Category Gig/Festival Reviews

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Tonight at the Garage was part of the HMV Next Big Thing event showcasing up and coming talents. Tonights bands are all signed to Spinefarm, and the bands have played with each other before, but judging by how well these bands are going down on their tours and the quality of the albums they’re putting out, this may be one of the last times you’ll see all three on the same bill. Despite the bands having a strong appeal to the ladies, the crowd tonight is fairly evenly split between men and women, showing that these bands are not relying on their youth and looks, but actually play damn good music.

The night opened with young Cambridge band, The Treatment. The smallest of the three bands at the moment, these guys are growing in popularity rapidly...

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Introduction:
V Festival is now in its 16th year and was the first UK festival to operate over two days and swap line-ups overnight. Artists who have performed include The Killers, Kylie, Foo Fighters, Blur, Oasis, Kings of Leon and Radiohead.
2011 saw another great range of acts, most notably for me Pendulum, Eminem, Chromeo, Gomez and (because a buddy plays bass) Example.

The site:
V is on a huge site in Essex, easy to access from London, tonnes of parking and camp sites a quick walk from the entrance. Food stalls were great, was really good to see quality healthy options in addition to the standard burger vans...

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Stämningen är på topp i Helsingborg.
Det kyliga vädret omvandlas till en het afton med pumpande adrenalin och en förväntansfull publik som tålmodigt står ut med den långa pausen efter att uppvärmarna i Bai Bang gjort sitt. Bai Bang fick inte alls med sig publiken och det var lätt att se vilka publiken var där för att se…

Efter en omtumlad start på den nya mini-turnén med rykheta albumet Yes Kids It´s True i ryggen som skulle inledas vid årsslutet, står dem äntligen på TheTivolis scen i Helsingborg. Hemmaplan för Von Benzo. Det är fullt hus och publiken är taggad för att få se sina lokala hjältar erövra rockhimmeln. Keyboardisten Richard Larsson höjer stämningen direkt när han försöker presentera bandet på knackig tyska...

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MOGG är tillbaka på metalscenen i Umeå

Rock –SM deltagarna från 1979 gör bejublad comeback i spanskan på Scharinska. Bandet har under många år avböjt alla erbjudanden till reunion. Bandet hade ambitioner med skickliga musiker och gjorde enligt mig riktigt bra metal. De slog igenom stort i början på 80-talet tillsammans med band som Gotham City och Witch. En norrlandsturné gav MOGG blodad tand och de siktade mot Stockholm. Med sångaren Jonny Lindkvist (nuvarande Nocturnal Rites) så hade de en gyllene pipa i förgrunden. Låtmaterialet var starkt men bandet var inte riktigt enade. De spelade in några singlar utan att slå igenom. Klimatet var dock tufft med band som Europe härjade i Sverige och så småningom världen...

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Det är stillsamt och inte så mycket folk på John Dee den här onsdagskvällen strax innan svenska Gadget från Gävle ska gå på men så fort de kör igång förändras stämningen att bättre matcha deras medryckande och skickligt framförda dödsgrind. Inledningsvis hör jag knappt några nyanser men det är konsekvent väl framfört likt en bulldozer i formel 1-tempo. Till ”Feed on Lies” har mina öron ställt in sig och jag uppfattar lite tempovariation och med synnerligen snygga ”Illusions of Peace” från 2006 års fullängdare ”The Funeral March” är jag helt med på noterna. Den tuffar på i gammal Napalm Death-stil och då blir jag förstås ytterligt förtjust...

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Tonights show was originally planned to be at the Shepherds Bush Empire but was changed to Islington Academy due to lower than expected sales. Judging by the packed shops near the venue I think the gig suffered by being just that bit too close to Christmas when everyone was desperately running round trying to get their last minute shopping done. It’s a shame as the bands deserved a bigger crowd, and those who didnt attend missed out on a great night.

First up was the support act, a singer/songwriter called Neil Thomas. He sang and accompanied himself with a guitar. His songs all sounded or felt like ballads even though one was actually about Hurricane Katrina...

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Tonight’s entertainment started with the support band, Serpentine. Many people saw them as an odd choice to support Amaranthe with most fans expecting a female fronted band, so it was going to be interesting to see how they’d go down with the fans on the night. By the time they came on stage the venue was already very busy.
For anyone who hasn’t come across Serpentine yet, they’re a British AOR band and are well worth a listen. Tonight they put on a great show that goes down well...

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Tonight’s show starts early – doors at 6pm, with Hell on stage at 6.45 (thanks to the venue having a club night after the gig there is an early curfew).

Tonight’s lineup is excellent – two top bands. Hell have hit the UK metal scene in a big way this year, particularly after opening the main stage at Bloodstock where they seriously impressed a lot of people and were considered the best band of the weekend by many fans. Their album ”Human remains” has also impressed a lot of people, so tonight as their only London gig on the year was a rare chance for fans to see the band perform.
Hell despite only appearing on many peoples radar this year, were around in the early 80’s before disbanding following the death of their singer...

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Day 01
So this was the first edition I attended to this festival which is also organised by SWR inc. the same organization that arranges and manages the Steel Warriors Rebellion Fest every April.
The Festival took place in an old cinema inside a Mall in the center of the city Braga (North of Portugal); there were two stages (as in SWR Fest), one called “+” for the most loud and extreme bands and the other called “-“ for things more melodic and doomish. The bar of the cinema was used for beverages and was a food stand was placed nearby (something that was missing in the last edition so I’ve heard), after the concert there was an after party with some Dj’s.
In terms of sound, I think was very decent and clear, since this was and old cinema there werent any kind of echos or bounc...

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A one. A two A Fuck You! -Lips

Kultförklarade kanadensiska Anvil öppnar överraskande och oväntat bara tio minuter efter att usla förbandet Crimes Of Passion slutat plåga oss. Belysningen hann inte ens dämpas inne på KB! Lips var så ivrig att komma igång. Den fullständigt galna Lips springer ivrigt rundor på scenen själv och kör lite solo, skriker i micken på gitarren och är helt överväldigad av att få spela inför de skånska fansen inne på KB.

När väl övriga medlemmar kommer in på scenen och kör igång så visar läder-piraten Robb Reiner på fantastiskt livligt trumspel. Basisten Glenn Five, medlem sedan femton år tillbaka är riktigt cool och ger djup till bandet...