Live Review : Lacuna Coil + Blind Channel @ Academy, Manchester on October 20th 2024

The reverential position that Lacuna Coil now holds has been achieved through the complete antithesis to overnight success. Formed 30 years ago in Milan asSleep of Right they have slowly but diligently built a unified fan base. This is their ninth visit to this fair city and on each excursion to our beloved northern outpost they have subtly but significantly increased the amount of people present. This evening's patronage is to herald the arrival of their 10th studio album (and first in six years) which will see the light of the day early next year.

Live Review : Blind Channel + Ghøstkid + Rock Band From Hell @ Club Academy, Manchester on April 2nd 2024

For the second time this week ROCKFLESH is dipping a toe into Eurovision territory. Those gritty Finns are determined to give a serious rock boost to the greatest lip-synching competition in the world, and having done so once with the classic power metal and mad costumes that are Lordi they had another go for a younger audience with Blind Channel who provide nu-metal and pretty boys instead. Sadly they only managed to reach 6th place in 2021, but that did give them an avenue to reach bigger crowds in other countries so here we are in a sold-out Club Academy with twice the capacity of their last sojourn to Manchester. This is obviously important to them as it gets mentioned a couple of times during the course of the evening. Stick with it boys, next stop the Ritz eh?

Live Review : I Prevail + Trash Boat + Blind Channel @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on March 23rd 2023

I’m not sure how or why this keeps happening but here I am again. ROCKFLESH’s glam queen is dipping another toe into the world of metalcore – grammy nominated metalcore no less tonight! Three bands with a similar sound but quite a different approach to it tonight, should be interesting.

First up, much to my surprise (and a little disappointment) were Finland’s Blind Channel, Eurovision hopefuls and boyband on steroids. They have all the energy and bounce of a basket of wriggly puppies, and I love the dual vocals that meld both harmonies and growling.

Live Review : Blind Channel + Lost Society @ Rebellion, Manchester on September 14th 2022

It’s Wednesday night, hump day as some like to call it. So what better way to get over that hump than to head off to Rebellion and watch some Finnish Eurovision hopefuls? Yep, you heard that right. Finland’s 2021 entry are here tonight in a club that for some bizarre reason seems to get smaller every time I visit it. This time the comfy seats at the back so beloved of my Grumpy Husband have disappeared, there’s a maze-like screened bit to get in, and they appear to have demolished the toilets. No, really. Two large off-corridor loos are now steps down to a couple of cubicles and the outside. Don’t even get me started on the queues, for a moment I could have been in London waiting to see the Queen (RIP)!

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby15 September 2022RebellionBlind Channel, Lost Society, Rebellion, Manchester, 2022, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Johann WierzbickiComment