Marillion and Sine Star Project

@ The Opera House, Bournemouth, 15-11-08





Standing in line outside the Opera House with a few hundred other punters, we were treated to a tuneless serenade on an old knackered guitar from one of the town's Special Brew Crew. It was complete incomprehensible gibberish punctuated with random swear words, fortunately the music and lyrics inside the fantastic Opera House was much, much better.



Southampton band Sine Star Project played a good set, full of strong songs, that reminded me a lot of Muse. Brown Bread and Post Human were a couple of standout tracks. I expect we'll be hearing a lot more from this band in the future.


For those that don't know Marillion have done away with the corporate faceless money men that used to take a percentage of the band's income for doing very little and as a result you cannot buy Marillion albums in the shops. All their albums are available to buy or download legally on their website, I'll tell you why this is interesting in a moment!


Back to the concert and what a great gig! Frontman Steve Hogarth is the ultimate showman. Cavorting around the stage, playing piano, guitar and maracas. He delivers his song lyrics with heartfelt feeling and really draws the audience in and makes them an integral part of the show.



Founder member Steve Rothery's guitar style dominates proceedings. Mark Kelly's intricate keyboards layer the sound and add depth to the compositions and with a tight rhythm section bass by Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley on the drums; we are treated to a musical feast.



This Train is My Life, The Man from Planet Marzipan and the epic Neverland were my set highlights but a special mention has to go to concert closer Happiness Is The Road, as Steve Hogarth gets the crowd to sing the song title of the latest album over and over as the band put their instruments down and take their final bows and depart and the Opera House sings them on their way.




I promised some interesting information and it is that Marillion have been recording all their live shows on this tour and (barring technical problems) will make them available to download! Point your cursor towards www.marillion.com navigate to Happiness on the Road Live Series and download it, then sit back and relive this event again! Sweet!

Thanks again to the Opera House for a great evening.

Motorhead, Saxon & Danko Jones Southampton Guildhall 12-11-08

“We are Motorhead and we play rock n’ roll”, these are the immortal words that Motorhead frontman, founder and legend Lemmy, greets every audience with. They do play rock n’ roll…very, very loudly!

First band of the night though are Danko Jones, Classic rock riffs and the obligatory songs about sex, all shouted a 100mph, appeal to only a small selection of the audience.

In the 80’s, one of the biggest bands of the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ movement were Saxon. The set they play tonight is chock full of songs from that era and they still sound as fresh as they did 20 years ago (oops showing my age there). Motorcycle Man, Never Surrender and 747(Strangers in the Night) are dusted off and aired and sit comfortably alongside newer tracks Whichfinder General and Ashes to Ashes. We were even treated to two new songs, Live to Rock and Hellcat off the new album Into the Labyrinth.

I thought Saxon kicked ass and will definitely try and catch ‘em if they do a headlining tour.

On to the living legends that are Motorhead! I’ve seen them quite a few times over the years and they are still the only band around that casually stride out on stage and proceed to batter your eardrums into submission.
With powerful songs like Stay Clean, No Class, Killed By Death and the excellent Metropolis all designed to pound your inner ear to mush, they are the undisputed champions of pure noise.

They come out for the encore and we get a little respite with their bluesy skiffle song Whorehouse Blues, it’s Motorhead unplugged!
Just as you thought it was safe, they give us a double barrelled finish, in the form of classic tracks Ace of Spades and Overkill.

We leave the Guildhall with these bands literally ringing in our ears.

Same time next year? You bet!

UK Guns n’ Roses & Voodoo Vegas The Opera House 11-10-08

This is the first time I’ve been to the Opera house and I’m impressed. It looks great inside and the ever-changing mood lighting is class! With a bar in every corner, there’s no waiting around to be served and although the drinks are a little pricey and there’s no real beer only Lager, the surroundings remind you that your money’s going to the upkeep of a great venue.



The mood lights dim and the stage lights go up and we are treated to the best classic rock band in the area. Voodoo Vegas bound on to the stage and proceed to rock the audience silly. Their original songs pound out of the speakers, forcing the late arrivals to quickly make their way in and rush down to the front. Talking to people in the crowd later on, everyone was stoked with their performance. I’ve seen them supporting several times now and it probably won’t be long before they are headliners in their own right.



UK Guns n’ Roses have been doing this for a while now and have honed their stage show razor sharp. They kick off with Nightrain and we all jump on board and start to party. During the rest of the evening the hits come thick and fast with Welcome to the Jungle, It’s So Easy, You Could be Mine, November Rain and Anything Goes getting everyone singing and dancing in time.

The Opera house stage is great for them as Axl starts spinning around and the rest of the band dodge out off his way with practised ease. The fantastic lighting show is also worth a mention as it always sets a shows tone.

The evening draws to a close well after midnight, as Slash starts playing the Godfather theme tune which morphs into Sweet Child of Mine, everyone has a last sing up and it’s time to go.


Whereas with the real Guns n’ Roses, you never knew if you were going to get a poor gig because Slash was strung out or Axl Rose was going to throw a hissy fit and walk off stage, with these guys it’s a guaranteed killer show every time.

Hats off to Mr Kyps for putting on a great nights entertainment.

Dragonforce, Southampton Guildhall, 28 September

Finland isn’t generally known for producing Metal bands but with Turisas, that could all change big-time!
Judging by the amount of people gathering outside the Guildhall tonight, with their faces painted dark red with black stripes and sporting plastic swords and shields, it shows that many of the crowd have come to see these Viking Metal pioneers as well as the headliners.

Turisas declare war and kick off with their excellent anthem: Battle Metal! Their blend of Finnish folk music and straight up Heavy Metal has the Guildhall bouncing. Clad in animal skins and face paint they survey the carnage as the audience turns the Guildhall’s carpeted hall into a slam dance battlefield.

Showing that a good sense of humour is needed for this band, they finish off their set with a tongue in cheek cover of Boney M’s Rasputin. Pure class!

Dragonforce have their work cut out and the headliners don’t disappoint as they set about picking up the blood stained sword Turisas used to slay the crowd with, and proceed to implement their own attacking style.

With twin guitars primed and aimed at the audience they let fly with salvo after salvo of high speed Power Metal. Killer songs, My Spirit Will Go On, Operation Ground and Pound and Soldiers of the Wasteland are lobbed into the air and explode like concussion grenades in the packed hall.

When major hit Fury of the Storm is detonated, the Mosh Pit threatens to engulf the Guildhall from the stage to the mixing desk, dragging in bystanders without regard.

Through The Fire And Flames, the track that is considered to one of the most challenging on the Guitar Hero video game series, gets all the gamers in the audience headbanging like crazy.

Climaxing with the band bringing out a tray of beers for the crowd and throwing them out to the punters, all whilst taking the mick out of one of the lead guitarists thinning hair, makes this an all round brilliant smile-on-the-face gig.

Filing out, we walk past boxes of confiscated swords, shields and helmets, safe in the knowledge that Southampton’s Metal warriors will soon be reunited with their armour to continue their quest against the forces of bland pop music.

All hail the best Sunday night in a long time!

Alice Cooper

Southampton Guildhall 25-7-08


As the house lights dim and the air of expectation rises, you can’t help but look around at the Guildhall’s high ceilings and chandelier type lights and think how well it complements the atmosphere that the man performing tonight exudes.

A huge drape with the legendary name ‘Alice Cooper’ emblazoned on it hangs at the front of the stage, concealing the rostrum from view. Suddenly a spotlight shines from behind onto the veil and into the beam strides the silhouette of Alice Cooper.
He punches the air and the crowd shout out their appreciation, but wait…another silhouette appears behind the first, holding a sword, he raises his arm and runs the first one through. The curtain falls and there stands a black leather-clad Alice Cooper over the still twitching body of his white tuxedoed doppelganger.

This is pure theatre and the Guildhall’s audience is eating it up. Over the next hour and three quarters, we are witness to one of the best rock shows in the world. Not only are we bombarded with a visual feast of entertainment but also the music’s not bad either!

This tour is promoting the release of his latest album ‘Along Came a Spider’ but Alice Cooper knows that what 95% of the crowd want is the ‘old stuff’ and boy does he deliver! No More Mr Nice Guy, Eighteen, Under My Wheels, Dirty Diamonds and Woman Of Mass Destruction are fired off in quick succession.

A short break for the man himself while Kerri Kelli and Jason Hook play two short guitar solos and then pitch in to help out (former Kiss drummer) Eric Singer play a thundering drum solo.

Alice returns for Only Women Bleed and his daughter, a classically trained dancer in her own right, twirls and pirouettes in time to the rhythm. At this point, being dragged on to the stage by grotesque henchmen, is a huge gallows. Cast to the floor and put in a straitjacket, Alice is then hauled up the stairs, has a noose placed around his neck and as a minion pulls the leaver activating the trapdoor mechanism, he plunges through it. Alice is then wheeled off the podium, swinging gently between the gallows posts.

Have no fear, he returns for an encore of his hit songs Billion Dollar Babies, Poison and Elected and judging by the general feeling as we head out into the night, Alice Cooper the master showman, made sure we all had a night to remember.

Motorkill

+ Voodoo Veags @ Mr Kyps 13-8-08



It’s a debut for Motorhead tribute band, Motorkill at Mr Kyps. A lot of people are turning up early to see the excellent Voodoo Vegas who are supporting them tonight.





The Vegas boys put on cracking show and their good time party rock songs such as ‘Perfect Girl’ and newie ‘The Ferry Song’ are the perfect introduction to the headliners set.






Motorkill play Motorhead’s classic tracks just like the real thing, very loud and very fast.
Opening with ‘Sucker’ and ‘Please Don’t Touch,’ they pound the crowd into submission and don’t let up once. Midway through the set, Lemmy invites Voodoo Vegas up on the stage to perform the song ‘Born To Raise Hell’, at which point things get very messy onstage and everyone in Mr Kyps is joining in the party.







It’s got to be said that the band has Motorhead down to pat and have obviously been listening to and studying them hard. Lemmy is very good and looks and sounds just like the man himself. Expect the word to spread and the next time they play here there will be twice the crowd. So book in advance and be prepared to have your eardrums blown to bits.

Whole Lotta Led

MR KYPS 27-6-08



I’ve heard good things about tonight’s band and I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed. Billed as a ‘sound a like’ rather than a ‘look a like’ tribute band, they take to the stage and deliver classic songs from Led Zeppelin’s immense back catalogue with aplomb.
The audience, granted, consist mainly of middle-aged blokes, but there is also a smattering of the younger generation. Kids probably curious about Led Zeppelin after reading about them in the rock press and having their fave bands cite them as a major influence. And not being able to afford £160 for a ticket to the O2 gig, this is as close as it’s gonna get.

There is no support band, so the show is split into two halves with a 15 minute break or thereabouts, in between. Singer Lee Addison does a fantastic job, as Robert Plant isn’t the easiest of singers to emulate. He also introduces each song and tends to give out a bit of relevant trivia i.e. if the song was ever played live; what album it was on; which gig etc.

These guys have a serious passion for their idols and the second half of the set is filled with the showpiece songs. Bass guitarist Geoff Hunt makes ‘Dazed and Confused’ a set highlight, as does Graham Twist on ‘Moby Dick’. Drum solos don’t usually go down too well in this MTV influenced age but this was a faithful recreation of John Bonham’s solo on ‘The Song Remains The Same’ album and I’m glad to say it went down a treat with the Mr Kyps faithful.

Of course the yardstick which every Zepp tribute act will be measured by is ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and they pull out an absolutely amazing rendition of this much loved classic. Climaxing with ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and with ‘Communication Breakdown’ slotted in the middle for good measure, guitarist Nick Ferris excels himself and shows off his six string skills to the max.


If you haven’t seen this band before and you like Led Zeppelin, beg, borrow or perhaps more sensibly buy a ticket and be prepared to have one of the best musical experiences around. I know I did.

UK SUBS at Mr Kyps 31-5-06

‘PUNKS NOT DEAD’ screamed the T-shirt of one of the smokers in the crowd banished to Mr Kyps car park to puff on their ciggies. As we pulled up and got out of the car, a tall punk with bleached blonde, spiky hair detached himself from the crowd and ambled over, he informed me that he was on the door tonight and the charge for parking was £2! Before I had a chance to protest, his face broke into a massive grin “Naw, only joking mate…just ‘aving you on”.
He then promptly told us it was the 24th time he’d seen the Subs and gave us a big hug and told us we’d enjoy tonight.
With the tone of the evening well and truly set, we made our way in.


With every song barely over a minute and a half Thunderdump probably get more songs into their half hour set than most headlining bands manage to do in the main set! Riff heavy punk rock with some amusing lyrics. Towards the end of the set the songs start to get a bit repetitive but at the end they throw in one with a bit of Ska in it, but it isn’t enough to get the punters engaged.

The Demonic Upchucks get a few more bodies up to slamdance/pogo. Their brand of punk is more polished and structured than the previous band (even though they share the same bassist) and guitarist Matt’s vocal goes from low growl to mediolic singing from song to song. They have a good live presence and were a definite crowd pleaser. Set highlight for me was ‘American Werewolf in London’.


There aren’t many bands that can boast as loyal a following as the UK SUBS can, frontman and founder member Charlie Harper is on par with Motorhead’s Lemmy as a relentless touring machine, willing to play anywhere and everywhere and be able to deliver the goods every night. As he emerges from backstage the crowd lets out a huge cheer.
With an extensive back catalogue to choose from, the Subs proceed to whip Mr Kyps up into a punked up frenzy of classic tracks from their past. ‘Tommorrow’s Girls’, ‘TV Blues’ and ‘Stranglehold’ ensure that there will be a few brusied ribs from the mosh pit the next day! Watching the like of American acts Greenday and The Offspring, have massive album sales and sell out tours, must be sickening for them, as they are one of the most underrated punk bands around today. They are clearly enjoying themselves as much as the crowd, which all adds up to a great night.

--
As we left, I noticed a sticker for a local anarchist group plastered on the bonnet of my car! I thought ‘Damn that’s going to be a bugger getting off’ but like tonight’s event it came off smoothly with no fuss.

Mr Fungus, 11 April 2008 @ Gander on the Green

The Gander on the Green has put a lot of effort into raising it’s profile and making itself into an exciting live venue of late, the black paint job on the stage area adds to the atmosphere inside, the lighting rig could do with a revamp and maybe a spotlight for the lead singers but with an full itinerary of up and coming bands booked in for the next couple of months, my advice… keep an eye on this place you might just catch the next big thing.

A steady stream of punters are still making their way in when The Deltorers start their set, their toe tapping Indie Grunge suffers with some ‘opening band’ muddy sound but is remedied after a couple of songs. Bizarrely halfway through, the guitarist/singer and drummer swap roles and for the rest of the set the lead singer is playing drums at the back taking away the focal point for the audience. With that gripe aside, they do their best and with a few more gigs under their belt, they’ll soon be kicking up a storm.

The storm analogy applies in spades to the next band up, Voodoo Vegas, as like thunder and lightning they tear the place up with some kick ass classic rock. Front man Lawrence Case celebrates his birthday today and in between Jagermeister shots, eggs the crowd on to party hard. Airing a couple of new songs, guitarist Nick lays down some cracking solos; and Ash on Bass and Chris on drums keep the rhythm section as tight as a duck’s arse. Headbanging is rife and they leave the stage to rousing applause.

On to tonight’s headliners, it’s been three years since Mr Fungus have played live together, the trio having split to pursue different band projects. But they’re back and ready to rock. ‘Nacho’ Jase (on guitar) and the newly recruited Henry (bass) take to the stage with women’s fishnet tights with three balloons (going from large to small) shoved into each leg, then spend a minute or two trying to get their guitar straps over their hilarious heads, while drummer Paulie has a balaclava jammed over his! Once plugged in the music speaks volumes, good time party rock that gets the Gander hooting and hollering. Original material and a few cover versions thrown in (and the fact that the band are having just as good a time as the crowd) make it an excellent show. Finishing with the Spiderman theme tune amended to include The Simpsons Spiderpig skit, all I can say is these guys put the FUN in Fungus!

Never the Bride, 29 March 2008 @ Mr Kyps

Arriving early, we found out that the doors didn’t open until 8 on the dot. So we chatted to some of the other early birds that were gathered out of the cold, in the tiny foyer of Mr Kyps.We quickly found out that Never The Bride has some devoted fans in the South West and were assured that we would be in for a real treat tonight.

All alone on the stage, except for her Guitar and her voice, Susy Thomas quickly shows the steadily growing crowd that these two things, combined with an exceptional song writing ability, is enough to warrant an acoustic performer supporting a fully fledged band. Singing powerful ballads with real emotion and happily chatting away to the audience in between songs, she delivered an electrifying performance.

Never the Bride take to the stage and from the moment Nikki Lamborn starts to sing, you could tell we were all going to have a blast. And I do mean blast; Nikki’s outstanding vocal capacity near takes the roof off. Roger Daltrey described her as ‘best female rock voice since Janis Joplin’, well… add Robert Plant and a touch of Meatloaf’s rock operatics thrown in for good measure and you’re close. But kudos has to go also to her partner in crime Catherine ‘Been’ Feeney on writing such magnificent songs with her to compliment that voice. Catherine plays the keyboards and guitar and with talented musicians such as Murray Gold on lead guitar, Greg Harwood on Bass and Richard Newman (who played with my favourite guitarist Rory Gallagher) on the drums.
Live, their Ballard based blues-rock sounded awesome, all of these guys clicked and delivered a polished and exhilarating performance that had the crowd ecstatic. Highlights were ‘Kiss, Kiss’ and ‘The Living Tree’ which has been covered by Dame Shirley Bassey, various cover versions were aired but all had Never The Brides own unique stamp on them.
An audience member bought a round of Tequilas and had them delivered up on stage to the band, who were visibly moved by the gesture.

A great night was had by all and I for one will definitely catching them again the next time they are down here.

Kerrang Tour 2008 Southampton Guildhall 26-1-08

The excitement outside Southampton’s premier live music venue is palpable, it’s the third night of the kerrang tour and as everybody files through the towering stone columns of the Guildhall, you get an idea that tonight will be a special night.

Circa Survive are the band most musically similar to the headliners Coheed & Cambria, and are faced with the tough task of kicking off proceedings. They step up admirably and deliver a solid set of melodic rock with a unique singing style.

The excitement builds as the only British band on the bill take to the stage. Fightstar front man Charlie Simpson is the centre of attention and with a pummelling rendition of new single ‘Death Car’ from their latest album ‘One Day Son All This Will Be Yours’ he lays to rest the ghost of former band Busted! The first circle pit of the night opens up during the set and doesn’t stop until they finish with crowd favourite ‘Palahniuk’s Laughter’

A crescendo of teenage girls screaming announces the arrival of Madina Lake. The party starts up with their good time, pop punk! Hits ‘Here I Stand’ and ‘ House of Cards’ get the whole place jumping. Twins Matthew (Guitar) and Nathan Leone(vocals) work the crowd with a professionalism that belays the fact the band was only started two years ago. Glancing around the room, appreciative nods and smiles abound.

Coheed & Cambria stride from the darkness and immediately blitz the crowd with the hook-laden progressive Metal that they are known for. Claudio Sanchez, lead singer and guitar, has some sound issues with said instrument but thankfully it’s sorted by the second number. Midway during their set (and mid song) they break into a rendition of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ and suddenly you see from where the band draws a large amount of musical inspiration. Coheed & Cambria return for the encore and as ‘Welcome Home’ reverberates around the Guildhall’s ornate walls, the circle pit that Fightstar opened (and stayed open throughout the night) suddenly increases with intensity as the fans realize that the end of the show is here and try to squeeze the last drop of fun from a great night.

Heaven and Hell 18-11-07 @ BIC

The wet and windy Sunday night seemed the perfect backdrop for the 1979 Black Sabbath line up to grace the stage at the BIC. Going under the name of the first album recorded with former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, Heaven and Hell must have felt right at home on the last night of their European tour.

Openers Iced Earth kicked off proceedings with their upbeat Power Metal stylings and received a good crowd response.
Next up Lamb of God and the Thrash Metal they dished out had the younger generation starting up a mosh pit and hoping to see them play in a smaller venue for a longer period of time.

But tonight was all about Heaven and Hell, these Rock legends proved that they still have what it takes! Opening with the crowd favourite that is Mob Rules, Dio immediately had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. Tony Iommi’s guitar belted out one classic rock riff after another, behind him Geezer Butler’s bass was as solid as… well… as a rock!

The highlight of the set was Vinny Appice’s thundering drum solo, which will no doubt have new converts running to their nearest drum shop.

Back on the 1979 Sabbath tour of the Heaven and Hell album, Dio was accredited with coming up with one of the most recognizable hand symbols in Heavy Metal today, the Mano Cornuta or Devil Horns to you and me, which he liberally flashed as he prowled around the stage.

Closing the show with a blistering rendition of title track Heaven and Hell, they duly came on for encore song Neon Knights leaving everyone to go home with a massive smile on their faces.