Sam Ryder & Tors - Academy, Manchester (21/3/23)

I'm here tonight as a result of Sam Ryder's heroic performance in last year's Eurovision Song Contest. I'm not sure everyone else is though, which is weird because I expected the place to be full of Eurovision fans. There are lots of families and kids, and the venue doesn't have a typical Eurovision vibe. I have been to a number of Eurovision events and this feels different - more like a teen pop concert, which I'm definitely less familiar with.

I love Eurovision. Like most Brits my age, my first awareness of the contest came with Buck Fizzes victory in 1981. I don't remember watching the contest itself but I think I saw a report on John Craven's Newsround the following day. I heard the song a lot more in the following weeks when it stormed the charts and I loved it. Funnily enough, I don't particularly like the song anymore as I think it's really cheesy and has dated pretty badly.

I think I watched the 1982 contest when Nicole won for Germany but I don't have any memory of this. I don't really have memories of watching any of the contests in the 80s. I must have watched the 1987 contest because I bought Johnny Logan's 'Hold Me Now' (a classic) on 7" but again, that could have been following an appearance on Top Of The Pops.

I definitely remember the 1991 contest. Carola won for Sweden and I remember Terry Wogan delivering a patronising line about her probably deserving to win because she gave the most energetic performance.

I probably started watching the contest again seriously in the early noughties. I was excited when Lordi competed for Finland in 2006 as they were a band I already liked. I didn't actually watch it live. I went to see Mates Of State live that night and then went to the cinema afterwards for a late night showing of The Da Vinci Code. When I got home around 2am I started watching the contest which I'd recorded and watched it right through to 6am. This was still pre-internet (for me at least) so there was no chance of spoilers and I was genuinely surprised and elated when I finally discovered the result.

The queue outside is long and slow moving (mainly due to Sam Ryder himself handing out flyers) so I have already missed the first support act by the time I get inside the venue.

Tors are up next and they play guitar based pop in the vein of latter day Coldplay or maybe even Harry Styles. 'Honey' has a pretty nondescript verse but a half decent chorus. 'Amsterdam' is slightly rockier and all the better for it. The tribal 'Anything Can Happen' has a Lumineers meets early Coldplay feel. It's all inoffensive and pleasant enough but it passes me by like much modern pop.

My first thoughts as Sam Ryder takes to the stage are that his band seems very quiet. Sam himself is not quiet. He's a powerhouse vocally, I just want everything else to be amplified more to match him. The opener 'Somebody' is fun pop but not as impactful as it could have been.  I just want more. Although quiet, the sound is quite bassy (which is odd considering he doesn't appear to have a bassist - it appears to be coming from the drums and possibly a backing track) and this suits the dancier 'Living Without You' and 'Put A Light On Me'. I just want more. 'Tiny Riot' and 'Deep Blue Doubt' both have more power, energy and, dare I say, balls. The Freddie Mercury 'eh oh' routine really connects with the crowd too. Sam's falsetto is excellent during 'All The Way Over' and generally he is very personable, but it all seems a bit tame and anodyne which is maybe a result of the family friendly atmosphere. 'This Time' still sounds as cheesy live as it does on record but 'More' is very good and closes the regular set. 'Lost In You' is excellent, a ballad which is reminiscent of Otis Redding's 'I've Been Loving You Too Long'. 'Spaceman' obviously closes the show and has the whole crowd singing along but something still seems lacking and predictably, I just wanted more.

Sam Ryder ***

Tors **

King King & Glenn Tilbrook - Academy 2, Manchester (11/3/23)

Glenn Tilbrook, the lead singer of Squeeze, opens up the show tonight.

I saw Squeeze at a free festival in Leeds in 1995. I have no memory at all of Squeeze themselves. However, I have lots of memories of that weekend. I remember watching Mike + The Mechanics draped in a German flag. The friends I went with were big Manchester City fans and their star striker, Uwe Rosler, was German so they always took a flag with them on their travels. It was a two day festival so I also remember the three of us sleeping in the car overnight in readiness for the next day. I remember jumping the fence so that I could smuggle my own beer into the grounds. But most of all, I remember Pulp.

Pulp at this time were at the peak of their powers. They were riding high in the charts with 'Common People'. The 'Different Class' album hadn't yet been released and only the week before, they had triumphantly headlined Glastonbury (as a last minute replacement for The Stone Roses). Roundhay Park is a bit of a bowl shape from what I remember and I watched Pulp's set from the top of a hill, sat with a crate of beer and a great view of the stage. This was the first opportunity for me to hear much of  'Different Class' and it was obvious even on first listen that it was going to be a classic. It was first time they'd played 'Live Bed Show' live and the sordid bedsit drama really intrigued me. 'Disco 2000' sounded like it would be a massive hit and 'Common People' was a triumphant crowning glory. It felt like a special time and a special gig and it was. It remains one of the best gigs I've ever seen.

Glenn plays a solo set tonight with just a guitar. His voice is comfortingly familiar but the sparse set up means that lots of the material sounds quite pedestrian. 'Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)' and closing number 'Goodbye Girl' at least have a bit more energy and attitude but on the whole, this is fairly lacklustre. There are a couple of covers included in the set. Try as he might, Glenn can't stop 'My Boy Lollypop' (a song I've never liked) from sounding twee while The Human League's 'Don't You Want Me' is just serviceable, although the crowd seem to enjoy singing the second verse back to him. The guitar and vocal combination becomes tiresome rather quickly and even classics like 'Up The Junction' sound lethargic. Glenn's vocals are still pretty good and although I haven't been impressed tonight, I think I'd probably quite enjoy him with a full band behind him.

The crowd is more sparse than the previous times I've seen King King in the same venue and it's probably half full by the time they take the stage. Maybe it's because of the crowd but something seems lacking for the first couple of numbers. It isn't really the band's fault though as they are committed right from the start but the atmosphere seems flat. Funnily enough, it picks up on the ballad, 'By Your Side'. Vocalist Alan Nimmo is in fine voice throughout but he particularly shines on the slower material. He really is one of the great voices in British classic rock, up alongside Danny Bowes and Steve Overland. The epic and emotional 'A Brief History Of Love' features fantastic Hammond and guitar solos. 'Waking Up's poppy blues is great fun whilst 'Whatever It Takes To Survive' is a fine bluesy power ballad. 'You Stopped The Rain' and 'Rush Hour' both get the crowd involved, with them singing the 'oh oh' and 'woah oh' parts. 'Rush Hour' is played slower yet more powerfully than on record and sounds much less commercial as a result. The Whitesnake-esque 'A Stranger To Love' is slowed down and the volume is brought down to a whisper for Alan's spine tingling (and incredibly quiet) guitar solo. It amazes me how people are unable to keep quiet though. One of the most consistent live acts around.

King King ****

Glenn Tilbrook **

Suede & Desperate Journalist - Albert Hall, Manchester (9/3/23)

Suede's debut album completely captivated me when it came out in 1993. Their Smiths meets Bowie indie rock was great but what really hooked me in deep was the lyrics and how they were delivered.

'From our home, High in the city, Where the skyline stained the snow, I fell for a servant who kept me on the boil'.

'I was born as a pantomime horse, Ugly as the sun when he falls to the floor, I was cut from the wreckage one day, This is what I get for being that way'.

'Well, he writes the line wrote right down my spine, It says oh, do you believe in love there?'.

'We kiss in his room to a popular  tune, Oh, real drowners'. 

'You're a water sign, I'm an air sign, Too Siamese to catch the leaves from those trees'.

And my personal favourite, 'Far away, We'll go far away, Down to Worthing and work there, Far away, So far away, And flog ice cream til the company's on it's knees'.

These were words which spoke to me. I didn't know what they meant half the time but they had a certain poetry to them and they sounded romantic, tragic and heroic. The way Brett Anderson delivered the lyrics breathed magic into them and made them feel that they were meant just for me. I could identify with the longing and desperation contained with the songs. Brett himself was a beguiling character. Sexy, mysterious, cool and desirable. In short, everything I wasn't. He was someone I desperately wanted to be like.

Desperate Journalist open up the evening. They play 80s style indie which has some shoegaze and goth touches. The drums have a big 80s styled, almost synthesized, sound. The rhythm section is solid and this is capped with neat guitar lines and strong, catchy choruses. I saw them live many years ago and they seem much more impressive this time around. Gorgeous.

Suede capture my attention right from the start. They open with the rhythmic new track, 'Turn Off Your Brain And Yell', which is great for clapping along to. They actually start with three tracks from the new album, 'Autofiction', which would ordinarily be a problem but not here because they all sound like prime Suede. This opening trio are followed by the classic 'The Drowners' which prompts a big singalong. The debut album still forms an important cornerstone of their live set. 'Animal Nitrate' is joyous, whilst 'So Young' still sounds as invigorating as it did in 1993. The glam stomp of 'Can't Get Enough' is fantastic while 'She Still Leads Me On' is a future classic in waiting. The pace slows down as Brett plays a wonderfully emotive solo acoustic version of 'The Wild Ones'. There are probably a couple too many new songs (I think I counted eight tracks from the new album) but it shows how much confidence they have in the new album. The crowd sings along to the whole of 'The Beautiful Ones' and the 'la la la's are sang especially lustily. A magnificent 'Trash' closes the show in triumphant fashion. Glorious.

Suede *****

Desperate Journalist ****

Napalm Death, Drop Dead & Siberian Meat Grinder - Club Academy, Manchester (8/3/23)

 I only caught the last couple of songs of Escuela Grind. The last track grooved like 'Necroticism' era Carcass and seemed decent but I really didn't see enough of them to give them a rating.

There is already a healthy turnout by the time Siberian Meat Grinder take to the stage. They don't sound anything like I expected them to. From the name, I imagined a generic grind band but they are much thrasher than I thought they would be. The bass guitar sounds like DD Verni's unmistakable tone and the bear mask wearing singer sounds a little like Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth in places, so essentially they sound like a faster Overkill. Imagine the punkier side of Overkill ('Fuck You' or the 'Taking Over' album) speeded up. They have punky shout along choruses as typified by 'Still In The Game'. 'Bear Cult Is Real' has Iron Maiden touches and it isn't the only track with classic metal influences. They are even joined on stage at one point by a giant bear! Their commitment to their gimmick is admirable too. Wacky but fun.

Drop Dead was the first DIY hardcore punk show I went to, probably around 1995 or 96. I never actually watched them because the show ran late and I think I left early so I could get public transport home. I actually wasn't that disappointed because I didn't know anything about them and besides, one of the support bands, Lifer, had just blown me away. Heavy metallic straightedge in the vein of Earth Crisis which was much more my thing at the time (although I'm not sure if I was straightedge back then).

I saw Drop Dead not too long afterwards at a punk weekender at the legendary 1 In 12 Club in Bradford, and they showed me exactly what I'd missed at the previous show. Fast and intense hardcore punk. What particularly impressed me though was their attitude. I remember the singer berating the drunk punks who were slamming along at the front for wearing leather jackets. I just remember him saying over and over, 'you're not punk, punks don't wear leather'. They seemed punk as fuck.

Drop Dead still are punk as fuck. Singer, Bob, may be older but he is no less pissed off. Proudly anti-fascist, anti-religion and pro-animal rights, the band powers through a non-stop barrage of pure hardcore punk and powerviolence. It is furious, intense and relentless and I feel punch drunk by the time they have finished. They are a special band and they have been for over thirty years.

Napalm Death aren't at 100% tonight. Barney has broken his ankle so he sings the entire set whilst sat down. Shane Embury is also missing tonight as he is ill. Barney is the bigger loss though as they seem to lack something without his usual energy and stage presence. The first few numbers wash over me. Not a great start. After the first few numbers, I move from near the front to towards the back and this makes a big difference, the guitar sounds much sharper and impactful from back there. The bass sounds fantastic on 'Scum'. There are a number of good moments. 'Suffer The Children' is played furiously whilst 'Unchallenged Hate's buoyant death metal is enjoyable. Not everything hits the mark though, and a number of tracks just pass me by completely. With so much speed, it's the slower numbers such as 'Invigorating Clutch' and the Killing Joke-esque post punk of 'Amoral' which stand out and probably have a greater impact. The closing duo of 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' and 'Siege Of Power' are both immense but overall, there are too many flat moments in their set.

Napalm Death ***

Drop Dead ****

Siberian Meat Grinder ***

Left To Die & Tortured Demon - The Bread Shed, Manchester (7/3/23)

Tribute acts, what's the point? That's what I'd always thought anyway. For bands who are a going concern, I always wondered why you would want to go and see a cheap copy of a band you could go and see live anyway. Then again, you can wait for years for a band to tour and even when they do, the cost can be prohibitive. With some bands, the tribute act could be the better, more authentic option anyway. I'm pretty sure I'd rather watch Limehouse Lizzy than the current iteration of Thin Lizzy. For bands who have split up or lost key members then I suppose it makes more sense as it is often the only opportunity fans have to experience those songs live.

My attitude began to change in 2006 at the Sweden Rock Festival. They had a battle of the tribute bands that year, and as I was wandering around in between bands I stumbled upon a ZZ Top tribute band called The DH Power Trio. They were absolutely fantastic and completely changed my opinion on ZZ Top. Like most people of my age, I mainly knew them for their Eighties MTV era rather than their Seventies period and this tribute band forced me to re-evaluate them and go and check out their earlier classic albums. It also made me reconsider the worth of tribute acts.

Left To Die are essentially a Death tribute band. They are specifically replicating the 'Leprosy' era, with them playing that album in full as well as some songs from 'Scream Bloody Gore'. They do have pedigree though, as they feature former Death members Rick Rozz and Terry Butler, along with Matt Harvey and Gus Rios from Gruesome (who tout themselves as essentially a Death tribute act who happen to play original songs).

The crowd is a bit of a surprise tonight. I expected a lot of older people like myself, and there are quite a few, but I am shocked at how many younger metalheads are in attendance (especially with Lamb Of God playing just down the road). It blows my mind that so many teens are here for an album that was released in 1988.

Opening up the evening are the youthful Tortured Demon. They play powerful, energetic thrash with harsh vocals. Their aggressive thrash verges on death metal speed at times. 'Conflict Of Interest' has intricate Death style guitar work before the band thrash away in a blur of blastbeats. However, they seem prone to moments of clunky Pantera-esque groove. Overall though, they are good and you get the impression that they will get better.

I still feel an air of trepidation as Left To Die take to the stage. Without Chuck Schuldiner, will it just be Death karaoke? They annihilate that notion immediately. They sound fantastic. Matt does a great job vocals and really sounds like Chuck. 'Born Dead' is powerful and authentic. 'Forgotten Past' sounds heavy as hell. This is great and the crowd really responds to it. 'Mutilation', 'Baptised In Blood' and an immense 'Pull The Plug' all spark mayhem in the crowd. 'Open Casket' has the  crowd punching the air along to the main riffs and it absolutely destroys. 'Zombie Ritual', like all the set, is played with a combination of deft technique and pure aggression. Listening to these songs, it's amazing how technical they are and how far ahead of the curve Death were at the time. 'Primitive Ways' is lightning fast whilst a rabid 'Evil Dead' closes the show. Classic death metal played the way it should be played.

Left To Die ****

Tortured Demon ***