Later on this evening, Baz Mills from Massive Wagons makes a very profound statement about a time when he was lucky enough to meet the late great Lemmy. “Lemmy told me there are only two types of music” he said, “music you like and music you don’t like”. As I review my notes from The Virginmarys set tonight, I reflect that this is true and that The Virginmarys are unfortunately very much in the second section for me. There are only two of them, one providing guitars and vocals and the other doing a very energetic and entertaining turn on the drums
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We start tonight with Tarah Who? They are punky, indie kids with female vocals and a bass player with lovely hair. There's lots of movement and energy but not a huge amount of power in her voice and I find them a little bit uninspiring. I'm not really seeing anything new here and nothing really grips me - they weren't bad but they weren't brilliant either.
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The crowd is a bit thin when Warrington lass Kim Jennett hits the stage, but she doesn’t let that bother her. Despite her tiny stature she can really belt out a tune. Not only that, she uses her body to illustrate the songs as well, making her point with full movement that verges on being theatre at times. She’s supported tonight by guitarist Tyler Kent who is set to be a member of the new Kim Jennett Band that she has just put together. Tyler is quieter, sitting calmly on his chair, smiling at Kim’s antics and letting his fingers do the talking on his fretboard.
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I’m not sure how or why this keeps happening but here I am again. ROCKFLESH’s glam queen is dipping another toe into the world of metalcore – grammy nominated metalcore no less tonight! Three bands with a similar sound but quite a different approach to it tonight, should be interesting.
First up, much to my surprise (and a little disappointment) were Finland’s Blind Channel, Eurovision hopefuls and boyband on steroids. They have all the energy and bounce of a basket of wriggly puppies, and I love the dual vocals that meld both harmonies and growling.
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We open proceedings tonight with The Razor, a competent local covers band who rip through some rock classics and warm the place up nicely.
Next up are a group no doubt inspired by tonight’s headliner. Blue Ruin are a female quartet who play up-tempo, bouncy pop punk. They introduce themselves and as 2 of them are from New Zealand, one from Italy and one from Bristol I can’t help wondering how the hell they rehearse? Anyhow that’s bye-the-bye.
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Atreyu start the evening with a total contradiction in terms, some clean melodic metalcore. Even so this is pretty outside my musical comfort zone and despite the band having been around for 25 years I am unfamiliar with their style & output. I miss the first song due to traffic so walk in during ‘Save Us’, which is a brutal slice of hardcore rock but with a catchy chorus. I also have some beard envy when I see the bass player!
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Due to circumstances beyond my control, I miss most of Cemetery Sun. They are a four-piece band from Sacramento, and from the queue outside the Academy, they sound OK. There’s melody, a decent beat, and they’re not too shouty. I make it in just in time to catch the last song and find them doing some typical noughties rap-metal, very obviously inspired by Linkin Park and their ilk. It’s bouncy and the crowd are enjoying it and bouncing with them so I’m sad that I saw so little of it. Hopefully, I will catch them again at some point.
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Autonym are a new band to me, and turn out to be genial north-easterners with a slightly off-key indie rock vibe. They're not bad, they play original songs but with a heavy Nirvana influence. It comes across in the dirty groove and the vocals, they definitely have that early 90s grunge feel about them. I do note that the drummer is really good though, and wonder if maybe in 20 years time he'll be a multi-millionaire front man too?
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Little do I know as I wander into the always welcoming arms of the Tiv that tonight is going to be a night full of surprises! We start off with Dea Matrona, who are two young lasses from Belfast who came to fame via youtube. Apparently they busk on the streets of their home city, film it, and have amassed over seven million views in the last couple of years. Not bad going! Tonight they also bring a drummer and come on playing bouncy blues. OK, that's not a bad start, accessible and hummable.
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We’re in the little Academy tonight, which is not the best venue when you’re short and it’s (pleasingly) full. So tonight’s review will mostly consist of notes on what I heard rather than saw, as a description of the top of the band’s head is never very exciting.
There should have been a full band set by Scarlet Rebels, but unfortunately due to an unspecified emergency within the band it turns out that only singer Wayne Doyle is available. Well, drummer Gary is here too, manning the merch and apparently feeling very frustrated.
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After last night’s nostalgia-fest here at the Tiv, tonight I am viewing two of the stalwarts of the modern British rock movement.
The Howling Tides start tonight with some rather smashing slide guitar and a bluesy accompanying vocal. I would describe them as modern retro -they have that 70s feel but with a modern twist and they mix it up well. There’s plenty of melody but also with that heavy bass sound and beat.
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Tonight is set to be a night of nostalgia down at the Tivoli. Three bands that I remember from many years back who are still going in one form or another, I’m hoping for an evening that takes me back to my teenage years in the early 80s. The thing is, can these three veterans of the scene deliver?
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I have a feeling in the back of my mind that I've seen Control The Storm before, I remember a female singer but I can't remember when or where it was so I can’t remember being particularly impressed by them. However I may have done them a disservice with this memory because when they come on they are very good. They play melodic power metal and they do it really well.
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The weather this weekend is pants. It’s cold and windy, there’s still snow on the ground and I am still full of the lurgy kindly donated to me by Gun the other week. But. There’s a party to go to so I pull on the dancing trousers and head up the M6. First of all, things aren’t looking good – the show was due to be at the Alhambra but due to the aforementioned weather there was a burst pipe and a LOT of water there, so the lovely ladies from RPM made some frantic phone calls and managed to source and prepare Johnny’s shed at literally the last minute.
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I have a strange relationship with Gin Annie. I absolutely love them, but because they don’t play locally to me that often I tend to forget how much. You know how it is, other good bands come on your radar in the meantime and you’re like “oh yeah, Gin Annie, they’re OK, I’ll bob along in time to watch them” and then when you get there BAM they smack you between the eyes and knock you over. Again. Every bloody time.
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Bit of an odd week this one. Three consecutive acoustic gigs, by three artists who are both the same as each other yet also very much different to each other. Rather than individual reviews I thought it might be fun to do a compare and contrast. Let’s start with the similarities first. All three started their careers in the 80s, peaked in the 90s and are still working (both with and without other band members) to this day. All three have terrific vocal skills. All three have a lifetime of stories to tell.
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Small correction to that third name actually, as tonight the banner on stage tells us we are watching Dan Byrne featuring… well let me explain… Last year we saw Myke Gray (Skin, Jagged Edge) make something of a comeback in what was meant to be his final year of touring. Dan Byrne helped him out alongside his day job in Revival Black, and was very much a bit player (albeit a good one!) in Myke’s show. Now we have reached the stage where Dan has left Revival Black to embark on a solo career, and this run of shows with Kira Mac were going to be a toes-in-the-water time for him as a solo artist.
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Openers King Nun have little on Spotify with their 2019 release “Mass” and are a little unknown quantity until they hit the stage. I later find out that they have another album in the pipeline that is due for release early in the new year so yeah, if their grunge-tinged post-punk cacophony appeals to you, you may want to check them out.
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A word about the venue first as this is the first time I’ve been there. It’s a bit of a trek along the A55 to Llandudno on a week night, but very worth it when you get there. The venue is on the edge of a little industrial estate and there’s plenty of on-road parking nearby. You enter on the ground floor and pass a small collection of classic cars and motorbikes, then up some stairs and here we are. There’s a big lounge (with lots of comfy sofas for the Grumpy One) and then the live room with stage at one end and bar at the back.
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Chris Catalyst, recently outed as one of the ghouls from Ghost’s 2022 tour, opens up tonight. Essentially it’s just Chris, his guitar and some bad dad jokes and although I like Chris and his work I can’t help wondering how he got the gig. Stay tuned, all is revealed later! The songs are from his solo output and his main band Eureka Machines but because it’s so raw they are barely recognisable.
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