Event Reviews

As the season saunters into autumn I found myself at The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton for the second time in my life this time to see StOp, sToP a flamboyant three piece originally from Barcelona and Bulgaria and now based, not too far from Wolverhampton, in sunny (sometimes) Birmingham. Opening …

Outstanding is an often overused term. When used to describe former Procul Harum guitarist Robin Trower however, there is hardly an adjective more fitting on this evidence. Yet this isn’t a night owned solely by Trower and his superb backing band of Richard Watts on bass and vocals and Christopher …

A Saturday night out in Manchester was something I hadn’t experienced for quite a while, so I was looking forward to this, the third show of the current tour by Glasgow’s Attica Rage. I really enjoy the Rebellion Rock Bar as a venue, it seems to be able to maintain …

The night began with local heroes and solid groove meisters Morass of Molasses (7). Regrettably, there weren’t many in attendance at the time, but that didn’t show on the faces of the seasoned musicians on stage. A tad sloppy at times and playing songs that are more or less well …

Sometimes it can’t be helped – bands just have an off day. If someone tells you they’ve never played a bad show in their life then they’re lying on a level akin to politicians. At times the performance is sloppy and disjointed, at others it boils down to outside influences like a …

Cats In Space – a new name to me so I really wasn’t sure what to expect to see. I was thinking probably a bunch of old hippies playing Hawkwind-inspired trippy psychadelia, but as you will see I couldn’t have been more wrong! The evening turned out to be a …

Earlier this month, Canadian Alt-Rockers July Talk embarked on a small UK Tour in support of their latest album, Touch. Their UK dates were limited to Glasgow, Manchester and a sold-out show in London. Planetmosh were lucky enough to catch July Talk and supporting act, BlackWaters, at Manchester’s Sound Control. …

Another year and another fantastic Rockwich Festival. For a measly £15 we got fifteen bands kicking out the jams from midday till midnight. As AC/DC once sang, “Aye aye oh, shake your foundations” which is what opening band Red Spektor certainly did. The Stoke based power trio hit their time …

Queensrÿche are a band with history. Since launching their brand of symphonic metal in 1983 with their self-titled EP, over a dozen studio albums have followed along with scores of gold and platinum records to their names as well as much publicised line-up changes. So, with so much water under …

Thursday at Bloodstock this year was busier than any previous year with more and more people arriving on Thursday to pitch their tents and enjoy a few bands, and a lot of beers before the main 3 days.  Before the bands started, there was the ceremonial opening of the bar.  …

Sunday comes around too soon as it means the final day of Bloodstock Open Air Festival. 2016 has been one of the strongest line ups I have seen and I’m already counting down the days to 2017. The plan on my schedule was to watch the first half of Ghost …

After a well deserved, senses saving nights sleep and full English breakfast, we lead our merry way to Bloodstock Open Air Festival for more metal. Cambion, first band of the day on the Ronnie James Dio stage had been highly recommended to me and they did not disappoint. Fronted by …

Due to holiday shifts being changed, I had to work the Thursday night which meant catching the first train I could get to Tamworth, early hotel check in, then mad dash to the Bloodstock Open Air Festival arena to catch Witch Tripper, first band of the day on the New …

Summer time. To some it’s about sun and holidays, to others it’s heading to festivals, enjoying music and getting muddy. Every year thousands gather to a field in Walton-on-Trent, England for the annual Bloodstock festival.  This year the festival attracted acts like Gojira, Slayer and Twisted Sister (for their final U.K. …

Another recent album launch for me recently where the band play it in its entirety before I’ve heard it and once again have been blown away. A home gig for Obey meant a big crowd for their third studio album Maelstrom at the Sugarmill in Stoke. Before Obey did their …

  Mold may not be a name synonymous with Blues music but it might well be in the future after hosting the unmissable North Wales Blues & Soul Festival last weekend. Added to this was the fact that, unlike many outdoor events, the sound provided by Event Sound – the …

Now this is what you call a punk rock show! Formed in New York in 1973, the old guard have finally returned to the UK. The Dictators, currently on a lengthy European tour, stopped off in Manchester to deliver a genre defining fifteen song, seventy five minute set. Two original members, …

Sunday openers at SOS Festival were Hells Addiction, another band that have recently come up on my radar under the “one to watch” banner. Catchy classic rock with a big twin guitar sound and some fine vocals in the style of a Gillan or Plant give this band a growing …

Saturday dawned hot and sunny for SOS festival day two and I made it back just in time to catch openers Soma Dark who were another thrash band with shouty vocals but also some melody. They powered through a short set that finished with what appeared to be a metal …

2016 saw the debut of a new venue for Rocksector Records’ SOS Festival following the demolition of their previous home at Radcliffe Civic Hall. The Longfield Suite in Prestwich turned out to be a good choice, easy to get to (apart from a bit of congestion on the M60) with …