en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal The Last.fm journal for Soundhog. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/08/01/3tcqrl_giggity-giggity... Sun, 1 Aug 2010 21:01:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/08/01/3tcqrl_giggity-giggity... Having a been a little remiss in my gig reports of recently, my readership (all 3 of them) have demanded an update. News in brief then...:

Friday 26th March: The Joy Formidable - They are not the next big thing, they are already here and it's already happening. On this evidence they are going to own 2011. Just need a full album. Coming to a venue near you soo, if you're lucky...

Tuesday 30th March: The one that got away - Taking Dawn - too late in to hear them play but everything i've heard since sounds promising.
Black Spiders - sounding better and better. Another candidate for band of the year and they are only just hitting their stride.
Airbourne - odd - faultless but something missing on this occasion. Joel still managed to go walkabout but Colston Hall isn't the best venue for the full audience immersion experience. Gig-by-numbers but still impressive.

Tuesday 20th April: The Whores - a cross between Rob Zombie and Emily Autumn and just as compelling to watch.
Obsessive Compulsive - yet another band that's managed to slip under the radar but the new album should help with that. Their single $$ has been borthering the video channels so expect to hear more from these Manchester rockers - very good and another of those acts that peg it better live than they are recorded.

Friday 23rd April: Mark Lanegan - great to see the gravelly-voiced QOTSA collaborater and ex-Screaming Trees frontman doing his blues thing. Minimal and atmospheric - lack of any real connection with the crowd took the edge off it a little but still oddly beguiling.

Friday 14th May: We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It (or just Fuzzbox if you're in the US) which I guess is a bit of a guilty pleasure : ) And there were plenty of people feeling the same way in the Fleece for this one. This was a greatest hits set to help launch the forthcoming album project and they still look and sound as good as ever. Yes, they played Self! : D

Tuesday 18th May: First up, riot:noise - great set as always but stuck in the guest slot which gets polite interest rather pulses racing.
Next up, Black Sonic (or Black Sonic Prophets who help fill my quota of rock acts from Liechtenstein. Don't let that put you off however. Their mix of sludgy and spiky metal-edged riffery is well worth checking out. Plus they included their take on Duran Duran's Ordinary World which stirred up the mix.
Main event Die So Fluid were another big tick in the box on the 'must-see' list and they don't disappoint. This might be a quiet Tuesday night in Bristol, but they still play like their lives depend on it. Grog is on great form. If there are any more super-confident in-your-face front women who don't just mind being in close contact with the audience but actually thrive on and encourage it, then I've not yet found them. It helps that she's backed up by the talents of Drew & Al on guitar & drums whose deceptively powerful rhythyms & bruise compliment the bass-driven hooks. The set list is mostly from the new album The World Is Too Big For One Lifetime with the stand-out being Mercury. Must-see again : )

Thursday 8th July: OK, I admit it - I probably wouldn't have thought about this gig if I had not seen the film, but seeing as they are the epitomy of those who never stop believing then I think it's money well spent. Very well spent in fact as both Girlschool and Anvil deliver a night of metal nostalgia with a refreshingly contemporary edge. Vintage originals are mixed up with much more recent material and the crowd, both young and old, just lap it up. Lips also treats us to his trademark dildo solo to which those of a curious nature can no doubt find on YouTube ; ) Random fact no.1: Rob is a very, very good drummer. Random fact no.2: Glenn has far too many strings on his bass : )

Monday 19th July: Another of those random invites that hit the spot! Gonga, now slimmed down to a 3-piece, opened proceedings and surprised me with a good, powerful set of their shorter songs which put them back on my curious list.
Find of the summer so far goes to Magna Saga who put up a quirky, angular bass-driven set of rock gems that I cannot wait to get my mits on when they get released. Check out the ep 'The Fox' as this will give you a taster of what they are capable of with the likes of 'True to Say' and 'First and Last' standing out as the stadium rockers in waiting.
How I did not have any Brant Bjork in my music collection is still a bit of a mystery given the likes of Kyuss & Fu Manchu are well covered. Whatever, BB put me right with a groove-laden stoner rock brainwash. Good mix tracks with a lean towards new album Gods And Godesses effortlessly delivered by the sort of band that have guitars in the same way we have personalities. I guess you could say i'm a fan now : )

Thursday 22nd July: Wayne Hussey Ok, nostalgia-fest for this one, no messing. This is the first time i've seen him live since I saw The Mission play Exeter St David's way back on the Crusade tour (...ouch!) It won't be the last however, not if tonight's show is anything to go by. OK, the hat is gone and the locks are shorter & siver now, but the voice is as good as always and the songs have stood the test of time - a gentle prod for me as the band slipped off my radar around the time Masque was released. Ironic, then, that one of the first songs he played was Shades of Green, heh. Not long before he was well into the Mission's early back-catalogue however and the likes of Wasteland, Like a Child Again and Tower of Strength get an airing. The clincher is the switch to a synth to play Wake (RSV) and Naked and Savage - both of which make more sense as voice/keys and remind me just why I liked the band in the first place. No Over the Hills.. or Blood Brother tonight but he did play his version of the Cure's A Night Like This. Now if he would only consider putting the band back together...never say never!

Obligatory beer-related comment: 'Whose round is it?!' : )]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/20/3i3xrm_bristol_beer_festival_2010 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:52:18 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/20/3i3xrm_bristol_beer_festival_2010 This event sells out at a good proportion of the speed of light so imagine my surprise when I got a call last Saturday to offer me a spare ticket! Oh joy, oh joy... : D

This is the 13th event run by the Bristol and District branch of CAMRA and it goes off like clockwork which is a tribute to the hoard of helpers and supporters that pitch in to make it happen. The proof of their efforts is that, in a hall of 1000+ rabid ale drinkers I never waited more than 30 seconds all day to get served my next drink. Impressive.

Waaaaay to much on offer to go into too muich detail, so, in no particular order:

Bath Ales - Rare Hare 5.2%
Bristol Beer factory - Red Rum 3.8%
Cotswold Spring - Honey Bear 5.2%
RCH - Strawberry Fields 4.0%
Amber - Chocolate Orange Stout 4.0%
Beartown - Ginger Bear 4.0%
Brewdog - 5am Saint 5.0%
Dunham Massey - Chocolate Cherry Mild 3.8%
Enville - Cherry Blonde 4.2%
Oakham - White Dwarf 4.3%
Purple Moose - Snowdonia 3.6%

Beer of the day was a toss-up between the Amber & Dunham Massey with DM's Chocolate Cherry Mild just shading it on taste. RCH in 3rd, mainly because i'm unsure whether this will be available outside of the the festival.

This was the 12-4pm session so the potential hangover was minimised, in fact non-existent the next day. Worth every penny.

All that and a free glass as well : )]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/20/3i3ry5_eureka_machines Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:05:21 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/20/3i3ry5_eureka_machines Thu 18 Mar – Eureka Machines

First time at the Thunderbolt for me, and what at first I thought might be a squeeze actually turns at to be another good venue to tick off. Obligatory beer-related comment: Doombar. That will be all.
I was wondering how the band were going to shoehorn themselves onto the stage, however this is not a problem due to being down to a 3-piece for tonight's show, Pete having to suffer work commitments stomping all over his rock star habit. Instead, Chris moves over to bass and the show goes on.
Chris pulls double-duty tonight, picking up Davros' Gibson and giving us some warm up tunes which included covers by such diverse artists as Glen Campbell, They Might be Giants, Devin Towsend and The Clash.
It's all quite informal, friendly and driven along by an undercurrent of humour that is the acapella accompanyment to the main event.
Which is quite simply brilliant. OK, they might be operating a man down, but you wouldn't know it. The power, hooks, harmonies and quirky style that make up this Leeds outfit are all present and correct and never give up. Yes, it's a run through of most of Do or Die but when the material is as good and as insanely catchy as the likes of Scream Eureka, Everyone Loves You, Going Down, The Light At The End Of The Tunnel and Being Good Is Okay, But Being Better's Better that's not going to be a problem. We also get a new song, Scapegoat, which is probably the stand-out track of the night and a great teaser for the next record.
The band themselves are a sight and almost an act in themselves with plenty of planned/unplanned moves and there's almost a slapstick feel at times, but it's always secondary to the music which just grabs you and takes you for a brisk quick-step for the duration...
Great fun, great lads, great future. Should be huge already, but then again we all know that can never be taken for granted in this game.
See you again next time.

PS - what do you mean, 'no t-shirts!?' tsk! : )]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/11/3h8mog_paul_miro_%40_the_7_stars Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:19:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/03/11/3h8mog_paul_miro_%40_the_7_stars Sat 6 Mar – Paul Miro

What can I say? Free entry, intimate venue, fine beer, great crowd, at least 4 good acts and around 4 hours of good music, including an acoustic version of Fragments from the man himself.

He should do this more often : ) Maybe an AP&S tour too...?]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/12/3evhqd_nebula%2C_merrick%2C_rings_around_saturn Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:18:21 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/12/3evhqd_nebula%2C_merrick%2C_rings_around_saturn Thu 11 Feb – Nebula

Later start than planned tonight due to work intefering with the social calendar, but my black mood is well lifted by the prospect of a Sunrise at the Pipe... and further boosted by the Doom Bar at the Croft. Mmm, beer...

First out of the blocks tonight are our own Rings Around Saturn and I do believe i've seen my first live stoner punk band. These guys have some seriously good songs and drop a little bit of punk'n'roll/metal into the mix now and then to liven it all up. Nothing released yet (so far as I can see) but they are building up the support slots and are likely to be coming to a venue near you soon so keep an ear out.

Second up are another local band, Merrick (also MerrickUK on here) moving the sound firmly into the realms of hard rock and it's easy to hear why the likes of Kerrang and Subba-Cultcha are writing about them in glowing terms. I can see why some compare them with Tool, but for me their sound is more rooted in a Deftones/Disturbed/Fear factory style with a combination of melodic hooks, staccato riffs, understated guitar solos and Marcus Michalls' siren-to-scream vocals. There is a touch of the Faith No More in way they can smother you with a 6 minute brooding epic and then flatten you with a menacing 3 minute wig-out and they do it all with their own distinct style. Definitely one act to watch.

Last up Nebula, and if these guys were good back @ The Cooler in October 2008, then tonight's performance was even better. The image has gone more garage, but the sound, like the latest release, is pure heavy psych. From memory the last gig leant a little more to the stoner side of the scale, but tonight it's just relentless rock. Glass is sporting a beat up Telecaster and it takes on a life of its own, or it least it seems that way otherwise EG has more then 10 fingrs/thumbs! This is what you get if Hendrix and Motorhead had a stoner rock faceoff, and there's even a touch of grunge at times. Ably driven along by Tom/Jimmy, the sound is at the same time both retro and modern and Eddie Glass is right up with Jase Edwards among the few guitarists who are head and shoulders above even their peers although the crowd here tonight already know that. A great show by a truly great band. I demand another tour this year, heh heh.

Great to see the crowd supporting all 3 bands tonight and even better to see that the Croft are now promoting Jacknife Posters who supplied tonight's future wallpaper : )

...and i've just realised that's 12 bands in 15 days for me. I think that deserves a woot! Next time, can we do this when it's not -3'c please? : D]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/08/3ei98u_the_eden_house%2C_legion%2C_lilygun Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:31:11 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/08/3ei98u_the_eden_house%2C_legion%2C_lilygun Sat 6 Feb – The Eden House

OK, time to bring back the obligatory alcohol-related comment since tonight's oddysey started in the Seven Stars - and my two contenders are Cotleigh's Honey Buzzard and Sharp's Cornish Coaster both of which started the evening in a suitably relaxed fashion. Of the two, preferred the Coaster as the Buzzard was a little heavy on the honey/chocolate for my tastes on this occasion : )

That meant we didn't get to see all of Lilygun's set, but the 4 songs we did get to hear sum up why this band deserve a bigger audience. Their style swings on a compass somewhere between ephemeral, folk/rock, intense, fusion, all with a darkwave twist and topped off by Anna-Christina's lorelei vocals that draw you in and keep you there. No drums tonight, just the addition of Adam B on guitar, but none the less powerful for it. Intriguing and definitely worth checking out further.

Which brings us to Legion, that's to say this Legion, and the promise of drum machines, smoke machines, amphetamines which is only a fedora away from full Sisters' territory, and yet not quite... This band is a slightly different animal, the guitar more sparse and decorative, the bass less brooding, the drum machine more rebellious, a sly sense of humour and synth providing the backbone of the sound which is where we diverge - this sound is not unlike the Human League. And that's not a bad thing. It has the soundscape of 00's darkwave/goth, but there is a plaintive edge to the vocal that hints at a throwback musical gene lurking in the mix. New ep, Hereafter is the place to start.

Last up the, The Eden House and this time we get a real drummer and the millinery ante is upped by 3, but given this band's heritage that's almost part of the constitution. While the roots of this project are with NFD and while the equipment is scaled back a notch, the landscape of sound they produce will still swallow you whole, driven as it is by Tony Pettit and Bill Rippin's pulsating rhythm section and the mix of Stephen Carey and Andy Jackson's shimmering guitars. The style is hypnotic and leans more towards early Nephilim, maybe even The Mission, but without ever quite crossing old ground. Sure, it's as familiar as an old friend, but at the same time you sense the stranger within and it keeps you on that edge. That edge also includes a suite of guest vocalists and for tonight's show the band are assisted by the talents of Amadine Ferrari, Valenteen and Evi Vine all of whom add another dimension to songs they perform. The whole set was inspiring, with the stand out being 'To Believe in Something' by a short brim. Considering there are at least 20 musicians involved in this project I hope they can keep it together for a follow-up as this stuff is pure gold...or maybe black magic.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/08/3ehu8f_lacuna_coil%2C_dirty_little_rabbits Mon, 8 Feb 2010 21:15:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/02/08/3ehu8f_lacuna_coil%2C_dirty_little_rabbits Thu 4 Feb – Shallow Life Tour

I should tweet this, but having resisted the lure of Twitter, consider this a 'quack' instead (ie: louder and longer):

DRL - less intense than his day job, this side project of #6, Shawn Crahan, is pretty damn good and not quite what I was expecting. Quirkily alternative, darkly suggestive and not a world away from Human Waste Project this teases and tugs in equal measures and is well worth a listen. A solid Plan B away from the 'knot.

Lacuna Coil, on the other hand, left me feeling a little bit weird. I like the band, I like their music, but tonight there was something missing and it wasn't just bassist Marco. It's not that they didn't perform, nothing of the sort, but personally, the sound and picture seemed out of sync and the passion seemed to dissipate when I was expecting it to hit me like a power-up. It was like the fuse had burnt down, but the explosion just didn't happen. Even outside the venue afterwards there just didn't seem to be a buzz on which you usually get at a gig like this. A good show? Certainly. Memorable? Not really. Surprised? Yes, damn it! Maybe they just caught me on a bad night...]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dl2wv_emilie_autumn_-_the_asylum_tour Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:36:35 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dl2wv_emilie_autumn_-_the_asylum_tour Thu 28 Jan – Emilie Autumn

Certain words are necessary when describing an Emilie Autumn show and, for your reading pleasure, here they are:

• feathers
  
• balloons
  
• stockings
  
• tutus
  
• spoon
  
• harpsichord
  
• flirting
  
• Her Bloody Crumpets
  
• suspenders
  
• Liar
  
• suggestive squirming
  
• corsets
  
• kisses
  
• shadow
  
• fire-eating
  
• eyelashes
  
• very suggestive squirming
  
• Dead Is the New Alive
  
• violin
  
• ribbons
  
• whimpering
  
• tea
  
• Victoriana
  
• twinkle in the eye
  
• bloomers
  
• wicked sense of humour
  
• wheelchair
  
• cleavage
  
• stilettos
  
• red lipstick
  
• buns
  
• Bohemian Rhapsody
  
• red hair
  
• hearts
  
• flowers
  
• lace
  
• diaphanous
  
• wings
  
• stripes
  
• silk
  
• tail

There are probably a lot more words but you will just have to go along and learn them for yourself ; )]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dkxff_zico_chain%2C_to_the_bones%2C_thick_black_theory Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:45:08 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dkxff_zico_chain%2C_to_the_bones%2C_thick_black_theory Tue 26 Jan – ZICO CHAIN +TO THE BONES +THICK BLACK THEORY

Chilly night at the Thekla for what could possibly turn out to be one of the gigs of 2010 - and it's only January so it's all good : )

First up, openers Thick Black Theory waving the flag for Bristol with a strong set of songs which lean towards the alternative/grunge side of the scale. There is a touch of Soundgarden in there, but I can also hear Left Side Brain and a bit of Sabbath in the mix so it's all good. There's a lot of potential in their sound so I hope they stick with it.

Next up - To The Bones - and if ever a band was born to play live, these head the queue. Duke Type A is a good introduction to what they do, but on the strength of this performance they may as well record live and sell off the back of the mixing desk. It is totally in your face and there is no hiding place from the furious riffing and the whisper-to-a-gutteral-scream vocals of Red, over the incessant rumble of bass & drums which drive the songs along. Rock Sound have compared the to Bleach-era Nirvana, but if that's the case then their style is more Negative Creep than anything else - this is the music Cobain always aspired to - more pirate radio than radio-friendly and totally addictive.
Check them out. Now.

Considering there were a fair few jaws on the floor after TTB's set, it's a tribute to Zico Chain that they still pull off a great headline set. They started slowly but built up an unstoppable momentum over the course of the night which peaked with Where Would You rather Be? and Pretty Pictures towards the end. Definitely one of the more accomplished power trios out there I get the impression there is much more to come from this lot and if songs like 'When Black Turns White' are anything to go by the next album is going to be a killer.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dktb0_quireboyswolfsbane_thursday_10th_december Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:59:02 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Soundhog/journal/2010/01/29/3dktb0_quireboyswolfsbane_thursday_10th_december Nostalgia trip! Maybe, but that's not to say either band are not still relevant as we head into the eleventies - just maybe a little less obvious than they were in their prime.

Wolfsbane are a breath of fresh air. As Blaze is quick to point out, it's not like age has diminished their looks, it's just knackered our eyes so the sense of black humour that always lurks in their music is still intact, at least.
No worries about the sound either - this band can still rock with the best and when you have an arsenal of songs capable of ripping the audience ears off you're never more than 30 secs from meltdown. Jeff & Steve drive the songs along leaving Jase to do what he does best - which is to coax seemingly impossible solos out of his guitar with no effort whatsoever - just a bloody great grin plastered to his face.
Tonight we get just about all of '...Kathy Wilson's Place' plus a selection from the best of the rest. Temple of Rock does as usual and it's only a pity they didn't play Broken Doll, but maybe that would be considered a bit of a ballad by tonight's standards : )

So, to The Quireboys then. It's bizarre because I last saw them at the Bierkeller on the 25th October 1992 and as this is the A Bit Of What You Fancy 20th Anniversary Tour it's not far off the same set either. Ok, there are a few new faces but Spike and Guy are still in the driving seat and their sound has only improved with time, and it was always good to start with.
It's impossible not to sing along to the likes of 7 O'Clock, Hey You, Man On The Loose, I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE and SEX PARTY plus when they can drop pearls like Ain't Love Blind and Tramps And Thieves in at will, resistance is futile, heh.

Great bands, great night, come back soon!]]>