Event Reviews

The major rock and metal festivals and events …reviewed

Cursed Sun – Belfast, Limelight 2, 01/11/2014

Cursed Sun header

Sometimes I feel like I live in Belfast’s most famous music venue rather than five minutes ’round the corner, given the amount of time I spend there… this was my something like my 26th or 27th gig here this year so far (a that’s not counting the amount of evenings spent …

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After the Burial / Monuments / Circles – 18/10/2014

Tonight’s show marked the first night in the UK of this monolithic tour. With After the Burial headlining the show, supported by Circles and Monuments; you know it’s going to be a night of pure, unrelenting energy and sauna rooms. It’s fair to say that, ‘The Joiners’, is one of Southampton’s …

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Focus – Belfast, Empire Music Hall, 31/10/2014

Focus PR Photo

A little more than 40 years ago, a movement developed among classically trained musicians who also were fans of rock music which saw them experiment in merging the two disciplines, as well as throwing elements of jazz, folk and other musical forms into the mix:  the result was prog!  Over …

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Bloodshot Dawn – Belfast, Voodoo, 27/10/2014

Bloodshot Dawn - Voodoo, Belfast 27-10-2014

I’m a great believer that when you go to a gig you should make every effort to see and support every band on the bill… but, sometimes circumstances conspire against you. And so it was that, due to a scheduling conflict, as Belfast’s own Overoth (pictured left) took to the …

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Metal Female Voices Fest 2014 – Friday

Friday night saw fans from around the world gathering at the Oktoberhallen in Wieze just outside the Belgian town of Aalst for a weekend of female fronted metal bands. As always the lineup had plenty of variety, from symphonic metal to Japanese metal, to Thrash, a Doom and more.  MFVF …

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Damnation 2014 Festival Preview by Aisha

This year’s Damnation Festival marks ten years of extreme metal chaos at Leeds University. Hard to believe it has only been ten years. There have been many interesting line ups for this fest and a few surprises over the years (namely Carcass when they had their “last ever re-union show”) …

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Damnation 2014 Festival Preview by Jurga

The 10th Damnation festival (which is already totally sold out!) is coming up rapidly and so in very few days the marathon of metal in Leeds will begin. Many visitors will go there for at least one of the headlining bands – Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse or Saint Vitus. Some …

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Bury Tomorrow – Bierkeller, Bristol, 22/10/14

I have frequented the Bierkeller in Bristol on many occasions for both their club nights and their theatre productions, but I had never been to a gig there until this particular night in question. I was also very aware of how hot it could get inside the venue itself, but …

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Black Stone Cherry – Academy, Dublin – 23/10/2014

It’s been a few years since the southern rock sixteen wheeler has rolled into Dublin and hot on the heels of Blackberry Smoke playing two weeks ago, their heavier cousins Black Stone Cherry returned to The Academy with their Magic Mountain tour featuring special guests Theory Of A Deadman. Opening …

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In Flames – Glasgow – 17/10/14

It’s a busy Friday night in Glasgow, and I find myself on Sauchiehall Street lined with hundreds of restaraunts serving food from around the world, trendy wine bars and fantastic shops. But none of these things interest me this evening. The mass of bodies snaking away from the from door …

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Alestorm – Belfast, Mandela Hall, 17/10/2014

Alestorm live in Belfast 2014

According to historical records, pirates (at least in their commonly perceived historical incarnation) may have sailed into many ports but they never quite ventured as far north as Britain – and certainly never as far as the shores of what, at that time, would have been Carrickfergus Bay. However, British …

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