TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL 2023 - Live Review

Takedown Festival 2023 – Live Review

as december falls

Even though Takedown Festival may have been on an 8-year hiatus, 2023 was actually my first time attending the one-day event. Initially I'd been intrigued as to how logistically it would pan out at Portsmouth Guildhall, which as it happens was done rather successfully. The headlining acts split between the main auditorium and a welcomed outdoor area, while the smaller rooms hosted everything else.

Meanwhile a select few of us were lucky enough to attend exclusive acoustic sets in a separate VIP area upstairs. Seething Akira being the first to accept the challenge of stripping back their material, which combined with an impressive turn out for their main stage set showed the lads are more than just your average local band.

jamie lenman

seethink akira

Dave McPherson

In terms of the bigger names, Jamie Lenman (ex-Reuben) and Dave McPherson (InMe) both showed much love for each other during their acoustic performances. At one point joining forces as Dave guested on a Jamie number, during a setlist that also included Mrs Lenman providing backing vocals. Likewise, they’re on the same level when it comes to showcasing material in its rawest form. The ability to drive home stripped back renditions with just as much passion, while entertaining the crowd with a stage presence that comes about having been on the scene for a good number of years.

Both performances also included a couple of surprise covers. Jamie Lenman’s take on “Love Song for a Vampire” by Annie Lenox, while Dave went for an emotional classic in “Unchained Melody”.

 The Sun was Shining on Takedown Festival

Luckily the sun was shining and as such the open-air stage beckoned for a lively set from Brighton based CLT DRP. The trio being an energetic mix of opinionated pop-punk with electronic influences. So much so that you could hardly make out if their guitarist was doing much more than triggering samples – but that didn’t matter, they were pretty damn fun.

The same stage later in the day would also host Saint Agnes, who in my humble opinion really stepped it up by comparison. Even if tracks from their latest album “Bloodsuckers” love a repetitive lyric, it just helps elevate the angry shouting of singer Kitty Austin. It’s the right balance between being catchy, with enough angst to justify their storming cover of “Firestarter” by the Prodigy.

Back inside things were heating up too, having caught both Fearless Vampire Killers and Palm Reader on the main stage. The latter already on my “must-see” list for the day, with their 3-pronged guitar attack demonstrating post-hardcore doesn’t have to be all about sacrificing heaviness for melodic tunes. Whereas the Vampires seemed to just come out of nowhere, having not been on my radar or prior festival planning, but they were certainly worth checking out.

 Even though as an ageing rocker I’d decided to watch both these from the balcony, it was soon time for another sit down in the comfy seats of the VIP lounge. Skindred were headlining later on, clashing with Sleep Token, but the chance to see them stripped back wasn’t going to be missed.

skindred - benji webbe

skindred

 It’s a setting that Skindred’s Benji Webbe laps up, often hosting his own Q&A session between songs. However, as well as being everything you want from a showman, a whole set simply with a laid-back Mikey Demus playing guitar had Benji on top form. His voice is just incredible, whether it be the heartfelt singing on “Saying it Now“ or the genre defying ragga-punk of “Nobody”.

 Takedown Festival 2023 - Genuinely a Huge Success.

jamie lenman

 At this point it seemed we were on the home stretch, however there was plenty more on offer. Takedown Festival providing plenty of music across every inch of the venue, one that came with a lovely vibe about the place, in fact it all seemed rather civilised. Even during the DJ’s in the stupidly loud basement bar outside the toilets.

Having seen Jamie Lenman up-close and personal earlier, in full-band mode it was a somewhat static performance, hampered by a slightly temperamental pedal-board.  Yet it was still just as entertaining, complete with a Sepultura backdrop and endless references to the Brazilian legends for no apparent reason.

black water county

In contrast, Black Water County may have had a sparse crowd and a smaller stage, but it was certainly one of the liveliest. After all, when a group turns up at a rock festival armed with mandolins and Irish penny whistles, you know you’re dancing shoes are required. If you’re a fan of the Pogues, Skinny Lister or the Dropkick Murphy’s then be sure to add Black Water County to your playlist.

 When it came to festival headliners Sleep Token, given the 2.5k capacity I’d be surprised if anyone else playing elsewhere at the Guildhall had an audience. The room was rammed by hundreds of excited fans knowing every song from the very first note.

 As far as theatrical acts go, Sleep Token certainly aren’t the first mysterious band to hide their persona behind cloaks and masks. However, the lack-of between song interaction (even when 1 of 3 backing singers passed-out) along with lengthy prog-rock intros, meant for a somewhat disjointed set. Not that anyone else seemed to mind… and while I wasn’t quite sold on the whole performance myself, it was obvious the rest of Takedown Festival were clearly loving it.

Words by Mr Teeth Reviews

Images by Sam Taylor

Victorious 2022 - Saturday

We started off our Saturday’s entertainment early for the second day of Victorious Festival with The K’s opening up the on the Common Stage followed by a trip over to the Castle Stage to catch sets from Swim Deep and Coach Party.

Swim Deep

Coach Party

Back at the Common Stage it was time for We Are Scientists who always put on a great show, their crowd interaction and between song banter really adds another dimension to the gig experience.

We first fell in love with WAS's ‘With Love & Squalor’ for it's great fresh indie rock tunes that have such immense attitude ... not to mention kittens on the cover - we were SOLD right there (clever marketing ploy). Since the early days there have been so many great albums, which really cemented them as indie rock legends with their intelligent upbeat indie rock which is what so many love them for.

Their delivery was spot on and with so many tunes to choose from even the uninitiated would recognisethey are the kind of band you can see multiple times each being a great and unique experience! With so many catchy riff-a-riffick earworms even the casual listener would be drawn into their vortex of awesome.

Kicking the set off with a bang ‘You've Lost Your Shit’ was powerfully upbeat and got the set off to a riotous start.

There was a good mix of older classics like ‘Inaction’ ‘Buckle’ & ‘It’s A Hit’ as well as new material in the set - W.A.S. are a band which have a solid backbone of hits as well as an ability to keep knocking out melodically interesting and humorous hits literally constantly whilst also seemingly always being on tour!

As the indie alt rock legends that they are they managed to squeeze so many tight performances of bangers like ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’, ‘After Hours’ and the bouncing ‘The Great Escape’ into their measly 30 minute set like a well oiled machine.

Check out our gallery of the beautifully voiced silver fox that is Keith Murray and the one and only Chris Cain in action:

Victorious 2022 - Friday

Primal Scream kicked off Friday afternoon opening the Main Common Stage for the weekend. With less artists performing it was still a really busy day filling up quickly.

James were really engaging and frontman Tim Booth dove into the crowd during ‘Come Home’ and it was a good day for a nice 'Sit Down'

Bombay Bicycle Club also graced the Common Stage and the evening culminated with a performance by Steroephonics which rounded off a great day and got us excirted for all the artists yet to perform over this Bank Holiday weekend in sunny Southsea!

Self Esteem:

Bombay Bicycle Club:

Victorious 2022 Preview

With less than a week to go here are our picks for Victorious Festival 2022.

With a huge back catalogue of hits including ‘Loaded’ and ‘Movin’ On Up’, psych-rock veterans Primal Scream will open up the Common Stage as special guests on Friday afternoon. They are followed by James, Bombay Bicycle Club and Stereophonics who are celebrating an amazing 30 years together in this year.

Saturday sees rock band The Subways and post punk band White Lies as well as New York indie trio We Are Scientists performing. We are scientists are a must see for Saturday - not only do they put on a great show but the between songs banter is a thing to behold, don’t miss them they play at 3.30 on the Common Stage!

Indie rock legends The Libertines will be taking to the stage as special guests for Sunday afternoon.

Sunday will also have performances from acclaimed alt-rockers Nothing But Thieves and Editors as well as indie-electro giants Metronomy.

Suede will play the Common Stage on Sunday while the Duchess of Pop herself, award-winning nu-disco diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will play the Castle Stage.

You can find the clashfinder here to plan your day!

The Chats - ‘GET FUCKED’ Album Review

REVIEW BY DANNY BUTLER

It is hard to believe it has been five years since The Chats released their debut EP, ‘The Chats’. A short but sweet masterclass in DIY Garage Punk laced with teenage angst, humour, and Australian culture. In 2017, after creating their own record label ‘Bargain Bin’, they released their song ‘SMOKO’ with accompanying low budget video on YouTube, showcasing all the above on a global level drawing the attention of likes of Dave Grohl, Iggy Pop and Josh Homme whilst achieving more than 16 million YouTube views and 20 million Spotify streams. Their debut album ‘High Risk Behaviour’, released in 2020, was certified Gold by ARIA on release peaking at number 5 in the Australian Albums Chart. They even managed to get on Metallica’s ‘The Metallica Blacklist 2021’, a 30th anniversary special edition compilation featuring renditions of ‘Black Album’ songs from artists such as Miley Cyrus and Weezer. Pretty impressive stuff!

As of August 19th 2022, the young punks from Queensland will be back with the release of their second full length album, ‘GET FUCKED’. With that, I can most certainly say that they have not strayed from their style of ‘balls-to-the-wall-matter-fact-no-bullshit’.

Opening with an outright slap in the face, the lead single, ‘6 LTR GTR’ perfectly sets the tone for the album. Musically harkening back to the aggressive style of classic hardcore punk. The likes of ‘Rise Above’ era Black Flag instantly come to mind. The album maintains its fast pace and punch through out the first five tracks, including a 35 second mosh inducing ‘Southport Superman’ ending on a blazing ode to mental health struggles ‘Panic Attack’. After this, the album seems to slow down for a couple of songs, bringing it back to their early Garage sound. One of these songs, ‘The Price of Smokes’, the longest song on the album at 3:42, highlights the cost-of-living crisis that everybody in the world is currently going through, building its intensity until it reaches a crescendo of Eamon Sandwith screaming “THOSE BASTARDS IN PARLIAMENT OUGHTA BE HUNG BY THEIR NECKS”.

The second half of the album matches the teeth gritting intensity of the first, lyrically staying true to their “everyman” image and voice. There’s not much going on musically, but their lyrics are something that all of us can relate to in youth and mid-life. These guys are sick of being surrounded by douchebags and so are we!

Penultimate track ‘Emperor of the Beach’ is my personal highlight of this album, starting off with a mid-paced bouncy three chord roar, with a surf punk surprise that could match the twang and attitude of the mighty Dead Kennedys.

The final track of the album, ‘Getting Better’ is a two-parter that starts somewhat a gentle closer. I can only describe this as straight off a mid-late 70s Ramones album and features a catchy ‘Woo-ing’ sing-along melody. The second half of the song ramps the tempo right up to where we began with a Chuck Berry Rock and Roll style rhythm finishing with a bang!

Overall, the album can be quite repetitive, which can be quite fatiguing. Whilst it’s not the most intellectual, technical, or poetic song writing, the album is an absolute blast. This is exactly where punk needs to be right now. Back to basics and primitive. In a material, capitalist world run by ever growing conservative governments and dominated by technology, The Chats can provide a true voice for the disaffected working class with all their charm. And I wish them all the best and will hope to catch them live again. Rating: 4/5.

Kate Nash - Live Review- Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms

Kate Nash – Wedgewood Rooms, review by Keith Sandys

It’s been a couple of years since Kate Nash performed at the Wedgewood Rooms, yet you could tell her fond memories were heartfelt. It’s something that happens a lot when artist return to our infamous Portsmouth venue, as such us locals welcome artist back with open arms.

With Kate Nash, some friendly faces and a big hug is evidently just what’s needed. Largely as the result of her open emotional vulnerability and the documentary “Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl”. However, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger and Kate Nash has fought a hard battle between the press and record labels in her youngers days. This time around though, returning to the road much more on her own terms.

Released when Kate was barely out of her teenage years, tonight’s set still largely featured 2007 debut album “Made of Bricks”. The night starting with the opening track from that very album with “Play” and it was clear Kate Nash is in a good place.

Constantly smiling and messing about with her guitarist and bass player, there was laughter, forgotten words and falling over mic leads. However this was far from a chaotic performance, it just makes Nash real and happy to be herself, without having to pretend to be anything different.

Within a few songs “Sister” taken from “Girl Talk” saw Nash in her more rock-influenced era, the album having been self-released moving away from mainstream success. Music is clearly an outlet for Kate Nash, with those early tracks from “Made of Bricks” taking on a whole new meaning in more recent years.

Songs written as a youngster ringing true all this time later, the idea being that Kate Nash once would have been marketed/exploited as a young pop star. Yet to a certain extent, this is almost pop music for people that don’t like pop music. The songs are catchy and often simplistic. However the angst and honesty in the lyrics, along with the odd expletive connects much more with her audience than your average mass-produced Simon Cowell product.

Although, as expected it would be original single “Foundations” that would understandably receive the biggest reception. At the time played endlessly on the radio and a tune Kate Nash is quite rightly proud to close the main set with.

Kate Nash then performed the rather silly “Free my Pussy” alone on the Wedgewood Room Stage. However, it wasn’t long until the band returned for backing vocals and some more larking about, before a rock n roll climax of guitar solos and feedback ended the show.

As for those pop tendencies, while you may not hear “Dickhead” on radio-one drive time, the chances are you’ll be singing it for days to come. This was a wonderful gig, but if you haven’t done already, give “Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl” a watch on BBC iPlayer for a true insight behind the scenes.

Loud Noises Fest 4.0

It's been 4 years of Loudnoisesmag and to celebrate all things loud and noisey we can today announce the line-up for Loud Noises Fest 4.0 which is being held at The Birdcage in Southsea on Friday 16th November.

Our headliners Frauds are a raucous 2-piece from London, who we've been following since we first caught them live all the way back in 2015. Their new single 'Animals' is out November 2nd, in the meantime check out the single 'Sandwiches' from their debut album here, along with links to our previous review and interview:

Having just released the single ‘Graffiti; Irony; Lists’ we are proud to announce that Oxygen Thief will also be playing for us.

Their new album ‘Confusion Species’ is set for release on the day of the show so this will be a great celebration of all their hard work in putting the album together.

Completing this awesome line-up are Portsmouth’s own Horseflies. Check out this ‘Video Nasty’ and review of their brilliant album ‘Sea Control’ here:

Review: Victorious Festival 2018 – Saturday

by Keith Sandys

With a fresh change of clothes and the bad weather behind us, the Saturday at Victorious Festival 2018 was off to a glorious start. Well, it was dry for a day at least…

Happy Mondays

Friday at Victorious Festival ended with the (baby)shambles of the Libertines and I was partly expecting the Happy Mondays to start in the same vein.

Bez must be wondering how he’s still being paid to dance around in his knee supports. However, frontman Shaun Ryder would be lost without him.

Along with Rowetta Satchell on backing vocals the rest of the band were also on top form. Listed as “Special Guests”, presumably for contractual reasons, Ryder and co. thoroughly deserved their afternoon slot on the bill.

DJ Tom Mayhem

While the weather played its part in keeping the Beats and Swings tent being busy all weekend, it almost certainly would have been regardless. The whole of the Victorious Festival site was open and the sun was shining for the Saturday, yet Portsmouth DJ Tom Mayhem kept the crowd dancing under canvas.

Sleeper

Sleeper were one of many popular 90’s Britpop acts to feature on the Victorious line-up since its incarnation. Old indie hits such as “Sale of the Century” were sounding fresh as ever, so I’m tempted to catch them at the Wedgewood Rooms later in the year.

Andy and the Odd Socks

Of course, watching a CBeebies presenter playing to a bunch of toddlers isn’t on everyone’s itinerary. However, you’re taking your child to a festival, highlights can take an unexpected turn.

When someone uses the term “freak” in their lyrics, it’s often self-deprecating. However, Andy and the Odd Socks turn it around, into a positive trait for their song “Unique”. In fact, I’d go as far to say it’s one us adult freaks can relate to all too well.

Jamin’

One of the many positives about Victorious Festival is how it makes a point to support the local scene. After all, there’s a lot of talent in Portsmouth.

As such I made a point of catching Jamin’ on the Seaside Stage, overlooking the English channel. Having seen the Libertine’s the night before, Jamin’ wouldn’t have seemed out of place alongside the Saturday nights headliners. In fact, they could probably have given them a run for their money…

Billy Bragg

“If any of the younger members of the audience wonder what an old bloke’s doing up here with an electric guitar, I’m what Ed Sheeran would be if he read the paper”.

This may have been in jest, however, Billy Bragg has a point. He is, after all, one of the true protest writers of our times, whereas the likes of Ed Sheeran give your average singer-songwriter hope of fame.

Following a reworking of a Bob Dylan in “The Time they are a Changing Back”, Bragg went on to show his age a couple of his own classics. “There is a Power in a Union” and “New England” very much songs of the people. Furthermore, lyrically Bragg is still just as relevant as ever.

Brian Wilson

From the moment Brian Wilson was escorted on stage, it was obvious he’s a man not in the best of health. While of course that’s well documented, it doesn’t stop the 76-year-old Beach Boy to perform a set of summer favourites.

The weekend’s weather may not have quite been filled with Californian sunshine, but the performance certainly was. Brian Wilson sat behind his mini-Grand Piano, although hardly played a note. Instead, it was the impressive array of musicians he surrounded himself with that carried the great man. Including, as it happened a secondary Beach Boy, stage left, on guitar and vocals.

Paul Weller/Paloma Faith/Duke Special

While I tried to share myself about a bit, it was Paul Weller who I would see the most. As the mod-father started, one thing in particular stood out. He is an incredible musician.

You never knew what you were going to get. Soulful vocals and gentle guitars, to rock n roll honky-tonk piano. What’s more, the changeovers were seamless, something the Libertines the night before could learn a lot from.

Elsewhere was Paloma Faith, a lady who knows how to put on a show. Her music may be a little commercial for my tastes, but as a person, I’ve always thought of her to be highly entertaining. She lived up to this expectation live too, very good at what she does.

Then there were the smaller stages, Duke Special is a man I’ve seen many-a-time, yet never fails to disappoint. Headlining the acoustic stage, sat behind an electric piano until his acapella performance of “Turtle Soup”. Duke is a performer in every sense of the word. So while his cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” drifted across the night sky, there was just enough time to see Paul Weller’s encore.

All in all, resulting in another fantastic day out at Victorious Festival 2018

Review: Victorious Festival 2018, Sunday

by Keith Sandys

Victorious Festival 2018 had got off to wet start on Friday night. Although things started to dry out on Saturday, Sunday was in danger of being a complete washout.

Sure enough, the British weather hit Southsea and tried it’s hardest to dampen spirits. Yet, the Victorious Festival organisers did well to keep things going. Despite several stages having to close altogether due to safety reasons, along with those being affected by limited power, the show went on regardless.

Gomez

While having a festival on the seaside is a pretty special location, it is, however, open to the elements. As such even the main stages were suffering, Gomez ended up playing an acoustic stage under a makeshift gazebo and elsewhere stage times had gone out the window.

It was soon obvious many festival goers had decided to stay at home until the last minute. Gomez may have played to fewer people than expected, but the stripped down versions still came across really well on the big stage.

Gomez

Dub Pistols

As the water was being swept from the stage, the wind and rain was showing no sign of letting up. It was getting to the point where the plug may have been pulled on the Dub Pistols altogether before they even started.

However, you can rely on Dub Pistols to bring the party to Portsmouth, whatever the weather. The musicians in the band may have had to huddle in a corner at the back of the stage, but that didn’t stop Seanie Tee and Barry Ashworth embracing the elements.

In fact, the pair were lapping it up, Seannie Tee in his waterproofs and umbrella, while Ashworth was getting as wet as the rest of us. The mud may have made it harder to dance, but one thing was certain, Dub Pistols yet again put on a show to remember.

Dub Pistols

Tuba-Libres

It was soon time to give in and take shelter, which for some meant getting to see impromptu performances by the likes of Bang Bang Romeo play in nearby pubs. For others, it was to head to the Beats and Swing Tent. While local cover bands may have drawn in the crowds on smaller sages, Tuba Libres were putting their own take on familiar tunes. All with the help of a horn section and some rather unnecessary stage costumes.

Sleaford Mods

Next up it was back under the rain clouds and into the mud bath of the Common Stage. The setup for Sleaford Mods is simple, Andrew Fearn provides repetitive electronic beats while Jason Williamson delivers the vocals.

Really, it was all about Williamson and his East Midlands accent. The beats were minimalistic and other than pressing play on a laptop, Fearn was more there as moral support. Visually, however, Williamson is an intriguing character. Part humble disco dancer, part working-class hero with a mouth like a sewer.

Sleaford Mods

Simo Lagnawi

The World Music Stage was one arena that had to be rained off. Luckily, however, the Peoples Lounge were on hand to provide a last minute alternative. Simo Lagnawi performed some traditional Moroccan music with his bandmates on percussion, the hypnotic sounds the perfect warm-up for what followed.

The Turbans

While everyone may have been excited about the headliners, it was the Turbans that were being promoted among the smaller stages. Despite the change in performance time and having moved to an even smaller setup, the band soon lived up to the hype.

Although a traditional mix of instruments, this was musical fusion at it’s finest. It also summed up the vibes of the World Village. The Turbans come from all over Europe and beyond, resulting in a combination of Turkish folk and gypsy music, along with other Eastern flavours.

The Turbans

The Prodigy

Clearly the biggest act on the Sunday of Victorious Festival 2018, the Prodigy were ready to play their only UK festival date of the year. The weather had cleared up and smoke and lasers engulfed the stage.

Opening with “Breathe” it was clear the Prodigy setlist was going to feature a number of classic dance tunes. That said, there were still a couple of more recent songs thrown in. Pretty much every track had the crowd dancing, with the really big ones spread out nicely throughout the set.

As a live act, the Prodigy have come a long way since the 1992 debut “Experience”. So while that release focussed very much on Liam Howlett as the main man, the Prodigy have gone on to grow into a full band. Keith Flint and Maxim Reality own every inch of the stage, but the live touring members are hardly hidden away.

During the encore, the Prodigy went old school with “No Good (Start the Dance)” and then ended the night with “Take me to the Hospital”. The whole show was superb, making a day out in the rain at Victorious Festival 2018 worth every moment.

As for Victorious Festival 2019, let’s just hope more bands are given tents, or at the very least that sunny Southsea lives up to its name!

Prodigy

​​​​​​​Review: Victorious Festival 2018 – Friday

Review: by Keith Sandys

Victorious Festival 2018 got off to a wet start on Friday night, albeit nothing compared to what would follow! Those who ventured out in the initial downpour were treated to a whole afternoon of music, while the rest of us tried to hold out until the last minute.

The Lightning Seeds

Having previously played at the first ever Victorious Festival in 2012, the Lightning Seeds made their return to Portsmouth. That original festival planted the (lightning) seed for the future. Having since moved from Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard to taking over the whole of Southsea’s seafront.

Although the rain had kicked back in by the time the Liverpudlians took to the stage, they were certainly in good spirits. The Lightning Seeds played a handful of 90’s hits, while both the band and audience remained upbeat. Not only that but tracks such as “Lucky You” and “Life of Riley” were sounding great – proper festival tunes.

Shed Seven

90’s Indie/Britpop has always featured heavily on the Victorious line-up. Which, while catering to those of us of a certain age, probably keeps the festival costs down. Although unlike some of the other bands from the same era, Shed Seven have recently been promoting new album “Instant Pleasures”.

While a couple of numbers from the latest release slotted in nicely among older tracks, it was always going to be the old songs fans wanted to hear. Classic Britpop such as “Going for Gold” among the highlights.

DJ Prince Brandon

Due to its continued success, the Beats and Swing tent was much larger than in previous years. It’s location near to the 2nd main stage also made for a natural stop off between bands. As for Victorious Festival 2018, it would also prove to be an ideal umbrella, given the rainfall across the weekend.

That said, regardless of the weather, you’d have to fight for your spot undercover to start with. Especially given the number of quality acts the stage had lined up. None more so than local DJ and good friend Prince Brandon, whose set already had the tent nearing capacity.

You can never predict what combinations of tunes you will get from Brandon. Although while there may be some tunes you know, there’s always a good few obscurities thrown in for good measure.

Kaiser Chiefs

Starting off their performance with “Everyday I love you Less and Less”, it was soon obvious why the Kaiser Chiefs are so popular.

With a whole host of catchy hooks and sing-a-long choruses, Kaiser Chiefs were exactly what you want from a festival band. Frontman Ricky Wilsons’ performance may be a little contrived, but he knows how to control a crowd.

Tracks such as “Angry Mob” and “I Predict a Riot” were played back to back, while a wonderful cover of the Who would follow. The rendition of “Pinball Wizard” all the more poignant given the movie “Tommy” (in which it appears), features several scenes filmed on location, in and around Portsmouth.

The Libertines

So from a faultless act to one that was almost intentionally messy. The Libertines were never going to be the tightest of bands, but even I expected something a little more together. With the slackness between songs, it all started to drag a little.

Personally, I’m still holding out for Pete Doherty to appear on “I’m a Celebrity” or such like. Although while Doherty may have grabbed the headlines in the past, it’s Carl Barat that’s clearly the real frontman.

By the encore, the Libertines had started to fall apart even more. When Barat stepped in on drums for a brief cover of “I Say a Little Prayer”, it was soon abandoned in favour of “I Get Along”. However, presumably, in order to ensure curfews were met, it wasn’t long until the sound was cut altogether.

Victorious Festival

Victorious Festival is fast approaching so here are our picks for the Bank Holiday weekend's live acts not to miss: 

On Friday the festival opens its gates early this year at 1pm for a full day of entertainment including Kaiser Chiefs who take to the Castle Stage at 8pm and with headliners The Libertines starting at 9.40pm this is sure to be an opening night to remember! 

On Saturday we are looking forward to PINS on the Castle Stage, followed by Cabbage as well as Sleeper back over on the Common Stage. Headliner Paul Weller will be on stage from 9.20pm to 10.50pm so you can still get over to the Castle Stage to catch some of Paloma Faith who starts at 9:55pm.

On Sunday it's all about The Orielles, Sleaford Mods and a much anticipated UK exclusive from The Prodigy who are set to give an amazing end to the weekend in this beautiful seaside setting.

JOHN, Arndales and Dad Hair @ the Birdcage, Southsea

Review by Keith Sandys

It was a hot and sweaty Saturday night in Southsea. One where promoters Calamity Cratediggers could easily have renamed themselves “Clammy Cratediggers” due to the humidity.

dad hair

If anyone wasn’t aware there was a gig on above the Festing Pub this evening, they were by the time Dad Hair had started.  While I struggled to walk in the blazing sunshine, I could already hear they had come on halfway down the street.

So while that meant I missed half their set, I did at least still see some of Dad Hair once I finally arrived. Only rather than in a birdcage, the room was already starting to resemble an overheated fishbowl.

While I’m not struck on the name, Dad Hair were, however, a decent live band. Think along the lines of early Nirvana and Mudhoney or Sonic Youth. Basically, if you also like fuzzy guitars and 90’s grunge, then Dad Hair are worth checking out.

Obsessed with the state of the high street and their home county of Bedfordshire, Arndalesrelease new album “Shops”. It also draws influence from sharing a Google document with their friends about anecdotes at work. Plus they’ve also become firm favourites with no other than Black Flag’s very own Henry Rollins.

arndales

Even if in concept only, I was already liking the sound of this band. Their track “Prestige Pricing” samples an old-fashioned till, but it’s far from a masterpiece such as “Money” by Pink Floyd. As for performing “Shops” live, Arndales were a little sloppy, but to be honest I didn’t mind that at all. The keys were a bit haphazard, but somehow giving an unnerving edge to the band, albeit a little low in the mix.

Then there was “Dark Store”, where singer Alan Arndale gave an insight into the content of the song. As anticipated, it was again to be based around retail. This time the warehouses that front as the stock room for online shopping. Speaking of which, in hindsight, I wish I treated myself to a copy of the album, subliminal message maybe?

While again I thought the name JOHN was a bit lame (they could have been called, Bill or George…) it’s simplicity grew on me once I knew they were a 2 piece, both named John. There’s been a huge influx in 2 piece bands in recent years, with the likes of Slaves and Royal Blood taking the limelight.

The thing is though when you’re as good as JOHN you don’t need anyone else’s help. With John on drums and vocals, along with John on guitar, the two lads from London made enough noise between them.

I’ve always been fascinated by drummers who can play and sing at the same time. Growing up they always seemed to be kept literally on the back seat. Often only singing lead for ballads, such as Peter Criss from Kiss on “Beth”, or the Eagles Don Henley. Although someone once said, “It was a sad day in rock and roll when Phil Collins stepped away from his drum kit”.

Luckily, however, John stays firmly seated throughout. How he manages to keep it up though is another matter. The rhythms aren’t exactly straightforward, while vocally he’s needed to compliment the heavy riffs brought to us by John number two.

The compelling thing about JOHN is they were pretty relentless, while almost all of it is just about the drums and vocals. Although it wouldn’t work without an almost telepathic connection with John’s namesake on guitar. Even with the new songs the pair were tight and well-rehearsed, certainly proving they deserve the support slot for their upcoming tour with Idles.

The Pink Slips - Download Festival

Pink slips kicked off Saturday's Main stage at Download this year with a fantastically expressive and engaging set from the LA based quintet. Frontwoman Grave (Grace McKagan) is a force in her own right delivering an engaging performance with full on sass.

The title track from their recently released the EP 'Trigger' went down well with its brooding rhythmic march tinged with a 60's surf garage sound.

'Gimme' was deliciously bassy, a really good use of a driving bassline and a slow pace interspersed with crashing drums for an atmospheric hard hitting effect.

'Animal and 'Attack of the Valley Girls' were also highlights of the set, with wonderfully badass basslines The Pink Slips fuse the energy of punk, with a synthy shimmer of pop into a sound all their own.

The whole band put on a good show with an intensely passionate drummer and a bassist that had so much energy throughout which really enthused the audience. Grave was so expressive writhing on stage and giving the performance her all, switching between gracefully demure and alluringly sassy fierceness.

It was a supremely entertaining set which was all the more easy to enjoy when you can tell how much a band enjoys doing what they do and the effort they put in.

Guns N' Roses - Download 2018 - Review

Review by Danny Francis-Butler

Friday saw current hard rock goliaths Avenged Sevenfold provide the pyro, the teenage anthems and more pyro; while Saturday saw 30+ years rock and roll veterans Guns N’ Roses dominate the mainstage with their sleazy riffs, soaring vocals and spectacular stage presence.  When first announced that Guns N’ Roses were to play a three hour plus set, reactions were similar across the board.. “Really? Three hours? That’s way too long!” The Guns N’ Roses back catalogue though, featuring two definitive line ups, spans back to their first recording 1986’s EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, their 1987 magnum opus Appetite for Destruction containing massive hits Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child of Mine, and their musically profound Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 double release which highlights the bands ability to write songs packed with raw energy and vicious lyrics, as well as the more delicate, epic piano ballads such as November Rain and Estranged. However, the band still felt the need to fill the setlist with covers from Hollywood Rose (the precursor group that would eventually become Guns N’ Roses), The Who and Eric Clapton. Without a doubt, Guns N’ Roses bought together one of the largest crowds to be seen at Donington Park as men, women and children were buzzing in anticipation to see one of the most critically acclaimed rock bands of all time.

The intro video rolled and bassist Duff McKagan coolly entered the stage on his own, plucking out the intro to It’s So Easy. The rest of the band joined when their queues hit, and it really was a marvel to see Duff, recently returning guitar hero Slash and Axl share a stage together….let alone, on time. As soon as the song stopped, drummer Frank Ferrer hammered the band into a blazing rendition of Mr. Brownstone.  It seemed as if the band were still trying to get warmed up and were trying to gauge the crowd. The next song was an odd choice. The bands decision to play songs from Chinese Democracy took a few in the audience by surprise and it somewhat perplexed the crowd.. “What is this song? I’ve never heard this song in my life!” ..but I get it, some people bought the album, some people didn’t. However, it goes to show the lengths of professionalism from Slash and Duff to learn the songs from an album they never wrote for nor played on to fill out there 180-minute set. Once that song was over and done with, Axl roused the crowd, screaming “Do you know where you are? You’re in Donington Baby! You’re gonna diiiiiie!” as Slash teased the delayed intro to Welcome to the Jungle. You’d be forgiven if you were to accuse them of dragging out their intros, in fact, most of the filler happened at this point of the set. An Izzy Stradlin deep cut from Use Your Illusion 1 (Double Talkin’ Jive), another song from Chinese Democracy (Better), and the near 10-minute epic A-side release Estranged. You could almost see half of the audience drifting off to sleep but the true Guns N’ Roses fans were loving every minute of it, it is a killer song after all. They then segued into Live and Let Die and the crowd sprung alive once more, singing in unison.

What came next was truly baffling. Guns N’ Roses covering a Velvet Revolver song? You bet your ass they did. And musically it was perfect. Vocally, not so. Axl did not possess the combination of power and silkiness that Scott Weiland had in his voice.  The guitar solo on the other hand was superb, Slash nailed it note for note. Maybe it was a compromise between Slash and Axl: “You play my Chinese Democracy songs, I’ll play your Velvet Revolver songs”. When you look back at the history and bad blood between Scott Weiland and Axl Rose in the press, Scott Weiland calling Axl Rose a “fat, Botox faced, wig wearin’ FUCK”, you’d be hard pressed to find a reason why Axl would want to cover a Velvet Revolver song. Perhaps a belated tribute to Weiland. Or perhaps it’s Axl’s response in a way of saying “I’m alive and you’re not.” Combined with the next song on the set, it may just be apparent that it was yet more unnecessary filler. A dragged-out intro to the Appetite for Destruction closer Rocket Queen swiftly follows. There seemed to be a pattern emerging, for every massively popular anthem played, they played a lot of filler afterwards.

The next sequence of songs featured the highly energetic You Could Be Mine. The drum and bass thundered on the intro and then the band hit the crowd with that sleazy, greasy, finger lickin’ good riff of the ages and the crowd came to life once more. A cover of Attitude by the Misfits followed, Axl exits stage left to take break and Duff sings. Perplexing the crowd once more, Axl re-emerged and the band played another song from Chinese Democracy and a Hollywood Rose cover. From here on out they performed another eclectic mix of anthems and fillers including Civil War which was very good. Almost record quality.

Axl introduced the band, including “your fellow Englishman, Slash”. For those who don’t know, Saul Hudson AKA, Slash, was born in Stoke-On-Trent to an English father and an African American mother. Slash then showed off his sweet-sounding blues rock guitar skills for a good ten to fifteen minutes and brought the band into an instrumental version of Johnny B Goode and eventually got into Sweet Child of Mine, the big one everyone had been waiting for. It was next level stuff, we witnessed a band that had sworn down it would never play together again playing their biggest hit, and they didn’t disappoint. Following that was the 10-minute album closer to Use Your Illusion 1, Coma. Slash was now brimming with energy, hopping from one side of the stage to the other. It’s a great riff, lets face it. Following that was Wichita Lineman, which one can only assume was a tribute to the late great Glenn Campbell and an all instrumental version of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, which sounded amazing. To bring this sequence to its climax, Axl sat behind the piano and played the band into the piano coda of Derek and Dominoes Layla which lasted a good five more minutes until he carries the band into a rousing rendition of November Rain. 100,000 metal heads swaying in time to the music, lumps in throats, tears on cheeks, singing as loud as they possibly can.

They followed onto a tribute to Chris Cornell by playing a cover of Black Hole Sun, which didn’t stop the tears from the crowd. It was beautiful. Slash broke out the double neck and played what felt like an endless version of Knocking on Heavens Door. Immediately afterwards the energy picked up and they kicked into Nightrain to cap their set, a song about a cheap American fortified wine. The band was a tight unit, a wrecking ball of hard rock playing music that perfectly highlights the alcohol fuelled debauchery that exists within the trenches that is the legendary campsites of Donington Park. The band exits the stage and after a while a jangly acoustic guitar pumps through the PA as Axl whistles the melody to Patience, followed by an electric cover of the Who’s 1970 single The Seeker and then straight into Paradise City. The music and the atmosphere have Slash gyrating from one side of the stage to the other and again, Axl struggles to reach the notes. The band left the stage with literally a bang, as a gobsmacking firework display lit the sky beyond. 

What was witnessed on that Saturday night was something not a lot of people have ever or will ever witness again. While they did fill their unnecessarily long festival set, which saw earlier bands have to cut their sets short or start earlier, with unnecessary covers and dragged out intros, the music and the energy that Guns N’ Roses bought to Download Festival was spectacular. Not all the songs were a hit, but they weren’t exactly a miss either. Guns N’ Roses reset the bar for the festival in terms of performance, musicianship and the ability to grip the crowd as they did. This wasn’t just a rock show, but an out and out experience. Some people ask once the Rolling Stones have gone, who will replace them as the worlds everlasting rock band? After this show, you couldn’t argue that it would not be Guns N’ Roses, so if you ever get the chance to see them, I’d highly recommend going. Guns N’ Roses are simply outstanding.

Download 2018 - Friday

Download opened its gates to early campers with so much going on in the Village was easy to see how this festival is an all encompassing event like no other.

With cult films in the Cinema tent as well as comedy and pre-party bands it is well worth heading along early and making a holiday of the festival. With planes flying over the site there is a real feeling of getting away from it all.

The dust blew over the sun-scorched earth as you entered the aptly named Village where there is always a great sense of community. Walking through the market stalls and the fun fair rides you may well come across people enthusiastically appreciating a roaring song's beat down and just generally being themselves enjoying the atmosphere. 

Further into the belly of the beast, the campsites have various groups from all corners of the UK and beyond, getting involved and intermingling as they challenge each other to beer bongs for the shining prize of a wrestling belt.

What hits you most though is the enthusiasm for music, with many a friendly yet passionate conversation on the bands performing over the weekend.

With over 100,000 music fans descending on the 'spiritual home of rock' the weekend kicked off in full force Friday with a plethora of acts across the 4 stages.

Boston Manor

Boston Manor by Sarah Koury

First band to open the Main Stage for the weekend were Boston Manor who bounded onstage with a heartfelt scream. Their emotive punk anthems drifting out across the already burgeoning crowd. With that classic hardcore hugging the mic stance, singer Henry Cox was bouncing around full of energy. The pounding track 'Lead Feet' was pure pop-punk with its catchy hooks and a breathless pause of anticipation between songs led into latest single ‘Halo’ from the upcoming new album which is due out this September.

Over on the Dogtooth Stage at the same time Cellar Darling singer Anna Murphy's sugary vocals contrasted beautifully with the heavy backdrop of their sound. Black Moon was a standout track, with a classic Faith No More-esque clear bass and captivating chorus. Avalanche was another great standout track with the line ‘this is who we are' echoing their confidence for uniquely combining grand heavy riffs and the folk tones of the hurdy gurdy while driving drums break though fusing heavy rock with folk in a wonderfully poetic storytelling style.

Walking through the site, there were a fair few people in fancy dress, more than expected … an inflatable dinosaur, umpa lumpas, multiple jokers and most notably a group of bananas who seemed to be at every great set we saw.

Employed To Serve by Caitlin Mogridge 

With their new album 'Bay Dream' out next week Californians Culture Abuse were over on the Zippo stage starting out on their European tour, unfortunately we only caught a small part of their set, but it was well worth hurrying along to the Avalanche stage for Employed To Serve. Flocks of keen people were making a beeline for the tent and you can see why they drew a good crowd. We caught the soundcheck where you got to hear the full force of Justine Jones' awesome screams isolated. Amusingly the in between set backing music was lighthearted and cheesy, meaning 'Another Day In Paradise' accompanied Justine's raw and fiercely formidable mic checks. A point made clear by the instruction 'just me in the monitor, no-one else wants my vocals please'. From last year's album 'Warmth of a Dying Sun', standout track of the set was the brutal 'I Spend My Days Wishing Them Away'. They let the crowd know that they are playing the album in full on tour next month and the tent was heaving with revelers with the banana dudes keeping the pit going. So powerfully strong vocally, with awesome deep screams we loved the Justine's voice pushed through with just a tinge of melody. Pounding drums and beat down awesomeness enthused the audience in this set full of energy, where the whole band was on form and Justine was top of her game, a sea of constant hair screaming to the sky.

Walking back across the site we caught a little of Avatar on the Main stage who clearly have a good sense of humour to their set, they introduced 'Smells Like A Freak Show' saying “if they say you look like a freak show, damn right, if they say you sound like a freak show, damn right … you haven't seen the best bit” as he paused and took a great whiff of his armpit, “we smell like a freak show”.

Stray From The Path by Caitlin Mogridge

Back at the Avalanche stage, NYC alternative hardcore band Stray From The Path who recently had Employed To Serve joining them on tour stated they were on a mission to bring pissed off music to the world. As a self-confessed outspoken band, they gave a rousing introduction to their track 'Good Night Alt-Right' “everything we're talking about everything we're doing is real and it's from the heart. All these songs are about real important issues that are going on in our world and in this generation. I look around this tent and all I see is beautiful people coming together in support of music that they love”. The band then asked the crowd to raise their fists in the air “one thing that is not welcome at a Stray show is racism … this is for anyone who's been a victim of segregation or racism” as they launched into a blistering barrage of driving punk and a snippet of Dead Kennedys 'Nazi Punks F**k Off'. The inter-song banter continued as they stated they were “not proud to stand on this stage and tell you Donald Trump is the president”. Closing tracks 'The House Always Wins' and 'First World Problem Child' defiantly blended piercing vocals with squealing guitars and pounding rhythm section. “The people want a riot" they sure did, with their immense crowd interaction and driving sound in this packed out tent.

Marmozets at Reading 2017

Next up on the Main stage, Marmozets opened up with 'Play' and 'Meant To Be'. The marching drums and stadium-worthy Muse-like guitars gave a really fired up start to the set. Becca has a great urgent tone to her vocals which can switch in a second from a harrowing scream into fierce melody. By 'Particle' the drummer was so enthusiastic headbanging along to each precision beat. It was great to see them in a main stage slot, they showed it was well deserved and did it justice. It was an entertaining set with unwavering stage presence from the whole band. Becca told the crowd how last year they were “camping with you lot” showing they are still down-to-earth as they continue to rise in popularity. Again on 'Move, Shake, Hide' there was expert switching from awesome expressive screams to sassy singing. The storming 'Vibetech' had a great breakdown with the band tight band on all counts - bass and drums powering and building up, quiet parts throughout the set gave a fresh contrast where Becca's voice really shines through. They have a great dynamic, literally family as are made up of two sets of siblings. The set went down really well with loads of movement in the audience more than you might expect in a mid-afternoon slot.

Andrew WK earlier this year

Next we headed back to the Zippo stage to see the nuclear level energy entity that is Andrew WK. Looking out over the crowd he remarked that it was "so beautiful" before bringing out the guitar shaped like a slice of pizza for a solo the whole crowd clapped along. It's at this point and during his frequent flurries on the keys that you're reminded that not only is he the undisputed king of party, but also a talented multi-instrumentalist. He then dedicated 'She Is Beautiful' to all the women, and following that enthused that the song 'Tear It Up' was unsurprisingly a song about tearing it up all night long. Bringing his positive party vibes to an already friendly and partying festival he stated "it feels good to be alive" and really meant it - he clearly loves what he does with a full on unwavering passion and the audience in turn is infected by the party vibes, no more so than after the epically long countdown finally erupts into 'Party Hard'.

Andrew WK

Back over on the main stage Volbeat played 'Lola Montez' about a "shady lady named Lola, are there any shady ladies out there? Sure there are I can smell you". Anchored by a heady mix of rockabilly, early rock & roll and metal Volbeat put on a great show.

Volbeat

Canadian hard-core metal band Cancer Bats were next up on the Avalanche stage playing material from their new self-released album 'The Spark That Moves' which was out a month ago. The Beastie Boys cover 'Sabotage' got a good reception from the crowd with a roar in unison eminating out from the tent as the final beats of the intro punched in, unfortunately we weren't feeling it, as a cover of an awesome song although a good rendition it leaves out some of the essence of the best qualities of the classic track ... a cover is best when it ingeniously or substantially changes the original. The rest of the set was really good executed with furious energy and finished with sustained chants for more after. 

Cancer Bats

The Bronx were next up on the Avalanche stage. Dedicating a track "for all the cavemen and women" they were one unit of boundless energy with constant guitar solos and crowd surfing aplenty. Playing 'Side effects' and 'Two Birds' they then dedicated a song to Anthony Bourdain "for everyone that loves music and art".

The Bronx

Napalm Death headlined the Dogtooth Stage with songs like 'Scum' the title track from their '87 debut it was a roaring heavy set. One guy came out of the tent with a bloody nose seeming fine with it, like a badge of honour from a truly energnetic set. They played "two very different songs" that were all of 1 second long, short but oh so sweet. 

Avenged Sevenfold said how "the UK was the first country to embrace us this goes put to you". With a massive production and a two hour set delving into their extensive back catalogue they paid service to their oldest fans, going all the way back to 2005 classic ‘Unholy confessions’. With ‘City Of Evil’, ‘Hail To The King’ and also songs from latest surprise album ‘The Stage’ the Californian group proved that they are here to stay as festival headliners.

Avenged Sevenfold

You Me At Six delivered the second stage headline performance – as they announced their new album at the festival while punk Legends Bad Religion smashed through punk masterclass and tech metal front-runners Tesseract headlined the dogtooth stage.

UK metal torch-bearers Bullet For My Valentine roared through rock-club anthems ‘Tears Don’t Fall’, ‘Scream Aim Fire’ and new hits ‘Letting You Go’ more as they march toward album number six ‘Gravity’.

With the sun shining the atmosphere was electric in what is widely regarded as the UK friendliest festival, celebrating inclusivity, self-expression leaving us looking forward to the next 2 days.

Britrock Must be Destroyed – Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th May 2018

Review by Keith Sandys

The final night of the Britrock Must be Destroyed tour arrived at Portsmouth Guildhall last weekend. Featuring some big names from the 90’s in Terrorvision, the Wildhearts and Reef, along with special guests Dodgy. This was always going to be a line-up for those of a certain age.

Dodgy

The following 3 bands were rotating in terms of headlining slot, whereas Dodgy had been added to the tour as opening act each night. With everyone else allotted equal stage time, for Dodgy it was a bit like being the first band at a festival.

Much more part of the “Britpop” scene rather than the British rock invasion, Dodgy seemed a little out of place on the bill. With the first half of their set ramped up a notch, they soon started to fit in more than expected. It was however the indie hits “Staying out for the Summer” and “Good Enough” that were always going to be the tracks to remember.

Terrorvision

Portsmouth Guildhall may not have been as busy for The Britrock Must be Destroyed tour as anticipated, but it was clear there were fans from all camps in attendance. With each band appearing to have brought their own backline, I can imagine things behind the scenes were a bit of logistical nightmare.

That said, the whole evening ran smoothly with every band on top form. So from the moment Terrorvision singer Tony Wright came bouncing on stage, it was certainly going to be one hell of a night out.

With the band all dressed in black and white, they still very much looked the part. In fact guitarist Mark Yates appeared to take those rock star poses in front of  the mirror just a little too seriously! Then there was Terrorvision’s drummer, the only real change in personnel since the bands heyday, but they’d have been lost without him.

Terrorvision opened up with a snippet of their cheesy hit “Tequila” before bursting into “Discotheque Wreck”. Shortly after “Alice What’s the Matter” was thrown in and from there on in it was pretty much hit after hit. 

As well as covering every inch of the stage Tony Wright entertained the crowd between songs, including filming part of the set on someone’s phone. The lighters were out during “Some People Say” and tracks such as “Pretend Best Friend” made Terrorvision a hard act to follow.

The Wildhearts

They may not have experienced the same commercial success as the other bands, but it was clear the Wildhearts still have a huge following. With frontman/guitarist Ginger as the group’s leader, the music has always spoken for itself.

After all, to their loyal following they’ve released a number of classic 90’s rock songs. Many of which came from their 1993 debut “Earth vs the Wildhearts”. As such it was of course this album that provided most of tonight’s set list.

Tunes such as “My Baby is a Headf*ck” and “Suckerpunch” sounding as fresh today as they did back in the sweaty nightclubs of my youth. Visually the Wildhearts didn’t stray too far from their stage positions and Ginger deliberately didn’t spend too much time talking between songs. Musically though, it was everything you’d want from a rock show. 

There was also time for a sing-a-long with “Geordie in Wonderland”, a tune that could be an old traditional English folk number. However the set ending on “I Wanna go where the People go”, gave the Wildhearts fans everything they wanted, with some good old rock n roll.

Reef

While both Terrorvision and the Wildhearts may be stuck in the 90’s, Reef have since gone on to blossom late in their career. The most recent album “Revelation” being a much more soulful release than 1997’s “Glow”.

Reef live is where singer Gary Stringer comes into his own, his voice really is impressive. The change in musical style in recent years very much playing to his strength. While those reliving their youth welcomed hits “Come Back Brighter” and “Place Your Hands”, it’s the tracks off “Revelation” that have Reef aging in style.

The band has also grown for this tour with backing singers adding another dimension. At one point with them being brought forward for a duet on “My Sweet Love”. Other welcome additions come in the form of guitarist Jesse Wood (son of Ronnie). Just like his father, Wood’s enjoys the limelight with some great solos, lapping up the attention front of stage.

As Gary Stringer showed his appreciation for the other acts on the Britrock Must be Destroyed tour, you could tell he meant it. I’m sure while on the road they relived stories, reminiscing on days gone by. Which ultimately, like many of us 30 and 40-somethings, was all part of the occasion. The gig being very much a nostalgic trip down memory lane and I have to say, it was great to feel young again.

Andrew W.K. - Live Review / Gallery

By Sam Cutbush,

Tonight's live music at the Wedgewood Rooms comes from Andrew WK, probably best known to the layman from Top Of The Pops circa 2001 and the Jackass the Movie soundtrack.

Yonaka are the support. They bring a big sound, with hints of heavier wolf Alice and a little Skunk Anansie. They look battle-hardened, yet fresh-faced. I wonder what they were doing 17 years ago when Andrew WK was on Top of The Pops?

Speaking of which, as the stage is being set up for the headline act, a wave of youthful excitement washes over the wedge crowd. A crowd which has an average age of around 32-34, who would have also no doubt seen the utterly unforgettable version of Party Hard on TOTP.

Keyboard player starts off with "PARTY PARTY PARTY" building to a piece of music fit for an epic movie trailer, and then, darkness...

The band is now on stage, and a solitary kick drum precedes a wailing guitar to bring on Andrew WK. He’s a raging ball of energy, and whips the crowd up into a frenzy from the word go. The dancing and jumping is becoming more and more widespread as we go, so spare a thought for the poor guy carrying 3 beers into an area that is now essentially a mosh pit... "This round's on me..." - Literally.

Things are kicked up a gear again when Andrew announces: "It's not just a Portsmouth party, it's a PORTSMOUTH PIZZA PARTY!!" before producing a guitar with a body in the shape of a slice of everyone’s favourite Italian food. He then launches into what I can only describe as a "Brian May-esque guitar solo, and you’re reminded he’s an outstanding multi-instrumentalist.

Maybe it's the keyboards and theatrics, but I get a little Meatloaf vibe from Mr WK as the band hurtles through the set like they'll never get to play it again. The energy is fired out into the crowd who in turn give it back to Andrew and his team. Every song powers along like the show-stopping finale to a set, and it's been that way from song 1! Atop an iceberg of rock and metal sits a message of positivity to all who have hurdles to overcome. He is a motivational speaker after all.

Stylistically not a lot has changed, he could have walked onto the stage right out of 2001 for all we know, and that's fine with all of us! This is a rock opera to inspire and uplift from, it has to be said, a very talented composer and arranger in Andrew WK. He’s delivered an amazing show full of fun and memories. For example, the whole of the Wedge passionately chanting "Twiglets! Twiglets!" Is something that will stay with me forever. (Watch the video)

I’ve been blown away tonight, as have the whole of the Wedge, and whoever books acts there needs to get Andrew WK back, so we can Party Hard all over again!

Yonaka

Yonaka

Yonaka

Yonaka

Yonaka

Andrew WK

Andrew WK

Andrew WK

Andrew WK

Andrew WK

Horseflies - Album Review 'Sea Control'

Reviewer: Sam Cutbush

If you know Horseflies then you’ll know their visceral mix of tempo changes, wild dynamics and all-out rage make them a must see live band. The Portsmouth four-piece have just released their second album, Sea Control, and the live energy has been captured pretty well once again.

Opening track Waxwound starts with a gentle guitar riff which is joined by bass and drums before singer Joe Watson begins to attack the microphone. The build is gradual and restrained. Or at least it is until the song explodes into life with a jolt that’s akin to Queens Of The Stone Age’s Millionaire, and has a similarly juddering effect. Blowing someone’s head off on the first track should not be the best way to start an album, but really it is, and rest of the song powers along furiously, letting you know that you’ve begun a journey that’s fraught with danger and unexpected twists.

Second track Video Nasty I love, and not just because it reminds me of the Young Ones! Comparing the 80’s escapism of Video Nasties to current affairs shows this is a band with something to say, or scream anyway. Check out the accompanying video for this song too, as it serves to pour petrol on the touch paper they’ve already set ablaze in 3 furious minutes.

Next up is Modern Mind, and here is what I see as another nod to the 80’s in the form of Mike James’ guitar playing. Mike has opted for a gorgeous clean tone with a chime to it that reminds me of bands like Joy Division and The Cult. In an era when so many Indie bands have either no imagination or idea on what a distinctive guitar sound is, James has both the tone and the creativity to make everything interesting and atmospheric.

The theme continues into The Slow Choke, and while up to now the understated guitar has complimented Joe Watson’s raging vocals, this is the first time on the record we also hear him hold back and sing, before again tearing the mic a new one as the chorus kicks in. This adds another layer to the dynamics, as when Joe sings in his softer, more vulnerable tones you know he’s about to flick the switch and launch into another tirade.

Title track Sea Control is an instrumental intermission, and has a laid back, yet almost yearning feel to it, with Mike James’ E-bow the constant amongst stop-start percussion and bass. The serenity gives way to a tense urgency in Make It Look Like An Accident, which sees Joe Watson deliver an almost spoken vocal over staccato guitars and tempered by Matt Horn’s unique drumming style. Horn switches it up in the blink of an eye throughout the album, ranging from rock solid groove to crescendos of toms and cymbals that add brute force to the assault on the senses taking place.

Soft Focus is a gentle acoustic break that could seem out of place if you want wall-to-wall noise, but by this point you could do with a breather, and the plucked guitar part gives you just that. From acoustic beauty we reunite with the gorgeous retro guitar tone and Joe’s all-or-nothing vocals in Kill Jester, which weaves in and out of major and minor keys while bass player Dan Bush drives the song home, knitting the parts together as he has done throughout the whole album with a minimum of fuss. Bush again serves as the heartbeat in the sprawling Nailhouse as vocal and guitar fight for the limelight.

It’s impressive the amount of presence this album has without resorting to power chords and distortion, which is testament to Horseflies’ work ethic in finding the right sound, and also the production of Tim Greaves at Southsea Sound. Greaves clearly knows how to get a great band sounding great on record, and he’s harnessed the formidable energy and noise that Portsmouth venues are still recovering from now.

The volume and mood calms as we move to Statues, a haunting piano piece on a slightly – and I’d assume intentionally – off-key set of ivories. It’s another bold move by a band not keen on sticking to a formula, and a move that works. Bass and xylophone introduce us to Vampire Shift, a song that sees Horn’s drums and James’ guitar move up through the gears in unison until a combination of serene and erratic guitars take us to Joe’s softest vocal yet: “It’s so lonely/On the vampire shift”. The Sound Of Two Eyes Opening is the final track on the album, and it’s almost a flashback of everything we’ve been through up to this point, going from smooth to intense, to restrained, to breakneck, and finally, telling the listener “It’s alright/It’s OK”. And we’re done.

I’ve been looking forward to hearing Horseflies on record, and seeing how they take their live show and commit it to an album without losing their blistering energy and urgency. Not only do they achieve this, but they also add a little clarity to the chaos. As a result, Sea Control is outstanding, and has been in pretty much constant rotation since Friday, when it was released on Bandcamp. Alongside it is their first album These Halls Are Haunted Now, which was also recorded by Tim Greaves at Southsea Sound, and is also brilliant. Check them both out. Now.

Andrew W.K. - Interview

Having revealed his new album 'You're Not Alone' is out on the 2nd March 2018, Andrew W. K. took some time to chat to us about the new album and the party mindset this week ...

Your new album apparently explores nuances and contradictions, can you tell us a bit more about that? 

Well there are two sides to every coin and it's still the same coin - it's still the same coin ... the glass is not half full or half empty, it's half full and half empty. Realising that even something like the phrase "You're Not Alone" can seem on the one hand comforting, a show of solidarity and a partnership - on the other hand having some sort of presence near you in certain situations can be quite unnerving, even frightening, it might even be a malevolent presence. So for some reason pairs of polarities or opposites that are equally true on both sides seem to become a reoccurring theme in a lot of this material. It's always been a theme in all my work and I think everyone's work to some extent.

So with the new album, is it autobiographical or more generalised? Drawing on what you know?

Not consciously, maybe subconsciously. I don't think anyone could create anything without having some sense of their own presence, their own involvement attached to it and have some impact on what you're making. You can't make something and not be part of having made it. These are not stories that I am telling from my own experiences, that's not really the style that I work in. Most of the music that I make is aspirational music, it's not talking about how I feel, but talking about how I want to feel. It's not talking about what I've done, it's focusing on what I want to do. It is really like a fantasy in that regard. I've already been through what I've been through and for me it would be rather boring to keep saying or reliving that over and over again. I'd rather focus on what I haven't gone through and try to imagine something better than myself and beyond me and bigger than me. I'm not that interested in myself past a certain basic point. I'm just a means to an end and I'm trying to serve that end through this music. 

"There's a separate connection when you realise someone else is also looking for that feeling with you and you feel as though you're on a team with those people"

That's a part of who you are as a personality, a great motivational speaker with your positive outlook and attitude - really connecting with people. How do you find you connect with people, do you draw on your own experiences?

I don't know if i connect with people or not, I think people and I connect on the same level, we connect with a feeling that we're both looking for. There's a separate connection when you realise someone else is also looking for that feeling with you and you feel as though you're on a team with those people and together it's a partnership on a quest to try to reach this feeling - this understanding, this feeling about life, so maybe we relate to each other in that way ... looking for the same feeling.

Music is definitely a great bringer of that. So how do you keep the party ethos going when all seems bad? How would you tell others to stay positive?

Well I think one of the nicest things that's been helpful for me is that staying positive doesn't mean that you can't feel negative emotions. That's completely unnatural and it would be unhealthy and also unenjoyable to force yourself to stay in what we would consider traditionally a positive emotion. There are times when it's completely warranted and completely crucial to feel other kinds of feelings ... the full spectrum of emotions, the full spectrum of considerations and thoughts and ideas. The human being is really complex and we don't want to limit that just because we think it's going to make our lives feel better, it's actually going to be quite torturous. So staying positive actually is where we can include even the darker or shadow side of ourselves as part of a kind of larger transcendent positivity.

On this album you say you are admitting vulnerabilities, is this where you would spin things into maybe something you would try to change about yourself positively and see that in a positive light ... grabbing all those dark things?

 It's accepting that it's ok to feel different ways and you can be positive about those feelings. For example, if a child is crying it's not effective or kind or understanding to say "stop crying", the child has reason to cry. You can comfort the child and explain to them that you understand why they are crying and show them that it's even a part of a more beautiful life, that it might hurt it might feel painful - but the party mindset is attempting to include as broad of a life experience as possible and celebrate the whole thing. 

"I'm looking for a deeper joy, a joy that's so vast that it kind of transcends happiness"

We heard you have quite a strict raw food diet. Is that something you'd say is part of being happy with yourself first in order to be able to spread positive vibes to others?  

I think of happiness as a kind of passing emotion. I don't even want to be happy all the time, it's not very interesting. There's moments of great fulfilment or brief elation that I would call happy, but happy is usually that you feel happy because of something and it's very dependant and transient. I'm looking for a deeper joy, a joy that's so vast that it kind of transcends happiness. A joy that makes you feel good for no reason at all. Nothing good necessarily happens when you feel this joyful feeling. That's the place I'm interested in trying to get to and stay in and I don't really care anymore. I've kind of just accepted that it's not an interesting pursuit for some reason. There's so many other things we could put our energy into trying to do other than putting our energy into trying to be happy. It's not worked out for me very well. 

You're always pushing yourself to achieve and challenge yourself, this is your first full album for about 12 years ... how are you feeling about that? Do you like performing and the musical side of things rather than talks and the other things you're involved with - do you have a preference? 

The reason that so much time went by was that I didn't even realise how much time was going by. I was always recording with myself and other people and playing concerts and that's why time didn't appear to be passing. I don't feel like I'm back doing something, it just feels like the same thing. I guess it could appear to others that I'm doing something different now, but I don't know ... it's probably part of the reason why things have always been a bit chaotic and disorganised - because there isn't a lot of planning. You know, I didn't plan to stop, I didn't plan to make the album, I didn't plan for it to take 12 years. It's all out of my control so I don't really have any kind of insight ... it's quite frustrating actually and I get anxious and even a bit despondent when I think about it because I feel like I'm irresponsible, that I should be able to have more influence over what happens in my own life but I don't and it is what it is. 

So what do you have coming up, are you touring the new album? 

Yes. There should be tonnes of touring this year and hopefully next year as well.  I'm certainly excited to be coming back to the UK. The band has never been better, it's the best live band I've ever had over all these years. We've got a lot of great band members and a lot of great runs of touring but we've hit a new level of focus and ability which makes sense because the longer we do something the better we get. I mean that's what I hope at least and I'm really excited to bring this version of the live show to the UK and the rest of the world.

Is there anything you would like to tell us, any words of wisdom?

Just whatever you do never stop partying, be as strong as possible, so strong that you can even be weak and let the power of partying lead you down the truest path. 

Rockaway Beach 2018 - Saturday

Easing us into day two at Rockaway Beach were Portsmouth's Melt Dunes. Their set went down really well, again the beach-goers were ready for a music fix despite yesterday's revellery. 

With epic length songs laden with psychedelic swirling guitars and meandering bass-lines interspersed with appropriately fairground-esque moments, Melt Dunes took us on a sprawling psychedelic journey of sound.

melt dunes

melt dunes

melt dunes

Next up Lower Slaughter put on a great show. Singer Sinead's hardcore screams we set off by the standard hardcore sound of the band, with some delicious breakdowns we are pretty sure these guys will have picked up new followers from a great set.

Moderate Rebels were up next and slowed the pace a little with a much more indie vibe. 

Moderate rebels

moderate rebels

moderate rebels

Next up still on the Reds stage Soccer Mommy, Sophie Allison's soothingly beautiful bedroom indie-pop was hauntingly chilled. For one lady on a stage she commanded a great presence and the set was full of authentic storytelling - the perfect fit for a Saturday afternoon set.

soccer mommy

soccer mommy

soccer mommy

Back to Reds for London's art-wave collective Snapped Ankles. Playing with performance concepts they were like something out of The Mighty Boosh and the audience were really getting into it. These quirky space cavemen gave us a truly entertaining set, full of tribal rhythms and not at all a 'Misery'.

snapped ankles

snapped ankles

snapped ankles

Desperate Journalist were next up and their great well rounded set was met with rapturous applause. Many wee saying it was the best set of the day so far.

desperate journalist

desperate journalist

desperate journalist

Another chilled out act She Drew The Gun was up next, this was music as poetry, grasping you and drawing you in. The impassioned beautifully toned voice of singer Louisa's vocals are central with the band balancing out with a softly layered musical tapestry. All the songs went down really well, especially the evocative 'Poem' which was fantastic to see live. The room was packed out with a sea full of captivated faces and drew by far the biggest round of applause of the day. 

she drew the gun

she drew the gun

she drew the gun

Pulled Apart By Horses were the last band on Reds Stage for Saturday - they always give a great performance with a frenetic live show and their sustained energy was a thing of marvel once again. They made a point of thanking Rockaway Beach saying it's a great thing they have got going on down here and told us how much they were looking forward to Wild Beasts later on.

pulled apart by horses

pulled apart by horses

pulled apart by horses

Over on the Centre Stage British Sea Power before last live band of the evening Wild Beasts who played their last ever festival performance. As usual that was not all, there was still the DJ set, today from the iconic Steve Lamacq.

british sea power

wild beasts

wild beasts

wild beasts