Event Reviews

Die No More a young four piece NWOBHM band from Cumbria formed in  2011, since then they have impressed people with their energetic live shows. They released self-financed, four track, début EP ‘Blueprint’ in 2013 which led to them being signed by Rocksector Records with whom they released their debut …

It’s an earlier kick-off today at the Tuska Open Air Festival and even though the heavens opened and spilled their disapproval over Helsinki a few hours before the gates opened, it has cleared up and another pleasant day in the concrete cauldron is assured. First up, death metal “open-door supergroup” …

Summer is here and, as usual, Northern Ireland’s weather just doesn’t know what to do with itself, one minute it’s like being in the Bahamas, the next the Heaven’s open up.  This weekend in particular was a special one, with both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice happening where thousands …

It hardly seems like less than six months ago that the Gasoline Outlaws came roaring out of nowhere and propelled themselves on to the Northern Ireland rock scene with furious intent.  A series of increasingly impressive live shows later, the quartet have now released their debut album, the massive sounding …

Tonight was the official launch party of ex St Jude singer, Lynne Jackaman’s new E.P ‘No Halo’, although it is not officially released until the 10th July. As well as performing the whole E.P she also debuted new material and performed with a full band. Despite the nerves being evident, …

HMS Hammer set sail for the 13th Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards from her mooring near Tower Bridge with over 400 lucky ticket winners, guests and Vip’s on board. As we started our nearly three hour journey with a quick blast of the horn, Tower Bridge opened up to allow …

Fresh from their Best New Band win at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, We Are Harlot played a sold out gig at Glasgow’s Cathouse rock club on Tuesday night. There has been a huge buzz around this band, so I was more than keen to see what all the …

Despite the doors opening an hour later than advertised, when Billy Idol finally hit the stage, all was forgiven, as he played a stunning two hour set. From the punk era of Generation X hits hit “Ready Steady Go” through to his current stuff like “Postcards From The Past” via …

After reviewing the new Tremonti album Cauterize last week I was excited to get to the O2 ABC in Glasgow last night to see how the live show compared. The venue was quite full for a Monday night, but the crowd that showed up were nothing if not enthusiastic. From the …

Monday 8th June saw around a thousand Nightwish fans descend on the Finnish port city of Turku for the first ever Nightwish cruise. After checking in at the passenger terminal (in the case of some fans, many hours before boarding), fans waited for the ship to arrive for them to …

Where to start with this incredible evening! A huge turnout of support and 6 talented unsigned bands, showing just how alive and exciting the local music scene is right now. There is such a supportive vibe here at the iconic Purple Turtle tonight for the Metal 2 The Masses London …

So after all the preliminary heats, quarter finals and semi finals, the Cheshire region of  the Metal 2 The Masses final attracted about three hundred metal heads at the Box in Crewe to watch Skeletal Damage, Headpress, Obey and Synapse battle it out for a place on the bill at …

This evening, Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen plays host to a cross border punk and rock assault, the likes that the town has not seen in quite some time, organised by Henchman Promotions, a local promotional company who are contributing to the continued growth of the Enniskillen music scene. Sense Deficiency …

Imagine the most ungodly hour possible for a self-respecting metallian to be crawling from their pit – and then move it back an hour or more… well, while most of our readers were most likely turning over for your second sleep, your reviewer was up and about in the wee …

It barely seems almost a year ago since I attended Les-fest, now renamed Wildfire, an annual 3 day classic rock & metal festival situated in the picturesque setting of Wiston Lodge, South Lanarkshire in Scotland. Now in it’s 4th year it has gone from strength to strength and organiser Dave …

Friday night was the final of the Scottish leg of Metal 2 the Masses, the prize a spot on the New Blood stage at Bloodstock Open Air festival. Six bands took the stage at Ivory Blacks in Glasgow city centre to battle it out under the watchful eye of M2TM …

Generally when you go and see a band do a headline tour, you get a set of 90 minutes, or maybe two hours if you’re very lucky, but with Gov’t Mule because they don’t have a support act they do two sets and as a result you can expect them …

Tonight was the long awaited return of Rock Goddess, playing their first London gig in 32 years.  Judging by the amount of old rock fans dressed in Denim and Leather it’s fairly clear that a lot of the fans tonight are here because they remember Rock Goddess from the 80s, …

This evening’s gig – featuring the somewhat ironically named LA punks The Bronx and Florida-based grinders Torche – was originally scheduled to be two separate affairs, with the two bands playing in neighbouring venues within the same complex.  However, the promoters – and, co-incidentally, the venue owners – quickly managed …

Enniskillen’s Charlie’s Bar is fast becoming the location to find the finest in rock based music in the local and surrounding area.  It is constantly been utilised by many promoters who bring in a variety of musical acts to cater to a vast array of people. On this occasion, Penny …