The Ferret is making a very welcome habit of putting on the highest quality rock and metal gigs of late, bringing in a fascinating and eclectic mix of bands to their stage and invigorating the Preston scene at the same time. And tonight, is no exception, pulling off something of a coup hosting An Evening with These Wicked Rivers, for their first ever visit to the city.
Read MoreAs Blackpool basks in what is probably the last gasp of summer, it definitely feels like change is in the air. And if it’s hot outside, in the confines of the Waterloo the sell-out crowd are pushing the temperatures up to the level of a day trip to fifth circle of Hell.
To say there is a level of excitement and anticipation ahead of tonight’s show, would be a colossal understatement. Such is the loyalty and passion that A’Priori inspire, that many have travelled big distances to be here, from the furthest reaches of the country and even internationally to witness the launch of A’Priori’s new album “Voodoo Love”.
Read MoreIt’s a school night and the Kickin’ Valentina rock n’ roll circus rolls into Blackpool for an evening of rocket-fuelled, high energy sleaze n’ roll, and with the weekend just around the corner the crowd seem intent on starting it a day early. Kickin’ Valentina have forged a hard-won reputation for delivering no-nonsense electrifying live performances, this time around bringing along the effervescent The Midnight Devils, for what is set to be a double-bill of legendary proportions, and another entry into the annals of unforgettable nights at the Waterloo.
Read MoreGypsy’s Kiss hold a special place in the storied history of Iron Maiden, being one of Steve Harris’ earliest bands, and to see them on the same bill as the legendary Paul Di’Anno has to be a Maiden completists dream. Formed fifty years ago Gypsy’s Kiss returned to action six years ago after a decades long hiatus and what is immediately apparent is that the six -piece band certainly still have something to say and play with a verve and flair that belies a half century pedigree.
Read MoreVinyl Tap continues their fine run of bringing the best rock n roll, both international and home-grown to their small but perfectly formed venue in the heart of Preston. And tonight’s bill illustrates that perfectly, with the exquisite grooves of L.A’s The Mercury Riots sharing a stage with Cumbrian heroes, Heartbreak Remedy. And whilst the two may be thousands of miles apart geographically, musically they share a common DNA, a desire to deliver good time, life-affirming rock n roll, that lets you forget your problems and worries for a couple of hours, and leaves you with a grin on your face and a lighter spirit. And tonight, both bands proceed to do precisely that…
Read MoreTonight is ROCKFLESH’s fourth trip of the year to Preston’s Ferret, the recently saved venue seemingly undergoing a brilliant rock/metal renaissance, with a string of top genre bands already under their belt, with more lined up for the second half of 2024. Grabbing international bookings of the calibre of a band like Crypta is quite the coup for the grassroots venue, giving North West death metal devotees the chance to witness this stellar band up close and personal in a sweaty, raucous display performance of epic proportions, as well as cementing their position as the city’s most vibrant live scene.
Read MoreFresh from pulling double duties at the recent Call of the Wild festival, Loz Campbell tonight swaps the fields of Lincolnshire for the bracing seaside air of the Northwest coast. A firm fixture on the circuit over the last few years, Loz and her band have certainly been paying their dues and this constant touring seems to be paying off, as they tear through a strong set with both commitment and style.
Read MoreIt’s an unusual gig when, in many ways, what is said on stage is almost as important as the music that is played, but that’s very much the case with Toby Jepson’s show tonight. Billed as “My Life in Words”, this is a rare opportunity to sneak a peek behind the curtain of the rock n’ roll show, and hear first-hand what it’s really like, from someone who has lived the highs and the lows, and seen and experienced more than most.
Read MoreGorilla’s stage is packed. Not the venue - although there is a healthy crowd assembling to catch The Dusk Brothers set – but the stage itself. Sandwiched between When Rivers Meets drums and back line is what looks at first glance like a veritable junkyard but on closer inspection is actually the self-assembled and DIY instruments that are the band’s trademark. There are drum kits made out of repurposed oil drums, sheets of metal hanging from a frame as another percussive element, a bright red megaphone, even a theremin.
Read MoreThere’s a single mic stand centre stage.
Draped with a leopard print scarf, it’s a striking visual in its own right, but it also means that at a glance you immediately know what to expect from tonight’s first band, Continental Lovers. Like the best band you were too young to see back in the day, Continental Lovers appear to have been cryogenically frozen in a trash can in an alley at the back of CBGBs sometime in the seventies or eighties, only to be reanimated for the 21st century. Wearing their tattooed hearts on their decadently debonair sleeves, the band fire off a riotous salvo of beautifully barbed two-or three-minute glitter punk anthems.
Read More“We have such sights to show you”, said the monstrous Pinhead in the 1987 movie Hellraiser. And just like Pinhead, so too do South of Salem, roaring into Blackpool, and showing a breathlessly expectant capacity crowd, just why they are such an electrifying and seemingly unstoppable force of nature.
Read MoreThere seems to be something of a rock renaissance in the Preston live music scene with this the fourth gig ROCKFLESH has reviewed in the town in recent months. At the forefront of the charge is The Ferret, long a bastion for live music and until recently under threat of being lost, but now fighting back with a vengeance. And tonight, it plays host to a three-band bill encapsulating three very different branches of the rock family tree.
Read MoreBack in the Middle Ages, a Troubadour was someone who turned up in town, told stories, played music, instigated singalongs and entertained the people. Fast forward a few hundred years and things haven’t really changed that much, as tonight, in Preston’s Vinyl Tap, Spike proves he is probably the closest thing to a modern-day Troubadour that the 21st century has to offer.
Read MoreBlues rock, just like any musical sub-genre is a many headed beast, one where bands are often pigeonholed together into a single category for ease, often having little in common other than a shared musical DNA. And so it is with McHale’s Permanent Brew and Jared James Nichols. Whilst both are firmly rooted in the blues each has a very different approach and sound, and it is their contrasting interpretations of the form that make this evening’s gig so intriguing.
Read MoreThirty-five years is a long time in music…
Cast your minds back to the end of the eighties (if you can remember that far) and the musical landscape of the time was very different. Grunge was yet to come along and cause the sea change in the rock world whose ripples we are still feeling to this day, and nu-metal and the genre mutating new styles that would characterise the new century were still more than a decade away.
And it was at the tail end of that most glorious of decades that GUN released their debut album, the acclaimed “Taking on the World”, spawning the first of a run of chart bothering singles with ‘Better Days’, numerous Top of the Pops performances and increasingly successful tours.
Read MoreAt the start of last year, I’d never seen A’Priori play live; by the time twelve months had rolled around I had seen them numerous times, and they ended 2023 as the band I had seen the most during the year. And whether filling a support slot, appearing on a festival bill or headlining their own shows, the one thing that is blindingly clear, is that regardless of the venue or event, A’Priori are a ferociously entertaining and excitingly dynamic live proposition. Something they proved once again tonight.
Read MoreIt’s a rare hometown gig tonight as Ginger hits Preston’s The Ferret. Only the second gig reviewed by ROCKFLESH in the town in the last twelve months, with gigs on the horizon in the coming months from Fury, Spike and Acid Reign to name but a few, hopefully that trend is set to be reversed in 2024. And with a capacity of only a couple of hundred in The Ferret, the first Preston gig of the year promises to be an opportunity to witness one of the mainstays of the scene for over three decades, up close and personal.
Read MoreIt’s January, it’s cold, it’s miserable and the temptation is to just stay indoors and hibernate. So what better way to combat those mid-winter blues than with a three band sold out rock n’ roll show?
Openers Rubikon deal in a dense, throbbing, swampy sound that certainly makes an immediate impact. Somewhat constrained by the restricted stage areas, they make the absolute most of both the time and space afforded them.
Read MoreIt’s very busy early doors at the Waterloo, seemingly with much of tonight’s Sold-Out crowd having already claimed a premium spot long before openers, the unusually monikered This House We Built, have played a single note. I must confess to being unfamiliar with this Yorkshire four piece before tonight’s gig, so wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever those expectations might have been they would have been unexpectedly (and pleasantly) confounded by tonight’s performance.
Read MoreIt’s Friday night at the Waterloo and there’s a real buzz in the air for tonight’s co-headline show, that delicious electric anticipation you get before a night of rock n roll, this time round with a Southern edge.
Two of the most precious commodities in the rock world are credibility and authenticity. Ephemeral but vital, like trust they’re hard to gain and easily lost. Warner E Hodges has consistently had both across his entire career, whether it be with Jason & The Scorchers, Homemade Sin, The Bluefields (still in the top ten of all the gigs I’ve witnessed) or, as tonight, with his own band.
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