The Darkness have been a fixture in UK popular rock’n’roll circles for numerous years now. Known for their spandex, ludicrous videos and songs, and dynamic range of vocals from charismatic frontman Justin Hawkins. So, when we were given the chance to cover their super special, intimate and early promo gig for forthcoming album ‘Dreams on Toast’ it was an opportunity we couldn’t believe we’d been afforded.
Read MoreTonight we are not in a cellar, which is good. Zanzibar is a decent venue with plenty of space and a good screen so that’s a good start.
Local band Seas Of Neptune kick things off. They play cheerful slightly indie-tinged rock interspersed with a bit of typical dry scouse wit. It’s not outright metal, leaning more towards maybe The Killers or even Arctic Monkeys for inspiration, but it’s hummable and well-performed. At the moment the band are a little raw and unpolished, but with a bit of elbow grease they might turn out to be a gem.
Read MoreWhen OGUN returned after a fourteen year hiatus a couple of years ago, it might not have been in anyone’s minds that it would take them to their first studio album. But it has, and tonight sees the culmination of their hard work and efforts. This show at District in Liverpool serves not only as a headline gig for the band to launch their album “World of Hate”, but also allows us to see some of the best thrash that the area has to offer, as well as a progressive treat in a band we’ve not seen for a while.
Read MoreLiverpool, despite its importance in the overall history of music, is not exactly renowned for a hard rock scene. In recent months though, there has been a rumble in the underground. Quite literally, as a lot of the little venues that are springing up and hosting some pretty decent rock and metal bands are in basements. Tonight is no exception, but at least it’s not another dingy one. Quite the opposite really, as there are big windows to the street above the stage area which itself is surrounded by mirrors and lit by brightly-coloured LED strips. There is also decent Belgian beer on tap, places for the old and lazy to sit at the back, and some friendly bar staff. Unfortunately, tonight at least, there are also some Issues.
Read MoreVended are a band with a lot of weight on their shoulders, we here at Rockflesh have covered them on numerous occasions including their show at Rebellion and also at Sweden Rock festival, they have become somewhat of a favourite amongst our reviewers. It has become almost an obligation to mention that they are the products of absolute metal royalty, with 2 members having dads who play in Slipknot, as is apparent with their massive Iowa Era influence. Nepotism is part and parcel of music these days, and whilst some bands are almost stealing a living this way, there’s something different about Vended, despite them wearing their familial inspirations quite firmly on their sleeves.
Read MoreIn a music scene where, at the lower level, one often finds oneself seeing the same old same old bands and perhaps feeling a little jaded, it’s nice to sometimes feel the fresh breeze of a new experience. Australia’s The Southern River Band aren’t so much a fresh breeze though as a tearing hurricane, and tonight they are bringing their brand of good-time boogie to Liverpool. Word has obviously got around, because although District is a snug venue holding 275 patrons the remaining tickets on the door were down to single figures and inside the venue was hot, sweaty and crowded from the get-go.
Read MoreCreeper/ (ˈkriːpə) / noun. a person or animal that creeps. a plant, such as the ivy or periwinkle, that grows by creeping. That’s the dictionary definition, but the meaning within the rock world is somewhat different, although related. Formed in Southampton in 2014 Creeper are a band who have sneaked into our rock/metal conciousness almost without us noticing, despite them sporting an inordinate amount of black leather and black eyeliner. Tonight is my first time seeing the lords of the new goth, and I’m really not sure what to expect from them. Formed in 2014 they have 3 albums to their name and a history of changing their look and sound for each new release. Descriptions of their live set vary wildly, so the only way to find out is to attend the somewhat cavernous Camp And Furnace and watch them in the (possibly rotting?) flesh.
Read MoreDespite releasing their debut album, “Reign of Suffering”, almost 11 years ago, Malevolence have been on something of a meteoric rise over the past couple of years. I was first made aware of them during the 2021 Download Pilot event, in which they were positioned as one of the first couple of bands on the opening day of the event. For me, this was one of those sets that go down in Download Folklore. Malevolence and their trademark dose of sheer brutality provided the perfect antidote for those 10,000 lucky souls in attendance, who had been devoid of any form of live music for the best part of 18 months.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreWe were having a discussion at ROCKFLESH Towers the other day, wondering which band we have reviewed the most since we started. General consensus was that as we are a local website for local people, it would probably be a local band. In the end we decided it was likely to be Massive Wagons, who seem to have stayed true to their local roots too despite achieving not just national but international success in recent years. Tonight we are just up the road from their hometown, so I settle in my usual position lurking at the back to see how they are doing these days.
Read MoreOutpost tonight is a very different Outpost to last week. It’s rammed for a start, and as far as you can see (which isn’t far, it’s only a small venue) there is a sea of battle jackets, studs and hair. The other week I witnessed some of the old guard that are keeping traditional British heavy metal alive, and tonight I’ve come along to see what the new blood has to offer.
Read MoreFirst visit to Outpost for me and it’s a nice little venue. Front of house is a bar (with a decent selection of craft beers if that’s your Thing) and the gig room is at the back. My heart sank a little as the stage is just another bit of the floor; note to self: wear platform boots next time!
The Dead King Company started the night off for us, and they are a young trio who play stripped back indie rock. The drummer was a bit manic and they played well, with a little banter between songs.
Read MoreEBGBs is tonight packed wall to wall with enthusiastic metal fans here to eagerly celebrate the release of “The Deaf Choir” by tonight’s headliners Devils Henchmen. I believe it may be a sold out affair, and rightly so. The night promised to showcase some of the best and brightest rising stars of the Merseyside Metal scene and it did not disappoint.
Read MoreOriginally a supergroup comprising of members of Hardcore icons Turnstile & Trapped Under Ice, Baltimore collective Angel Du$t have undergone their fair share of lineup changes since its inception in 2013. Turnstile’s monumental rise from scrappy basement dwellers to the Grammy nominated mainstream behemoth they are today has meant that original Angel Du$t members Pat McRory and Daniel Fang have had to put their Angel Du$t commitments aside to fully focus on keeping the Turnstile Machine ticking on further.
Read MoreAfter touring their latest album, “In The Court Of The Dragon” for the best part of two years, metal icons, Trivium, have took it upon themselves to wind down with a rather lengthy tour of the UK, dubbed the Goblins and Wizards tour. Taking place across 13 dates and covering cities and venues they likely haven’t played in years, this can be considered quite the intimate tour for a band who more often than not find themselves towards the top end of every festival poster they end up on.
Read MoreFor years now Don Broco have been slowly but surely rising through the ranks of the reliable, hardworking, quintessential British Band League Table. What started off as 4 guys fresh from the pages of Lad Bible has turned into an unstoppable behemoth that is hell bent on making sure that every corner of the British music map has something they can see in Don Broco that makes them think “yeah these guys are the shit”.
Read MoreJimmy’s Bar in Liverpool isn’t a venue I am able to say I’ve had the pleasure of visiting before, but my first impression is that it is the definition of a hidden gem. This bustling bar at the top of Liverpool’s Iconic Bold Street is the last place you’d expect there to be a Metal Concert, but one trip down into it’s basement reveals a venue that almost seems tailor made for this type of show.
Read MoreWhen you're a band from Mongolia playing traditional Mongolian instruments, doing traditional Mongolian throat warbling and weaving that into a metal-based rock show it must be kind of hard to pick a suitable support act. Tonight we are presented with Tau & The Drones Of Praise, (or, according to my notes before I managed to find them on the poster Tower and the Drums of Penis) a slightly frayed-at-the-edges bunch of Irish folk musicians who incorporate a touch of rock, a bit of rave and a lot of harmony into their sound.
Read MoreOnce again we are dragging the impartiality klaxon out of its cupboard, as the fact that I am subjecting myself to the delights of the 2:45am coach back to Manchester probably says everything you need to know about my dedication to the church of Carcass. For a diehard Carcass fanboy like myself, their majestic return to their hometown 29 years after their last show here is a must-see. Even if the collective might of the rail unions had tried to scupper the whole shebang. You see Jeff, Bill and the boys are the most influential band to ever come out of Merseyside (yes I know that's a controversial view but it's true) and I'm sure I was not the only one to be disappointed that during the segment in last month’s Eurovision Final where past winners reinterpreted Liverpudlian classics, they hadn't roped in Lordi to serenade us with a version of ‘Exhume to Consume’.
Read MoreI want you to read this first bit of the review in your best Graham Chapman voice in your head. (If you don’t know who he is, ask your mum and dad!) This is because from pretty much the first note of Nanowar Of Steel’s set I wanted to say “Stop! This is very silly” because it was. From fluffed entrances (oo-er missus) to purple wigs, arabs and glittery jumpsuits that left nothing to the imagination the whole thing was totally silly, and that was what made it so good.
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