Live Review : Rammstein @ Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry on June 26th 2022

It may seem like lazy journalism to cite Rammstein's show in Coventry as indescribable, but for two very distinct reasons that is exactly what it is. Firstly, it completely and utterly disregards all existing precedent about what a stadium show should be, essentially it takes the rule book and literally sets fire to it. For decades and decades convention has been that the stadium shows should all be presented in the same formulaic way. Box at the end of the playing field, lights over the band, a couple of makeshift screens either side and Bruce Springsteen's your uncle.

Live Review : Nine Inch Nails @ O2 Apollo, Manchester on June 21st 2022

We all have tales about Trent Reznor being difficult. Whether it be playing behind a view-obscuring bank of lights (Leeds Festival 2007), looking bored and massively disinterested (Sonisphere 2009) or failing to acknowledge that there was an audience there at all (Manchester Arena 2014). Well, I am proud to report that tonight our Trent is personable and even bordering on affable. He interacts with the audience numerous times and voluntarily enters into a conversation with vocal members of the front row.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas22 June 2022O2 ApolloNIN, Nine Inch Nails, O2 Apollo, Manchester, 2022, Live Review, Stewart LucasComment

Live Review : Tremonti + The Raven Age @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on June 20th 2022

In a rush as usual but I head upstairs to get a good view of the stage and the place is not only heaving, it’s also hot. Until Sunday I had never heard of The Raven Age, so I am quite surprised at how packed the venue is already and there is an air of anticipation, so I am expecting good things.

The Raven Age are an English heavy metal band formed in 2009 by guitarists Dan Wright and George Harris (son of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris). They have previously toured with Tremonti, along with Iron Maiden, Anthrax and Killswitch Engage. They are described as melodic metalcore, but I am non-the-wiser…

Live Review : Elvana + Talk Like Tigers @ The Lowry, Salford on June 19th 2022

A music gig at The Lowry? Well, this is a first. How does it work? Where do I go? Hmmm… all very strange. I must get a pass from the stage door; we are escorted backstage before being ushered through to the theatre and hooked up with seats. We almost feel like royalty, certainly VIP. I could get use to this.

I arrive in time for Talk Like Tigers, twin sisters Charlotte and Stephanie from Newcastle. They are cited as a rising indie-pop duo. They enter the stage to “Vogue” by Madonna (who I love by the way!) and there is a strong 80s vibe, somewhat reminiscent of Shakespeare Sister.

Live Review : Dragged Under + Defences + Immerse @ Star and Garter, Manchester on June 16th 2022

It is hotter than the sun in the Star and Garter tonight. I love this venue for so many reasons, but upstairs always becomes a sweat box in any kind of heat and tonight is no exception. There are fans blowing hot air around the room. Superb.

Absolutely worth getting in and down to the front nice and early for tonight’s opener Immerse. Metalcore from Bristol and brimming with energy, Immerse burst onto the stage and are an instantly likable force, despite some early technical difficulties involving their bass.

Live Review : Midnight + Night Demon @ Academy 3, Manchester on June 16th 2022

Night Demon are spectacularly good this evening because they don't try to be anything they are not, this is down-the-line rebel-rousing metal and it hits the spot with pinpoint accuracy. The guitar work is exemplary, minimal but with the occasional appropriate sprinkling of flair. They know that we don't want long convoluted solos, what we want are short well-defined bursts of power that we can bang our heads to and they provide it in abundance.

Live Review : Billy Talent + Tigress @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 15th 2022

We climb the never-ending staircase of Liverpool O2 Academy on what is a stifling hot evening. Not that the glorious weather is stopping it from being a full house for the return to the UK of Canadians Billy Talent. The punters are eager with anticipation as we filter past the merch stand and up to the venue. It’s been around five years since they ventured to our shores, and for fans like myself it’s felt like an eternity.

Live Review : Walter Trout + Elles Bayley @ The Live Rooms, Chester on June 13th 2022

"But I'm not a reviewer", I kept nervously saying to myself whilst queueing amongst a good humoured and well-seasoned crowd (myself included) waiting to gain entry to Chester's Live Rooms. You see due to a technicality we have no official reviewer for the evening so I am off the sub bench and into action. I can barely string two words together in written form, and definitely struggle to go beyond "this is epic" or "naa, I’m not keen" when talking music. I tend to like what I like, and in more recent times find that I prefer tracks to bands.

Live Review : Sepultura + Raging Speedhorn + Cage Fight @ The Tivoli, Buckley on June 12th 2022

Tonight I am a fish so far out of water I might as well be up a tree. Getting Brazillian thrash pioneers Sepultura at the Tiv, one of just 3 appearances outside their Download set, was a real coup for them. There was no way ROCKFLESH could ignore it, I mean these guys are one of the cornerstones of the music most of my colleagues live for. And that’s the problem. They are in the UK to play Download Festival, and essentially everyone else is at Download too. So here I am, clutching my notebook somewhat nervously and wondering what on earth I have let myself in for. I have never heard a single song by any of tonight’s artists, couldn’t even name a band member for you. It’s all new, which is also kind of exciting I suppose. So fortified with a large rum I step into the fray. Let’s do this.

Live Review : Black Label Society + Tuskar @ O2 Academy, Liverpool on June 9th 2022

Tuskar are an utter force of nature. For a duo they make one hell of a lot of noise. Everything revolves around drummer and vocalist Tyler Hodges. His pulsating beats are high up in the mix and Tuskar’s scuzzy doom is predominantly drum driven. In fact the presence of guitarist Tim Hammond seems primarily to ensure Tyler doesn't get lonely up there by himself. Over the years doom has become refined and sanitised.

Live Review : Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners + Carol Hodge + Matty James @ Night & Day Café, Manchester on June 5th 2022

A word if I may about the venue, as I’ve not been to the Night & Day Café before. It’s a funky little place just off Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester. It’s long and narrow, with toilets downstairs in the cellar. The décor is eclectic, Tiffany lampshades mix with 70s-style plastic ones, the bar is lit by vintage stage spotlights and there is an abundance of fairy lights throughout. Furniture is transport café utilitarian or faded padded pub benches, and the walls are full of music-related cartoons and caricatures. I like it! We grab a table at the back, and I am delighted to discover that you can see the stage from most of the room.

Live Review : Steve Vai @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on June 5th 2022

Widdly, widdly, widdly, widdly, widdly… There you go that’s my review. Least that is what Stewart Lucas said I should write about tonight, so I guess my work here is done?!!

Well, maybe not quite. However, given in my latest review (for Creeper last weekend) I clearly stated I cannot do commentary on composition and melodies, rather lyrics and vocals are where it is all at… this review might be a slight challenge for me.

So, if you have come here for a detailed review of guitar playing and all that entails you are more than likely going to be disappointed.

Live Review : Bad Religion + U.K. Subs @ Academy, Manchester on June 4th 2022

The term “Cult Band” gets thrown around way too much for my liking. If there’s one band however who is deserved of this title, it is U.K. Subs. It is impossible not to enjoy watching a now 78 year old Charlie Harper strut around the stage with an absolute natural suaveness belting out some of the finest Punk songs written. It was a shame that at the start of the set, the Manchester Academy was very sparsely populated, and only by the final portion of the bands 40 minute set, did it seem like there was a pretty decent sized crowd.

Live Review : Eternal Champion + Frozen In Shadows + Asylum City Zoo @ Rebellion, Manchester on June 1st 2022

It is times like these that make you realise what a tight knit community we have. You see, Eternal Champion were in rather a bind. Their appearance at Manorfest was meant to be a UK exclusive and they were flying over from the States especially for it. In fact, they were literally on the tarmac when news of Manorfest’s postponement came through. So, they found themselves in the UK all dressed up but with no place to go. Metal being metal, various promoters (including Damnation festival’s very own Gavin and Manchester's Tapestry Promotions) immediately rallied round the band and miraculously managed to pull together a last-minute UK tour. So here we are at Rebellion on Wednesday night for a show that didn't exist seven days ago.

Live Review : Creeper @ Star and Garter, Manchester on May 29th 2022

So… in the space of 24 hours, I saw Creeper, met singer Will Gould and found myself buying two tickets for tonight’s randomly announced gig…

Well, truth be told by the time I got to the AO Arena on Friday to see Creeper, The Cult and Alice Cooper, picked up the tickets, found our seats (or rather just plonked down in the first free seats we found) the closing bars of “Annabelle” were playing and the band were walking off stage… sigh! Very disappointing, but my disappointment did not last too long as during the intermission we left our seats only to spy Mister Gould near the bar and feeling brave I seized my chance to go over and say hi…

Live Review : Meshuggah + Zeal & Ardor @ Academy, Manchester on May 28th 2022

Of Metal’s many traits, the one I adore the most is its ability to continually evolve. Most other musical genres have a fixed shelf life. As soon as they surface in the mainstream, they are made instantly obsolete by whatever scene is bubbling up in the underground behind them. Metal’s secret for survival has been simple, but highly effective. Namely, it assimilates what is set up to replace it and absorbs that into its own collected being.

Live Review : Alice Cooper + The Cult + Creeper @ AO Arena, Manchester on May 27th 2022

Initially, it seems that Creeper have the odds well and truly stacked against them. There are barely a thousand people inside this gigantic arena for their 7.00 PM start and the seating set-up is reminiscent of those cringe-worthy times at school that your mates' band played assembly. Additionally, a wholly unscientific mid-set survey, conducted by the band, shows that the vast majority of people present don't have a Scooby who they are. However, Creeper have two secret weapons.

Live Review : Viscera + Osiah + Portrayal of Ruinn @ Star & Garter, Manchester on May 25th 2022

We rock up to the Star & Garter on a Wednesday with loads of anticipation for the night of deathcore ahead. This is yet again another great lineup secured by Tapestry Promotions for Manchester, and I can’t sing their praises high loudly enough for the work they put in and quality they bring to the scene in the North West. Onto the bands…Portrayal of Ruinn are opening proceedings fresh from their Metal 2 the Masses win, which in the process secured them a slot at Bloodstock.

Live Review : LANDMVRKS + ten56. + Resolve @ Rebellion, Manchester on May 24th 2022

Sometimes you’re at a gig and it just feels that little bit more special, that it’s a night you’ll tell the kids about and could be one of those watershed “I was there” moments. Tonight feels like one of those times. All three bands end up performing phenomenal sets, and in particular for headliners LANDMVRKS you feel that this should be the start of something massive.

Live Review : Mayhem + Mortiis + Barshasketh @ Academy 2, Manchester on May 21st 2022

It used to be that an appearance by black metal legends Mayhem was a rare phenomenon, however, in recent years they have become less sporadic and more generous in their live appearances. Consequentially there has begun to be less of a feeling of “oh my god it's Mayhem!” and more of “Didn’t we see them last week?”. Saying all that, it is still third time lucky for this particular show. Originally scheduled for March 2020, it was pushed back into 2021 and then into this year. This trail of postpones means that there is a veritable air of expectation, even if the album they were meant to be promoting (“Daemon”) has long slipped from our collective consciousness.