Event Reviews

For those unfamiliar with the event, Blazefest is an annual fundraising show in aid of the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.  It is inspired by a very brave young man, Blaze Shields-Pettitt, who, in his short life, has endured a lot more than many of us old fogies could …

This will be a co-review between myself and PlanetMosh stalwart Louise Swift, who unfortunately couldn’t make the afternoon sessions. Last year’s Rockmantic saw the Saturday afternoon given over to acoustic performances, this year it was the turn of the youngsters. First up we had Black Nevada, a five-piece alt.rock band …

It’s just short of a year since Wilson played their first Scottish gigs as support for Halestorm.  Back then they played the legendary Barrowland Ballroom, so tonight’s gig at Broadcast was definitely a change of scenery.  The basement venue, underneath the street level bar, is a tiny hobbit hole of …

You know what they say, home is where the heart is; or in this case, home is where the music is. For me it has been a couple of years since I last entered the chess floorboard Hagues Bar situated in the centre of my home of Lisburn, Northern Ireland. …

Tonight’s gig saw Thunder playing Wembley Arena in London.  On arriving it was clear the gig wasn’t sold out as the back part of the arena was curtained off, but I’d estimate around 7000 as the attendance which is more than enough to justify playing a venue of this size …

Tucked away in the corner of stage left, guitar duo Curran sought to warm up the London crowd ahead of tonight’s headliners Inglorious, but despite the best efforts of Mark Curran, they struggle to motivate the apathetic crowd. Armed with the simplicity of acoustic guitars, they played some well written …

“And lo, the [heathen] hordes from the East did descend up the city at the mouth of the river called the Farset… and they did lay waste onto the same with their furious vengeance and the spilling of much ancestral blood.” OK, forgive the pastiche of sub-Biblical phraseology, but it …

It’s heat 4 of 7 in Dublin tonight at the Metal 2 The Masses Ireland showcase; the half way point, the fulcrum of the heats but will it be the pivotal heat about which all others will revolve. PlanetMosh is here to see if Alpheidae, Devolted, Emigra, Ten Ton Slug …

The first heat of the 2016 round of the Metal 2 The Masses competition’s Northern Ireland leg was so tight it squeaked.  Just four points separated all four bands.  It couldn’t have been any closer.  Well, that’s what we thought until the second heat, when, at the end of the …

City and Colour are currently on tour across the UK and Ireland, part of which included the sold-out Manchester show on Saturday 20th February at the iconic Albert Hall with special guest, Lucy Rose. The latest tour comes in support of their latest studio album, If I Should Go Before …

Kataklysm, SepticFlesh and Aborted on one tour, sharing the same stage seems to be a perfect combination. Under the “Of the Ghosts and Gods Tour” flag, this team is invading Europe and the Glasgow gig happened just a few days ago. Glasgow welcomed the bands with cold, rainy weather and …

There are some artists who just love to play live, and seem to get itchy feet if they are more than a few minutes away from treading the boards of the stage.  Just off the top of my head, I can think of two homegrown Norn Iron talents who definitely …

It started back on the cusp of the millennium, in the pub next door, when a group of like-minded friends came together and decided to put on a few metal shows of a Saturday afternoon.  Fifteen years later, those ‘RocKD’ sessions (they take their name from that of the bar, …

Rockmantic now in it’s fouth year is an annual mini festival, hosted around Valentine’s Day (hence the name) by Raz White. It might be the fourth event but this was my third Rockmantic as I missed Rockmantic 2. Valentine’s Day 2016 fell on on a Sunday so this year’s event …

Nottingham Rock City is the local mecca for bands, and headlining the mainstage of this iconic venue is a dream show for any midlands band. Evil Scarecrow have been building a local following for a number of years now with their off the wall stage show, and Planetmosh went along …

First up were Crimes of Passion, or COP UK as they introduced themselves (apparently at the request of their label when they got signed).  I hadn’t had chance to check these guys out before the show, so wasn’t sure what to expect.  Opening bands can be a bit of a …

At a time when the world seems rather saturated with bands and musicians who are trying to make something of themselves but get kicked back at almost every turn, it is a genuinely wonderful experience to see a band of accomplished musicians finally making a name for themselves. Getting the …

With Metal 2 The Masses season well and truly in bloom, Saturday night brings battle hardened templars once more to Fibber Magees on the quest for the Holy Grail of a place on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival. The best thing about these heats is the opportunity to …

Max Cavalera certainly believes in keeping it in the family.  Or maybe it’s a case of keep your friends close but your family closer.  Whatever it may be, the last couple of Soulfly tours have gone out under the ‘Maximum Cavalera’ banner, with bands featuring both his sons and his …

Pat McManus gigs are always special.  So much so that many people go that extra little bit further to sit at the feet of the man affectionately known for a little more three decades now as ‘The Professor’ and bask in his talent.  On this occasion, your PlanetMosh team thought …