Messa & Julinko - The White Hotel, Salford (22/2/23)

Solo performer, Julinko opens tonight's show. She plays drone/noise which is built by looping guitar, vocals and other noises. However, it sounds rather disjointed and just leaves me cold. Some of the high pitched, almost yodelled vocals remind me of Sturle Dagsland but without the sheer magic. It sounds like Sunn0))) in other places but without the power. I forgot my earplugs tonight but it's a good job I had a tissue to put in my ears as this would have been unbearable otherwise.

I'd been looking forward to tonight's show as Messa's 'Close' album was one of my favourite records of last year. The singer, Sara, opens the set in stunning fashion with an acapella rendition of the opening to 'If You Want Her To Be Taken' before the band crashes in with the heft of a prime Candlemass. 'Dead Horse' is much more uptempo, like if thrash had been invented in the seventies rather than the eighties. Sara's vocals are a bit drowned out on the faster material which is a shame as when she is given the space musically, she is bewitching. However, it is guitarist Alberto who is the real star of the show. Cutting a stylish figure in his sheepskin coat, his guitar work is equally impressive, both soulful and emotive. He uses a bow for the beginning of 'Surrounded' and his jazzy guitar solo during the same song is amazing. These little creative flourishes help elevate their heavy as hell classic doom to even greater heights. The eastern style introduction to 'Pilgrim' is incredible and leads into immense Saint Vitus style doom. 'Rubedo' is more seventies influenced with a thrashier middle section which sounds like Megadeth by way of Blue Oyster Cult. Outstanding.

Messa ****

Julinko **

We Are Scientists & EEVAH - Gorilla, Manchester (19/2/23)

 Two piece pop act, EEVAH, open up proceedings tonight. Their sound is modern pop with an edge. Florence + The Machine are the obvious reference point, particularly on 'Out Of Focus'. There are other influences too though. The powerful 'Take Me To Bed' is rock meets dance pop akin to Echobelly meets Jess Glynne whilst 'Look What You Had' is uptempo 80s tinged electro pop. The sophisticated pop of closing number, 'Promises', has a strong chorus and the singer, Nicole, hits some impressive notes. This is the kind of music that with the right breaks could be massive.

 We Are Scientists take to the stage and right from the start, they sound great. Guitarist/lead singer, Keith, is in great voice and his partnership with bassist, Chris, is really engaging. They play off each other very well and not just musically. Their inbetween song banter (mostly about werewolves) is hilarious. The band hammer through 'The Great Escape' material at a rapid pace. 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' gets the whole crowd singing and dancing whilst there is a genuine moment of magic when the crowd sings along to the main riff of 'The Great Escape'. The punk pop of 'Nice Guys' creates a real party atmosphere. The venue is packed and as it gets hotter and hotter, the intensity with which they play their indie pop is ramped up accordingly. A glorious 'After Hours' prompts a mass singalong and closes the regular set. Keith's stellar guitar work adds post rock textures to the uptempo poppy post punk of 'This Scene Is Dead'. The angular post punk meets dance pop (think Franz Ferdinand meets The Scissor Sisters) of the brilliant new track, 'Less From You' closes the show and caps a hugely enjoyable evening.

We Are Scientists ****

EEVAH ****

Black Star Riders, Michael Monroe & Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons - Ritz, Manchester (17/2/23)

 Tonight's bill is comprised of acts formed from the ashes of three classic rock acts, namely Thin Lizzy, Hanoi Rocks and Motorhead. There is an even mix of t-shirts representing those bands, meaning that all the bands are assured of a decent reaction.

Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons open with 'We're The Bastards', hard rock with a yobbish edge which sounds like Massive Wagons mixed with Wolfsbane. Motorhead are an obvious reference point for their original material, although there are other styles at play too, from 'Bite My Tongue's uninspired biker rock to slow, heavy blues. We obviously get a few Motorhead tracks and vocalist, Joel Peters, does a great job with these. 'Going To Brazil' is great whilst 'Born To Raise Hell' is energetic and anthemic. The choice of Motorhead cuts is interesting, being largely deeper cuts.. Phil's guitar cuts out for much of 'Freak Show' which is unfortunate. They close the set with a high octane 'Ace Of Spades', a track which will always be great. Decent.

Michael Monroe is next, the lead singer of the legendary Hanoi Rocks.

The first time I heard of Hanoi Rocks was through reading Kerrang! around 1990. I'd probably only been seriously into rock for about a year or so but it already consumed me. I used to devour metal magazines to discover new bands to rock my world. A feature in the magazine revealed that Jeff Hateley from Wolfsbane (one of the bands I liked) worshipped Hanoi Rocks, and one of his prized possessions was a rare Hanoi shirt gifted to him by a fan. I'd also seen them namechecked in reviews of other bands so their name took on a mythical status in my mind and I imagined some incredibly dangerous sleaze band. I was therefore rather disappointed the first time I actually heard them. It was on a late night metal magazine show on TV called Raw Power. One of their features was a video jukebox where they played snippets of twenty songs and whichever song polled the most votes would be played in full a few weeks later. Hanoi's 'Mental Beat' won the vote and was played in full (I probably voted for something like 'Madhouse' by Anthrax). What I saw and heard wasn't amazing but was weird and confusing instead. They didn't sound like Crue, GNR or LA Guns like I thought or hoped they would. It would be a long time before I listened to them again.

Listening to Michael Monroe for the first time was a much different experience. It may have been before hearing Hanoi, it may have been afterwards. It was through catching the video for 'Dead, Jail Or Rock And Roll' on Raw Power or its predecessor, The Power Hour. It was everything Hanoi wasn't. The high octane rock and roll really hit the mark. Plus he looked cool as fuck, the embodiment of rock.

The third encounter with Monroe was the one which sealed the deal. It was through a seven inch which came free with Kerrang! in 1994 and it contained the track 'Nothin's Alright' by Monroe's new band, Demolition 23 (which also featured Hanoi's Sami Yaffa and Nasty Suicide). Trashy punk rock with a killer chorus, it blew my mind (and still does). This led to me buying their album which then led to me going back and discovering Hanoi Rocks.

So this really is the main event for me, and all objectivity goes out of the window. I am a big fan. I'm not the only one though. There is a teenage girl in front of me who is absolutely losing her mind, screaming ' MIIIIIIIIICHAAEELL' before he even takes to the stage. He opens with a wild 'One Man Gang', its psychobilly verse giving way to a pop.punk style chorus. 'I Live Too Fast To Die Young' is high octane and wildly anthemic whilst 'Murder The Summer Of Love' sounds much heavier live. '78's old school punk chorus is joyous. 'Nothin's Alright' slays. Michael just exudes cool throughout, even when he's drenched in sweat after covering every inch of the stage. He brings out the saxophone for a boisterous version of Hanoi's 'Malibu Beach Nightmare' whilst 'Dead, Jail Or Rock And Roll' ends the set on a high. Fantastic.

I'm less familiar with Black Star Riders' material but the spectre of Lizzy seems to hang over the majority of their songs, which either sound a little like 'Jailbreak' or 'Emerald'. 'Riding Out The Storm' is functional rather than thrilling. 'All Hell Breaks Loose' has a cool chorus but the remainder is rudimentary. The band rip through a pretty rocking cover of The Osmonds' 'Crazy Horses' whilst 'Don't Believe A Word' is great. It is the original material which seems a bit lacking. They summon the sound of Thin Lizzy but without the same spirit. There are some positives. Scott Gorham's guitar work is timeless. New guitarist, Sam Wood, is impressive too and his backing vocals are excellent. Overall, not bad but not great either.

Black Star Riders ***

Michael Monroe *****

Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons ***

High Vis & Rare Blood Group - YES Pink Room, Manchester (11/2/23)

 Tonight is part of a sell out tour for London's High Vis, and it's great to see bands from the hardcore scene doing so well.

Rare Blood Group are first on tonight playing only their third ever gig. They are another band with roots in the hardcore scene, boasting members who have played in bands such as Voorhees, Rot In Hell and Send More Paramedics amongst others. They were nervous about playing tonight because they were unsure about how well they would be received as this is about as far away, sonically, from hardcore as you can get. They needn't have worried though because they are impressive and the audience reacts accordingly. This is 70s soft rock in the vein of Steely Dan, Bread and Jellyfish (yeah, I know they're not from the 70s), although there are Northern Soul touches too. Some of the more uptempo numbers have a Four Tops feel too. Atko's vocals are great. He sings in a higher register than he did in Gentleman's Pistols and they remind me a little of Frankie Valli although he doesn't quite have the same range (very few do). Top notch stuff.

High Vis open with '0151' (which vocalist, Graham Sayle, cheekily introduces as being about a place like Manchester but better) and this immediately disproves the notion that they're not a hardcore band and the crowd explodes into life immediately, reminding me of Down And Outs and American Nightmare shows from the mid noughties. The chorus still has an Oasis style swagger and there is some delicious Noel Gallagher-esque lead guitar work. 'Walking Wires' is Joy Division post-punk topped with hardcore vocals and it is incendiary. 'Fever Dream's swirling shoegaze shows a softer side but is still delivered with a feverish intensity. I also love the New Fads or early Charlatans style baggy guitar solo during this song. The crowd goes crazy for the pure hardcore punk of 'Altitude'. Every song sounds much harder than its studio counterpart. Graham puts so much into every word he sings, particularly on the emotional 'Trauma Bonds'. Closing number, Choose To Lose, is punchy and dynamic and invites further mayhem. A fantastic demonstration of why they're probably the best band in the UK.

High Vis *****

Rare Blood Group ****

Mogwai & Brainiac - Albert Hall, Manchester (10/2/23)

 When this show was first announced, my initial reaction was Brainiac? THE Brainiac? The Brainiac who split up in 1997? After a quick Google search and realising that it was the same band, I knew I just had to get a ticket.

I saw them previously supporting Girls Against Boys in 1996 (I think) and they were incredible. Noisy, keyboard driven alternative rock which positively fizzed with energy. It constantly teetered on the edge of chaos but that was made it so thrilling. All of this was capped by the manic energy and charisma of frontman, Tim Taylor. It is a performance which has remained with me ever since. Tim sadly died shortly afterwards and the band disbanded. I never thought I'd get the opportunity to see them again. However, it seems that I'm not only fan of them as they're here opening this tour at the request of Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite.

Brainiac open with the repetitive electronic bleeps of 'Fresh New Eyes' before the other instruments come in and it builds to some Jesus Lizard-esque rhythmic noise rock. 'Mr Fingers' is noisy, trashy rock and roll with John Schmersal's high pitched helps over the top. Their take on alternative rock covers a number of styles from Pixies style rock to psych rock similar to a heavier Flaming Lips. They definitely seem less electronic than I remember and they do lack Tim's stage presence somewhat. This seems a harsh criticism though as he was a one off. Some of the more keyboard heavy tracks sound like The B52s if they were signed to AmRep. They seem to get a decent reaction from the crowd which is pleasing. Not quite what I remember but still really enjoyable.

The majority of Mogwai's set follows a certain formula. Quiet/delicate/atmospheric with a steady beat to begin which gradually builds and builds to a crescendo of rolling drumbeats and wave after wave of guitars. This could get boring in anyone else's bands but Mogwai are masters of the quiet/loud dynamic. The rare tracks with vocals offer a respite to the intensity and almost verge on stadium rock. The band aren't overly energetic. Instead they prefer to let the music do the talking.. Regular set closer, 'Old Poisons', has a swirling Ride feel but the best is definitely saved for last with the final encore, 'My Father, My King'. Clocking in at over twenty minutes, it is epic and loud as hell. It utterly destroyed me leaving me emotionally spent. Magnificent.

Mogwai ****

Brainiac ****

Life Of Agony, Madball & Tarah Who? - Club Academy, Manchester (7/2/23)

 I consider both Life Of Agony and Madball important in making me the person I am today. They helped indirectly to shape my current musical tastes. They helped me make the friends I have today. In short, they were my stepping stone into hardcore. And put simply, hardcore changed my life. Mainly because straightedge changed my life. However, one of the band's has always had my reverence whereas the other hasn't always had my respect.

I first saw Life Of Agony supporting Prong in 1994. I didn't know anything about them then but they impressed me greatly. I was coming home from a local rock club a few months later when I met a guy who had been to the same club and was travelling the same way home. We started talking about music and he said he liked hardcore. I didn't really know what that was, I was mainly a thrasher into bands like Pantera, Sepultura, Overkill and Megadeth. However, when he mentioned bands like Life Of Agony and Biohazard, I understood more the sound he meant as I'd seen both of those bands live previously. This was how I first met my best mate, Gav.

Within a few months, we were hanging out every day, and his friends became my friends, and what they were listening to became what I listened to, and their journey into hardcore became my journey into hardcore. What started out as Life Of Agony, Downset and Biohazard led to Sick Of It All, Madball and Agnostic Front, which then led to the Victory, Revelation and New Age Catalogues.

However, the deeper I got into hardcore, the less I saw Life Of Agony as a hardcore band and my interest in them waned. My interest decreased even further when they released later grungier albums like Ugly and Soul Searching Sun. I have listened to River Runs Red occasionally over the years and I haven't always heard the classic which I once loved and played to death. Sometimes it sounds dated. Sometimes it sounds like a great record which holds up well with other contemporary metal releases of the time (like 'Chaos AD ', 'Bloody Kisses' and 'Undertow').

There is no such conflict with Madball. 'Set It Off' is and always will be a seminal record. Whenever I am asked to recommend a hardcore record for newcomers to the genre, it is usually one of the first records I suggest. It think it is slightly more accessible than 'Age Of Quarrel', 'Victim In Pain' or 'Blood, Sweat And No Tears' because it has great production to go with the songs. I may not like all of their output since but they have always had my respect.

Openers, Tarah Who? sounded dreadful from the back of the room but I think that may be more because the sound doesn't seem to travel very well in this venue. It sounds much more powerful towards the front and their Distillers meets Kennedys style punk seems decent. The singer even has a slight Jello Biafra edge to her voice which is interesting. The final track is more grungey punk similar to Hole but it is much more formulaic. Overall, not too bad though.

There is a decent crowd by the time Madball take to the stage. Initially, it seems to be lacking something but I can't quite put my finger on what is. It just seems to lack punch or bite. I begin to worry that this could be a hardcore by numbers set but they then explore into 'Set It Off' with a real ferocity and those fears just evaporate. From hereon in, we get hit after hit played really powerfully. Although there are long pauses during 'Smell The Bacon (What's With You?)', when they actually motor through and play, it's an absolute blur. The 'Set It Off' material sounds great. 'Lockdown' and 'Get Out' both absolutely destroy. Freddy is on great form and he is still a formidable frontman. 'Infiltrate The System' has a wicked breakdown and it really gets the crowd moving. Madball may be unfamiliar to some of the audience tonight but they get a great reaction from the crowd. Hardly surprising though when they play such a great set of classic NYHC.

Life Of Agony are celebrating the 30th anniversary of 'River Runs Red' by playing the album in full. 'This Time' opens the set but things don't seem quite right. The sound is a bit muddy and drowns out Mina's vocals. The phrasing and timing of the vocals also seems a little strange and doesn't fit into the music all that well. 'Underground' is better but Mina seems to struggle to keep up with the band and they seem to play songs slightly slower throughout as a result. I also wonder at various points if Mina is singing along to a track. 'River Runs Red' and 'Through And Through' are great and vocals seem better at this point. 'Bad Seed's groove still moves but something still doesn't seem quite right. I seem to be in a minority with these gripes though as the crowd respond enthusiastically to each number. The vocals in the middle of 'Bad Seed' are impassioned and earnest and sound great. 'Method Of Groove' has Joey and Alan singing the vocals on the verse and it is great, both rhythmic and powerful.

The band seem to click into gear later on in the set on the post-'River Runs Red' material. They sound much more together. However, this material varies in quality. Some of it has decent 'Evil Empire' era RATM grooves whilst some is awful sub-Bush grunge. Passable but I wanted it to be soooo much better.

Life Of Agony ***

Madball ****

Tarah Who? ***

Italia 90, Fraulein & Slowhandclap - YES Basement, Manchester (4/2/23)

Italia 90. A phrase which evokes such memories. Argentina's shock defeat to Cameroon. Claudio Caniggia's flowing locks. Claudio Caniggia almost being scythed in half by Benjamin Massing. Roger Milla's dancing. Diego Maradona's last hurrah. Packie Bonner's heroics. David Platt's volley. Frank Rijkaard spitting on Rudi Voller. Brazil underwhelming again. Toto Schillaci. Penalty heartbreak. Gazza's tears. Nessun Dorma.

Ok, so I love the name and I probably first checked them out because of it, but it's their take on post-punk which brought me here tonight.

Slowhandclap open proceedings tonight. I only manage to catch a few numbers but they are very impressive. They play heavy post-punk built on propulsive basslines. However, when they lock into a groove they can be quite danceable too, whilst the final number is brooding and ominous. I'd definitely be interested in seeing them again.

Fraulein are up next, a two piece playing mid-90s indie which sounds like PJ Harvey meets Belly or Sleater Kinney. Talking of PJ Harvey 'Be Cool' has a 'Dress' vibe to it. There are also moments which remind me of Veruca Salt. It isn't all good though. I'm not sure we needed a drum solo, even if the purpose of it was to give vocalist Joni's larynx a bit of a rest as she struggles with her voice. Hardly surprising, given the range of yelps and squeals which she subjects her voicebox to. The closing number is a bit of a plodder too but overall, this is decent.

The headliners have just released their debut album, 'Living Human Treasure', and there is an air of anticipation as they take to the stage. However, both band and crowd are a little subdued to start with. It takes a couple of songs for the energy level to rise but when it does, the crowd responds accordingly. The aggressive 'Magdalene's heavy Fallisms excite while 'New Factory' with it's insistent refrain, is bouncy yet spiky. Stroke City, with it's foreboding recurring line, 'you never thought that one day they would come for you, you're not a terrorist and politics ain't what you do', is performed with real energy. The band play a really well paced set with lots of tempo changes, sometimes all within the same song.

The band are great, each adding their own character to their Joy Division influenced sound. The rhythm section, J Dangerous and Bobby Portrait, are the bedrock of their sound, locking into solid grooves and occasionally motorik rhythms. Vocalist Les Miserable, adds an almost oi/streetpunk edge with his spoken/yelled delivery and left-leaning slogans. However, guitarist, Unusual Prices, is the most impressive. His guitar work during Funny Bones is glorious and he really conjures some interesting sounds out of his instrument.

Overall, a great night.

Italia 90 ****

Fraulein ***

Slowhandclap ****

Update

 Well, I never got round to cataloguing all my cds. Never got around to reviewing everything that I wanted to. Never got around to posting all the words that I had written. I just got the point where I lost interest. Once I got Spotify, the need to catalogue all my record collection subsided, mainly because it wasn't growing any more. I wasn't buying cds at the rate that I was previously, and this decreased even further until I wasn't buying any at all. Funny how technology brought some kind of order to my chaos.

Subsequently, it's been a number of years since I thought about this blog. And yet I find myself thinking about it now and wanting to write again. Why? I'm not really sure. I have been thinking more and more about writing down memories of my life. Maybe it's getting older. Maybe it's a midlife crisis. Maybe it's trying to make sense of the past and find some purpose in my present and future. However, I feel more than anything that I want to remember and possibly be remembered also.

A straight memoir would never be of any interest to me and wouldn't be interesting to anyone else either. All of my memories are tied in to music. I remember events, good and bad, through songs that were playing at the time. Music always seems to add colour and texture to memories. It's the one thing I get excited and passionate about. It's the one thing I can talk about with some kind of authority. So my idea is to weave musical memories into reviews of the gigs I go to. It'll probably be memories of how and when I first came across certain bands and artists mixed in with reviews of some of those bands. I went to forty gigs last year (and also missed a further ten due to COVID, illness and general apathy) so I figure I should have enough material to post roughly once a week. Let's see how long it lasts this time!