The Levellers

Friday 1st May, 2009

Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

Review by Lilly-Sue and Mambo Mark

Let me start by saying that getting to Wolverhampton is no easy feat, but once there, the venue is actually quiet a nice place which makes you chillax and forget the arsehole of a journey – small, but grand.

On tonight were the Levellers, on their ‘Letters from the Underground’ tour - two decades of fantastic music and energy and they are still going.  Supporting them were Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs, a three piece skiffle band, comedy/ folk/ rockabilly, who like to play what they call skunk and Pama International, a ska/ dub/ reggae band (according to them anyway – I thought it was more 80's lounge music, but hey…..)

So on with the show - Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs bound on to the stage and immediately interact with the crowd - " How we all doin’ then? " which was returned with an inaudible roar (which generally means "great"). Full of energy and wit, we had 30 minutes with these charming lads singing along and bouncing to their colourful, yet enjoyable performance.
Whilst the Junkyard Dogs were playing, they introduced us all to an up and coming roadie who had written a song about them in his own style of skiffling – I suggest you all check out this young fellow as he made the Wulfrun jump and tap to his merry tune.

They didn’t just warm up the crowd but fired them up with catchy feet, tapping tunes and funny antics, breaking violins, playing washboards, making a double bass from a piece of string, a stick and a tub, these guys really are something new and different - guaranteed to get your feet a tapping.

Check them out on www.myspace.com/junkyarddogs

Next on were Pama International - not exactly what it says on the tin as they reminded me more of an 80’s lounge act than ska/ dub/ reggae. Luke warm reception, as the audience didn’t seem to take to this group - mind you, it was that loud that you couldn’t hear anything and they were shouting. Unfortunately, the Wulfrun doesn’t like bass.

Remember guys - just cuz it’s louder doesn’t make it better.

Good but not memorable - I think it should have been Pama, Hobo and the Levellers, not other way round.

Now, on to the reason for being here - the Levellers, two decades on and still going strong even if their bodies aren't……..

Fun, energetic, and politically abusive - just the way I like it. Playing a good mix of old and new, these fellows had us bouncing and jumping from start to finish, flashy lights changing to depict the mood and a multi-coloured aboriginal Scotsman playing the didgeree doo.

‘Letters from the Underground’ is better live than on CD, so I suggest next time the Levellers are about, you go and have a beautiful day.

Kerrang! Relentless Energy Tour

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

O2 Academy, Birmingham
 
In Case of Fire
Black Tide
Dir En Gray
Bring Me The Horizon
Mindless Self Indulgence

Review by Lilly-Sue
 
 
We got there for 6.45, for what we thought was a 7 start and were made to join the back of a queue whilst people who already had their tickets poured in next to us........
 
I could hear a band playing, but waiting outside till 7.15, had no idea the dull sounds barely audible were actually In Case of Fire, who unfortunately must have started at around 6 or 6.30, and so were playing to a mostly empty room.
 
As we got through the doors into the sticky open plan building, known lovingly now as the O2 Academy (was the Carling), there was no sign of it being a tour, let alone the Kerrang! tour,  apart from a few signs tied to the balconies and 2 big TV screens which repeated the advert aired on Kerrang! TV all week.  And as for Relentless Energy - one sign at the back of the stage and cans in the fridges behind the bar.....
 
Shouldn't have bothered really - it was like a normal gig.....
 
Black Tide were on -  I could tell from their over the top, anthemia tunes which personally don't grab me, and from the feel of the crowd, they only grabbed a select few who paid £17.00 just to come and see about 20 minutes from them and leave.  Although the band seemed to be thinking they were playing to a screaming orgy of metal fans at Bloodstock or something. the crowd were rather sombre and still, nodding heads and throwing the horns at the end of songs.  Circling long hair and crotch playing guitar with chanted lyrics, Black Tide sounded as good live as they do on CD, and to cap it all, when Black Tide finished, 89% of the people filling the front half of the dance floor left.  Well played and enjoyable performance from them -  just not too many people or for very long.
 
Between each band was a 10 minute equipment set up where the predominantly 13-17 age group that filled the place were allowed to go for a cigarette.
 
Next was a band I'd never heard of called Dir En Gray - metal with a Japanese twist. It was quiet interesting and funny as, throughout their 20 minutes, the lead singer stood slap bang in the middle of the stage at the front and did some weird twisty thing with his hand as he sang??????  Strangely enough, the place was heaving when this band came on - downstairs was filled to the edges and upstairs was 3 deep .
 
Whilst they were playing, we decided to check out the merch stands as my accomplice is majorly in to Bring Me The Horizon and wanted a shirt.  Wow - £17 pounds a shirt, and no mention of Kerrang or Relentless.....I thought this was a tour ???  Dir En Gray were offering to sign their album after their set but there was no sign of Emma Scott or any other Kerrang presenter.
 
After another ciggy break, Bring Me The Horizon were on, and so was the spirit of the gig - everyone was jumping, singing and loving the atmosphere.  Ollie Sykes interacted with the crowd, shouting lyrics, and lyrics were shouted back -  apparently this band are known for dropping their set for the littlest of things, but tonight he played his full set with enthusiasm.  My accomplice was more than happy, swooning and joining in just like all the other emo kids in attendance - 20 minutes again but a good set nonetheless.
 
Finishing this rip of a 'night of entertainment' that Kerrang will probably boast about were MSI - the band they had boasted about all week, and immense is all I can say, although I do think the gig was poorly monitored and, like my accomplice, a lot of other people will have left with an injury from the jump pit.  We pushed to the front for them, got about half way in and stood squashed in like sardines waiting eagerly.  At this point, I turned and said we were gonna die and sure enough MSI started.  The pit went crazy, surging forward and jumping about like salmon jumping their way up stream - by the third song, the sheer pressure on my body and bruises from my feet to my shins made me try and escape this idiocy......
 
This turned out to be harder than I expected as we tried to escape, finding the only way out was sideways, working with the flow of the insanity.  Finally, we found safety out the left hand side, bruised, hobbling and one of us missing a shoe............
 
Final Note - the Kerrang Relentless tour was the biggest rip off known to man and I suggest you go see the bands separately for a more enjoyable night.

THE BLACKOUT

Friday, October 3^rd, 2008

The Irish Centre, Birmingham

Review by Jam Roll
 
 
Walking in, you could feel the atmosphere - a load of teenagers dressed in black, constantly worrying about being cool. As soon as the gig started up, the need to dance and jump about was uncontrollable, despite constant whipping by people's fringes…..  As soon as The Blackout arrived on stage, screams roared from the crowd, including myself. Throughout the set, Sean Smith’s trousers were getting lower and lower - enough to make any girl, or boy, faint with excitement – and the crowd obeyed every word that came from the mouths of The Blackout, who felt that for that just one evening, The Blackout were their best friends. I have to say the graceful swings of Sean Smith’s microphone astonished everyone and overall the gig was fantabulous!

A band to definitely see before you die.

THE AUTOMATIC

 Tuesday, 30th September, 2008

Birmingham Carling Academy 2

Review by Lilly-Sue

Another gig in the Academy 2, but this time not as sweaty as there weren't many people in attendance.
 
I'm sorry - I gotta say it - I'm really not in to this band.  Awesome guys who were a pleasure to talk to and rather easy on the eyes, but before the gig I would probably have broke the CD and used it to slice my own wrists.....
 
Supported by the Dinosaur Pile- Up and Opera House, The Automatic are actually pretty good live and I would go see them again if I had the chance.
 
My sister asked for this one when she reviewed the album, and bless her lil cotton socks, she did an amazing job interviewing them although the conversation about who she would bed afterwards has scarred me for life..........
 
The Dinosaur Pile-Up were quiet impressive; a different style of music for once that had an uplifting affect, and made people bop along to them and applaud them after their 30 minute set - well worth a listen if you find five minutes to find them, and I would definitely like to interview them at some point in the future as they have a weird take on their music.
 
Unfortunately, what started as a good night was cut short by a band called Opera House - why, who, how, what, where and when?  I think my ears actually bled till I convinced the security guard on the door to let me escape for 5 minutes before I killed someone.
 
A while later, after a veggie McDonalds and a pint, we returned to the venue for The Automatic - 'Dear God', I could feel myself saying, as my legs tried to walk the other way, but the hand of my younger, better looking version continued pulling me on.  They had just started as we settled down close to the front again and I waited for the dreadful catchiness of " I was a teenage Steve McQueen", but I was pleasantly surprised by the audience interaction and good quality of their live performance.
 
They played a few new and a few old, which is always a good mix for any band and I loved their energy and interaction when playing; they looked like they were enjoying themselves and the audience responded well back, heads bopping, feet jumping and yes, I even caught myself screaming along to 'Steve McQueen',
 
Although I reckon I was the oldest one there, this band have an amazing quality live and are well worth your time - hell, use your children or younger siblings as an excuse to go and enjoy a relaxed, enjoyable evening with The Automatic.

 

SCARS ON BROADWAY

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Birmingham Carling Academy 2

Review by Lilly-Sue

 
Started the evening well, nervous as I knew I was meeting and talking to one of my idols, and,  after hearing the album for Scars on Broadway, I was well excited to see this band.
 
Supported by Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, all in all I would say it was an awesome night.
 
The band played in the Academy Two, which is basically a small side room at the Academy -  you could smell the sweat and feel the velcro-like charm on your feet which always reminds you of this charming little place.
 
After re-mortgaging to buy a beer from the bar, we assumed our positions as close to the stage as we could and got ready for the action by taking many stupid My Space poses.
 
Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster were on first, after someone pulled them from Scruffy Murphies and strangely walked through the crowed undetected on to the stage and in to their first song.
 
I like this band as they're exactly as the name suggests but good, but I get the feeling none of the others in the room had a clue who or what they were.  Playing a short set with 2 wankers in the crowd spoiling it, they retired hot, sweaty and a little unfulfilled, so we decided to go up and ask for a signature and a photo with them which unfortunately lost us our close stance to the stage, but we managed to redeem a good view else where in this tiny venue...
 
The atmosphere was electric when Scars on Broadway came out, instantly into strong powerful tunes, making the sea of people sway and jump the entire set, they seemed to hang of every word and feed off one another.  'Babylon' was the best, a whole room of people raising fists, drum sticks and people nodding along to the catchy song.
 
Being so close to the band was awesome, and made your whole body tingle with excitement and enjoyment -  it felt like they were playing live in your living room.  They played all the songs from their album and never faltered throughout their set even though Daron was ill that night.  At the end, John walked up and down shaking hands and giving out drum sticks - he tried to find myself and the lovely Jammie with a set but as he walked, over a crazy woman grabbed him and started kissing and hugging him which made him run for the hills as soon as he could escape - funny, but wounding at the same time.
 
If you ever get the chance to see this band, go - they're well worth your time, money and effort.

EXOTERIK, PALE, DAVE WILLIS

Saturday, April 26th 2008

Priestly Theatre, Bradford

Review by The Willing Sinner

After an early evening drive up to the little theatre in Bradford, we arrived and stood huddled on the street – in what is nowadays the favoured place of your local smoker. This due to the ridiculous laws enforced in our land now – is somewhere the like-minded now find themselves forced to spend time – dodging cars and sucking in vehicle exhaust fumes to fulfil their cravings.

Somewhat sated we entered the venue – a small but perfectly formed little theatre called the Priestley Centre in the little Germany area, and prepared to be entertained.

The first act on the bill was a guy called Dave Willis – whose mixture of acoustic guitar and voice had the audience gripped. Personally I would liken his style to that of a Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) – much more reliant on the strength of his vocal range and song writing than of the quality of the guitar – not that he wasn't very competent on it – he just didn't rely on it. Very enjoyable – if unexpected start to the evening.

Appearing next on the stage were Pale. They entered the arena and the contrast between themselves and the previous act initially appeared to take the gathered audience by surprise – this was much closer to what they were expecting of the evening – and they responded enthusiastically. The theatre certainly proved that it knew how to rock – along with the combined colours of Mikey's soaring voice, Marks seemingly effortless and ephemeral guitar sounds (I say seemingly - its only later you discover that you are humming away to yourself one of his impressive riffs), Geps weaving and driving bass and Stoob tying it all together with drums that are so sure footed they have to make the other guys jobs easier.

It was around about this time the first of the nights Gremlins appeared – and messed a little with the sound balance – this I was later told also killed the bands monitors. Hmmmn – annoying for the guys I guess – but after a little initial confusion – caused no great problems, not from audience point of view anyway. A very enjoyable and for many in the crowd new experience – one which many appeared to wish to repeat. Well done lads I'm sure a warm welcome awaits on your next trip up north.

Finally this evening we got to see Exoterik, for those who have yet to see them – you're in for a treat on the Wednesday 13 tour this year, for they fulfil the necessary requirements of the name – outside the human perspective – making pigeon-holing them nigh-on impossible tho most reviews seem to settle on some combination of gothic-industrial metal/rock – so when in Rome and all that.

Exoterik took to the stage – the only slight problem being that the theatres resident ghost (I kid you not – it was on the venues flyer) had messed with a crucial piece of equipment, somewhat spoiling an obviously well worked out video production – I for one look forward to seeing this in all its glory at some future date.

The band coped admirably with this obvious disappointment and gave their fans a gig to remember. The combination of Anneka's hauntingly beautiful yet powerful vocal style (and I later discovered keyboard skills as well) with the busy and complete sound of the rest band (sorry guys but you work so well as a team, I will have to talk about your parts a little later on) are something you just don't hear often enough – a band that feels comfortable with its sound.

The set progressed through obviously well loved numbers and by the time they got to the reason for us all gathering there – the single itself – all earlier problems disappeared , from my vantage point to be well and truly forgotten. The rhythm section both bass and drums were at this point in full flow and working together in a synchronicity that is not only unusual but much sort after by many so called greater bands, with the guitar working harder than most skilfully providing the bridge between the base sounds and the glorious voice over the top. All in all a triumph.

Thank you for an extremely enjoyable night Exoterik, I'm sure we will see and hear much more from you in the future.

The Willing Sinner also gave the ghost

for turning up......

THE KERRANG! TOUR 2008

Fightstar

 Coheed and Cambria

Thursday, February 7th 2008

Birmingham Carling Academy

Review by Tasha

Fightstar

Before seeing them perform I didn’t quite know what to expect from ex-Busted member Charlie Simpson’s latest band and half expected some cheesy prank or something along those lines but I was pretty amazed with their performance. They played well and showed a great balance of heavy riffs and catchy lyrics playing songs such as “death car” “paint your target” and “floods” and were obviously taking their music seriously. 

They were second in the line-up after the crowd had been warmed up by Circa Survive which I was surprised at, I didn’t expect them to play so early in the night as I thought they were one of the more major bands playing, They appeared on stage through the cloud of thick smoke being blasted onto the set while being screamed at by their obviously big fan group and I imagine after their performance gained many more new fans. They were energetic and lively with Charlie regularly trying to get the fans to create mosh pits (although they didn’t need much persuading) whilst displaying a considerable amount of flesh ( Much to the delight of the female audience). 

I was completely surprised and very impressed by Fightstar’s performance at the Kerrang tour and Charlie’s obvious stage presence. I think they’re definitely a band worth seeing even if your not a fan before hand. Fightstar are a great  example of nu-metal at its finest.

Coheed and Cambria

There was a lot of anticipation to see Coheed and Cambria as they were last in the line-up and there was such an amazing build up from the bands before, however I was slightly disappointed with the performance, their songs flowed so quickly from each other it was hard to tell when one finished and the other started and they played mostly new material which their fans seemed very pleased about although it would have been better if they had played more of their older songs  because I personally think its better than their new stuff . Musically they played very well but failed to entertain except for Claudio Sanchez’s hair which is entertaining in itself.

Although they lacked energy and it was quite a boring performance they must have been doing something right as the crowd demanded an encore and they played “welcome home” which was probably the highlight of their performance.

I was pretty disappointed with Coheed’s performance but maybe that was because of the performances of the bands before that they had to play up to although, I do think Coheed fans enjoyed the performance, but I wouldn’t bother seeing this band unless you are a big fan of them or at least know all their songs off by heart.