Live Review : Ogun + DAM.G + The Revenants + Inhuman Remains @ Alchemy, Runcorn on April 29th 2023

Over the past 6 or so weeks, I've made a deliberate effort to scope out and watch as many shows in the surrounding area as possible. I absolutely love discovering new music and new bands to champion and when I first heard about a metal show in my hometown of Widnes my eyes were truly opened to the prospect of frequent trips to local pubs to watch some of the brightest and talented bands Liverpool and the surrounding area has to offer. I’ve swapped the bright lights, big city vibes of Manchester’s jam-packed calendar of metal titans for the small, intimate, under the radar gigs of bands I'm unfamiliar with and it has been much more enjoyable than I could have ever imagined.

Live Review : Warbringer + Hellripper + Blacklist @ The Bread Shed, Manchester on April 27th 2023

Tonight it's all about the unbridled power of heavy metal. The pairing of the thrash revivals unsung heroes Warbringer and this week's hottest new band in Britain, Hellripper is genius. And I am not alone in thinking this marriage of convenience is manna from heaven as once again Manchester's metal hordes have swum against the cost-of-living crisis and more than adequately filled the place.

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 : Massive Wagons + The Virginmarys @ The Tivoli, Buckley on April 22nd 2023

Later on this evening, Baz Mills from Massive Wagons makes a very profound statement about a time when he was lucky enough to meet the late great Lemmy. “Lemmy told me there are only two types of music” he said, “music you like and music you don’t like”. As I review my notes from The Virginmarys set tonight, I reflect that this is true and that The Virginmarys are unfortunately very much in the second section for me. There are only two of them, one providing guitars and vocals and the other doing a very energetic and entertaining turn on the drums

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 : Graphic Nature + The Human Veil + Starved @ Star and Garter, Manchester on April 21st 2023

Starved kick-off proceedings tonight, and are determined to blow away any cobwebs the crowd might have knocking about. They get the punters awake, aware and engaged – which is exactly what you want from an opening act. If you're a fan of Creak or Atari Teenage Riot, then Starved's sound and style will be right up your alley. They have a heavy dose of ten56 thrown in for good measure (as do all the bands this evening).

The band has a full setup on display, with drums, guitar, bass, laptop, and vocals all being put through their paces. The laptop is a key element in their performance, providing loads of drum and bass, jungle, and The Prodigy vibes to the mix.

Live Review : Cannibal Corpse + Dark Funeral + Ingested @ Academy, Manchester on April 21st 2023

I know I have become a broken record on this subject matter, but something fundamentally changed in regard to our collective relationship with live music over lockdown. I think we had started to take for granted the primal thrill of seeing a band in a live environment and we only began to really miss it once it was gone. Our daily dollars may not be going as far as they once did, but I have never seen the live scene this healthy.

Tonight the Academy is not just packed it is positively oversold. Every nook and cranny is crammed full of delirious souls desperate to escape the mundanity of modern life even just for a few hours.

Live Review : Delain + Xandria @ Academy 2, Manchester on April 21st 2023

After years and years of tireless touring and recording, it looked like 2020's “Apocalypse & Chill” was going to be the record that finally propelled Delain into the big league. It had the songs, it had the exposure and it had the momentum. And then the pandemic happened and not a month into its promotional cycle we all went to hell in a handcart. Then just as the world was starting to righten itself again word came that Delain had fallen apart.

Live Review : Voivod + Cryptic Shift + Damnation's Hammer @ Rebellion, Manchester on April 20th 2023

I have always been drawn to the more avant-garde and obscure corners of metal's rich tapestry. When I was making my first faltering steps into the genre in the mid-80s, whilst my contemporaries had their heads turned by the commercial giants of Maiden, Priest and the rapidly ascending Metallica, I was seduced by bands offering a more difficult and select version of metal. My early adoration with musical mavericks such as Celtic Frost, Suicidal Tendencies, Queensryche (back when they were brilliant) and Voivod.

Live Review : Dvne + Pijn + Deathbloom @ Soup, Manchester on April 16th 2023

There is something particularly joyous about watching a fledgling band take their first faltering steps into this world that we call rock 'n' roll. Deathbloom are both ridiculously young and also hedonistically cavalier in their attitude to metal’s tight templates. They take an irreverent approach, purloining the trappings they desire but also abandoning with disdain those cultural touchstones that they have no truck with. What we are left with is a raw and raucous amalgamation of influences from across the genre and out into both punk and Goth.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas18 April 2023SoupDvne, Pijn, Deathbloom, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Stewart Lucas, Johann WierzbickiComment

Live Review : Enter Shikari + Higher Power + Tokky Horror @ New Century Hall, Manchester on April 14th 2023

Opening 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.

Live Review : Fury + Crowley + Luke Appleton @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on Friday 14 April 2023

Kicking tonight’s proceedings off in fine style, is last minute substitute Luke Appleton drafted in at the eleventh hour when illness forced Promethium to withdraw from tonight’s show. No stranger to the UK scene, tonight Luke was in much more reflective form than we are accustomed to seeing from him in his other bands, taking to the stage alone with just an acoustic guitar for company. With Luke’s latest release “Forever Viking” only being released on the day of the gig, half of the set comprised, unsurprisingly of tracks from this EP.

Live Review : Sabaton + BABYMETAL + Lordi @ First Direct Arena, Leeds on April 14th 2023

As Bon Scott did declare, "It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock 'n' roll". Sabaton’s meteoric journey to the top of the metal’s pyre has been a marathon as opposed to a sprint. When I first spied them in 2006 (on the very tour that Par nostalgically refers to towards the end of their set) they were an identikit Scandinavian mid-table power metal act, virtually indistinguishable from the other identikit Scandinavian mid-table power metal acts that prowled around half empty club shows and early afternoon sets at Bloodstock.

Live Review : Wednesday 13 + South Of Salem + Sick N' Beautiful + Tarah Who? @ Club Academy, Manchester on April 12th 2023

We start tonight with Tarah Who? They are punky, indie kids with female vocals and a bass player with lovely hair. There's lots of movement and energy but not a huge amount of power in her voice and I find them a little bit uninspiring. I'm not really seeing anything new here and nothing really grips me - they weren't bad but they weren't brilliant either.

Live Review : Siamese + Resolve + Senna + Odd Palace @ Rebellion, Manchester on April 13th 2023

We get along to the venue early and get to interview bassist Robin Mariat from one of tonight’s co-headliners Resolve. It’s a brilliant start to the night and you can catch the full video interview HERE. It’s not long until the first band of the night take to the stage. Odd Palace might be first on but, let me tell you, these Danish prog metallers are the real deal. They're like Tiberius, in every way - fun, joking, very technical, heavy when they want to and more commercially catchy if they fancy it. Just listen to ‘Chemical Solution’ and tell me otherwise!

Live Review : Swallow The Sun + Draconian + Shores Of Null @ Rebellion, Manchester on April 8th 2023

I look back at my posts from the Pandemic and I really was Mr. Pessimistic about the future of live shows. I worried that they would be a residual disinterest and anxiety about attending concerts once they resumed. Actually, the opposite has been true. Even though we are in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis and the vast majority of us are struggling financially, I have never seen the live music scene this healthy. It's almost as if we have exited lockdown with a different ideology and temperament.

Live Review : Finntroll + Skálmöld @ Academy 3, Manchester on April 6th 2023

Extreme metal is in the main viewed as being Poe-faced and guilty of taking itself far too seriously. However, this evening is very much the antidote for those assumptions. Skálmöld and Finntroll make perfect touring partners because they both lean into a sense of euphoric abandonment, a quintessential sense of fun and frivolity. They also share a deep connection with their respective countries’ musical heritage. Yes, this is metal but is metal honed by the indigenous music of Iceland and Finland.

Live Review : M2TM Merseyside Heat 1 @ Zanzibar, Liverpool on March 31st 2023

For years now Metal To The Masses has been an annual celebration of up and coming British Metal. Each year, up and down the country, hundreds of bands battle it out for a chance to prove themselves at the iconic Bloodstock Festival. There is probably no region that an event like this is more important than in Liverpool. For years, there has been an ongoing idea that Liverpool has no metal scene. Despite being the birthplace of some of the most iconic bands the world has ever seen, the amount of Metal Bands who have broken through into the public consciousness could probably be counted on two hands.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Alex Stuart7 April 2023ZanzibarMetal 2 The Masses, Black KettleComment

Live Review : Blackberry Smoke + Read Southall Band @ Academy, Manchester on April 2nd 2023

It’s been a while since I have been to a Sunday night sold out show at the Academy and the queue for the men’s toilets on arrival is a giveaway as to the make-up of the already packed venue. Read Southall Band are on stage and indulge us with a nine track setlist with songs from their 2021 album “For the Birds” and a few from 2017 album “Borrowed Time”. They are straight into the latest album’s title track and immediately I can see why these guys are on tour with Blackberry Smoke. They sound exactly as you would expect their support act to sound.

Live Review : Ted Poley + Rob Wylde + Kim Jennett Band @ The Tivoli, Buckley on March 31st 2023

The crowd is a bit thin when Warrington lass Kim Jennett hits the stage, but she doesn’t let that bother her. Despite her tiny stature she can really belt out a tune. Not only that, she uses her body to illustrate the songs as well, making her point with full movement that verges on being theatre at times. She’s supported tonight by guitarist Tyler Kent who is set to be a member of the new Kim Jennett Band that she has just put together. Tyler is quieter, sitting calmly on his chair, smiling at Kim’s antics and letting his fingers do the talking on his fretboard.