Today’s a day of celebration, to raise a glass and salute the launch of Juliet’s Not Dead new album “This World is Ours”, and to get the party started the headliners have brought along two very different support bands. 

First to take to the stage are a young five-piece To Nowhere, who deliver a short sharp shock of a set for a Sunday afternoon, albeit in a good way. Their modern alt-rock sound pulls in a myriad of influences; there’s chainsaw riffing, a huge bass sound, a bit of grunge here, but they pull it all together in a way that works well.  Many of the songs from their set are culled from their “Violent Kicks and Dirty Sounds” E.P, which is a pretty good summation of what this young band sound like, although having said that, it belies the fact that there are plenty of melodic and more introspective moments in their performance. 

Vocalist Robbie Crown has a manic, feverish energy, fizzing and screaming one moment, wide-eyed and dreamy the next.  And it’s these contrasts in both their song writing and live presentation that makes them so interesting.  Elsewhere, Fodden on bass, attired in tartan bondage trousers and cut-off denim is a striking figure putting in a big compelling performance, whilst at the back drummer Connor Franklin seems to be channelling his inner Tommy Aldridge (although he may actually be too young to get that reference), all big hair and bare chest, forcibly attacking his drum skins with a vengeance.  To Nowhere show a different side of the rock scene, like the upstart younger brother coming along and taking what’s come before and redoing it in a more refreshing, challenging way.  It’s a bold and unexpected start to the day, and is all the better for it. 

The Broken Ravens have made a heroic trek to be in Blackpool and their music is as epic as their journey.  Hailing from far-away Stornoway, the band rip through a harder more traditional metal set hitting with a brutal intent that forces everyone to perk their ears up and pay attention. 

Dispensing tunes that are seemingly hewn out of the bedrock of metal, The Broken Ravens are uncompromising and imposing. Dealing with bigger, darker themes they conjure an over-powering atmosphere, driven by massive riffs and the meanest of grooves. Latest single ‘Death Findeth All’ epitomises their approach, it’s moody, swirling and relentless, with frontman Gordon Smith showing off the sort of hugely impressive vocals that are absolutely needed to do songs of this magnitude justice. 

There’s a brutal beauty in their sound that also allows for the heaviest of melodies within the full throttle wall of sound. Kevin Clark meanwhile is an absolute behemoth behind the kit, barely able to contain his aggression and attack, rising from his drum stool to hammer out huge fill after fill, with such force that you worry there won’t actually be a kit left for the headliners. 

The Broken Ravens massively impress in the short set they have allotted to them, and are definitely ones to look out for if you have a taste for the heavier end of the spectrum.  It would be fascinating to see what they could do given a full headline set and ROCKFLESH looks forward to hopefully seeing them do just that sometime very soon… 

Juliet’s Not Dead (or at least half of them) need very little introduction. Singer and guitarist Stevie Stoker and drummer Jack Corbett are familiar faces but now with bass player Niall Whittaker and guitar slinger Dan King in tow, they seem to be in the position to take that next step upward and establish Juliet’s Not Dead as a forceful and vibrant force on the scene.  

You can’t help but fall for Stevie’s charm and easy-going rapport with the crowd.  Whilst with some frontmen it feels like an act, with Stevie it never does. He’s completely natural in the rock n’ roll environment, like he’s exactly where the universe needs him to be. It’s remarkable that for a relatively new band with only a limited number of shows under their belt, that the band are so tight and locked in, the new material, already sounding solid and accomplished. 

Playing the new album (and first under the Juliet’s Not Dead moniker) in its entirety, it’s evident that this is as fine a collection of modern rock music that you could wish for. ‘Sinner or Saint?’ is an empathic opener, to both the album and the show, Stevie’s voice sounding better than ever.  He has a wonderfully rich tone that is equally at ease blasting out one of the heavier, rockier numbers or hitting the impassioned beats of more intense, introspective songs like ‘Passing Ships’. His delivery lets the songs breathe and allows the crowd to appreciate and engage with the eloquent lyrics, connecting with the sentiment behind them.   

It’s this variety of light and shade, reflected in the album tracks and their sequencing, that showcases the strength of material and band alike. ‘Battle Scarred’ is a heart-felt masterpiece, whether it be the more muscular version in the main set, or the acoustic version performed earlier, that shows even more emotional heft and depth. But Juliet’s Not Dead also never forget that they are a rock band first and foremost.  They show off their rock n’ roll chops with the punchy ‘Last One Standing' and the buzzsaw of ‘King & Queen’ that allows Dan King to let rip and show off his laser-sharp six string skills. 

One thing that is clear from tonight’s showcase of the new album is that this is a whole new band, reinvigorated and taking their craft to a new level, not only in terms of performance but, songwriting and production too. Video screens in speaker cabs of the backline add a visual component, music videos and images synced to the band’s playing adding something quite unique, at least at grass-roots level, that elevates and delivers on the show part of a rock n’ roll show.  And it’s this attention to detail, ambition and professionalism that makes Juliet’s Not Dead so compelling live.   

The album cover for “This World is Ours” may show a fiery planet bound in chains, but for Juliet’s Not Dead it feels like the planets are actually aligning, with the band on an upward trajectory that sees their star in its ascendancy.  They end the set with a couple of songs from their previous incarnation, one of which stands out, not only for its welcome inclusion but also its prescient lyrics.  They may be (according to the song title) our ‘Favourite Underdogs’ but they surely won’t be for long.  The lyrics say “We’re not done, we’ve just begun” and that feels exactly the case for Juliet’s Not Dead, that the best is still to come; they know they’ve produced a career best album, they know how good they are live, they just need the rest of the world to catch up and get on board, as it’s going to be one hell of a ride… 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Juliet’s Not Dead + The Broken Ravens + To Nowhere