Gig Reviews

The Dorset seaside town of Bournemouth has a reputation for old folks retiring to see out their doting years. One area, Boscombe, has been infamous for its population of drunks and drugged-up lunatics. The latter is the perfect backdrop for a gig by former Jackass star Bam Margera's vanity project Fuckface Unstoppable. This bizarre prospect was popular enough to be upgraded to a venue more than double the original size. But would  it prove to be shit-faced unwatchable? 

The night kicked off with local hopefuls Pump Action Radio, whose style is  catchy pop punk with added heavy bass. A strong American influence was clear (think New Found Glory, etc) but with infectious  choruses reminiscent of...

Prague is a city unlike many others. A remnant of pre-WWII Europe and thus an architectural goldmine of medieval and renaissance splendour, rich in religious symbolism and pertaining to a history of alchemy and spiritual experimentation. From it’s famous Charles Bridge through to the astronomical clock of Old Town Square, the castle and it’s great St. Vitus cathedral, the city, one of ghosts and folklore, proves after considering it’s cheap ale prices and abundance of archaic drinking holes something of a perfect host for a festival such as Prague Death Mass, returning once again in 2013 for it’s second installation. 

What instantly strikes the attendee when considering the line-up of...

Arriving at the Garage in North London just in time for doors and for once there was no massive queue spiralling down the road.  Was I late, had door times moved?  Upon entering the building it became obvious door times were correct but one of the hottest days of the year was keeping the public outside in the parks nearby and out of the furnace that was the Garage.  Adding to that the Northern Line being closed for the weekend put a spanner in the works for anyone travelling from further South in London. 

New York's Mirror Queen were already on stage playing to around 20 brave, dedicated or heat resistant punters. 2 songs of shooting them was enough for me as the stage lights in the pit meant I came out dripping with sweat pouring from everywhere.  It gave me more respect for the musicians on stage who must have been baking.  This isn't the first...

Outside, the sun may be busy flaring through its cloudy cover, but under the streets of London, The Secret are indignantly raining down their own particular brand of misery. Beastly at the best of times, the Italian’s acrimony can only have been amplified by events over the past twenty four hours. During which, events have seen them break their van, have their car stolen and suffer the unenviable fortune of losing a Celtic Frost shirt.

So it’s no surprise to see them grinding out their vitriol with added vehemence. Unfortunately, the torrents of filth fall upon the heads of a crowd that’s apparently too hip to move. It’s as if they’re choked into...

An army of coffin dodgers took over London's O2 Arena on a balmy Monday evening. Neil Young and Crazy Horse were playing the main venue while across the building a different kind of craziness took over Indigo once again. Metal Hammer magazine's traditional post-Download shindig was the biggest Golden Gods yet. Larger than life in lots of ways!

The punters had to wait patiently as an array of rock star types rolled along the red carpet. Local rascals The Defiled fell over themselves literally...

As I walked around the corner to the venue, the litter strewn across Brighton’s streets making it look quite post apocolyptic, courtesy of the local binman strike. Inside I was greeted by a mixture of faces, young and old, both looking forward to a night of good old fashioned Thrash Metal.

I made my way upstairs and entered the venue's function room where maybe 30 bodies were already chatting and drinking. The fans mounted on the wall were doing little to reduce rising heat in the room on the hottest day of the year so far.

Crypsis casually took to the stage and...

Many tours don't make it to Brighton so I normally have to trek up to London rather than across the coast but fortunately Brighton has recently seen a slew of heavier gigs being put on by Advance Promotions.  Last Tuesday night played host to Suffocation and Cephalic Carnage along with Havok and Fallujah.  Fulltime job commitments and a seriously early door time of 6pm meant I didn't manage to get there until Havok were finishing their set. What I did manage to catch was the last song and a half and witness the vast majority of the venue head banging away to some seriously decent sounding...

Owing to a flat tyre I arrived at this gig just in time to hear the very last chord of Crypt Lurker’s set. Walking into a fifty strong crowd who were obviously well satisfied with the set they had just seen. After speaking to several it seemed that Crypt Lurker had just pulled off their best set to date. I’m genuinely gutted to have missed it.

Next up and the first act playing were Manchester based Wode. They were according to their tumblr site formed in 2010 and play Atmospheric Black metal/crust. I’d not heard of them before so Wode were an unknown commodity and when they...

Irish upstarts Visceral Attack are already laying siege to The Underworld as we arrive, and doing a damn fine job by the sounds of it. An energetic shot of thrash/punk that ends far too soon for my liking. It’s been a few years since the plucky five-piece last trod English soil. Don’t be strangers.

This feel-good factor is swiftly shat upon, with crust-fucks Bastard Hammer here to ruin your day. Reduced to a three piece on the night, the band lose nothing in battering ram intensity. The primitive crusty groove of songs like...

Swans took to the stage whilst country music was still blaring out of the PA system.  4 unassuming middle age gentlemen stepped forward and picked up their stringed instruments as 2 younger drummers took their seats hidden behind a wall of kit.  Tubular bells, mounted raised floor toms, giant gongs, they had it all.  Following a quick tune up they started playing whilst the PA was still going, but it was quickly turned off and "To Be Kind" gave Brighton it's first glimpse of Gira and co.  This new song is yet to be put down and released as a studio version, and starts with a minimal feedback loop...