The Kerrang! Tour 2013

The Kerrang! Tour 2013

Manchester Academy and Liverpool O2 Academy

February 4th and 9th 2013

I was so excited to get tickets for the K! tour from my little sis for my birthday as I have been an avid Kerrang! reader for years and the previous K! Tours I have attended have been really good nights.  I have also been a big fan of Black Veil Brides since they burst into the UK in 2011 (although I am probably their oldest fan!)

For those who have never experienced a Kerrang! Tour, it is usually a two week tour organised and promoted by Kerrang! magazine and usually show cases four bands.  It tours the academy venues across the UK, (and although The Blackout were on stand by again this year they were not required!)

As it turned out I ended up going to both the Manchester and the Liverpool dates (not that I was complaining!)

Unfortunately we missed most of the first set at the Manchester gig as the academy staff seemed to be really slow letting people in that night, but in order to make sure that didn't happen in Liverpool we got there two hours early.

Fearless Vampire Killers were a great opening band.  Their songs are up beat and you just can't help bouncing along.  Front men Kier and Laurence ooze charisma and their split set (Kier singing during the first half while Laurence plays guitar and then swapping roles for the second half) is a great way of show casing the talents of both singers.

Singing songs from their album 'Militia of the Lost', they belted out a great set including songs such as 'Bite Down On My Winchester', 'Could We Burn, Darling', 'Fetish For The Finite', 'Bow Ties On Dead Guys' and a very rock version of Elton John's 'I'm Still Standing'

Their theatrical look sets the tone of the music and their energy and enthusiasm is contagious.  We were lucky enough to meet Kier, Laurence, Drew and Cyrus at the Liverpool gig and they are a genuinely nice group of gents.  They were happy to spend time with their fans and pose for photos and sign (a variety) of things.

Next up were pop punk Tonight Alive who we saw last year.  When we saw them the last time they didn't really set my world on fire as a lot of Jenna's vocal got lost in the volume of the music, however I do realise that these people are only human and everyone has an off night and some venues don't suit all artists.  Plus I always like to give people a second chance.

Tonight  Alive produced a high energy set with songs such as 'Breaking and Entering', 'Wasting Away' and the ballad 'Amelia'.  The Australian quintet had the crowd bouncing and even managed a mosh pit or two in Manchester. 

There were a couple of times that Jenna's vocals got lost in the music during the Manchester show but the sound levels at the Liverpool Academy were much better and proved that she does have a cracking voice.

Next to take the stage were American band Chiodos, fronted by Craig Owens (also front man of D.R.U.G.S.).  Chiodos had a more metal sound and had the audience moshing along to their strangely titled songs 'There's no Penguins in Alaska' and 'Is It Progression If A Cannibal Uses A Fork?'.

All through the set at Manchester Chiodos had the audience in the palm of their hands however at the Liverpool show they had to rein them back in after some disrespectful person decided to start a chant for BVB during their set.  Owens , however did not get angry or stroppy as some rock stars would he simply reminded the crowd that they should show some respect.  Respect to Mr Owens and his crew!  I will definitely be going to see these guys the next time the hit UK shores.

During the set changes the back ground music was courtesy of William Control (aka Will Francis, lead singer of Aiden), who played a very diverse set of songs each night, ranging from Nirvana to Frank Sinatra.  William Control has been touring with the Black veil Brides on their 'Church of the Wild Ones Tour' as the voice of F.E.A.R., so they brought him with them to the K! Tour.  Although you actually only get to see him twice during the show (and only for a few minutes), his presence is known during his awesome DJ sets. I had a great time singing along to songs I had not heard for ages!

During the Liverpool show William Control walked straight through the crowd, obviously thinking that no one would recognise him until after his part in the BVB set, so when I spotted him and said hi he looked quite shocked but was sweet enough to pose for a picture with me before continuing on his way.

Last on the stage were the almighty Black Veil Brides.  These guys have accumulated a huge (mainly teenage) following since their appearance on the second stage at Download Festival in 2011. 

Starting with the song 'I Am Bullet Proof' from their new album 'The Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones', BVB started as they meant to go on. 

Singing songs from all three albums we were treated to hits such as 'Perfect Weapon', 'Fallen Angels', 'The Legacy', 'New Religion' and 'Rebel Love Song'.

The BVB guys also treated us to a brilliant cover of Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell' alongside hits from the new album including 'Nobody's hero' and the title track 'Wretched and Divine'.

Finishing with  'In the End' featuring an appearance from William Control, Black Veil Brides left the crowd looking at their watches wondering where the time had gone.  BVB are definitely one to watch in their bid for world domination....  some might say they are already there!

Rocktober

Rocktober (Terrorvision)

Manchester HMV Ritz

October 27th 2012

Terrorvision are celebrating twenty years of their music this year and my sister and I have been following them for pretty much as long as they have been around.  So when we heard that they were to play the HMV Ritz in Manchester this weekend we had to go.

For those who have never seen Terrorvision, they are a quintet from Bradford made up of Tony on vocals, Leigh on bass, Mark on guitar, Cameron on drums and Milton on keyboards.

At 8pm Terrorvision took the stage with Tony announcing that we were part of the 'Terrorvision time machine' and we commenced our journey through a musical history of the band, playing favourites from all of their albums  from 'Formaldehyde' to 'Super Deluxe'.

Included in the set were songs such as 'American TV', 'Alice What's The Matter', 'Celebrity Hit List', 'Didn't Bleed Red', 'Come Home Beanie', 'This Drinking Will Kill Me' and 'Pushover'.  All of which had the crowd singing along and bouncing to the music.

In the midst of the bouncing and singing you got the crowd surfers who, through a lack of venue security, crashed to the ground as soon as they hit the barrier, as security were either not quick enough (or not paid enough) to catch them.

Finishing in with the ever popular 'Perseverance', Terrorvision left the stage.  On looking at my watch on the way it showed that they had played for almost an hour and a half but it had flown by.

When you come away from a gig with achy legs, croaky voice and fuzzy ears you know you have had a really good night and that's exactly how I left the Ritz on Saturday!

The One Big Happy Tour

One big happy tour (Bowling for Soup, The Dollyrots and Patent Pending)

16th, 20th and 22nd October 2012

Liverpool Academy, Manchester Academy and Preston 53 Degrees

When my sister asked me if I would like to go and see the 'One Big Happy Tour' three times in one week I thought she was mad! I like a good concert as much as the  next person but the same show three times in one week!  Really?!

The One Big Happy tour is made up of Patent Pending, The Dollyrots and Bowling for Soup and has 15 dates across the UK.  We were attending all three of the north west gigs and went to Liverpool, Manchester and Preston.

First to kick the night off where Patent Pending, an absolutely brilliant band from Long Island, New York, comprising of Joe on vocals, Rob on guitar and vocals, Corey on bass, Marc on Guitar and Anthony on drums. 

They opened their set with 'I Already Know (She Doesn't Give a Shit About Me)' which got the whole crowd bouncing.  The song 'Psycho in Love' saw Joe get the whole crowd waving their 'pirate hooks' (hooked index fingers) in the air and singing along....... throw in a couple of cheesy Justin Beiber dance moves during 'Anti Everything' and you have the recipe for success. 

Their set included songs from their new album 'Second Family' and featured songs such as the beautiful 'One Less Heart To Break' and the extremely catchy 'Douchebag' which once it's stuck in your head you will be singing it for weeks! (I should know cos I still am....  seriously find it on youtube! It's genius!).

If you are lucky enough to get right to the front you can get very close to lead singer Joe as he enjoys the odd spot of crowd surfing!

We were lucky enough to get to meet the band after two of the gigs and they are genuinely nice guys.  Their high energy performance opened the show in style and really got the crowd bouncing.

It is safe to say that I will be going to see Patent Pending again the next time they hit the UK. 

Next up were The Dollyrots and although I was undecided as to whether I liked them after listening to my sisters CD they really grew on me over the three nights.  The Dollyrots comprise of Kelly on vocals and bass, Luis on guitar and vocals and James on drums.

The Dollyrots performed songs such as 'Because I'm Awesome', 'California Beach Boy', 'Satellites' and their own punky version of 'Brand New Key'.

For the Preston show we had VIP tickets which included a meet and greet and acoustic set for VIP's before the main doors opened.  During the acoustic show, Kelly and Luis performed an acoustic version of 'Because I'm Awesome' which really was nothing short of awesome!  The Dollyrots sounded great live and brilliant unplugged.

Both Kelly and Luis were around at the end of the shows and were really lovely to chat to.

Then came the moment we had all been waiting for..........  Bowling for Soup!

For those who have never been lucky enough to experience Bowling for Soup first hand, they comprise of Jaret on vocal and guitar, Chris on guitar, Erik on bass and Gary on drums.  Four best friends from Texas and it is clear to see how strong that friendship is when you hear the banter that goes on between them.

The friendship and chemistry is also evident in their performance as even after 18 years together it is evident that they still love doing what they are doing. 

From 'Here come Bowling for Soup' to the last bars of 'The Bitch Song', Bowling for Soup hold the crowd's attention and fit in so many of their songs it's hard to guess just how many they actually play.  Each night they started with the same songs and ended with the same songs but the rest changed from show to show.  In Manchester they got a guy with a BFS tattoo up on the stage and asked him which song he would like them to play and so that night we were treated to 'Suckerpunch' (even though Jaret had to ask the guy how it started as it was a while since they had played it) however in Preston there was a guy in the crowd who kept shouting for them to play 'Two Seater'....  so they did!

BFS played all the favourites from 'High School Never ends', '1985', 'Girl All The Bad Guys Want', 'Me Wena' and 'A Really Cool Dance Song'.  However no BFS concert would be complete without the theme to 'Phineas and Ferb', so they sang that too!

On the Saturday night in Manchester they treated us to their very own version of The Ramones hit 'I Wanna Be Sedated' which actually started out with them playing the introduction to Black Sabbeth's Paranoid.  They also do a very interesting version of Britney Spears' 'Hit Me Baby One More Time'

At one point Jaret informed us that the next song they would play is about their home state of Texas....  he then announced in true BFS style that it was titled 'Ohio' (of course!).

Not to be out done by Joe, Jaret also decided to have a go at crowd surfing during the Preston gig, much to the surprise of the audience (and judging by the looks of panic on their faces the management and crew!)

Add into the mix their musically enhanced photo opportunities, Jaret's ability to 'fish for woos' to earn himself a little more drinking time and being 'Bowling for Soup......  the band you can wave to!', there was never a dull moment.

Whether you hear them as the group or during Jaret and Erik's acoustic set you will not be disappointed.  They sound great both at full belt and unplugged.  Although if you listen to the lyrics of their songs it will make you wonder what they were drinking when they wrote some of them!

I honestly thought that going to see the same three bands three times in a week would be...... well a bit boring, but it was anything but and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I can honestly say that I never saw the same show twice.

I was lucky enought to meet every single member of all three bands and can honestly say that they are some of the nicest and friendliest people that I have ever met.  If you ever get the chance to see any of these three bands do!  They are brilliant and you will not be disappointed!

Lower Than Atlantis, Don Bronco, A Dangerous Summer and Gnarwolves

October 7th 2012

Manchester Club Academy

Club Academy is a small night club area hidden in the basement of Manchester University's student union.  It has a small bar and small stage but is a brilliant venue for intimate gigs.

Kicking off tonight was the Gnarwolves, a small up and coming band from Brighton.  They came onto the stage dressed in matching pizza take out tee shirts and treated us to a full on punk rock set.  The drummer was so enthusiastic that he even managed to break both his drum sticks (at the same time).

Next to the stage were A Dangerous Summer from Maryland USA.  The lead singer had a good strong gravelly voice and their songs were all original and good.  Not to be out done by the drummer of the Gnarwolves this guy broke both a cymbal and a drum skin.

Having seen some of the hype about Don Bronco I was excited to see what they were like but I was very shocked when they walked on stage.  For a band that graced this years Download Festival they didn't have a tattoo amongst them and looked like a mature version of One Direction!  However, although they looked like a boy band they sounded nothing like a boy band and instead of cheesy ballads we got face melting rock (with a few perfectly synchronised boy band dance moves thrown in for good measure).  Don Bronco managed to get a circle pit going and the whole crowd bouncing.  They may be the posh lads of modern rock but these boys sure know how to get the party going.

By the time that Lower Than Atlantis hit the stage the room was, as Mike Duce (vocals) put it "Hotter than the equator being f***ed by the sun". However this did not stop LTA showing us what they were made of.

"When the hairy man says jump up what are you going to do?" 

From getting the entire crowd to jump up in unison on his command to encouraging circle pits and crowd surfers Mr Duce showed who was in charge.

Playing new songs from their new album 'Changing Tune' as well as old favourites such as 'If The Worlds Was To End' and 'Deadliest Catch', the boys produced a brilliant high energy set that left the crowd begging for more.

Tonight Alive, LostAlone and Blitz Kids

Tonight Alive, LostAlone and Blitz Kids

October 4th 2012

Manchester Academy 3

Last year my sister bought me tickets to the My Chemical Romance tour and although I really enjoyed their set it was one of their support acts that really  grabbed my attention that night. Since then I have been following the progress of LostAlone as they have gained respect from their fellow rockers and  gained column inches and airtime with Kerrang!.  So when I saw that they were going to be supporting Tonight Alive in Manchester I had to get tickets to see them.

Once inside the venue we headed up to the top floor of the Academy building where we found the merch stand and none other than LostAlone's drummer Mark.  I asked Mark to sign my ticket and he happily did so.  Pleased that I'd actually met one of the band I headed inside.

The Academy 3 at Manchester is a smaller more intimate venue at the top of the university student union and although small you still get a good atmosphere (and just enough room for a circle pit).

The night was kicked off by a group called the Blitz Kids, who although I had heard of them through twitter chatter I wasn't overly familiar with their material.  However, they started the show in style with a high energy performance full of catchy tunes/songs and really got the audience going.  They are a band that I will be looking out for in the future.

Next up were the trio I had bought my ticket to see and although I was a bit worried that they may not live up to my memories of them from the year before I was extremely happy to discover that they had got even better.

Playing songs from their album 'I'm a UFO in this City'  such as 'Creatures', 'Do You Get What You Pray For', and their latest release 'Vesuvius' amongst others they proved why they are worthy of their growing fan base.  Ending with my personal favourite 'Love Will Eat You Alive', they left the crowd on a real high as they left the stage. 

My only complaint was that I didn't get to hear 'Paradox On Earth' but Alan (Bass and vocals) later explained that they have played it every other night but they ran out of time as Steven (Guitar and vocals) decided to jump off the stage and round the audience members dotted around the outskirts of the room into one big group in front of the stage.  However I will let them off as it now gives me a good excuse to go and see them again!

Unfortunately Australian band Tonight Alive did not have the same impact as the other bands on the bill for me tonight. Don't get me wrong, they had good songs and the singer had a great voice when we could hear her, but her vocals were drowned out by the music for quite a bit of the show, so although you could hear the melody of the song you couldn't always make out the actual lyrics of the songs, which was a shame as they had a real energy and even managed to get a circle pit going.

They were also unfortunate enough to experience technical issues during the last couple of songs where they lost sound on their vocals altogether quite a few times.  Maybe a tweak in their sound levels would have helped as the parts where the vocals could be heard properly were really good.

However for me it was LostAlone that stole the show tonight!

After the show all three bands came out to the merch stand to meet their fans and I was lucky enough to get to meet Steve, Alan and Mark.  It's always nice to meet the members of a band you enjoy and find out that they are genuinely nice guys (unfortunately not all rock stars are!).

So Steven, Alan and Mark, thank you for making this fan girl extremely happy by  posing for photos with me and taking the time to sign my ticket and chat, as not all bands do make time for their fans.

I will definitely be going to see LostAlone again as soon as I get another chance and I'm certain that  we will see a lot more of these guys in the future.

A Little Bit About Me

A little bit about me

First of all, thank you for looking at my blog.  

Music is my life and I live for going to see bands play live and discovering new bands and music.  Over the past few years I have seen some brilliant bands and met some amazing people, so I thought I would set up a blog and share some of my experiences with you.

Please note that the write ups I have included are MY findings and MY opinions of that band on THAT particular night.  I understand that musicians are only human and that everyone has an off day, so if I give a band a bad write up you will find that I will go and see that band again somewhere different just to see if it is the band that is bad, if they were having an off day or if it was the venue that did not suit them.  None of my write ups are written to offend.  They just reflect my findings at that particular show.  

I hope you enjoy my reviews and if one of them inspires you to go see any of the bands then I will be a happy bunny.

Download 2012

Download 2012

Donnington Castle

8th to 10th June 2012

Download 2012 will be remembered this year for many things but most of all......  Mud!

It was clear to see from the start that this was going to be a very dirty weekend but with such a packed line up I was sure the mud was not going to stop anyone.

It would be impossible for me to do a review of every band that I saw so I’m going to stick to my favourites!

My favourite set of the weekend (which is probably obvious to anyone that knows me) was Corey Taylor’s acoustic set.  Corey had been asked to headline the Pepsi Max tent but had declined stating that if he was coming to Download he wanted to watch Metallica’s set. 

Corey Taylor is a charismatic burst of energy and it is clear to see why he has an enormous following in the UK as the tent soon filled to bursting.

Mr Taylor appeared on stage donning wellies and a flat cap, with his guitar round his neck and a cigarette in his mouth to loud chants from the crowd.  He opened with the haunting ‘Bother’, one of my favourites, and his set included ‘Through Glass’, ‘Snuff’,  and an acoustic version of Slipknot’s ‘Spit It Out’, during which Mr Taylor had the whole crowd jumping up and down on one leg (Only Corey Taylor could manage that!)

Corey was then joined on stage by Jason Rappise while he covered songs by the Nine Inch Nails and Alice in Chains, as well as treating fans to a ‘sneek peek’ of one of the new songs off the new Stone Sour album which is set for release in October.

As Corey left the stage he was ushered back onto it again by Download organiser and promoter, Andy Copping and Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas.  Much to Corey’s surprise it turned out that Slipknot had won a very special Golden God award to celebrate 10 years of both Download and Metal Hammer, for the ‘Best Download Moment’ and it was his ‘Jump da fuck up’ section during Slipknot’s 2009 Download appearance that thousands of fans had voted as their favourite.  A very emotional Corey thanked his fans for being the best fans in the entire world.

On Friday afternoon the Zippo stage got treated to full on Yorkshire rock in the form of Terrorvision.  A barefoot Tony along with Leigh, Mark, Cam and Milton thrilled the fans with a high energy performance including hits such as ‘Alice What’s the Matter’, ‘Demolition Song’  and ‘Oblivion’ to name a few.  

Terrorvision never fail to entertain and it was clear to see why 20 years on they are still going strong!

This year’s Download was packed with such a stunning line up of bands that it was impossible for you to see everyone.   I did however, get to see many others including Slash, Little Angels, The Yashin, Nightwish, Trivium, Machinehead, Metallica, Lower Than Atlantis, Tenacious D, Black Spiders and Devildriver.  I can also say that after seeing them live I am now a convert to Steel Panther! 

If you ever get the chance to go to Download....  do it!  You won’t be sorry!

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses 

Liverpool Echo Arena

May 20th 2012

Over the years Guns n Roses have received a lot of criticism from both fans and the media, so when my hubby told me that we were going to see them for our tenth wedding anniversary I was both excited and apprehensive.

Knowing that Guns n Roses have a habit of either hitting the stage well after curfew or not at all, I worried that we would travel all of the way to Liverpool and still not get to see the band that accompanied me through my teenage years.

To say that I was blown away that night is an understatement!  The night started with the brilliant Thin Lizzy who played for about an hour, providing the audience with a full set of upbeat and high energy songs, including all of their greatest hits.

At 11pm Guns and Roses burst onto the stage, showering the audience with all of the classics from ‘Welcome to the jungle’, ‘Don’t Cry’, ‘Estranged’, ‘Mr Brownstone’, ‘ Paradise City’ and a very explosive version of ‘Live and Let Die’ to name but a few.

I was a little concerned that their set was going to be cut short when one idiot in the pit threw his drink at the stage and Axl stopped singing to inform him that throwing glasses and drinks was not acceptable.  Luckily the Guns picked up where they left off and continued to entertain us well into the early hours. (2am to be exact!)

It is clear to see that Axl is a perfectionist not just in his own work but also in the musicians he works with, which include DJ Ashba on lead guitar, Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal and  Richard Fortus on guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass, Dizzy Reed on piano/keyboards, Frank Ferrer on Drums and Chris Pitman on keyboards.

Each of the members of band had their chance to show what they are made of as each performed  a solo.  My personal favourites were the amazing and powerful tune ‘Mi Amor’ performed by the very talented DJ Ashba and the fun if not slightly sarcastic song ‘Glad  to be here’ by the fantastic Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal.

The Guns played non-stop throughout the explosive three hour set.  They left the stage in a shower of ticker tape and streamers leaving the audience totally buzzing!

It was safe to say that I enjoyed the show as I quickly got hold of a ticket for their Manchester show the week after so I could enjoy it all over again.