Live Review : Earthtone9 + Sugar Horse @ Academy 3, Manchester on September 20th 2025

There are albums that are born out of time. Records that are created in one era but steadfastly belong in another time period. Recordings that feel as if they have fallen through a hole in the space-time continuum. Earthtone9’s seminal third offering “Arc Tan Gent” is one such effort. Unveiled in 2000, it was birthed into a world where metal was back but was obsessed with “Nookie”, papercuts and smashing a baseball bat against a steel drum. “Arc Tan Gent” was slight, cerebral and highly intelligent. It married metal, prog and hardcore into an unholy trinity of sound that resonated righteous anger but was thoughtful about its disdain.

Live Review : The New Roses + The Mercury Riots @ The Tivoli, Buckey on September 19th 2025

Some things just seem to go together naturally. Strawberries and cream. Tea and cake. Rum and coke. You get the idea. Well, whoever came up with tonight’s pairing for a rock tour is a genius because The New Roses and The Mercury Riots also work pretty well together. Both play good classic rock music with singalong choruses and a happy, uplifting vibe. Both are lovely guys who don’t leave the building until every single person has had something signed, or a photo, or just a chat. Both seem to be thriving on this tour and pulling decent crowds into iconic venues such as the Tiv.

Live Review : Portal + Impetuous Ritual + Abduction @ Rebellion, Manchester on September 18th 2025

Good things come to those who wait, or more literally, cacophonous, impenetrable noise comes to those who wait. Portal are a veritable enigma. The Australian noise mongers have existed in some form for over 30 years, yet visits to these shores have been few and very far between. The last time they were here (in fact, the only other time they've been here) was for the late lamented Temples festival in 2015. With some acts, this lack of physical contact would breed contempt or even apathy, but with Portal their absence has added to the mythology and expectation.

Live Review : ten56. + CABAL + VCTMS + DALI @ Rebellion, Manchester on September 14th 2025

Tonight brings us back into Rebellion for a couple of this reviewer’s favourite French experimental metal bands – ten56. and DALI. Sandwiched in between them are Chicago’s VCTMS and Copenhagen’s superb CABAL. Each band brings the heaviness but also their own unique and modern take on metal that should excite as much as it delights.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Matt Fraser17 September 2025Rebellionten56., Cabal, VCTMS, DALI, Rebellion, Manchester, 2025, Live Review, Matt Fraser, Ryan HicksonComment

Live Review : Spread Eagle + Warrior Soul + New Generation Superstars @ The Motorsport Lounge, Llandudno on September 13th 2025

They do say that once is never enough, so it’s with a great deal of pleasure that we head back to the Motorsport Lounge for a second round of splendid music in a good setting. This time we get the grand tour, including the garage which now houses some of the classic vehicles that used to be on display here. It’s always good to learn something about both the history and the future plans of a decent venue, and it seems that the Motorsport Lounge is going to go from strength to strength in the coming months and years. Watch this space!

Poison the Well + Bodyweb + Killing Me Softly @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on September 13th 2025

As the summer turns to autumn, so we see the festival season give way to the return to touring gigs. It’s a welcome return indoors as the weather turns nasty and we seek our heat and kicks in sweaty, dimly lit venues that we know and love only too well. Tonight brings us back to the O2 Ritz and while it’s not packed to the rafters, it’s filled with genuinely eager fans for the seminal metalcore legends Poison the Well.

Author : Matt Fraser13 September 2025O2 RitzComment

Live Review : Mad Haven + No Favors + Flint Guitar School @ The Motorsport Lounge , Llandudno on September 12th 2025

Tonight we are here to celebrate the return of local band Mad Haven in their hometown venue. The nucleus of the band, guitarist/vocalist Tom Rogowski and drummer Alex (his brother) have had a rough time of it this year. Events unfolded which pulled the rug of their planned future out from under them, so it’s good to see them here again recovering their poise and smiles with their original band.

The Motorsport lounge has undergone something of a transformation since our last visit. Although the original upstairs bar and stage remain, tonight they were in darkness as we tested a new, bigger stage with a new, bigger bar and a new, better sound on the ground floor. Pleased to report that all was good!

Live Review : The Browning + Polar + The Defect @ Rebellion, Manchester on August 19th 2025

What do you get if you mix deathcore metal, happy hardcore and dubstep? No, this isn’t a joke. The answer? The Browning. It shouldn’t work but it does magnificently, and tonight we’re treated to them live in Manchester for the first time in six years. Ably supported by The Defect and the ever superb Polar, we dance into the night.

Live Review: Wednesday 13 + Fearless Vampire Killers + The Nocturnal Affair @ Blitz, Preston on July 27th 2025

On a night when much of the population of the UK was glued to their television screens to witness the England Lionesses make history for the second time, those of us of a more ghoulish and rock-inspired persuasion are gathered to behold the trio of devilish delights that Madhouse Promotions have unleashed on the city this hot evening. For tonight is a night of delicious darkness, a seductive walk in the shadows down the left-hand path with three bands to slake your thirst for rock n’ roll devilry and debauchery.

Live Review : Unleash The Archers + All For Metal @ Club Academy, Manchester on July 9th 2025

Well, hats off to Unleash the Archers. Their one-off London show back in February was completely sold out, but instigated the usual online comments of "Why only London?” or “There is more to the UK than just the capital” or simply “Come North!”. Now most other bands would see these sorts of interactions as collateral damage and occupational hazards. But with Unleash the Archers, it struck a particularly empathetic chord. Hailing from the wastes of British Columbia, they were used to having to travel miles and miles to Vancouver or even over the Border into Seattle to see the bands that mattered to them. So, they listened to the impassioned pleas to come to Nottingham, Glasgow and Manchester, found three spare days in the middle of their European Festival trek, hired a cheap and cheerful van and headed North…

Live Review : Stick To Your Guns + Love Letter + False Reality @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester on July 8th 2025

Tonight’s gig showcases some of the different elements of hardcore punk. It’s beatdown heavy one moment, thought-provoking the next. Melodic and soaring then brutal and passionate. One of the best bands at interlacing all these aspects are the headliners Stick To Your Guns.

Live Review : Slayer + Amon Amarth + Anthrax + Mastodon + Hatebreed + Neckbreakker @ Finsbury Park, London on July 6th 2025

Let's deal with the leviathan in the room. Many of us took Slayer’s proclamation eight years ago that they planned to call it a day at the end of 2019, to heart. You see, Slayer had always kept it real and told it as it is, so it was only natural that we believed their insistence that this was it. It would therefore be understandable if there was at least some level of resentment to their rather speedy U-turn and return to action. But and here is the rub, Slayer are so good this evening that a) it feels like they never went away, b) it becomes obvious a world without Slayer is an incredibly sad place, we just hadn't realised.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas8 July 2025Finsbury ParkSlayer, Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, NeckbreakkerComment

Live Review : Back To The Beginning @ Villa Park, Birmingham on July 5th 2025

Today is a celebration, it's a veneration and an ascension. Most of all it is an acknowledgement of the effect that four working class kids from Birmingham had on millions of lives. Without Black Sabbath there is no heavy metal. Yes, rock was getting heavier in the late sixties and both Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin were experimenting with monolithic riffs but it was the opening track of the self-titled first Black Sabbath that solidified the genre and gave it material form. Without it, it is arguable that none of the bands or artists here today would have existed.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas7 July 2025Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Back To The Beginning, Live Review, BirminghamComment

Live Review : Rival Sons + Creeping Jean @ Mountford Hall, Liverpool on July 2nd 2025

When you have a week to spare sandwiched between Guns ‘N Roses support duties and a prestigious slot at the “Back to the Beginning” Birmingham mega-show, what to do with yourselves? Well in Rival Sons case you get out on the road and pound some of the streets that rock shows sometimes forget. Last night was Bournemouth and tomorrow night is the rock n' roll capital of Stockton-on-Tees, but this very evening they have decided to prove that the North West rock scene protrudes much further than Manchester. Hard rocking shows by name artists are hard to find in Liverpool and the Scouse rock aficionados have done Rival Sons proud by filling the joint.

Live Review : King Diamond + Paradise Lost + Unto Others @ Academy, Manchester on June 30th 2025

It’s not every night that you get the chance to watch a traditional heavy metal band deliver a slice of Vaudeville horror theatrics, but that’s what King Diamond provide us tonight at the Manchester Academy. In support they have the always outstanding gothic-metal veterans Paradise Lost and gothic post-punk rock outfit Unto Others.

Live Review : Shiraz Lane + XIII Doors @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on June 26th 2025

It’s a Thursday night, not one usually associated with rock n roll shenanigan, but XIII Doors and Shiraz Lane are determined to get the weekend started twenty-four hours early, each in their own very different and unique way.

Live Review : Deftones + High Vis @ The Piece Hall, Halifax on June 24th 2025

The Deftones have always existed in a rather interesting netherworld. They emerged during the reign of nu-metal, but they were always too experimental and cerebral to be fully integrated into that scene. The frankly extraordinary “White Pony” and the 2003 self-titled fourth album, thrust them into arena land and festival special guest status, but try as they might, subsequent releases never seemed able to push them any further. That is, until now. After looking like, they were cursed to always be the bridesmaid and never the bride at a total of four Download and one Sonisphere, this summer finally sees them headlining open-air shows in the country.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas26 June 2025The Piece HallDeftones, Piece Hall, Halifax, 2025, Live Review, Stewart LucasComment

Live Review : Iron Maiden @ Co-op Live, Manchester on June 22nd 2025

The fluidity of fame and fortune is incredibly fickle. We describe Iron Maiden’s late eighties period as “The biggest metal band on the planet”, as “Their Imperious Phase”. However, let’s be honest, they are more popular now than they ever were at their peak. Iron Maiden have transcended being a band and are now an institution, a cultural phenomenon. A national treasure with their own beer, stamps and merch that is sold in ASDA as part of its Father’s Day range. The Co-op arena is an inter-generational melting pot of different creeds, colours and cultural backgrounds. This selection box of diversity shares one uniting thread; they love Iron Maiden with a passion.

Live Review : Rosen Bridge + Eschalon + PULSE + Winter Hotel @ Lions Den, Manchester on June 20th 2025

I know I’m not the only one who really misses Tech Fest, and tonight’s gig is filled with familiar faces both in the crowd and on the stage. In fact, Tech-Fest founder and mastermind Simon Garrod is up on the stage tonight in his band Eschalon. It gives us a first chance to see them live and to say we’re excited would be a massive understatement. Add to that the varied lineup of Winter Hotel, PULSE and headliners Rosen Bridge and we’ve got a night of alternative-tech fit for any venue.

Live Review : Power Trip + Tortured Demon @ Academy 3, Manchester on June 18th 2025

The untimely demise in August 2020 of Power Trip frontman Riley Gale was tragic for two reasons. Firstly, the avoidable death of someone that young (he was 34) and that talented is always tragic. But secondly, Power Trip were on the verge of something truly special. Their second record “Nightmare Logic” had set the world on fire with its fresh and rejuvenating take on thrash. Live performances were equally lauded, and their mid-morning Bloodstock set was continually extolled as something rather special indeed. Riley’s death derailed a trajectory that looked unstoppable, and for a number of years it looked like the band would be buried with him.