Wreckless Intent 7-2-09 Ramesses, Summa and Shy Of The Depth

Ramesses II was regarded as Egypt's greatest and most powerful pharoah. The word powerful certainly describes the ear splitting deluge of thundering riffs,that Ramesses the band use to crush tonight's audience with.


But Wreckless Intent kicks of tonight with Brighton 5 piece Shy Of The Depth. It's not easy being first band on, that said, their hook laden, tech-metal goes down well the crowd. Lead singer Eddy, let's the front row know what a good pair of metal lungs should sound like, by bellowing at them, until heads begin to bang. Good riffs, good show, great band.



Summa are a band local to Bournemouth, who have been gigging for about seven years but have decided to call it a day. This is their last show and judging by the brutal opening onslaught, they aim to make it count. Full on pile driver guitars and in-your-face attitude is the order of the day. Their set is fast and loose and the band members and audience are enjoying the whole vibe. On a table by the door, their EP CD is available for free and most people leave tonight with one in their pocket.

Down-tuned Doom Metal isn't to everyone's taste and small minority people head off when Ramesses hit the stage. It's their loss as the rest of us are rewarded with a master class in extreme musicianship, dredged up from one of the nine circles of Hell (probably the sixth!).
On the left side of the stage Tim Bagshaw stands as still as a statue but his guitar work is awesome. On the drums Mark Greening is just a blur of arms, pounding his kit with unbounded ferocity. The throaty roar that emanates from Adam Richardson's vocals is matched only by his heavy bass sound, which shakes the heart in your chest. They finish off with a wall of feedback and the drums being kicked all over the stage. Fantastic stuff!

Wreckless Intent Metal Night at The Gander

Featuring Malefice, The Arusha Accord and 1000 Sins

Wreckless Intent Metal Night is on the first Saturday of every month, run by Bear, who used to host Metal DJ night at The Sound Circus.

I'm guessing he decided he didn't want to just listen to good Metal bands but watch them too, so on the 1st of March 08, Wreckless Intent at the Gander became the only place in Bournemouth to see quality live Metal acts.

The First band on tonight are 1000 Sins, who immediately start to pummel the lethargic crowd with some thrashed out old school metal.

Lead singer Nick Evans restlessly prowls the floor in front of the Gander's low stage, occasionally stopping to spit lyrics into some static punters face.

By the end of their set the audience has woken up a bit and the evening's tone has been well and truly set.

The Arusha Accord up the tempo with a well delivered set of technical prog metal, both guitarists showing off their riffing skills by duelling each other like madmen, backed by a solid wall of beats and a mountain of a bass player.

All of this is topped off with not one but two vocalists, each competing with the other for jumping space on, and in front of, the stage. A cracking show, by a band to watch out for.

By this time I'm in need of refreshment and on my way to the bar, I bump into a fella with the same Mastodon concert T-shirt on as me.

We chat for a bit about how good the gig was, then I collect my pint and head on back to take some photos of the headline band Malefice.

They come out all guns blazing and I'm blown away to see that the lead singer is the bloke I've just been chatting to!

Having just signed to major label Metal Blade and with killer new album 'Dawn Of Reprisal' under their belts, they waste no time in whipping the crowd up into a head banging frenzy.

The music is massive, they remind me of Pantera in their heyday, loads of riff heavy kick ass songs, played with raw passion.

Front man Dale Butler is a different entity onstage and exudes attitude from every pore. This band are destined to become big, having played the 2008 Download festival to critical acclaim.

I personally feel that getting the chance to see them up close and personal in a small club setting is fantastic.

Thanks to The Gander and Bear for organizing this event, see you at the next one!

The Quireboys and Voodoo Vegas, Mr Kyps, Poole, 28 November 2008

Tonight is the grand re-opening of Mr Kyps and Rock 'n' Roll is the order of the day. The venue has been closed due to refurbishment on the ceiling and as a result, Mr Kyp has been staging shows at the Opera House in Boscombe. The decor there has obviously impressed him and, as the first audience, we are treated to freshly painted white walls and the changing mood lighting that graces said venue.

On with the show and due to be on the bill tonight was American rock songstress Mary McBride but due to visa complications, she and her band were held up at the airport and sadly couldn't perform.



It's down to Voodoo Vegas to get the crowd warmed up, and with their original brand of classic rock, they do just that! Although plagued with sound issues they soldier on like true professionals. The addition of new guitarist Merylina has given them a new dimension and beefed up their sound considerably. Highlight of the set was the harmonica duel between lead singer Lawrence and their special guest Si Genero, when the bass and guitar sound cut out mid set. Overall they rocked!




The Quireboys good time Rock 'n' Roll was always going to go down well with a Mr Kyps audience. Front man Spike's raspy cigarettes and whiskey soaked vocals are the perfect compliment to the band's bar room hard rock style of music. He informed us that there was still painting going on when they arrived and they (the band) even pitched in and helped (I'd take that with a pinch of salt though).



Honky Tonk keyboards by Keith Weir and excellent guitar work by Guy Griffin and Paul Guerin bring songs like, There She Goes Again, Tramps And Theives and Hey You to life. Pip Mailing provides a solid rhythm foundation for the songs on drums and with Jimmi Crutchley on bass, this is most notable on I Love This Dirty Town. Bringing this great show to a close with hits 7 O'clock and Sex Party; Spike assured us that the smell of paint would soon fade and that the band would be back.

Welcome back to one of the best live music venues on the South Coast.

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!