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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : Ugly Kid Joe + Massive Wagons + Chris Catalyst @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on November 3rd 2022

Chris Catalyst, recently outed as one of the ghouls from Ghost’s 2022 tour, opens up tonight. Essentially it’s just Chris, his guitar and some bad dad jokes and although I like Chris and his work I can’t help wondering how he got the gig. Stay tuned, all is revealed later! The songs are from his solo output and his main band Eureka Machines but because it’s so raw they are barely recognisable.

Live Review : Billy Talent + Tigress @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 15th 2022

We climb the never-ending staircase of Liverpool O2 Academy on what is a stifling hot evening. Not that the glorious weather is stopping it from being a full house for the return to the UK of Canadians Billy Talent. The punters are eager with anticipation as we filter past the merch stand and up to the venue. It’s been around five years since they ventured to our shores, and for fans like myself it’s felt like an eternity.

Live Review : Black Label Society + Tuskar @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 9th 2022

Tuskar are an utter force of nature. For a duo they make one hell of a lot of noise. Everything revolves around drummer and vocalist Tyler Hodges. His pulsating beats are high up in the mix and Tuskar’s scuzzy doom is predominantly drum driven. In fact the presence of guitarist Tim Hammond seems primarily to ensure Tyler doesn't get lonely up there by himself. Over the years doom has become refined and sanitised.

Live Review : Gary Numan + Divine Shade @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on May 3rd 2022

Every now and then I get a ROCKFLESH assignment that turns out to be on a level so beyond exciting that my cold dead shattered heart suddenly bursts into a joyful rhythm of what I imagine sounds like Industrial drums. I reckon my heart beats sound like Nine Inch Nails. And tonight my heart is beating for the Gothfather of Electro himself…. Gary Numan.

A few years ago me and our Gregg were sat having a pre Thy Art Is Murder pint in Grand Central in Manchester. It was our first time working together and we started chatting about who we were into. We both settled on one name.

Live Review : Killing Joke + The Imbeciles @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on April 1st 2022

I’ve not reviewed a gig at the Liverpool O2 Academy before, even though I’ve been many a time as a punter, so as we climb the never-ending staircase I feel like I’m taking in everything new and afresh. In fact that’s an experience we’re all still coming across as we venture to more and more gigs following the return to live music with the reduction in restrictions from the pandemic. I honestly didn’t know if I’d get to see Killing Joke live every again in all honesty, so I’m eager and excited to be at a gig for one of my favourite bands ever.

Live Review : In Flames + Vexed + Defects @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on March 26th 2022

In Flames may not be the draw in this country that they are over on the continent, but even by their standards this is an intimate run of dates. They have gone for small venues in towns that they don’t usually visit and the faithful have rewarded them by selling out every date. This ‘up close and personal” tour was meant to happen two years ago, but you know what got in the way. Rather than chuck it under the bus, In Flames have honoured their commitment and these shows are on.

Live Review : Napalm Death + Raging Speedhorn + Crepitation @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on March 19th 2022

Napalm Death are a national institution, maybe a national treasure. How many other grindcore bands does yer gran not only know the name of but can make a fair stab at describing what they sound like (‘the nice man goes “groahhhhhhhhh” and the songs sound like someone pushing over a trashcan’). Over forty-one years they have built a reputation through hard graft and a no compromise attitude. Their mammoth European trek that was going to keep them occupied for most of the first half of this year was pulled by a promoter unsure how to navigate the different covid regulations still in place across the continent. Instead of being downhearted they declared bugger that for a game of soldiers, asked Raging Speedhorn if they fancied coming out to play and booked a UK tour.

Live Review : The Darkness + Massive Wagons @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on December 2nd 2021

It’s a cold and rainy Liverpool tonight, yet the O2 Liverpool Academy is rammed. This is good but not good, the place is steamimg and so are my glasses.

I wipe them just as Massive Wagons hit the stage. Wagons are a band who have slogged their arses off on the pub and club circuit for the last dozen years or so, and it’s been amazing to see them transform from a fairly average pub covers band to the new Britrock powerhouse that they have now become. This tour with The Darkness is yet another rung on their ladder to success – they are here as a last-minute replacement for Steve Harris’s British Lion who pulled out for unspecified reasons that appeared to involve covid precautions. Yes, THAT Steve Harris.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby9 December 2021The Darkness, Massive Wagons, O2 Academy, Liverpool, 2021, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Johann WierzbickiComment

Live Review : The Dead Daisies + The Quireboys @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on October 31st 2021

Some things in life will inevitably never change. Stuff like death, taxes, and of course The Quireboys. OK that’s maybe a little tongue-in-cheek but for over 30 years now, The Quireboys have been up there, out there, doing what they do best. Bouncy fun-time rock and roll, with a hint of country and a lot of bonhomie. The lineup may have changes slightly over the years but the core of Spike (vocals), Keth (keyboards), Guy (guitars) and Paul (guitar) seem to have settled into a groove that is almost a canyon. Well-worn, familiar and somehow comforting, The Quireboys are the pipe and slippers of rock music these days.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby4 November 2021O2 Academy The Dead Daisies, The Quireboys, O2 Academy, Liverpool, Jo Crosby, Gregg HowarthComment

Live Review : The Darkness + Rews @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on December 18th 2019

REWS are a three-piece pop/rock band hailing from London despite there being a distinct Norn Irish twang about the vocals. They are bubbly, with catchy songs, and the female vocals are OK. There’s nothing that reaches out and grips me about them, but nothing I particularly dislike either. They do sound a lot like Scotland’s Amorettes though, to the extent that from my position at the back I had to squidge a bit closer to the stage just to check that this wasn’t them under another name. (It wasn’t).

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby22 December 2019O2 AcademyThe Darkness, Rews, O2 Academy, Liverpool, 2019, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Johann WierzbickiComment

Live Review : Gaahls Wyrd + Tribulation + Uada @ O2 Academy Islington, London on February 25th 2019

Inside the O2 Academy it is dark, very dark, and the smoke machines have created a thick swathe of fog that fills the air. All very fitting as tonight we have the arrival (and only UK date) of the Northern Ghosts tour featuring Uada and co-headliners Tribulation and Gaahls Wyrd. So we can expect a night of melodic black, gothic and extreme metal, plus whatever other sub-genres you could throw in the mix.

Gig ReviewJohann Wierzbicki26 February 2019O2 Academy IslingtonGaahls Wyrd, Tribulation, Uada, O2 Academy, Islington, London, 2019, Live ReviewComment

Live Review : Skindred + Sonic Boom Six + Scare Tactics @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on December 15th 2018

Why is everyone at Def Leppard tonight? Don’t they know the real party is on Hotham Street? Newport “Ragga Metal" pioneers Skindred are back with their “That's My Jam" tour, and I’m ever in the mood for the kind of fun packed shenanigans that the band routinely bring to their live shows. I flew out the house without my bank card and my train home has been cancelled, but even that doesn’t dampen my spirit. I might just have to walk 17 miles home, that’s all.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Sarah Cummings21 December 2018O2 AcademySkindred, Sonic Boom Six, Scare Tactics, Liverpool, O2 Academy, 2018, ReviewComment

Live Review : The Dead Daisies + Massive Wagons @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on November 13th 2018

One of the most startling developments of the last few years has been the re-emergence of heavy, bluesy rock as a dominant force in our musical world. Classic (or you can call it hard, heavy, bluesy or commercial it really doesn’t matter) rock was seemingly dead and buried ten years ago or at least only worth a dollop of tongue in cheek irony (The Darkness, I’m looking at you). But now there is a virtual Smorgasbord of young whipper-snappers playing the type of infectious guitar-driven danceable rock that was last in vogue before any of them were glints in the soundman’s eye.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas19 November 2018O2 Academy The Dead Daisies, Massive Wagons, O2 Academy, Liverpool, 2018, ReviewComment

Live Review : Of Mice & Men + Loathe + SHVPES @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on November 13th 2018

There's a wintery chill in the air as I make my way to the legendary venue that is O2 Academy. I've got some stories about this place... but I’m not here to reminisce. I’m here tonight to review what promised to be a “wild" night.

Maybe it’s traditional to review things in the order they happened.

I’m not a traditional person.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Sarah Cummings15 November 2018O2 AcademyOf Mice & Men, Loathe, SHVPES, O2 Academy, Liverpool, 2018Comment