Health, GosT & Zetra - Ritz, Manchester (16/10/24)

When this bill was first announced, I really wanted a ticket as I've seen Zetra and GosT before and they are both really good live. Health are a band I like on record, and they have a fearsome live reputation, making this a solid line up. Unfortunately, following Health's appearance at Download, it instantly sold out. When they announced the venue upgrade to the Ritz, I promptly bought a ticket before it sold out again. The only snag was I hadn't really looked at the date and as the gig drew closer, I realised that it fell on my wedding anniversary, which meant I had to be as persuasive as I could and even then, I knew that I was taking the piss a bit.

Zetra's opening track 'Sacrifice' showcases their strength in blending the male and female vocals together to create a gothic form of shoegaze. Visually, they are striking with their black metal aesthetic. They are both stood on huge risers which helps to make them visible to the entire audience, and little details like this make a big difference. The sound is a bit muddy but it doesn't lessen the impact too much. The music is dreamy and hypnotic with a hint of malevolence lurking behind it all. For the most part they stand still on their platforms but they still have some theatrical parts where they kneel and worship the backdrop. They have some atmospheric pop touches which makes them sound like Breathe (of 'Hands To Heaven' fame), or maybe even The Pet Shop Boys at their most introspective, collaborating with Slowdive. They have some jagged guitar parts too but the pop touches are probably the most successful element. The excellent 'Gaia' sounds like Billy Idol covering Springsteen/Patti Smith's 'Because The Night'. Even at their heaviest, there is still an air of beauty and they always sound hopeful rather than despondent.

The first minute or so of GosT's set is heavy as hell electro-grind, which then settles into industrial synthwave which is heavy and impactful. It is thrilling and danceable with heavy beats. The whole vibe is Ministry meets Carpenter Brut. Every couple of songs, the man behind the skull mask (GosT himself) takes a moment out from behind his keyboard to acknowledge and encourage the crowd. This is hard hitting and non-stop dance music. It is fantastic when they pitch it up, which they frequently do. There are some 'Tubular Bells' style touches at times. It isn't as chilling as that piece of music but it is more dancefloor friendly. Imagine if the priest in The Exorcist had taken Regan to a rave instead. This isn't the only cinematic touch, as they frequently sound like the soundtrack to movie chase sequences. There is a Nine Inch Nails influence at play, not surprising for someone who used to include 'Head Like A Hole' in his live set. The whole thing is rounded out with elements of power electronics, making for a gloriously heavy rave.

Health start off with just drums and delicate vocals before the rest of the instruments kick in. It's very rhythmic and the drums seem to be at the heart of everything they do, making it bassy and extremely heavy. Much of the first few numbers ('God Botherer' and 'Crack Metal') sound like NIN's 'March Of The Pigs' which isn't a bad thing, and 'The Downward Spiral' influence is much more apparent live. The lighting is quite simple and moody (often monochrome) but it is very atmospheric. The vocals are often reminiscent of Pet Shop Boys. 'New Coke' allows you to imagine if Neil Tennant fronted Nine Inch Nails, It adds a unique touch to the style of industrial metal they play. It also makes it very accessible no matter how heavy they get, and you can only see them getting bigger and playing much larger venues that this. It's absolutely crushing but I also feel that there's only so much of this I can take before it is in danger of losing its impact, so I leave after an hour or so. I think the guilt of being out on my anniversary plays a part in this decision too.

Health ****

GosT *****

Zetra ****

Blues Pills & Daniel Romano's Outfit - Band On The Wall, Manchester (12/10/24)

Daniel Romano's Outfit aren't at all what I expected. From the name, I thought they were going to be po-faced prog rock but when they come out in denim with matching band patches (one of them looks like he could be in the Bay City Rollers), I thought they would be '70s rock revivalists. I'm therefore surprised by the driving Hellacopters style rock and roll of the opening number. The dual vocals are great. The female vocals add a country feel. There are lots of blues rock touches too, particularly when they play slower, which often bring The Black Crowes to mind. The drummer is great, and he gets props for the Battalion Of Saints shirt that he is wearing too. One excellent track where the bassist takes lead vocals reminds me of Reigning Sound. The way that they transition from one style to another is both skilful and exciting. Impressive.

Blues Pills open with 'Birthday', and the dynamic blues rock is elevated into another league by Elin Larsson's stunning voice. She looks and acts like an utter star and the crowd, especially the girls, love her. 'Bad Choices' is good time party rock, whilst 'Proud Woman' has a confident swagger. The moving ballad 'Top Of The Sky' is spectacular and Elin sounds absolutely incredible. Guitarist Zack Anderson plays a lovely solo on 'Like A Drug'. The band are extremely tight and proficient. Yes, all eyes are on Elin but none of this would work without them. It's rather symbiotic. A powerful and dynamic 'High Class Woman' is a real crowd pleaser and mines a similar vein to fellow Swedes, Graveyard. They close the regular set with the emotional slow blues of 'Little Sun'. The bass tone is pretty heavy for encore 'I Dont Wanna Get Back On That Horse Again' (much heavier than the studio version) and Elin's voice sounds unbelievable. The freak out at the end of 'Bye Bye Birdy' is great whilst 'Devil Man' sees Elin channelling her inner Janis Joplin to stunning effect. I realise I've used superlatives a number of times to describe Elin but it's hard to leave the show and not be blown away by how good she is.

Blues Pills ****

Daniel Romano's Outfit ****

Redd Kross & Dale Crover - Gorilla, Manchester (11/10/24)

I'm pleased to find that Redd Kross are selling signed copies of Jeff and Steve McDonald's autobiography tonight on the merch stand. Redd Kross and the McDonald brothers have a long history, having been involved in the early '80s hardcore punk scene, the late '80s college rock scene and the '90s grunge/alt rock scene. If you've heard the episode of 'Turned Out A Punk' which they did, then you'll know how many great stories they have. Before I get home and get the opportunity to read it though, we have Redd Kross themselves and the support to enjoy.

The support is another legendary lifer in current Redd Kross and Melvins drummer and ex-member of countless bands including Nirvana and Shrinebuilder, Dale Crover. Tonight he is playing a short acoustic set. It is quite aggressively played but is still a bit rootsier than Melvins mainman King Buzzo's solo material. His vocals are probably more suited to the noise rock which his bands usually play. Musically, it has an acoustic grunge thing going on which reminds me of Monster Magnet's more acoustic based material. It's still hard to escape the feeling that this is essentially The Melvins without the distortion. Whatever it is, it's fairly hypnotic.

Redd Kross open with the upbeat power pop of 'Switchblade Sister'. It's indebted to Cheap Trick and the vocal harmonies are great. An excellent 'Stay Away From Downtown' marries Sex Pistols punk chords with pop choruses, whilst 'Uglier' is driving alt rock. 'Huge Wonder' cheekily pilfers a riff from Sabbath's 'War Pigs'and paints it in dayglo colours. It is utterly brilliant. The punky 'Emanuelle Insane' is a little too simplistic though. 'Pretty Please Me' rides a blistering post-punk beat and has a glorious melodic chorus. The terrific 'I'll Take Your Word For It' is pure '60s flower power. The band have always been excellent at taking various styles and adding tons of melody, and tonight is a great reminder of this. The McDonald brothers are a super entertaining duo. Steve, in particular, is constantly engaging with the audience and is hilarious. There's plenty of talk about the Beatles, as they're staying at George Harrison's childhood home tonight (an Airbnb) which is pretty crazy. The heavy psych of 'Candy Coloured Catastrophe' is much more powerful than on record. An urgent 'Jimmy's Fantasy' is superb. A fantastic 'Lady In The Front Row' begs the question of why they weren't massive, as they were essentially The Monkees for the grunge generation. The band talk about how hard it is to book shows these days as promoters have no idea who they are, and the venue is probably only half full tonight. 'Neurotica' and 'Peach Kelli Pop' both bring the psych in impressive fashion, whilst 'Born Innocent' brings Jellyfish with an added punk rock attitude to mind. As a unit, the whole band is impressive. Individually, Steve's bass playing is fluid and technical whilst Dale Crover is an absolute powerhouse behind the drumkit. 'Linda Blair' is a blast. However, 'Annette's Got The Hits' aping of The Cramps isn't as fun as it should be, another minor misstep. A super cover of The Osmonds' 'Crazy Horses' and an even better cover of Kiss' 'Deuce' redeem them and closes the show in a spectacularly fun fashion.

Redd Kross ****

Dale Crover ***

Battlesnake & Big Cat Chic - Gullivers, Manchester (5/10/24)

Big Cat Chic's opening song has a cool Morricone spaghetti western riff which is backed by chugging guitars and bass. The female vocals add to the gothic vibe, making for a decent first impression. The vocals on the second track are more reminiscent of Polly Styrene and therefore give it a X Ray Spex feel. The music often has a rockabilly feel, only a little dirtier sounding. There is a big '90s alt rock influence too. The final track has a cool, throbbing post-punk bass line. They sound a bit too loose when they play fast, which is something you'd see on DIY punk bills up and down the country, and it is at points such as these when they struggle to fill the venue soundwise. Still pretty decent though.

A tape of Gregorian chanting plays whilst Battlesnake take to the stage. Dressed in studded robes, they look ridiculous but that sums them up because they take trad metal and make it ludicrous, theatrical and fun. 'Motor Steeple' is like a camp, comedy Judas Priest but still rocks. 'I Am The Vomit' is pretty ace too. 'The Rotten Priest' is like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's more metal output. The mid-section is seriously heavy and Sam Frank hits some amazing Rob Halford style high notes. The ending of 'Pterodactyl Firehawk' is surprisingly complex and it really rocks. 'Alpha & Omega' is more progressive, in a Dio-era Rainbow style. Sam speaking tongues during 'I Speak Tongues' is absolutely hilarious. This is a real SHOW and every band member plays their part in making it riotously entertaining. The band play kneeling amongst the audience (who are doing the same) whilst Sam surmonizes during 'Motorgut' in a manner similar to Vincent Price on 'Thriller'. 'The Battlesnake' has a doomy riff not dissimilar to Metallica's 'Sad But True'. The end sequence of 'The Key Of Solomon' positively thrashes. The crowd's singing of the latter's guitar riff (with only a little prompting) is very Maiden-esque. They finish with a killer cover of 'Let There Be Rock' (well, they are Australian). I hope they get some festival slots in the Summer (they were actually confirmed as playing Download a couple of days ago) because they are a band that I would back to win anyone over live. Tremendous fun.

Battlesnake *****

Big Cat Chic ***

The Telescopes & Farfisa - Yes Basement, Manchester (26/9/24)

Farfisa start with a drawn out intro of spacey noise which sounds quite languid. When the instruments kick in, it sounds like Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', before disappearing down the cosmic space rock highway like a less heavy Slift. Imagine the jam side of stoner rock such as 'Sky Valley's more freeform moments or maybe Nebula. One track starts off interestingly with tribal drumming and what sounds like a dial up modem or a ZX Spectrum loading. Another track is psychedelic funk rock and lays down a pretty tight groove. They incorporate quite a bit of analogue electronics into their sound which probably sets them more in the psych rock camp. The closing track is a bit more direct yet still has the time to circle around the sun a couple of times. Pretty good.

My friend asked me what I was expecting before The Telescopes came on on stage. I answered that it could be hypnotic or boring. The opening track does little to answer which of those it is, as it is slow and sluggish with barely there vocals yet the Valium laden opioid groove is still hypnotic. The second track increases the tempo but the drumming seems a little out of time which snaps me out of the trance. When they hit their stride, they are mesmerising but at other times they are far too lethargic. A harmonica led dirge just drags. A druggy, slowed down take on the blues has enough groove to engage, meaning that they probably stay on the right side of hypnotic. When The Telescopes are good, they're tremendous. They just don't always hit those heights.

The Telescopes ***

Farfisa ***

Monster Magnet & Margarita Witch Cult - Ritz, Manchester (22/9/24)

Margarita Witch Cult have a great look. With their long hair, skinny flared jeans and tight t-shirts, they look like they've just been beamed in from the '70s. The opening instrumental track is '90s stoner rock like tonight's headliners meets 'Sky Valley' era Kyuss. 'Scream Bloody Murder' is dirty yet punchy biker rock. The triple vocals blend together really well and the harmonies add a Torche like melody to the material. 'Annihilation' is straight ahead Mötörhead bludgeon. 'The Witchfinder Comes' again features strong vocals and comes across like a stoner rock Alice In Chains. 'Crawl Home To Your Cofffin' is '70s heavy rock which sounds like Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats meets Graveyard. They are very tight and professional. It took me a minute or so to work out what the cover of 'White Wedding' was because it sounds just like Black Sabbath but, like everything they play, it's great.

Monster Magnet are marking their 35th anniversary, and tonight promises to be a celebration of that. They open with the rock solid, descending riff of 'Dopes To Infinity'. It has such a great groove and Dave Wyndorf sounds in great voice but I do wonder if he's straining slightly (he later complains of feeling ill so it could be a result of this). They follow this up with the dynamic drug-crazed rock of 'Tractor'. 'Superjudge' is eastern tinged heavy psych rock, again with a mammoth groove, and the wig out towards the end is superb. You forget how many great riffs they have written, and the band sound spectacular playing them. 'Look To Your Orb For The Warning' features another one. 'Negasonic Teenage Warhead' is an absolute anthem. The last time I saw Dave live (about fifteen years ago), he was a lean, mean rock 'n' roll sexgod but looks more like a cuddly grandad these days, not unlike retired wrestler Mick Foley. The mellow 'Zodiac Lung' is a touch of light relief in contrast to all the huge riffs we are bombarded with. The monster riff tornado of 'Twin Earth' is an incredible surprise. 'Bummer' expertly mixes commercial rock with heavy doom. The closing 'Powertrip' sounds thunderous. They are scheduled to play a further two songs during the encore but end the show here because Dave isn't well enough to continue, meaning we don't get 'Crop Circle' or 'Space Lord'. This is a shame but doesn't affect anyone's enjoyment because what they do play is wonderful.

Epilogue: A few weeks later the band end up cancelling the remainder of the European tour due to Dave's illness. I'm thankful that I still got to see them and hopeful that Dave recovers soon.

Monster Magnet *****

Margarita Witch Cult ****

Sultans Of Ping - Ritz, Manchester (21/9/24)

I was just about to enter the venue when I got a call from my auntie asking if I'd spoken to my dad. I last saw him two days earlier but I was worried because he said he'd had a fall. I'd tried him a couple of times today and hadn't been able to get hold of him so I decided to text his neighbour who checked and said that he wasn't answering and the papers were still hanging out of the letterbox. This prompted a quick dash to Failsworth to find that he wasn't home and hadn't been for at least a day (I could tell from the dates of the newspapers on the mat). This prompted a call to the local hospitals to find that he had been admitted to North Manchester General. Too late for visiting so I rushed back to the venue just in time to catch the amazing 'Back In The Tracksuit'.

The track immediately takes me back to my early twenties when the band were a huge part of my life. I was a metaller but my friends were into indie. They didn't like my music and although I slowly grew to like theirs, The Sultans were the middle ground which myself and my friends could enjoy without either of us compromising. He would 

The sleazy garage rock of 'Mescaline' is insistent. The high octane indie punk of 'Give Him A Ball (And A Yard Of Grass)' is phenomenal. The Cramps-esque rock and roll of 'Psychopath' is a surprise and welcome inclusion. They play a solid cover of The Third Bardo's psych garage classic 'I'm Five Years Ahead Of My Time'. Even after 30 years, I still want to scream my lungs out to anthems like 'Veronica' and I do. My voice is already fucked. Songs like 'Michiko' mix punk energy with big choruses and sweet sentiment. 'Eamon Andrews' is another surprise and i don't remember it having such a snake-hipped riff. 'Wake Up And Scratch Me' is an absolute blast. Frontman Niall O'Flaherty is at his most deranged on 'Ladybug Boy' which has more than a whiff of late '70s Alice Cooper about it. 'Stupid Kid' is insanely good. The high energy kink of 'Kick Me With Your Leather Boots' is as good as ever. A ballsy ' You Talk Too Much' closes the regular set. 'Let's Go Shopping' is sweet and poignant. A super speedy 'Where's Me Jumper?' predictably causes mayhem. They close the show with a chaotic, slightly messy 'I Said I Am I Said' which is kinda perfect for me. I don't want perfection, as The Sultans aren't that type of band but they are some band.

Epilogue: When I got home after 90 minutes of going crazy, my wife wouldn't let me into bed until I cleaned myself up because I smelt so bad a true testament to how much i enjoyed myself.

Sultans Of Ping *****