Category: Live Reviews

with The Plight
Camden Barfly
11/4/08

Ah, aren’t Barfly tours just the best? The chance to see your heroes in tiny venues, packed in there like a bunch of sweaty sardines…all in the name of some bleedin’ good rock and roll. And talking of good rock and roll, main (and only) support The Plight provide the perfect appetizer to tonight’s headliners. Every song may sound remarkably similar but their Every Time I Die-infused punk-tinged rock and roll is intriguingly fun to watch. Being on Visible Noise Records alongside giants such as Lostprophets and Bring Me The Horizon is clearly doing them no harm so expect to see them on more high-profile support slots as they come.

As good as The Plight were, there is clearly only one band the people are here to see tonight. Having already toured their latest album ‘Versions‘ last year (in support of Gallows) it means that tonight is more of a greatest hits set as opposed to a ‘let’s plug the new album as much as we can‘ set. Which is great news for all concerned, as they play roughly around three to four tracks off of all four of their albums. Poison The Well are the type of band who absolutely soar in venues like this and tonight they live up to this by sounding fan-bloody-tastic. Old hits such as ‘12/23/93‘ are greeted with some serious pit action whilst newer, brooding tracks such as ‘Nagaina‘ provide some thankful respite without losing any energy. Whilst it is obvious everyone is waiting for fan-favourite ‘Nerdy‘ (as is apparent from the mass stage invasion when it does come) tonight Poison The Well show once again how well they can transfer their much-varied albums to the live setting.

Nick Calafato

Fri 18th- Sat 19th April
Camden, London

The Camden Crawl is becoming a bit of an indie marathon. Now stretched over 2 days, it’s 48 hours of musical mayhem. This indie festival is jam packed with bands, beer and blagging your way into after parties – as well as hauling arse up and down Camden High Street to get to the right bar. With 28 venues hosting gigs, alongside countless other guerrilla gigs (Future of the Left reportedly playing a great set in someone’s flat on Friday night!), it’s become the annual Mecca for indie kids, and this year proved no exception, even without the big names of 2007.

The Crawl kicked off in style on Friday afternoon and kudos to Enter Shikari who stole the show by picking up their fans in an old Route master bus for a MySpace secret show at the Bull & Gate. InnerPartySystem proved they’re the musical equivalent to a strong Bloody Mary for some, by blowing out the cobwebs with an opening set at The Good Mixer whilst Bombay Bicycle Club impressed all with a set on the outdoors stage, proving they are well deserving of the hype that’s surrounding them. Hadouken! bought their nu-rave sensibilities to the Crawl with a set at Bar Vinyl and another in the bracing outdoors, whilst Sam Sparro made the most of his chart success with a popular set at The Electric Ballroom..

Saturday dawned bright and breezy – with Camden scattered with some very hungover faces ready to face the music on Day 2 of the Camden Crawl. To start things off, still clutching coffees, we caught Boy Kill Boy’s set at the Electric Ballroom, which was a little underwhelming. Maybe they’re hungover, or maybe they’re all played out – but their set is wholly uninspiring…and so we meander down Camden High Street to see what we can see (which turns out to be a lot of scene hair cuts and some very skinny jeans.) Rumours are abounding that Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong (worst band name in history – Z-ed) have not only pulled out of their Dingwalls show, but have actually broken up. Having been flouted by all and sundry as the next big thing, could it be that it’s all going horribly wrong already? Whatever the reason for the no-show, the crowd are instead treated to Drew McConnell of Babyshambles, playing solo whilst Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty cools his heels in Pentonville.

Australians darlings Operator Please almost lift the roof off the Barfly with their evening slot, and it’s worth being elbowed and crushed whilst Amandah Wilkinson proving just what a talented and exciting vocalist she is – their set is one a definite highlight of the day, and probably one of the last times they’ll be playing a venue this small.

With so many bands stretched out over 2 miles square of Camden, it’s impossible to get to every show you want to see, and it’s frustrating racing from Chalk Farm down to the market to catch the last chords of a band you really wanted to see. One thing is guaranteed – you won’t see all the bands you hoped to see, no matter how hard you try. If you get into a venue it’s almost worth staying there all day to catch the headliners, instead of leaving and having the huge queues to face. And so while Crystal Castles take to the stage at Dingwalls we’re still pawing at the doors to get in. With all the hype surrounding this two piece from Toronto it seems to be the hot ticket of the day – to be honest, any band that’s named after She-Ra’s castle deserves recognition! But therein lies the charm of the Crawl – it takes planning and some dedicated queuing skills to get into the right gigs, and if you fail – you can just pretend you’re on a normal Camden night out, with a quick a drink in the Worlds End and a burger from Metro before getting the last bus home..

Dee Massey

6th April 2008
Islington Carling Academy, London

No Use For A Name gave a vigorous, powerful and enjoyable performance at the Islington Carling Academy, resulting in the crowd leaving the venue breathless and on a buzz high. Whether you were a teen with your parent, hanging out with your mates, or a parent their supporting the passions of your child, no one could deny the atmospheric pressure and electricity running though everyone. It didn’t matter if you were a fan of the band, or just there in support of another, a great time was guaranteed.

If you had been supporting the band since their explosion into the crazy world of music back in 1987, or on the other hand if the music had only recently found its way into your heart, it was definite that you find something to sing along to on this occasion. The band went in all directions of their discography to sing something for everyone. From hits such as “Bright From The Jacket“, ‘Let Me Down’ and ‘I Wanna Be Wrong’ to covers of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song‘, a Misfits cover and one that got EVERYONE in the audience worked up into a frenzy. The atmosphere became static when the lads performed a special rendition of the Pogues ‘Fairytale Of New York‘.

Some would say the best way to immediately catch and retain the attention of a live audience would be to hit them fast and furious with a well know sing a long number as an opener. True as it may be, No Use For A Name didn’t follow this method, and decided upon promoting the new album ‘The Feel Good Record Of The Year‘ through the incredibly catchy ‘Biggest Lie‘. Whether you had heard the new release or not, you couldn’t help getting attached to those infectious songs. The lads also rejected the normal encore as many musicians have within their set, stating this was just a way for bands to take a breath and waste time; to this I have to agree.

The entire set sent the crowd stark raving nuts by the end, but the beginning was another matter. One aspect that was very disappointing was the inability to make the microphones work. Matt Riddle was left for four songs screaming down a microphone with no luck in making his vocals travel the crowd, likewise Tony Sly have a few mishaps on the first track. Having said this, the lads overcame it quickly and never let it decrease the supremacy of the set. The show ended with an explosion, and the crowd left feeling knackered but pleased; these lads certainly know how to entertain.

Michelle Moore

London, LA2
11/4/08

To describe tonight’s bill as a ‘shit sandwich’ would be a tad harsh; nevertheless, it seems unfair that Blackhole have to play first, despite easily being the best of the three support bands. Still, even as a tasty crust (rather than a wholesome filling), these young guns are pretty fucking fierce; with vocalist Rich Carter screaming his throat raw as his cohorts unleash an arsenal of bowel-loosening riffs on our ears. A finale of ‘Forever‘ (featuring a certain Frank Carter on guest vocals) provides the icing on a delicious hardcore cake.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids have some superb, gaudily coloured t-shirts for sale tonight, and their atmospheric intro tape is a nice touch too. Unfortunately, the band themselves are offering nothing new; with too many of their sugary melodic choruses and chugga-chugga breakdowns sounding all too familiar. Drop Dead Gorgeous initially sound more promising; announcing their arrival with a Converge-esque burst of discordant, polyrhythmic noise. But it’s not long until vocalist Danny Stills begins his over-earnest bleating, which prompts a sizeable exodus of punters to the bar.

Needless to say, when ETID themselves take the stage, the cheers from the crowd are as much of relief as they are rapture. Not to say that ETID don’t inspire rapture from their fans, mind; this is the band’s first UK headline tour in well over two years, and Keith Buckley and co don’t disappoint, hurling out the likes of ‘Off Broadway‘ and ‘ Rendez Voodoo‘ with no little panache. Last year, they released an excellent album called ‘The Big Dirty‘, and that is exactly how they sound tonight; fast, furious, filthy, and boasting riffs huge enough to house a family.

At times, it’s hard to tell who’s having more fun; the band, who charge around the stage like bulls on heat, or the crowd, who constantly seethe, writhe and bounce like one huge, multi-limbed, sweat-drenched monster. Now that London and ETID have shown each other what they’ve got, here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long for the band’s return.

Alex Gosman

Saturday April 12th
The Underworld
Camden, London

I’m quite a new comer to all things Stoner / Doom rock, apart from Candlemass. I heard a few Orange Goblin albums from my brother and as always, when growing up he would often introduce me to new amazing bands, he made me listen to Bolt Thrower, Slayer, Sepultura, Obituary, Saxon, Iron Maiden…you get the picture. But also he has developed, with age the world’s shitest fake metal collection, he likes some real crap “Coal Chamber“…god I apologise for my brother some times. So for me I was like “well look Tim, I like some Orange Goblin, but I’m not 100%”. I mean I was thinking that they might be pretty good live, for a start to be on Rise Above and have made a split record with Stoner legends Electric Wizard you have to be doing something right. Now Electric Wizard I am 200% sure about.

Me and Brother Rock headed to see them at the Underworld, the best place to see metal and drink Carlsberg, so I was already half sold by the time I got there. Due to shitting public transport and my day of skating we got there just late enough to get the last few songs by support act Dixie Witch. Who I know nothing of at all and to be honest, it’s really not my thing. They were really good, but I’m not into anything too blues, I know without blues there would be no metal, no Black Sabbath, all that. But also I think with Dixie Witch they were too clean and clear for me.

But by the time Orange Goblin came on, we’d had a few Carlsberg’s, Brother Rock had a few Newcastle’s and Guiness as well. Also he’s managed to pretty much buy all the merch on the Merch stand…he’s heavy and he’s my brother, now rocking a XXL O.G shirt.

They were amazing though, proper rock power. I’m not gonna say they’re metal and I don’t really think they were stoner enough to be stoner. But O.G are really like a Motorhead style rock band, and I really like Motorhead. The sound was proper rough and powerful, doomy at times and really had an edge to it. I think as well, they really suited being that close to the crowd. Ben the lead singer is like a really hairy version of Grim from Freestyle, with a very powerful Pritchard meets Lemmy singing voice. He’s larger and louder than life and really gets the crowd going. I was stoked ‘cos they played a few songs off the 2 albums I know, and the other stuff I didn’t know wasn’t difficult to like straight away. I did like the way he spat beer like an English Zakk Wilde, I love Zakk!!! I’m definitely gonna get a hold of some more O.G when I can.

Brother Rock fucking loved’em, in fact his review is ‘they rocked, end of!’ – a man of few words. If you like down and dirty, blues power rock n’roll go see them or buy a record, you’re not gonna be disappointed.

French

Bush Hall, London
07.04.08

A night of contrasts for the French synthpop group, as they took to the stage at Bush Hall after some recent rebooking of venues. One guitarist in a ‘I Love Fall Out Boy’ tshirt, the bassist in an AC/DC one, it’s hard to know what to make of this band from the start.

Originally formed as a joke on MySpace by friends three years ago, things have moved on quickly and The Teenagers found themselves recording their debut album ‘Reality Check‘, released last month, and a string of gigs across the world. They have a die-hard following of young fans, who sang along to tracks ‘Love No’, ‘Fuck Nicole‘ and ‘Feeling Better‘, throwing hands in the air and dancing like, well, teenagers.

Having said that, the average age of the crowd was in its 40’s, so it made me wonder if they’d turned up expecting some kind of Serge Gainsborough style, French-accented, spoken word singing about love, women, booze, drugs and casual sex. Well they got part of that.

Frontman Quentin Delafon pointed angular hands around the glitterball lit room, elbows tucked in like he was trying to dance whilst holding a tray of drinks, and spoke/sang about the sordid lifestyle of fucking your step-sister, girls who he’s going to kill for stealing his Jazzmaster, and being young and carefree.

The camp exterior and looks, combined with the poppy-go-lucky music meant the subject matter of the songs is somewhat lost on the younger members of the crowd, who smile and sing along obliviously to the lines, “This fucking bitch deserves to die” and “I fucked my American cunt”.

It’s all tongue in cheek, but the girls who got on stage to help out on vocal duties on ‘Homecoming’, the song that gave The Teenagers their break through track (and with a great video by Kinga Burza), it was a wise decision to keep a backing track of the original female lyrics going, as not only did they seem about 12 years-old, but they didn’t really know any of the words.

Good on The Teenagers though for really engaging the crowd with the show, as best the limited set would let them, and by the end the seemed to have warmed-up from their ‘we’ve only been a band 5 minutes’ personas, to really going for it and cutting themselves on guitar strings from playing too hard. Next time I see them, there won’t be any conflicting messages coming across from the band. They have the songs to back up the hype, they’re young and painfully cool, so let’s just wait until the angst stage has passed and The Teenagers have grown up.

Moose.

Oxford Academy
05.04.08

It’s been a heck of long time since the Buffalo hardcore rock ‘n’ rollers in Every Time I Die last hit these shores (the sweaty summer of ’05, to be exact). In those long three years they have written, recorded and released one of the most exciting releases of last year in the form of ‘The Big Dirty’, a colossal slab of intense riffery that has taken more nods to southern rock and less nods to manic hardcore (which used to be their forte). And in a wait that hasn’t just seemed far too long (it has been far too long) the band are now bestowed upon us in the sweaty confines of the Oxford Academy.

Before this though, the Oxford faithful have to be subjected to a bill containing a support act that just doesn’t suit and a support act that is just plain terrible. The former, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, aren’t half bad, it’s just that their keyboard-infused pop metal would never sit well with an Every Time I Die crowd (as is apparent from the lukewarm reception that greets the end of every song).

Drop Dead Gorgeous do probably suit this bill a bit more but that doesn’t mean to say that they are any good. Watching a band and being convinced that they are never going to end isn’t a good sign, but then again this is no surprise as every song of in-coherent and indecisive beatdown-screamo increases many heart rates to speeds that would indicate signs of a heart attack caused by furious and unrelenting anguish and boredom (breathe…)

This would be enough to probably send punters home from any gig, but then not many gigs have a headliner that bring the party as much as Every Time I Die do. Mixing tracks off of ‘The Big Dirty’ such as We’rewolf, No Son Of Mine and the quite glorious Rendez-Voodoo alongside older material from ‘Gutter Phenomenon‘ and ‘Hot Damn‘ means the fans who have waited so long to see their bearded heroes in the flesh get the chance to sample the delights of a vast range of the bands back catalogue.

A bit of a dead crowd doesn’t stop Every Time I Die from being an absolute blast tonight. Ridiculously pro, insanely tight and with a sound as massive as this, you would be a fool not to catch them on this UK jaunt.

www.myspace.com/everytimeidie
www.everytimeidie.com

Nick Calafato

London, Astoria
8/3/08

Tonight, the Astoria is packed to the rafters, and it’s a fine indication of just how devoted Children Of Bodom‘s UK following is. The Finnish quintet undertook a somewhat meagre UK tour schedule for previous album ‘Are You Dead Yet?’ – a mere two shows in early 2006, followed by an early slot on the Unholy Alliance tour later that year – but it seems that absence has only made their fans’ hearts grow fonder.

Moonsorrow provide an appetising entrée to this feast of metal, with a punishingly heavy yet intricate display of folk metal magic, much of it instrumental. At first, the crowd just seems confused by the lack of vocals, but the loud applause that follows the band’s last song speaks volumes. Watch out for this lot.

On paper, tonight seems like an absolute breeze for Children Of Bodom; a chance for the band to preview their forthcoming ‘Blooddrunk‘ to a rabidly partisan, sold-out crowd. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work out that way. The band certainly look impressive – on a stage bereft of the fancy backdrops and props that littered their previous show here – but the quality of the sound mix is terrible; miring the intricate guitar work of the opening ‘Sixpounder‘ in a swamp of echoing drums and muddy bass. And as for singer Alexi Laiho’s vocals? Suffice to say that it’s just as well that every fan here knows every song word for word, and aren’t shy to prove it.

Alexi and co certainly look like they’re having fun, and deliver the likes of ‘Living Deadbeat‘ and ‘Follow The Reaper‘ with no little panache. By the time they return for a brief encore of ‘Downfall‘, the sound has slightly improved, to the extent that you can actually hear Janne Wirman’s keyboard. A great finale, but it’s a case of too little, too late. Children Of Bodom’s rise looks increasingly unstoppable, but tonight – through no fault of their own – was not what it could have been.

Alex Gosman

Manchester Apollo
17th March, 2008

With volatile lead singer Scott Weiland fresh from spending 28 days in rehab, there was always going to be much scrutiny surrounding the bands performance on this tour. After a string of show cancellations around the world due to various problems it’s no wonder the crowd are a little dubious as to whether tonight’s show would even go ahead.

But go ahead it does, and finally at 9.30pm the band stroll out without a care in the world. The stage feels rightly uncluttered, with just a ‘Libertad‘ banner in place, and serves to be more of a platform for the music rather than a distraction. As they launch into their relentless setlist and blaze through a few technical difficulties, they sear through the first batch of songs including ‘She Builds Quick Machines’, ‘Big Machine’, ‘American Man’ and ‘Get Out The Door‘ it’s the spirited sound of a band in charge and despite all his dramas, Weiland is still an enigmatic frontman. As he lurches and leaps around with a wide eyed stare, he exudes stage presence in abundance and it seems any worries about his health are thankfully unfounded tonight.

One of the biggest cheers of the evening goes up when the lights dim and opening whistles of the old Guns’ n Roses favourite ‘Patience‘ ring out through the old walls of the Apollo. Despite being 20 years old, the song still sounds as raw and emotionally charged as it did the first time you heard it and yes, predictably it’s time to raise the lighters/mobile phones aloft.

Said illuminating objects stay in place for the spine-tingling ‘Fall To Pieces‘, with Slash working the blistering riffs effortlessly and displaying exactly why he is one of the best guitar players in the world. Ultimately it is Slash’s signature guitar sound that holds this rock n roll beast together, as the rest of the band exit the stage, the iconic guitarist stands under the spotlight, just a lone figure with top hat in place and proceeds to unleash a melee of urban rock blues with his solo’s still sounding as reckless and beautiful as ever.

Now whether the band are still around in five or ten years doesn’t really matter, Velvet Revolver have only ever been about the now and as far as taking rock music back to it’s fundamental principles goes, VR are doing an exceptional job. All in all, if you are looking for incorrigible hard rock, played at its best then without a doubt Velvet Revolver are the best live ticket your pennies can buy and as for anyone feeling slightly bored by nu-rave, then heed the message that Rock and Roll is still very much alive and fucking kicking and I for one am truly grateful for that.

Words and pictures by Jane Hawkes.

14.03.08,
Brixton Academy, London.

The Mars Volta never have a support act. Tonight was no exception as it belonged wholly to the band and all who witnessed what they were about to create. The introduction of trumpeted western music (with a Latin kick) was met with a cheer from the crowd as the low white light illuminated the stage and the band took their places for the three hour journey ahead of them. Silence ensued and then, from nowhere and executed with such precision, Roulette Dares became the first song of the night.

Thriving on drawn-out instrumentals, the opener lasted around seven minutes longer than it does on record, each song flowing effortlessly into the next. The trumpets, guitars, keyboards and synths built up bone heavy beats and samba rhythms as Cedric accompanied them in voice and dance – as always, i actually thought he was close to knocking himself out. The energy and eccentricity of the Mars Volta never looks out of place.

Wax Simulacra, a release from the most recent album The Bedlam in Goliath, refreshed the set halfway through, pleasing fans that were new to these prog masters of the instrumental whim. Highlights included the Drunkship of Lanterns from 2003’s De-loused and Ouroboros from the current album which sounded epic within the acoustics of the Brixton Academy.

Despite the crowd’s adoration, after three hours even the most dedicated fans had undergone a mighty endurance test albeit spellbound with the performance. This band are indeed a rarity but if you do not like them now, you probably never will.

Leonie Milner