Shai Hulud at the Purple Turtle, anyone?

Just dedicated the morning to finding out who's playing London in the new few months so I can be absolutely sure not to be on a work trip (grrr) and - behold - it turns out that US progressive hardcore bruisers Shai Hulud are down to play the Purple Turtle on June 22nd.

Awesome news, considering how intimate a venue this is and how downright aggressive (in fact, occasionally abusive if we remember the odd 'punching fans in the face' moments they've ticked off in their enthusiastic history) their gigs are. Not that I'm saying it's great to be thumped in the face - they are just mighty raw and real live and well worth the 8 quid change!!

Grab 'em HERE before word gets out.

Thrash'n'Burn

Ah, yes. 6 hours of non-stop death/metalcore at my favourite London venue. It would have been awesome if I had remembered my earplugs. Oh, and if my mate hadn't dropped out last minute and left me with noone able to share trips to the bar. Hey ho.
In all seriousness, though, it actually was awesome.

I missed the first band due to a guest list muddle, but luckily made it in time for Arsonists Get All The Girls, who were hilarious. Not one for the metal puritans, but the mad pinball machine / gaming sounds that come out of that keyboard are brilliant fun and inject the whole venue with the atmosphere of a weird heavy metalcore house party.

War From A Harlot's Mouth were a lot less jazzy live than on record, but brilliantly brutal as a result, and Carnifex and Beneath The Massacre were just plain HEAVY. Like deafeningly, earth-shatteringly heavy. Beneath won over Carnifex simply due to their blindingly talented band members, though. The singer has a majorly deep growl, but is a bit pit-bull on stage and not all that engaging, but the rest of the band are so fast and powerful it's almost something you want to have recorded to watch in slow motion when you get home.

It was a toss up between Darkest Hour and Bleeding Through, who are both massively talented headliners in totally different ways. Where Darkest Hour turn suddenly more raw and credible live, not giving a hoot about image or plans, Bleeding Through are polished and melodic. Both worked for me, I gota say, and between them they had enough great songs to play for a good hour or two more.
Maybe we need two Thrahs'n'Burn tours a year from now on!

BladestorM turn MaissianN

It seems that my 2008 unsigned crush, London-based Polish death/hardcore band BladestorM, have gone through some changes in the last few months.
It's ok, though, I have faith.
I first stumbled across these guys when they supported a mate's band (Meantime) near Mornington Crescent last year and I can't deny that, as a brutal death-metal/hardcore crossover with a ferocious scream-in-your-face frontman, I fell for them hard. I've tried to keep up on news on them ever since, but trying to locate the right 'BladestorM' using gormless search engines is much like typing in 'hardcore' without expecting to find naked flesh...hopeless!
However, since the late loss and gain of a few members (including a second guitarist!) they've now re-surfaced calling themselves MaissianN, so cyber-stalking's become a little simpler. And the great news is that their truly awesome heavily-tattooed singer Kamil remains. My faith is well-founded :-)
So, take a look at their old offerings and maybe join my quest by checking their new WIP website and myspace.com/maissiann for the follow-up to 2008 debut e.p Obliteration.

For those about to rock...

Complete with cannons, a large-breasted blow-up doll and a cat-walk that rises for Angus' guitar solo, AC/DC tick off a veritable A to Z of rock star dreams for their London show.
Opening with a deliciously seedy comic strip and a giant train crashing centre-stage (it stays there!) to lead cunningly into newest single Runway Train, there is nothing subtle about this band. And why should there be? The fact that they can storm through a two hour set at age 65 plus proves over and over again that not only do this band have a feast of awesome material, but they have songs which never grow old and an infectious fever for live performance to match.
They are as tight as blow-up Rosie's grip on the train carriage she rides, and scamper about stage tirelessly until the curfew stops them. Blessing us with impressive newer tracks and steller live renditions of Back In Black, Thunderstruck, TNT and The Jack which comes with a hysterical Angus strip-show (right down to AC/DC boxers, fear not!), they even lower the obligatory Hell's bell at the appropriate moment. There is barely a moment to grab your next beer! Oh, happy days.
Ok, so the cannons could have been more aggressive and there could have been a FEW more Razor's Edge classics...but, for Satan's sake, they had pyrotechnics and a blow-up doll so grotesque it left nothing to the imagination (yes, I'm talking from rings to rolls of flesh and dollar bills)...and, most essentially, Brian Johnson's voice is immaculate and the fret sound sheer perfection. The frenzied shimmying and squeals and the blinding over-load of guitar solos is as epic as it was in '73.
They end with 'For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)'. And, by god - armed with flashing red devil horns and screams of ANGUS - we do.

This is Spinal Tap

The guys who insist on turning it up to 11 have announced a one-off show at Wembley Arena on June 30th. Oh, sorry, a 'one-night world tour' is what it's actually being called ;-) HELL YEH. The spontaneously-combusting drummer and co. will be rocking this no doubt hysterical show to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of their epic rockumentary ‘This Is Spinal Tap’.

Tickets go on sale at 9am tomorrow. Ready yourself.

ps. just in case you're DVD is scratched from drunken multi-viewing...you can get yourself a new double disc in time (complete with mad extras and bnd interviews - hee hee) from your friendly Amazon one-click. Just shout I want one!