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Foolhardy Folk Festival

Foolhardy Folk Festival

Nottingham Arboretum

Sunday 27th August 2023

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Foolhardy Folk Festival – Nottingham – Live review

Towards the end of the original lockdown, the ever creative music industry sought ways to bring people back together to experience the unparalleled joy of live music. The Arboretum in Nottingham hosted a number of events including a couple of shows from folk favourite Frank Turner.

That is where the story of the Foolhardy Folk Festival begins as the man behind the festival, fellow folk icon Beans On Toast played in support of Turner. From there on Beans has affectionately taken over and curated his own festival which this year is a complete sell out.

A large part of this is the stunning line-up put on but another is the fantastic sense of community that exists in this portion of the folk scene and the lovely audience that has taken this back to basics event to heart.

Opening his own event Beans On Toast highlights the great music, great food and great beer theme. On the music front Beans serenades the already full venue with the likes of ‘Major Oak’, ‘The War on War’ and ‘Humans’ as the festival gets into full swing.

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Beans On Toast – ‘Humans’

Watch Episode 3 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guest Beans On Toast

The festival is family friendly and this is punctuated by the vibe created by attendees in that we are all family. Beans own daughter lays on kids activites, there is live art and lots of merch offer as well but with short changeovers the attention is mainly on the one stage where both Vona Vella and Tensheds play delightful early sets.

Soon enough it’s time for our special guest to take to the stage and this year that means Frank Turner himself as he returns the favour three years on from that socially distanced affair.

As you’d expect Turner gets a hero’s welcome as he begins his set with ‘Be More Kind’ and ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’. The crowd’s singing voices are in fine fettle which is a good thing considering the sing-a-longs continue through to final song ‘I Still Believe’.

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Frank Turner – ‘I Still Believe’

Watch Episode 1 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guest Frank Turner

Another beautiful thing about this community is the lack of ego on show, Turner as always appearing eternally grateful for the opportunity to play. The same can be said for your next three acts Truckstop Honeymoon, Ferris & Sylvester and Jeffery Lewis & The Voltage. All three acts are given equally as passionate reactions from the audience who can clearly appreciate beautiful music.

Considering we’ve brought our two little monsters with us another great thing about Foolhardy Folk Festival is that the music is wrapped up by 9pm! But before then we still have two highly anticipated performances.

First up are the always joyous Skinny Lister who bring their traditional party atmosphere to the festival. Perhaps more so than any other set today, the Lister crew get the fans up and dancing to the likes of ‘Cathy’, ‘This Is War’ and ‘Trouble on Oxford Street’. The band are surely now established as one of the best live acts in the UK and with a new album and tour on the horizon, there will thankfully be lots of opportunities to catch them again in the near future!

WATCH ‘CATHY’ ON YOUTUBE
Skinny Lister – ‘Cathy’

Watch Episode 6 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests Skinny Lister

Finally the event ends just as it began… with our gracious host Beans On Toast! With backing band in tow this time around the show feels different and special as our headline performance. Kicking off with ‘Life’ and ‘Not Everybody Thinks We’re Doomed’ the set is an uplifting celebration of our existence and is the perfect way to end a wonderful day.

The cutest cameo from Beans daughter, new material and old favourites ensure that despite having to follow some sensational artists, Beans On Toast is able to send the crowd into the night reminiscing about a beautiful day, many including our kids still singing the chorus of ‘On & On’!

With another edition already announced for next August, the Foolhardy Folk Festival has quickly established itself as a must attend date on the folk calendar. This is of course a credit to Beans On Toast, but also to everyone involved behind the scenes and of course the fan community that makes the event so special.

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Live Reviews

All Points East

All Points East

Victoria Park, London

Friday 25th August 2023

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ALL POINTS EAST – THE STROKES – LIVE REVIEW

All Points East has now firmly established its place in the UK festival calendar having already brought some huge names to Victoria Park in London in recent years.

Those names included The Strokes in 2019 when their headline set was struck by sound issues. That perhaps is the reason for their relatively quick return this year, but fans also have the prospect of hearing material from 2020 release ‘The New Abnormal’.

But before we get there we have a lot more to get through, that is after we get through traffic issues outside of London which sadly means with miss both HotWax and FEET.

When we do arrive in the arena, we head straight to the East Stage (one of two huge outdoor main stages) for the reformed Be Your Own Pet. The band only reunited last year but they own the stage today as if they’ve never been away. With their fantastic performance, Jemina Pearl starts a theme of woman stealing the show today.

A brisk walk is then required to get over to the West Stage for another reunion! The Walkmen have recently returned and draw a good early crowd to the stage. The band return the favour with a career-spanning crowd pleaser of a set.

Soon though, it’s time for the woman to take centre stage again with Amyl and the Sniffers quickly making the West Stage their own. Frontwoman Amy Taylor already has the audience in the palm of her hand when an almighty downpour commences. For most acts this would kill their momentum, but the band are able to hold the crowd and ramp up the intensity, creating a moment that will last long in the memory.

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Maps’

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Another short wait on the West Stage is all it takes for another incredible female artist to steal the show. The iconic Karen O leads Yeah Yeah Yeahs through a headline worthy performance which is absolutely enthralling.

By the time the band closes out their set with ‘Maps’, ‘Heads Will Roll’ and ‘Date With The Night’, they’ve proven themselves to be one of the best live bands on the planet. Captivating, dazzling and glorious, you start your walk back to the East Stage wondering how on earth our headline act can match that performance.

Sadly for The Strokes the fateful enemy has a say once again with sound issues somehow a problem once more. Many in the crowd complain that the volume is too low, something perhaps not helped by the meandering pace of the setlist.

That said, when the band do dig out the hits the crowd comes to life. The setlist features many of the same staples as 2019 but we do get ‘Ode to the Mets’ and ‘The Adults Are Talking’ from their latest studio effort.

Through their ninety minute set the band are able to evidence why they are one of the most acclaimed acts of the past two decades and it is far from a bad performance.

You just leave with the same disappointment as last time due to sound problems dampening the show. Perhaps that means the band will be back again in a couple of years, but either way All Points East continues to go from strength to strength and this year is another resounding success!

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Live Reviews

Trivium

Trivium

UEA LCR, Norwich

Thursday 24th August 2023

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TRIVIUM – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

All 📸 (C) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

As Trivium themselves proclaim tonight, it always feels like a homecoming when the Floridian metallers come to the UK. The band grew up on our island and their success has become intrinsically linked to the response of the UK to each release.

Tonight will see the band at the UEA in Norwich playing a tailored set to include a celebration of ‘Shogun’. Their fourth studio album, the record arrived at a crucial time for the band as they navigated a lukewarm response to ‘The Crusade’ – an album which was supposed to take the band to the pinnacle of the industry.

When that didn’t happen, ‘Shogun’ was the reset moment needed for the band to almost start again. Over the course of the subsequent fifteen years the band have matured into one of the most loved and respected metal bands on the planet with a consistent flow of high quality albums which looking back is quite astonishing.

ORBIT CULTURE

Also astonishing is the bands aptitude for selecting support acts and on this run of shows, they have both Orbit Culture and Bleed From Within along for the ride! Swedes Orbit Culture are a decade into their own career and that comes across with an experienced and assured performance to get the crowd engaged early.

BLEED FROM WITHIN

Having formed back in 2005, Bleed From Within certainly can’t be classed as a new band either, but the current momentum behind them is relatively new. Emerging from the pandemic with not one, but two acclaimed albums the band have made of the most of their recent studio time.

They’ve also made the very most of any stage time given to them and again tonight if you didn’t arrive as a fan of the band, you’ll most definitely be leaving as one. The group are able to create an instant connection with the audience and the synergy between them is mightily impressive.

TRIVIUM

With both bands having already turned the venue into a sweatbox, it’s soon enough time for Trivium to arrive on stage and close out the evening with ninety minutes of pure majestic brutality.

‘In The Court of the Dragon’ and ‘Down From The Sky’ quickly ensure that the audience is fully onside as the band flex their muscles early. It isn’t long before the likes of ‘Strife’ and ‘Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr’ absolutely annihilate venue security with a seemingly endless barrage of crowd surfers.

The love between band and audience is clear for all to see and as the band begin to explore ‘Shogun’ with rarities likes ‘The Calamity’ and ‘Insurrection’, an appreciation of the depths of the bands discography is overwhelming.

Newer material like ‘Catastrophist’ and ‘The Heart From Your Hate’ receive just as euphoric responses tonight as classics like ‘A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation’ and staple set closer ‘In Waves’. This is just further evidence both of the bands connection with the UK audience but most pertinently the intense quality of all their releases.

Ten albums and nearly twenty-five years in the band tease a short break is coming after this tour. Whilst this is very much hard earned, on the form the band find themselves in both on record and onstage as evidenced tonight, you are left praying that the gap isn’t that long!

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Album Reviews

Hot Milk

Hot Milk

A Call To The Void

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HOT MILK – A CALL TO THE VOID – ALBUM REVIEW

Hot Milk have been building, building, building since they stormed onto the scene in 2019. Building a solid fanbase, building a reputation as a top live act and building an incomparable back catalogue. Whilst those positive foundations were being built though, pressure and expectation built with them, specifically for a full debut album.

Well, the time has arrived for the band to show off their finished house to the word. Complete with aesthetically pleasing artwork, ‘A Call To The Void’ is ready for inspection and on first look it would appear that the band haven’t build any ordinary house, they’ve built a temple!

‘A Call To The Void’ is a call to arms, an invitation for that dedicated and passionate following to worship in their temple. From beginning to end the album is a galvanising expression of cathartic release from the band.

WATCH ‘BREATHING UNDERWATER’
Hot Milk – ‘BREATHING UNDERWATER’

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Stripping all existential meanings from the songs, what this album represents is quite simply a really fun half hour of joyous pop punk. What the band do well is add a darker edge to the genre which removes much of the silliness that is often associated with it. That said whilst many might try and pigeonhole this as emo or the like, the reality is that the band defy true genre designated.

There are plenty of obvious influences spread throughout the album, but Hot Milk have an ability to go beyond them and create something which is uniquely Hot Milk. The band have captured imaginations with their output thus far and ‘A Call To The Void’ is now the centrepiece on the mantle in their temple.

It will of course be interesting to see where the band go from this point, but they progress having successfully navigated the pitfalls of a debut album. Given that the group don’t appear to be ones to rest on their laurels then you’d imagine the building work will continue and you’d surely put money on them creating something spectacular!

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Album Reviews

Holding Absence

Holding Absence

The Noble Art of Self Destruction

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HOLDING ABSENCE – THE NOBLE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION – ALBUM REVIEW

It has been quite a remarkable journey for Holding Absence, for example you probably won’t find many bands on their level this early in their career whilst technically featuring no original members. The band have come so far from their early beginnings though and to have the opportunity to marvel upon their evolution in recent years has been very special indeed.

Every challenge has been met head on, and the ability of the band to form such a strong, organic connection with their fans has been a pleasure to see. Hard work in the studio and out on the road has born beautiful fruit and 2021’s ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’ was a true masterpiece.

The band now find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to follow that release and they do so with third album, ‘The Noble Art of Self Destruction’, which is perhaps more than a subtle nod at the obstacles that they’ve overcome.

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Holding Absence – ‘Her Wings’

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As mentioned already, the evolution and growth of the band has been special to witness but their sound in particular has developed so elegantly over the course of their career. On this new record they are sonically soaring above the clouds with a majestic aura connecting each track.

The ten songs here will suck you in and you’ll lose yourself to the honesty and richness of the lyrical content whilst be carried about by the gentle waves of the atmospheric soundtrack. It’s impossible to cherry pick highlights here as the album will simply take you on a journey that you’ll willingly follow.

Holding Absence are a band that appear to have found a magical formula for song writing because every time you think that they’ve peaked, they go ahead and surprise you all over again.

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Album Reviews

The View

The View

Exorcism of Youth

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THE VIEW – EXORCISM OF YOUTH – ALBUM REVIEW

The career of The View has been really fascinating, full of ups and downs, hit singles and missed opportunities. Once tipped to be the next big thing, the band now find themselves pigeonholed into a noughties indie nostalgia scene.

There has always been a youthful volatility to the band that has both garnered positive sentiment and turned people off in equal measures. After a hiatus the band returned to a receptive fanbase who packed out shows and soaked up a look back at the glory days.

What is interesting here is that most bands would settle for their place in the pecking order and hit up that nostalgia circuit for as long as possible. Perhaps that’s what many would’ve expected The View to do, but instead here they are with a brand new studio album, which really is rather good!

WATCH ‘WOMAN OF THE YEAR’ ON YOUTUBE
The View – ‘Woman of the Year’

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Yes, that isn’t something we perhaps thought we’d be saying in 2023 but ‘Exorcism of Youth’ is undoubtedly the group’s best work since their debut album. With a more mature and explorative sound, a strong argument could even be made to say that the album is actually their very best.

There is plenty of what made the band popular on offer but rather than just copy their previous homework the band have put in the work and delivered something fresh. The likes of the fantastic ‘Shovel In His Hands’ and the superb ‘Woman of the Year’ standout but the album as a whole is full of melancholic indie anthems.

Fans of the band will very much enjoy this album and the band can be proud of proving all the naysayers wrong by pulling a rabbit out of the hat with ‘Exorcism of Youth’!

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The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 34 – The View

Read our review of ‘Learning How to Live and Let Go’ from The Xcerts

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Album Reviews

The Xcerts

The Xcerts

Learning How to Live and Let Go

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THE XCERTS – LEARNING How TO LIVE AND LET GO – ALBUM REVIEW

It’s somehow been five years since The Xcerts released the sublime ‘Hold On to Your Heart’, and in the meantime a lot has happened both in the world itself and in the world of The Xcerts.

The band now return with a new album, on a new record label, and with a newly expanded musical ambition, which is perhaps best demonstrated on statement single, ‘GIMME’! Yes, ‘Learning How to Live and Let Go’, is the sound of a band testing themselves and pushing their boundaries, removing any pre-set assumptions about what is expected of them.

That said, the DNA that runs through the likes of ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ and ‘There Is Only You’ is very still inherent on what is perhaps the groups most well rounded record yet. The juxtaposition between the likes of ‘Ache’ and ‘My Friends Forever’ is so finely balanced because the band have taken the two ends of their sonic palette and stretched them are far as possible.

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The Xcerts – ‘Ache’ ft. Sam Carter

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As a result you get a wide range of new colours but the identity of the artist remains the intrinsic link. In a day and age where artists are encouraged to play it safe and stick to the rulebook, The Xcerts have been brave enough to throw that book out the window and explore themselves.

The result is twelve thoroughly enjoyable tracks interwoven by the theme of acceptance and the road to it. This very much feels like the band also coming to terms with their place in the world, pressing reset and setting off on their next journey; and given the immense quality of the outcome, you can’t help but want to go on that journey with them!

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The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 33 – The Xcerts

Read our review of Limp Bizkit live in London

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Live Reviews

Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit

Gunnersbury Park, London

Sunday 13th August 2023

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LIMP BIZKIT – GUNNERSBURY PARK – LIVE REVIEW

Festival season is quickly drawing towards a close, but there are still a handful of opportunities left for music fans to head outdoors for some music. Whilst the weather may not have been kind this year, today in Gunnersbury Park, London is pretty much perfect festival weather – it’s warm without being too hot, it’s cloudy but no rain in sight!

These London day events often struggle to bring in the fans, but the bill today has been enough to bring a healthy crowd to West London. The crowd are soon penned into what is now a standard minimalistic arena framed by overpriced food and drink.

There really isn’t a lot to do other than eat, drink and be merry, so the exuberant fifty minute change-overs are a tad extreme! Thankfully though, the early acts Deijuvhs, Joey Valence & Brae and KennyHoopla are all more than capable of getting the crowd hyped up.

Eventually we arrive at our special guests Pendulum who take to the stage at 18:40, which really feels a little early for a Pendulum set! The daylight in particular limits the effectiveness of their usual visual show.

Luckily the band themselves are more than capable to engaging the audience and building up the atmosphere. In a set that is perhaps more reliant on the music than normal, the likes of ‘Propane Nightmares’, ‘Granite’, ‘Witchcraft’, ‘Tarantula’ and ‘Watercolour’, all have the crowd singing and moving along.

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Pendulum – ‘Halo’ feat Bullet For My Valentine

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A highlight comes with Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck joining the band for new single, ‘Halo’, which goes down very well. Along with ‘Self vs Self’, the heavier tracks fare well with an audience full of metalheads, and Pendulum leave the stage having once again proved their dexterity.

Comparatively on the other hand, headliners Limp Bizkit could be called a one trick pony, thankfully for them that trick is to get the audience riled up to then smash out an energetic and riotous set.

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Limp Bizkit – ‘Break Stuff’

From the moment Fred Durst stalks across the stage, the atmosphere ratchets up a dozen notches, and he is able to control the crowd with absolute aplomb. The band are clearly on top form and the audience reciprocates this energy which creates a very special performance.

Early material predominantly makes up the set list and that works well with a crowd which by show of hands is mainly catching the band live for the first time. ‘Dad Vibes’ and ‘Gold Cobra’ do make appearances though and change up the pace for a short while.

The show comes to an end almost as soon as it starts due to the early curfew, and fans are left wanting more, but then this is always a good thing. It would appear that somehow in 2023 Limp Bizkit may be enjoying a second coming!

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Album Reviews

The Hives

The Hives

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

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The hives – the death of randy fitzsimmons – album review

The Hives have always been a phenomenal live band and earlier this summer the UK seemed to realise this on a larger scale when the band played as special guests on the mammoth Arctic Monkeys stadium tour.

The Hives, as expected, blew the headliners out the water and now it’s time for the band to remind everyone just how good they are on record. After all, ‘The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons’ is the group’s first new studio album in over 11 years!

That’s far too long to wait for another frantic release of energy in the manner that only The Hives can deliver. The album bursts straight into life with ‘Bogus Operandi’, ‘Trapdoor Solution’ and ‘Countdown to Shutdown’ and it never really stops for breath any at point.

WATCH the video for ‘Bogus operandi’
The Hives – ‘Bogus Operandi’

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Yes, on record the band are equally as exuberantly riotous as they are on the stage. The runtime of circa thirty minutes is ideal and ensures that the listener’s attention is never even tested in the slightest. Indeed you’ll just want to hit play again straight away.

There may not be any earth-shattering developments to their sound since their last effort, but let’s all be honest, nobody would’ve wanted that. This is The Hives doing what only they do and doing so elegantly well!

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Album Reviews

Skindred

Skindred

Smile

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SKINDRED – SMILE – ALBUM REVIEW

Over the course of their twenty-five year career Skindred have etched themselves into the consciousness of the British metal scene. One of the most loved live bands on the circuit, the band have also built up an impressive catalogue of songs to get audiences moving.

‘Smile’ is the groups eighth studio album and finds the band in impeccable form as they once again showcase their power to entice and engage. This is a spectacular summer record which is guaranteed to get the listener pumped up and ready to stand in a field swinging their t-shirt above their head!

Skindred have built their reputation on their live shows and this sometimes means that their recorded works are underappreciated. It’s easy to pigeonhole the band, even if they are put into their own unique box, but on ‘Smile’ you can again feel the creative dexterity they possess within the undertones of the record.

WATCH THE ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ MUSIC VIDEO
Skindred – ‘Unstoppable’

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The prolificacy of the band is immense, but again can sometimes lead to accusations of being a one trick pony. Across this album though whilst the band are again prolific (there’s not a bad track to be found), when you dig down beyond the pre-release singles you can get a real sense of the sonic palette on offer.

Whilst ‘Gimme That Boom’, ‘Set Fazers’, ‘L.O.V.E. (Smile Please)’ and ‘Unstoppable’ are designed to sound massive live, the likes of ‘Mama’, ‘If I Could’, ‘This Appointed Love’, ‘Addicted’ and ‘State of the Union’ are equally enjoyable and make this album more than worth your time.

It’s great that whilst on the live circuit the band are enjoying their biggest successes (Wembley anyone?), twenty-five years in Skindred can also still deliver the goods in the studio!

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