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I Am Ghost @ The Joiners, Southampton
I Am Ghost have had a busy couple of months, releasing a fantastic album, touring across Europe and the UK, but all good things come to an end and their European tour came to an end in Southampton.
A decent sized crowd had gathered at The Joiners and frontman Steve wasted no time in informing us that he had been in hospital a few days before and that the doctor had advised him not to sing, but he wanted to finish the tour, which of course gave way to a rapturous applause.
The audience were enthusiastic throughout their set and a row of day hard fans had glued themselves to the front of the stage, and watched in awe, occasionally breaking their stares to do a bit of dancing. The kids on the front row clearly loved it, and were joining in with every song when the microphone was thrust in their direction, all touching their heroes when they mounted the speakers with instruments in hand.
I was impressed with their album ‘Those We Leave Behind’ and was glad I had the opportunity to see them live in action. Their show was everything I had expected, they had a strong and infectious energy, by they end of their set everyone was dancing. They proved that they sound as good live as they do on CD, which is always a bonus. An impressive show from an impressive live band.
Attack! Attack! @ The Joiners, Southampton
Fresh from support Funeral For A Friend, Attack! Attack! hit the roads of the
UK for their headlining tour.
Not Advised are Southampton’s premier band and they were on top for while supporting Welsh rockers Attack! Attack! They have a dynamic stage presence and it’s amazing they didn’t fall off the tiny stage with their continuous energetic and enthusiastic leaping about. The crowd were entertained throughout their set, I’ve seen Not Advised a few times over the past year or so, and they do not fail to disappoint.
Much like Not Advised, Attack! Attack! were on top form and put on a strong and polished performance. These boys are proof that quality musicianship and hard work really do pay off and are a credit to the UK music scene.
Their debut album, ‘Attack! Attack!’ was released in October and has proved to be full of crowd pleasers. Their epic, anthemic chanting goes down incredible well at a live show. ‘This Is A Test’ had fists punching in the air and the crowd singing along and likewise with ‘Too Much Son’.
It’s great to see Attack! Attack! in an intimate venue like The Joiners, it makes for a great atmosphere, but I can safely say these boys wont be playing in such small venues for much longer.
Pendulum @ Guildhall, Portsmouth
2008 has seen Pendulum go from strength to strength, they’ve been popular on the dance and drum and bass scene for years, but the release of ‘In Silico’ saw them reach new heights.
They’d already completed one sold out tour this year, won a Kerrang! award, but this month saw them hitting the road yet again for another sold out tour. The atmosphere within the Guildhall was electric, the excitement in the room slapped you round the face as soon as you walked through the doors. From the opening beat to the closing note the crowd refused to stand still, the crowd was diverse but they all seemed to blend together, and in unison adored Pendulum.
Listening to these guys on CD doe not prepare you for the spectacle you see a live show. Arms pump the air in unison; strobes explode behind every beat. Most songs use a synthesiser as a lead instrument, pounding out high-tempo melodies, the band’s energy sucks you in and you don’t even want to blink while watching them in case you miss something.
Yet again Pendulum did not fail to impressed, it’s safe to say that everyone in the room loved them and that no-one went home disappointed. I have no doubt in my mind that things are only going to get better for the Aussie drum and bass band.
Alphabeat @ Southampton Uni
Danish pop stars Alphabeat had managed to sell out their show at Southampton University, which goes to show one thing – pop is back.
By the time Alphabeat came out on stage the excitement in the room was enough to raise the roof, and as singer Anders bounced out on stage the room was filled with a huge cheer. When female singer Stine came out an even louder scream filled the room. Those two are a great contrast to one another, Anders’ is brash and over the top, Stein comes across as being cute and shy. Anders’ is incredibly animated and seemed to get an insane amount of pleasure out of bashing a tambourine.
Their tunes were everything I expected them to be, themes of love, life, friendship, superhero worship littered their set and the crowd lapped it up. With every song performed at least half the room was singing and dancing along, well, I say dancing for the most part it was people jigging around like fools.
The band put on an impressive but effortless performance, pop music seems to come naturally to them. Their music is very accessible and appeals to a wide range of people, that was clear just from looking around the room – young, old, black, white, gay, straight, they were all there and it was actually quite refreshing to see such a diverse group of people in one room, enjoying the same thing and having a good time with one another.
Funeral For A Friend @ Pyramids, Portsmouth
Welsh rockers Funeral For A Friend’s huge tour brought them Portsmouth on Halloween where they faced an excitable crowd.
Opening band Attack! Attack! made it clear that they were on a mission to win over the crowd, and while the Pyramids wasn’t full when the guys took to the stage, the people present wasted no time in racing to the front and jumping around. The last time we saw Attack! Attack! they were playing The Joiners with The Blackout, which is a small venue, but the Welsh rockers seemed confident playing to a much larger crowd. Their songs are full of catchy hooks and riffs and once again they came across as a band you need to watch, as they’re bound to move onto bigger and better things.
Next up were Irish trio In Case Of Fire, who have found themselves becoming one of 2008’s most highly tipped bands, so I was interested to see what they brought to the live circuit. The three boys played easily accessible music and sounded great in terms of music and vocals, there was no indication that frontman Steve had been suffering from a bad throat and was unable to perform the previous night. They produce a sound that is larger than what a three piece should be able to make, and it was instantly clear that these guys are quickly heading towards big things.
It wasn’t long before Cancer Bats took to the stage, dressed up to suit the occasion, Halloween. These four guys were far heavier than the previous two bands, and put on a fab performance. You could see that older members of the crowd were clearly appreciating having them on the tour, while some of the youngsters looked terrified. It didn’t take them long to get a pit going, and it became difficult to tell who was having the most fun – the band, or the crowd. Although both Attack! Attack! and In Case Of Fire were both great, it was clear that Cancer Bats have far more touring experience under their belts, they oozed confidence and made the most of the space on stage. By the time they’d finished their set they were dripping in sweat and looked very pleased with themselves, they put on a good show and they knew it.
It was finally time for the band everyone came to see, Funeral For A Friend, as the lights dimmed the venue was filled with screams and cheers. Funeral For A Friend received a great reception which was a testament to the devotion their fans have for them. They played an accomplished live set, and you could tell that all five members are very happy and proud of what they have achieved and the music they have created.
New bass player, Gav, seemed to fit right in and you wouldn’t have guessed he was a new member. Despite their latest album only recently being released the crowd seemed to know every word of every song and happily sang along with frontman Matt. Their set also heavily featured their earlier tracks which highlighted the diversity of their sound. Their music is muscular and soaring, there was plenty of variety in terms of sounds which made it extremely clear why they have become so successful over the past five years. Although the crowd eagerly sang along with Matt, they didn’t respond so well when he tried to get some banter going. Overall, Funeral For A Friend’s performance couldn’t be faulted, they may not be the most energetic band in the world, but they all play their instruments well and remain entertaining throughout their set.
All four bands were impressive tonight, it was nice to see two young bands who are full of potential play against to more mature bands who have an incredible staying power. Something tells me we’ll be seeing a lot more from all four bands for years to come.
Aiden @ The Brook, Southampton
Seattle’s premier rockers Aiden have been tearing up the UK on their current tour, and it wasn’t long until they found themselves in Southampton.
The Aiden show was the quietest I’ve ever seen The Brook, upstairs wasn’t open, and the downstairs area which is usually full to the brim was half empty. Even though the number of people present was sparse, there was still a good atmosphere in the room, and the small crowd responded well to the first band on stage, Sign. Sign seem to be the current ‘it’ band, open a music mag and you’ll find them lurking somewhere on the pages. I wouldn’t say they quite lived up to their hype, but they sounded good, and their set was well executed. Even smoke pouring from one of their speakers didn’t seem to faze them, and they carried on as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence in the life of Sign.
Slaves To Gravity were on hand as the main support, as always the boys were right on key with their performance, although they were slightly more camp than usual. You could see the divide in the crowd between Aiden fans and Slaves To Gravity fans, there was clearly a split along the barrier. One half rocking out the other half, standing there motionless just staring. Despite half the crowd not paying a blind bit of notice to the band, they still put their all into their performance.
It wasn’t long before Aiden took to the stage, welcomed by a loud applause from their teenage fans. Of course, frontman Wil Francis came out last and received the biggest cheer. Aiden are a pretty entertaining band and they made the most of the limited space available. They did a good job of getting the crowd involved, and they sounded much better than I have ever heard them when performing live, and luckily for Mr Francis, he was not bottled like he was the last time I saw him, and he didn’t have to leave the stage with blood pouring from his face.
Overall, every band put on a good live performance, and while Aiden may have got the best crowd reaction, but in terms of sound it was Slaves To Gravity that owned the night.
Scott Capurro @ The Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Scott Capurro is pretty notorious on the comedy circuit, he is known for “shocking” and “offending” his audiences, which are two desirable qualities for a comedian to have, or so I thought, but seeing as there were only about 30 people at this show, maybe I was wrong.
This comedian certainly likes to pack a lot into his show, AIDS, his own racism, eugenics, paedophilia, rape, and the Holocaust feature, as do the prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an and Jesus. Capurro engaged with a lot of the audience present, but seemed to have a real affinity with one particular audience member; me. Capurro was in no way mean or malicious to me, for the most part I felt as though I was just chatting to a friend, but it was these interactions that really proved how quick witted the man is, as he turned every answer to his advantage.
Boundaries are pushed and for the most part the audience laugh whole heartedly, but as he bounds over lines that a lot of comedians wouldn’t dare to cross, it was obvious that the shock factor had set in. Capurro speaks 19 to the dozen and while you know he has told these jokes a hundred times over, he delivers them with an excitement which seems totally genuine.
While Scott Capurro may have shocked people in the room, and some may have found his description of gay sex more than a little graphic, I actually found him adorable and hilariously funny. In my opinion Capurro is the best comedian I’ve seen all year, the only thing that upset me was the fact that after featuring so heavily in the show I didn’t get a cut of his appearance fee.
Dragonforce @ Guildhall, Southampton
I’ve never been to a Dragonforce gig before, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect, yes, I am familiar with their material but bands can come across completely different when performing live.
Before Dragonforce hit the stage Finnish warriors Turisas came out to entertain the crowd. I’ve wanted to see these guys live for some time now, and they had their fair share of fans present. There were plenty of people walking around covered in fake blood and fur, or wearing Viking helmets. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a support band receive such an enthusiastic welcome. They had the fans eating out of their hands as the whole room bounced and threw their fists in the air in unison. The highlight of their set was definitely the anthemic song ‘Battle Metal’.
After a dragged out session of flying glasses and trying to pop balloons from the crowd, the mighty Dragonforce finally came out on stage. The six piece wasted no time in launching into their technical riffs, which were impressive but the added wind machines to make their long locks blow in the breeze while performing was more than a little cheesy. I’ve met Herman and Frederick on several occasions, and they’re nice guys, but one stage they, along with the rest of the band, have a very cocky arrogance. Maybe those personas are to go with the Metal image, but from where I was standing it wasn’t a positive feature.
I think Dragonforce are an extremely talented group of musicians, but they only seem to have a handful of great songs, the rest of their set seemed very samey and quickly became old and a little boring to watch. The guys put on an impressive show, and they’re great at what they do, they played for an impressive length of time but sadly they couldn’t hold my attention, and it got to the point where I was very happy when the show was over.
Bill & Trav’s Bogus Journey Tour @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Its been a while since The Academy Is… played the Wedgewood Rooms, so needless to say the kids were excited, and when you add the fact that one of 2008’s hottest young bands’ We The Kings were supporting their excitement was pretty much uncontrollable.
We The Kings wasted no time in proving why they’ve become so popular, they had pretty much the whole room singing and dancing along, and it was obvious that the Floridian four piece had just as many fans in the house as the headliners. The band nailed every note and frontman Travis Clark hit every key. Their second performance at the Wedgewood Rooms was just as strong as their first, if not stronger.
It didn’t take long for The Academy Is… to come bounding out on stage to a raucous crowd, who saved their biggest cheer for frontman William Beckett. The band impressed the crowd with songs from their debut album ‘Almost Here’ but it was songs from their sophomore album ‘Santi’ that really made the crowd sit up and pay attention. The crowd went wild for songs such as ‘LAX to O’Hare’ and ‘We’ve Got A Big Mess On Our Hands’ and their new songs were also well received.
Beckett once again proved himself to be an exceptionally talented frontman, who has a beautiful voice and who really captures the crowds’ attention. The youngster is a joy to watch and not just because of his microphone acrobatics and cheeky grin.
We The Kings may have royalty in their name, but The Academy Is… definitely reigned supreme at the Wedgewood Rooms.
Millencolin @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Millencolin have built quite a name for themselves on the music scene, so it surprised me that on their first visit to Portsmouth that the Wedgewood Rooms wasn’t busier.
The Swedes are masters of their craft, as they bounded out on stage to the rumbling sound of a thunderstorm, the four lads looked incredibly dapper wearing jeans and polo shirts with their album logo embossed on the right breast. The passion Millencolin have for their work shines out throughout their live performance, they seemed confident on stage without coming across as cocky.
I’ll admit that I’m not up on Millencolin’s back catalogue but I found their songs easily accessible, so much so that I was practically singing along. The guys put on an entertaining show, and they really played up to their role as rock ‘n’ roll stars, by pulling big guitar poses. About half way through their set Millencolin started playing their heavier tracks, and of course the crowds’ instant reaction was to start crowd surfing and moshing.
Millecolin put on an impressive show, these guys are on top of their game and they came across as talented musicians, entertainers and showmen. Keep up the good work lads!
Underoath @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Underoath have just finished touring the UK in support of their new album ‘Lost In the Sound Of Seperation’. The last date of the tour was in Portsmouth, where the guys played at a sold out Wedgewood Rooms.
A typical sight at a sold out Wedgewood Room gig is the queue stretching down the street and around the corner, and last night it was no different. It was just a shame for the Oh Sleeper guys who took to the stage while people were still waiting to get into the venue. Still, the Texans didn’t let that faze them and they quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their thunderous blend of metalcore. Oh Sleeper’s music was hard and fast and there was definite similarity between them and the headlining band, which is probably why the crowd seemed to love them so much.
Envy On The Coast were the next band on the stage, and I couldn’t quite figure out how the fitted on to the bill. Last time I saw them they were supporting Madina Lake, and although EOTC have a much heavier sound than those guys, I don’t think it is heavy enough to warrant them playing with Underoath and much of the crowd looked a little bemused throughout their set. That’s not to say I don’t think they played well because they did, they just couldn’t really follow the mighty sounds of Oh Sleeper. There were definitely people in the crowd who had turned out just to see Envy On The Coast and they happily sang and danced along, but in my mind, as much as I enjoyed their performance, they just weren’t the right band to be on this tour.
It wasn’t long before the guys from Underoath took to the stage and were welcomed by a huge cheer from the crowd. They wasn’t no time in launching into action and opened with a track from their new album, and although it has only been out for a couple of weeks the crowd seemed to love and know the song. It wasn’t long before the room got hot and sweaty as the whole crowd seemed to bounce around in unison. The six Floridian’s put on a fab show, but their powerful sound seemed a bit wasted in such a small venue.
The band clearly enjoyed being on stage and seemed determined to make a lasting impression on the Portsmouth crowd as they put on an extremely energetic performance, making the most of the space on stage without ever missing a beat. Underoath’s heavy sound occasionally gave way for more melodic moments, where drummer Aaron Gillespie provide soft and clean vocals which the whole crowd sang along with. Overall, the crowd was provided with a night of great live music and I’m sure that all three bands will be remembered by the crowd.
Offset Festival @ Hainault Country Park
Reading and Leeds may be over, but the festival season is not, we headed up to Essex to check out the goings on at one of the UK’s newest festivals. After throwing the tent up it was time to get changed into a more summery outfit – Saturday was a gorgeous day and head to the festival ground.
My first impression of the festival was a good one, the staff was extremely friendly, I was told to wait in the wrong queue but that was quickly sorted out as a lovely young chap escorted my around to the management office to collect my press pass. We had a quick wander around the festival ground, which was a lot smaller than I imagined, it had a similar feel to Guilfest but was only a quarter of the size – if that.
The first band my friends and I stopped to watch were TesseracT who were creating a hell of a lot of noise on the Rock Stage and despite the fact that they didn’t have many people watching them, these five lads really didn’t hold back. Frontman Abisola Obasanya seemed to put his all into his vocal performance, and he just looked like he was having a great time on stage.
The next band to grace the Rock Stage were First Sign Of Frost who played a mature blend of modern rock. The boys sounded great live and frontman Daniel Tompkin’s had a nice rich tone to his voice. The band’s mix of heavy riffs and soaring vocals worked really well together and they just seemed to ooze charisma, but I couldn’t help but think that they would come across a lot better in a small, dingy rock club rather than at a festival in the blazing sunshine.
It was then round to the Last.FM stage to catch New Zealand’s Die! Die! Die! who had pretty much filled the tent and from the looks on peoples face they seemed to provide a welcome break from all the indie acts that had performed that day. The band put on a lively and entertaining set, and their frontman wasted no time in getting off of the stage and into the crowd. Next up on that stage were Drum Eyes who proved to be very entertaining indeed.
Over on the main stage my fellow Pompey kids Strange Death Of Liberal England were due on. This is a band that I never actually seen despite them always playing shows in and around my local area. That however, turned out to be a blessing. They didn’t have a huge crowd but the people that were sat around that stage looked completely bored. The songs that we stayed for all sounded the same and Adam’s vocal performance sounded more like high pitched moans and groans than singing. While we watched the band, the couple next to us said the following: “This is awful” “Yeah, complete shit” and that about sums up my feelings too.
My ears were saved by the sounds of Kill Casino on the rock stage where Karen’s upbeat and tuneful vocals had pulled in quite a crowd. Kill Casino are one of the little treasures of the UK music scene and brightened up the afternoon with their live performance, and there’s no doubt that they impressed the crowd with their big choruses and funky blend of pop rock.
We stayed at the rock stage for the rest of the evening, where we got to be a part of history as we watched London based metal act Interlock play their last ever show and they were the first band of the day that I witnessed get people of their asses and dancing. Their music is edgy and powerful, and it’s a shame they have come to an end as I think they would have had a lot more to offer. Exit Ten were the next band to grace the Rock Stage, and they wasted no time in launching into action. These lads ooze confidence, and while they only had a small crowd you could pretty much feel the energy coming off of the stage. Their music is fresh and honest, it’s full of impressive riffs and is very cleverly arrange. I must admit though, the highlight of their set for me came at the end, frontman Ryan had climbed onto the roof of the stage and had a job to get down again.
Kerrang! Award nominees We Are The Ocean were up next and they quickly proved to the crowd that they deserved that nomination. They put on an energetic performance, and while they sounded pitch perfect despite the odd moments of terrible feedback, their sound was very young, adolescent almost but they got the crowd moving and everybody watching them seemed to be having a good time.
The Ghost Of A Thousand were the next band to hit the stage, and I was surprised that they only had a small crowd. Small as it may have been, the crowd wasted no time in jumping about and moshing, as once again the Ghost boys put on a lively performance. Frontman Tom’s attempts to talk to the crowd seemed to fall on death ears as no-one responded. It wasn’t long before a hole appeared in Tom’s jeans, which went unnoticed for a while, but quickly became bigger and bigger until the band started poking fun at it, we were just glad he wasn’t going commando style. By the time the boys set was up they had pulled in a larger crowd who seemed to be loving every minute of their set.
It wasn’t long until headliners Fightstar hit the stage, and they had managed to just about fill the audience area of the stage – hooray! Musically the boys sounded great but Charlie’s voice didn’t seem up to its usually standard. Fightstar had a good majority of the crowd dancing and singing along, and when we watched part of their set from the side of the stage you could see the huge beaming smiles on the crowds’ faces, as well as several people swooning over Mister Simpson. The boys played a good mix of songs from both their albums and put on a good performance, and by the end of the audience area had filled and over flowed.
The night was finished off by commandeering Fightstar’s dressing room, who then proceeded to give us all the food and drink they didn’t want… err, thanks boys! Tricking some little kids who had snuck into the VIP area that we had performed that day and shared a dressing room with the boys from Fightstar, before heading over to the bumper carts for a bit of late night, half drunk fairground madness – Good times!
Sunday didn’t get off to the best start, seeing someone being sick with every other step he took is not my favourite way to start the day, neither is being attacked by wasps. Nevertheless after getting a nice cup of tea down my neck and visiting the animals in the petting zoo all seemed right with the world.
As dark clouds loomed over the festival ground I felt extremely happy that I brought an umbrella with me because it looked like it was going to be a wet one, and I wasn’t wrong, it rained on and off all day. Much like the Saturday most of our day was spent at the Rock Stage, and there seemed to be an even smaller number of festival goers wandering round the grounds. The first band we caught was My Passion who bought a little bit of electro into the days proceedings. Their set was a little on the dull side, and it didn’t hold my attention, so it wasn’t long until we were all having a little nosey around the tents to see if there was anything more interesting going on – there wasn’t.
We were back at the Rock Stage by the time States Of Emotion came out. I’m happy to admit that I didn’t know who these guys were but their music was very accessible, upbeat and had a real sense of fun. They proved themselves to be a fine young band, who produce good songs and perform well, I would definitely check them out again. It wasn’t long before Tonight Is Goodbye came out. Last time I saw these guys I didn’t really like them, their music sounded fine, but they seemed to have a really cocky attitude and just expected people to know who they were and didn’t bother to introduce themselves. That cocky attitude seemed to have subsided at Offset though. Their live performance couldn’t be faulted, and the young members of the audience seemed to love them.
We decided to make the most of our surroundings and took a wander into the forest before heading back to Offset to catch some of Future Of The Left’s set. The band had drawn a pretty decent sized crowd to the main stage. The band sounded tight and frontman Andy Falkous put on an impressive vocal performance.
Before long we were back at the Rock Stage to watch the Kerrang! Award winning band Slaves To Gravity. Yet again, the Rock Stage was a little sparse of an audience but STG did have a line of die-hard fans up against the barrier who spent the entirety of their set singing and dancing along. Frontman Tommy Gleeson seemed undeterred by the lack of people watching them and proceeded to make an effort to interact with the crowd just like he always does. Although, from where I was stood at the side of the stage it appear as though only one person answered him. Slaves To Gravity sounded great and their performance could not be faulted, there was a hairy moment where Tommy stood on a speaker, which tipped and he almost fell off the stage, but he regained his balance well and shimmied his way across the stage almost as if he’d planned it. It’s a shame that they didn’t have a bigger crowd to perform to because they put on the strongest performance I’d seen at the festival.
We stayed at the Rock Stage to see the other Simpson brother – Will – perform with Brigade. We saw them recently in Southampton, and they were really impressive and their performance at Offset was no different. The boys’ crowd steadily grew throughout their set, although I must admit to sneaking off to watch about five or ten minutes of Blood Red Shoes before heading back to watch the rest of Brigade’s set. After they finished we headed back over to the Main Stage to watch part of the Maccabees set, who had managed to piss off a lot of the staff working backstage with all their demands but they’d pulled in a decent sized crowd. The quirky, arty five piece didn’t seem to get the crowd moving very much although their set was well executed. Personally, I don’t think that they should had the second to last slot on the Main Stage because I think they’re a bit hit and miss, and judging by the crowd reaction, or lack there of, they felt the same.
I soon headed back to the Rock Stage to catch the newly reformed My Vitriol who had pulled in a fair sized crowd considering including Brigade’s Will Simpson. With the presence of My Vitriol came the presence of rain but that didn’t dampen the crowds’ mood and it seemed that a lot of people present had turned out just to see them. Their music is impressive and expansive, but they band looked so moody, it was hard to tell whether that was to add effect or whether they were just well and truly pissed off. It’s a rare thing for My Vitriol to play a show these days, and they crowd seemed to really appreciate the fact that they were getting to see them live in action. At points for me, the rain heightened their performance, it seemed to add to the atmosphere, and the rain mixed with their lights show looked very cool. I’m glad I had the opportunity to see My Vitriol at Offset but I don’t think I would go and see them again.
After My Vitriol we headed back to the Main Stage to see a very delayed Gang Of Four who definitely had the biggest audience of the festival so far, but then what do you expect when the band has been around for over 30 years? The band closed the festival on a high, they had a good amount of movement from the crowd and the audience stuck out the rain to watch the entirety of their set. Gang Of Four’s set could pretty much be classed as a greatest hits set which seemed like a great way to round up the festival.
I think Offset has a lot of potential, it’s easily accessible and there was a good mixture of artists to be found at the event. The staff were all friendly and helpful, a few more amenities would have been nice, but for the most part they were clean by festival standards and you never really had to queue. Overall, it was a good event that would probably do better if it was held earlier in the summer rather than a week after the Reading and Leeds weekend. Performance-wise Slaves To Gravity were the highlight of my weekend, and I feel for every band that had to perform in front of just a handful of people.
Alice Cooper @ Guildhall, Southampton
It’s not every night that a living legend rolls into town, but that’s what happened on Friday as Alice Cooper arrived in Southampton to rock the Guildhall.
I’d been looking forward to this gig for weeks and was worried that I would be disappointed as that tends to happen when you look forward to something, but the only disappointment I had is that I didn’t get to meet Mister Cooper. I reverted back to being a kid at this show, squeezing my way down to the front and securing my spot on the barrier and as Alice’s shadow appeared on the back drop the whole room practically exploded with excitement.
No time was wasted speaking to the crowd Alice and his band launched straight into action and within seconds he had the whole crowd mesmerised, me included. The shock rocker maybe 60 years old but his voice is amazing, just as strong as it ever was. He is one of those artists who comes across a hundred times better live, I’ve listened to one of his album since and it just seems empty.
The crowd eagerly sang along with every single song, screaming on queue and you could see that everyone was in awe of the man. As expected there were plenty of people sporting his style of eye make-up, and there was even one kid who was dress like him – leather gloves, white top and tails – she proved a hit with the man himself too and she ended up going home with a drumstick, his cane and a couple of beaded necklaces – oh, to be a child again.
His band was made up of top class musicians, but it was guitarist Kerri Kelli who really stood out, he was amazing, uber talented and a joy to watch. He put his all into his performance and sweated buckets because of it.
An Alice Cooper show wouldn’t be complete without some kind of theatrics, and at the Southampton show we saw him attack a woman who was portrayed by his daughter Calico, kill a baby, be put in a straight jacket and get hung. Of course, there were also plenty of costume changes, and while he was getting changed the band provided the crowd with some killer instrumental interludes, where they really got to show off their talents.
The big hits of the night were ‘Feed My Frankenstein’, ‘Schools Out’ and the closing track ‘Poison’ which at some points saw the crowd drowning out Cooper’s vocals. On a musical level the only thing that would have made the show better was if ‘Bed Of Nails’ had been played, but other than that it was amazing, possibly even the best gig I’ve ever been to. If Alice did one thing on Friday night it was show the crowd exactly why he has had such a long and successful career, like I said in my intro the man is a living legend.
Brigade @ The Joiners, Southampton
Fresh from being nominated for Best British Newcomer Slaves To Gravity were ready to rock The Joiners, last time they were here they were headlining, this time they’re opening for Brigade but that didn’t stop them from putting their all into the show. The crowd had serged forward ready to see the four STG guys up close and in action.
Much like when we saw them headline The Joiners Slaves To Gravity sounded awesome, never missed a beat and everything sounded pitch perfect and ten times louder than when we saw them at Guilfest. Frontman Tommy Gleeson’s voice was clean, crisp and clear and was a joy to listen to.
Once again Slaves To Gravity showed themselves to be very talented and competent musicians who are more than worthy of taking home the lucrative K! Award.
It wasn’t long before the four boys from Brigade appeared on the stage to impress the crowd who seemed to have edged even closer to The Joiners tiny little stage.
Brigade played a good mix of songs from their current album ‘Come Morning We Fight’ and older material. Their blend of mainstream rock rang out perfectly from the speakers and they showed the crowd exactly why they’ve been so hotly tipped. One of the best things about this London based band is that they don’t rely on gimmicks or fancy moves to impress, they just let their music do the talking and that is a very desirable thing at a live show.
The lads in Brigade produce solid rock music, which is both well written and well performed, everyone in the room seemed to be enjoying themselves and having a good old boogie with the lads and before we knew it it was time for the band to leave the stage. Apart from the two bands performing great music the other good thing about this show is that both bands made the effort to speak to their fans after the show which is something that seems to be happening less and less these days.
Hadouken! @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
When I was walking up to the Wedgewood Rooms I had the feeling that I’d be pretty much the oldest swinger in town, and I wasn’t far wrong. If it wasn’t for the fact that some of the crowd had been escorted by their parents, I would have had a good six years on everyone else in the room.
I’m always curious when seeing a nu-rave style band live, as so many different effects are used on their music that you know it’s not going to sound the same live. Hadouken!’s music comes across much heavier and rocky at a live show, so while listening to them and looking around the room, seeing a see of neon clothing did seem a little odd.
The rockier edge did not deter the crowd who happily bounced along throughout Hadouken!’s set, even when the songs weren’t so dance infused the crowd continued to jump up and down pretty much simultaneously, and their energy seemed to fuel the five youngsters on stage. The band played a good mix of old and new songs and there were plenty of moments where the crowd and the band sang together in unison.
The crowd seemed to love Hadouken!’s performance and the band seemed to be enjoying themselves almost as much as their fans. I don’t claim to be a huge Hadouken! fan, in all honesty I don’t know many of their tracks, but to me they sounded much better live than on anything I’ve heard them record. There was a cool rawness about their music as it rung out of the Wedgewood Rooms’ speakers and there is something about that which is very appealing. It’s fair to say that all the sweaty kids in the crowd went home incredibly sweaty but incredibly happy.
You Me At Six @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Earlier this year You Me At Six were at the Wedgewood Rooms on the support slot of New Found Glory’s sold out show, now they’ve come back on their own and sold out the very same venue.
Kicking things off were Attack! Attack! and Tonight Is Goodbye who have supported the likes of Paramore and Angels and Airwaves to the chance of either of them staying as small support acts much longer is slim to none. Both bands sounded great and really got the crowd going, and judging by the crowd reaction – everyone singing and dancing along – it is safe to say that both bands already have a strong and loyal following of their own. The thing that really did annoy me though was the Tonight Is Goodbye frontman Ant West didn’t introduce the band, and he expected people to know who they were and their songs, if he has that level of cocky arrogance already, what will he be like if they do hit the big time?
You Me At Six hit the stage in a very calm manner, which is probably thanks to their constant touring. Frontman Josh Franceschi soon has the crowd eating out of his hands, especially the girls, who eagerly tugged on his t-shirt as he climbed on the barrier. They played their well known tracks ‘If I Was In Your Shoes’ and ‘Gossip’ which the crowd joyfully sang along to, but they also introduced they audience to new tracks from their up coming album.
One of the great things about You Me At Six is that they don’t take themselves too serious (unlike Tonight Is Goodbye’s Ant West) and that you can see that they are having a good time on stage. You Me At Six are only teenagers so it’s easy to imagine them being stroppy little brats, but they come across as being incredibly down to earth, polite and grateful to their fans for getting them where they are.
Guilfest (Saturday) @ Stoke Park, Guilford
I only found out I would be going to Saturday’s Guilfest on Thursday, so after work on Friday there was a mad dash to find wellies, after all the weather forecast had predicted thundery showers, and you wouldn’t believe how many places had sold out of the staple festival item. Eventually I found some, even managed to get a matching pair for me friend, yes we did look like idiots, especially as the forecast was wrong and it was a glorious day with no mud to be seen.
We arrived at Stoke Park before the day’s entertainment had begun, which gave us a chance to work out where all the stages are and who we wanted to see. After having a good mooch around the festival ground we made a pit stop at the Pimms bus, where we headed upstairs to find ourselves with a great view of the Ents24 Stage, where Keith Donnelly had just opened the days festivities. He only had a small crowd but that didn’t stop him pouring energy into his 45 minute slot. The singer/songwriter/comedian had plenty of support from the crowd that had gathered at that stage, who happily joined in with songs and jokes when he requested, and the performer, who has written material for the likes of Jasper Carrot received plenty of laughs. His set was packed with fun, laughter and bags of energy and going by the crowd reaction it’s safe to say that no festival would be complete without Donnelly and his song ‘Everybody Wants To Be A Bear’. His set was a fab way to kick start Saturday’s entertainment.
Next up was Go:Audio at the RockSound Stage, who had pulled in an impressive audience considering how early they were on and that the festival was pretty quiet people-wise. Once again the Go:Audio boys put their all into their performance and the crowd lapped up their blend of power pop that was delivered perfectly and energetically. The majority of the audience happily danced away to all their songs, and although, much like when they supported Zebrahead, frontman James Matthews’ kept slipping into a faux-American accent but no-one seemed to mind.
After some lunch and our second visit of the day to the lovely men in the Bushmills Irish Whiskey tent it was back to the Ents24 Stage to check out Wobbly Squadron, where it seemed all the hippies at the festival had congregated. I’ve never seen anything like the act that Wobbly Squadron and it’s not the sort of music I would normally choose to listen to, but they were bloody awesome. The psychedelic funk band are a classic festival act that you could imagine stumbling across at Glastonbury in the early hours of the morning. They may be thin in the world of lyrics, they don’t really sing, but there is the occasional chant, but the lack of a vocal department is more than made up for with their use of flutes, saxophones, clarinets and funky basslines. The put on a great visual performance and their chants of “get wobbly!” really seemed to liven up the already active crowd. These guys are a very entertaining act.
Sonic Boom Six were the next band to hit the Ents24 stage, who were very different to the previous band but the crowd seemed to love them anyway. They showed themselves to be a very mature and assured live band who had pulled in a strong crowd. Frontwoman Laila K’s hair seemed brighter than ever as she confidently prowled the stage and the whole band looked very comfortable with the festival setting. Their mix of punk, rock, hip-hop and reggae just to name a few went down a treat with the Saturday afternoon crowd who seemed to be having a great time singing and dancing along with the Mancunian four-piece. I wanted to watch all of their set but it clashed with The Plight’s performance at the RockSound stage, so I decided to split it half and half. Leeds based metaller’s had the tent pretty much filled and had convinced the crowd the mixing elements of punk and metal is a great idea. The Plight genuinely seemed to be having fun and they really seemed to be lifting the crowds’ spirits and the people that were already drunk at that point were having a whale of a time dancing around like idiots. Their fast and angry sound was a hit with the crowd and there was a real sense of disappointment when the guys finished their set and left the stage.
The next band I caught were Slaves To Gravity, who much like The Plight had pulled in quite a crowd. The four lads sounded fab and are obviously in great shape to head out on tour with Brigade, who were playing the RockSound stage later that evening. Although the guys seem to be struggling in the sound department, it was very quiet in comparison to the bands I had seen earlier in the day, they carried it well, showing the crowd why they have become on of the UK’s hotly tipped bands’. Playing songs from their album ‘Scatter The Crow’ Slaves To Gravity impressed the crowd with their quality song writing, catchy hooks and impressive riffs, and my friend, well, she was just simply amused by Mark’s facial expressions.
After Slaves To Gravity it was back up to the Main Stage to see what the newly reformed Dodgy were like. We managed to catch some of their acoustic set earlier in the day and they sounded great, and had the whole crowd single along with ‘Good Enough’. However, when they were on the Main Stage they seemed to be struggling a bit. Maybe it was because I was so far back, but the sound quality was really bad, I don’t actually think it was anything to do with them, it was more the system set-up but when they played ‘Good Enough’ during their Main Stage they were drowned out by the crowd. From what I saw of their set, it was a disappointing show from a band who are hoping to make a big comeback.
We headed back to the RockSound stage to see Brigade only to find security were not letting people in, including band members who either had performed earlier that day or were performing later that night. We made it in in time to see Brigade walking off stage, so I’ll have to wait to see them on their headlining tour to hear what they’re like live. We watched Far Too Loud on the Funky End Stage for a while, who were rather loud and playing on a stage that was far too busy, and with the smell of weed strong in the air and the amount of drunks in the crowd it was clear that this was not a family friendly part of the family friendly festival. It wasn’t long before I was back at the RockSound Stage to catch Tellison, a band who I haven’t heard of before this point or maybe I just don’t remember them, either way they had plenty of people in the crowd singing along, so my ignorance is unimportant. Their songs are incredibly accessible, so even if you didn’t know them you could quite easily sing along with them, their tracks are perfect for commercial radio with plenty of “ohhs” dumped into their songs for the audience to croon along to. The four piece played their songs well and held the audience attention, they came across as a hard working band who could have the world at their feet if they stick at it.
It was soon time to head back up to the Ents24 stage where I managed to have a nice catch up with Bowling For Soup’s Erik before he had to do a signing session and hit the stage for their headlining slot. After that it was straight back down to the RockSound stage where I was hoping to catch my buddies The Ghost Of A Thousand, only to find myself once again being kept a bay for security. And again, the crowd waiting outside was allowed into the tent once they had finished their set.
After that disappointment it was up to the Main Stage to catch the legendary Blondie in action. The area in front of the stage was packed, and we couldn’t get close enough to get a great view of the band, but we could see well enough considering we hadn’t hung around there all day. They opened with ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ which went down a treat with the crowd. I wasn’t convinced by Debbie Harry’s outfit, red beret and black and white striped oversized smock top, but who am I to question a style icon. ‘One Way Or Another’ had the whole crowd singing along, which was great for the Blondie guys but I really wanted to Debbie Harry sing it, whereas she seemed more than happy to let the crowd do the work, especially in the chorus. I was expecting Blondie to be amazing, and maybe they would have been if I’d wormed my way to the front of the crowd to be fully emerged in the atmosphere, but once again, from where I was the sound wasn’t great, and the whole thing seemed to be a bit watered down.
As much as I wanted to see Blondie, I also really wanted to catch my old buddies Bowling For Soup live in action, and when I got to the Ents24 Stage they were just about to come out. As soon as they hit the stage the audience was hit by a wave of energy, BFS and their audience were much more up beat than the people at the Main Stage. Over the years I have come to expect Bowling For Soup to put on an entertaining show and to sound great, and their Guilfest performance was no exception. They made sure there was plenty of crowd interaction and had a laugh and a joke with each other on stage. The whole crowd sang along with their songs, there was plenty of dancing, chanting, cheering and screaming. Guitarist Chris entertained the troops with some funky dance moves and it was hard to tell who was having the most fun – the band or the crowd.
I was torn between watching the rest of Bowling For Soup’s set and going back to see Blondie, in the end I headed back to see Blondie, and hoped and prayed while walking across to the Main Stage that things had improved. If anything it seemed worse, after the atmosphere and sound quality at the Ents24 stage, this was a big disappointment. Debbie Harry was still more than happy to let the crowd do a lot of the vocal work, and didn’t interact with the crowd between songs, although she did look a lot better as she had removed her smock top – the style icon was back, hooray!
Saturday’s Guilfest was really good, there was a nice diversity of bands, although the comedy stage was very disappointing, I saw the compère and the first act and it was incredibly painful, so painful I refuse to write about it in detail. In short, I’ve never wanted to walk out of a comedy performance before, I did that day, and my friend fell asleep, need I say more?
My favourite act of the day was Bowling For Soup by a mile, and as much as I love those guys I never expected them to impress me more than Blondie, but I was wrong. They were the kings of Saturday Guilfest 2008.
The Rocket Summer @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
It’s The Rocket Summer second UK trip of the year, last time they were on the south coast they sold-out The Joiners, this time round they’re pretty darn close to selling out the Wedgewood Rooms.
The first band to hit the stage were my new buddies The Outline. After hearing their album a few weeks ago and hearing their promises of magic I couldn’t wait to see these guys live, but sadly disappointment was to come, there was no magic or illusions. However, they did put on a great show. They weren’t the most lively band in the world but the showed themselves to be pros at their chosen instruments. Frontman Graham Fink’s voice was as crisp and clear live as it is on the record and he proved himself to be a competent front man with a powerful voice. Considering that The Outline are still relatively unknown on our shores it was nice to see the crowd reacting so positively to them.
Next up were Mêlée who have built up a solid fanbase in the UK and it seemed like a lot of people had turned out to see them. As the guys stepped out on stage they were greeted by glass shattering screams, and the crowd wasted no time in singing and dancing along. Frontman Chris Cron was sporting some very snazzy glasses that made him look more than a little bit like Austin Powers. Cron had a very powerful voice which was a pleasure to listen to, but he also proved himself to be a music pro by playing guitar and keys. The crowd seemed to adore guitarist Rick and you could pretty much see the girls in the room falling for him a little bit more with every cheeky grin that he threw out into the crowd. While Mêlée were performing it quickly became clear to me just why so many people have been so keen to see them tour the UK. Their performance was nothing short of awesome.
It wasn’t long before The Rocket Summer bounced out on to the stage and the crowd instantly flew into a frenzy when they caught sight of Bryce Avery. It seemed that as soon as TRS started playing the crowd started jumping around and dancing. The atmosphere was electric but I did get the feeling that more people had turned out to see Mêlée. Nevertheless I cannot fault The Rocket Summer’s performance, every note was sung perfectly, every chord played beautifully.
Overall, it was a top night of live entertainment, for me The Outline and Mêlée were much, much, stronger than The Rocket Summer. I can appreciate what TRS do and why Bryce is so adored, but it’s just not my thing, this was the third time I’d seen them and once again I was impressed. The Rocket Summer definitely put on an entertaining show.
Queensrÿche @ Guildhall, Southampton
I wasn’t quite sure what expect when I entered Southampton Guildhall, Queensrÿche were pretty darn huge back in the day but I’ve never heard a great deal of their music. I’d read online that the band are joined on stage by actors, so I knew the night was going to be a little different.
It didn’t seem right to find rows of seats at a metal gig, but the stage layout was awesome and it became an instant distraction. It was made up to look like a run down back street, complete with graffiti on the “brick work”. Everyone seemed pretty mellow before the band came out, but as soon as the lights dipped the atmosphere grew. I felt like I was being brainwashed at first, watching a big screen with anti war and anti Bush message, frontman Geoff Tate then came on stage to further reiterate those views, but it wasn’t long before the music started.
The acoustics were stupidly loud, deafeningly loud, which at some points made it hard to distinguish what was going on. The first half of the show was entirely made up of tracks from ‘Operation Mindcrime’ which tells the story of a junkie called Nikki and his love for Mary, a hooker turned nun, the unfortunate thing was that while Tate and the band sounded great for most of the first half you couldn’t pick up Mary’s or should I say Pamela Moore’s mic, so all the female vocals were lost.
The majority of the crowd were on their feet singing and dancing along with the first half, the atmosphere was electric and I was thoroughly enjoying the evening even though I wasn’t familiar with Queensrÿche’s material, although at some points Tate’s over acting was nothing short of laughable.
There was a short interval, then the eighties metallers were back on stage with force, the only thing is the room was now a lot emptier. I was mystified by the missing people, as the first half was awesome, I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to leave, but that soon became obvious. To be blunt, the second half sucked, and obvious that their fans knew that ‘Operation Mindcrime part II’ was a much weaker album than the prequel.
The electric atmosphere had disappeared, now pretty much everyone that was left was sat down apart from the odd few that were rocking away. Considering the work Tate was putting into his acting his vocals were impressive, and the rhythm sections and the duel guitaring was outstanding, but as good as the band’s performance was I still found myself wishing that it would all be over, wishing that Nikki would hurry up and kill himself. I rejoiced when he did, only to find the show carrying on as he was reunited with Mary in heaven.
The only way to describe what these guys do is a metal musical, both albums were paid in entirety and told as a theatrical showpiece. A few days on and I’m still baffled as to how it went from being so good to so bad so quickly. Their act is truly original, the band deserved credit for putting a show like this together.
Innerpartysystem @ The Joiners, Southampton
There’s a good buzz around the Innerpartysystem guys at the moment with many people hailing them as the next big thing, and after hearing and loving their single ‘Don’t Stop’ there was no way I was going to miss their live show.
Innerpartysystem have an eclectic sound, so I knew before I even got to the venue that it was going to be different to your normal, run of the mill show, the first big difference to come into play was that I was watching their performance from the merch table while keeping an eye on their stock and dealing with fans/customers. Mixing genres seems to be the cool thing to do these days, and many bands make a total mess of it, luckily, Innerpartysystem is no such band. Their mix of dance, electronica and powerhouse blend together beautifully to create a wonderful musical cocktail.
Frontman Patrick Nissley hit every single note, his voice is powerful and likeable while still being warm and tender. Musically the guys sounded great, every song was so layered and textured, you would be forgiven for thinking that there was more than four of them in the band. The mingling of sounds and styles definitely gives Innerpartysystem a distinctive edge, and they have no problem mixing aggression with melody without it turning into a complete shambles.
The four guys from Pennsylvania showed the crowd exactly why there is so much hype around them, and left everyone in the room feeling like they just witnessed the start of something big.
Lenny Henry @ New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
When someone like Lenny Henry arrives in a town like Portsmouth in an intimate venue like the New Theatre Royal, it’s guaranteed to sell-out and that’s exactly what happened when Mr. Henry came to town.
Our first glimpse of Henry was via a video montage, before the man himself stepped out on stage, greeted by thunderous applause. It wasn’t long before he was scoring big laughs, and he was only getting to know his audience at this point, this was just a sign of good things to come.
As well as audience interaction, Lenny re-enacted his classic shop keeper character Neville and Neville’s family, all of which showed of his versatile voice and demonstrative body language. As well as showing off his acting skills there were also a number of musical interludes which showed him to be a talented dancer and singer.
One of the refreshing things about Lenny Henry as he knows he doesn’t need to be crude to be funny, kind of like how Will Smith knows he doesn’t have to cuss to sell records. For the most part it is a family friendly show, there’s the odd dig at Government and military policy but that’s as heavy as it gets.
Throughout his show he kept up his rapport with the audience, his tongue in cheek manner makes him come across as a loveable rogue. His pride in his large family and working class roots shine through, you can hear the genuine passion in his voice when he talks about these subjects and while it is funny, it is also touching.
Considering the span of Lenny’s career it is no mean feat that he has managed to create a show that is fresh and funny, he is a credit to the British comedy scene.
Army Of Freshmen & Zebrahead @ The Underworld, London
It would seem that I didn’t get a big enough Zebrahead fix in Southampton, as the very next day I found myself at their sold-out London show.
Zebrahead’s fellow Californians Army Of Freshmen had joined them at this show and much like their Portsmouth show, they wasted no time in getting the crowd on their side. Within seconds of the six-piece starting to play the London crowd was singing and dancing along, and with London crowds being notoriously hard to please, my hat’s off to them. One again frontman Chris Jay could be found running around the stage like a madman, getting as close to the crowd as possible and interacting with crowd in-between every track. There was one major difference between their Portsmouth show and their London show, actually two, firstly I wasn’t hammered, but more importantly the crowd sang along with and responded to their new tracks rather than staring at them blankly. The only bad thing about their set is that it was cut short because the show was over running.
Soon Zebrahead were out in force and the crowd had been suitably warmed up by AOF and as Zebrahead played you couldn’t help but notice the energy from both the band and the crowd. I did get the sense of déjà vu watching them for a second night, same jokes, same songs, although they were in a different order, but nevertheless they were still entertaining and it wasn’t so loud so their music came across a lot clearer. I’d watched their show just 24 hours earlier and it was still as fresh and impressive as it had been the first time round. Energy oozed from the stage and even when Matty cut his face the rock did not stop. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to seeing both Army Of Freshmen and Zebrahead when they come back later in the year.
Zebrahead @ The Brook, Southampton
After their success on the Get Happy Tour last year, Zebrahead came back to our fine shores for a headlining tour before playing at the mighty Download Festival.
Joining Zebrahead on tour were two of the most hotly tipped bands of the moment, Go:Audio and Sherwood. Go:Audio were the first band to hit the stage, hitting the crowd with their blend of catchy pop. The guys delivered their tracks perfectly, although every now and again singer James Matthews’ slipped into a faux-American accent. Go:Audio were very entertaining to watch, not only for their music but for drummer Andy Booth’s gurning and keyboard player Josh Wilkinson’s dance moves. If the boys proved anything at The Brook, it is that they can hold their own against bigger bands.
Next up were Sherwood, who I last saw at the House Of Blues, Orlando, what I didn’t notice in Florida is the fact that keyboardist Mike seems to be modelled on Napoleon Dynamite, which made him all the more fun to watch. Sherwood’s musicianship and strong songs soon won over the Southampton crowd and if you didn’t know better you could think that they were the headlining band. Their blend of indie pop went down a treat as they played their tracks enthusiastically, nailing every beat. Mike seemed set to break the stereotype that keyboardists are the quiet ones in the band, as he barely stood still for a second and spent the set dashing all over the place. Sherwood are a great live band who demand your attention while they’re performing.
It wasn’t long until headliners Zebrahead came bounding out on stage, greeted by deafening screams and applause, and it seemed like a vast majority of the upstairs audience had squeezed into the downstairs room just to be close to the guys. Although there was now barely enough room to swing a cat downstairs the crowd soon started dancing and jumping around to the music. Their music was delivered with style and passion, the crowd eagerly sang along with every word. Within their set the Zebrahead guys showed the crowd exactly why they’ve had such a long career, not only do they have likeable songs but they are all delivered with power and conviction. The only down point about their set was that the speakers had been cranked up so loud that sometimes the sound coming out of them seemed distorted. Other than that it was an awesome show and I can’t fault anyone’s performance, but I can say that the part the girls in the room enjoyed the most was Ali taking his top off, he could easily feature in Heat’s Torso of the Week.
Army Of Freshmen @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Friends of the site Army Of Freshmen are in the country on their first headlining UK tour, so when they rolled into Portsmouth there was no way that we were going to miss it.
I was looking forward to seeing the boys play a full set and it seemed the crowd was to, as everyone waited excitedly for the band to come on stage. There was it good atmosphere in the room, which was helped by the six Army Of Freshmen guys mingling with their fans and enjoying a few beers before their set.
It wasn’t long before they were live onstage looking very a home and happy in their role as headliners. Frontman Chris Jay bounced around the stage, hitting every note and taking the time to interact with the crowd, making sure they were having as much fun as he was. The Army Of Freshmen had an infectious energy and everyone in the room seemed to be having a good time, and only a few tracks were played before a giant pair of pants found their way on to the stage before being draped over Owen’s mic stand. & | |
