Live review : Creeper + Zetra + NAUT @ Camp and Furnace, Liverpool on March 28th 2024

Creeper/ (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.

Live Review : Malevolence + Pain Of Truth + Rough Justice @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on February 12th 2024

Despite 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.

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 : Massive Wagons + The New Roses @ Hangar 34, Liverpool on November 21st 2023

We 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.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby22 November 2023Hangar 34Massive Wagons, The New Roses, Hangar 34, Liverpool, 2023, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment

Live Review : Tailgunner + Slander @ The Outpost, Liverpool on October 20th 2023

Outpost 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.

Live Review : Silveroller + Penny Fade + The Dead King Company @ The Outpost, Liverpool on October 13th 2023

First 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.

Live Review : Devils Henchmen + Ogun + Reclaim + Junta @ EBGBS, Liverpool on October 6th 2023

EBGBs 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.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Sarah Cummings12 October 2023EBGBSDevils Henchmen, Ogun, Reclaim, Junta, EBGBS, Liverpool, 2023, Live Review, Sarah Cummings, Alex StuartComment

Live Review : Angel Dust + Powerplant + T.S Warspite @ District, Liverpool on September 17th 2023

Originally 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.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Alex Stuart21 September 2023DistrictAngel Du$t, Powerplant, T.S Warspite, District, Liverpool, 2023, Live Review, Alex Stuart, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : Trivium + Bleed From Within + Orbit Culture @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on August 29th 2023

After 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.

Live Review : Don Broco + Kid Kapichi @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on August 24th 2023

For 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”.

Live Review : Ogun + Spitfyre + Reclaim + GR/EF @ Jimmy's, Liverpool on august 17th 2023

Jimmy’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.

Live Review : The Hu + Tau & The Drones Of Praise @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 13th 2023

When 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.

Live Review : Carcass + Unto Others + Conjurer @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 2nd 2023

Once 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’.

Live Review : Tragedy + Nanowar Of Steel @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on April 25th 2023

I 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.

Live Review : M2TM Merseyside Heat 2 @ Zanzibar, Liverpool on April 22nd 2023

After an incredibly successful first heat, Bloodstocks Metal To The Masses Competition returns to Zanzibar for its second round of heats. 3 More bands will once again be in competition for a spot in the regional finals with the ultimate goal of winning a spot at the iconic Bloodstock Festival up for grabs.

First to take the stage are Indigo Horizon. They brought to the table a variety of sound from their heavy Mark Tremonti influences on guitar, to these huge, anthemic Architects inspired choruses that at times wouldn’t have looked out of place on an arena stage.

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 : Bullet For My Valentine + Jinjer + Atreyu @ Mountford Hall, Liverpool on March 1st 2023

Atreyu start the evening with a total contradiction in terms, some clean melodic metalcore. Even so this is pretty outside my musical comfort zone and despite the band having been around for 25 years I am unfamiliar with their style & output. I miss the first song due to traffic so walk in during ‘Save Us’, which is a brutal slice of hardcore rock but with a catchy chorus. I also have some beard envy when I see the bass player!

Live Review : Stone Broken + Scarlet Rebels @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on February 9th 2023

We’re in the little Academy tonight, which is not the best venue when you’re short and it’s (pleasingly) full. So tonight’s review will mostly consist of notes on what I heard rather than saw, as a description of the top of the band’s head is never very exciting.

There should have been a full band set by Scarlet Rebels, but unfortunately due to an unspecified emergency within the band it turns out that only singer Wayne Doyle is available. Well, drummer Gary is here too, manning the merch and apparently feeling very frustrated.

Live Review : Black Stone Cherry + The Darkness + Danko Jones @ M&S Arena, Liverpool on January 29th 2023

Black Stone Cherry and The Darkness make interesting bedfellows. The latter haven't bothered arenas since 2005, whilst the former is desperately battling diminishing returns to retain their arena-bothering status. Tonight's double-header is designed to be a win-win for both bands and both sets of fans. In terms of quality, it achieves this in spades as both acts roll up their well-tattooed sleeves and deliver astounding performances.

Live Review : Holding Absence + Void Of Vision + Maybank @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on January 28th 2023

Holding Absence have made it clear that the opening slot on their UK Tour will be reserved for some of the finest up and coming local talent that the UK has to offer. It would be a true once in a lifetime opportunity for these smaller bands to be able to open for a name such as Holding Absence, and this is a model that is both extremely commendable and should be implemented by other bands on the scene.