Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the sixth issue now for free!
Volume six includes an update from cover stars Dream Nails, reviews of Ash, The Subways and Muse live and a load more!
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Mike Shinoda, Normandie, The Cadillac Three, Tesseract, Haunt The Woods, Millie Manders and the Shutup, LØLØ, Tropic Gold and BLACKGOLD!
Plus new live announcements from Within Temptation, Tenacious D, The Gaslight Anthem, 2000trees, Suede, Manic Street Preachers, Beartooth, Blackberry Smoke, The Sleeping Souls and Sean McGowan.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with modernlove., Break Fifty and Noah and the Loners!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the fourth issue now for free!
Volume four includes an update from cover stars Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, reviews of new albums from Black Stone Cherry and King Nun, a live review of Theory of a Deadman plus a special feature on the upcoming Ash vs The Subways tour!
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Neck Deep, Within Temptation, Europe, Lake Malice, Filth Is Eternal, Nervosa and Sum 41!
Plus new live announcements from Yard Act, James, Nothing More, VUKOVI, Lynks and The Longest Johns.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Spiritual Cramp, Butterfly Hurricane and Grove Street!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the fourth issue now for free!
Volume four includes an update from cover stars Creeper, a review of ‘Confessions of the Fallen’ from Staind plus a special feature on Metal for Good!
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Bruce Dickinson, Blink 182, The Dollyrots, Chelsea Wolfe, Alien Weaponry, Helmet, VEXED, The Cadillac Three, P.O.D., The Vaccines, Against The Current, The K’s, Casey, Jack Valero, Little Man Tate, The Sleeping Souls, Interlaker, The Pale White, Florence Black and North Atlas!
Plus new live announcements from Bury Tomorrow, Poppy, Hot Water Music, Jake Bugg and Grade 2.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with BIG SPECIAL, Humour and headcage!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the third issue now for free!
Volume three includes an update from cover star Chris Shiflett, and a review of ‘Race the Night’ from Ash.
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Don Broco, Lonely The Brave, Dream Wife, TesseracT, DragonForce, Staind, Duff McKagan, Skinny Lister, All Time Low, While She Sleeps, K.Flay, The Meffs, END and Mother Mother!
Plus new live announcements from British Lion, Fozzy, KITE THIEF, VV, The Amazons, The Coral, Twin Atlantic and Lonely The Brave.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Major Moment, Tropic Gold and Future Static!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the second issue now for free!
Volume two includes reviews of October Drift and Philip Seth Campbell.
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Demob Happy, The Struts, The Rolling Stones, Dream Nails, Militarie Gun, REWS, Haunt The Woods, Scaler, The Cadillac Three, Pendulum, Wargasm, Daytime TV, HourHouse, Black Water County, The Pearl Harts, Gama Bomb, The Hyena Kill, Amongst Liars, Dead Poet Society and Death Of Me!
Plus new live announcements from Enter Shikari, Keane, The Big Moon, Wayward Sons, Of Mice & Men, Meryl Streek and BIG SPECIAL.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with PLAIINS, Unschooling and paradise fell.!
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!
The metalheads have taken over Birmingham with battlejackets visable on every street corner. Yes, the mighty Iron Maiden are in town and a sold out Utilita Arena is braced for a theatrical evening of fun with a band currently firing on all cylinders.
The legendary group are here as part of their aptly titled ‘The Future Past’ Tour which sees them focus on material from their latest studio release, ‘Senjutsu’ and their 1986 sixth album ‘Somewhere In Time’.
Up first however are openers Lord of the Lost, fresh from the indignity of finishing last at this year’s Eurovision. Given the reputation of Maiden fans to be rather harsh on their support acts, and the German groups recent past, we were concerned that Lord of the Lost would go down like a certain variety of balloon!
That thankfully isn’t the case though as they deliver a polished yet honest performance which is well received by the waiting masses. The band are able to show that they possess quality with substance and some great songs, which is probably why Eurovision fans weren’t interested! If that experience was a disappointment, this one is a big success for the band.
Soon enough those familiar strains of UFO’s ‘Doctor Doctor’ start to fill the arena and the atmosphere kicks up a few dozen notches. With an updated stage show complementing a setlist full of rarer heard fan favourites it doesn’t take long for the band to suck you right in.
Within moments Iron Maiden have the audience in the palm of their collective hand as they lead them back and forth from new tracks like ‘The Writing on the Wall’ to deep cuts like ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ and classics such as ‘Can I Play With Madness’!
With multiple appearances from Eddie plus all the usual trimmings this show is Maiden at their very best. The carefully curated setlist makes this a unique opportunity for the diehards but also a fine example of what the band do for any newcomers. This is perhaps best summed up by the final main set run of ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘Alexander the Great’, ‘Fear of the Dark’ and ‘Iron Maiden’.
By the time ‘The Trooper’ and ‘Wasted Years’ close out the evening, Maiden have one again shown themselves the masters of their craft. Those metalheads then head back out into the Birmingham night filled with glorious, dramatic metal!
Long established as one of the greatest live bands to ever plug in a guitar, it’s no surprise that fans have once again been flocking to catch Muse live this summer!
With large-scale UK shows already completed in Plymouth, Huddersfield and Glasgow, this sunny Sunday sees the trio take over the recently neglected National Bowl in Milton Keynes.
Once those lovely roundabouts have been successfully navigated, fans are greeted with a fantastic amphitheatre to enjoy the glory that will be the headline set. But, before then there are two great opening performances on offer.
Up first are Mexican trio The Warning who recently impressed with their slot at Download Festival. Today the group are again able to deliver a powerful set which will undoubtedly have won over a legion of new fans. From start to finish they make the very most of their short time on stage and you can’t help but think it won’t be their last time playing stages this size.
One band no stranger to large stages are the special guests tonight, Royal Blood. The duo are fresh from the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury and are able to command this stage with relative ease.
The crowd are very much on side tonight which appears to reassure the band after their recent issues with Mike Kerr clearly very grateful for the opportunity to play. The fans are equally joyed to have such an accomplished act delivering a calculated and polished set.
The scene is then set for the timeless Muse to once again showcase just why they are so revered. Never afraid to highlight their latest release, new album ‘Will of the People’ naturally takes centre stage tonight and that starts with the title-track which instantly whips the crowd into a frenzy.
Following that opening with a run of ‘Hysteria’, ‘Psycho’ and ‘Bliss’ just shows the embarrassment of riches that Muse can pull from. What’s nice tonight though is the addition of some rarer gems such as ‘Resistance’ and ‘Undisclosed Desires’.
Of course there are hits galore and the audience lap up the likes of ‘Time Is Running Out’, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, ‘Plug In Baby’, ‘Uprising’ and ‘Starlight’. Equally impressive though are the receptions given to new tracks like ‘Won’t Back Down’, ‘Compliance’ and ‘You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween’.
The delivery of songs either old or new is exquisite as you’d expect and the stage show is as flamboyant as ever. Muse really are masters of their art and it feels almost impossible for them to give a bad performance.
The encore of ‘Kill or Be Killed’ and traditional closer ‘Knights of Cydonia’ is in itself testament to the whole new and old sentiments above. No matter what they are playing, Muse play it better than anyone!
Kicking off proceedings on the tour are The Mysterines who have been solidly making a name for themselves over the last few years. This then is a huge opportunity for the band to pick up new fans and build momentum.
From the moment they walk onto the stage to the final strains of ‘Life’s A Bitch (But I Like It So Much)’, the group feel very much at home on a stage this big. Often even top live acts can struggle to fill these cavernous venues with their sound but that is no problem for The Mysterines.
The inclusion of new track, ‘Begin Again’, hopefully hints as more new music on the way because the world is their oyster. The Mysterines have all the qualities needed to end up headlining venues like this, and with performances like tonight you’d be willing to put money on it.
WATCH ‘BOGUS OPERANDI’ FROM THE HIVES
The Hives – ‘Bogus Operandi’
Last summer Arctic Monkeys headlined Reading and Leeds Festivals and despite the hype, their performances on the weekend were incredibly lacklustre.
It may have been a surprise then to see The Hives announced as main support for this tour. The band, instantly recognisable as one of the best live bands on the planet, certainly have the ability to upstage our headliners.
Opening with new track, ‘Bogus Operandi’, it doesn’t take long for the packed crowd to realise that they are witnessing greatness. It certainly helps that frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is on hand to remind everyone!
The likes of ‘Main Offender’, ‘Walk Idiot Walk’, ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’, ‘Come On!’ and ‘Tick Tick Boom’ help to get the crowd suitably warmed up for the final act. In truth, you’d be happy with the evening ending at this point as it’s hard to imagine Arctic Monkeys topping the live masterclass delivered by The Hives.
WATCH ‘THere’d better be a mirrorball’ from arctic monkeys
Arctic Monkeys – ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’
When our headline act does arrive though, they quickly smash out ‘Brianstorm’, ‘Snap Out of It’, ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’, ‘Crying Lightning’, ‘Teddy Picker’ and ‘The View From the Afternoon’. You are then reminded just how great Arctic Monkeys can be when they want to be.
The question these days is do they want to be? Thankfully, tonight they mostly do because tracks from their two latest albums are at a minimum and the likes of ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’, ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and ‘Mardy Bum’ are left to set to the tone. This creates more of a party atmosphere in the Stadium and ensures that the band can keep up with The Hives.
By the time the evening finishes with ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ and ‘R U Mine?’, Arctic Monkeys have ensured that their first Stadium tour is a successful one. Hopefully the band will soon rediscover their desire to record good music as well!
Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich really is a great little venue for an old school rock n roll show, so it’s a good thing that we are here tonight for just that!
There are three bands on offer tonight with our headliners The Pearl Harts celebrating the recent release of their latest album, ‘Love, Chaos’.
COLLARS
Up first are locals Collars, who do a fantastic job in getting the early crowd warmed up. The unique duo have something a little different to offer, which is always important when there are so many acts out there battling for a limited audience.
That shines through tonight and clearly the audience here in the venue appreciate the experience. The duo are able to control the crowd well and convey their sonic goods with effortless aplomb.
HOTWAX
The main support for this tour comes from upcoming rockers HotWax who take things to the next level with their assured performance. The trio play a selection of tracks from recently released EP, ‘A Thousand Times’, which sound enormous live.
The likes of ‘Treasure’, the title-track and set closer ‘Rip It Out’ demonstrate why the hype train is starting to pick up for a band with a big future. The band play with experience beyond their years and certainly make an impression on the thrilled crowd.
THE PEARL HARTS
Soon enough it’s time for our headliners to take to the stage and as soon as they do, you feel the presence of stars. The Pearl Harts have just followed up their stunning debut album with another sensational collection of fun rockers.
The duo completely own the stage and ‘Baby Chaos’, ‘Pullin’ My Brains Out’ and ‘Lara’ set the tone early for the rest of the night. Polished yet rough and ready, The Pearl Harts somehow capture the juxtaposition of the two with ease; singles ‘More’ and ‘Hypocritical’ showcasing this next.
There is a fierce power in the duo but this is seized and presented with a real shine. The crowd are almost left in awe of the ferocious majesty on display as the band plough through ‘Suck It Up’, ‘Gold’, ‘Wild Me’ and ‘Different Kinda Girl’.
On record The Pearl Harts are spectacular, but on stage they are simply phenomenal. Even broken strings can’t stop them and ‘Hurt’ and ‘Hit The Bottle’ quickly follow reminding fans of the quality of their debut album, ‘Glitter and Spit’.
The intense finale of ‘Black Blood’ is enough to ensure the audience leave with huge smiles on their faces. After all, they’ve just caught three very good bands in a great little music venue. Surely there’s not a better way to spend a Bank Holiday?
