Alice Cooper Opens The Doors To His Nightmare Castle At The O2
Alice Cooper isn’t short on charisma – or experience. He could probably transfix an arena audience with acapella renditions of songs from long-forgotten album Zipper Catches Skin. All he’d need is an empty stage, some black greasepaint for his eyes, and perhaps a...
Martin Harley: Blues In The Chapel
Martin Harley is probably Woking’s third most famous guitar player. Whist Paul Weller is almost certainly taking top billing (though primarily as a result of his singer/songwriter credentials) and Rick Parfitt certainly knew how to bang out a chord, it’s Harley who...
Trixie And The Trainwrecks Live @ What’s Cookin’ & Gaz’s Rockin Blues
This review should have just been for the What’s Cookin’ show but this reviewer got his days confused so that the hotographer Simon Partington showed up on the correct night and to make sure we delivered the review I went to the next night at Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues. Both...
Drab Majesty Rise Majestically Live At Dingwalls, London
There's barely any lights on inside tonight, only at the long bar and on the red drenched stage. Perhaps it’s because tonight’s headline act, Drab Majesty from LA have quite a goth, melancholic, post-punk synth sound? Or as singer Deb Demure calls it ‘tragic wave’....
Birdeatsbaby, Hana Piranha, The Cesarians, One Last Thrill Live @ Black Heart Camden
This was the launch party for Brighton based "Prog-Goth" band Birdeatsbaby’s single Painkiller that’s on the bands 6th album The World Conspires that’s due out on 18th October from http://www.dr-music-promotion.de/ I arrived about halfway through One Last Thrill's set...
The Legendary Pixies Bring Their Loud-Quiet-Loud Signature Sound To Leeds
Tonight, along with six other dates on the Pixies' 10-date UK tour, is a sell-out for the band. And, upon arriving at the venue and seeing the hordes of fans, it feels like we’re all in for a special night. Opening proceedings are London four-piece The Big Moon, who...
Wilkestock 2019 Saturday Raucous Rock And Drum Destruction
I was surprised at how early many on the campsite were rising, given that I had hit the airbed past 3am and those that had gone to enjoy the DJ sets seemed to be coming back even later. It was a warm Saturday morning and most of us were chilling by our tents and...
A Truly Scorching Triple Header Live at The Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
This was the London show on the current UK triple headline tour by three legendary live bands rotating who headlines, and the London show had Dan Baird and Homemade Sin in the top spot with The Kentucky Headhunters opening the evening. It’s great to have seen Dan...
Wilkestock 2019 Friday Music, Charity and Leather Sofas
On a sunny Friday afternoon, I navigated the country lanes of between Stevenage and Hertford in Hertfordshire to get to a small site for the 12th Wilkestock Festival. Wilkestock is very quirky and unique with all profits going to charity. Namely, Bloodwise Leukaemia...
Victorious Festival 2019: Sunday Night At The Seaside
Another day, another sky, deep blue from horizon to horizon. The Ambre Solaire salesman was sweating on August, but the targets came in, right at the end. Yesterday I walked seven and a half miles back and forth between the Castle and Common stages and my plates of...
Victorious Festival 2019: Saturday Night At The Seaside
If anything, the temperatures for Victorious Festival’s middle day were set to outstrip those of day one. One of the many benefits of the Victorious site is its seaside location. On offshore blast may have conspired against the festival last year, but for 2019,...
Victorious Festival 2019: Friday Night At The Seaside
Victorious is Britain’s biggest metropolitan festival. From humble beginnings a few years ago at a site in Portsmouth’s Historic Naval Dockyard, the event is now in its eighth year and has expanded to occupy a giant swathe of Southsea Common and promenade. There are a...
Frank Turner Delights Crowds With Intimate Album Release Show in Leeds
Upon arriving at the renowned Brudenell Social, memories of old come flooding back and I think we’re quick to forget this tucked away little gem of a venue used to be very local club, for local people. Members only, club night turns, Saturday bingo, no women allowed...
All The World’s A Fair: Womad 2019
Womad is a big part of our family. We’ve been going since the now grown-up kids were small, not every year but most, starting off the summer holidays on the first weekend after school broke up. Now it’s become a weekend where the whole family comes together, relaxes...
Things That Make You Go Boom: Boomtown Fair 2019
In a week when other UK festivals and events were cancelling due to severe weather warnings, Boomtown Fair, to everyone's delight continued as scheduled at the gigantic Matterley Estate, Winchester. Now in its 11th year or as titled, Chapter 11 A Radical City, 2019...