Download Festival 2014

Download 2014

Donnington Park

June 13th to 15th, 2014

It is that time of the year when we make our pilgrimage to the daddy of all rock festivals, Download!

This year will be one to remember, not just for the music but for the fact that it is the first time I have ever been to Download when it has not rained for the duration.  In fact this year we needed the sun cream.

The first band we saw this year was Powerman 5000 who had a techno rock sound to them and really were not my cup of tea.  They weren't awful but I quickly left their set and went for a wander around the market until I found someone else to listen to.

Friday afternoon saw one of my favourite live bands take to the stage.  I have seen Skindred perform live on many occasions and they never fail to disappoint.  Today was no different.  Skindred delivered a high energy set consisting of crowd favourites such as 'Doomriff', 'Ninja', 'Nobody', 'Pressure' and 'Kill The Power'.  Finishing with 'Warning',  front man Benji Webbe had their now famous Newport Helicopter going all the way up the hill in front of the main stage.  This really is a sight to see and it must look amazing from the stage.

Once Skindred had left the stage, festival organiser,  Andy Copping took to the stage to pay tribute to the late Stephen Sutton and Donovan who have both passed away recently.  As a sign of respect Copping led the crowd gathered by the main stage in a one minute applause.

Next on my list were Rival Sons. These guys attracted a good turn out even if the heat of the day had left the crowd slightly subdued, however it did not stop them from delivering a great set.  At one point Buchanan got so excited that he even managed to break the microphone.  They sang a few of their older songs and a couple of the new songs from their new album which was released earlier this month. My favourite song of the set had to be 'Electric Man' from their new album 'Great Western Valkyrie'.

As I went back to meet with my sister and friend who had decided to see Within Temptation I was able to catch the last couple of songs of their set.  This was not a band I particularly enjoyed as I found the songs too high pitched for my liking and was glad that I had seen my choice of band rather than their whole set.

Following Within Temptation on the main stage was Rob Zombie.  I really enjoyed this set and found him really entertaining to watch however, as much as I enjoyed the dramatics of his set I did find myself thinking that it wasn't quite as 'showy' as I had thought it would be.  This did not take away the enjoyment though and I thoroughly enjoyed the set.  The highlight of this one for me was 'Dragula'.

Headlining tonight where one of my all time favourites, Avenged Sevenfold.  It is now quite a few years since I first fell in love with these guys when they literally stopped me in my tracks as I headed across a festival they were playing at, but tonight didn't just stop me it took my breath away!

Playing a whole range of songs from the old crowd pleasing favourites such as 'Bat Country', 'Nightmare' and 'Buried Alive' to new songs from last year's album 'Hail To The King' such as 'This Means War'. 

Their set was well planned and executed and the energy and passion they have for their music really shone through. 

However amid the fire and pyrotechnics, for me it was one of their slower numbers that left me with goosebumps and a tear in my eye, as they paid tribute to their fallen brother James 'The Rev' Sullivan with the song 'So Far Away'.  It is a beautiful tribute to Jimmy who died of a drug overdose on 28th December 2009 and the arena came alight as many fans raised their cigarette lighters (and glowing mobile phones) in memory of The Rev. 

Finishing with 'A Little Piece Of Heaven', Avenged Sevenfold showed Download how it was done and why they deserved to be headlining the main stage!

Not sure how I would beat the A7X experience of the night before we headed down to the arena on Saturday knowing that we were in for another day of great music.

First off for us was Bury Tomorrow, a band that I have tried to see at festivals a couple of times and always failed to catch.  Today however I got to hear the majority of their set and was happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.  They gave a high energy set which cannot have been easy given the noon slot and the midday heat.

Next on the list were my sisters favourite Lawnmower Deth.  These guys have a very heavy metal sound until you listen to the lyrics.  Singing songs such as 'Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down', 'Flying Killer Cobs From The Planet Bob' and 'Satan's Trampoline' their set flew by very quickly and was very enjoyable.

The main attraction for us today was one of our old favourites, the amazing Bowling For Soup who were playing twice, once on the main stage and then later on the smaller Jagermeister acoustic stage.   

The set on the main stage was the usual fun and frolics of a Bowling For Soup show with crowd pleasing sing alongs such as '1985', 'Almost', 'The Bitch Song' and 'Ohio'.

The Bowling For Soup 'musically enhanced photo opportunity' was also present as the guys posed for photos to a piece of music written especially for this purpose.

During the performance a knight appeared on the stage and informed Jaret and the gang that he had been ordered to make a sacrifice to the gods of rock and that poor Fluffy (the giant inflatable sheep) was to be the sacrifice.  I saw the BFS set at Download 2011 when Fluffy's mate was 'killed' by Chris after being defiled by a large inflatable male part and today Fluffy met her death by the knight's sword (although she did put up a good fight first).  Following this Chris sang 'Amazing Grace' in honour of the sheep in his best preachers voice (which is actually a very good singing voice).

Then it was back to the fun with renditions of 'Girls All The Bad Guys Want' and the theme to 'Phineas And Ferb' (not what you would normally expect at a rock and metal festival but this is Bowling For Soup after all). 

The BFS guys attracted a very large crowd as this was probably a must see for some fans after BFS announced their farewell tour last year.  Our little group decided that BFS should be available on prescription as no matter how we are feeling they always make the world a little brighter.

Next I decided to check out Orange Goblin as I had heard a lot about them and never seen them.  These guys had a really heavy sound and vibe, with some good guitar riffs but I was disappointed that they did not manage to hold my attention as they should have done.

As BFS were playing the Jagermeister acoustic stage we decided to check out a couple of acts down there as it is not usually a stage I would venture to. 

The first act we saw was a guy called Toby Jepson, who sang some really catchy and quirky songs.  He announced that he and his colleague were the only act on the bill for the weekend to involve a saxophone, an accordion and a pair of crocs!  They are not an act I would rush out to see again but I wouldn't be disappointed if he turned up as a support act at a show.

Next were Anathema, who I really enjoyed.  The lead vocalist had an amazing voice and their style reminded me very much of Kodaline.  After hearing their acoustic set I was a little disappointed to find that their full set had already been played as I would have liked to have checked it out to compare the full band set to the acoustic.  These guys are on my lookup list for once the festival is over.

If you thought that a full band BFS set was crazy then you a were in for a real treat with the acoustic set.  Although the acoustic set consisted of just Jaret and Erik, both Gary and Chris were there to support their brothers.  The guys started with 'Two Seater' from their 2004 album 'The Hangover You Don't Deserve'.  

However in true BFS style the banter between Jaret and Erik and the audience was present.  Whether it was Jaret requesting to wear a traffic cone hat from a guy in the audience to the blow up dinosaur, you cannot help but smile.

Other songs in the acoustic set included a sing along to 'almost', and two of my favourites 'Turbulence' and 'Circle'.  

As the set drew to a close Jaret gave the crowd the choice of the last song of either '1985' or 'Girl All The Bad Guys Want', however when a request was shouted out for 'Belgium' he added this to the list and the audience chose 'Belgium'. 

During this song Jaret got the whole of the BFS crew to join them on stage including Chris, Gary, Dave the tour manager, Marco the merch guy, Harry the videographer and Tony and Derrick the guitar techs.

After their set they even made time to sign autographs and take photos with the crowd that had gathered along the fence with the hope of meeting their Texan idols and BFS being the great guys that they are obliged and spent as much time as they could meeting their fans.   It was a brilliant set and showed yet again why BFS are the best punk rock band in the world!

Headlining the acoustic stage was Ginger Wildheart who played a great set including 'Red Light Green Light', 'You Took The Sunshine' and 'Geordie In Wonderland'.  Although this was an acoustic set they had all the power and energy of a full band Wildhearts set and blew the small crowd away. 

Headlining the main stage tonight was Linkin Park who played their  2000 album 'Hybrid Theory' in full.  Including songs such as 'Paper Cut', 'A Place For My Head' and 'Crawling' they offered a really high power high energy set.

Returning for an encore they played crowd favourites from across their discography including 'Bleeding Out' and 'New Divide' from the 2010 Transformers soundtrack.   It is easy to see why these guys are still going strong after so long in the business and why they still attract a large following as the performance was amazing and really got the whole crowd into the party spirit.

Sunday held a promise of being a great party day although the weather did decide to switch from sunshine to drizzle for the most part of the day, however speculation was building as to who would be the surprise band which has been billed as simply '???' for the last few weeks.

As we had to leave Download at the end of the night due to work commitments I unfortunately missed one of the bands that I really wanted to see as packing the tent away took longer than planned.  I'm just hoping that the Graveltones did a good enough job to be asked back again next year!

I did manage to catch some of the Buckcherry set on the main stage though which sounded great!  Although I didn't catch the whole set I heard enough to get me in the mood for the day ahead. 

New on the bill for this year was Demolition Download which was hosted by Battle Heritage who are a full combat medieval combat club.  Basically they have real armour and real weapons and they battle it out to see who wins.  

The idea is that when you hit the deck you have essentially been 'killed'.  Although we watched for a little while we didn't linger there for too long but it was pretty funny to see a guy in full medieval armour square up at a 7 foot tall pink Download Dawg!

I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch the Richie Sambora set as I didn't know if it would be as good as imagined, however he had a great voice and I enjoyed his set.  I loved his cover of Bon Jovi's dead or alive and was glad that I decided to watch him.

When the time came for the band billed as '???' a huge crowd formed at the Pepsi Max Tent to find that the mystery band was none other than last year's second stage headliner Black Stone Cherry. 

I was unable to get in the tent and from my spot on the hill I could just about make out the silhouette of drummer John Fred Taylor. However Black Stone Cherry played a great set including 'Rain Wizard', 'Blind Man', 'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Blame It On The Boom Boom'. 

Unfortunately for the people who hadn't managed to get inside the tent, the set was spoilt by the noise from the fairground rides close by as they kept their music blaring during the performance.  I think it would have been much better if they could have muted their music for the performance or if the Pepsi Max Tent had a big screen and speakers outside as this wasn't the only oversubscribed performance for this stage. 

 The idea of a secret set was brilliant although, given the band, maybe it should have been hosted on one of the bigger stages.

Next on the list for us was Steel Panther!  These are another band that I discovered at Download festival.  Over the top and downright rude they lighten the afternoon with their unique songs such as 'Asian Hooker',' Gloryhole',' If I Was The King' and 'Death To All But Metal'.

Their unique look and lyrics earned them a fantastic turn out and everyone on the crowd seemed to be really enjoying the show.

Last on the must see list for us was Zebrahead as the Californian punk rockers headlined the red bull stage.  Zebrahead were nothing less than brilliant even if they did only have 30 minutes for their set. 

From the opening bars of 'Sirens' to the closing notes of 'Anthem' the crowd never stood still.  Zebrahead had pretty much packed the tent which was really good considering they were pitted against Aerosmith, and whether they had you singing the drinking song or helping their tour manager crowd surf in the 'SS Punk Rock' you can guarantee that we were having more fun than the guys listening to Aerosmith.  

Zebrahead have quickly become a must see band for me when they are in town as they are so much fun and (as I found out at their signing in the Kerrang tent) a real nice bunch of guys.  

The end of the set left the crowd shouting for 'one more song' however the Download official for that stage refused to let them play again, which resulted in resounding boos from the crowd.

As  Aerosmith's set lasted for quite a while following the closing of the other  stages we decided to watch the end of their set.  We caught up with them as they sang my favourite song 'Dream On', however I can honestly say that in comparison to Avenged Sevenfold and other headliners that I have seen at Download over the years, the Aerosmith set was lacking in something.  For me it just didn't have that wow factor that others have given me.  Which is a shame as bands like Aerosmith are ones you don't                                                                                         get the opportunity to see very often.

That said it did not spoil my weekend in any way and I had an amazing time.  Roll on Download 2015!

 

Spring Break Tour 2014

Patent Pending, People on Vacation and Lacey

April 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th, 2014

Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, London, Bedford and Birmingham

I have always been a bit of a fangirl but I had never classed myself as a super fan until I met three bands that have become very important to me. 

When I heard that Patent Pending, People on Vacation and Lacey would be touring together I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Anyone who is a regular visitor to this blog will know that these are three of my favourite bands.

As this was a once in a lifetime chance to see all three of them together my sister and I decided to go to more than one show, starting with Nottingham's Hit The Deck Festival and finishing at the Birmingham show.  Our original plan was to do five of the ten dates but in the end we added Hit The Deck when they too announced all three bands and then added a couple more shows, meaning we ended up doing eight out of twelve.

Anyone who has ever seen these bands before will know that even if you go to every single night of the tour you will never see the same show twice!

Starting each night was Lacey.  A four piece alt rock band from Nottingham consisting of Graham Turner, Josh Lewin, Dave Pearson and Pete Maksymiw. 

These guys were the only ones who stuck to a planned set list each night. 

Starting the show with a new song called  'Won't Be The Last Time' from the album they are planning to release later in the year, they started the show with a burst of energy which they maintained throughout. 

We also had the pleasure of hearing another new song from the album called 'Get Me Out Of Here', as well as old favourites 'Hometown', 'Burning Out' and 'Contender' from last years' EP 'Outlaws'.

Each night they finished the set with their new single 'Reach Out', a very catchy and bouncy rock tune but listen closely to the lyrics and the story of the song is evident.  'Reach Out' is another song from the forthcoming album.  

If the three new songs are anything to go by, the new album will be well worth waiting for!  (You can download a free copy of 'Reach Out' from www.soundcloud.com/laceyofficialuk/reach-out/s-EsoZ8)

Even though we had the disappointment of their set being cut short at Hit The Deck due to bad organization by the festival (people were only let into The Forum 10 minutes after the advertised door time), they still gave the set everything they had and over the course of the tour have got even stronger and more confident. 

At the Bedford show Lacey looked slightly embarrassed and amused as they encountered the first bra to be thrown at the stage during one of their sets and they were slightly red faced again at the Manchester show when Joe and Corey from Patent Pending came on stage to join in with 'Burning Out' and Josh nearly took Joe out with the neck of his guitar as he spun around.  (Joe quite proudly showed his bruise off after the show). 

Although Lacey have not been around as long as their touring buddies it is evident that they are starting to get quite a following, as the same faces could be spotted at the front of the crowd for their set each night.  Their fan community 'Lacey's Outlaws' is growing at a steady pace and after the fantastic job they have done on the tour it can only grow larger and stronger.

During this tour Lacey really have shown that they have what it takes and with the calibre of the new songs they played I can't wait for the new album and their next show!

Anyone who went to the tour to see Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup doing his usual thing was in for a big shock.  You see People on Vacation are a million miles removed from Bowling for Soup's pop punk.

People on Vacation is a supergroup made up of Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), Ryan Hamilton (Smile Smile), Rob Lane (Teenage Casket Company) and Michael Richards (Session Drummer).  These guys have a more acoustic and rather quirky folk vibe to them, but don't be fooled... listen to the lyrics and it is obvious that they have been written by Jaret and Ryan!

These guys started each night with 'Punk Rock World' from their forthcoming album 'The Chronicles Of Tim Powers' and ended each night with a cover of Slade's 'Cum On Feel The Noize', with the exception of the Birmingham show when they ended with 'All I Ever Really Wanted' (also from the new album, which until now only people attending the VIP sessions had heard).

Other songs included 'Prettiest Girl', 'Because Of The Sun', 'I Get You',  'We Are The Lucky Ones' and 'Back To Being Friends' from their album 'The Summer and The Fall'.

Another song from the new album was 'You May Not Believe In God', which soon caught on and had the crowd joining in with the choruses very quickly.

However there was one song that got everyone joining in and that was a cheeky cover of Bowling for Soup's 'The Bitch Song', which was played every night and was well received by crowd. (Not really surprising as most people's first encounter with Patent Pending was when they toured with Bowling for Soup)

During the Sheffield show Jaret and Ryan brought their acoustic guitars into the audience and treated us to a completely unplugged rendition of 'Where Do We Go'.  This song is quite a mellow and haunting song anyway but sung in this way gave me goose bumps.  Seeing Jaret and Ryan stood in the middle of the crowd like that was something I never thought I would see.

It's fair to say that the song that everyone seemed to enjoy the most was 'Lonely Fish', and you can't blame them as it is one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard  (check out the official video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gijqq8f3UEA&list=PLy2UdCGg99hO6cDA8ilYpndYTiWaCQO0c). 

'Lonely Fish' was the song most requested at the VIP acoustic sessions and the one that got people moving during the full set.  It was during this song at the Newcastle show that they invited a young fan called Tom on stage to play the song with them after seeing his cover of it on YouTube.  I think it is safe to say that that show is a night that Tom will never forget! 

Considering that the rehearsal for this tour was done in two different countries, Jaret and Ryan in Texas and Rob and Michael in the UK, they played a seamless performance every night.

Whether you go to hear the songs or for Jaret and Ryan's banter (which usually contains at least one butt joke and couple of mentions of boobies) you can't help but come away with a huge smile on your face. 

I have a feeling the UK may see a lot more of these guys in the future! 

Since the 'One Big Happy Tour' in 2012 Patent Pending have been building quite a following and reputation for themselves here in the UK.  Their fan base the 'UK Second Family' is a tight knit community who attend shows not just to see and hang with their favourite band but it is as much about seeing other family members as it is hearing the music.

Whether you see them once or every night you will find that every show is different and that the time goes by far too quickly.

Patent Pending are made up of Joe Ragosta, Marc Kantor, Anthony Mingoia, Rob Felicetti and Corey DeVincenzo, five 'bros' from Long Island New York.

During this tour there have been three on stage proposals, two guest singers and one guest guitarist. Not to mention numerous shout outs and dedications from Joe to the diehard fans who show up at every performance. 

Then to top that you have Patent Pending's International Crowd Swimming competition, where Joe and Corey don diving masks and water wings (or as Joe calls them swimmy floats), part the crowd into two, run up the centre and then crowd swim/surf their way back to the stage in a bid to see who wins.

Throw into the mix a ton of catchy bouncy punk tunes and five band members who have seemingly unlimited energy and you have a show that you will never forget.

If I listed every song covered over the eight shows I would be here all night but ones of note are 'Psycho In Love' during which they do the crowd swimming,  'Spin Me Around' the song written by Joe for his wedding which Joe sings solo and a very upbeat cover of Andrew WK's 'Party Hard' which on a couple of occasions featured appearances by the Lacey boys.

Not to miss out on the guest appearances Jaret also joined Patent Pending on stage each night for 'Classic You' a song which was co-written by Joe and Jaret for the 'Brighter' album. 

Also making an appearance is Joe's younger brother Robert from 'This Good Robot', who provides extra backing vocals and guitar during the show.

There are three songs on the set list that never fail to move the audience.

'One Less Heart To Break' was written following the suicide of a close friend of the band and whether it is Joe's honest and open speech at the start of the song or the song itself that moves people I'm not sure, but this song rings out as one of the anthems with the entire Second Family joining in.

Many members of the Second Family are sufferers of depression and self harm and know only too well the significance of the lyrics.  If you look around the crowd during this song it is not hard to spot the members who have an affinity with this song and the countless members that it moves to tears.  (You can hear it for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5xwfMY6ork&list=TLlcrlV-MbV2vExR2szm3ErKl-WulJ8oYF)

Following straight after with 'Brighter' from their latest album, this song is the sequel to 'One Less Heart To Break' and reminds us that we can get through anything and come out stronger on the other side.  During these two songs at the Manchester show not only were there members of the audience visibly moved by these songs but even Joe shed a tear and had to regain his composure after seeing a kid at the front of the crowd with self harm marks along both of his arms singing his heart out.

'Second Family' is another song that really brings the crowd together.  This too has become one of the anthems of the Second Family community and raises the roof off of each venue as every member joins in as though they are taking a pledge of allegiance. 

Other songs across the night included 'Little Miss Impossible', 'Anti Everything' (complete with boy band dancing), 'Cut Copy Paste', 'The Whiskey The Liar The Thief', 'Shut It Down', 'I'm Not Alone', 'All Star Hipster', 'Dance Till We Die' and the UK's debut performance of 'Therefore I Party', to name but a few! 

If you have never had the pleasure of seeing these five charismatic long islanders then I dare you to attend one of their concerts and not fall in love with them.  These guys give it 100% every time they hit the stage and deserve so much more than they have already achieved, but something tells me that if they keep on the way they are going, they will get everything they deserve and more! 

This tour was a fangirl heaven as all of the bands hung around meeting people after the show and all of them are really lovely, humble, down to earth guys. 

They say you should never meet your heroes as they may not be the people you expect them to be, but what you get from these guys is everything you hope for and more.  There are no rockstar egos here just a three bands who love making music and cherish their fans.

I have my fingers crossed as tight as I can get them, that these three bands will tour together again some day as my aim will be to be at every show!  

 

LostAlone, Verses and The First

LostAlone, Verses and The First

Sound Control, Manchester

April 14th, 2014

Tonight's show took me back to Sound Control in Manchester to see three bands that I have previously reviewed but as tonight's show was so good I thought I would give them a little more blog space.

First up were The First, who I originally encountered at Hey Hey Hey in Nottingham's Rock City last October.  These guys really impressed me that night and tonight it is safe to say that they were even better.

The First played tracks from both of their albums 'Swimming with Sharks' and 'Take Courage' and gave the audience an amazing start to the evening.  Their set included 'William', 'Shark Attack', 'There's No Place Like Home' and my personal favourite 'Kicks'.

These guys played a blinding set with enough energy and catchy guitar hooks to lift the spirits of even the most deflated soul.  These guys are a must see band for me and I can't wait for the next time I get to see them.

Next up were Verses from Brighton.  These are another band that never fail to impress me although I don't follow them as much as I should.  Verses played a fantastic upbeat and energetic set, picking up the lead from The First and paving the way for LostAlone.

Headliners LostAlone were on top form tonight!  We have followed these guys for a couple of years now, so when they announced a headline tour to promote their new album, 'Shapes Of Screams' it was a no brainer.

Starting with 'The Bells The Bells' they played a good mix of songs including 'Crusaders', 'Hostages', 'Scarlet Letter Rhymes' and 'G.U.I.L.T.Y.' from the new album and 'Creatures', 'Vesuvius', 'Do You Get What You Pray For' and (my favourite) 'Paradox On Earth' from previous albums.

Mid way through the set Steven announced that the next song would be 'Put Pain To Paper' and launched into playing when Alan subtly reminded him that the song wasn't on the set list......  but in true LostAlone style they played it anyway! 

I have seen LostAlone do some things that most bands never do, like when Steven sat in the middle of the crowd last year and played 'Orchestra Of Breathing' completely solo, and tonight was no different.  Steven spent most of the first song playing his guitar in the pit surrounded by fans and then during 'Love Will Eat You Alive' he had about 5 members of the audience up on stage to sing with him and the band.  LostAlone really are a band that seem to thrive on their fans interaction!

Finishing the show with 'Dooomageddon' LostAlone left us wondering how the time had gone so quickly.  

Tonight's show was honestly one of my favourite shows of the year so far! 

The Wildhearts, The Von Hertzen Brothers and Hey! Hello!

The Wildhearts, The Von Hertzen Brothers and Hey! Hello!

The Academy Manchester

April 10th, 2014

Tonight took us back to Manchester for the second half of my birthday present.  Tonight's show was another band that we have been following for years, The Wildhearts.

The night started with Hey! Hello! which is a side project for Ginger Wildheart.  Fronted by Victoria Liedtke and Ginger, they have a good old fashioned rock vibe to them.  Victoria is reminiscent of Debbie Harry in both her style and sound. 

Hey! Hello! have a real energy which gets the crowd going and even with the questionable dancing throughout the instrumental parts they were a brilliant start to the night.

Next up were the Von Hertzen Brothers from Helsinki who, on their Facebook page, describe themselves as three brothers and two others.

The Von Hertzen brothers delivered a hard rock set with some fantastic songs, including 'flowers and rust' and 'Coming Home'.

These guys are perfect for people who love great melodies with a good kick of guitar.

Before headliners The Wildhearts could even take to the stage the crowd was already singing their songs in anticipation so you can imagine the reaction when they did appear on stage.

The first half of the set included all the old crowd pleasing favourites such as 'Caffeine Bomb', 'TV Tan' and 'I Wanna Go Where The People Go', which whipped the crowd into a frenzy of singing and bouncing.

The second half of the show took a slightly different turn as Ginger asked if it was ok with the audience if they played some of the songs that they enjoyed rather than more crowd pleasers, which it turned out were just as pleasing to the crowd, and included 'Geordie In Wonderland', 'Junkenstein', 'Nita Nitro', '29 X The Pain' and 'My Baby Is A Headfuck'.

Just like Therapy? last week it is easy to see from tonight's performance how The Wildhearts are still loved and going strong after so many years in the business.  It was a brilliant birthday present and a good time was had by all. 

20 Years of Troublegum

Therapy and Lonely The Brave

April 3rd, 2014

Academy 2 Manchester

When it was my birthday earlier in the year my little sister couldn't decide which tickets to get me as a present so she got me two sets, so tonight we went to Manchester to celebrate my birthday (a little late).  Over the next two weeks two bands that we have been listening to for a long time are touring and because my sister is indecisive tonight we are seeing the first one of them, Therapy? 

Supporting Therapy tonight are a band called Lonely the Brave, a five piece band from Cambridge.  These guys had a good old fashioned rock sound to them, very much in the same vain as the band they were supporting, however as much as I enjoyed them there were a couple of things that struck me as odd.

Firstly, the singer did not take centre stage, this place was filled by the lead guitarist, instead he stood off to the back of the stage by the drum kit.  He also never made eye contact with the audience during their set or spoke directly to the audience apart from a single word of thanks at the end of the set.

Although he had a fantastic strong voice his body language said the opposite.  Throughout the set he held onto the hem of his shirt with a clenched fist, letting go only to take a drink during the instrumental parts.  He also looked as though he had his eyes closed the entire time and never faced the audience directly, favouring standing sideways on to them throughout his time on stage, giving the impression that he was either extremely nervous or anxious about the whole performance.

Luckily, their music had the strength to redeem them of this distraction and they delivered a high energy full on rock set, before handing over to Belfast rockers Therapy?

Tonight's show was billed as the 20th anniversary of Troublegum, Therapy?'s 4th studio album, so as many bands do when the celebrate a milestone like this they played the Troublegum album in its entirety, treating us to favourites such as 'Stop It You're Killing Me', 'Nowhere', 'Isolation' and my personal favourite 'Die Laughing'.

After a short break Therapy? returned to the stage and announced that they would like to keep with the older songs for the night and had chosen a few songs from their early discs and EPs. Treating us to a selection of songs including 'Evil Elvis', 'Accelerator', 'Potato Junkie' and a cover of Judas Priests' 'Breaking the Law', they had the audience engaged and in the palm of their hand throughout the show.

The whole room had an amazing energy whether you were in the manic circle pits, crowd surfing or on the side lines bouncing along, you couldn't help but join in.

My only  fault with their set was that there was a lot of strobe lighting used but no warning signs for it anywhere in the venue.

After last night's performance it is easy to see why Therapy? are still going strong and still selling out venues after 25 years in the business. 

Radstock 2014

Yashin, Canterbury, Fearless Vampire Killers, LostAlone, Verses and Bentley Park

March 30th, 2014

Liverpool O2 Academy

Last year we decided to try the new one day music festival, Radstock, which was hosted by the O2 Academy in Liverpool and saw 24 bands across three stages.  It was a brilliant day and we were looking forward to this years following the announcement in October that Kids in Glass Houses, Funeral for a friend and Yashin would be on the set list.  Our excitement was to be short  lived.....

In February Kids in Glass Houses announced that they would be doing a final tour and then splitting up, which was quickly followed with an announcement from Radstock that Kids In Glass Houses had been pulled from the line up and that the festival would now be split across two shorter days, with only six bands appearing on each night. 

As there was only Funeral for a Friend that really held any pulling power for us on the Saturday night we decided to miss the Saturday show and just go for the Sunday.

I had seen all six of the bands on the bill before so I knew that we would be in for some good music but when we got there we found that it was in the small two tiered room and that each band would only be playing for half an hour each, with the exception of headliners Yashin who got 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of smoke and the lighting used in the small Academy room at Liverpool none of my photographs of the actual show are good enough to use, but I have included a few taken when I met some of the bands after the show.

Kicking off tonight were Bentley Park, from Manchester.  I saw these guys back in February when they supported White Clouds And Gunfire, and I wasn't over impressed with them, but tonight they did impress me.  Their performance seemed better rehearsed and a lot tighter than the last time I saw them.  If they continue the way they did tonight I think they will do well.

Next up were Verses, a band I saw supporting The Dangerous Summer last year.  I really enjoyed Verses the first time I saw them and I really enjoyed them again tonight.  Their music sounded great and they had a great presence on stage.  Although they are not a band I have paid too much attention to in the past, I am going to look see what material they have out there and invest in some.  These guys looked like they really enjoyed what they were doing which made us enjoy it more too.

Third band up are an old favourite of mine, Lostalone.  LostAlone used their Radstock set well by playing just the right amount of old songs to keep the fans happy ('Vesuvius', 'Creatures' and 'Do You Get What You Pray For') as well as showcasing a few songs from their new album 'Shapes Of Screams' which is released on April 6th, such as 'The Bells The Bells' and 'Scarlet Letter Rhymes'.  If the live songs are anything to go by then the new album will have been well worth waiting for.

Next up is another old favourite of mine, the Fearless Vampire Killers.  Kicking off with my favourite 'Bows Ties On Dead Guys', they got the girls (and boys) screaming and bouncing.  These guys really know how to put on a good show and never fail to disappoint.  Also taking the set as a good time to showcase new songs we were treated to 'Danger' from their album which will be out later in the year. Finishing with 'A War With The Thirst', they left the crowd on a real high.

Next were Canterbury.  I last saw these guys last April at the Deaf Institute in April and I will admit that they didn't really thrill me that night and I have to admit that of all the bands tonight these guys impressed me the least.  Don't get me wrong, they were good and had good melodies and lyrics, but they lacked a certain something.  Maybe if they had have been on the bill before LostAlone and Fearless Vampire Killers it may have been different but their less energetic set seemed a bit of an ante climax (although it did give us all a chance to recuperate before Yashin).

Last up were the Yashin, another band that never fails to impress.  Their blend of Kevin's screamo lyrics mixed with Harry's melodic singing are the perfect yin and yang.  These guys also treated us to some songs from their new album which is to be released later in the year as well as favourites such as 'Friends In High Places', 'Stand Up', 'Runaway Train' and 'New Year, New York'.  Yashin are a burst of energy and charisma, and whether Harry is climbing around the ledge that runs around the arches to the lower part of the room or hanging upside down from the lighting bar above the stage, there is never a dull moment when these guys are on the stage.

One thing that I love about the Radstock Festival is that the artists wander around the venue throughout the night and hang with fans or simply watch their friends perform. During the course of the show I got talk to Mark from LostAlone and found myself stood next to the lead singer of Canterbury at the bar.  After the show I got to chat to Alan Williamson from Lostalone, Drew, Kier and Laurence from FVK and Connor from the Yashin.

Radstock is a fangirl heaven and even though I wasn't a big fan of the change in the way it was presented over two days instead of one this year, I still had a brilliant time and would still go again next year.