Posts tagged Blues
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!
Album Reviews: The Answer – Revival
Oct 13th
After almost two years on tour with Ac/Dc it was only inevitable the return of The Answer was going to be special!
The Answer – Revival
RockOSaurus Says:
Revival. It’s a pretty accurate title as it’s sparked life back into the stalled rise of Northern Irelands classic rock sons, The Answer! Right from the word go this LP has the blues flooding through it’s veins, showing it’s vinyl crackled charms and quickly baring it’s snarling teeth! The simple blues riff is totally revitalised here with brilliant production effortlessly toeing the line between old school style and new school power!
Song writing is incredibly tight with fuller and more dynamic layered sounds from staple blues weapons, the harmonica and psychedelic organs on top of their Les Paul Standard attack . The overly Americanised lyrics grate somewhat if you want to be pedantic,, but the booming chorus melodies are catchy enough to wash away these critiques.
This is a start to finish classic rock bruiser with hook heavy melodies, traditional blues riffs, blistering guitar solos and superb vocals from Cormac Neeson’s stunning set of pipes. Trouble drips with retro flair, Use Me cranks the amps, female backing vocals bring a new slant on Nowhere Freeway, while Caught In The Riverbed fires fretboard flares at will and New Day Rising‘s driven by of the best tremolo picked riffs this side of Thunderstruck!
Their time on tour with Ac/Dc has obviously rubbed off in abundance, almost matching the biggest rockers in the world for both raw power and total addictiveness! Revival is a fantastic return to form, one no rock lover should be without!
DoesItRock Overall Score: 9/10
Listen to The Answer – Revival now on Spotify!
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!
Wolfmother @ Kentish Town Forum
Jul 2nd
2nd June 2011
After their failed attempts to make the 18 hour, globe circumnavigating flight from their Melbourne homeland this time last year, Wolfmother finally make it unscathed to the UK for a long overdue tour appearance. It is not only their flight here which can turn back the clocks, their 60′s psychedelia infused hard rock sound firmly flings open the door of nostalgia almost as wide as the bands ever lengthening Woodstock tribute haircut’s.
Turbogeist
Despite the trip down memory lane this was sure to be, tonight’s support came from the new furious punk poppers Turbogeist, last seen in a chaotic Camden Barfly not so long ago. It was a tough gig as the nights headline act’s musical tastes and their own have little crossover appeal. It’s not a shock to report that the docile crowd did not really seem all that interested. In this cavernous theatre their sound was less in your face and their choruses were not big enough to grab the required attention. A limp set from an exciting underground band unlikely to break out from the clubs on tonight’s showing.
Wolfmother had no such trouble in diverting eyes stage wards as the sound system bulged with huge power chords pumping out thumping drums, thundering guitars and heart pounding bass lines. Stockdale and co certainly look the part as they ply their trade as hard rock throwbacks with no sign of irony, just simple honesty and a dedicated retro love drip from their instruments all night long. Their guitars are colossal as they rumble through the deeper crunching spectrum with bulldozer like efficiency.
Wolfmother
With so many expertly riffs each song inherently spark heads a bopping and caused a fair few circle pogo pits for the over enthused. The real key to their success tonight lies in their breakdowns. Many bands can play big and write big chorus’s, but Wolfmother marry this with wandering interludes of trip out psychedelia lulling the crowd into their world of dreamy soundscapes. Of course only to be send crashing back into the main riff for the next bout of ecstatic melodies at the pinnacle of these epic crescendo’s. I’m pretty sure every song had an extension of some sort.
They played the best of their two released LP’s including the guitar hero classic Woman, the manic boogie shuffle of Apple Tree and the hammer-on melody maker The Joker & The Thief. They also managed to throw in a brilliant cover of The Doors Riders On The Storm, complete with whacked out organ solo. During a jam they also somehow managed to culminate different underlying melodies into the solo and verse of Stairway to Heaven, thus completing tonights led zep homage and everybody’s incredibly enjoyable evening!
The Wolfmother ball will stay a rolling as long as there is desire for what has come and past…no time soon then!
The Jim Jones Revue @ KoKo
May 4th
15th April 2011
From the get go this evening, it was clear we had taken more than a couple of steps back in time. Slicked back haircuts, leather jackets and vintage dresses galore…we had landed in the 50′s! With rockabilly’s as far as the eye could see we headed down to catch the sole support act tonight, Lewis Floyd Henry.
Lewis Floyd Henry
Floyd was a tad more modern in his musical style. His one man band hopped forwards just 10 years in fact, as he blasted out 60′s roots blues, with mesmeric results. He was a totally charasmatic, instantly likable figure with quirky tendencies and a real sense of humour. As he stomped on his tiny little bass drum and cymbal combo he crashed out some fittingly retro fuzzed up bluesy riffs with personality! Think Seasick Steve in session with The Black Keys.
Burn Pram Burn…
His stage present was magnificent and the crowd were waiting with baited breath on each of his lyrics, whether they were faux conversations with himself or modern tales of life and love. I especially enjoyed his song about driving down the M4, dialogue with other motorists, genius stuff. This man truly loved the blues, pouring raging highs and sombre lows through his every chord, harking back to blues legends of the past. Plus just in case you were thinking about forgetting about this set…Floyd proceeded to set alight to his amp onstage in spectacular fashion (which coincidentally was wheeled in and out in a ramshackle old pushchair).
The Jim Jones Revue
The feel good nature of the evening continued as The Jim Jones Revue took to the stage and immediately proceeded to blast out 50′s bar room blues in the most fuzzed up, damn right rock n’ roll manner ever! The retro effect soaked vocals were rasping as they cut through the honky tonk adrenaline piano shots, tight rifffing and wailing guitar solo’s. This was an all out assault on the blues and they absolutely nailed it! From the first chord to the last, their scuzzy blues had everyone twistin’ and shoutin’, as they danced the night away. No Pogoing, No Moshing,…only jiving!
They rampantly plundered their way though a set with the enthusiasm of a band 20 years their junior which took the best from their back catalogue including the energetic High Horse, sing-a-long Shoot First, ferocious Dishonest John and the chaotic Elemental.
I must say I haven’t had so much fun at a gig for a long time. All it took was some middle aged men with a love of Jerry Lee Lewis and flat out rock transporting us back to a true 50′s rock and roll dancehall. Their performance was a joyous celebration of the blues as everyone, young & old had an absolute blast. There was barely a soul present without a huge grin on their face!
Jim Jones
It’s no wonder then this band thrives on their live reputation….. They are simply fantastic!
Album Review: Cage the Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday
Apr 10th
Over two years on since their début, what new tricks have Cage the Elephant got in store for listeners?
Cage the Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday
RockOSaurus Says:
Cage The Elephant have managed something most people struggle with their entire musical careers…progression! Within their new found angular post-pixies sound are plenty of cracking tunes such as the chest pounding Aberdeen with buckets of feedback fuzz and chaotic drumming.
Long gone is their restrained blues-by-numbers middle of the road rock which had a couple of memorable moments. In its place are off kilter guitars and urgent indie rock yelped and lashed through their edge teetering vocals and guitars. Their incessant drive for uptempo melodies are perfectly showcased on 2024 with its ramping up riff taking off in spectacular fashion.
They are not scared of poking fun at their fans either “Get The Right Haircut” proclaims Matt Shultz on Indy Kidz (whether that’s a wise move, only time will tell.) His vocals are a great deal more impressive that their debut. Standing alone his range of belting chorus’s and exasperated yelps are a weapon of considerable force..
They drop the baton however with some good old fashioned balladry. Their acoustic exploits on Rubber Ball fall very short and disrupt what’s was a rich vein of top notch tunes.
There are plenty of other highlights strewn throughout the track list including the poppy Shake Me Down and the all out punk assaults of Sabertooth Tiger and the riff roller coaster that is Japanese Buffalo.
A cracking sophomore album packed with equally as many thrills and surprises as great tunes!!
Mr Flowers Says:
Thank You Happy Birthday exhibits a bit of a departure from some of the Blues rock influences from Cage the Elephant’s self-titled début. Always Something for instance kicks off the album with a drum machine and screams before being overlayed with an off kilter drum beat. Indeed, the guitars are used sparsely, with the drums forming the backbone for the song. It’s a divergance for Cage The Elephant, but not necessarily a bad thing.
Instead of the Blues is a strong Pixies flavour about a lot of the songs; that almost trademark slow-fast mechanic is used on Aberdeen (which draws from Where Is Your Mind a fair bit), Shake Me Down and Around My Head for example. It generally works out pretty well for them – Frank Black should be proud.
Continuing the homages, 2024 draws from Daniel Johnston for a punk song with a tenderly melodic chorus. That Johnston impression returns on the lullaby-like Rubber Ball, although this one doesn’t work nearly as well – missing the aggressive energy we normally expect from Cage The Elephant. In fact, where the album screws up is on the slower songs; the ballady Right Before My Eyes and the poorly executed foray into Modest Mouse territory on the final song, Flow, generally fall flat.
Interspersed are some psychotic, schizophrenic songs like Indy Kidz, where S chultz indulges in screams and long Sonic Youth-style progressive noise and feedback (and fails); and Sell Yourself and Sabretooth Tiger, punkier, grungy songs which maintain the deranged feeling with bum notes and some angry rock outs (and does a little better). So it’s a little hit and miss, but given all of that you have an album that might not be particularly original but can at least draw from some solid influences to give it a fair share of good songs to join the band’s already strong repertoire.
RockOSaurus: 8/10
MrFlowers: 7/10
DoesItRock Overall Score: 7.5/10
Listen to Cage The Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday now on Spotify!
Powerage Records Tour 2011 @ Camden Underworld
Apr 2nd
24th February 2012
Tonight was a night to savour. A Free show @ Camden Underworld hosted by the cracking Classic Rock magazine associated record label Powerage. Not only is it free entry, but the lineup is packed with 4 top quality bands who Powerage have signed the finest rock and roll the UK has to offer, bringing it all together on one stage tonight.
The first band up was the Northern Irish Hard Rock Quintet Million Dollar Reload.
Million Dollar Reload
Their pumped up rock anthems were just the ticket to get the night kicked off as they ran though a swift but impact making set. They had a slightly punkier edge to them which invigorated the already quite sozzled crowd. Vocals were tough to make out at first but slowly the balance settled and we were treated to huge chorus’s and sleazy rhymes from Phil Conalane’s extremeley talented and versatile vocal chords. The man’s pipes are wondrous and he flipped back and forth from incredibly fluent high speed lyrics to semi-falsetto’d throaty roars. Highlights of their set included the chorus busting Give It Up, all out rocker Superslave and the punky American sing-along riot of Goodnight New York.
The Treatment
It’s a rare band who can capture my rock and roll heart with such ease and style, it’s safe to say The Treatment managed it in just half an hour of youthful exuberance. Their bluesy hard rock was more glam pop in orientated, with a much more radio friendly lead singer armed with an outstanding high note and enough growl in him to still cut it with the rock crowds. In fact this was the biggest and most energetic crowd of the night as they played the highlights from their self titled debut album.
Baby brother Rox
Songs such as the tight Ac/Dc riffing on The Doctor, huge chant-a-long I Want Love, the super infectious melodies of Shake The Mountain and the turbo-charged adrenaline shot guitar assault of Departed. These guys didn’t let up for one minute as their unrelenting onslaught of stunningly catchy Hard Rock tunes had me totally addicted. So confident in their melodies, they are able to slow down the tempo and try some emotive high-note bending balladry on Nothing To Lose. With such strong vocals and non-soppy lyrics…it works! Above all else this performance has showcased their extreme talent at producing brilliantly catchy rock and roll, a band not to be missed.
Matt ‘Tyler’ Jones
It’s true they are not so original, put if the idea of putting Steve Tyler in a room with Malcom Young takes your fancy? Its clear all you need is The Treatment. The fact their drummer’s father is the former manager of ‘gone but not forgotten’ UK rockers Roadstar only makes me love them even more. (Btw. I have overlooked the fact that their bassist is an incredibly annoying short-short-short-arse! You can’t have it all I guess!)
Sadly as The Treatment exited, so did 50% of the crowd. It seemed as if all this free music wasn’t as attractive a prospect as having a good nights kip! The DoesItRock crew didn’t need persuading to stick about, although we didn’t really get on with the next band Lethargy.
Lethargy
They were more focused in the heavy spectrum and the low notes of the guitar, thundering out some cracking bass and fuzz soaked booming riffs. Yet the dreadlocked vocalist/bassist wasn’t quite up to scratch given what had just blitzed the stage. Plus they were a slight anomaly amongst the line-up, the flagging enthusiasm from the crowd reflecting this! No surprises then that this set fell by the wayside for us.
Last but not least came a band who have impressed us here in the Underworld before, New Device. It was slightly disappointing to see that the thriving crowd had not returned post-lethargy, but not to be outdone New Device took up the hard rock baton, pasted it with melody and vigor before streaking towards a triumphant finish.
New Device
While they lacked the attitude of Million $ Reload and the chaotic energy of The Treatment, their hard rock was Bon Jovi-esque melody focused that was truly stadium worthy. Highly strung verses were backed with stratospheric choruses sung with utter conviction and a fiery intent! With only one guitarist, New Device make up for their lack of kerranging walls of power chords with cutting licks and catchy ass solo’s. Confined in this small underground space songs like the big thumping rhythms of Make My Day and mega ballad In The Fading Light feel caged as they bustle and wriggle to be released from these walls.
Daniel Leigh
Despite their pop orientation, they show they can still kick it in the hard rock arena with stonking metal opening of On Fire, down tuned riffing Never Say Never and album title track Takin’ Over! Returning for a swift acoustic encore underlined their accessibility as the most mainstream of the tonight’s line-up. With performances like this it may not be too long before it’s their turn to break through!
Acoustic Time
An astonishingly superb lineup drove this free night of live rock destined for big things.
Power to Powerage Records!!!!
