Event Reviews

Tonight’s show was originally due to be at the smaller Boston music rooms but good ticket sales led to it being updated. This is Beyond the black’s first headline tour and it’s clearly been successful with many shows in Europe selling out despite playing much bigger venues than in the …

Tonight was a special night within the hallowed basement of Manchester’s Club Academy. One of America’s most underrated bands would grace this stage but not before we were treated to some great support acts. As tonight had a 10pm curfew with the doors opening at 6pm, we unfortunately missed the …

Unfortunately, as I live over the border in Wales there was no way I could get from work to Manchester for Dope’s opening set. My apology’s guys catch you next time. Now, there are good supporting bands. Sometimes there are great bands. Then occasionally you get a band who, not only …

To mark 10 years since the release of the “Design your universe” album, Epica have reissued the album with an extra bonus disc and are also doing a mini tour – just three dates in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, France) plus shows in Russia and Israel and then due to fan …

So a week after we said farewell to a band I really thought would make it, there are still a lot of mixed emotions flying around my head from their two hour gig at Rebellion in Manchester. From seeing them first at the SOS Festival in 2014 they have come …

This was my first time at Power metal quest fest. The first year was at the Roadhouse venue which just isnt practical for people using public transport, the second year clashed with another gig, but finally I made it to one. Now being held at the Asylum venue it’s an …

Tonight the Craufurd arms have Mr Big guitarist, Paul Gilbert playing. It’s a big booking for a small venue but then the venue promoter seems to be very good at getting high profile gigs. Happily the booking looks to have paid off as ticket sales were good enough that the …

Two years ago Ayreon played their first ever show. While that may not sound exciting, it was for fans of Ayreon which had released their first album in 1995. The brain-child of Arjen Lucassen, the albums feature multiple singers and this coupled with his stage-fright meant fans (and Arjen himself) …

First up tonight was Shooter Jennings and his band. Previously I’d only seen a few minutes of his set at Ramblin Man, so was looking forward to hearing more from him tonight. He plays guitar and keyboards, spending some songs sitting at the keyboard while for others he stands and …

Another year and another sold out Rockwich Festival to review but this year we are at the Witton Albion Social Club, Northwich. It’s a very welcome change of venue and an acoustic evening of bands on Saturday preceded an electric day of thirteen bands in twelve hours today organized by …

Since I’ve started reviewing gigs for Planetmosh I’ve got to experience quite a few different clubs. Nothing however could have prepared me for what I was confronted with when I strolled up to Satan’s Hollow in Manchester to see After the Burial. A small side street entrance led me into …

Once again I’m back at a place that feels like home – Catton Hall, or to be precise, Bloodstock festival. It’s my 11th year here and every year it just feels like it’s not been a year since I last left. The Thursday is always a fun night of catching …

I have lived close to Chester all my life but have never been to the Live Rooms to support live music until tonight. Should I be forgiven? I’m not so sure. But yet another cracking little venue is now edged in my head and I will definitely be going back. …

Here we are for soggy Sunday! Sadly the last day of Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2019 where (most of) the bands delivered. First band up on the New Blood Stage at the eye rubbingly time of 10.30am were Leicester based tech metal crew Fractions. They created a swirling metal vortex …

Mother Nature must have got out of the wrong side of bed today as the wind hit harder than the after effects of a prawn vindaloo, so much so that the Ronnie James Dio Stage was shut down and cordoned off for about an hour later on in the day. …

Music wise, 2019 was my favourite Bloodstock Open Air Festival I’ve attended in the last eleven years, weather wise it was the worst as mother nature tested the mettle of the metalheads but came out in second place to a packed out Catton Hall in Alrewas, Walton-On-Trent. First band of …

The first band of the day for me was Sweet Crisis, opening proceedings on the Blues stage. It’s only a quick visit before I had to head off to see another band, but what I heard sounded very good with a mix of classic and modern influences. Definitely a band …

For me, Saturday at Ramblin Man started with a quick trip to the VIP area to see Bad Touch doing an acoustic session for the VIP ticket holders. They’d got a big crowd and their short set sounded great. Over on the Prog stage, Israeli band Scardust were the first …

The 2019 edition of Ramblin Man kicked off on Friday afternoon with Australian rockers The Lazys. I’d seen them a couple of months ago in a small venue and been impressed, so was looking forward to seeing them again. On the big Ramblin Man main stage they seemed just as …

When a mouthwatering line-up such as this comes along there’s only one place to be, and that’s right in the thick of it. Not only was I witnessing ex-Pantera front man Phil Anselmo tonight, but I was also catching one of my favourite bands for the very first time in …

I’ve been to many Massive Wagons gigs over the years but this one with my eyes and ears saw them reach their full potential. Whether it comes from opening up recent stadium shows with Status Quo and Lynyrd Skynyrd above them, I’m not sure but this performance at the Live …

What a gig to kick off the album release for Vapours by Fahran at Percy’s Cafe Bar, a little gem of a venue tucked away in Whitchurch, Shropshire. The venue was pretty much packed as they took to the stage following impressive opening sets from Hollow Illusion and Kamino. I’ve …

KISS kicked off the UK leg of their farewell tour in Birmingham. For fans in the mood for some drinking before the gig there was good news (bad news for music lovers though). Instead of bringing a band along to open for them, KISS instead decided to bring an artist …

I normally avoid arena and stadium gigs like the plague but if one band was going to change my mind, then it has to be Rammstein, especially as they are only doing one UK gig here in 2019. Tickets were bought last November and the last eight months have seemed …

Tonight saw The Eagles in Birmingham. As they said when they took to the stage, there are no fireworks, just some guys with guitar playing. With no support act the band took to the stage at 8pm and promised two and a half hours of music. While they may not …

Tonight’s gig at the Resorts World arena (or NEC as most fans still call it) was one I’d been looking forward to for a while as it’s a superb bill. Headlining is Lynyrd Skynyrd on their farewell tour. The main support is Status Quo, and the opening act is Massive …

When it comes to visiting the UK, Pennsylvania’s finest can be compared to a Solar Eclipse. Very rarely does it happen, but when it does, you have to be there to witness it. I can’t remember exactly when my favourite band of all time last visited these shores. Thirteen years …

Friday Despite an early bus from Derby, the shuttle from the transport hub to the guest entrance resulted in a wait of an hour, so when I finally made it into the arena I’d missed the arrival of the Heavy Metal Truants after their cycle ride from London to raise …

Last year’s Rockin the blues even was a great night, and this year promised to be even better. The bill featured Kris Barras, Walter Trout and Jonny Lang, with each getting their own set and the finale being a jam featuring all of them. The venue this year was The …

Venue Cymru in Llandudno has two areas. A Theatre and an event arena. I’ve visited the Theatre part here a couple of times. More recently just a few weeks ago to watch the hilarious ‘Benidorm‘  live show, but this is my first taste of a live gig here and indeed, …

I had not planned to review this gig but being the last date on the tour and also no support bands meant that over two hours of music was promised by Twisted Illusion so it would be a shame to not document it. Notes were kept to a minimum so …

Two gigs in two days for me at the Star And Garter, a new venue to me and very impressed with the acoustics, atmosphere and the bands they have playing there. Headliners Hollowstar were supported strongly by Florence Black and gig openers Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts who warmed a …

Considering this was only the second Falling Eden gig, the first being way back in August 2018, they may have been nervous being first on a three band bill but any doubts were blown away as they tore into set opener ‘Falling Eden’. Their debut album Our Time Is Coming …

Ding ding! Round 1 of day 2 and first band of the day, London based District 13 gave us a highly entertaining nonet of songs considering they had been on the road since 4am. A dizzying array of musical dishes was served up for Sunday lunch as they kicked off …

Festival organizer Martin Short has a change of name for his annual festival and venue for 2019 so the Badass Bash now became Rockforce Festival and it was certainly a force to be reckoned with as 16 bands, all playing for free shook the rafters of the Waterloo Music Bar …

On previous headline shows, Battle Beast have either played the Underworld, or Borderline, so tonight’s show at the Dome is a definite step up. For the band it’s got a much better stage and lighting, and it’s a good venue for fans as it’s got plenty of space and everyone …

The last time Samantha Fish played Milton Keynes it was two years ago and it was a great night. People clearly remembered how good she is as tonight’s show is sold out. By the time the support act, Curse of Lono were due on, the place was completely full – …

In it’s makeshift home of Presthaven Sands in Prestatyn, North Wales, Hammerfest has excelled yet again in delivering another stomper of a three day festival. The line-up alone was one of the tastiest I’ve seen. Having the likes of Overkill, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Paradise Lost performing on a caravan …

Ten years ago Joe Bonamassa played the Royal Albert Hall for the first time and it clearly made a big impression on him as rather than playing a single night at a bigger venue such as the O2 arena or Wembley arena, he’s chosen to play three nights at the …

Tonight’s show was an early start – 7.30pm on stage. That’s not so the band can have an early finish but because they play long sets – almost three and a half hours tonight. That’s a pretty impressive set length and is typical of Tobias Sammet’s whole approach to Avantasia …

First up tonight were Swiss band Appearance of Nothing. Due to train delays I arrived part of the way through their set. It’s good Prog metal with some great guitar riffs. Toward the end of their set they were joined on stage by Celar Darling’s Anna Murphy who added her …

If Saturday night’s alright for fighting then surely Friday nights are alright for obeying as Stoke based metallers Obey unleashed their seismic new studio album Swallow The Sun at the well attended Underground in Stoke. A four band bill saw openers The Secret Elephant and Banzai Pipeline bring the noise …

Tonight’s midweek gig featured two great female blues artists – Erja Lyytinen and Chantel McGregor. Both acts were down to play the same length set so it’s more a double-headline show than a normal headline and support show. It’s the only show the two artists are doing together – the …

Tonight saw me visiting a venue I’ve not been to before, the House of vans, which turns out to be in an arch under the railway a minutes walk from Waterloo station. The band that brought me here is Australian rock band The Lazys. I’d checked them out on Youtube …

So the dreaded last day of a fantastic 3 days at Grimm Up North Festival 2019 comes far too soon as first band of the day Sellsword proved to be one of my most enjoyable sets of the weekend as the York based lunatics hammered out just four songs due …

Here we go again as a similar song once said. Curious weather in Bury before the first full day of Grimm Up North 2019 as we had rain, hail, snow and sunshine within an hour so that was a sign of a metal storm to come and it did with …

Chester’s Deaf Centre, which sits next door to the iconic Telford’s Warehouse, by way of Restless Bear Promotions, has become an up and coming venue for the popular underground scene. Tonight, it’s punk duo Crapsons opportunity to shine as they make their Chester debut. This was my first visit to …

Since the sheer delight of the first Grimm Up North Festival in 2017 we have had to wait just over a year for the sequel and what a weekend it was! 23 bands over 3 days giving their all to a room full of metal heads to say a big …

Tonight’s gig was one I did not want to miss – not only are King King a great live band, but this tour is the final one with the band’s original bass player, Lindsay Coulson who has sadly decided to step down as the band’s growing popularity demands being away …

Tonight’s support act for this special MaYaN show was Dutch My Propane. They released their new album, “Antidote” just over a week before the show, so this was basically an album launch show for them. Their songs are fairly long, especially when played live, so their 40 minute set consisted …

Sunday night at The Corporation, Sheffield and Last Great Dreamers are putting on a Christmas show with special guests  Leeds own Boomville which features guitarist Mark Yates of Terrorvision fame.  And they’ve also brought along with them compere and comedian Pete K Mally. It’s not every day you have a compere …

This was the first HRH Vikings event. Like HRH Metal, CROWS and Sleaze, it’s held at an O2 Academy venue rather than a holiday camp. Despite being the first one, it’s proved popular with the place being busy right from the start of the first day. With headliners Turisas and …

I’ve always believed that it is vital to review and support up and coming talent whenever I can. Tonight at The Skerries in Bangor, North Wales I witnessed four solid reasons why I continue to do it. I also took the opportunity at this gig of chatting with Mike & Andy from …

In recent years Black Stone Cherry have been going from strength to strength and these days are headlining arena tours. A Black Stone Cherry gig is always something to look forward to, but on this tour the support makes it even more of an event. Opening the shows is Monster …

All the gigs I’ve been to in 2018 met their Waterloo at the Waterloo Music Bar on Friday 22nd December 2018, a date that will be forever etched in my memory as this little gem of a venue was packed to the rafters with four sets of high octane rock …

High energy metal rockers The Last Band are pumped up and ready for action tonight at The Parish in Huddersfield. Before their set, I had the opportunity to grab an interview with The Last Band singer Coffe Blood. Chatting with singer Coffe Here’s an excerpt of some of the question’s …

There’s three things that I’ve fallen in love with during this latest Skindred tour. The venues, Skindred’s set-list and most importantly the exposure of new, raw talented bands. ‘I Saw The World Burn’ and ‘Mr.Shiraz’ are just two bands that have shone for me and tonight we had another. Scare Tactics …

Tonight at the Tivoli was a night of two twenty five year anniversaries the first of which was seeing Wolfsbane here again for the first time since that time gap. Their fans, known as HMS or Howling Mad Shitheads turned up last night in full voice and mine is shot …

Tonight The Alarm played the Brudenell Social Club with support from Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts and Julia Othmer.  Julia Othmer, a one-woman show with her piano, and all the way from sunny California opens tonight’s show. With sultry gravelly vocals Julia tell’s stories on how her songs came to …

Saturday the 24th marks the 5 year anniversary of Retribution Alive and what best way to celebrate than having a big party with various DJs in the multi-floored Lounge, as well as Satan headlining a London show, along with Toledo Steel, Primitai and Ai Force. Even though it was an …

Gates open at 6.00 and the promising flight of the Night Flight Orchestra in London is finally on track. The opening act, Black Mirrors came on stage at 7.15. The Belgian rockers brought their Indian feathers on stage and under the dim lights they set the atmosphere for boarding on …

Tonight is the second of three UK arena shows for Nightwish on their Decades tour. It’s a sign of how they’ve grown in recent years as their last proper UK tour was in Academy venues, whereas this year they’ve already played Bloodstock and are doing three arena shows. The turnout …

Tonight’s show was completely sold out – not a huge surprise really as not only is this Def Leppard on tour, it’s Def Leppard playing their biggest album (and arguably one of the biggest selling rock albums in history) in full – Hysteria. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve brought …

Walking into a venue like the O2 Academy 2 in Liverpool for the very first time tonight made me realise just how lucky we are that certain bands feel the need to play these small, exclusive places in order to be close to their fans. This was definitely the case with …

On their current tour, Skindred have taken the decision to play smaller venues than normal. Whereas their last tour saw them playing the larger academy venues including Brixton academy in London, on this tour the venues are far more intimate – tonight’s venue, The Craufurd arms in Milton Keynes holds …

Feeling lucky? Damn, right I was.  Friday night at the Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield and Diamond Head is the last band I expected to watch gracing the stage of its 200 capacity venue, Jackpot!! Diamond Head have been busy touring Europe for most of Autumn taking in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, …

First up tonight, not long after doors open is Gorilla Riot. I saw this Manchester based band a few weeks ago at the HRH CROWS festival in Sheffield where they opened the main stage on Sunday with one hell of an impressive set. Given that, my expectations were high and …

Support tonight came from Seven Sisters – a London based band with a definite NWOBHM sound. They take a few minutes to really get going but once they do it’s a good solid set that goes down well with the crowd. Next came Japanese band Lovebites. Earlier this year their …

Seven More Days stunning debut album Little Dark Pleasures proved to be a big big pleasure when it was released this year. It oozed confidence with ten tracks of hard rock and they played eight from it at Eleven supporting the Scopyons. It was my first time seeing them and …

After touring their debut album The Art Of Manipulation to death, Preston based nutters Ward XVI are taking a hiatus to write new material so this gig was to be their last show of 2018 but not even a disrupted train service full of annoying Manchester United fans and even …

Previously known as ‘Central Station’, Wrexham’s Live rooms have seen some pretty decent bands over the years, and this was a mouth watering line-up starting with the superb ‘I Saw The World Burn’. I reviewed their recent support slot with Skindred and had nothing but praise for them, so I was really …

Tonight’s gig featured Ben Poole and Stevie Nimmo at the Stables in Milton Keynes. Despite it being a mid-week gig, the place is busy – in fact that’s one thing I’ve noticed at this venue, there’s always a good turnout First up tonight was Ben Poole. Since releasing his latest …

Keeping up with The Dead Daisies, Planetmosh went to Sheffield’s city of steel to check out the Winterland tour. If you were lucky enough to be one of the first 50 people in the queue at 7 pm, you were given an opportunity to meet the band for an intimate …

The night kicked off with The Hallows. They’re a local Milton Keynes three-piece alt-pop band, so nowhere near as heavy as Devilskin, but despite that the audience gave them a good reception. It’s slightly odd not having a guitarist there – they just had a drummer, bassist and keyboard player/singer. …

Celebrating 50 years of MC5, co-founding member Wayne Kramer’s aptly named MC50 Kick out the jams tour  comes to The Albert Hall, Manchester this evening.  Selected to front the band is Marcus Durant (Zen Guerilla) who stands alongside other big named artists, Brendan Canty (Fugazi) drums, Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) guitar and  …

If you need any sign as to how popular Blackberry smoke are these days in the UK, the fact they’re playing two consecutive nights at Shepherds Bush Empire should give you an answer. Sadly transport delays meant I got there just in time to hear the last couple of minutes …

First up tonight was German band Kissin’ Dynamite. Despite forming 10 years ago this is actually their first ever UK show. They arent particularly well known in the UK yet but based on tonight’s performance I think they will soon be a lot better known especially as they’ll be back …

Fresh from her UK dates supporting Saxon, Doro is doing a handful of headline shows in Germany. As the Hamburg show was on a saturday night and didnt need any time off work to get there, I headed over to see her perform there. The show kicked off early – …

When a band like Skindred come to town, and when I say ‘town’, I mean literally a five minute drive from my house, it’s an opportunity that would be criminal to miss. I had been looking forward to this one for a long time and had the pleasure of chatting …

First up was a support act that was simply the wrong band for the bill – the infinitely forgettable Ego kill talent. They’re one of those generic sounding bands where you can’t remember anything they played once they go off stage, but more importantly they’re just not the right band …

Tonight’s gig was Nightwish with support from Beast in Black, at the Accor hotels arena in Paris – just next door to Bercy station. The first thing I noticed is that the French fans were very keen – they were queuing outside in the rain long before the doors opened, …

I’ve never been one for tribute bands. They’ve never interested me. I used to detest even playing a cover song in one of the many bands I’ve been in over the years. It’s not for me. But I go through waves. I’ll get a crush on a band for a …

Another fantastic night at Eleven in Stoke as Bad Touch played their finest set I’ve seen from them over the last five years, supported by Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics and Daxx & Roxane making it the best gig I’ve attended so far in 2018. Touring on the back …

After waiting for almost 2 years for them to be back, finally the heavy metal idols Saxon have made it back to their mother country. Celebrating their 40-year anniversary made their show a “not allowed to be missed”, promising two hours of hot flaming action in a marvelous venue, joined …

Tonight’s gig was relocated from Koko due to the venue closing for urgent structural repairs, and this meant the venue was rather crowded – and hotter than hell with at least one fan collapsing in the heat. First up tonight was Laurence Jones. Wearing a suit he looked far too …

Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – Games Room Weds 10th October 2018. Yew-haw! Rolling, into the small town of Burley, Leeds on their great white steel horse of a tour bus;  American rock n rollers Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts have brought along …

Jeez. Where do you start to capture in words just how momentous this Ross The Boss Band gig was at Eleven last night? It was to be the last leg of the UK tour before heading off to Spain today and a totally over the top set contained a few …

This gig proved that diamonds really are forever as veteran NWOBHM band Diamond Head delivered a gem of a set to a packed out Eleven in Stoke including super-fan Mike Lace from Macclesfield which made it his 260th gig by them! This was one of the biggest and loudest crowds …

Thursday night in the heart of Camden and the masses are descending to the Black Heart to see a long promised heavy metal concert and bang their heads with an early start for the weekend. The heavy metal ritual would commence at 8, with UK based Primitai on stage, promising …

Tonight’s opening act is Scottish blues rock band King King. They’re a great choice given the bluesy nature of recent Europe albums, and the fact that King King are a great live band. That fact was evident from the fact that the hardcore Europe fans who had been queuing outside …

Stonewire were first to play in the VIP sessions and it was a great start to the day – Sky has a great voice and the acoustic set showed off the gentler side of her vocals whereas the later main stage set showed off the power she’s got in her …

This was the first day of the first HRH Crows – Country Rock, Outlaw, Western & Southern Rock. Held in the O2 Academy in Sheffield there was a fairly diverse lineup to look forward to over the weekend. Before the main event started, there were two bands doing acoustic sets …

On only the second date of an extensive UK tour (following five European gigs) it looked like a baptism by fire for new Bigfoot lead vocalist Sean Seabrook but he made it look effortless with a confident delivery and stage persona point proven by set opener ‘Eat Your Words’ from …

For tonight’s album launch show, MaYaN have two suport acts. First up was Carthagods from Tunisia. Despite being Tunisian, they do have one familiar band member – Delain guitarist, Timo Somers. He’s played with them before for some live shows in Tunisia, but this is the first time the band …

An Evening in the Company of Mick Rossi The Peer Hat, Manchester: 18th August 2018 Following a UK Tour which included a show at Rebellion Punk Music Festival in Blackpool. Mick Rossi, guitarist from one of the most underrated bands ever (in my humble opinion) Slaughter and the Dogs (SATD) …

First up tonight was Stone trigger from Dublin. They’re a great fit for the tour with their sleaze/hard rock sound. Despite being on quite early there’s already a good sized crowd before they start, and It got busier and busier as their set went on. It’s a sign of how …

The autumn gig season of 2018 has already started and after a while, the NWOBHM fathers of Thrash Raven came for a show, on a Wednesday afternoon in north London. Support bands for them are the Thrash metallers from San Fransisco Hatchet and the punk-Motorhead-metallers Heavy Sentence. The Boston Music …

Final Rockwich 2018  day and somehow event organisers Mik Matzen and Colesia Price have managed to squeeze thirteen bands into twelve hours! First up was Quiet The Thief at the hangover worrying midday slot and no quarter was given as they dished up a heavy dollop of gritty heavy rock …

Another year and another fantastic Rockwich Festival returns courtesy of Prometheus Promotions! Two days of fantastic music starting with the Saturday night of acoustic soiree before the full on main event the next day. Local covers band Baxter made up of the very talented Paul Senior and Hayley Strangelove (but …

Sunday is always a sad day when it’s the last day of Bloodstock so it was the final journey from our hotel in Tamworth (getting too old to sleep on the ground now) to just catch the start of the rain and opening Ronnie James Dio Stage band Monument. Fronted …

As the kids TV programme TISWAS used to say, Today Is Saturday Watch And Smile and with another packed day ahead at Bloodstock Open Air Festival, there was loads to smile about! First up was The Brood laying waste to a full New Blood Stage with some full on grind. …

My annual deja vu quote of “Another year, another Bloodstock Open Air Festival” returns and 2018 saw a wealth of talent spread along four stages in the beautiful location of Catton Hall. First band up at the eye rubbingly time of 10.30am on the New Blood Stage were Dumfries based …

Arriving at Bloodstock feels like coming home. I’ve been coming here for years (this is my tenth Bloodstock), and while the bands are the advertised attraction, it’s also about meeting up with friends that you havent seen for a while (often since the last Bloodstock). Even before the bands start, …

Tonight I headed out to The Picturedrome in Holmfirth as The Dead Daisies brought their Summer Tour 2018 to Yorkshire. The Dead Daisies aren’t actually a group, as such, but a collective of musicians assembled, only five years ago, by David Lowy and Jon Stevens. The Antipodean Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller? As …

Iron Maiden’s Legacy of the beast tour reached Birmingham tonight. It’s fair to say fans were excited and ready to party with the bars nearby all full of Iron Maiden fans for hours before the doors opened with some bars running out of Trooper. The ticketless entry seemed to work …