Opinion

Many people think that the life of a music journalist is a glamorous – jetting all over the world, interviewing ‘rock stars’ in exotic locations while sipping weirdly coloured cocktails… and for a select few it is like that (not least in their imaginations!).  But, for the majority of hacks …

It’s amazing the difference half an hour can make.  One disadvantage for those of us living in Belfast and wishing to attend gigs down the motorway in Dublin is the infrequency of late night return coach services from the Irish capital to that north of the border.  With the last …

@planetmosh reviews .@crowbarmusic and .@Dripback live in Glasgow – review by @AnybodyBC If there is one rainy day in between two sunny days that is a common thing in Glasgow. Even more common is a great concert on that rainy Glaswegian day.  So here we were at the start of …

@Planetmosh reviews @Graveltones, @thecadillac3 and @BuffaloSummerUK live at The Garage, London. After a delightfully eventful weekend I was more in need of sleep (sad I know) than a night of bands.  However having seen The Graveltones previously at The Underworld I suddenly found that had much more energy than I thought.  …

With a sound that boasts captivating vocal lines and infectious licks punctuated with delectable dual-lead melodies, fresh UK upstarts Emperor Chung are quickly making friends. The band garnered support from Scuzz TV and Team Rock Radio, as well as recently wooing crowds at 2013’s Download Festival. The band’s 11-track eponymous …

I spoke to Erik Grönwall and Eric Rivers from Swedish melodic rock band H.E.A.T at their hotel in London to talk to them about their forthcoming album “Tearing down the walls”, their tour plans, festival plans and more… Your new album, “Tearing down the walls” is due to be released …

The rock and metal community, perhaps more than any other in the field of music, always has been known for its generosity of spirit and support for worthy causes.  For the community in Northern Ireland, few are more special or better supported than Blaze’s Appeal, which raises funds for the …

Brofest 2 will be etched in my memory for a long time for sure. 26 bands over 3 days with a weekend ticket being a ridiculously cheap £25 and day tickets £10 for Friday and £15 each for Saturday and Sunday. I travelled up from Crewe to  Newcastle on the …

“WAKE THE FUCK UP!” Be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Especially if you are heading to Hammerfest this coming weekend:  Belfast metallians Sinocence have emerged from a hibernation that has lasted nigh on four months just in time to cause Richter Scale-registering devastation to northern Wales. “WAKE THE FUCK UP!” Opening …

@Planetmosh reviews .@TheDaveLombardo drum clinic in Belfast A year after parting ways – for the second and what would seem to be most definitely the final time – with the band that he formed at the age of 16, Dave Lombardo remains an angry man.  A bitter man.  But, he …

Having been very impressed by Butcher Babies when they supported The Defiled in the UK in February I decided to head over to Europe to see one of their headline shows, so with the Amsterdam show falling on a weekend, cheap ticket prices and being the last night of the …

First up were Norwegian Black Metal band Svarttjern who got this night of black metal off to a great start.  The very early start (the band were on stage at 5.30 – 90 minutes before doors open for most gigs) on a weeknight meant the audience was smaller than they …

First up was Mishkin Fitzgerald, who normally performs with her band, Bird eats baby, but tonight she’s performing solo.  Sat at a keyboard she sings and plays keyboards.  It’s a simple but effective performance and she sounds great.  For me the highlight of her set was her cover of the …

@Planetmosh spoke with Cris and James from Savrtsot ahead of their first ever UK show. On Saturday 22 February, Asgard Event Promotions brought an as yet unseen band to the UK in the form of Danish folk metal’ers Svartsot.  Playing as part of the 3rd annual Jorvik Viking Festival fringe event …

Dennis Jarman from Planetmosh interviewed NWOBHM legends Vardis before last weekend’s amazing set at BroFest 2. Brofest 2 took place at the Northumbria Students Union in Newcastle Upon Tyne Check our interview with Steve Zodiac, Terry Horbury and Gary Pearson below

The Few Step Digital Music Marketing Plan Releasing new music is always a special and exciting moment. You worked hard to create something that’s personal to you and now it’s time to share it with the world. But how do you get your tracks in front of as many people …

I spoke to Fede Valls, the brains and well the balls behind the Fede’s Hairy Balls Challenge outside Ivory Blacks last night to find out how he thought up this challenge and why, how folk can enter, what each contender needs to do, any wacky ideas for raising funds to …

.@planetmosh reviews .@blackberrysmoke live in Glasgow. Friday night saw the opening night of the Fire in the Hole 2014 tour by southern rockers Blackberry Smoke.  Arriving at the venue half an hour before the doors opened, and seeing a queue of hundreds already stretching down Sauchiehall Street I knew I …

Tonight’s gig was the showcase for singer/songwriter Christie Connor-Vernal’s new 6-track EP ‘The Titan Sessions‘ which was released that day. The EP was recorded live in single takes at Titan Studios West, Glasgow, in December 2013. Not only was this Christie’s first headline show, it was also the first with …

When is a launch not a launch?  When you don’t actually have anything to launch… which is exactly what proved to be the case for Rabid Bitch Of The North, when copies of their long-awaited new cassette EP, ‘Defending Two Castles’, failed to make it north of the border from …