Live Review : CJ Wildheart + Stuntface + The Raging Mabels @ The Tivoli, Buckley on April 26th 2024

When you think about The Wildhearts, there are certain pictures that immediately come to mind. From a musical point of view they are very positive, but from a relationship point of view there has been a toxic dynamic for a long time. The band thrives, falls apart, splits, reforms, thrives, falls apart, splits in an endless cycle that has gone on for years now. Eventually there has to come a point in any dysfunctional situation where you have to walk away for the sake of your own sanity, and it seems that after many years of being drawn back in for the highs, CJ has finally managed to find himself in a situation where he is older, wiser, and comfortable in his own skin.

Live Review : Lordi + All For Metal + Crimson Veil @ Academy 2, Manchester on April 1st 2024

Metal’s inexplicable love affair with Eurovision seems to be baked into our psyche. In recent years many “big” names from our world (The Rasmus, Blind Channel, Voyager and Lords of the Lost) have taken part and even bigger names (Avantasia and Keep of Kaslin) have unsuccessfully tried to be selected for their respective home nations. This is alongside the fact that every Baltic state entry seems to sound like Evanescence and Italian alt-rockers Maneskin triumphed in 2021 with a ditty that sounded all the world like a shunt job between Rage Against The Machine and Jane's addiction.

Live Review : Bad Touch + The Karma Effect + Electric Black @ The Live Rooms, Chester on March 15th 2024

There’s an old joke that goes “what’s the best thing to come out of Norfolk? The A11!” Tonight though I am here to witness the re-emergence of something else good coming out of Norfolk, the country-tinged blues rock of Bad Touch. They have been around on the circuit for a while, I think I first encountered them well over 10 years ago, and with at least 5 albums under their collective belts their popularity has ebbed and flowed like the tides that erode their home county’s coastline over those years. I don’t think I’ve seen them yet post-covid, so tonight I’m looking forward to getting re-acquainted with them. Enough poetic imagery though, we have bands to watch!

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 : Massive Wagons + The New Roses @ Hangar 34, Liverpool on November 21st 2023

We were having a discussion at ROCKFLESH Towers the other day, wondering which band we have reviewed the most since we started. General consensus was that as we are a local website for local people, it would probably be a local band. In the end we decided it was likely to be Massive Wagons, who seem to have stayed true to their local roots too despite achieving not just national but international success in recent years. Tonight we are just up the road from their hometown, so I settle in my usual position lurking at the back to see how they are doing these days.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby22 November 2023Hangar 34Massive Wagons, The New Roses, Hangar 34, Liverpool, 2023, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment

Live Review : Pretty Boy Floyd + The Midnight Devils + The Clan @ The Tivoli, Buckley on November 12th 2023

I may take on assignments that take me all over metal’s glorious multi-verse of genres, but my home will always be the scuzzy outlier that is sleaze rock. Pretty Boy Floyd are an original 80s purveyor of the art form (despite there only being one original member left) and The Midnight Devils are upstart pretenders to the glam rock crown, so tonight I can breathe a sigh of relief and bask in the musical familiarity that surrounds me.

Live Review : Gin Annie + Cry For Mercy + Losing Light @ The Tivoli, Buckley on July 21st 2023

One of the things I like about the Tivoli (apart from the newly-refurbished jungle-themed ladies loos and the cheap rum) is that they always try to get at least one local band on the bill. This is a huge boost for the local rock scene, and I applaud it wholeheartedly.

Live Review : Chris Holmes (Mean Man) + Kaine @ The Tivoli, Buckley on June 17th 2023

Openers Kaine play basic metal. They're very Iron Maiden, the music is fast and furious and the band seem very angry about something. I'm trying to work out what they're singing about and it’s hard to decipher. It might be Bastille, it might be something made of steel. Either way they seem a bit pissed off about it! There’s a song called ‘Slave To The Grind’ but it's not that one, it's a double paced headbanger with a slow guitar bridge. Widdly instrumentals abound and there’s a huge amount of echo on the singer's voice.

Live Review : Dare + FM + Tyketto @ Academy 2, Manchester on May 21st 2023

You could think of far worse ways to spend a beautiful sunny day in Manchester on a Sunday evening. It wasn't just the heat outside that needed turning down, the heat is turned up to boiling point inside the Academy 2 with blistering performances all-round from perhaps some of the most underrated AOR and melodic bands still performing and going strong some 30 plus years after their inceptions. It’s certainly a mouth-watering affair and one that goes down better than the obligatory pint of overpriced lager from the bar. If value for money is your thing, then you’ve certainly got that in spade loads on the music on offer tonight.

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 : 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 : 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.

Live Review : Blaze Bayley + Absolva @ Eleven, Stoke-on-Trent on March 19th 2023

It’s not often that you get to see two amazing bands doing a free meet and greet before and after a show. This unique combination of down to earth humbleness and sophisticated musicianship is precisely what we got at Eleven.

Absolva were the first group to hit the stage and they have a fascinating sound to them. NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) brought back to life but modernised in a way that you can still hear its roots without it being spoiled.

Live Review : Cherie Curie + Blue Ruin + The Razors @ The Tivoli, Buckley on March 17th 2023

We open proceedings tonight with The Razor, a competent local covers band who rip through some rock classics and warm the place up nicely.

Next up are a group no doubt inspired by tonight’s headliner. Blue Ruin are a female quartet who play up-tempo, bouncy pop punk. They introduce themselves and as 2 of them are from New Zealand, one from Italy and one from Bristol I can’t help wondering how the hell they rehearse? Anyhow that’s bye-the-bye.

Live Review : Kris Barras Band + Dea Matrona @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 10th 2023

Little do I know as I wander into the always welcoming arms of the Tiv that tonight is going to be a night full of surprises! We start off with Dea Matrona, who are two young lasses from Belfast who came to fame via youtube. Apparently they busk on the streets of their home city, film it, and have amassed over seven million views in the last couple of years. Not bad going! Tonight they also bring a drummer and come on playing bouncy blues. OK, that's not a bad start, accessible and hummable.

Live Review : Stone Broken + Scarlet Rebels @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on February 9th 2023

We’re in the little Academy tonight, which is not the best venue when you’re short and it’s (pleasingly) full. So tonight’s review will mostly consist of notes on what I heard rather than saw, as a description of the top of the band’s head is never very exciting.

There should have been a full band set by Scarlet Rebels, but unfortunately due to an unspecified emergency within the band it turns out that only singer Wayne Doyle is available. Well, drummer Gary is here too, manning the merch and apparently feeling very frustrated.

Live Review : Florence Black + The Howling Tides @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 4th 2023

After last night’s nostalgia-fest here at the Tiv, tonight I am viewing two of the stalwarts of the modern British rock movement.

The Howling Tides start tonight with some rather smashing slide guitar and a bluesy accompanying vocal. I would describe them as modern retro -they have that 70s feel but with a modern twist and they mix it up well. There’s plenty of melody but also with that heavy bass sound and beat.

Live Review : Alcatrazz + Girlschool + Tytan @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 3rd 2023

Tonight is set to be a night of nostalgia down at the Tivoli. Three bands that I remember from many years back who are still going in one form or another, I’m hoping for an evening that takes me back to my teenage years in the early 80s. The thing is, can these three veterans of the scene deliver?

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby8 February 2023The Tivoli VenueAlcatrazz, Girlschool, Tytan, The Tivoli, Buckley, 2023, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment

Live Review : Three Nights, Three Venues, Three Singers.

Bit of an odd week this one. Three consecutive acoustic gigs, by three artists who are both the same as each other yet also very much different to each other. Rather than individual reviews I thought it might be fun to do a compare and contrast. Let’s start with the similarities first. All three started their careers in the 80s, peaked in the 90s and are still working (both with and without other band members) to this day. All three have terrific vocal skills. All three have a lifetime of stories to tell.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby2 December 2022John Corabi, Danny Vaughn, Spike, 2022, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment

Live Review : The Hu + King Nun @ Academy, Manchester on November 28th 2022

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.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby29 November 2022Manchester AcademyThe HU, King Nun, Academy, Manchester, 2022, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment