Openers King Nun have little on Spotify with their 2019 release “Mass” and are a little unknown quantity until they hit the stage. I later find out that they have another album in the pipeline that is due for release early in the new year so yeah, if their grunge-tinged post-punk cacophony appeals to you, you may want to check them out.
Read MoreFittingly for these austere times, this is a distinctly wallet-friendly four-band bonanza of a package tour. There are no fillers or loose ends here. Each artist is already an established force of nature with their own well-cultivated fan base. Whilst the Ritz is never heaving, there is a highly respectable amount of people packed into the place from the get-go. Nailed to Obscurity may have drawn the short straw in terms of start times (6 PM is rather early in most people's books) but they are rewarded with a highly enthusiastic reception and turnout.
Read More“It went off to death”
This is the quote that will forever define this night. Let’s rewind a bit first though.
Electric Callboy had initially been due to hit the UK in September and it feels like I have been waiting to see them for about 30 billion years. Or maybe it’s two. I don’t know, I’ve been known to exaggerate. Unfortunately for September Sarah, the band were forced to postpone their UK/European and USA dates due to health concerns for vocalist Nico. AND then on the day I should have seen them, I split with my then man friend. It was just a sucky time to be September Sarah.
Read MoreA word about the venue first as this is the first time I’ve been there. It’s a bit of a trek along the A55 to Llandudno on a week night, but very worth it when you get there. The venue is on the edge of a little industrial estate and there’s plenty of on-road parking nearby. You enter on the ground floor and pass a small collection of classic cars and motorbikes, then up some stairs and here we are. There’s a big lounge (with lots of comfy sofas for the Grumpy One) and then the live room with stage at one end and bar at the back.
Read MoreThis is our first time at the Eventim Olympia in Liverpool, and it’s certainly a unique venue. I queue up in the rain to grab my press pass and then make my way into the auditorium. It’s very reminiscent of Manchester Apollo or even a larger Liverpool Arts Club, but has a character of its own. The Lower Balcony, complete with fancy new seats, is linked to the floor area, and that means your tickets get you between the two with ease. Good news then, as Johann can grab his two songs worth of shots and then come join me in the seating for a comfortable but not less engaged view of the gig in full.
Read MoreWe’re back at Satan’s Hollow on a Sunday night for a stacked line-up of tech-metal bands. In my opinion it’s a real who’s who of up-and-coming or seriously under-rated bands, and it’s all in honour of Borders’s album release tour for “Bloom Season”. The interview with them is one of the most fun and interesting interviews I’ve done for ROCKFLESH (see it HERE), and they don’t disappoint with their set later on either, but first there’s the plethora of great support bands to talk about.
Read MoreA few weeks ago I was looking forward to a tasty double bill of music. A Friday night at Carpenter Brut and a Saturday at Damnation.
And then child care issues struck and I spent both nights at home instead.
So being invited to cover the spectacular Perturbator softened that blow a little. That and I have been gallivanting around Norway for the last week. I am still tired from the trip and a little bleary eyed as I am refused entry with Johann and made to join the back of the queue. “Take notes” I mouth to our Satanic Overlord as I am banished from the realm.
Read Moret’s been a while since we had the joy of an Impericon tour of any shape on our shores, what with that pandemic and what not, so this bill of modern heaviness is a true treat. First up are Boundaries who hit us with brilliant lashings of energy. Think of Hatebreed, Biohazard or Malevolence but with occasional Korn-esque high discordant guitar rings. There's definitely something more experimental about these guys than most deathcore or hardcore metal acts, and that’s especially true with the guitars going grindcore at times.
Read MoreI arrive just as Everclear have taken to the stage and start playing the vaguely familiar ‘So Much for the Afterglow’. In advance of this gig, I have been wracking my brains trying to name any of their songs, but I do recognise this. Evidently so do many of the crowd though I am surprised how quiet it is. The Ritz is not open upstairs and only about half full downstairs. A sign of the times perhaps? Or a sign of the levels of popularity for bands that have not released very much new music in the last decade?
Read More"Well" deadpans Zeal & Ardor frontman Manuel Gagneux midway through their set "Heriot are an angry band aren’t they!”. He goes on to admit that that anger means his band have had to up their game every night to keep up the ferocity of these fast-rising youngsters. Heriot are fuelled by rage, but it is not indignant or nihilistic fury. Theirs is peppered with passion and exasperation.
Read MoreOn this here cold Monday night, Manchester Rebellion was treated to a night of the extreme, a strong, 4 band bill, topped by Co-Headliners, industry veterans, Krisiun & Nile.
Tasked with opening the evenings proceedings was Death Metal band, Decrepid. After what appeared to be a nervous start for the band, they soon settled in after receiving a warm reception for the, at the minute, pretty sparse audience, and were therefore able to open up a bit more.
Read MoreChris 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.
Read MoreYou truly had to feel for Crowbar this evening, screwing up the start to their opening song not once, but twice before eventually giving up on it all together. What this meant was that before they’d even got properly started, their backs were well and truly against the ropes. You could tell by the face of guitarist and vocalist Kirk Windstein that he was absolutely pissed, and rightfully so, Crowbar is his passion project and being the only constant member of this band since 1990 gives him complete license to show his infuriation to his band mates.
Read MoreAfter going to Manchester for the best part of 13/14 years attending concerts, it’s hard to believe that tonight is my first trip to Rebellion for a concert, despite it being an absolute staple venue of the Manchester Metal Scene. Tonight’s lineup however is a treat, 3 young, fresh, hungry bands looking to carve a name for themselves, headlined by the impeccable, Conjurer.
Read MoreOverlaps are a female fronted band from Italy. The sound is a bit muddy to start with and there's not a lot of power in her voice but it's a very bouncy beat. There’s plenty of chances for a bit of crowd participation as they are quite poppy, as well as just a little bit gothy. Some of the music reminds me a bit of the Sisters Of Mercy in places. It's ok but not grabbing me, although the youngsters in front of me seem to be loving them.
Read MoreThose who have so kindly taken their time to read my reviews know that one of my biggest musical passions is Grunge. I am constantly making references to Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden etc and support act, Empyre, are what happens if you put the power and emotion of Grunge into a blender, with a sprinkling of the type of grooves you would associate with Mastodon and the intricacies and guitar flourishes that wouldn’t look out of place in a 25 minute prog rock Opus.
Read MoreNovelists were only given six days notice to join this tour following the late withdrawal of Miss May I, and it’s fair to say that it’s a ridiculously short amount of time for any band to logistically and mentally sort themselves for a tour. Unfortunately, frontman Tobias Rische couldn’t make it across so Sam Kubrick, from the band Shields, is standing in on lead vocals this tour. The long-time friend of the band fits in seamlessly, which is not to say it doesn't matter who's singing for them, but rather than the rest of the band are so professional, tight and amazing that they can afford the option of bringing in cover for Tobi and they still deliver a superb set.
Read MoreI’m pretty sure I was only here five minutes ago… The queue for Academy 1 is ridiculously long, trailing all the way passed the Student Union and adjacent building, and I feel bad for walking straight to box office and in the door. The place is already really packed, and I wonder how everyone is going to fit inside. But no time to worry about that now, as in less than 24 hours I have gone from Knife Bride in Academy 2 to The Cruel Knives in Academy 1.
Read MoreWell what an exciting slice of music we have to look forward to this evening! It’s a mouth-watering mix of classic and rejuvenated ‘80’s American rock, with a hefty slice of noise from current NWOCR Gods The Treatment sandwiched in-between. It is indeed enough to make you proud that you are of an age to remember when both Skid Row and Enuff Z’Nuff released absolute stonkers of debut albums way back in ’89. Time has thrown varying degrees of mixed fortunes at both bands yet here they still are, still rockin and delivering some serious shit in the form of their latest releases. I am indeed salivating at the prospect.
Read MoreI reckon we should have a sweepstake about when we will finally get through the Covid backlog of postponed gigs. My guess is some point in 2027… This gem was meant to have happened back in 2020 and this evening both acts mention that the respective albums it was designed to promote have now long since disappeared into posteriority. But to be brutally honest there is nobody in the entire arena that has pitched up tonight with the sole intention of hearing new music from either of these rock veterans. This is an audience that vividly remembers the classics, knows all the words to the classics, and is here to hear the classics.
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