Highbury Garage returns

Oh happy days. Finally, it's official: The Garage re-opens late June :-)

Don't believe me? SEE FOR YOURSELF

Possibly the best hardcore venue next to the Underworld, with a ceiling that used to sweat on you, nice spacey merch stand and no space between you and the bands, it's about bloody time. Sadly Terror play in London late May so will just miss this slightly more cosy option, but it still makes for a summer of other memorable moments.

CONVERGE & stuff

OH YEHHHH - IN-COMING NEW CONVERGE ALBUM! BRING IT!!!!

Check this out for a taste of things to come straight from the studio... Click here to sneak at the new album

And other stereo crushers this week's been all about...

SICK OF IT ALL: Step Down
Yes, this choice was more for the video than the music...Lesson one in 'How to dance the hardcore'
(chuckle)
ANTI-FLAG: Got The Numbers
Still gutted they couldn't play London a few weeks ago and been stuck listening to this album ever since.
ADVERSARY: Ashes of Faith
EPIC guitar solo about a minute in. EPIC.
BLOODBATH: Outnumbering The Day
Just coz it's loud and grizzly. Rarrrrrrrr!
OTEP: My Confession (Live)
A lady with attitude and neatly unique vocals.
NINE INCH NAILS: Please
I know, I know. Shhhhh! We all have our weaknesses!

Rock Pub Crawl Map

So, I thought it was about time to drop the best London rock bars on a map to save folk getting lost when they've had too many ciders at a gig and can't see left turns in the dark OR, indeed, simply to send to non-metal mates when I'm trying to get them somewhere on time. Do what you do will but do it holding the horns with pride...


View Larger Map

Cross Knee Release

Pls see left-hand pic (NB: not of me. Hell, I wish!) for an example of what I believe to be the pole dance move from heaven: The cross knee release.

Easily up there with the Chopper and Inverted Crucifix as one of the top 10 moves that make you want to learn this (er...) sport (?) due to the mad upside-down tipping and the nonchalant cross-knee attitude, it alarmed me yesterday to find it slip itself into the second lesson of our humble Level 3 class.

I mean, quite frankly, ow!!! Still, perseverance is king, and having got half way down now without holding on (or screaming I'll have you know!) I hereby promise that 4 weeks from now this inspiring little black n white number to our left will be replaced with a brand new (be it rather more dressed) photo of yours truly rocking this move. If. It. Kills. Me.

And it might :-) In which case I'll redirect us to You Tube for a laugh at all 'epic fails' in motion: http://www.youtube.com/user/razorbladeoflife

36 Crazyfists & PTW

Friday the 13th is a pretty choice date for any metal band to rock the London live circuit but frustratingly this particular Electric Ballroom gig had to start and end early to allow for a 10pm club night, so timing were as follows:

Gwen Stacy – 6:45 to 7:15pm
Poison The Well – 7:35 to 8:15pm
36 Crazyfists – 8:35 to 9:35pm

Still, both main bands were on fire and the only downers of the night were a pretty unmemorable first support band and a sound issue during PTW which meant some of the choruses were lost. The rest of the band's acoustics were crystal clear and made for some hypnotic Floyd-inspired instrumental moments, but frontman Moreira's more emotional vocal parts were muddy, leaving only his screams audible. A shame for a band so focused on contrasts.
Alaskan melodic metallers 36 made up for it, though, and Brock was his usual powerful self, storming the stage with that signature hardcore stance as he pushed his unique gurgling vocal style to the limit. In the one early-bird hour they were on stage they even managed to pack in all their best tracks, a wall of death and invite a member of the audience on stage to front an entire song with the band. And after all Brock's shouting about shots it was only right to drink the night away in a few Camden pubs and new favourite snakebite haunt, The Big Red :-) Hell, who needs to feel good on a Saturday anyway...

Gig Alert!

OK, so the bad news this week was Anti-Flag's injury, which stopped the guys supporting Raised Fist at the Camden Roundhouse last night :-( booo!
More details can be found here

But the good news is Protest The Hero rock the London Underworld tomorrow night and Poison The Well are down to support ex-Roadrunner / Ferret boys 36 Crazyfists on Friday at the Electric Ballroom :-) yeyyy!
Just be warned it starts at 6pm and has a 9:45pm curfew!

Tripswitch & Heaven's Basement follow-up

It's kind of tough reviewing these after spending the day listening Anti-Flag and the new Adversary album...but here's goes:

Tripswitch Until
Seven fairly muddled tracks involving confused layers of unimpressive wailing, hysterical shrieks, random electronic samples, moments of forced calms and chugging guitars which lead nowhere. Chaotic and dull all at the same time, I'm not sure this will make it onto the pod. Still, if you ignore the vocalist and former bare knuckle boxer Jamie's arrest on suspicion of murder, they've had a good run of label interest, have previously recorded with Andy Sneap (Trivium, KSE, Machine Head) and had the odd tv feature and rock playlist to boast about...so maybe I'm just having a bad day.

Heaven's Basement Sampler
GREAT fun!!! Lower the shame guard and pretend you're at the front of a Thunder concert (yes, they've toured with them) dressed head to toe in skin-tight leather and head full-throttle down the road to self-indulgent oldschool sleaze-rock. WOOOOO!!! The vocals are shrill, gritty and uplifting, the guitars melodic to the last and the choruses will stick in your head for days. Pretty much all tracks are worth an ear, but Fear of Getting Off is a particularly awesome track with a gutsy guitar solo threaded throughout.
Grab your grin and ride!

PS. And now for something completely different: THE OBLIGATORY JUST-BACK-FROM-HOLIDAY POWDER VIDEO

New week. New music.

In the mailbox to review this week:
Huron (sampler)
Tripswitch 'Until' (alb)
Papa Roach 'Hollywood Whore' (sampler)
Heaven's Basement (sampler)

HURON
A hefty dirty rock band from Plymouth whose amusingly-titled debut album Cheyne Smoking can be found out 20th April on Rising Records.
'Lust Of War' is all killer riffs and gritty vocals (that sound gloriously like old Anselmo at times) with indulgent slices of playful guitar thrown in. 'Killer In New York' fades into filler territory a bit but 'Pain Is Me' gets back in the stoner vibe with a poisonously infectious chorus. Awesome.
Catch them touring the UK wth Viking Skull and 101% Pantera!

PAPA ROACH
So, the bugs are back in town. Bizarrely, though, the sampler they've chosen to send out features a couple of cheery old tracks among the new, and single 'Hollywood Whore' sinks fast when compared to punchy favourite 'Getting Away With Murder'. It starts with some angsty singing and chuncky guitar action but the chorus drags painfully and you're left with a serious need for release. Complete with a melodic whining from frontman Shaddix and rhythmic repetition about tearing yourself open, 'Scars' isn't much better, remaining the sort of unmemorable track you'd expect to find at the emotional peak of a teenage rom-com. Ho hum.

Beer'n'Blood

Born Sweden, brought up in Spain, living in London and rocking the satisfyingly slick age of 28...I am proud to announce that I am no longer a UFC virgin :-)

Yes, friends, this weekend I didn't just survive, but massively enjoyed, my very first trip to a live fight. 5hrs of live fight, in fact.

I have to admit that however much I'd been looking forward to the experience, I did have some reservations about heading down so early (5pm? On a Saturday? I'm barely out of bed!!)...to collect tickets to an event I had no idea what to expect of...only to get most probably get lost in an area I'd never been (have you any idea how big the O2 is??!!) and pay extortionate prices for beer. That, and being seen cheering on Knock Outs and blood spillage by fellow employees who also got free tickets to my seating section.

But no, it was freaking awesome: Purple cage lights, blasting music, OTT american commentators and bikini-clad gals holding 'Round 1' cards...what more does a Saturday evening need? Beer and blood, you say? All good, not to worry, there was that too. Bargain!

Seriously, though, after a few hours hearing about fighter wins, loses, specialities and profiles, and watching outcomes ranging from instant KOs and painful ankle locks to surprise high kicks and crushing cage mash-ups, I actually feel I'd be well up for following it on TV too. True, I'd miss the bizarre intro music and mad audience (shaved-headed scousers and glammed-up dolly birds being two key features) but I think I'm enough of a convert to cope until the next time I can see my newly adopted punk champ Dan Hardy knock someone flying live :-)

And to think I was considering sacking it off for a BBQ in the sun!

My Learning Curve.

 

While I'm here...I've chucked some more up in order to keep me bettering them in the coming weeks.
The mission starts now.