Buckcherry & Michael Monroe - Ritz, Manchester (25/2/26)

When it comes to my Mount Rushmore of rock and roll heroes, Michael Monroe would be second only to Alice Cooper, such is my love for him. This love was kindled when I saw the video for 'Dead, Jail Or Rock And Roll' all those years ago on late night TV rock show 'The Power Hour' which then led me to discover the wonderful Hanoi Rocks. He released his latest album 'Outerstellar' on Friday and he is here supporting the release with a full UK tour co-headlining with new wave sleazesters Buckcherry (who have been going themselves for over twenty five years).

Michael opens his set this evening with the aforementioned 'Dead, Jail Or Rock And Roll'. It's a high octane start and yes, the vocals and harmonica could be higher in the mix but it hardly matters. The punky and anthemic 'Motorvatin' follows, the first of six Hanoi Rocks' songs (if you count their cover of 'Up Around The Bend', which I do). 'Old King's Road' is catchy cockernee punk but few do that style better. New track 'Rockin' Horse' is full of energy and is surprisingly heavy. The new tracks sound surprisingly vital. 'Last Train To Tokyo' is a cracking slice of contagious pop punk. Monroe is one of rock and roll's great survivors and has proved himself very adaptable over the years, covering a number of different styles whilst always sounding like only he can. The dense groove of 'Underwater World' slows it down a bit but it is still intense and Michael's little sax breaks add extra layers. The ramshackle punk of 'Hammersmith Palais' manages to conjure a sweaty dive bar atmosphere in a 1500 capacity venue, which is no mean feat. He is still the coolest motherfucker going and he covers the stage with the energy of a man half his age. The Hanoi classic 'Don't Ever Leave Me' still pairs a classic rock shuffle with heartbreak. The current band have been playing together since 2014 so it isn't a surprise that they are such a tight unit. The trashy punk of 'Tragedy' is amazing, and Sami Yaffa's bassline still sounds as fresh as when he first played it in the early eighties. The loose yet anthemic 'Ballad Of The Lower East Side' is awesome. The intensity ramps up for the last couple of numbers, an insane 'Malibu Beach Nightmare' and a killer 'Up Around The Bend'. Michael Monroe never disappoints live.

Buckcherry's opening number 'Lit Up' rides a throbbing AC/DC riff to good effect. Guitarist Stevie D looks seriously cool in his baseball cap and funky, fleecy coat. The double kick fuelled passages which precede the verse of 'Roar Like Thunder' are driving and powerful, it's just a shame the verse is rock and roll by numbers. The chorus is insistent but the band seem a little too eager with their 'yeah's. The slinky groove of 'So Hott' is pretty cool and is reminiscent of 'Pornograffitti' era Extreme. 'Ridin' is another track with a pedestrian verse but the pumping DC chorus is great. 'Let It Burn' sees frontman Josh Todd's shirt come off, showing off his trademark wiry, tattooed body. 'Come On' is another decent slice of AC/DC boogie. It's not original but it's powerful and fun. They turn Icona Pop and Charli xcx's 'I Love It' into 'Say Fuck It', a fun slice of boogie rock. It takes me a moment to recognise it but the crowd have a great time with it. The crowd seems to have thinned out a little since Michael Monroe's set but it is still about three quarters full downstairs (upstairs is completely closed off). The ballad 'Sorry' is a bit of an anti-climax, sounding like a rejected Aerosmith tearjerker. Josh is obviously the focal point for the band but he often comes across as a less energetic Gary Cherone. His voice is much stronger though. The bluesy funk groove of 'Blackout' is great and sees the band coming on like a sleazy Black Crowes.  The closing 'Crazy Bitch' is potent and sees the band members pull off some cool choreographed moves whilst the various individual members take their solo slots. The extended jam towards the end of the song sees them add a snippet of Creedance Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary' which is merely ok. It's a short but fun set, nothing groundbreaking but a hour of AC/DC riffs will always provide a pretty good time.

Buckcherry ***

Michael Monroe ****

Reaper Festival - Rebellion, Manchester (15/2/26)

Reaper Agency have made a name for themselves booking black metal in the UK, bringing over a number of overseas acts for exclusive shows as well as promoting the best of British. They promote the Fortress Festival in Scarborough which has become the premier destination each year for cult black metal acts, and they have garnered a real reputation for championing underground black metal. The last few years have seen them put on a series of all dayers here at Rebellion with some exclusive sets, and this year the festival has been expanded to two days. Day one was yesterday but with it being Valentine's Day, there was no chance I was going to be able to come. Today is much more to my liking though, featuring an exclusive anniversary set from Abduction and The Spirit flying in from Germany for an exclusive show.

Aberdeen's Dreich are the first band I manage to catch. They play black metal which is heavy on the atmospherics with plenty of slower, windswept builds that sometimes leads to icy blasting but often doesn't. They are happy to keep up a deliberate pace, slowly ratcheting up the tension. There isn't always a payoff to the build but it's a pleasant journey nonetheless. The vocals are pretty inaudible except when the cloaked Elegy from Vestia joins them onstage and takes to the mic. There actually seems to be more direction and purpose when he is onstage too.

The brand of black metal practiced by Cardiff's Ofnus is pretty progressive. The songs are pretty lengthy with multiple parts, and the vocals switch from gruff to high pitched screams to a more operatic clean voice. The sound is pretty good although the vocals could be louder. The bass is clearly defined and this allows you to hear all the neat little Steve Harris-esque bass runs the bassist adds. Their songs are complex but they are dynamic and, looking at the crowd, there are plenty of heads banging. The singer is stocky and imposing although he does look more like he should be the singer of a metalcore band. He has a really impressive range though. This is winding, epic black metal which is vaguely reminiscent of Winterfylleth. The final track is particularly epic, building fantastically with a number of catchy, fist pumping parts.

Blood Countess are a completely different proposition, playing fast and furious old school black metal in the vein of early Immortal. At its core, this is classic '80s metal riffs just played about three times faster. I even thought I heard a few nods to the goofy thrash of Anthrax at a couple of points. There is light and shade as there are a few slower passages before the blasting starts again. It would work without these slower parts, such is the vigour with which they play but the few spaces we have to breathe help to give the faster moments greater impact. They are a tight musical unit and The Cuntess has some voice on her. Darianth on bass windmills impressively whilst The Cuntess is a dynamic force of nature stalking the stage and you just can't take your eyes off her. Hugely impressive.

Hecate Enthroned are another old school act although these veterans have been going since the nineties. The vocals are much deeper than many of the acts today which adds a deathly edge although there are plenty of earpiercing shrieks too. They bring on former vocalist Dean Seddon for a guest spot on the blackened death leaning 'The Crimson Thorns (My Immortal Dreams)'. Another old track has a Maiden-esque beginning before building in a more measured manner before destroying with some focused blasting. They have much more power when not playing lightning fast though. A new track has an atmospheric start before picking up the intensity. It is powerful and driving, and bodes well for the new album. They are playing without a keyboard player as he is on holiday, and although that symphonic style isn't really my style, tracks such as 'The Spell Of The Winter Forest' seem to be missing something and come off as a bit pedestrian until they hit the fast part. I can still hear some keyboards in the backing track but it's probably less prominent than usual. It's all a bit hit and miss, to be honest.

Abduction's adventurous take on black metal usually impresses but it seems like something is missing tonight as it seems flatter than usual. They come across more like standard black metal and that is much to their detriment. When they hit that lovely rolling groove it is powerful as hell but the faster parts often translate as nondescript blasting. The frontman A|V looks like a supervillain with his cloak, mask and spike. He has real presence, like a scarier Doctor Doom. Elegy from Vestia makes his second guest appearance of the day to provide vocals for a powerful track which has an almost post-metal build. I loved the last couple of Abduction albums and they have been magical when I've seen them in the past but I feel pretty disappointed tonight.

I start to feel a little unwell during Abduction's set so I decide to call it a day before The Spirit's set. There has been a couple of stand out performances today but overall, I've been a bit underwhelmed by the event.

Abduction ***

Hecate Enthoned ***

Blood Countess ****

Ofnus ****

Dreich ***

Stygian Bough & 40 Watt Sun - Rebellion, Manchester

Sygian Bough are a collaboration between Seattle funeral doom band Bell Witch and Portland's folk outfit Aerial Ruin. Stygian Bough is probably the name of the records rather than the outfit that recorded them but, hell, that's what I'm going to call them. They have recently released their second album, 'Stygian Bough II', to a great deal of acclaim. Bell Witch aren't exactly strangers to these parts, having played in the city a couple of times in the past two years. In addition, Stygian Bough have played in this city once before when they performed their first album in full at Damnation Festival in 2022. Familiarity with Bell Witch along with the relative rarity of a Stygian Bough release/show has helped to draw a decent crowd tonight.

40 Watt Sun's Patrick Walker is no stranger to Manchester either, having played Damnation festival in November with his other band, Warning. Tonight's performance is a stripped back solo acoustic show. The opening 'Colours' has some lovely, gentle guitar picking which is very soulful. Patrick's voice is just magical, touching the deepest parts of your soul. The solo setting seems to suit him as he is much more personable than usual, telling funny stories about going to the toilet at a show in full view of the audience with just frosted glass, how his girlfriend thinks one of his songs sounds like Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' and how 'Stages' goes on a bit. Patrick's voice soars on 'Pour Your Love'. Devoid of a full band and distortion, these tracks have a feel of a singer/songwriter like Ralph McTell. The slow motion 'Stages' has lots of negative space but it's what he does in between that matters and the crowd hangs on to every single word. The chord change about nine minutes in is incredible. Looking around the audience and you can see tears streaming down a number of faces, such is the emotional pull of these songs and, in particular, his voice. 'Marazion' is delayed and has an extended intro due to an incident in the crowd although I can't quite tell what is happening. It is cold and bleak yet Patrick's voice imbues it with warmth, and his delivery gets more impassioned towards the end. He gets an excellent reaction from the crowd but it is thoroughly deserved as it is stunning.

Stygian Bough are a completely different proposition. They crush from the very first note, which you can feel in your chest. It's very slow with plenty of space between each note but this gives you the opportunity to hear and savour every element: every drum beat, every note. There is a melancholic, yearning melody running through the guitar and vocal lines which makes the heavy parts more impactful. They balance light and shade masterfully. There are a number of cleaner passages which move into the devastatingly heavy parts. The vocals are great, ranging from damaged folk singing to something more expansive and spiritual.The new album is played in its entirety and it flows beautifully. Everything is played slowly but it has space to breathe and still has a certain energy despite the leaden pace. The guitarist Erik (the man behind Aerial Ruin) has two bottles on stage and watching them dance as a result of the vibrations during the heavier parts is fascinating. The fragile opening of 'From Dominion' is more in line with Erik's solo output but when the distortion kicks in, it is earth shaking. The transitions from quiet to loud are glorious. Drummers are usually lauded for how fast they can play but here every beat is hit hard and with purpose, and Jesse does so much more as he also controls other elements of their sound with his feet. It is incredibly impressive. The organs help 'From Dominion' sound epic whilst the bass tone is colossal during 'The Told And The Leadened'. These are long songs played at a funereal pace but the dynamics are such that it never gets boring. Utterly spellbinding.

Stygian Bough *****

40 Watt Sun *****

Faetooth & Coltaine - Rebellion, Manchester (7/2/26)

There is a bit of a buzz about the all female doom trio Faetooth and this is definitely reflected in the healthy turnout. Like Green Lung or Castle Rat, they seem to draw more than a typical doom crowd and there are a large number of women here too.

Coltaine's set starts off with a lone ethereal female voice. Eastern tinged and ancient sounding, it seems like it has echoed down the ages. When the music starts, it takes its time to get to its destination. 'Mogila' is slow, almost languid, doom which has a nice crawling riff when it finally gets going. The vocals are the element which stop you in your tracks, harsh with a blackened edge and a total contrast to the vocals during the introduction although Julia does switch back and forth between the two styles. 'Memories Of Ice' is more dynamic but still has some laborious passages. The third track has a bit more pace and, as such, is much more impactful although I don't think the blasting blackened section is as tight as it could be. Julia's blackened howl is mightily impressive but her clean vocals are nowhere near as good. 'Dans Un Noveau Monde' is another eastern tinged track. It's all decent enough but nothing more than that, and the vocals are definitely more interesting than the music. They get a good reaction from the audience though.

Faetooth's opener 'Iron Gate' is heavy enough, and bassist Jenna's howls are savage but it just isn't connecting with me like they do on record. It is lacking that hypnotic, bewitching quality of the studio recording. The dense bass tone of 'Death Of Day' is more like it and the swirling vocals combine to hypnotic effect. 'It Washes Over' is lumbering but in a good way I suppose. It is slow moving and heavy footed yet still has purpose. 'Hole' has a doomy blackgaze feel and the crawling chorus is pretty crushing. The shimmering guitar line in 'Remains' is excellent and adds a nice melodic counterpoint to the low end heaviness. 'Mater Dolorosa' is slow motion elegance which ebbs and flows like the tide before climaxing like waves crashing against a rugged coastline. 'White Noise' is like a dangerous undercurrent which drags you under and threatens to keep you there forever. All of this sounds excellent but it isn't. There is much to like about Faetooth yet oddly, something still seems to be missing and it always feels like they are playing well within themselves. It isn't until the penultimate 'Meet Your Maker' that I feel the bass in my chest and experience the emotional pull and, to be honest, it shouldn't have taken this long. Regardless, they get a terrific reaction from the crowd. The final track gets what has been a static yet vocal crowd finally moving. The final couple of tracks seem much more powerful but overall, I'm not quite sold. In this case, don't believe the hype.

Faetooth ***

Coltaine ***