Black Star Riders/Michael Monroe/Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons The Tramshed, Cardiff, 21st Feb 2023 Review and photos Rob Wilkins Changing to self-employed has given me a lot more freedom to move work around to facilitate gigs, so tonight was set up to be the first of three gigs in …
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Opening nights are important to touring bands. They help set the tone for the shows to follow, as well as give bands the knowledge of what works and what they can improve on. With all that said, it’s to the surprise of literally no one that Bullet for My Valentine …
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For Bridgend’s famous sons Those Damn Crows, it’s a case of all roads leading southwest to the last date on their ‘Inhale/Exhale’ tour: a headline appearance at the brand-new Swansea Arena. To say that the band’s first Arena headline appearance will be an emotional evening is like saying that the …
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I’m not sure why it always ends up being a holiday when I’m reviewing a gig, but I feel like Valentine’s Day is the appropriate time to see three pop-punk artists all together, in one of the most energetic evenings I’ve ever had watching musicians. There’s not a long wait …
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“Do you know where you are?” Perth Concert Hall, baby. The beautiful glass-fronted building is a welcome sight on a very windy Friday night. The foyer is very busy with a mixture of people smartly dressed for an evening at the theatre, and people dressed to rock vampire style in …
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For fans of symphonic metal, the last few months must have seemed as if their lottery numbers came up and it was a triple-rollover. The tail end of 2022 saw both Within Temptation and Nightwish returning to the live arena, and 2023 shows zero sign of letting up on the …
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Given that Finnish Queen of Metal Tarja last played in Scotland as a member of Nightwish – the band that she departed in 2005 – it’s fair to say that her long-awaited (and delayed by you-know-what) appearance in Glasgow was a tad overdue. Named after 2019’s studio album ‘In The …
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Having supported major league names such as Kiss, and Guns N’ Roses (in Europe, and the US) as well as opening for newer names like Rival Sons on their last UK tour, Californians Dirty Honey are incredibly well-traveled for a band still in the fledgling stages of its career. The …
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Late January and another quick blast up the motorway from Devon to Cardiff, for an intriguing double headline gig featuring two very contrasting bands, The Darkness, and Black Stone Cherry.The arena is pretty full when the lights go down and openers Danko Jones take to the stage to get everyone …
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Weather-wise, the months of January and February can be pretty unforgiving in the UK and Europe. For starters, it will be dark and bitterly cold regardless of the country, and chances are that the UK will be wet and miserable. Hardly the time to be putting in the miles on …
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