Dave Jackson Band - Blues at the Farm - Saturday 23rd March 2013

I went to Barleylands' weekly Blues at the Farm for the first time in about 2 years and saw a band called the Dave Jackson Band, bringing something they call 'Doom Blues'.

Dave Jackson Band stepped in front of a merry group at the football club in Barleylands. Saturday afternoons is 'Blues at the Farm', featuring a different band each week. This week would prove to be something that would steer off the traditional blues tracks.

Early on in the set the band claimed they had been tagged as 'Doom Blues', which was intriguing to say the least. Worryingly a bit of concern set in during their first number which sounded a bit 'hippy protest' rather than 'rib crushing doom', but the down tuned guitar and bass soon kicked in as the set rumbled on like a heavy laden freight train. Really low and dirty guitar tones mixed with some good technical bass-lines and solid drumming gave the band an edge that is often lacking from most 'blues' bands that stick to, what usually sound like, reworded covers.

An obvious comparison is a Black Sabbath one, partly triggered by front man Dave Jackson's long black hair and interesting take on the newer song titles, including 'I'm not sure what this one is called'. But it wasn't all 'doom' as a few songs off their first (and currently 'only' album) nodded towards a Robin Trower or Thorogood style, with rumbustious riffs and brilliant vocals twinned with the excellent drumming and complicated bass sections.

Mesmerising guitar solos were in abundance as some songs took on a life of their own, continuing well into the 6 minute mark and the whole set tickled the 2 hour mark as the band didn't stop, not even for a break. One set, no nonsense and it may have not been everybody's cup of tea but it was certainly how I like my live music; heavy, low and then a bit lower and heavier.

Dave did begin to tell a great story of his past life at one point. He began his tale of living rough in New Orleans, playing gigs just so he could sleep on the floor of a bar, alcohol being a big problem... before cutting the story short and playing some more doom blues. He definitely seems like an interesting character with great guitar playing talent and a great rock/blues voice. I did have a short chat with him after the gig, where he gave me a flyer for a free download of the band's first album. I'd have liked to do a proper interview to find out more about his hard times in New Orleans, but I'll save that for another day.

Ending the set with a Buddy Guy song and then Sweet Home Chicago reminded us that they are a blues band and that 'the blues' is a broader spectrum of music than many are prepared to admit. I can't wait to hear more 'doom blues' from these guys as it is a sub genre I am intrigued by.

Want to hear some Dave Jackson Band? Get to davejacksonband.com
Want blues on a Saturday? Get down to bluesatthefarm.co.uk

Wet Nuns - Birthdays - Tuesday 5th March 2013

A very quick review of Wet Nuns' gig at Birthdays in Dalston Kingsland. Also put on Grapevine's website.

Tuesday is the new Friday (Well, at least it was this week), because I went to a gig to see a fairly new band that seem to be gaining a fair bit of popularity, Wet Nuns, supported by two low and heavy metal bands, which I will go ahead and review first.

Limb were first up. Dirty, low, doom laden riffs vibrated the bones of those in the little underground venue. Vocally more what I would describe as ‘death metal’, lots of grumbling and low screams that mirrored the incredibly low notes played by the guitarist and bass. Not a single high note was struck as Limb continued to drive forward with dread laden bass lines and distortion. They reminded me of the heavier, grungier side of ‘Down’ with plenty of distortion. Whether the distortion was due to a pedal effect or overloaded speakers, I can’t be sure, but the speakers were still working when the next band stepped up so they must have been pretty solid.

Throne are a band I have seen before (the last time I saw Wet Nuns). I didn’t really see much of them the first time around so I was interested to get a full whack of Throne to the ears. Early Black Sabbath must be an influence, that brilliant early metal sound really sounded good in the tiny Birthdays basement. It was like metal distilled to its true origins, brilliant stuff with clean bass-lines and a great feel.

Finally we got some Wet Nuns. I love this band, their EP was released a little while ago (got the vinyl pre order, because, why not?) and since then I have been really looking forward to this gig. I last saw them when they supported Turbowolf at The Relentless Garage last year, but I was stood near the bar then, so this time I promised myself I’d get a bit closer. I was still near the bar, but downstairs at Birthdays the only place you can really stand is ‘near the bar’ due to the cosy size, but the low ceiling helped funnel plenty of noise , which Wet Nuns used to full effect. Bearing in mind they are a two piece they still blasted their flavour of head banging ‘blues punk’ towards our faces. The duo had a great crowd for them tonight and were they up for it with some funny banter between tracks and quite a bit of crowd surfing, but my personal highlight was the song that made me like them in the first place, Laura, I just really like that song. The crowd surfing continued and in the end the guitarist cemented the maniacal style the band possesses by doing a bit of surfing himself. Plenty of sore necks the next day I’m sure, but it think the whole crowd would agree it was well worth it

The Stranglers - Cambridge Corn Exchange - 22nd March 2013

After my interview with Baz Warne I got a couple of free tickets to The Stranglers' Cambridge date, so myself went along 'guest-list style' to see them. Here's the review I sent to Grapevine Live...

Friday night in Cambridge was shaken by those veterans of the punk scene, The Stranglers. With a fantastic following there was no reason this was going to be anything other than enjoyable and after my interview with front man Baz Warne a few weeks back I was really looking forward to this.

The support was The Godfathers. Not a band I’m familiar with but a quick history lesson from a flyer lead me to believe they have a lot going on. They were once ‘Sid Presley Experience’ but some-time in the mid-eighties they broke up and The Godfathers were formed. So they’ve been in the business a long time and are one of the few survivors of the punk era, but ‘punk’ is a very broad term so rather than the obvious Sex Pistols and Stiff Little Fingers punk style, Godfathers almost felt a bit rockabilly at times.

Their biggest hit, the cheerily titled ‘Birth School Work Death’ is a real punk classic, plenty of fists raised in the crowd and the angst and frustration that goes along with it. Of course no live punk set would be complete without shooting down a heckler or two, and Godfathers did so in graceful style with the line ‘nobody is here to see you... twaaat’, which got a good cheer and we were all ready, to grab another beer, then see The Stranglers.

Blimey, where to start? The Stranglers have been around a while, a couple of line up changes here and there but still fundamentally the same, no nonsense, just good songs and a few laughs along the way. 

The set-list as a whole was flawless with the obligatory classics like ‘Golden Brown’ and ‘Peaches’, some great crowd participation for ‘Always the sun’. Newer ones like ‘Time was once on my side’ and even lesser heard tracks like ‘Toiler on the Sea’ and the properly punk ‘Something Better Change’ were just as well received as The Stranglers superb following were well up for it.

I was surprised by the amazingly bright back drop, I was expecting an ordinary band logo banner but the array of patterns and colours illuminating the stage was a clear indication that the band are going all out on this tour.

Plenty of jumping and cheers throughout but having not seen them live before I did wonder where drummer Jet Black was, but worries were quashed when he stepped up to rapturous applause to replace the brilliant first half drummer, Jim McCauley (who would later come back to play at the same time as Black for the finale).

There was a bit of an odd moment when Baz pointed out that there were youngsters (presumably with their parents) in the crowd and the lucky little blighters ended up in front of the barrier to prevent what would have been an inevitable injuries. Later on though, Baz almost looked a little embarrassed when he said the kids should cover their ears before playing the straight to the point love song of sorts, ‘Bring on the Nubiles’. But it’s always good to see such a broad range of ages enjoying properly good music.

The biggest response from the crowd came after a cheeky bass moment from JJ in which we were asked ‘can you feel it..?’ The answer was a resounding yes before ‘No more heroes’ got the room collectively bouncing with all manner of loutishness focused on the centre of the floor. Plenty of knocking about and the high spirits seemed to hang around afterwards with everybody grinning as they left the Corn Exchange.

Baz Warne Interview, Saturday 23rd February 2013

This little of hobby of mine seems to be developing into something very rewarding as on Saturday the 23rd February I had the chance to phone up Baz Warne of The Stranglers and talk about their upcoming national tour. This was my first ever phone interview and of course, as this was for Grapevine, so it was posted on their site (click here to see it GrapevineLive.co.uk/ )

And for the sake of my blog, here's the interview in full. 

Obligatory Stranglers Photo

RW: Good afternoon, Baz, how are you doing?

BW: Yeah I'm fine thanks, just drove from Bath to the North East and didn't get home 'til about 6, so I'm just sitting around in my skivvies.

RW: Well it is a Saturday after all

BW: Yeah, I'm gonna talk to you and then I think I'm gonna sit down and watch the rugby.

RW: Sounds like a good idea, I'll probably be doing the same. So my first question is about the new tour, Feel it Live, what can fans expect that will be different from last year's tour?

BW: Well, Obviously the most cliché and hackneyed answer is 'expect the unexpected', but we have 17 albums to choose from and while there are certain songs that have to be played we are going to make it as different from last year tour as we can make it. You know, last year we were touring behind the release of an album, we're not doing that this year, so we've taken a few more liberties with what we can play. I suppose in a lot of ways we want to keep ourselves happy as much as anything else, your main aim is to satisfy the audience and let everybody go home with a big smile on their face, we really don't want to, and have taken pains in the past to avoid getting too heavy into nostalgia and become a heritage act, which we could qualify for after 40 years. Maybe a couple of months before the tour approaches emails start flying around about what we're gonna play and this week we've been rehearsing, the final rehearsal was on Thursday and I came home yesterday and it was all sounding tight and punchy and rocky and ready to go. Generally we try to make it harsh, we like to call it the 'black blitzkrieg' so that's what it's gonna be.

RW: Sounds good, last year was a big year for the band with a European tour and the album ‘Giants’ getting a lot of praise from fans and critics, are there any plans to carry on working on new stuff this year?

BW: Well we're always cataloguing stuff, even if it's just an idea that you get in the bath and you sing into your mobile phone so you don't forget it. JJ and I are the principle song writers, that's what we do and then, if there's a designated time to get together to properly deconstruct these things then that's what we do and that's where the real ideas start to creep in. There are tentative plans to do another album next year, other than that I can't say, they are tentative. The original long-term plan was to take 2014 off and just do the festivals in the middle of the year, but as you pointed out, previous tours and last year’s tour were very successful. I mean we ended last year with a tour of Australia and New Zealand, I'd never been to New Zealand so that was good. When you go to places like that and the people are extremely enthusiastic and interested and it's all still an on going concern to them you have to wonder, we can keep this going for as long as people's brains don't explode! You know we still have a lot of ideas and we still have a lot of things to say, it seems to me while we're still compos mentis and we still have ideas we'll always try and do something.

Sorry, I am a bit long winded, so the short answer is hopefully we'll be doing something next year for a 2015 release, anymore than that I can't really say.

RW: Well obviously, popularity is still pretty strong but I did notice Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland aren't getting any gigs on this tour, are there plans to visit them sometime this year?

BW: That's a good question, in recent years we tend to start tours off in Ireland, but that would probably reflect in trends across there. Basically if somebody wants us to play there they'll get in touch, we don't ring around clubs and say 'please can we come and play', once the word gets out that the Stranglers are touring, then it's really up to the places to get in touch. We have had many successful nights in Ireland, but we haven't played there for a couple of years. Wales is a tricky one. It's probably down to venues, we've played Aberystwyth, Swansea, Cardiff all those places in the past but there's a lack of medium sized venues in cities like that, you can go to St David's hall in Cardiff, which is huge, and the arena, Swansea has very little, and it's just the feasibility of setting these things up. The last gig we did in Wales was in Aberystwyth about 3 years ago. I have to say though, when the dates do come out I like to see if we are playing those places, but there's a lot of Welsh fans that just travel over the Severn into Bristol, so that kind of caters for the south west and as far as Ireland is concerned most Irish fans see us in Manchester or Liverpool. But I completely agree with what you're saying to be honest, I would love to do these places again but it's kind of dictated by where people want us rather than where we want to go.

RW: So you're looking forward to getting back on the road, are you all ready to go?

BW: Oh yeah, the first gig's in Edinburgh and my girlfriend's from Edinburgh so I spend a lot of time up there, I love the city and yeah, we're all raring to go now. When we first start the early rehearsals and we pluck them songs out the air and nobody seems to really know how it's going to go or what to play and then as the weeks progress and the set starts to come together,  that's when everybody starts to get excited because it starts to become more of a show, we start having a production team come in to  get some ideas for the visuals and then the crew and busses the trucks and you know, it starts to form a real sense of occasion. The only thing that pisses me off about a British tour is when it's finished. It gets to when you look at the dates and we say 'oh man, we're nearly done' and for us, even at our age and for as long as we've been doing this, for us, playing live is really all it's been about, you know, making that connection with the crowd and it’s a true joy to see the cross sections that come out. A lot of the original Stranglers fans from the seventies are older than us and fans bring their teenage kids along. The advent of the internet and Youtube and stuff you just think about something, hear about something and nine times out of ten it's all there and you can find out where the band started, what it was all about back in the day and it's a real sort of passion people have when they add to that. It's like a family. A lot of people will base their entire lives around that month that we're touring. We're doing 23 shows and I know for a fact there are fans that will do them all, and of course on top of that you've got travelling, accommodation and it becomes expensive so we look forward to going out and giving them what they deserve. The excitement, it’s all multi-layered. I love to play, to see me friends, I love travelling and the hotels and the room service, all that shit, it's great fun.

RW: So did you enjoy playing at Cambridge last year?

BW: At the Corn Exchange? Always one of my favourite places to play, I remember many occasions there. And it's just close enough to London that a lot of the London squad come up and walking around Cambridge, as we do when we try and find somewhere to eat, there's gangs of black clad people standing outside pubs drinking, then they spot you and there’s a real camaraderie and it's fab, yeah. Cambridge is great and Norwich as well, it happens to be my birthday when we play at the UEA so that should be interesting. The UEA is always good as well, it's a smaller room, but we still manage to shoehorn Christ knows how many people in there, so there's always a good vibe definitely.

RW: It's all sounding pretty good, hopefully I'll be down Cambridge to see you guys, but just one more question, what song is your absolute favourite to play live?

BW: Normally we do a version of the old Bacharach track, Walk on by, and that over the years has stretched out into a seven or eight minute jam, so me and Dave Greenfield, the keyboard player, get to do a bit of wanky with the guitar which we don't often get to do, so that would be one of my favourites because I can step back from the mic stand for a few minutes and just play guitar. There’s a lot of interplay between Dave and myself, there's harmony lines so it's never less than interesting.

I have a real passion for Golden Brown too, I know it's the band's biggest hit and often gets the groans, sometimes a die hard fan will ask if you're going to do Golden Brown, we say ‘yes’ and they go 'aaaw no', but you have to realise that if there's 2,500 people there's probably 2000 that want to hear that song and maybe 1000 that come only to hear that song, so it kind of takes a life of its own. I just seem to remember hearing that song growing up when it first came out, when I was about 16 and I remember I was working in a shop when it first came out and I've always thought it was a fantastic. There are many others, Goodbye Toulouse, which we're playing on this tour, Toiler on the Sea, the list's endless Ryan to be honest.

After I said thanks for the interview and mentioned I should be getting my tickets the next week (pay day is always a week too late), Baz suggested I ask the promoter for a couple of free tickets, which I asked Grapevine to do (I hadn't spoken to the promoter before and thought it would be a bit cheeky to introduce myself by asking for free tickets). Grapevine sorted it so on March 22nd I'll be seeing The Stranglers at The Cambridge Corn Exchange (sweet). 

Sonic Boom Six, 12th February 2013, Chinnery’s Southend

Southend-on-Sea on a cold Tuesday in February is not known for being a hive of activity, but in Chinnery’s an established ska/punk band were ready willing and able to warm Southend seafront up a bit. Manchester’s Sonic Boom Six are a band I have known of for a long time, but only recently really got into. They lean more towards the heavier side, with a bit of angst, a few heavy bass lines and driving guitar moments cut in amongst the bouncing reggae rhythms normally expected from a ska band.

There were four bands on the bill tonight, first were Killatrix. Opening the festivities at the early time of 7:30 is never easy, the crowd was a bit cold and sober but Killatrix got a few hands raised. It’s hard to pin point their style, which is a bit of a pain for a reviewer, so I’d describe them as an electro-breakbeat-house-metal-goth-punk band, with some strong female lead vocals. The use of pre-recorded samples sounded pretty good, but it does mean the band have to stick to the song and not go off on a candid jam session like some live bands. Vocally strong with some booming beats and a nice use of slide on a double bass for one of their more banging tracks showed that Killatrix have the skill to be a well rounded band.

Norfolk/Essex band, Under the Influence, were next up. Young and energetic they blasted onto the stage without introduction, which caught a few of us off guard. They had a kind of nu-metal feel to them, but the MC was trying to hype the crowd up a bit like the drum and bass MCs from a few years ago. Hardcore style tracks with shouty vocals, these youngsters were making me feel a bit old, angrily bouncing all over the stage with a bit of head banging in-between.

The front man really was working hard to get the crowd going but the crowd wasn't quite young or angry enough, undeterred they managed to slowly get some of the crowd onside with a massively aggressive cover of a Chase and Status track and they showed promise and if Chinnery’s was a bit busier they’d probably have gotten a stronger response.

The LaFontaines, Scotland’s finest hip hop band, have been the main support for Sonic Boom Six on the current tour and they got the crowd moving a bit with some great tracks. Managing to get the room warmed up a bit with their mash-up sound of indie rock, ska and drum and bass flair, plus some full on rap with a side of well tuned singing. A few jokes and some cheerful banter between songs cemented the care free feel I was getting from the group (even with the odd social commentary style lyrics). Plenty of head nodding and good fun and as the venue started feeling it The LaFontaines got better and looked like they were enjoying themselves as they ended the set with ‘Shark in the Water’. I met the front man as I bought an EP of theirs, he seemed up for a laugh, plus he liked my jacket, so he obviously has an eye for good taste. A short break and we were suitably limbered up for a good old skanking!

Sonic Boom Six have been around since about 2002 and still know how to get people moving. Heavy skanking down the front and lots of crowd participation, getting down, jumping up, hands high and spirits higher, SB6 really worked those in attendance well. A cover of The Streets’ ‘Push Things Forward’ got pretty much everybody singing along and even a couple of scuffles in the crowd did little to dampen the party mood SB6 had brought us on this chilly Tuesday. Playing a good selection of classics and newer tracks from their latest self titled album, SB6 accounted for all tempos from the slow and melancholic ‘Gary Got a Gun’, the skank-tastic ‘Piggy in the Middle’ all the way up to the leg kicking partner flinging almost metal tracks from along the band’s back catalogue. It was great to see a band that was willing to change the intensity so readily and do it well. We were treated to a very early SB6 song, ‘People Acklike They Don’t Know’ which was good for the old school fans (of which I spotted a few) and relative newcomers to the band like myself.

It almost felt like a greatest hits show, the crowd loved every song and I couldn't stop grinning and head banging as they nailed every drop and every rhythm change, but ska punk is an excellent genre, even more so for me when you aim towards a heavier sound. SB6 have built up a loyal fanbase, for ten years they have been working away, creating social commentaries and unique tracks and haven't changed too much, just enough to keep things fresh and that is a very difficult thing to do. (Also they don't over load on trumpets like most bands in the same genre, but that's more of a personal issue I’m trying to get over.)

I had a great time, a proper good knees up and my mates and I managed to say hi to a couple of band members by the merch stand. Really nice guys and very appreciative to those that came out to see them, which is always good for a fan to see.

Get some SB6 here - www.sonicboomsix.co.uk

Or some LaFontaines - http://thelafontaines.co.uk/

Under The Influence can be found here - http://www.undertheinfluenceofficial.co.uk/

And Killatrix are here - http://killatrix.bandcamp.com/

Scroobius Pip presents We Are Lizards, Saturday 9th February, Sunrooms, Southend

Saturday night in Southend, Essex poet Scroobius Pip took up the role of promoter/DJ upstairs at the Sunrooms. The bill was packed with acts but I had no idea what to expect as all the ticket said was ‘Scroobius Pip presents We Are Lizards’.

High/Low were the first band in the tiny room and I’d never heard of them before, so I wasn’t ready for the loud thrashy bass-lines that they delivered. The reminded me of early Feeder, with the punk style songs but with vocals that are sung not shouted. It felt like they were on a mission as they barely stopped for breath between each high energy, fast paced track. As High/Low powered through their set-list I noticed hints of Nirvana in their sound, especially the vocals, but when paying attention to the drummer I could hear some great technical moments that contrasted well with the simple chord based guitar and after paying attention to the individual components of the band I started to get a better idea of what they are about, not just thrashy angry punk-style rock but maybe something a bit more thoughtful, but I’ll need another listen to be sure (good thing I got a free EP from the band).

The second band was FutureAges, I’d describe them as a ‘prog-esque’ band, disjointed rhythms at times and changes in the entire sound mid-song sounded very much like what I’d expect from a typical prog band, but FutureAges had something a bit darker about them, a bit more serious than I was expecting. Brilliant lead vocals from the girl with the microphone really impressed me (although the volumes didn’t sound quite right at times as the vocals sometimes sounded a bit faded) and the guitarists’ effects pedals managed to transform the songs at every progression from prog to metal to punk. There was a technical problem with the bass that gave guitarist a few minutes to go full prog with a nice impromptu solo distracting crowd from bassist fixing the technical hitch. The vocals almost sounded like a pop style, clear and clean without the growling I would expect, even in the heavy bits. The distortion contrasted well with the clean vocals to create a great sound and the packed room seemed as impressed as I was.

Scroobius assumed the role of DJ, playing a very eclectic mix of old school rap, R&B and a few indie mash ups in the break…

Oh wait, that wasn't a break, it turned out the bands were done and the rest of the packet list were DJs, which was a shame because I was hoping Scroobius Pip was going to do an actual performance of some sort. Still the two acts that weren't DJs were very good and after a bit of reaching for the lasers in this tiny room of house and trip-hop (with a bit of drum and bass) it was time to call it a night. Well worth the £5 ticket price though, especially because I now have two new bands to keep an ear out for.

Get some High/Low - www.facebook.com/wearehighlow

And some FutureAges - www.futureages.com/

Four Wheel Drive, Friday 8th February Railway, Ipswich

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Ipswich (bit strange for a Grapevine writer, I know) but at the Railway on Friday 8^th February a band I quite like were playing. The band was Four Wheel Drive (I’ve reviewed them before) and tonight they were playing a big set of loud covers and a few of their own tracks to a good crowd of rock fans.

I hadn’t been to the Railway before but it seems like a good live venue. The people watching the band on stage were a mix of all ages and, judging from the posters of upcoming events, the place is dedicated to bringing some good quality rock and roll to the people of Ipswich, which was probably one of the reasons the attendees were well up for Four Wheel Drive.

The first set was all covers, including a bit of AC/DC, Guns n’ Roses and Airbourne. No half measures and a fair bit of dancing in the crowd as the drinks flowed.

Plenty of jumping around from the guitarists and the crowd alike greeted the band as they began the second half after a short break. The second half had a few more covers as well as some of the band’s own stuff, including an extended version of High Roller, which I’d say was the highlight of the evening. Even a mistake with the intro to Thunderstruck didn’t stop the crowd from singing along anyway, it was that kind of atmosphere, everybody having a good knees up on a Friday night.

When seeing a band too often it can be hard to write an interesting review that doesn’t read like a copy of an older review, so I thought I’d add a footer to this review to keep things interesting…

On the following Sunday I (along with a lot of other people) was invited to help Four Wheel Drive film their latest video for the booze filled track ‘Hammered Again’. The idea was to get the band, some sexy ladies, beer, dancing, beer, something to do with policemen, more beer and more sexy ladies in The Big Red to make a big old drunken mess and have it filmed. Well, at least that’s what I think was the idea? There was a structure and a plot, but I wasn’t involved in that so I maintained the ‘drunken mess’ idea instead. Nobody seemed to worry about us drinking too much and having fizzy wine poured over our faces! It was great fun, met some great people and may have lost a great bit of dignity, but was it worth it? Well, we’ll find out when the video is released, although I may not want to let anybody at work find out about it!

No doubt the video will be posted on here at some point facebook.com/fourwheeldriverock or maybe here fourwheeldriverock.com

Heaven's Basement, The Fighting Cocks, Kingston

My first gig this month, with a lot more to come, and what a way to start February! I noticed on Heaven's Basement's album that Kerrang had given it some praise, so I decided to email them a review to see if I got a response... Fingers crossed. I also emailed it to Grapevine Live, so hopefully they'll put it on their site too.
 
Heaven's Basement Album Launch, The Fighting Cocks, Kingston, Sunday 3rd February 2013

Sunday afternoon in Kingston-on-Thames and in that little venue called The Fighting Cocks a band called Heaven’s Basement were having their album launch.

I have never been to this bar before and upon entering I can tell it is a great little house of rock and roll! The venue itself seemed tiny, with sticky floors and no room on the stage for extra guitars, but it still managed to get a good 200 people or so in there ready for some pure and simple rock music from two excellent bands.

Cage The Gods took to the stage first, I hadn’t heard of them before today but there was no doubt this band was raring to go. Although a new band (only forming in summer 2012) they have a mature sound, not unlike the southern rock styles of Black Stone Cherry or Lynyrd Skynyrd. There were little flourishes of a Guns n’ Roses influence, but only flourishes and the solid rhythm and excellent solo sections made the band feel like they had been playing together for more than 6 months. It seemed they had a few fans already there and I’m sure they left the stage earning a few more (myself included). They did a great job of getting the crowd revved up for the headliners and managed to show some great musical talent with one of their slower, more melodic tracks, 'Promises', before cranking it back up with some good old fashioned hard rock. I can’t wait to hear some more of these guys and they are playing a few gigs around the country in the lead up to releasing their own album, so hopefully they'll play somewhere a bit closer to where I live soon.

The temperature was rising as a few more spectators added to the throng of people and a cheer greeted Heaven’s Basement as they made their way to the stage and promptly opened with their new album’s opener ‘Welcome Home’. I have seen Heaven’s Basement before, the last time was in 2011 with Jettblack and then again at the acoustic stage at Download Festival in the same year, but I have liked them since I first heard one of their tracks on a free cover CD from Classic Rock magazine in 2008, so I guess that makes me a fan. Nowadays only two of the original members remain, but the current lineup have been together since 2011 and they are really pushing themselves out there this year, with the album launch, recent European tours with the likes of Seether and Hailstorm, numerous videos and singles as well as a growing fan base and praise from many music critics, Heaven’s Basement are reaching for new heights and I’m glad they are still delivering their brand of honest straight forward rock music without pretension even after all the changes.

It could be argued that Heaven’s Basement have toned themselves down slightly, opting to play safer, more generic rock (with less crowd 'walking', where the singer used to walk along the raised hands of the crowd) in an effort to gain more interest form a wider audience. I would argue that they already have enough interest and, if today’s gig was anything to go by, they haven’t really toned down anything. The vocals are still belted out at full volume and the guitar work is still superb with the new songs sounding just as good as the older ones, the band have just matured a bit more but haven't lost the edge that made them such a good live band a couple of years ago.

The quality of the crowd was great too, singing along on cue and loving it almost as much as the band. It always feels good to be in a crowd that the band appreciates, and Heaven’s Basement really looked like they were enjoying it as they played a couple of their older songs like ‘Reign on my Parade’ and ‘Executioner’s Day’, which I think everybody knew the words to. Even the newer songs had a great response with a great moment to start the thumping ‘I Am Electric’ with the crowd helping to sing the opening lines. The latest tracks sounded great live and the band are set to play Download Festival this year, which I am very much looking forward to.

I haven’t listened to the new album yet (although I did get a copy with yesterday's gig ticket), but based on what was played today and the tracks that are already on Youtube, my first impressions are good and I am glad I have invested my faith in such a brilliant band over the years.

Cage the Gods can be found at www.cagethegods.com/ 
Heaven's Basement can be found on their own site, heavensbasement.com/

Undiscovered Live! Heat, Chinnery’s, Southend

Undiscovered Live! is a competition, there are heats and finals and all that but I can't find out anything about it online so I reviewed the bands I saw on Thursday 31st January 2013and ignored the poor marketing of the contest. 

This should be on Grapevine soon.

Thursday night and the seafront was quiet, fortunately I knew about a competition at Chinnery’s featuring four acts from various parts of Essex. I think it was called Undiscovered Live, apparently there have already been a couple of heats in Essex and tonight was another heat to find one band that will progress to the next stage of the competition.

I like Chinnery’s, over the years they have played host to some great bands, but tonight’s event wasn’t exactly well promoted. I didn’t know about it until one of the bands told me it was happening, but even they weren’t sure what was going on. But I’m not here to talk about the venue/competition’s online presence, I’m here to review some bands.

First up was a solo singer song writer type named Alex Fox.  Upon first hearing him I was impressed, with only a keyboard and a microphone Alex managed to perform some macabre songs that maintained the attentions of much of the audience. Vocally I’d immediately jump to Morrissey or Editors’ lead singer Tom Smith as a lazy description of Alex’s voice, but there was a uniqueness there that intrigued me and the occasional grin suggested he was enjoying himself. A couple of well worked covers including a simple staccato version of Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music’ gave a break from the minor chords and sombre tones that Fox’s own pieces focused on. A nice bit of banter between songs kept the attendees on side as Alex came across as a nice guy doing what he likes to do. A good act to ease us in, but I didn’t know what the judges (whoever they were) were looking for so it was hard to tell if Alex had a chance of going to the next round, but I was impressed and look forward to hearing a bit more from Alex Fox in the future.

The second act was pop band Emy’s Parade. Key changes and upbeat tunes were in abundance as the four piece bopped through their set. With youthful enthusiasm from the lead singer keeping the happy pop vibe going but maybe the crowd wasn’t quite as up for it as the lead singer tried to get some crowd participation but it wasn’t really catching on, fair play for trying though. I’m guessing the likes of Avril Lavigne and Paramore are influences and like those influences Emy’s Parade’s songs were simple and a bit formulaic. The last chorus going up a key and the little break down sections before a crescendo ending are basic pop music 101 and they come across as a band wanting to have fun, which is fine by me. It was young and fun with all the associations that come with it; optimistic, confident but ultimately not mature or special enough to really wow me, a bit too much Radio 1 rather than the Radio 6 feel that is often expected at these kinds of gigs.

Calico were the third act on stage. I know Calico well, I’ve seen them many times over the past few years and although I know them I am always critical, probably more so tonight as this was supposed to be a competition. With no real following crowd to cheer them on, Calico had a room with about 30 potential new fans to convert. A strong start with a couple of jumping ska influenced tracks with some angst lined vocals and punchy rhythms. Calico are obviously a vocally led band, with two female lead singers, and there were many moments in the set that capitalised on that with some great harmonies ensuring Calico got their unique vocal style across. Some grungy power chords and almost ska-punk flourishes were well received but with limited banter between songs there were a couple of awkward quiet moments as guitars were swapped, which weakened the otherwise solid performance. Plenty of reverb and distortion with enough volume to match gave Calico the best chance of the evening so far, but there was one act left before finding out who won this heat.

A good following greeted The Ends, a bunch of lads having a bit of a laugh and there was a great energy on stage. Like early Arctic Monkeys without the social commentary, The Ends used their jangly guitar sound and splashy symbols to full effect. The laddish banter between songs matched the fast and loose sound that ran through the set. A few rhythm changes didn’t really deter from the simple shouty vocals that would suggest punk influences but the angst that one would associate with punk wasn’t there. A good fun band playing some good tracks and having the strongest following of the evening meant they got a bit of atmosphere in the crowd and even a sing along moment in their set. A very good way to finish the competition and after the uproarious finale it was time to announce a winner.

Apparently it was close, with the top three acts only having two points between them... But The Ends came out on top and go through to the next round, wherever that is, it’s difficult to find out anything about this Unsigned Live thing because there are a few competitions with similar names, but if I do find a link or something I will update this review, but for now here’s a few band links if you fancy finding out a bit about them.

Alex Fox – facebook.com/alexfox

Emy’s Parade – facebook.com/emysparade

Calico – facebook.com/calicox

The Ends - www.myspace.com/astheends

UPDATE: That Undiscovered competition does have a website, http://www.undiscovered.org.uk, and the final of the competition will be at Chinnery's... not sure when that is though.

GREAT NEWS EVERYONE!

Although this is not a gig/music review, I thought I'd mention that it appears my Grapevine contributions are proving evermore popular as I have been rewarded with my very own header/logo thing! Kick ass!

So be sure to check out Drop D (with me, Ryan) if you get a chance as it's the second biggest ego boost I've gotten this week! (I'm not telling the first one, because that had nothing to do with music reviews)

'Resident Writer' Something to add to the CV.

Classic Rock Show @ Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

Classic Rock Show, Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Thursday 25^th January 2013

I got two free tickets (courtesy of Grapevine) to one of the best tribute bands in the country/world, Brit Floyd, but not on one of their usual Pink Floyd tribute tours, this time they were doing stuff by other bands like AC/DC, Springsteen, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Fleetwood Mac. So here's my review of The Classic Rock Show. (This review is also on GrapevineLive.co.uk)

At the risk of creating some sort of ‘ode to cover bands’ I am going to start this review with a personal belief... Cover bands are important. There are people that see the word ‘covers’ as a derogatory term, suggesting that a musician is somehow not very good because they choose to play songs previously recorded by others. However, without performances like Thursday night’s Classic Rock Show at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff I would never had experienced some of the best songs ever recorded being played live by expert musicians with the production values to match.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Cliffs, but it wasn’t long before I was settled in for a huge set of Classic Rock tracks. I picked up my two complimentary tickets (courtesy of Grapevine) at the box office and it wasn’t long before my buddy and I were sitting in row G as the opening notes of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ chimed from the stage.

The set list was based around the ten biggest selling albums of all time so each song was going to be a favourite, but amongst the Back in Blacks and Money For Nothings that have been performed by many of the cover bands I have seen in the past there were some songs that very nearly surpassed the originals and are seldom heard in the pubs and clubs on a Saturday night. This is mostly because of the eleven singers and musicians in the show, with the line-up changing from song to song to give each track that unique and definitive sound, which is quite an achievement when the set list features so many different styles, like the simple heavy rock of AC/DC to the much more complicated ensemble required for ELO. Of course having that many talented individuals on stage can often be a double edged sword, yes you get the ability to perform complicated, multi-layered tracks live with two keyboards and three guitarists, but sometimes having that many instruments on stage at once can be too busy as each instrument competes against the other. Fortunately the level of professionalism on and off stage meant the sound was spot on for every song they played and that became apparent when the band played Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell (the full version, none of that radio edit nonsense) which received a rapturous applause as all eleven performers were on stage for the first time that evening.

The final performance of the first half was Comfortably Numb, from Pink Floyd’s The Wall album. I didn’t realise at first, but much of the band play in Brit Floyd, the Pink Floyd tribute band, and after seeing that performance of Comfortably Numb I would say I would very much like to see them as Brit Floyd. It was, without a doubt, the highlight of the evening. The extended guitar solo was epic and the whole theatre loved it.

A short break to reflect on the first half and the thing that seemed to intrigue me most was the production valOf course, finding out the band are mostly Brit Floyd explained why there was such a big production laid on for us but I was still amazed by the lighting, projections, roadies, musicians and number of guitars. It was a proper show for people (like me) that will probably never get to see the original artists performing live.

Second half was much like the first, brilliant. More excellent songs done excellently and even a quiet moment for Dire Straits’ Romeo and Juliet which, amid the bright lights and guitar solos of the other songs, gave everybody a chance to really appreciate the level of quality on stage as each little detail was performed to perfection, even ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky had all the effects and ELO-ness it required to sound as good as (if not better than) the original.  I’m sure by now you realise I enjoyed myself immensely.

The last song of the evening came in the form of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird, which had the whole ensemble on stage and had plenty of hand clapping and a few sing alongs in the crowd. Having two of the guitarists play ‘that’ solo,in unison, face to face, sounded great and was just another testimony to the quality of guitar playing up on stage. A huge applause followed the band as they left the stage and the applause kept going, morphing into a uniform beat and returning to full on applause as the band returned for an encore beginning with a cover, of a cover, Joe Cocker’s version of The Beatles’ ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, then The Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ capped off a brilliant night of brilliant songs by a brilliant band.

Well, it wasn’t quite over as our complimentary tickets had an after party sticker enclosed, so after a bit of standing around awkwardly as the band wound down with their friends and family we had a short chat with one of the two lead singers (But it was only a short chat because I had work in the morning, such is my rock and roll lifestyle). He clearly likes what he does and is obviously appreciative of Brit Floyd and their promoters doing the tour, because without a good promoter these kinds of shows just can’t happen, which would be a great shame because it was a fantastic demonstration of just how good live music is, whether it be original songs or tried and tested classic rock tracks.

The Classic Rock Show is still on tour all over the country, more info and tickets can be found here >> http://www.theclassicrockshow.com/tour-dates

Guns2Roses @ Oxford Cafe, Bethune

Bethune is a town about an hour's drive from Calais. Myself and a good friend of mine took the ferry and rocked out en Francais!

Also posted on GrapevineLive.co.uk

Guns2Roses, Le Oxford Café, Bethune, France
Saturday 14th January

My buddy Arran and I embarked on probably the longest excursion I have ever taken with the soul intention of seeing a band. Across the channel and down the E15 for a bit is a town called Bethune that on Saturday night played host to Guns2Roses, Hole Xpander and Four Wheel Drive.

Le Oxford Café in Bethune is a pretty small venue, with wood panels on the wall and a Belgian beer called ‘Troll’ on the taps. There was also a refreshing disregard for the law as when we stepped into the place our clothes immediately smelled of cigarette smoke, yes there is a smoking ban in France, just nobody told these guys! It’s hard to remember the last time I came home with my jeans smelling like they'd been worn by Keith Richards. We also had a chance to test our French speaking skill, which ranged from ‘little’ to ‘none’ and it wasn't long before we were settled in to get some high voltage rock and roll, Français style!

First up were London lads Four Wheel Drive, the main reason for travelling to Béthune, and the first thing we noticed was the volume! Seems the environmental health were off Saturday night as the band damn near blew the windows out! Even though one of the four wheels couldn’t make it, the now Three Wheel Drive put out a massive sound and as far as I could tell the capacity crowd were well and truly up for it ! A great rendition of Highway to Hell saw any language barrier torn down as every voice in the building sang along and the band produced probably the loudest performance of their own song 'High Roller', setting the benchmark at a very high level. A great start to the party ! As Four Wheel Drive pointed out, we English fans (all two of us) had travelled a long way to be there and we were ready to have a good time, fortunately so was everybody else!

Next up were French outfit, Hole Xpander (Googleing that with safe search off might not be a such un bonne idée !) I was really impressed, plus it was their first proper gig and they had a great crowd behind them throughout. I couldn’t understand what they were singing about most of the time but it makes a change for me to listen to a band without paying attention to what is being said. Of course there was a chance to join in as the band performed my favourite Twisted Sister song, ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, which set the bar alight! Twisted Sister are probably one of the bands that sprang to mind upon hearing Hole Xpander, there are also Judas Priest and lots of thrash elements in there. I’d had a chat with the drummer before the gig and the front man a bit later on, both really nice guys and both were keen to do some shows on the other side of The Channel with Four Wheel Drive, which I would be more than happy to see, honestly, if you speak the language or not these guys are well worth a listen.

By this point we had made a couple of nouveaux amis, including a guy that wanted to learn English and ended up exchanging email addresses with me to help him learn it because I is well good at talking English and stuff, innit! He’s helping me learn some French too, so it’s win win! A short break and with our vocal chords suitably warmed up and our glasses topped up with Troll beer it was time to really have some fun with Guns2Roses.

I like Guns n' Roses and Guns2Roses are probably the best chance I have of seeing G n’ R as they were in their late eighties/early nineties heyday. Featuring two members of Hole Xpander, the confidence, passion and great selection of tracks ensured our voices would be raw by night’s end (and they started on time). The band clearly love and respect Guns n’ Roses and after a quick Google it seems they are a highly acclaimed tribute band having played with members from the actual Guns n’ Roses. We spoke to the front man before the sound check and he told us they had just got back from India, playing to 10,000 people, soon they are going to California but at the moment they are playing some smaller gigs, stuff like that always makes me want to start a band. The setlist consisted of the obvious big hits like Paradise City, Sweet Child of Mine (which they restarted for reasons I am not sure of, maybe that’s the kind of thing the real Axl Rose would do) and You Could Be Mine. But the real treats were the lesser played GnR songs like My Michelle and a personal favourite Night Train. Each track was done as good as (if not better) than the originals and the crowd loved it, so much so that the landlord and a few other Frenchmen got up on stage with the band mid set! It was a crazy night with plenty of singing and air guitaring and it was nothing but a good time!

The Oxford was jumping until the early hours and then a bit longer and after exchanging ways to swear in each other’s language with some French blokes we went back to l’hotel, slept for not nearly long enough and then drove back home. I was more than a bit drained by the time I got back to North Essex, but all I can say after all that is ‘I’m going to venture to distant gigs more often’!

Four Wheel Drive play the Ipswich Railway on Friday 8th February, so all you hard rock fans should make a point of going there!- fourwheeldriverock.com

Hole Xpander – facebook.com/holexpander

Guns2Roses - http://www.guns2roses.co.uk/


Hole Xpander translated the bit about them to their native tongue after I shared it on their Facebook page... 

Juste après passait un groupe français, Hole Xpander (rechercher ce nom sur Google avec le filtre de recherche désactivé ne serait pas une si bonne idée !) J'étais vraiment impressionné, de plus qu'il s'agisait de leur premier concert. Il y avait une foule de monde pour eux tout le long . Je ne comprenais pas les paroles la plupart du temps mais ça me change d'écouter un groupe sans faire attention à ce qui est raconté. Il y avait bien sûr de grandes chances d'accrocher car le groupe a joué ma chanson préferée de Twisted Sister : "We're Not Gonna Take It", qui a mis le feu au bar ! Twisted Sister est certainement le groupe qui nous vient en premier à l'esprit en écoutant Hole Xpander, il y a aussi du Judas Priest et pas mal d'éléments du Thrash dans tout ça. J'ai parlé avec le batteur avant le concert et avec le chanteur un peu après ; les deux sont des gars vraiment sympas et ils aimeraient tous les deux jouer de l'autre côté de la Manche avec Four Wheel Drive. Je serais plus qu'heureux de voir ça, honnêtement. Que vous parlez leur langue ou non, ces mecs méritent vraiment qu'on écoute ce qu'ils font.

Metal Hammer Magazine Halloween Party

This was Halloween 2012 for me, good night it was too. This one was posted on Grapevinelive.co.uk.
Monday 29th October 2012, O2 Academy, Islington
Written by Ryan Whitwell
"I didn't mind because those £1.50 pints were mighty tasty."

So a very good friend of mine got me a ticket to Metal Hammer's Halloween party at Islington O2 Academy. The line up featured Heaven's Basement, Huntress and The Defiled, oh and also the brilliant Black Spiders who happened to be half the reason I went, for the princely sum of £4.50. £4.50 for 4 bands and £1.50 pints of Hobgoblin, sounds pretty good.

My friends and I missed Heaven's Basement, which was a bit of a shame as they were the other half of the reason I wanted to go, oh well. We did see most of Huntress' set however and, as a person that hadn't seen this American metal outfit before, I was stunned. They were dark, near medieval in tone as their doom laden riffs rocked the venue and I was surprised to find that lead singer of theirs, well she has an amazing voice, so raw and powerful with the kind of 'metal screams' usually reserved for male lead singers.

Next were The Defiled (after a competition to find the best 'horror screamer' in the crowd) and they did what any other hardcore industrial metal type band would do and dressed in women's clothing. Outfits aside I am not a fan of their genre, I prefer a bit of definition in my music rather than a wall of distorted noise to a fast paced drum beat, but many of the crowd enjoyed it and I didn't mind because those £1.50 pints were mighty tasty.

And after a best dressed competition in which an Umbrella (Resident Evil) zombie won (my Jack the Ripper costume wasn't even considered for the top 7) it was time for the band I wanted to see, I haven't seen them since 2011 and I am a huge fan, the driving riffs the amazing bass line the mental drummer, yes it was time for those hard rock heroes, Black Spiders.

The intro music was the same as when I first saw them in 2009, the standoff music from the good the bad and the ugly, the crowd waited, then a man emerged in skull face paint then another until the 5 members were on stage and then, they rocked so hard our hands had no option but to make a fist of metal and raise to the air.

I have always loved this band and I was anxious to hear some new songs after we spoke to the bassist at the start of the night at the merch stand. Black Spiders played their best numbers and a few new ones that they are currently recording for their second album, the new stuff sounds great and I can't wait to hear more when their album drops next April or May.

Well done Metal Hammer for getting this show organised, but next time can you leave more time for the headliners? Because the final set was far too short.

The following picture is me with Black Spiders' bassist, Liam. This photo wasn't on Grapevine's website, so consider it a bonus.

The Treatment @ Camden Underworld, London

Excellent show by The Treatment, this review was posted on Grapevine's website.

Written by Ryan Whitwell
Saturday 15th December 2012,
 
A mild winter's Saturday I had A quick potter around Camden market for Christmas presents. Oh yeah, I also saw one of the best heavy metal bands around at the moment in the form of The Treatment at Camden Underworld.

Curren kicked off an early start to procedings. Solid with plenty of American style rock about them. The early start of about 6.30 meant the crowd was a little on the thin side but that didn't dampen Curren's spirit and the lack of numbers held up pretty well when faced with some audience participation. The band have a great vibe about them, good upbeat band with a solid set including a cover of Bob Seger's 'Rosalie' which matched their style really well.

Next up on the four band roster were the brilliant Four Wheel Drive. The high rollers were on form once again to cement themselves as one of my favourite bands right now. This was my second Four Wheel Drive gig but this time the band were penned in to the confines of Underworld's stage, so no bar top guitar solos (although that didn't stop one guitarist walking through the crowd riffing like a boss).

I'm not sure why but I always gain an involuntary smile when I hear a Four Wheel Drive track, much like the one I get when AC/DC is played on the radio. I guess my subconscious is so happy this brilliant music exists that my frontal lobe can't hide it. The same thing happened during the headliner's set, but more about them after I mention the third band of the evening.

Vega are a band that I had not seen nor heard before and their style of theatrical vocals and keyboards immediately made me think of that other side of eighties rock. They felt a bit Bon Jovi/Billy Idol but with boyband-esque key changes and vocals. Definitely a vocally focused band and the guitarist from Night By Night was playing along on stage, which was a nice surprise because he is a good guitarist. As the set continued I couldn't shake the image of a an 'attitude' laden film from the mid-eighties where the hero would at some point ride a motorbike for an entire song (probably by Stan Bush) because he had to battle the bully in the big dance tournament to get the girl. It wasn't bad and there were plenty of established fans singing along as I think all of the songs featured  an opportunity to chant the word 'hey' or 'woah' in leu of an extended guitar solo.

After what seemed like an especially long time, The Treatment glided on stage and proceeded to blow the roof off The Underworld and the World's End above it!

If you haven't heard of these young guns from Cambridge then you owe it to yourself to get a dose of The Treatment (Sorry, I promise not to do anymore medical puns). Rounding up what has been an amazing year for the traditional heavy metallers, supporting the likes of Motley Crüe, Kiss and Thin Lizzy both here and in the US. The Treatment powered up their amps and turned everything up to 'awesome' to prescribe some more volts to an already electric Camden crowd (I promise that was the last medical pun).

Playing a bit of their 'This Might Hurt' album and a couple of newer tracks, The Treatment have clearly learned a lot from the masters they have recently supported. The crowd were up for it and all five band members knew it. plenty of fist pumping, arm waving and head banging was going on as the barrage of hard and fast metal blasted into the very core of our beings.

By the end of the set the room was so energetic that a stage invasion ensued as the smothered band played one of my favourites, 'Shake The Mountain', to top off a set full of hit and miss crowd surfing, studded leather jackets and guitar solos and the band just took it all in their stride as if they've been doing it for 50 years.

Ending with a great encore featuring a cover of Saxon's 'Motorcycle Man', the band managed to add themselves to my list of best live bands I've seen this year!

I cannot praise this band enough and sincerely hope they go on for a very long time as we may well be witnessing the start of something very special in a new wave of British heavy metal, and it's just what the doctor ordered (OK, that one was really bad).

Black Keys @ O2 Arena, London

I'm not a fan of the O2 Arena, I've been there a few times and often feel disconnected to what is happening on stage because the standing tickets are usually too expensive. Still a good gig though, but I do really like Black Keys. This was posted on Grapevine's site.
Wednesday 12th December 2012
Written by Ryan Whitwell

You may already be aware of The Black Keys (www.theblackkeys.com), a popular two piece blues/rock outfit from Ohio that have been going since 2001. However, you may not know that I really like this band which is why I jumped at the chance to see them at London's O2 as they played one of the last two shows of their current European tour when a good friend asked if I wanted to see them.

The support came in the form of South London’s The Maccabees (www.themaccabees.co.uk), I only saw the last few songs as getting from North Essex to Greenwich straight after work isn't much fun, but what I saw of them was good. They had the crowd going and singing along to 'Love You Better' before finishing with another of their big hits that I know not the name of.  Then it was a short wait for a band I only really got into about a year ago (like a lot of people) but fell in love with after listening to their back catalogue.

The Black Keys are not what I'd call a 'big arena band', when listening to their albums I'm more inclined to imagine small venues and bars but The Black Keys came on strong with a little bit of help from two other musicians behind them to complete the bass and keyboard sections. I was seated in tier 1, because standing tickets were a bit overpriced, but from tier 1 you get a great view of the standing crowd and immediately the cameras and phones were in the air capturing the band as they played a good selection of newer and older songs. I was slightly envious of those down the front, they looked like they were having a great time, but we in the cheap(er) seats were still having a laugh and I couldn't help but notice a few air guitars/ drums dotted around as The Black Keys threw out their signature distorted blues riffs and the crowd did a great job during the sing along moments with the big selling songs like Lonely Boy and Dead and Gone from their most recent album.

Ticket prices aside, the O2 does manage to maintain an excellent quality of sound. Every note was crystal clear and the pounding drums kept our heads nodding. The stage lighting was excellent but the fancy projections behind the band were a little intermittent. One song would have a great display of images that coincided well with the sounds but the next would be more minimal focusing more on spotlights and lighting the crowd and a large prop (two mirror balls) was used for one song, which seemed a waste considering the amazing effect it achieved. I figured they were trying to create an intimate feeling by not relying on fancy graphics to keep those at the back interested, but the O2 isn't the place for that and the large crowd did seem slightly distracted during a couple of the quieter numbers, there is just too much distance between the band and the people up in the cheapest seats.

There was a spell when the duo gave the two extra members a rest and went back to their traditional two man formation to play the likes of 'Your Touch' and the first half of 'Little Black Submarines' which was a great sing along moment before bringing back the supporting pair to return to a four piece for the second half of the song and the remainder of the set.

The band did a great job of keeping maintaining momentum as the set continued with plenty of foot tapping and head nodding (plus a little more air guitar). The likes of 'Sinister Kid' and 'Money Maker' kept the capacity crowd bubbling away until the end of the set, which was followed by an oddly long break before the encore. The break was so long that a fair few people upped and left (possibly to beat the inevitable rush for the tube). A murmur did spread as many debated whether or not there would be an encore, but a quick look at our watches suggested it would have been a bit cheeky to finish at 10:20. Then the encore was confirmed as the two aforementioned mirror balls appeared, one from a box behind the sound stage and a giant one above the stage itself. Just the two main guys appeared to a chorus of cheers as the mirror balls came into play with a dazzling shower of dappled light dancing around the arena to the slow track 'Everlasting Light'. Unfortunately, being a quiet song, I could hear a lot of the crowd talking, but it wasn't long before the balls retracted and the Keys finished the night with one of my favourite songs 'I Got Mine'. It was a great way to finish the show as the pair reminded us why we like them so much, simple, honest, bluesy rock!

I would love to see them again in a smaller venue just to get that greater connection with the band but for now I’m really glad I’ve seen them live as they are an excellent band and I can’t recommend seeing them enough.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster @ Boston Arms, Camden

One of the support acts' (Muddy Miles) singer/guitarist is an old friend of mine from Uni. This was also my first prog gig and was posted on Grapevinelive.co.uk.

Thursday 6th December 2012, Boston Arms, Camden
Written by Ryan Whitwell

Prog, not a genre I'm well versed in but it is one that has intrigued me, the idea of having something seem so random and disordered but at the same time maintain a structure is interesting. However my knowledge of prog rock extends as far as ‘Yes’ and the stranger end of Pink Floyd, so tonight’s gig featuring three prog bands was going to be an experience regardless of the quality of music.

As I sat on the tube from High Barnet to Tufnell Park I listened to the EP of a couple of the three bands I was heading to see at The Boston Arms, Camden. Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster had top billing with support from Colchester’s Telepathy and Bristol’s Muddy Miles and I was excited to experience some bands that I wouldn't normally choose to see.

The venue was a bit sparse in terms of crowd, but a nice collective managed to form as the three bands progressed throughout the evening. Muddy Miles were first up. I had heard their recorded stuff before but live they managed to push their sound to a different level. I guess my favourite thing about prog is the chaotic nature much of the genre possesses, but it somehow remains ordered. Muddy Miles’ barrage of effects take the guitar and bass to places it was never meant to go and it all works surprisingly well. The level of distortion didn't interfere and Muddy Miles seemed loose but well rehearsed at the same time (after talking to the bassist I found out they hadn't played for a while, so maybe the loose organic feel was accidental, either way it worked so why worry?) Muddy Miles are planning to relocate to London so hopefully they will be playing a lot more gigs soon.

Telepathy, from Colchester, managed to take the chaos I mentioned earlier and rank it up to ‘certifiable’! The four piece seemed to be enjoying themselves as they moved around like a band possessed. The effects pedals were in full effect, altering everything, impressing everyone and the sound firing through the amps was nothing short of insane. The songs were all instrumentals, which meant the structures of the songs were far beyond the usual verse-chorus-verse format I'm used to. The shifting tempo and rhythm kept the songs moving in all sorts of directions.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster were the third and final band of the night. More reserved than the previous bands but still maintained the energy of the evening. They were also sporting a new bassist and I think they had another change in the form of a lack of vocals, but I don’t know enough about the band to know what happened there. The loss of vocals would be a dramatic change for many bands but Bridge Disaster's songs shift and morph to the point that you wonder where a vocalist might fit in such a thing. I really enjoyed all three bands tonight, so much so that I might start to give prog a bit more respect now.

All three bands have free songs and other stuff online through Band Camp, so you can get some free music and donate a few pounds if you like what you hear.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster :  http://BridgeDisaster.co.uk  and facebook.com/tnbduk

Telepathy : http://telepathyband.bandcamp.com/  and facebook.com/telepathyband

Muddy Miles : http://MuddyMilesBand.co.uk and facebook.com/muddymilesband

Four Wheel Drive @ Big Red, Holloway Road

My first time seeing this excellent band, they pop up in a couple of future reviews and Grapevine posted this one on their site.

Saturday 1st December 2012
Written by Ryan Whitwell

The freezing temperatures around North London greeted me as I walked up Holloway Road to The Big Red for a free gig. Luckily they had some spiced rum and hot apple at the bar, so the cold went away pretty quickly and I soon realised that The Big Red could be my new favourite venue. It’s hard to describe but I liked the mis-matched American style décor, the lovely bar staff and the retro movie memorabilia, but I wasn't there to look at Russ Meyer posters, I was there to see some high voltage rock and roll!

My ear drums were suitably rattled by a new heroine of heavy metal, Mia Klose and her band. If I had to describe them in one word, that word would be ‘eighties’. I was mightily impressed with the Swedish lass’ impressive vocals and solid rock songs as the Motley Crüe and Scorpions influences shone through. The songs were well received but the real highlight for me was the amazing guitar work coming from the two guitarists on stage. I love a good guitar solo and these guys had plenty to offer, with some old rock and roll and blues riffs running through most of the set list it all added up to result in a great sound.

The headliners, Four Wheel Drive, managed to build on the excellent vibe around The Big Red by performing an amazing array of songs. They started the first half with a barrage of covers that often rivaled the quality of the original recordings. The likes of AC/DC, Led Zep, Airbourne, Aerosmith were all given the Four Wheel Drive treatment but supposedly unrehearsed version of Guns and Roses’ You Could Be Mine featuring Mia Klose and the bassist from her band was a highlight.

After a short break the four piece delivered a set of their own songs, mixing their new EP with tracks from their 2009 album (both available on iTunes). I hadn't really heard too many of their songs before, only the ones I had seen on my Facebook news feed from my mates, but as soon as I got home I immediately went to the iTunes store. There were echoes from the first half of the show as all those influences came together to create an amazing blend of classic rock and heavy metal. Each song was a driving rock and roll onslaught. The guitarists were on fire, opting to use their wireless guitar pick-ups to their full extent by wandering around the bar in the center of the venue and standing on tables to give everyone a good view of their nimble fingers dancing around the fret board.

There wasn't a bad moment in the set and I would gladly be quoted as saying these guys are one of the best bands I’ve seen in 2012 so far. So good in fact that I’m seeing them again on the 15th of December when they support Cambridge metal merchants The Treatment at Camden Underworld. I'll see you down the front!

Want some Four Wheel Drive? www.fourwheeldriverocks.com
Or a bit of Mia Klose? www.miaklose.com

Massive thanks to my buddy Arran for telling about the gig, well worth it!

Turbowolf at The Relentless Garage, London

The loudest gig of the year, my ears were ringing for at least two days after this one! Also published on Grapevinelive.co.uk

Wednesday 10th October 2012, The Relentless Garage, London
Review by Ryan Whitwell


As I write this I'm sitting on the train home from seeing Turbowolf at The Relentless Garage, London (10-10-2012). I'm writing it now because I have an amazing memory that is amazing in that it forgets almost everything in record time.

I (and the rest of the crowd) were lucky enough to have 3 support acts tonight; Throne, Wet Nuns and the tour regulars Black Moth, so I’ll write a bit about those three before going on about Turbowolf.

So, first up was Throne. I missed the beginning of their set but as soon as I walked in I felt the jaw shattering bass macerate my teeth. Really good heavy metal, loads of dark and weighty bass-lines, musically reminiscent of the best parts of Black Sabbath. There were hints at other possible influences like Black Label Society and maybe a touch of Grand Magus. All together some really solid, steady, dark and heavy music, a great way to start the night!

A short while later it was Wet Nuns’ turn to continue the onslaught of dirty heavy metal. Standing at the back near the bar and the merch, the two piece came on to give our internal organs a good mashing. With a two piece band many think Death From Above 1979 and yes, they did remind me of them a bit at times but they seemed a bit more, well, mental! Lots of energy, sweat, loudness and loads of interesting stuff (even with only a drum kit and a guitar). The first number wasn't my thing, a bit too distorted and a more a cacophony of noise than a song, but then they continued and displayed a range of songs that I didn't expect, some stoner rock and punk styles with a few sections sounding almost bluesy. This resulted in the converting of myself along with a few of my mates to consider listening to them at home, of course it's important to mention they are a band when suggesting you 'like Wet Nuns' and as they started the set with a murmur of applause they to finished with a whole room full of new fans, because there's nothing quite like the sound of Wet Nuns on stage... Ok moving on.

Black moth have been the support for the duration of Turbowolf’s current tour. A friend told me that he had listened to some of their stuff online and they were good so we headed towards the front (although mixing with the ‘real’ fans at the front can feel a bit odd, like you're the only one that doesn't know the words). The group came out to rapturous cheers and applause from the front rows and as soon as the first chord was struck the heads banged and I could tell I was going to like this band.

Black Moth have a real classic metal feel drifting from thrash to something darker and a touch of punk to create a really rich and varied set list that I really enjoyed and the thoughts of other . Lots of great vocal sections with a few guitar solos and tempo/rhythm changes that were almost akin to the likes of Iron Maiden, which I liked a lot. It all added up to a great band that I will be sure to keep an ear on (which is why I put my email address on their mailing list).

Here we go folks. Turbowolf were the only reason I got the ticket, but on the minuscule chance they didn't deliver I could still say this night was a fantastic night, that was how much I enjoyed the support acts.

And Turbowolf delivered, in fact I'd say they brought along a lot more than I was expecting. I barely remember the last time I saw Turbowolf (I think they were supporting Black Spiders at the same venue), this current tour is their first headline tour and if tonight is anything to go by it has been an awesome example of what can happen if you build up a strong following as a support act before going all out and giving those early fans something to behold, because without fans a band cannot succeed and by the looks of it Turbowolf were on a mission to prove they are worthy of their brilliant fans because Turbowolf were amazing.

The energy, the sound, the volume all cranked to maximum and whatever was left of us after the brilliant support was well and truly blown away. The pit needed no encouragement and swelled in size as the band played tracks off their album (Roses for the Crows and Read + Write being real crowd favourites) and a couple of covers from their new covers Ep (which are now combined as a deluxe edition on iTunes but still separate if you already have the regular album).

For those of you that maybe don’t know who Turbowolf are, it's kind of hard to describe without just telling you to listen to their music. I guess the closet band I can think of sound wise is some of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster’s stuff but there are still too many differences (like the vocals, levels of distortion). Turbowolf like to experiment with sound plus their cover art and merchandise have some surreal images so at first glance you might assume they'd be classed as 'prog rock' and that would be quite a way from how they actually sound. The distortion and energy suggests 'punk' or 'thrash' but the synth, keys and the odd samples point towards experimental/psychedelic genres so I’m going to bail out and say Turbowolf are a genre of their own, which is why they deserve your attention and why I can't wait to hear more from them. Even more so as they played a new track that sounded great!

TL;DR Fantastic gig, I was happy enough to pay to see Turbowolf alone, but to have three new bands that I want to hear more of means the whole evening has been a great success!

Throne (I’m having trouble finding anything online for this East London based band, but there is a good introduction to them here www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/domzig-172/listen-here-throne-6953/ so have a look)

Wet Nuns can be found on Facebook, here www.facebook.com/wetnuns where they have a few tracks on their Band Page

Black Moth are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/themothpit with a couple of tracks and a store link

Turbowolf are on Facebook here www.facebook.com/turbowolf and Myspace here www.myspace.com/turbowolfband



I got a video of Black Moth that isn't on the Grapevine site, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired...

Jettblack @ The Underworld Camden

I ended up being a bit later than I wanted to be for this one, so I missed the support, but Grapevinelive liked this review enough to post it on their site.

Friday 26th October 2012
Written by Ryan Whitwell


First things first, due to whatever reason, I managed to miss the first support act of the evening (Sondura) and only saw a smidgen of the second band's set (The Mercy House), so I can't really go into detail about them or their music. But seeing as they were supporting the brilliant Jettblack, they must be good.

High Wycombe's heavy metalers, Jettblack, played Camden's Underworld as part of their first headline tour (not including the co-headline gigs they did with Heaven's Basement a couple of years ago). The main support were a band called Night by Night, whom I had never heard of until tonight but they did intrigue me.

Night by Night had a bit of a following with a fair number of the crowd singing along and raising hands, but I had my 'gig review' hat on and as soon as they began to play I tried to sum them up in a way that would describe them well to somebody that hasn't heard of them... I failed at that, coming up with the idea that they are musically a little bit like Fallout Boy or maybe Avenged Sevenfold but with the vocals of Backstreet Boys, which sounds like a terrible band description but Night by Night are actually quite impressive. I have only seen them live this one time and am yet to listen to any recorded stuff, but I'd say they are very much vocally led. Some great guitar solos and the lead singer was brilliant but what impressed me more was the harmonies from both the bassist and one of the guitarists (Night by Night are a 5 piece), harmonies that were so pitch perfect I almost wondered if they had pre-recorded it because that level of perfection is rare even for some of the bigger names.


Onto the headliners. I think the last time I saw Jettblack was at the same venue about two years ago with Heaven's Basement and Earth Prayer and I saw them at Ozzfest 2010, so it's fair to say I have faith in this band and I'd call myself a fan of theirs. Since I last saw them they have released their second album and are definitely progressing. A quick word about their second album (Raining Rock), in short I was a bit unsure of some of the tracks because lyrically a couple of the songs were a bit off putting, but the majority of the album was as good as (and sometimes better than) their excellent debut album. Fortunately, Jettblack's set was well thought out, they did the best possible thing and played the best tracks off of their latest offering and switched it up with the best their first album has to offer. Opening with the instrumental first track of their latest album and immediately setting the venue alight with the hard hitting 'Slip it on', one of the tracks that got me hooked on this band in the first place. The great tracks just kept on coming and with the venue jumping to the powerful 'Less Torque More Thrust' and 'Get Your Hands Dirty'. Even the slower ballads like 'Not Even Love' were greeted with a chorus of fans singing every word at full volume.

And the band seemed to be enjoying every second, the bassist especially had the cheesiest grin for most of the set as the crowd continued to make themselves known with plenty of movement and vocal encouragement, a sure sign that this band are worth investing your interest in. In my opinion, what makes or breaks a gig is the connection the band has with the crowd. When I saw Turbowolf a couple of weeks ago, they were on fire and the lead singer made sure we were all having a damn good time. Rival Sons, however, failed to connect, mostly because of their bizarre choice to play their entire new album note for note in the same order as the record but also because there wasn't much talking to the crowd. Jettblack were excellent entertainers, playing the best songs off of both albums and encouraging everybody to join in gave the whole gig a real collaborative vibe, as if we, the crowd, were being acknowledged as part of the band, because (as I've said before) a band without fans isn't a band at all and I think Jettblack displayed just how much they appreciate their fan base and I can't wait to hear more from them.