Opinion

Things didn’t get off to a great start tonight as the auditorium doors remained closed even a few minutes before the scheduled start time of 8pm. Finally an announcement was made – tonight’s support act, The Rainbreakers, would not be playing. That was a disappointment, but on the plus side, …

In contrast to Jonny Lang’s last visit to the Empire, this was a more sedate affair with floor seating rather than the standing he had on his last visit, which creates a noticeably different atmosphere. I prefer standing myself for blues rock gigs like this and given that we could …

When I arrived at the venue for tonight’s gig things didn’t look good. With just 20 minutes before Toseland were due on stage the venue was almost empty. Happily in the last ten minutes before they came on, the place quickly started to fill up, and by the end of …

Tonight’s Helloween gig was due to be something special. It’s part of their Pumpkins reunited tour which sees the current Helloween lineup joined by former members Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske. For many fans this was their first chance to see Helloween with these two members. There was certainly a …

First up tonight was Hanowar. As the name suggests, they’re a Manowar tribute act. Sadly they were a bit of a disaster. They did explain that they were short of one member that night and said “he’s the one with the talent”, and presumably they weren’t joking. They started the …

THE EMERGENCY PLEASE have just released their breathtaking new EP, Remember You. We had the guys in for a catch-up……   What is the full band line-up, who plays what? Karan Master – Vocals & Guitar, Jono Powell – Bass & Backing Vocals, Sam Garnett – Drums.   How and …

 Social media and sexual harassment Written by Natalie Conway Today, something happened to me on Facebook that is a far too common an occurrence for women on social media. Being a music publicist, having unsolicited messages sent to me is quite a common thing. I don’t mind at all and …

Tonight’s gig is sold out, and fans are there early – as I arrived the queue stretched off way into the distance, and it’s no surprise. Delain are growing in popularity and have steadily moved up to bigger venues, and after selling out Koko twice recently I think it’s likely …

First up were Die kur. When I’ve seen The Birthday Massacre before I’ve thought that some of their support bands were chosen for being weird rather than great musically and that’s the impression I get from Die Kur straight away. As their set goes on they get worse. Part of …

This Friday, SALTLAKE release their stunning new EP, Medicate Me. We had the boys down for a chat:   What is the full band line-up, who plays what? The line-up consists of Henry Gottelier (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Liam Quinn (Bass Guitar) and John Godly (Drums) .   How and when did the band form? …

Tonight was the first of two London shows as part of the Fireball tour. Sponsored by Fireball, they had people handing out free shots to the audience, which certainly went down well – free booze vs O2 academy bar prices is always a winner. It’s a packed bill with 5 …

Just before the SCARLETINAS headed off on tour, we had a talk to the alt-rockers about their beginnings and more….   First off, who’s in the band? Marc Hayward – Vocals/Guitar, Dan Williams – Vocals/Guitar, Jim Portas – Drums, and Billy Burgess – Bass.   How and when did the band …

Ahead of their headline show at the Road House in Evesham, Planet Mosh caught up with the brothers Hampson from one of the best bands around at the moment Sinnergod. In their tour van we discovered what they think of the band name, what new releases are coming our way from …

I caught up with American Head Charge shortly before they played the Craufurd arms in MIlton Keynes as part of their UK/European tour.  

The night started with Sons of Texas. Taking to the stage quite early on at 7.30, the venue was only half full but it did fill up steadily during their set. The Texas based band played material from their 2015 debut album (Baptised in the Rio Grande) and their new …

Gypsy Heart were unexpectedly good, singer Heather has a good, gutsy rock voice with a hint of knocking on the door of Lzzy Hale. The songs ‘Vultures’ and ‘I Don’t Know You’ the latter of which was written with Inglorious’ guitarist Andreas, show the contrast in their song writing and …

Interview with Brit easycore combo FORTIFY:   What is the full band lineup, who plays what?   Anna Louise – Lead Signer, Kieran McLoughlin Spink – Lead/Rhythm Guitar, Charlie Fallows – Lead/Rhythm Guitar, Billy Byford – Bass Guitar, Jamie Smith (JD) – Drums.     How and when did the …

UK Rockers SCREAM SERENITY have been making waves for the past few years. The rising rock crew release ‘Eye Of The Storm’ on 1st December, before then we sat down for a talk…….   What is the full band lineup, who plays what?   Jordan Fennell – Guitar/Vocals, Ian Messenger …

After selling out shows in Dublin and Belfast back in June, such was the demand for tickets from local rockers, Alter Bridge returned to Belfast on Sunday night to play a welcome second show as part of The Last Hero Tour.     In contrast, it was opening act As …

UK crossover crew MID REFLECTION arrive with their debut EP ‘Outcast’, on Friday 24th November. We had the boys over for a chat…..   What is the full band line-up, who plays what? We have Matt aka 2T’Z on vocals, Martin on guitars, Nate on the bass, and Dave on drums. How …