Event Reviews

Time is relative.  For some, it passes slowly and as inexorably as the tides lap against a shore.  For others, it speeds past like a bullet from a gun, bearing down on its inevitable end.  For Northern Ireland’s hardest working hard rockers, The Answer, the past decade has been something …

Much had been made in Belfast on local rock chatter and social media of the 25 odd years it had been since Magnum had last visited the city, but the night had rolled round quickly since they announced the date and a capacity crowd at the Limelight ensured it was …

Birdwell Venue is a former Working Mans Club on the outskirts of Barnsley South Yorkshire with good transport links, situated just off the M1, it’s easy to find and a has large car park. It’s a reasonable sized venue with a capacity of 350 seated, possibly more if the seats …

Tonight at the Forum was Gov’t Mule.  As usual there is no support act – Gov’t Mule prefer to play without support and do two sets.  Since both sets each last around an hour then fans get over two hours of music from Gov’t Mule, which is excellent value and …

It must be admitted that the focus of attention on the beer bus en route from Belfast to the depths of the Antrim hills was not on the music which awaited its passengers at the other end, but rather on the small matter of the outcome of a certain football …

Having seen Magnum more times than I care to remember, they never fail to hit the spot, and for tonight’s gig at, The Holmfirth Picturedrome, the crowd are packed in like sardines, the place is rammed, Magnum are back, stronger than ever, no doubt helped by Magnum’s latest and nineteenth …

Dan Reed and Danny Vaughn are both pretty much household names in the rock community and had been ships passing in the night in performance terms until a couple of years ago. They knew of each other, they had met, but they weren’t friends and they hadn’t played together. This …

Tonight’s show was the final date on The Treatment’s UK tour.  Supporting them tonight are The Amorettes, the Scottish trio who have been the support for the whole tour, and Airrace, playing a very rare show. First up were Airrace, a melodic rock band that released a couple of albums …

I’d been looking forward to tonight’s gig as it was my first time seeing Danish band D-A-D – or to give them the name they had before the Disney  lawyers persuaded them of the error of their ways, Disneyland After Dark.  The last few times they’ve played the UK their …

Saturday marked the second day of the already brilliant Desertfest 2016. With beers flowing, and more punters in attendance than the day before, the Saturday lineup proved to be the more eclectic mix of the weekend. First in line on Saturday were Yorkshire’s BongCauldron [9]. Sounding like the bastard spawn …

On Friday 29th April, stoner and doom fans from all stretches of the country descended on Camden, London, for the 5th installment of touring festival Desertfest. Several venues will be used over this 3-day event: The Black Heart, Underworld, Electric Ballroom and The Devonshire Arms, with Koko being used on the Sunday …

Sunday dawned sunny but cold as we all trooped back up the hill for the second day of this fine little festival. The Spangle Corps kicked things off, a young band playing in a sort of punk/rap/rock crossover style. There was a lot of energy and jumping up and down, …

Now into its  fifth year the Noize Level Critical Festival has undergone a change of name to “Rockin For The Children”; this is due to organiser David Tonge (aka Big D from the Noize Level Critical radio show) adding a second very worthy charity to raise awareness and funds for. …

The island of Ireland holds a special place in the collective hearts of the members of Corrosion Of Conformity.  Although the classic line up of Pepper Keenan, Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin had got their act back together a few months previously, and played their first live show …

When event organisers Prometheus Promotions told me a few months ago that they were planning an evening of NWOBHM not far from me in Northwich, to say I was over the moon is an understatement as this genre of heavy metal has been in my blood since its formation. When …

The gig kicked off with a slight hiccup as the Butcher Babies and Sumo Cyco were heading to Southampton from Birmingham leading them to travel through London whilst the marathon was in full swing.  Thankfully the guys and girl of Guilty as Charged were there to save the day and …

On Saturday night, Dublin’s metal scene was rocked to its core. With almost 300 fans in attendance, the atmosphere was one full of support, camaraderie and wanton abandon. Vying for the last two places in the Metal 2 The Masses Ireland Final, the 6 bands knew that this semi was …

In an era when the music business eats ‘em up and spits them out, over 50 years in the rock’n’roll business is a remarkable achievement. His renaissance as an integral part of The Zombies has been well documented but what Blunstone proved to a packed house is that his solo …

The opening act on this leg of the tour are British band I.C.O.N – tonight being their last show with Udo.  I’ve seen them live a few times over the past five years.  A genuinely nice bunch of guys who play some great metal music.  It’s a great set from …

Tonight’s co-headline gig sees both bands getting good length sets.  First up are Pagan metal band, Moonsorrow.  They’ve got a dark, heavy, pagan sound that borders on black metal.  A glance at the setlist shows just 8 songs, so you might think that it was a short set, but nothing …