Von Bondies add new dates to tour
As previously reported, The Von Bondies return to the UK in May. Due to incredible support, they have extended their stay and confirmed a Dublin show that will be something a little bit special… May 4th»
Articles
-Raz- has written the following articles:
Essential Festival Preview - 13 Artists Arena
This stage probably has the largest 'indie' contingent available to it. For those of you of a frailer disposition, there will be less moshing at this stage. You're standing outside at the start of May. It's probably cloudy and possibly raining. The last thing you want is to stand there lis»
Essential Festival Preview - Metal Hammer Arena
For those of you who like a bit of steel in your diet then upon your arrival at Ashton Court, Bristol, you may want to explore the site in search of The Metal Hammer Arena. While the line-up does not boast the kind of metal pedigree that Ozzfest should or The Lost Weekend will, the bands who »
Touring with Vitriol
My Vitriol - the band hailed as Britain's "best live rock act" are to perform a short 7-date tour of Britain in July They have hit the road to coincide with their long-awaited EP release of 'Moodswings' on July 15th. A fortnight later their re-released and re-titled debut album 'Bet»
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead at Academy 2 (formerly MDH), Manchester, Greater Manchester, Thu 25 Apr
It’s almost as if I was at a Slipknot concert…the band enter the stage to a mix of fiercely understated lighting and samples and effects…but Conrad Keely is far too nice a guy to puke in a jar and throw it at the front row. He greets “Manchesterrrrr” in the way that so many foreign bands like»
Redefine - The Daisychain Cycle
The artificially glamorous sounds of electro-metal have seemingly reached out as far as South-West England. As the CD was thrust upon my person I saw a cover adorned by what seemed like a Transformer – a Master of Disguise. Then I looked harder and it looked more like a rabbit. And then I c»
Sugababes - Freak Like Me
Right. The Sugababes are back and they’ve lost Indie Suga. Instead they’ve got Dirty Scouse Suga to add a little bit of spice to proceedings. Mmmm, tasty. Well here they display their prolific song-writing talents by creating an arrangement of two former classics that they didn’t ev»
Oasis - The Hindu Times
Oasis are returning with a new album. I think it’s their fifth (not their fourth) from the studio and I prepared myself suitably, by listening to their back catalogue. Albums #1 and #2 still sound fantastic. Liam’s singing sou»
Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun
This is Sheryl Crow’s 5th bite of the cherry by my count, but then I was never good at counting. After her second album was released to both critical acclaim and huge public endearment, she was looking good. Then singles didn’t continue to make their mark. The trend followed with her albums. Listen»
My Vitriol Get Moody
My Vitriol are to release their new single 'Moodswings' on July 15. It is probably to be backed with 'Vapour Trails', of which they gave 250 away on limited vinyl during their Autumn 2001 tour. A DVD single will also be available. As part of the DVD, the band wish to i»
The Travolta Rock London
Dead Or Alive presents a [Nopassingphase Records] night:
The Rock Of Travolta
Querelle
Psycho Sun
The Cost Of Living
(+ Econoline Tag Team DJ's)
At The METRO Club, 19-23 Oxford St., London, W1
(opposite Virgin Megastore; 5 seconds f»
Cave In - Jupiter
Cave In are apparently a hardcore band turned prog-metal. I am unfamiliar with their earlier works but seeing The Dillinger Escape Plan, Piebald, Converge, Candiria, Botch and Garrison on the thank-you list gives me a fair idea of the direction from which they might have been coming from. Th»
Reuben, Scare Electric, The D4 at London Camden Barfly, Wed 03 Apr
“Scalextric!” Where! Oh, it’s the name of the band – misheard, of course. Scare Electric sound like a metal band with at least two rappers and a scratch DJ thrown in for good (?) measure. Sound familiar? Stop groaning…keep reading. This band actually perform the rap-metal affair pro»
The Noisy Boys
I found myself in York on, yes you guessed it, a bloody cold night. It's a beautiful Roman town with characteristic gateways, Roman walls and the such. I like it here. Surely this cannot be the setting for three of the world's loudest, heaviest and most gruesome bands. Yep, it is. Mínus were her»
Set the Controls for the Heart of Mong
I'm sitting in the basement of a café, ahead of Oceansize's one-off support slot with Scottish contrast-rockers Biffy Clyro, in their hometown of Manchester. It stinks down here. And it's cold. It's always too bloody cold. You might not know it, but Oceansize are causing quite a storm in among the»
System Of A Down at Manchester Academy, Fri 22 Mar
System of a Down have sold out pretty much their entire large-theatre tour and the queues stretch round the block. Standing in them is an arse. What you're waiting for, though, is worth thinking about: Armenian-folk-influenced, melodically eccentric prog-metal complete with odd beards. If t»
Defenestration, Will Haven at Academy 3 (formerly Hop & Grape), Manchester, Greater Manchester, Wed 20 Mar
Defenestration warm up Will Haven's crowd tonight on the top floor of the Manchester University Union. To imply that their performance was risible would be silly. More accurately, the Kettering metallers displayed a routine worthy of a school bike shed. You can say it was all about the musi»
Steve Beck - Thir13en Ghosts
Cunningly titled was the film and it had ghosts in and was of 15 certificate. It had to be a winner. Holy mama, it was scary. I crapped myself at least four times. Ahem.
Now then. We see a very quick overview of a nice family in a new house which burns down»
"Nu-metal? We pay no attention to it!"
Every time I interview a band it seems to be really quite nippy. Today is no exception. I am interviewing Alien Ant Farm’s Terry Corso prior to their first ever headlining show in Manchester, at the largest university venue – The Academy. The 30-year-old guitarist proves to be a tricky eel to snare when it co»
Liberty 37 Tour UK
Welsh rockers Liberty 37 are to undertake at least a 16-date tour starting in March and continuing throughout the first half of April. The tour has been scheduled to coincide with the release of their second album 'God Machine' on April 8»
Oceansize - A Very Still Movement
Unsigned bands: often unsigned for a reason. Less often, you fall over when you find out they aren’t signed. I fell over with this one. Oceansize recently supported The Cooper Temple Clause on the first leg of their nationwide tour and wowed the crowds with their tremendously epic Incubus-esque »
White Man Kamikaze - Who Will Survive...And What Will Be Left Of Them
There is twangy, lo-fi punk blaring out of my stereo as this is written. My leg is shaking uncontrollably. My body is swaying. This is a problem because I am sitting down. Maybe White Man Kamikaze do want to be The Sex Pistols. I don’t care. They sound good enough to beat the crap out of Th»
The Coopers Tour...Again
Perennially touring, bordering on prog-rock, recently Top 20 conquering, British hopes The Cooper Temple Clause look likely to tour again in April. Having just undergone a huge month-long tour in support of recent single and album combo, with Biffy Clyro and Oceansize among the »
Nickelback - How You Remind Me
Right. I’m a sucker for a good tune. I hate MOR soft-rock bullshit. But they always have such good tunes. This gift, the first over here from Nickelback, has a fairly good tune and it’s MOR soft-rock bullshit. Dammit. This always happens. I don’t want to give this another semi-indifferent 3½»
'A', Rival Schools, Violent Delight at Academy 2 (formerly MDH), Manchester, Greater Manchester, Sat 23 Feb
“This is a, err, song about finding out, like, who you are…D’ya know what I mean?” These are just a miniscule proportion of the words of Violent Delight’s skinnily charismatic rapper/screamer Rodney. The boy had spirit is all I can say. They are young. They are almost certainly »
'A' Change In Store
The southern rockers known as 'A' are amending their northern instore appearances. This is not just to annoy Northerners and create a wider North-South divide. They were due to sign copies of their new single 'Nothing' in Sheffield, on Fr»
Kids Near Water, The Icarus Line at Academy 3 (formerly Hop & Grape), Manchester, Greater Manchester, Tue 19 Feb
It’s the sort of landscape you come to expect at punk gigs of any level, these days. A few young kids, mixed in with the uni brats and then the old-skool punkers (yes, complete with the quaint mohicans). It barely took an opening of my left eye to know all this. I wasn’t wrong. The post-hardcore scre»
SugarComa Vs. Britney
Hot, young, Essex metal-quartet SugarComa are due to release a double A-side single on March 25. The lead tracks will be a "unique" cover of the Britney Spears classic, 'Crazy' - which was originally recorded for the Radio 1 Evening Session - and a new song, 'Windings<»
[nopassingphase] & probemusic eat Seafood
Probemusic and [nopassingphase] have pulled off a major coup in procuring the services of Seafood's lead guitarist AND their bassist to DJ at their show this week. I can only assume that they will take one turntable each. WEDNESDAY 20TH FEBRUARY Bull & Gate, 389»
How to Ride a Horse!
Prior to a show in premiere toilet venue, the Manchester Hop & Grape, I am seated backstage with an articulate and well spoken, yet infinitely unkempt young man from Berkshire, answering to the name of Didz. We sit and we don’t talk about dogs or tell bad jokes, no not at all; we do discuss the immi»