Stadium rock giants Linkin Park are heading to the North East later this year on the back of brand new album A Thousand Suns.
The US band has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and won two Grammys since bursting onto the nu-metal scene with debut album Hybrid Theory a decade ago. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle The Cluny, August 11 2010
The Cluny is a swarm of activity as skinheads, Doc Martins and Mohawks gather for some of the finest punk music that is left in the world.
The paying customers sport what seems to be a who’s who of band t-shirts ranging from Tiger Army to Social Distortion to Winnebago Deal. But they are all here for Dwarves. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle o2 Academy, August 7 2010
Going for the line-up circa 1991 – the Use Your Illusion era minus Izzy Stradlin – headliners Guns 2 Roses swagger their way on stage to the intro of It’s So Easy.
Gilby Clarke, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagen get a warm welcome but Slash, as ever, steals the moment. Hidden behind a mass of curls and boasting the trademark top hat and low slung Gibson, the only things missing are a smouldering Marlborough red and a bottle of JD to complete the look. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle o2 Academy II, August 4 2010
Heading out on their first ever UK headline tour you would forgive Not Advised for being a bit nervy and not knowing what to expect.
But the Southampton five-some delivered a highly professional performance.
Even more impressive was that they managed to put on such a show without lead singer Jim Thomas who had to sit out the tour after damaging his larynx a week prior. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle Legends, July 28 2010
When Combichrist supported Rammstein last February, I was shocked. Not at the fact that they were supporting, but at the vivacious energy of their performance. It got me thinking.
In an arena like the LG in Birmingham, despite their incredible showing, they weren’t able to engage the crowd in the way that I think they wanted to. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Trillians Newcastle, July 26 2010
Sarah Jezebel Deva is at the dawn of her solo career. Spending over ten years as a backing singer with Cradle of Filth, and showing her potential with other established acts like Therion and Mortiis, Deva has a lot to live up to if she isn’t going to disappoint as a solo artist.
Fortunately, Deva proved she can go it alone too.
If she hadn’t told the Newcastle crowd herself that this was only her sixth gig with her new line-up, no one would have believed it. Deva and her band gave a brief but intense dosage of gothic and symphonic metal.
Drafted in just for the Newcastle gig, Convultion provided a heavy opening to the night. Despite flowery shorts and some sound problems, these guys meant business when they got down to it. From low guttural roars to even some Slipknot, Iowa-esque rapping style, they merged thrash with elements of nu-metal to ferocious effect.
If slow trudging breakdowns are more your thing, Swindon based act The Dead Lay Waiting are worth checking out. Oozing an unmistakeably metalcore sound, they were (as Lady Jezebel Deva herself put it) tighter than a cat’s arsehole.
Popular hit Anxiety of An Obsession was riddled in charisma and featured some rare clean vocals, although the song itself isn’t exactly lyrical mastery. Given their professionalism and the energy they have as an entity, I can see them picking up a lot more support from metal and hardcore fans across the country.
In any other situation, after hearing these first two acts I would have suspected that I was about to hear the sounds of Hatebreed or Korn. But the taste-buds of musical flavour were further challenged with the final act.
Deva opened with title track of her debut solo album, A Sign of Sublime. The strokes of deep and jagged guitar complimented her voice very well. The Dead Lay Waiting’s Tom Shrimpton had a task set ahead of him, performing his second set of the night. This time, playing drums for Deva’s band. However, the pressure never got to him and he held things together brilliantly.
Sarah Jezebel Deva has an edge when it comes to the whole ‘female fronted metal acts’ debate. Yes, her operatic voice can in some respects be compared to Tarja Turunen, but at the same time, there’s a difference in her voice compared to the ex-Nightwish star. Deva’s voice is a quivering, menacing, haunting ghost; there’s something slightly unnerving but darkly beautiful about it.
They Called Her Lady Tyranny revealed the old Cradle of Filth influences with a standout heavier sound. Deva’s capable vocal range, shifting from bellowing low notes to skittering operatic high ones, created an eerie effect amidst the groaning of the bass and lead.
Whilst her music may still have a slight tinge of pop in it, it is a far cry away from the likes of Evanescence and Within Temptation. And it’s good that she and her band haven’t directed themselves toward that mainstream punji trap.
This maybe just the beginning for Sarah Jezebel Deva, but already she has shown that she isn’t only a backing singer, but also a very capable solo artist.
Calum Robson
@ Newcastle O2 Academy II, July 15 2010
When a band member goes solo it gives them an opportunity to explore avenues they would not tend to head down within the confines of their band.
Wil Francis has done exactly that and, under the moniker of ‘William Control’, he has replaced the guitars and double beat drums with electronic synths and backing tracks. This was Control’s first venture across to the UK as a solo artist and with Newcastle the first night of the tour it proved an interesting challenge for the Aiden frontman. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle O2 Academy II, July 10 2010
There’s something to be said for chemistry when it comes to four musicians playing rock and roll in a sweaty little club on a Saturday night.
And while Dan Baird’s Homemade Sin won’t be winning Grammys anytime soon they’ll be winning the hearts and minds of music fans the world over for as long as they deliver to this standard. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle o2 Academy, July 10 2010
Surfacing at the beginning of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, Blitzkrieg were a huge influence on countless bands in the genre.
Despite surging onto the scene with thunderous force alongside bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Saxon, Blitzkrieg would never gain the mainstream success of them. Nevertheless, in their 30th year their performances are as powerful as they ever have been. Read the rest of this entry »
@ Newcastle The Northumberland Arms, July 9 2010
On a balmy Friday evening in Newcastle, Plugged-In staged 16 acts across five venues in the city. Unfortunately, there were also 40th birthday parties, festivals and, frankly, the option to stay in and watch the Raoul Moat/ Gazza action unfold. What to do?
For me and about 40 others, the buzz surrounding the Glitterati made the choice easy. I had never seen them live and, as they were playing a charity gig as part of Plugged-In, we headed down to see just what they were made of. Read the rest of this entry »
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