the Waterloo, seemingly with much of tonight’s Sold-Out crowd having already claimed a premium spot long before openers, the unusually monikered This House We Built, have played a single note. I must confess to being unfamiliar with this Yorkshire four piece before tonight’s gig, so wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever those expectations might have been they would have been unexpectedly (and pleasantly) confounded by tonight’s performance.

Live Review : Lorna Shore + Rivers Of Nihil + Ingested + Distant @ Academy, Manchester on December 2nd 2023

Distant start the show and immediately slam the early eager punters with their relentless Dutch deathcore sound. Their approach is delightfully brutal, seamlessly blending the most savage elements of tonight’s headliners with others such as Whitechapel and Thy Art is Murder, with the added gritty hardcore undertones reminiscent of Malevolence.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Matt Fraser4 December 2023Lorna Shore, Rivers Of Nihil, Ingested, Distant, Academy, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Matt Fraser, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : Smash Into Pieces + Cyan Kicks @ Club Academy, Manchester on December 2nd 2023

Another night, another pair of Scandi bands – it’s a hard life writing for ROCKFLESH! Tonight’s bill is somewhat different to my usual fare though, and looking around the crowd it’s a very different demographic. This is not a metal crowd. It’s very stylised, rather eclectic and for the most part very young. In fact I think this is the first time I have ever seen actual children at a Club Academy gig.

Live Review : The Almighty + Balaam And The Angel @ Academy, Manchester on December 1st 2023

There is an alternative universe where Andrew Ward never died, Mother Love Bone never split up and therefore Pearl Jam never came into being. “Nevermind” was a commercial flop that saw Nirvana ejected from Geffen records and to this day muso's still talk about it in hushed whispers as one of the lost gems of the 90s. In this universe, The Almighty never had the lure of grunge to compete with and went on to Maiden-level imperialism, headlining festivals and stadiums across the land. This evening we get a sneak preview into that parallel dimension as the original line-up reunites for the first time in thirty-three years to give us an Almighty (pun definitely intended) dose of might-have-been.

Live Review : SKYND + Zetra @ Academy 2, Manchester on November 30th 2023

Main support on this tour are Zetra, and to be honest they have a tough slot to go on before such a dynamic and unique headliner…but they themselves are no ordinary band. The London two-piece are nominally Adam (guitar and vocals) and Jordan (synths and vocals) and they’ve been knocking about since 2018. In that time they’ve gathered a collection of supporters from successful bands across the scene, including Sammy from Employed to Serve.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Matt Fraser3 December 2023Manchester Academy 2SKYND, Zetra, Academy 2, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Matt Fraser, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : Extreme + Living Colour @ Academy, Manchester on November 30th 2023

Ahh funk metal that most interesting of anomalies that reared its ugly head in the late 80s. It was, to quote Steve Coogan, the moment that the white man learnt to dance. In many ways it was a bit of a catch-all term used to pigeonhole anything vaguely metallic that had a thumping funky bassline. So in went Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and woefully undervalued Atom Seed and Mind Funk. Extreme were an interesting addition to the party in that they were a lot more commercial and a lot less heavy than their compatriots. Essentially they took Van Halen's template and just funked it up little bit more. What they did have though was Nuno Bettencourt, one of the purest guitar talent to have ever walked the earth.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas2 December 2023Extreme, Living Colour, Academy, Manchester, 2023, Live ReviewComment

Live Review : Michael Schenker Group + Night Demon @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on November 28th 2023

Phew. A clash of happenings sees me dash to the Ritz just in time to catch the last couple of songs from Californian trad-metal trio Night Demon. This is a shame, because based on their self-titled set closer and the half a song I saw before it they are pretty damn good. They have flying vs, flying hair and a shirtless drummer. The sound is very solid early 80s British-influenced rock.

Live Review : Holding Absence + Thornhill + Dark Divine @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on November 22nd 2023

Arriving fashionably late as usual… what can I say I’ve only been back from Australia a week and jetlag has been kicking my ass… Dark Divine are already on stage and a small crowd are here to witness what this hard rock quintet has to offer. Visiting these shores all the way from Orlando Florida, Dark Divine formed in 2021, have recently toured with the likes of VV and Black Veil Brides and released their debut album “Deadly Fun” in September this year.

Live Review : Impericon Never Say Die Tour: King 810 + Nasty + ten56 + Left To Suffer + Fox Lake + Reduction @ Club Academy, Manchester on November 22nd 2023

German hardcore-beatdown masters Reduction take to the stage as opening act for this year’s edition of the annual Impericon Never Say Die tour. Despite the early doors, a rapidly growing crowd is immediately engaged by Reduction's relentless sonic assault, with a late afternoon circle pit even managing to erupt mid-set (featuring the first glimpse of an eccentric banana-clad participant).

Live Review : Green Lung + Boss Keloid @ Gorilla, Manchester on November 23rd 2023

One of the many interesting aspects about tonight’s show is the fact that the audience is, in the main, considerably older than the band. There is a latent desire within a true metalhead's DNA to continually search out the next exciting emerging talent. It is like a form of attention deficit disorder. As soon as an act has penetrated the mainstream, we need to discover whatever is going to succeed.