We have the surprise addition of Higher Power as an opening support band tonight, which is great news as I’m a big fan. The lads from Leeds are a hardcore/post-hardcore band with that little extra bit of something. Their delightful and signature mix of alt rock and hardcore also delivers luscious nu-grunge chorus guitars and in Jimmy "J-Town" Wizard’s vocals, so like listening to Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, there is that unique and marmite element.
Read MoreWell, this is a bit strange… I step inside Gorilla for the first time since December 2019 and reflect on the absolutely monumental changes that have taken place not only in my life, but in everyone else’s since then! It is a bit disconcerting but quite cathartic as it’s been a hell of a journey from there to here.
Read MoreManchester Academy has become somewhat of a second home for me recently. The continued wave of rescheduled tours impacted by the covid pandemic, along with newly announced tours has meant that the city of Manchester has been an absolute hive of live music. Tonight’s offering was iconic singer-songwriter Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls.
The running theme of the night was diversity. There was a hugely diverse crowd, comprising of all corners of society but there was also a diverse selection of Support acts covering all bases.
Read MoreUnfortunately tonight’s advertised headliners Amaranthe have had to pull out due to illness, but the other 3 bands on the bill will continue and play extended sets. Refunds were available, but with it being so last-minute the Ritz is still heaving so I guess that a lot of people decided to just make the best of it.
We start with Ad Infinitum, a female-fronted power metal band with clean vocals but a lot of echo on them. There are podiums on stage and they make full use of them for a bit of posing and shape-throwing.
Read MoreThere’s a flag being vigorously waved at the moment for the New Wave of Classic Rock, with lots of new, exciting and upcoming bands in there. Tonight at the Rebellion one of those bands firmly at the head of the pack are back in town having recently returned from a string of German stadium dates as guests to Böhse Onkelz. The buzz that Florence Black created led to further dates and now they are on their own UK tour in support of the album “Weight of The World” released 12 months ago to critical acclaim. It’s no wonder then the Rebellion is busy for a Monday night.
Read MoreFor many years Black Metal has been at war with itself about the sanctity and purity of the genre. There are those that believe anything that deviates from the Nordic template of Satanic adoration is heretical and has no place appropriating the mantle of Black Metal. However, there is another camp that believes Black Metal is a style rather than an ideology and like any musical genre it is ripe for evolution. This section believes Black Metal has a power and evocativeness that goes far beyond an obsession with old nick and therefore can be used to soundtrack any manner of subject matter.
Read MoreSomething as simple as geography being a determiner of a band’s success has always been amazing to me. You hear a lot about some of the UK’s biggest bands struggling to “break the states”, which can turn a band that is of monumental stature over here into another run of the mill band clogging up a festival line up poster for some festival in the arse end of Colorado. What does not get mentioned all that much, however, is those gargantuan bands over in the United States, trying to “Break the UK.”
Read MoreAustralian openers Earth Caller are already known to me thanks to their recruitment of the production genius Misstiq. Having done some additional production and guest work for them she joined the crew and adds that different touch to what was already an intriguing metalcore band. There are large similarities to Bury Tomorrow & Heart of Coward in their sound, especially in new single ‘Alone’, and of course with Misstiq onboard there are plenty of orchestral synths.
Read MoreAKA – A Pain Girl goes to a Hypocrisy gig
How was your summer? Mine? Oh nothing special, caught covid and missed Metaldays in its entirety. My 13 year old came to Bloodstock and made me leave the tent before Machine Head started. Neither of them were particularly good experiences, although I did meet a lovely gorgeous doctor though. After a few months of dating I was pretty taken with him, but sadly he drove me home one day and had the Libertines and Fratellis on his Spotify. Yuck. It was never going to work.
Read More“Manchester are you ready?” scream Those Damn Crows as they hit the stage. “Yes we are!” scream back the crowd! They are open with their now standard ‘Who Did It?’ and the crowd are there with them from note one. They are engaged, involved and of course the band make full use of the little pose boxes at the front of the stage. It’s hard to describe how great the crowd reaction is here tonight, especially when singer Shane does his party piece and runs upstairs to stand precariously on a small wooden shelf at the edge of the balcony.
Read MoreUriah Heep are in town this evening celebrating a 50 year career with the ‘Lockdown to Rockdown’ tour postponed from November 2020. A band that has by and large escaped my musical radar over the years, there’s absolutely no disputing just what a colossal contribution these giants of rock have made to the world of music. The Bridgewater Hall provides a fitting venue to host the celebrations, with its beautiful seated auditorium and choir circles that spiral their way up towards the ceiling. It’s the perfect backdrop to enjoy a relaxed evening’s music now spanning more than 5 decades.
Read MoreTonight’s gig is not only a masterclass in charismatic vocalists and virtuoso lead guitarists, but also in how to be an arena band, with all three bands nailing each of those elements perfectly. Grabbing my ticket and taking up my seat stage-side with the arena still filling up, we see openers Lorna Shore take to the stage. Hitting us straight off with their deliciously brutal onslaught, many of the crowd around me and even in the standing sections up close to the stage, seem taken aback by quite how extreme and heavy the New Jersey deathcore crew are.
Read MoreIn my head the fortieth anniversary tour is the preserve of the aging rocker or a fading folk star, but here we are celebrating four decades of metal thrashing madness. Anthrax may well have had more than their fair share of carrier mishaps, but they are still here and, since Joey Belladonna’s return in 2010, they have reaffirmed their place as major players.
Read MoreWe queue up and make our way into the venue just as openers Four Stroke Baron finish setting up. I hadn’t heard this three-piece from Reno before, but had been told they were a good fit for the heavyweights on the line-up they share the bill with tonight. The immediate impact is intrigue, with funky rock bass, technical yet driving drums and almost math-rock guitar churning away. Kirk Witt starts up his heavily effected vocals, and it’s clear to see something isn’t right.
Read MoreLets cut to the chase. Soen (and their impressive undercard of Oceanhoarse and LizZard) have managed to between them to attract a more than respectable horde for a Monday. Rebellion is healthily busy, and this reflects well on those of us who like our metal with more intelligence and melody. All three acts seem intent on pushing the boundaries of what our music entails, not in a “lets add a Venezuelan nose flute” sort of a way but in their attention to detail and their desire to add more light and shade than your average screamo outfit.
Read MoreOne of Metal's many beauties is its blurred edges. Yes, at its heart there is a core that is all metal and nought else. However, as you travel to its furthest borders there are territories that seem to simultaneously exist within numerous other genres. Both of tonight’s acts blatantly use metal as a tool in their artistic endeavours, but would not fit its more conservative definitions or templates. Let’s just say Five Finger Death Punch, this isn’t.
Read MoreWe have come full circle. Thirty-one years ago (almost, almost to the day) The Black Crowes played Manchester Apollo on the crest of a blues rock wave. Their star wasn’t just ascending, it was hurtling towards the cosmos. They had stolen the show at Donington Park the month before and a year after its release, their stunning debut was finally winning over British Audiences. Fast forward three decades, various reunions, countless line-up changes and an awful lot of sibling squabbling later and they back at the Apollo playing their now revered “Shake Your Money Maker” in its entirety.
Read MoreWe are still in catch up mode. Evergrey were meant to visit these shores just as Covid first reared its ugly head. They then made another doomed attempt last Autumn as the pandemic’s tailwind still thrashed around the world. But finally, over two years late we are on. However, so much water has passed under the bridge they are now here to promote not one but two new records produced during the global slumber. Selective appeal is tonight’s watch word. Academy 3 is not particularly heaving but everybody here seems to both know and revere all of the three of the acts on offer.
Read MoreIt’s a Sunday evening, and a fairly early start at that. But that doesn’t stop the crowd filling up quickly for first-on support Stepson. The Brisbane, Australia based hardcore band set about their work with enthusiasm and vigor. Elements of Touché Amoré and Our Hollow Our Home can be seen in their sound, and their jagged guitars provide the perfect backdrop to Brock Alan Conry’s raw emotive vocals.
Read MoreAnother day, another Finnish band to go and watch, hurrah! Tonight is another step outside my musical comfort zone, I’m not familiar with either band although I have seen and enjoyed a band connected to the headliners via their former guitarist, so I settle into my usual spot at the back and get ready to have a good old listen. This is because Club Academy, although a decent size and with decent sound, is a basement venue with a low stage and a lot of random pillars dotted about the place. The chances of a short person like me actually seeing much of the band is fairly minimal, although I do occasionally catch a glimpse of the tops of their heads!
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