Event Reviews

Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – Games Room Weds 10th October 2018. Yew-haw! Rolling, into the small town of Burley, Leeds on their great white steel horse of a tour bus;  American rock n rollers Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts have brought along …

Jeez. Where do you start to capture in words just how momentous this Ross The Boss Band gig was at Eleven last night? It was to be the last leg of the UK tour before heading off to Spain today and a totally over the top set contained a few …

This gig proved that diamonds really are forever as veteran NWOBHM band Diamond Head delivered a gem of a set to a packed out Eleven in Stoke including super-fan Mike Lace from Macclesfield which made it his 260th gig by them! This was one of the biggest and loudest crowds …

Thursday night in the heart of Camden and the masses are descending to the Black Heart to see a long promised heavy metal concert and bang their heads with an early start for the weekend. The heavy metal ritual would commence at 8, with UK based Primitai on stage, promising …

Tonight’s opening act is Scottish blues rock band King King. They’re a great choice given the bluesy nature of recent Europe albums, and the fact that King King are a great live band. That fact was evident from the fact that the hardcore Europe fans who had been queuing outside …

Stonewire were first to play in the VIP sessions and it was a great start to the day – Sky has a great voice and the acoustic set showed off the gentler side of her vocals whereas the later main stage set showed off the power she’s got in her …

This was the first day of the first HRH Crows – Country Rock, Outlaw, Western & Southern Rock. Held in the O2 Academy in Sheffield there was a fairly diverse lineup to look forward to over the weekend. Before the main event started, there were two bands doing acoustic sets …

On only the second date of an extensive UK tour (following five European gigs) it looked like a baptism by fire for new Bigfoot lead vocalist Sean Seabrook but he made it look effortless with a confident delivery and stage persona point proven by set opener ‘Eat Your Words’ from …

For tonight’s album launch show, MaYaN have two suport acts. First up was Carthagods from Tunisia. Despite being Tunisian, they do have one familiar band member – Delain guitarist, Timo Somers. He’s played with them before for some live shows in Tunisia, but this is the first time the band …

An Evening in the Company of Mick Rossi The Peer Hat, Manchester: 18th August 2018 Following a UK Tour which included a show at Rebellion Punk Music Festival in Blackpool. Mick Rossi, guitarist from one of the most underrated bands ever (in my humble opinion) Slaughter and the Dogs (SATD) …

First up tonight was Stone trigger from Dublin. They’re a great fit for the tour with their sleaze/hard rock sound. Despite being on quite early there’s already a good sized crowd before they start, and It got busier and busier as their set went on. It’s a sign of how …

The autumn gig season of 2018 has already started and after a while, the NWOBHM fathers of Thrash Raven came for a show, on a Wednesday afternoon in north London. Support bands for them are the Thrash metallers from San Fransisco Hatchet and the punk-Motorhead-metallers Heavy Sentence. The Boston Music …

Final Rockwich 2018  day and somehow event organisers Mik Matzen and Colesia Price have managed to squeeze thirteen bands into twelve hours! First up was Quiet The Thief at the hangover worrying midday slot and no quarter was given as they dished up a heavy dollop of gritty heavy rock …

Another year and another fantastic Rockwich Festival returns courtesy of Prometheus Promotions! Two days of fantastic music starting with the Saturday night of acoustic soiree before the full on main event the next day. Local covers band Baxter made up of the very talented Paul Senior and Hayley Strangelove (but …

Sunday is always a sad day when it’s the last day of Bloodstock so it was the final journey from our hotel in Tamworth (getting too old to sleep on the ground now) to just catch the start of the rain and opening Ronnie James Dio Stage band Monument. Fronted …

As the kids TV programme TISWAS used to say, Today Is Saturday Watch And Smile and with another packed day ahead at Bloodstock Open Air Festival, there was loads to smile about! First up was The Brood laying waste to a full New Blood Stage with some full on grind. …

My annual deja vu quote of “Another year, another Bloodstock Open Air Festival” returns and 2018 saw a wealth of talent spread along four stages in the beautiful location of Catton Hall. First band up at the eye rubbingly time of 10.30am on the New Blood Stage were Dumfries based …

Arriving at Bloodstock feels like coming home. I’ve been coming here for years (this is my tenth Bloodstock), and while the bands are the advertised attraction, it’s also about meeting up with friends that you havent seen for a while (often since the last Bloodstock). Even before the bands start, …

Tonight I headed out to The Picturedrome in Holmfirth as The Dead Daisies brought their Summer Tour 2018 to Yorkshire. The Dead Daisies aren’t actually a group, as such, but a collective of musicians assembled, only five years ago, by David Lowy and Jon Stevens. The Antipodean Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller? As …

Iron Maiden’s Legacy of the beast tour reached Birmingham tonight. It’s fair to say fans were excited and ready to party with the bars nearby all full of Iron Maiden fans for hours before the doors opened with some bars running out of Trooper. The ticketless entry seemed to work …