Live Shows Part 4

Finishing off 2013 with a trip to the HMV Institute in Birmingham to see the Australian Hard Rock band Airbourne! Ever since hearing 'Diamond In The Rough' back in 2007 I have been absolutely hooked on this band! When hearing them for the first time every one asks the same thing:

When did AC/DC release a new album?

Granted their music does sound similar, but Airbourne expand on their musical range they don't just stick to the traditional blues notes like AC/DC.

I first saw them supporting Iron Maiden in 2012 and the only word I can use to describe this band is 'ELECTRIC'.

Joel O'Keeffe front lines the band, running around the stage climbing up on the set and keeping the energy high throughout.

Back to the night in question, the bands introduction music was a loud siren with a airplane engine booming in the back ground. The vibrations flooded through the room, causing the floor to feel like it was moving I honestly thought we were all going to end up going through the floor before this gig even started!

When the curtain dropped and the opening guitar riff to  'Ready To Rock' came through the Marshall amps I instantly new we were in for one hell of a show!. The crowd began jumping and going wild, beer went flying through the air it was a proper Rock gig!

What I specifically love in Airbourne songs are the break downs in the centre, leaving Joel to work his White Explorer and interact with the crowd. During the gig he ended up leaving the stage and making his way up onto the Venues Balcony where he drew out a long solo which was incredible!

But credit where credit is due, I can't forget the other band members Joel's brother Ryan O'Keeffe, David Rhodes and Justin Street they each played their own individual parts head banging through all of the songs and keeping the energy high.

Finally I am eager to say I am going to see Airbourne again! Tomorrow! As they are touring with Black Stone Cherry, so I am ecstatic to say the least. So this is a band I highly recommend for any of you reading to go and see!

2014! 

What a year for live shows! Kicking off the year to see the support band of Airbourne, The Treatment at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton (Love this venue!). 

From watching them live a couple of months prior I have very few bad words to say about the group. I am happy to say they are a new British Rock 'N' Roll band, as there are few now taking on the baton so to say from the past bands such as Guns N Roses, White Snake, Bon Jovi, Metallica. 

I must say I am a very traditional Hard rock, Heavy Metal girl, I can't stand the new 'So called rock and metal bands' who scream down the microphone like a five year old having a temper tantrum. I can't deal with it, it makes me cringe! You probably know who I'm talking about. 

But it is safe to say The Treatment are highly approved!

The vocalist is a fantastic lead, his voice is perfect for the sound the band are going for. He commanded the stage moving around interacting with the crowd. The bassist 'Swoggle' was the most energetic within the group constantly moving around the stage and even climbing up on top of the amp stack! I thought he and the amps where going to fall on me as I was stood next to them! The lead guitarist wasn't as energetic as the others and didn't interact with the crowd much however his guitar work makes you forget all about that. 

Finishing off the group as a whole sell themselves extremely well. Their hard rock vibe comes across from the opening track of their set resulting in a great up beat show. They will be one to look out for in the near future.

New album 'Running With The Dogs' 

Right who is next? 

'DIRTY DC'

Dirty DC are a Tribute band to of course AC/DC! Back in March I went to the rock club The Robin 2 in Wolverhampton. Thank fully they had decided to relay new carpet so I wasn't stood all night riding the invisible bicycle! 

People have their own views on tribute bands, Some like them some don't. I however do, but only when they're done right. And I would say for sure Dirty DC did their idols justice. As I have been unfortunate to see AC/DC as of yet Dirty DC allowed me to actually hear some of my all time favourite tracks played live instead of through my stereo. 

Out of ten I would give them a strong 9. They performed all the greatest tracks such as: High Way To Hell', 'Back In Black', 'Whole Lotta Rosie', 'The Jack' and 'Shoot To Thrill'. 'Brian Johnson' hit all the notes perfectly sounding as if he had just come out of recording the 'Back In Black Album'. And Angus drew out his guitar solos until there wasn't a note left he hadn't used. 

The major highlight of the night had to be the last song, finishing off with 'For Those About To Rock'. Still dancing around after midnight, slightly drunk just topped off a fantastic night. I never wanted the show to end. I could of happily carried on watching them till the sun rose. 

That's all for this part, thank you for reading!

Lissy.C

Live Shows Part 3

2013 started off with a British band renowned for their unique sound, political views and well reviewed live shows. I am of course talking about Skunk Anansie!

Back in March 2013 at the Wolverhampton Civic I went to watch Skin lead out her fellow band members and put on one of the best sounding shows vocally and musically I have been too. Her voice is just superb and one on its own! As she belted out the big hits such as 'Weak', 'hedonism' and 'Twisted (every day hurts) the roof metaphorically blew off. The whole crowd got behind all of the tracks Jumping, clapping and singing along. But could that of partially been due to the booze?

Skin also joined us on floor by crowd surfing during 'Little Baby Swastika'. I was stood just to the left as she came past the middle of the room. After she was put back down she stayed in the crowd during the song kneeling on the floor enticing everyone else to get down projecting the lyrics 'Who put the little Baby Swastika on the wall?' It was brilliant! Almost as good as the dingy on the crowd during the Rammstein concert.

Moving on, highlights of the show! Most definitely hearing 'My Ugly Boy'. It was one of my favourite songs off of the newest album. The way she sung it made you feel every lyric of the song. Also 'I believed in you', the line 'Would you do me the favour go slit your skinny throat' is so sadistic it's moving. It sets the tone to the song and the raw emotion behind it. It's fantastic!

Unfortunately their not a constant touring band so when they do play shows you have to grab a ticket as quickly as possible and trust me you need to see these guys live or you'll regret it!

I had a long spell of no concerts until December 2013 when I went to see Avenged Sevenfold with my best friend Chloe (who I have already mentioned in a past post). I know I go from one political band to and another political band! 

However Avenged Sevenfold are a much more darker and heavier sounding band which I love. I really love a heavy bass line and fast guitar riffs that get your head nodding and fists pumping in the air. 

The first time I ever listened to Avenged Sevenfold was when the song 'Nightmare' was released. I was listening to it in the car thinking it was James Hetfield singing! But no it was M Shadows. That was when I first fell in love with Sinister Gates' clean guitar work that had you clinging to every note just wanting to hear more!

They also picked a phenomenal support act in Five Finger Death Punch! Hearing songs such a 'Hard to see', cover of 'Bad Company and 'The Bleeding' were like throw backs for me.

•  For example when you haven't heard a song you used to love for a very long time.

Surprising me immensely was how good Ivan Moody's voice was live! His voice was so clear and in tune I was shocked. But it just made their set even better. 

They are another band which I would love to see as a full set in the future!

Back to Avenged Sevenfold, Three words:

• Fire
• Skulls
• More fire!

Opening up the show with the newest single 'Shepard of Fire' set the place jumping. From where I was in the stands I watched everyone on the floor jumping around to the beat and cheering loudly. They brilliantly mixed the song into the second 'Critical Acclaim'. For me that was a highlight of the night hearing that song played. It is an extremely political song when you sit down and actually listen to the words M Shadows is saying, it's brilliant.

Through the set they mixed up the songs performing dark metal tracks, 'Nightmare and 'Doing time' to the more emotional songs in memory of the late drummer such as 'Dear God' and 'Seize the day'. The manipulation between them all was excellent it was as if they knew exactly what the crowd wanted to hear next. And that is the number one priority, entertain your crowd, keep them happy because they are the ones paying good money to watch you put on a show!

Finally I would like to mention the solos in the middle of the concert with Sinister and the new drummer they were fantastic. As you probably know from my earlier posts I am a huge Slash fan, his guitar work blows my mind but Sinister is right up there with him. His sheer skill and talent on the guitar is timeless, he runs up on down that fret board a mile a minute and doesn't even bat an eyelash and all the notes come out clear as day. No mess ups or stutters just utterly clean music played phenomenally.  

Like most bands I see I always say 'Yes I would go and see them again'. And this show was no different!

Thank you for reading guys! Hope you enjoyed it Part 4 will be up tomorrow!

Lissy.C

Live Shows Part 2

Looking back through the bands I have seen live I have underestimated the thought of making this topic a two part blog post, I think it needs to be more of a 4 Part blog post! I really want to give each band I have seen a review and not leave any of the great experiences I have had over the last few years out.

I also wanted to write about the bands I have seen in the past as I am about to jump right back into concert season at the end of this month, and what an exciting season I am about to dive into. But before I get ahead of myself which I tend to do a lot, let me rewind to 2012.

In October 2012 I went to see Nickelback at the NIA with one of my best friends Chloe. The NIA is one of my favourite venues as the surround sound is impeccable, wherever you choose to stand the fierce sound creeps into every corner of the hall. The actual performance itself from Nickelback was brilliant. They opened the set with the new song at the time 'This means war', as soon as the music started the crowd roared and began jumping around and dancing to the beat of the track. Cleverly they blended the song out and into 'Something in your Mouth' from the Dark Horse album.

The band drifted through the set producing hard hitting Rock tracks with powerful base lines and unforgettable guitar riffs to the softer rock track ballads such as 'Lullaby', 'Photograph' and 'Never gonna be alone'.

Chad and the boys interacted with crowd very well firing beer into the fans during 'Bottoms up' and having the crowd sing parts of the song 'How you remind me' which of course every Nickelback fan knows.

But listening to some of the fans around me I heard them wanting more songs from the Dark Horse Album, which I partially agree with. However the guys did put together an awesome set list , I was only unfamiliar with one track near the end.

Finally highlights of the night were indeed them playing 'Animals' and encoring with 'Burn It To The Ground' what a way to end a great show!

As mentioned in an earlier blog post I did go and see Slash live with Myles Kennedy for his Apocalyptic Love tour. When asked if I wanted to see the show I jumped at the chance to go, how could I refuse? 

Slash renowned for his impeccable talents on the guitar, selling out gigs with Guns N Rose's, Velvet Revolver and Slash's Snakepit. 

Myles Kennedy joining the band formally known as Creed with Mark Tremonti to create a the new  rock band called 'Alterbridge.' 

The Album Apocalyptic Love for me was okay it wasn't outstanding but it had some good tracks. You could tell Slash and Myles were only just beginning to find there feet with mixing their two sounds together. However the show was still epic, Myles Kennedy sounds even better live then on CD. His voice is so raw with incredible range I don't think there is a song on Earth that he could not sing. Taking on Gun's N Roses' songs that Axel Rose made universally known is a tough feat but he handled them with such experience that the songs sounded as if they were wrote for him to sing. 

Listing only a few highlights of the show is extremely difficult, not because the show didn't have any but the exact polar opposite there was too many to trim down:

'Mean Bone' 

'Rocket Queen'

'Halo'

'Slither'

'Night Train'

'Sweet Child 'o' Mine'

'Paradise City'

'Back from Cali'

'Standing in the sun' 

These are the tracks that stood out for me as the whole crowd got involved. They sung, jumped, danced and enjoyed a classic show which left you wanting more at the end. But credit where credit is due the other band members:

Frank Sidoris: Rhythm guitar, moved around the stage well, didn't interact with the crowd much but I put that to the fact he is young and is still learning what to, and what not to do on stage. Plus he is on stage with Slash! The ultimate guitar hero! But he is musically perfect!

Todd Kerns: Bassist, excellent with the crowd, he spurs them on when they cheer and gets the crowd clapping to the big hits. Also when I saw him he sung 'Dr Alibi' and 'We're all gonna Die'. With honesty his voice is pretty good, he hit all the notes and made the songs his own.

'Brent Fitz' Drummer. Drummers always interest me in rock shows as I never know if they're having a good time or not because I can never see them when I am at the arenas as they are hidden behind their equipment. But Brent kept the fast beat going through the show and never lost timing once. I also loved his solo in the middle of the show with Slash.  

I sincerely look forward to their upcoming World on Fire tour which I am attending, at the LG Arena of course! I will be the one wearing Black Spike Dr Marten's on my feet and pink pieces in my hair more than likely screaming 'I Love You Myles' at the stage. (Says with a guilty grin.)

Well that is all for part 2 Live Shows. Next blog post it will be the year 2013, look out for Skunk Anansie, Airbourne, Avenged Seven fold and more!

 Thank you for reading it means a lot, till next time...

Lissy.C

Live Shows Part 1

Whats better, listening to your favorite band on CD/Ipod or listening to them live?

Of course it is live! 

The excitement I get when hearing the Marshall amps warming up in the background and the drums sounding out around the venue I am standing in just gives me goose bumps. But the best feeling by far is when the band come out and hit that first note setting the tone for whole show.  

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I found out my first Rock concert was going to be 'KISS!' I remember walking into the LG Arena in Birmingham, not fully knowing what to expect. But I remember looking around and seeing fans walking around in full KISS make up, (those are the hard core fans!) it was epic.

Nothing compares to a KISS show, as they say; 'YOU WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST.' Their Show was nothing short of incredible! Gene Simmons the fore front entertainer, fire breathing and blood spitting all over the stage, Paul Stanley's smoking guitar and Eric Singer levitating over the stage on his drum kit shooting rockets across the stage. The only disappointing thing was I never got to see Ace Frehley.

I can't wait for the next time I get to see them live!

I have also saw The Cult, twice. Wolverhampton Civic in my opinion is still one of my favorite venues to hear live music. Any way back to The Cult, not as in your face as KISS but the sound from Billy Duffy's white Falcon is immense. The crowd always goes wild to hear 'She Sells Sanctuary' and 'Love Removal Machine' (my favorite Cult song). The second time I saw the band play it was on their Electric 13 tour, and The Electric album is my number one rank album from the band hits such as: 'Electric Ocean', 'Wild flower' and 'L'il Devil' were unbelievable to hear live. I am definitely going to see them again hopefully next year!

Back to my Heavy Metal roots I went to see Iron Maiden in 2012 on their 'Final Frontier' tour. I will let you into a little know fact. My dad actually told me the tickets had sold out when I asked if we could go I was upset. But secretly he had already bought them for my birthday, so when I opened my card on my fifteenth birthday I literally burst into tears, embarrassing I know. 

The show was phenomenal and the support band Airbourne became a favorite of mine (Talk about them later)! Bruce Dickinson was the highlight of the night. He did not stop running around once! Also the vocals were still on point, but he didn't have to sing much as the crowd sung along loudly with the band. 

Eddie also made an appearance in the show twice! The stage work that went into the set was superb! 

I don't know if I will see them again but I hope so! And I will be dragging everyone who hasn't seen them with me as it is a must see band at least once! 

RAMMSTEIN! 

This German Heavy Metal band are impossible to describe. Any time someone asks me what my favorite concert was the first words out of my mouth are always, Rammstein:

Musically: PHENOMENAL!

Stage set up: INCREDIBLE!

On stage antics: Enough fire to melt Antarctica! 

I saw Rammstein at the LG Arena and I was sat near the back. But the sound that filled the arena, shook the ground under my feet! And hit me so hard in the chest! Also the heat radiating from the stage still left its mark after I left the building. 

Hits such as 'Links 2,3,4', 'Du Hast', 'Freur Frei' and 'Ich Vil' had the crowd jumping, punching their fists in the air and singing out the lyrics. I never knew I could sing so much in German! 

But to conclude if you ever have the chance to see this band live, take it, take that ticket and run! You will not be disappointed.

 Thanks for reading my Live show history part 1, much appreciated.

Lissy.C

New Music

 After having mixed emotions about the 'Apocalyptic Love' album in 2012, Rock legend Slash needed to make a jaw dropping return with the Hard Rock album 'World On Fire'. So when September the 15th rolled around and I finally got to listen to the 'World On Fire' album in full, I could officially say I wasn't disappointed! 

The opening track 'World On Fire' produced one of the greatest sounds I have ever heard coming from Slash's signature Les Paul. The sound was so raw and distinct it set the tone for the rest of the album. But not all the praise should be directed in Slash's direction as the vocals from Myles Kennedy were superb. The way Myles manipulates a song and interjects lyrics with such meaning and definition is prodigious.

Through out the album there are so many stand out tracks but for me my top three are: 'World On Fire', '30 Years To Life', and 'The Dissident'. The track '30 Years To Life' is very hard hitting, it actually makes you listen to what is being said. Myles Kennedy has a incredible gift for putting lyrics together to add substance and meaning to a song. 'The Dissident' is also a stand out track for me as Slash is putting a modern twist on his music ever so slightly, but he of course is still keeping it Rock N Roll! 

I for one am extremely looking forward to see Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators again on their UK tour in December. (Don't miss it!) 

'STRUT!' That is all I have to say after listening to Lenny Kravitz's new album. The king of funk rock is back after four years of working on movies and his acting career. Kravitz has always been one of my favorite music artists, the way he incorporates Soul and R&B into either a rock or hard rock track is fresh. He is very original and unique and his new album 'Strut' shows what Lenny Kravitz is all about. 

The album took him two weeks to write, while on the set of his latest movie. He then went to record it in his private studio in the Bahamas. (I know wouldn't we all love to have our own private music studio in the Bahamas!) Kravitz is now gearing up for his world tour. His only UK date is at Wembley Arena 6th of December, which luckily I am going to! Watching him perform 'Strut', 'American Woman' and of course 'Are you gonna go my way' is going to be electric! It is going to be one hell of a Rock N Roll show! 

Finally I thought I would talk about a new Rock band 'Royal Blood'. I first heard of them on Planet Rock (Every rock listeners favourite radio station). They are a British two piece band from Brighton who formed in 2013. Their sound is a mix of modern garage rock and blues rock. Who knew a rock band could make it big without an electric guitar! That's right only a bass guitar and drum kit between them. 

Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher will be two musicians to look out for in the near future. But if you're interested in checking these guys out take a listen to ...

'Figure it out'

'Come on over'

'Little Monster' 

Lissy. C