Event Reviews

Festival organizer Martin Short has a change of name for his annual festival and venue for 2019 so the Badass Bash now became Rockforce Festival and it was certainly a force to be reckoned with as 16 bands, all playing for free shook the rafters of the Waterloo Music Bar …

On previous headline shows, Battle Beast have either played the Underworld, or Borderline, so tonight’s show at the Dome is a definite step up. For the band it’s got a much better stage and lighting, and it’s a good venue for fans as it’s got plenty of space and everyone …

The last time Samantha Fish played Milton Keynes it was two years ago and it was a great night. People clearly remembered how good she is as tonight’s show is sold out. By the time the support act, Curse of Lono were due on, the place was completely full – …

In it’s makeshift home of Presthaven Sands in Prestatyn, North Wales, Hammerfest has excelled yet again in delivering another stomper of a three day festival. The line-up alone was one of the tastiest I’ve seen. Having the likes of Overkill, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Paradise Lost performing on a caravan …

Ten years ago Joe Bonamassa played the Royal Albert Hall for the first time and it clearly made a big impression on him as rather than playing a single night at a bigger venue such as the O2 arena or Wembley arena, he’s chosen to play three nights at the …

Tonight’s show was an early start – 7.30pm on stage. That’s not so the band can have an early finish but because they play long sets – almost three and a half hours tonight. That’s a pretty impressive set length and is typical of Tobias Sammet’s whole approach to Avantasia …

First up tonight were Swiss band Appearance of Nothing. Due to train delays I arrived part of the way through their set. It’s good Prog metal with some great guitar riffs. Toward the end of their set they were joined on stage by Celar Darling’s Anna Murphy who added her …

If Saturday night’s alright for fighting then surely Friday nights are alright for obeying as Stoke based metallers Obey unleashed their seismic new studio album Swallow The Sun at the well attended Underground in Stoke. A four band bill saw openers The Secret Elephant and Banzai Pipeline bring the noise …

Tonight’s midweek gig featured two great female blues artists – Erja Lyytinen and Chantel McGregor. Both acts were down to play the same length set so it’s more a double-headline show than a normal headline and support show. It’s the only show the two artists are doing together – the …

Tonight saw me visiting a venue I’ve not been to before, the House of vans, which turns out to be in an arch under the railway a minutes walk from Waterloo station. The band that brought me here is Australian rock band The Lazys. I’d checked them out on Youtube …

So the dreaded last day of a fantastic 3 days at Grimm Up North Festival 2019 comes far too soon as first band of the day Sellsword proved to be one of my most enjoyable sets of the weekend as the York based lunatics hammered out just four songs due …

Here we go again as a similar song once said. Curious weather in Bury before the first full day of Grimm Up North 2019 as we had rain, hail, snow and sunshine within an hour so that was a sign of a metal storm to come and it did with …

Chester’s Deaf Centre, which sits next door to the iconic Telford’s Warehouse, by way of Restless Bear Promotions, has become an up and coming venue for the popular underground scene. Tonight, it’s punk duo Crapsons opportunity to shine as they make their Chester debut. This was my first visit to …

Since the sheer delight of the first Grimm Up North Festival in 2017 we have had to wait just over a year for the sequel and what a weekend it was! 23 bands over 3 days giving their all to a room full of metal heads to say a big …

Tonight’s gig was one I did not want to miss – not only are King King a great live band, but this tour is the final one with the band’s original bass player, Lindsay Coulson who has sadly decided to step down as the band’s growing popularity demands being away …