Gigs
Heaven’s Basement @ The Borderline
Jan 21st
21st December 2012
As a little pre-Christmas gift from Heaven’s Basement, the boys decided to put on a donation only charity gig for Teenage Cancer Trust at The Borderline. Fresh from recording out in LA post signing a deal (hurrah!!! Finally!!!), they took this opportunity to test out some of their new material. Although, not before the supports had sufficiently warmed up the crowd.
Raven Vandelle
Raven Vandelle are a brummy Alt-Rock band who like a good detuned guitar riff or two. Songs were solid and the vocalist was pretty, good blasting out some impressive highs and rocker growls, yet there was something missing. The sparks failed to ignite their songs, as it felt everytime they should have cranked up one more notch, a slow grooved melodic guitar solo appeared. Mostly mid tempo was where they were at their best, but their lack of urgency faltered them. Promise shown, a little more work on the live set required.
Dear Superstar
A ha…Dear Superstar…we meet again! It was third time lucky tonight as i confess to really enjoying their set. Probably because their cocky front man got down to doing what he’s employed to do, sing! Less posing and more power in both their ethos and guitar work has paid dividends. Kicking in some flashy duelling guitar lines while retaining a melodic post-hardcore feel, gave their new songs a lift, showing them to be a pretty damn good rock muscle machine. Vast improvements have been shown by this band, their transformation is remarkable.
Dear Superstar
Back from LA, the laid back sunshine state has taken away none of their enthusiasm as they fire straight back into action with Tear Your Heart Out, leading the charge. The venue had filled up considerably as a swollen sea of faces had arrived for doesitrock.net favourites Heaven’s Basement. Fledgling singer Aaron has come along way since his last performance. He was assured, confident and assertive as he strutted around stage with vigour and purpose (he even managed a stage dive late on). But yet again his vocals didn’t feel strong enough to overpower a Marshall backed assault, yet through the softer moments his voice shined (despite his hair not resembling a cross between Toploader and the hair bear bunch).
Heaven’s Basement
The most surprising vocals of the night go to superstar axe man Sid Glover (who’s up for a Pure Rawk Award 2012 alongside Drummer Chris Rivers!!), when his snarling tongue got to grips with the sleazy thunder roaring number Paranoia. I would even go so far as to say they were best vocals of the night! Backing this claim he sung another new tune brilliantly, showcasing his vocal prowess even further.
Sid Glover
The new tunes aired this evening had a definite bluesy swagger to them, such as the slightly oddball lyric’d Green Elephant. Its foot stomping riffs and soaring vocals showed a slightly more mature sound…although the flaring guitar solo was unmistakably another HB classic.
Aaron Buchanan
So their new songs sound great, their image has been overhauled, they have signed a record deal with Red Bull Records, their live shows are as kick ass as ever…finally the Heaven’s Basement boys are starting to fulfill their potential. Look out! As they ready themselves to unleash a well overdue assault on the UK Hard Rock crown!
Frank Turner @ Hammersmith Apollo
Jan 7th
27th November 2011
Two very different acts were in the supporting bill this evening, one mellow one manic! The beautiful Aussie folk of Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo was up first. 4 striking ladies stood caressing evocative melodies from their instruments of choice. Most combinations of cello violin and guitar and voices are bound to be harmonious and these girls were no exception. Their catchy little tunes were rather good easy listening ditty’s, pleasing all the plus ones in the house (of which there were many). The second support was a swing in the opposite direction, towards Turner’s younger anarchic punk days. Not one for the faint hearted/un-initiated.
Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo
Against Me! proclaimed as one of Frank’s most idolised punk bands came out kicking and screaming with all gun blazing making one hell of a guitar fuelled storm. Their recent records have been polished pop rock efforts with soarer chorus’s…tonight it was back to their punk roots as they barely took breath between songs all night. They crammed an improbable amount of high octane material into the set, providing a rockin’ runaway train which never stopped a rollin’.
Their fast, loud and loose ethic was the polar opposite of Barker that initially only engaged the hardcore punk fraternity stage front. By the end, even those plus ones were toe tapping (well some of them…generally while covering their ears).
As this is the fifth time of watching Frank, You would think I’d pretty much covered all of what he has to offer. Granted the usual courageous chorus of crowd voices singing every word was here in full force, as was his beautifully honest sentiment and superbly arranged live versions. For tonight I’m focusing on what was different and new in his repertoire, the evolution which keeps his band of followers coming back for more.
Not content to sit back on his laurels frank has continually improved his shows and his songs. He aired a new unreleased song called Cowboy Chords just because he thought it was time to play it. It was an emotional and sparce tune set to one acoustic guitar that showed off his prolific songwriting spirit and desire to play live music! His reworking of old tune Fathers Day was beautifully poignant and desolate, more in line with the sombre lyrical content.
Frank Turner
As expected he plucked a fair few tunes from his latest album, songs which were destined for venues such as this. Huge arrangements of multi-instrumental melodies were frequently backed by Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo adding a soft backing chorus of sweet vocals. Against Me! Even joined in on Franks atheist gospel song Glory Glory Hallelujah. This song was probably the biggest polarising point of the night. His spirited speech on religion (or non-religion in his case), was rather preachy, almost as if he was here to convert the fans to his beliefs.
He told us of him sitting outside on the steps of this very venue, dreaming of playing it one day. Usually this ‘I was like you’ nonsense is nothing more than a ploy to get the crowd in their corner. But with Frank I am absolutely inclined to believe him. He does not mix his words, and the ones he chooses are straight from the heart. He came…he rocked…he conquered Hammersmith.
Rise Against, The Nightwatchman @ Brixton Academy
Dec 11th
9th November 2011
Set against the foreboding backdrop of social inequality, student protests. grave economic uncertainty & growing Occupy movements. Tonight’s Brixton Academy line-up was about as fitting as they come! Headliners Rise Against, themselves bastions of a free and just society, were mere pretenders when faced with the politically prosed legends due to support their good cause on stage tonight.
Polar Bear Club
Polar Bear Club despite not falling into this category, did remarkably well at packing the venue by a little after doors. They had the soaring melodies to pack a big punk punch, but the vocals were slightly too distorted from where I was standing. This assured performance was met with equal amounts of love and indifference (split down the age divide).
The Nightwatchman
No sooner than reports of his earlier exploits of playing impromptu songs on the steps of St. Pauls for the gathered Occupiers, were streaming off the Evening Standard printers. All round political warrior and guitar hero Tom Morello stepped out to a bulging Brixton crowd as his acoustic wielding alter-ego The Nightwatchman. Singing self proclaimed ‘World Wide Rebel Songs‘ Tom was an enigmatic presence towering over his pointed folk rock. The tunes themselves were as simple and catchy as campfire ditty’s with the crowd being given sing-a-long moments at a rapid fire pace.
Special Guest Billy Bragg
Tom even invited a few special guests to sing alongside him onstage. Both Tim & Zach of Rise Against and a man he was clearly overwhelmed by, British political punk poet legend Billy Bragg. With only a handful of morello signature guitar solos and a single taking from RATM’s Renegade’s (Ghost of Tom Joad) this was the Nightwatchman’s night.
Rise Against
Rise Against returned as a full compliment to almighty roars from the stoked up fans. Their punk rock left no room for seatbelts tonight. This was a full tilt exhilarating parade of powerful guitars, infectious chorus chants and sublime melodies. The sound inside the academy tonight was truly gigantic, often drowning out the husky throaty rasps of vocalist Tim McIlrath .
Picking the setlist from albums new to old in equal measure, they pleased every gathered face in abundance. Proving their hardcore roots, they threw in plenty of relentlessly paced circle pit igniters such as Heaven Knows and Survive alongside more recent pop glossed offerings Architects and Satellite.
To their credit Rise Against were not preachy, yet they spoke with gusto and a collective enigmatic spirit that filled the heart with pride and honour. This was none more evident than on the acoustic double header of Swing Life Away and the poignant anti-war anthem Hero of War. The latter sparked an almighty emotional crowd outpouring of voices, minds and love.
If only every crowd were as joyous, if every line-up as committed to the good fight, the world would be a much better place for all. Not to mention one that truly rocks!
Dananananaykroyd @ KCSU
Nov 26th
4th November 2011
It was with mixed feelings the DiR crew squeezed themselves into the already packed lift, ascending to the fifth floor of Kings College Student Union. We knew what to expect. A performance that no doubt would widen smiles and spark widespread indiscriminate hapiness. Yet we also knew this would be the last time we would ever get the chance to see one of thebest and most chaotic live bands to grace these pages.
Dananananaykroyd‘s decision to break-up was a huge hammer blow, but at least this farewell tour was a final opportunity to bid a fond Bon voyage.
Never a band to disappoint, they played tonight like any other, without a hint of sadness or regret. Their razor sharp guitar lines were tighter than ever as they wildly swung between super complex melodic post hardcore riffing to stonking great crashes of noise rock power. Their duelling lead singers ensured their self proclaimed genre tag ‘Fight Pop’ was alive and well as they traded lyrics, slam style, doubling up to add extra clout to the spiralling sock rocking walls of amp clatter.
Songs taken from New album there is a way sounded almost as good as their debut counterparts tonight. The jerking vocals of Time Capsule, esctatic instrumental Reboot, super pop melodied Muscle Memory and the sprightly jagged edges of Think & Feel. Old favourites were as exhilerating as ever with the likes of rock-a-holic Pink Sabbath, mixed up frantic fretmeister The Greater Symbol & The Hash and the unforgetable jangle pop gem Black Wax
Danana…(Yes…I have shortened it) are all for the shared joyous gig experience. To such extent that after spotting some overly enthusiastic fans, clearly guilty of disruptive anti-social behaviour, they singled out the pair and instructed they go find a private room to go ‘do whatever you want to get out all your energy’. The innuendo sparked giggles and a red faced duo to retreat, tail between legs. Of course their pot called the kettle black when they spontaneously launched into crowd surfs. At least they apologised for any limb flailing contact.
The night would not have been complete without their trademark instigation, a ‘Wall of Cuddles‘. The love spreading take on the wall of death. Finding yourself in the midst of a mad impromptu manly hug-a-thon with complete and total strangers, can only happen when Danana are in town.
Rounding the night off with a rousing performances of Pink Sabbath & Some Dresses, the lights went down on Danana for the last time, Leaving on a high as they soaked up their massively earned applause! They shall be sorely missed! Farewell Dananananaykroyd!
The Rapture @ KoKo
Nov 18th
3rd November 2011
For a band of The Raptures influence, widespread appeal and substantial fan base it was with confusion that we arrive in Camden tonight. For we were not headed to The Roundhouse, neither The Electric Ballroom. Instead we’re greeted with the words ‘Sold Out’ plastered over the foyer of KoKo as we sought refuge from the harshly precipitous London Skies. This venue seems to get smaller with every visit and tonight was no different, stocked to the guilds with disco Derek’s and indie Irene’s. As it turns out the venue and the supply of reasonably priced (& chilled) beer were not the only things in short supply tonight.
The non publishing of their ‘Special Guests’ certainly got the crowds in early with the possibility of a one off unmissable performance. Not until you are over the threshold and beyond the ‘No Re-Entry’ signs is the secret revealed. The special name emblazoned on the lineup posters read…’Citizens’. Who? Clearly this was a shameless attempt by KoKo to get the punters in. As much as I like to bait the HMV Forum, at least they always display the set times outside. plus their beer is somehow cheaper and not poured haphazardly from lukewarm cans.
Citizens
After hearing Citizens soft high pitched vocalist from the bar I was surprised to find a bloke camouflaged as 80′s retro wallpaper. His homeogenous vocals fit their simple but uncannily catchy electro melodies and energised indie pop. Youthful and fresh, these guys music was mature way beyond their juvenile years. Combining uplifting melodies and repeatum clean guitar riffs they put in a solid performance.
The Rapture
From the get go, The Rapture‘s effortlessly cool vibes washed over the gently swaying crowds. Their sharpened clattering post punk guitar riffs combined with the kind of drumlines which tap subliminally into your feet, forcing them to dance dance dance!
New material was well received, it’s poppy angles and hook heavy vocal harmonies sending rolling waves of laid back coolness. The age old indie weapon, ‘the cow bell’ was particularly effective tonight at getting us all to strut our funky stuff.
It was the older classics which packed the most clout with The Gang if Four styled Echoes, party starter Whoo! Alright – Yeah…Uh Huh and the House of Jealous Lovers that gave birth to the cool indie dance-punk machine.
It was soon after these got their plays that The Rapture retired for a ‘well earned’ break. A 45 minute set…ok, that’s cool because that irritating poster said its a 2 hour performance. One song later and the sound of dismayed punters was clearly audible over the PA as the lights went up and we got booted out! Now I’ve been to quite a few of these shindigs before and I know 51 minutes for a headline set is pretty damn short! With a stunned feeling of injustice burning deep inside we headed for home.
The Rapture despite their shortened efforts formed a fantastic pocket of cool disco inflected indie in Camden tonight.
Ash @ The Forum
Nov 6th
26th October 2011
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”…or so the story goes….
The Virginmarys
Tonight’s opeing gambit came courtesy of The Virginmarys. A bluesy vagabond trio plying stoked rock and roll wringing every drip of power and energy from their instrumental weapons of choice. Varying the pace between slow acoustic fables, mid tempo romper stompers and fiery riffed guitar free for all’s, this highly addictive set was nicely balanced. With only one guitar, frontman Ally Dickaty both enthralled with his flaming blues licks, overdriven clattered chords and instantly lovable melodies. With attack, restraint and raw blues pop power in equal measure, this trio gave their all in the name of rock and roll.
Top Drums
Futures, a much hyped pop-punk band felt somewhat stunted in their reply. Their polished pop rock was well crafted, shiny and skirted with Coldplay-esque stadium ambitions. Yet it all felt a little too pedestrian despite the three guitars on show. Their radio hawking melodies were mostly forgettable over which the vocals were barely audible.
Futures
This support battle was won and lost on the drummers stool! “A Tale of Two Drummers“, so to speak. One steam rolled through his set inflicting full blooded smashes, thrashing the skins to within an inch of their lives. The other sat calmly, looking cool, knockin out ‘rock band’ 1-2-1-2 beats without a whiff of passion. The Viginmarys triumph from this particular tale while Futures are left to face the guillotine of defeat.
Ash…incoming
As an Ash veteran, I was thrilled on the announcement of tonight’s Free All Angels show. It was a corking album which takes me back to younger summers, played in full no less + greatest hits (no a-z nonsence, phew!). To top that off we also are treated to a return to the Ash stage, of former axe slinging princess, Charlotte Hatherley!
Charlotte Hatherley
They wasted no time in small talk tonight. Straight on with the trio of knockout of tunes which lead off Free All Angels, feelgood punker Walking Barefoot, Sing your heart out Shining Light and the irrepressible Burn Baby Burn. “Not a bad start to an album hey…”, remarks flying v armed frontman, Tim Wheeler. Even If he says so himself.
Tim Wheeler
But then, I got that immediate wake up call, telling me that the highlights have been and gone after only 10 minutes.
Yet a top form’ ‘full fat’ dual guitared Ash threw themselves into every tune, even sparking mini crash pits with the furious punk combo of Shark and Pacific Palisades plus sparking mass soppyness with ballads Someday and There’s A Star. They managed to maintain the euphria from track 1 through 12 an impressive feat.
Wrapping up the album section they dived off, only to return with even more vigour and purpose. Their Greatest Hits set was even better than what came before. Tim was basking in the crowds reflective energy while fiery haired Charlotte looked like she was having a blast being back in front of the faithful. We can only hope for a permanent return, but On the strength of tonight’s show, there might be a chance…maybe?
Throwing in an extended run of classics including Girl From Mars. Oh Yeah, Orpheus, A Life Less Ordinary and a cool cover of Teenage Kicks. They clearly overran curfew when returning for a second encore, not that there were any complaints mind you. This ensure no classic was left unaired as Kung Fu rounded the night out… kicking and screaming in its pop rock magnificence. A masterful set from a live band who never, never, never, disappoint!
The Joy Formidable, And So I Watch You From Afar @ The Forum
Oct 25th
14th October 2011
We were back at one of our favourite stomping grounds tonight for a show that’s come as the result of an accelerated rise through the indie rock ranks in 2011, The Joy Formidable. They brought along a packed support line-up, the first of which we missed out on. Oddly all support bands had the same length sets. Now I’m all for equal opportunities but the hierarchy of set times is one right that needs to be built over time with rising popularity, not assigned through an arbitrary all inclusive policy.
The Dig
Nevertheless despite a shortlived uprising, we were stuck with The Dig for 30 arduous minutes of heavily reverbed, surf styled, trendy indie scene dross which barely managed to keep us awake, let alone entertain us. Credit is due though to their final song which perked up a wholly dull performance from these Abercrombie NYC residents, rescuing it from the jaws of defeat just in the nick of time, a la Jack Bauer. Ready to make a bigger impact in their 30 minutes were tonight’s ‘sub-headliners’ (a moot title), And So I Watch You From Afar…
And So I Watch You From Afar
ASIWYFA are an interesting beast. An instrumental guitar band who like to blur the boundaries between rock, post-rock and prog on their album releases. Tonight regardless of genre classifications they had their serious rocking hat on a they blasted through the standout first 4 tracks of their blistering new album Gangs. The instrumental virtuosity was sublime with some of the most complicated interweaved sections played on two guitars standing on opposite ends of the stage. Standout tune 7 Billion People All Alive At Once leveraged plenty of huge rugged breakdowns beautifully complimenting their more melancholic guitar lines and soaring soundscopic effects. Playing both the beauty and the beast bears no problem for this superbly talented band. Despite being on top form tonight, they seemed to have some slight technical issues, which may or may not have been the cause of their sound being way below the 11 they’d clearly love to tune their amp dials to. An epic journey of prog infused melodic phrasing and hard hitting raw power, one nobody wanted to alight from.
Suddenly out of the cold Kentish Town night, a small Cornish seafront village has appeared on stage, complete with its own crashing waves, boat and operational 10ft lighthouse. It was set for headliners The Joy Formidable (I’ve clearly missed the whole maritime link here). First impressions were…where is the lead singer? I then proceeded to rise on tip toes and located the vertically challenged female firecracker who’s beautiful vocals mixed up stunning power and a subtle fragility. This trio certainly packed a punch with some tremendously thunderful drumming and overwhelming crashing guitars (akin to a stormy sea perhaps? I know…I’m fishing for a connection).
The Joy Formidable
Only having a single LP to your name on one hand is a good thing. Everybody knows what’s instore! The finest tunes from their debut all got a great live reception including the electro stormer A Heavy Abacus, a potently tormented I Don’t Want To See You Like This and the remarkable sound collision of Whirring.
Ritzy Bryan
Although on the other hand, unless the album is a 10/10 instant classic, there is a lot of filler to plug the gaps where you would normally press fast forward. Having these interspersed within the set dried their indie rock formula up prematurely, hence later songs sounded almost too similar and repetitive. A few covers would have helped proceedings flow better.
Despite this, they put on a very entertaining show with great spirit, especially frontwoman Ritzy Bryan who endlessly bounded about with a smile of enjoyment streaking across her beaming face all evening. Ones to watch, for sure…roll on album #2.
Datarock @ The Garage
Oct 23rd
3rd October 2011
There is a good reason why clubs are empty on Mondays, and that’s because they fall on a Monday. Tonight we’re in for an 80′s inspired retro night of disco-beats and danceable rock in the sparsely populated Relentless Garage.
The brave few who decided to turn up early for the support band (us included) were not rewarded with a great upcoming talent. Instead we had a Norwegian Duo with two names, two set times and two instruments (Guitar and MacBook Pro). It was tough to tell the difference between their 2 bands Syntax TerrOrkester and Baetur because they were both totally devoid of merit, end of. A very slow start!
Baetur & Syntax TerrOkester (Spot the Difference?)
Thankfully the London based dark pop band Scanners were here to liven the drab scene. Deep and melodic indie rock guitars suited the vocals of Sarah Daly who howled and yelped her way though a lively and emotionally wrought set. Mixing up twinkling chimes and chasm-like guitar reverb they struck an overcast sound that could pull both the heart strings and the ‘let her rip’-cords. Packing in plenty of cool tunes such as the sweet Baby Blue, darkly acoustic Salvation and the firecracker set closer Raw these guys turned round the nights fortunes.
Scanners
Soon the crowd swelled with red tracksuit’s in anticipation of the headline act, who burst on to stage in their own matching set. Datarock, looking like 80′s fools they kicked into their unique tongue in cheek disco mayhem. Yet something wasn’t right. Whether it was the sparse crowd, the over the top calls to go crazy (on a monday!), the sound balance (low guitars and non-existent bass) or just poor performance, the set was not going well for these norse dance vikings. Yet in one divine moment of inspiration it all changed…
“Everybody come in close (we know its a Monday) but please we have a 360 camera and were gonna film the video for our new song California”
I an instant the vibe changed from social club toe tapping to hedonistic clubbing heaven. Following up this with the introduction of Happy Mondays Dancer Bez and Guitarist Kav, guesting on a hypersonic and massively extended version of Fa-Fa-Fa, this was the shot in the arm this show needed. From here they never looked back, adding more and more urgency with their relentless party tunes including I Used To Dance With My Daddy and their biggest hit Computer Camp Love.
Datarock
Returning from a short set break, I witnessed what I can only accept as a dream. Their drummer led a karaoke version of the cheesiest song that has ever…or will ever exist, I’ve Had The Time Of My Life! It was complete with band members jumping into the crowd to lead the tune and they even managed to throw in the Sax solo to boot. But like I said. I never saw it. It didn’t happen. I didn’t embrace the cheese. I most definitely did not sing along ;)
Bez – “doin the MADchester Dance“
Nevertheless, crime to music everywhere ignored, this was a thoroughly enjoyable set from a fun time band who never take themselves too seriously (if that wasn’t obvious enough already!).
The Treatment @ The Borderline
Oct 18th
6th September 2011
Before the big relocation of DoesItRock HQ out of the city and beyond the green belt, it was only fitting to head out for one final gig to bid farewell to the ease of TFL transport home.
As such, I found myself in The Borderline grabbing a beer as tonight’s compere (complete in doctor’s outfit) took the mike to introduce the first band of the night No Americana. Despite having a terrible name for a band from Brummyland, this was a triumphant set of soaring rock. Their classic rock sound was well rounded balancing raw power, danceable rhythms, melodic vocals, sing-a-long chorus’s and nifty guitar licks. They were remarkably confident and as such put in a superbly polished performance packed with brilliant radio friendly tunes such as Wax Poetic (already play listed by Kerrang) that far exceeded their billing tonight. One of the most impressive first-up support slots I have witnessed in a long time. I expect these guys to move swiftly through the ranks, so catch them while you can.
No Americana
Another well rounded radio ready and PR marketers dream were up next in the shape of Six Hour Sundown. Now to me, a female fronted to a rock n’ roll band with stadium sized ambitions is either a rare treat (Halestorm, Damone etc…) or one doomed to failure. Sadly these young hopefuls fell into the latter category. Her attempts at being a rock diva came across as a frail whimper of solitude amongst the towering power chords of the solid instrument wielders. One track of note was such Angels (a sombre ballad no less), but even this was littered with clichéd lyrics and overly dramatic melodic guitars. Despite the lack of a coherent sound they showed promise with their riff making, plundering a couple of killer breakdowns and scale runs. Outclassed by their subordinate band on the night, says much about this set.
Six Hour Sundown
Tonight, little to my knowledge was The Treatment’s debut album launch party This Might Hurt. Odd, particularly as I had been listening to this album since 2010 and almost bought it the last time our paths crossed @ Underworld . Particulars aside, tonight was the showcase of a reinvigorated band playing their first headline show in front of a packed out crowd, quite a feat given today is Monday! After a slight technical hitch the boys strutted out to roaring approval and kicked straight into their big riffing album opener The Departed. In fact every song was stacked with enough guitar wattage to blow a tunnel under London to rival CrossRail. Special mention must go to latest single Drink, F**k, Fight, containing enough booze fuelled reckless abandon to match those on show during the London Riot’s.
The Treatment
Playing your first headline set is daunting, but if they were nervous, they didn’t look it as they struck a ferocious pace kicking out the best tracks from their re-packaged release. The Treatment’s staple diet of glam inspired hard rock hit equal vocal highs as their duelling Les Paul wails, with singer Matt Jones’ hagar-esque ball busting howls being both distinctive and powerful. Balladry was masterful here tonight, without the usual soppy lyrical fare it gave the vocals a chance to truly soar and the crowd the chance to sway along.
Matt Jones
With the longer set which comes with being headliners, they turned to some tried and tested cover versions to plug the gaps. Their selections, both hugely influenced by their manager’s exploits in the UK Rock scene, produced stunning results. First out of the canon was Road Rocket( Laurie Mansworth’s former band More), a thundering heavy metal tune with flaming blues licks, demonic drumming and a frantic guitar solo. The song of the night (possibly the year so far) came with the second. Its hard to describe just how excited I became as the opening bass thumps of Hurricane Party‘s Killer resonated through my head. A moment of pure joy, exuberance and Classic Rock Muscle… I loved ever second. It was after this tune you realise the striking similarities between those bands, no bad thing in my mind.
Encore’s are clearly a new thing to The Treatment, as they had run out of material upon their return to the stage. Unfazed, they decided to play The Doctor, comically, for the second time of the night! Ignoring this minor blip, this was an electrifying live show from one of the UK’s most promising Hard Rock talents.
Download Festival 2011: Classic Rock Friday
Jul 23rd
Day one of Download Festival, over recent years has definitely been moving towards the arena of the classic/hard rock, see previous headliners of Ac/Dc(2010), Def Leppard(2009) & Kiss(2008). Again in 2011 we find another cracking Friday lineup which I could not resist. I had to be here!
CKY
After the substantial journey up from London town, I took up the position I’d be in most of the day, down front on the main stage for the arrival of the skate born, alt-hard rock band CKY. A surprisingly large crowd had gathered and we were not disappointed, as they plundered out wah soaked hard rock riffs with graceful efficiency. The seeming endless barrage of melodies were both catchy and had most of the crowd leaping/banging head like there’s no tomorrow. The standout tune had to be the epic guitar riffed 96 Quite Bitter Beings which sparked the days first circle pit, bodies literally flew in all directions. A cracking opening to what was to be a legendary day.
Puddle Of Mudd
In a bit of a throwback to my younger days, Puddle of Mudd emerged to a much more youthful (and tightly packed) crowd. You would not have guessed they had been away from the UK shores for 10 years, support seems as eager as ever. Playing the best of their early album’s which had so much commercial success, lead singer Wes Scantlin let fly his nasally snarls led by some crunching post-grunge guitars. The biggest roars came with an Ac/Dc cover TNT and their love/hate ballad She Hates Me which had the biggest vocal backing of the afternoon thus far. Yet, they did not play Blurry, a song a lot of people had come to hear. Whether a timing issue was to blame, I dunno? But this soured the performance as they trundled off stage to an unsatisfied chorus of “blurry, blurry, blurry...”.
Young Guns
A short hike back up the arena I managed to catch the end of the Young Guns set on the second stage. They seemed very engaged with the crowd, trying to start a teenage riot with multiple calls of “I want you to go crazy to this one”. From the back It was hard to see what the fuss was about. Clean and scream vocals mixed up well in their post-hardcore melodies many of which were pretty cool, but nothing of distinction sets them apart. 10/10 for effort in pleasing the festival youth.
Duff McKagan
I returned to the main stage to catch the latter half of ex- Gun’s & Roses man Duff Mckagan and his band Loaded. It was clear nothing much had changed since the last time I saw them, still plugging away with sleazy punk slanted hard rock. Much of their original material was met with indifference despite a few catchy guitar and vocal hooks. The same cannot be said for their closing cover tune It’s So Easy. It’s always a pleasure to see a ex-Guns n’ Roses man playing classic material as if it was 1987 all over again.
Black Stone Cherry
Black Stone Cherry followed up next with a the set of the day so far! Full of southern Rock swagger and muscular guitar riffing so deep south it chills with the penguins. Set was comprised equally of from all three albums and mixed mid tempo rockers and all out hard hitting clout with effortless ease. Swinging from the latest vocal wah (Sambora Stylie) driven single White Trash Millionaire to the powerful chorus centric chanter Blind Man and the frenzied headbangers paradise on the Lonely Train. Despite these cracking tunes, there was an unexpected highlight…a cover version!
Heavy Metal Devil Horns out in force!
Taking a step aside from the usual hard rock covers they went all live lounge on our asses and pumped out a rocked up ‘Magic FM‘ listener friendly tune,, Adele’s Rolling In The Deep. An uplifting and very popular choice which had many a black clad, leather bound macho man singing his lungs out…this alone, provided a classic Download moment! A superb performance from a band totally fulfilling their potential!
Alter Bridge
Somehow four more bands had to grace this stage. First to try were the ex-Creed associates plus one of my favourite vocalists Myles Kennedy, as Alter Bridge picked up where BSC left off! Soaring heavy rock anthems are what these guys do best, hence it was not long before they kicked into belters such as Find The Real and Ties That Bind which spark sing-a-longs and circle pits in equal measure. There are not many bands who write songs as big as Alter Bridge. Mark Tremonti as ever was a total genius with his guitar this afternoon firing off shredded solos, chugging metal riffs and harmonious sweep picked melodies at will. His arrangements are probably the most badass and technically accomplished of any hard rock band on the planet. The key to their success is his partner in crime Myles, who not only had one of the iconic rock voices of modern times, but boy he can play guitar too. An axe battle ensued towards the end of the set with both corners trading powerful knockout blows. A mesmerizing display of virtuosity from both men…I call it a tie! The crowd absolutely reveled in what was a terribly uplifting set that stuck the middle finger up towards the falling rains plans to scupper the show.
Thin Lizzy
Up next I am proud to have witnessed one of the legendary bands of rock. Innovators of the dueling guitar solo, performers of live shows that have gone down in history and true classic rock icons…Thin Lizzy are back! Albeit with a roughly cobbled together lineup of ex-members and newbies, yet with original members Brian Downey and Scott Gorham providing the core of the sound, this was probably the closest I would ever get to their 70′s magic.
Special Guest…Def Leppards Vivian Campbell
It was a set packed with nostalgia and legendary tunes such as The Cowboy Song, Whiskey In The Jar, Jailbreak…(I could list every song)…and of course The Boys Are Back In Town. New lead singer Ricky Warwick was most definitely not on par with Phil Lynott but he did a good job of belting out the chorus and getting the crowd onside. With such a huge chunk of the former lineup(s) missing it was never going to recreate the magic, but it was as good a set of rock and roll classics you will ever likely to hear!
The Darkness
After Wednesdays encounters with tonight’s Sub Headliners still fresh in the rss feed, I’ll be brief. The Darkness did exactly what they do best, entertain! A huge portion of the crowd you could feel were willing them to be rubbish. Those were soon won over by jaunty pop rock numbers and some good old fashion showmanship from the moustached Hawkins. By far the most spectacular set of the day. Comprising of all the usual glitz of confetti, streamers and fireworks, with the surprising addition of giant flame throwers. You can’t fault them for trying to keep the crowd on their toes! I was having a whale of a time, but then it is The Darkness, they only know how to make the good times roll!
Nothing like a naked flame to warm the cockles
It was an agonising wait in the ever plummeting temperatures and drizzling rain for tonight’s headliners Def Leppard (ring, ring…2009 called, says they want their headliner back)! Only 2 years since they last graced the Donington stage, they were back for more stadium sized rock. Their sound can only be described as gigantic. You really can feel with every beat of the drum skin, every hi-hat smash and every massive power chord. Yet it is so melodically balanced, making their pop rock classics sound great! To be honest I hadn’t been expecting much, but with each passing intro I kept thinking…damn I know this!
Def Leppard
With an arsenal packed with livewire rockers and a bursting heart full of soppy ballads this was the finest show of pop metal outside 1984. Tunes such as Animal, Rocket, Two Steps Behind and Pour Some Sugar On Me ignited my Def Leppard flame which had long been extinguished. They turned in a superb performance, one absolutely worthy of their Headliner status.
Acoustic Time
With jubilation at what was one of the best days of rock I’ve seen and sadness that it was all over, I trekked back out the front gates and back down the M1…singing Def Leppard tunes all the way home at the top of my very weary lungs!
