Are Royal Republic a rock band? They say not, but a capacity crowd at Bloodstock 2023 begged to differ and let’s face it you’re not going to argue with 20000 rabid metalheads, are you? They have been blowing audiences away with their brand of humorous pop-rock patter for a good few years now and here we have a full UK tour in support of their most recent album “LoveCop”. Tonight the Royal Republic train is hitting the buffers in Manchester to show us what they’ve got.
Read MoreAs metal fans we tend to view our world as an impenetrable fortress sitting alone in an ocean of splendid isolation. Disconnected from other strands of popular culture. The truth is actually very different, we have many openly flowing land borders with other facets of the musical lexicon. Drone metal and the legendary Sunn O))) specifically is one of those bridging areas.
Read MoreIt is unlikely that you would know of Botch before their improbable resurrection last year. They only visited this country once in their previous existence and never got north of Nottingham. Neither of their full-length albums, “American Nervoso” and “We Are Romans” particularly sold well. However, every bugger that did get the honour of hearing the latter release went off and formed a band. You see Botch continue that fine lineage of acts you've never heard of that begot hundreds that you very much have.
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreTonight is the first gig for Johann and I in Manchester’s New Century Hall. The first thing we notice is the slick and swanky feel to the whole place – it’s like it’s fresh out of the showroom and we’re taking it for its first spin! The bars are easy to get to, with a good selection, and the whole atmosphere is professional yet welcoming. The gig room itself is wide and accommodating, and the stage a very decent height (so a good venue for all gig-goers I’d suggest).
Read MoreOpening tonight's proceedings were Birkenhead's own Tokky Horror. Tokky Horror combine Punk with dance influences ranging from Hardcore, Techno, Drum and Bass and even what sounded like a little bit of Gabber to boot. Initially I struggled to pick apart the nuances of their sound as a result of the bass really taking over the mix, however this was quickly rectified and when deciphered, I could understand more about what Tokky Horror were about, and that was pure energy and connection with their audience through their music.
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