Live Reviews

Not that many bands make it over the Tamar into Cornwall. The “Rockin by the River” lineups are slowly changing that and there is a growing scene based in St Austell at the Band Club. Cornwall Rocks, a three day festival featuring some of the leading lights in the New …

I remember back in 1990 when I first saw Sacred Reich live on their “The American Way” tour. It was one of the craziest gigs I’d ever been to. Fans were climbing the speakers and throwing themselves off, the pit was almost a no-go area, it was quite an intimidating …

Halestorm’s rise to stardom so far brings them to their first Arena headline tour with four dates around the UK. It is very much a tour to celebrate the power of women in rock as they welcome New Years Day and In This Moment on stage as support in one …

It’s been eight years since Battle Beast released their debut album “Steel”. Eight years that I’ve been listening to these Finnish metallers go from strength to strength. Unfortunately it’s also been eight years that I’ve been waiting to catch these guys live. Finally the wait is over and they are …

After a brief early morning jog to shake off the cobwebs (yeah..right), it was out of the daylight and into the darkness of the Ironworks for a full day of top quality rock ‘n’ roll. First up, and putting the “why aren’t you playing in my back garden” moaners to …

You know what you’re going to get when Airbourne are in town. You know it will be rowdy, you know it will be messy, it will be loud, but above all it will be great fun. An evening to leave what ails you at the door, and disengage brain for …

One of the highlights of the ever-increasing Winter indoor festival circuit is Monsterfest in Inverness. Set in the rather splendid Scottish highlands, it’s a bit of a jaunt for most bands, especially as the last few hours of the journey will be on unforgiving A-roads. Sadly a cloud hangs over …

Lacuna Coil are bucking the current trend where bands are dropping the heavier vibe in order to reach new audiences, instead, the Italian metal legends are going in the opposite direction and turning the “heavy” way up. Current album, ‘Black Anima’, continues in the heavier vein that began with ‘Delirium’ …

A mini festival at a stadium in October? Must be mad! It will be freezing (and, as it is Wales, wet!). That was my first thought when I heard about Skindred headlining a mini festival – ‘Stadium Rocks’, at Cwmbran Stadium at the end of October. It turned out that …