Event Reviews

Now this is a night I had been anticipating eagerly.  It’s a rarity that every band on the bill is this talented and delivers such a powerful live performance, and I am so happy to say I was not disappointed!  This show was one of my favourites I’ve attended this …

Over the last 11 years I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Cradle of Filth perform, they were really important to me growing up; I remember ‘Midian’ was one of the first cds I ever bought!  Tonight the Koko is packed out after the successful release of Hammer …

Arriving at the O2 Institute Library there was already a pleasingly a large queue for tonight’s show. Unusual in its design, you enter the venue through a set of doors onto the small balcony, which provided a good view of the already growing crowd at the barrier. It was disappointing …

It doesn’t matter how many times you attend, the Marble Factory in Bristol is a very odd venue, even more so when people don’t usually start turning up for a gig until about fifteen minutes before doors open – and that’s taking into account them opening late as well. Nevertheless, …

Joe Bonamassa makes a welcome return to these shores since his four night residency at London’s Hammersmith Event Apollo back in March. The current tour is only eight dates though, and a most are sold out. Joe’s popularity has skyrocketed since he played his first UK date to less than …

In these straitened economic times – marked from the music business’ perspective by increasing numbers of venues closing down and promoters going bankrupt – success stories are few and far between and thus should be acclaimed, celebrated and heralded at every opportunity.  Which is exactly what today’s proceedings were all …

Tonight’s show was completely sold out, and if you’ve seen Joanne Shaw Taylor perform then you’ll know why.  Unlike most shows I attend in London where it gets a lot busier in time for the headline act, audiences at the Stables are very good at turning up early to watch …

Together with autumn chills and colours the concert season knocks on your door.  October, November and December seem to be the busiest months gig wise.  So if you are in Glasgow, then after seeing the dark and mysterious Sisters of Mercy (or the charming Devin Townsend) on Monday, you are …

A veritable Smörgåsbord came to Manchester Club Academy last Monday. With Michael Monroe from Finland and his band, which brings together celebrated musicians who have played with such greats as Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, Dogs D’Amour and Danzig, to name but a few. I was anticipating some top notch …

Sometimes you just can’t beat a night of good old-fashioned heavy fucking metal.  No airs.  No graces.  No genres.  Just heavy fucking metal.  And that’s exactly what we got tonight, as the titanic (sic) triple Swedish attack of Wolf, Enforcer and Dynamite rolled into Belfast on this early Autumn afternoon. …

Victoria Hall in Stoke is steeped in tradition. Built in 1888 for the Queen’s Jubilee, I’m sure it could tell many a fascinating story. Tonight is another chapter in the venue’s wonderful story as the Bullet For My Valentine Venom tour rolls into town on a dank October evening with …

It’s a chilly Friday night, so where would you rather be than in a darkened basement?  And, that’s exactly where Team PM finds themselves, together with the rest of the assembled Belfast press corps:  making our long overdue first foray into the refurbished Bar Sub, the smallest of the three …

It’s not often that a night out turns into a chance to review the bands you are going out to see, but with a plethora of gigs happening in nearby Belfast, PlanetMosh just didn’t have enough hands at the pump to cover an evening of rock and rollery in my …

It’s just gone seven o’clock on a cold and damp October eve- the second night in a run of six gigs in five nights for your PM Belfast team, and we have been joined by a healthy turnout of our fellow metallians for the debut appearance here of Wisconsin psyche-doom goddess …

There are not infrequent debates on various social media channels (not least on my own Facebook page last week) about whose responsibility it is to actually promote a gig and attract fans to it.  It is an argument which I have absolutely no intention to rehearse once again on here …

Probably the most famous band I know from Atlanta, Georgia is The Black Crowes. There’s a new band on the block also hailing from Atlanta, these guys are Biters, they’re not brand new, as they formed in 2009, but I only got to hear about them when their debut album …

After two years of waiting UK thrashers Evile are back in Dublin to tour their new album “Skull” and lead a night of thrash in the Irish capital. The crowd was pumped throughout the night so let’s get to this. Opening support came from Scimitar. The lads from up north …

Going from Evile to Enslaved was a bit of a genre clash for me last weekend. However, the gig itself was a strange one. This wasn’t just an Enslaved gig but was a joint headline show with Grand Magus. This felt like two totally different shows off the bat and …

Tonight’s show had an early start – usually on a weekday that means the first band plays to an almost empty room, but tonight there was a large queue outside well before the doors opened. First up were Xandria, the German symphonic metal band now fronted by Dutch singer Dianne …

The night kicked off with The Treatment.  Having last seen the band at their secret show in Milton Keynes which featured their new lineup although the new members hadn’t been announced at that stage.  I’d been impressed then so was looking forward to seeing how singer Mitchell Emms and Tao …