Gig Reviews

GIG REVIEW: Ireland Maiden + Stormzone @ The Limelight, Belfast, December 28th 2011.

- By Phil Allely

Now I for one love tribute bands and often have found them to be better than the original bands they try to emulate. The reason for this of course is that these acts have honed their performances to be the best as they can at portraying another series of characters and their music style/mannerisms. Whereas the real McCoy often have evolved beyond that era and perhaps even lost some of their live performance lustre.

Whilst it is nice to see our heroes in action, a tribute band is usually the next best thing. They are also somewhat easier on the pocket.

It is not often we reviewers cover shows by such bands, but every so often one comes along that you simply need to put pen to paper about. The support act on offer here also helped with this decision.

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GIG REVIEW: PAY*OLA + Trucker Diablo + High Output + The Unprotected @ The Empire Music Hall, Belfast, November 17th 2011.

SO:NI ROCKS! A NOISY NIGHT IN NOVEMBER
- By Phil Allely

If you ever get the chance to visit it you’ll see why Belfast’s Empire Music Hall is the perfect venue for a rock band to perform in. The venue itself is steeped in history and has a unique look and feel to it, it’s stage layout/style demands your attention and any bands who perform there seem to up their game to suit the setting. It is difficult to get a bad vantage point to view proceedings and acoustically its high ceilings and spacious interior aid things well for pretty much every possible performance on offer.

This slightly damp November night I was there to see the long-awaited hometown headline slot of well-respected (dare we say veteran?) rockers Pay*ola. Fronted by Phil McCarroll (SO:NI promoter) this four-piece are an energetic mainstay of the NI rock scene, always striving to make their performance the highlight of the night and send everyone home happy.

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GIG REVIEW: Shake! @ The Empire Music Hall, Belfast 5th November 2011

I’ve known Northern Irish rockers Shake! for some time (ever since they came second in a band wars contest I was a judge on a year or so back) and with every opportunity I get to see them play live I see them grow as a band. So when I heard they were headlining a gig in one of my favourite venues in Belfast I had to get myself down there.

With so few female fronted bands on the local music scene in Northern Ireland the outfit already have a head start, as they stand out from the crowd just by having that added dynamic to their ensemble.  Of course the fact that lead singer Annika Graham is a very talented singer/performer (instead of simply a female focal point for fans, which is a mistake many similar bands make unfortunately) elevates Shake’s status on the scene even more. This is not simply a band with a photogenic front person and no talent to back it up. They do indeed have all the components to back up their image too.

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GIG REVIEW: Exit State + Fantasist @ The Railway, Bolton 3rd November 2011

A decent Thursday night crowd gathered at the Railway venue on the outskirts of Bolton and a splendid pub it is too. Yet another band signed to Rocksector Records are the openers at tonight’s show, Fantasist from Manchester. This is a new band for me and I caught up with a few of their tunes at the bands website before the gig.

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GIG REVIEW: SO:NI presents: ALL THE BEST! Sweet Taste, High Output, Hijacked Empire, The Unprotected – October 15th 2011, Kings Head, Belfast.

I know I have already paid praise to the work of Northern Ireland promoter SO:NI here before, so let’s cut to the chase and look at the bands on offer this time around.

If you recall these guys don’t mess about and always try their best to cater a live music showcase to make it the best night of rock (or whatever the genre is that week SO:NI are covering) they can.
On this fine October evening and in a venue only a few minutes away from my home, I was eagerly anticipating a non-stop roller-coaster ride of live music and I was not disappointed.

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GIG REVIEW: Martyr De Mona + Mad Hatter 2.0 + Go Primitive @ Ye Olde Foundry, Dudley Friday 30th September 2011

When I heard Mad Hatter 2.0 would be in the area, and playing alongside Martyr De Mona, there was no way on this earth I was going to miss this gig! I’d never been to Ye Olde Foundry in Dudley before, but it’s a great venue with a great atmosphere despite it not really having enough space for the bands, especially not bands with the amount of presence as these three.

Unfortunately on the way to the gig, it seems that the warm weather somehow tempts drivers to fling their cars at the scenary rather than the old fashioned ‘wheels on the road’ method of getting around. Due to several motorway exits being closed we found ourselves having to drive through Coventry in the early evening which is not condusive to making it to a gig on time turning a 40 minute jouney into a 90 minute journey. Read more…

GIG REVIEW: SONI Saturday Rocks – Sweet September Show @ The Pavilion Bar, Belfast Saturday 17th September 2011

Live music in Northern Ireland is most definitely on the up with gigs occurring nightly across the country. Fortunately for rock fans there are a high number of well-seasoned acts all vying for spots at the most popular venues across the country, alongside a great number of new bands hoping to make their mark on the scene. N.I. also has a pretty decent number of appropriate live venues and a core group of promoters who keep the talent flowing and the crowds happy.

One such promoter is Belfast-based outfit Sounds of Northern Ireland. SONI run a very healthy amount of gigs in and around N.I. With at least one live gig a week they are perhaps one of the most productive promoters in the country. Read more…

GIG REVIEW: Vains Of Jenna + Falling Red + Velvet Star + The Adjusters + Dead City Ruins @ Gasworks, Bradford Tuesday 13th September 2011

This was advertised as, “four of the hottest Rock N Roll bands on the planet under one roof for one night only. Not To Be Missed”. Not by me, no chance, not that it brought many of the rockers from Bradford out! And then another band was added, not bad for £6. Unfortunately the sound in the venue, especially on the vocals wasn’t 100% all night, which affected my enjoyment of the first (Australian) band, Dead City Ruins.

Having been lauded here at TBFM as the saviours of punk rock & roll, could The Adjusters live up to it live? Hitting the stage with ‘Drinkin’ Red Wine‘, it was obvious to all that attended, the answer was YES. Read more…

GIG REVIEW: Whiskey Chaser @ The Bitter End, Romford Sunday 21st August 2011

Talking with guitarist Matt Hurst in the run up to the gig, it seems the band is enthusiastic to play and stoked to be reviewed. Seems like a good sign to me. Confident and helpful, Matt tells me that although as yet unrecorded, Whiskey Chaser, 4 guys from the east end of London and Essex, are revved up and ready to rock out. They want to bring the ‘rock sound’ back and they are having fun doing it. Read more…

GIG REVIEW: Steelhouse Festival Fri 19th & Sat 20th August 2011

The Weekend of 19/20th August saw the inaugural Steelhouse Festival in the beautiful setting of Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The event at Hafod-y-Dafal Farm was well organised and had excellent sound throughout the weekend. Having easily found the location we had to endure a steep winding road up to the site in our rickety old van! Once on site we found everything within a pleasant walking distance, with adequate facilities for a small festival.

Top tribute acts entertained us through a mainly sunny first day. The hills came alive to the sounds of Hot Red Chili Peppers, Pure Cult, Whitesnake UK, Pure Purple & Bon Giovi. Read more…