Live Review : Blind Guardian + The Night Eternal @ Academy, Manchester on April 13th 2024

The signs of a good time had by all is when the echoes reverberate long into the night. For an hour after Blind Guardian exit the stage, the refrain “Valhalla, Deliverance, Why've you ever forgotten me” can be heard being sung by the dispersing masses as they meander away from the Academy down the Oxford Road corridor. It may not have made much sense to the glammed-up masses heading off to identikit soulless nightclubs, but it was an indication that Mancunia had a rare and thoroughly wondrous visitation from the Teutonic gods of power metal.

Live Review : Amaranthe + DragonForce + Infected Rain @ Academy, Manchester on March 23rd 2024

It can’t be an easy job being a gig promoter. Say you’ve got a Swedish power metal outfit on your hands who are famous for their fantasy lyrics and having three vocalists. A great band who have been going (although not with the same lineup) for 25 years. They are good, but they have reached that in-between stage of their career where they are not quite going to sell out a big theatre but are way past the club scene. How are you going to support and market that?

Live Review : Skindred + P.O.D. + As Everything Unfolds @ Academy, Manchester on March 14th 2024

On the eve of their biggest headline show in a packed out Wembley Arena, the award winning, Tik Tok trending powerhouse of UK metal that are Skindred are warming up at a sold out Manchester Academy. As always, Skindred promise to bring their usual high energy party vibes to the masses, and as always, the clientele is a fantastical mix of full-on-metallers, wide-eyed ravers and those of us who happily swing both ways.

Live Review : The Blackout + Dead Pony + Mouth Culture @ Academy, Manchester on February 19th 2024

When they first rose to prominence in the late Noughties, early 2010’s, The Blackout were following in the footsteps of an incredibly healthy and flourishing Wales Metal Scene. Bullet For My Valentine & Funeral For A Friend appealed to the Goths and Emo’s, Kids In Glass Houses & Neck Deep were the champions of the Alternative/Pop Punk Scene. The Blackout sat perfectly positioned right in the middle of this. Heavy enough to incite action in the pit, but with the song writing finesse and presentation to become bonafide idles to those who prefer things on the lighter side. Tonight, they are back. At least for now. After a triumphant return, performing their first show in 8 years at Download Festival, Sean Smith, Gavin Butler and Co. take The Blackout back out on the road for the first time in nearly a decade.

Live Review : Lorna Shore + Rivers Of Nihil + Ingested + Distant @ Academy, Manchester on December 2nd 2023

Distant start the show and immediately slam the early eager punters with their relentless Dutch deathcore sound. Their approach is delightfully brutal, seamlessly blending the most savage elements of tonight’s headliners with others such as Whitechapel and Thy Art is Murder, with the added gritty hardcore undertones reminiscent of Malevolence.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Matt Fraser4 December 2023Lorna Shore, Rivers Of Nihil, Ingested, Distant, Academy, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Matt Fraser, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : The Almighty + Balaam And The Angel @ Academy, Manchester on December 1st 2023

There is an alternative universe where Andrew Ward never died, Mother Love Bone never split up and therefore Pearl Jam never came into being. “Nevermind” was a commercial flop that saw Nirvana ejected from Geffen records and to this day muso's still talk about it in hushed whispers as one of the lost gems of the 90s. In this universe, The Almighty never had the lure of grunge to compete with and went on to Maiden-level imperialism, headlining festivals and stadiums across the land. This evening we get a sneak preview into that parallel dimension as the original line-up reunites for the first time in thirty-three years to give us an Almighty (pun definitely intended) dose of might-have-been.

Live Review : Extreme + Living Colour @ Academy, Manchester on November 30th 2023

Ahh funk metal that most interesting of anomalies that reared its ugly head in the late 80s. It was, to quote Steve Coogan, the moment that the white man learnt to dance. In many ways it was a bit of a catch-all term used to pigeonhole anything vaguely metallic that had a thumping funky bassline. So in went Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and woefully undervalued Atom Seed and Mind Funk. Extreme were an interesting addition to the party in that they were a lot more commercial and a lot less heavy than their compatriots. Essentially they took Van Halen's template and just funked it up little bit more. What they did have though was Nuno Bettencourt, one of the purest guitar talent to have ever walked the earth.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas2 December 2023Extreme, Living Colour, Academy, Manchester, 2023, Live ReviewComment

Live Review : Corey Taylor + Oxymorrons @ Academy, Manchester on November 11th 2023

Who would have thought back in the late 90s when Slipknot first oozed out of the primeval slime of rural Iowa, that one day their shouty vocalist in the ugly mask would become a living legend? Being honest, bar a couple of songs, I am not a big fan of the boiler-suited weirdos, however when a friend introduced me to a band called Stone Sour a few years later I was astonished. “THIS is the same singer?” I proclaimed.

Gig Review©Jo Crosby13 November 2023Manchester AcademyCorey Taylor, Oxymorrons, Academy, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : Creeper + Save Face + The Nightmares @ Academy, Manchester on November 9th 2023

The Nightmares are a band destined to open for a band like Creeper. They fit the bill in every possible way to compliment the mystique and expectation of what a night with Creeper should be like. They are a dark, Gothic synth heavy indie pop band which whilst being a mouthful is the only way I can possibly describe them.

Live Review : Glenn Hughes + The Damn Truth @ Academy, Manchester on October 29th 2023

To be referred to as ‘The Love Child of Janis Joplin and Robert Plan’ brings with it a weight of expectation that for some bands could be considered too heavy of a burden to bear. For The Damn Truth however, they don’t want to just meet this expectation, they want to blow it out of the water, doing so with their dreamy, crushing and at times emotionally jarring blend of hard rock & Blues.

Live Review : Thy Art Is Murder + Whitechapel + Fit For An Autopsy + Spite @ Academy, Manchester on October 23rd 2023

Spite kick-off the evening and immediately set the scene for the heavy deathcore night ahead. Despite it being an early doors there’s a more than decent sized crowd here for the openers. We’re also not waiting long for a double-kick drum onslaught. They’re a heady mix of brutal hardcore and nu-metal melodies mixed with vicious tech-metal. The guitar tones are meaty, djenty and have that deliciously techy sound.

Live Review : Rival Sons + L.A. Edwards @ Academy, Manchester on October 18th 2023

Given I’d never heard of L.A. Edwards until April 2022, this is the third time seeing them play Manchester since then. Previously it has been with The White Buffalo at the O2 Ritz so tonight we are changing it up a bit. This show is sold out and when I arrive the place is quite empty but gradually fills up as they work their way through their 9 song setlist. The crowd are a mix of ages but definitely, and no real surprise, skewed more male than female and mostly middle aged (or should I say my age as another march around the sun looms), but treating themselves to this night of rock n’ roll.

Live Review : Airbourne + Black Spiders @ Academy, Manchester on July 22nd 2023

Originally scheduled for last December, this show has gone through a number of proscriptive homes before finally settling here at the Academy. Alongside date and geographical location, the undercard has also going through a number of iterations. Those still expecting Crobot and Blue Pills are left equally disappointed and surprised by the appearance of the Black Spiders.

Live Review : Puscifer + Night Club @ Academy, Manchester on June 13th 2023

Synthwave seems to be slowly embedding itself into the world of Rock & Metal these past few years. A relatively new genre of music that draws influence from both the music & neon lit cyberpunk-esque iconography of Sci-Fi and Horror Films of the 1980’s, it has been brought to the forefront of public consciousness by acclaimed acts such as Perturbator and Carpenter Brut.

Live Review : Ice Nine Kills + SKYND + Lansdowne + Defying Decay @ Academy, Manchester on June 4th 2023

First up, we’ve got Defying Decay taking to the stage right after the doors swing open. The crowd's expectedly small at first, but begins to swell as they run through their energetic set. These guys bring the essence of bands like Wage War, Bad Omens and, tonight’s headliners, Ice Nine Kills. In fact, think Spineshank and early Slipknot, that late 90s nu-metal vibe coming across in abundance. But it's Crossfaith that echoes in my mind, only a more organic version. These Thai rockers from Bangkok have that same unashamed glee and energy in their performance, together with the variety of sounds delivered by their Japanese counterparts.

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 : 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 : Devin Townsend + Klone + Fixation @ Academy, Manchester on March 31st 2023

Tonight proves that if you got charisma, personality, and just the right pinch of self-deprecation you don't need any other trappings to put on a show. You see last time the self-denounced Hevy Devy was in this very venue he brought a stunning undercard in the shape of Tesseract and Leprous, an imposing video wall, and thousands of pulsating lights. This evening is a much more modest affair with supports that their mothers would struggle to pick out of an identity parade and a scaled-back production.

Live Review : W.A.S.P. + South Of Salem @ Academy, Manchester on March 17th 2023

It transpires that the Great British Classic Rock revival has found a fresh stream of inspiration to draw from. The dense 70’s blues rock of Free and vintage Quo, has been abandoned in favour of pillaging the fertile vineyards of eighties hair metal. For South of Salem, it provides a veritable smorgasbord of stimulation and they are meticulous in their level of imitation. Their second track in is so shrouded in familiarity, that if you close your eyes, its’s 1982, you’re in the whiskey a go-go and Mötley Crüe are treading the boards in their moment of ascendancy.

Live Review : Lamb Of God + Kreator + Municipal Waste @ Academy, Manchester on March 7th 2023

Three years. It was three blooming years ago that this show was meant to happen. It is so long ago that both main acts are on different album cycles to the one that the show was originally meant to be part of, and the undercard has changed at least four times since it was originally announced. There has been so much to-ing and fro-ing at the bottom end of the bill that there seems to be a general sense of bewilderment as the masses wander to be greeted by the frat party thrash of Municipal Waste.