Stramash is a beautiful venue located in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area, next door to La Belle where I was just a few weeks ago for Church of The Cosmic Skull. With its exposed wooden beams and wooden-backed venue name above the stage, it feels like a converted barn and feels like …
Read More »
Almost 47 years ago, Bruce Springsteen played his first-ever show outside of his native America when he performed the first of two shows at London’s famous Hammersmith Odeon. “Finally London is Ready for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band,” proclaimed the marquee outside the venue. For Springsteen, it got …
Read More »
Last weekend’s return of a full capacity, zero restrictions, Download Festival will surely go down as one of the happiest events of the year when December 2022 comes around and publications turn to their “moments of the year” review. With Gene Simmons recently doubling down on his “rock is dead” …
Read More »
The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Royal Blood, The Carpenters, we love duos, right? The latest in a long line of duos is The Picturebooks. Hailing from Germany with their own brand of holla blues I was informed these guys are not to be missed. Exploding onto the stage to …
Read More »
The advent of social media throws out many quandaries, one of which would be that there is seemingly very little mystery surrounding music idols anymore. With one click, you can find out what your favorite performer had for breakfast that morning, what they thought of Top Gun: Maverick, or if …
Read More »
Originally formed around the question: ‘What if American slaves had embraced Satan instead of Jesus’, Swiss avant-garde metal group Zeal & Ardor fuse black metal with blues and slave music creating something completely one of a kind. I’ve been eager to see Zeal & Ardor live for a while now …
Read More »
Red Crust is Scotland’s premier metal festival, taking place in Cowgate in the heart of Edinburgh. Spread over three days and 3 venues, this year’s line-up included the likes of Raging Speedhorn, Hammer, Iron Altar, and Conan. I arrived fashionably late in time to catch the last 2 bands, Ascension, …
Read More »
Way back BC (Before Covid) Volbeat were forced to cancel the leg of their tour in Bristol due to illness. At the time they promised to return. Little did they know just how long it would be before that opportunity presented! True to their word, however, I was stood in …
Read More »
For some artists, the reality of an enforced period of time off the road didn’t really make much difference due to the fact that they might only perform every few years. But for a perennial road warrior like Alice Cooper, the worldwide shutdown of live entertainment was a tough pill …
Read More »
On their Facebook page, Bristolians Mother Vulture describes themselves as “Hectic Blues Punk with a live show so chaotic it will leave you with horrific injuries.” Five minutes into their debut Scottish show and Mother Vulture guitarist Brodie Maguire is obviously gearing up to launch himself from the small stage …
Read More »
Devil's Gate Music