Full Metal Racket 16 – HurtSeason, Burials and Chronographs at The Vault, Rugby 6/4/12

The first band on stage were HurtSeason, a four-piece metal band from the Midlands. They were a heavy band, with obvious influences from bands such as Lamb of God, creating a strong heavy vibe, which continued and intensified throughout the night. The strong screaming vocals from Tom Scott were enjoyable to listen to, and his singing was equally as impressive. With great guitar solos and catchy riffs, they were a great opening band and further proof that the Midlands have some amazing talent on the metal scene.

Burials exploded onto the stage with the confidence to knock any hardcore band of its feet. The melodic breakdowns of their songs were remarkable, emphasised by the lead singer’s variable vocal style. Their energetic performance was exciting to watch, and the use of samples in their songs emphasised this as no song sounded the same. The variation in songs were enjoyable to listen to, and Burials are definitely a band to watch out for in the not-too-distant future.

The final band on was Chronographs, and this was their last date on their UK tour with Burials. Jon Sinfield’s heavy vocals were extremely impressive, and the amazing audience reception proved how much of a great live band they are. ‘Dutch Courage’ was an instant crowd-pleaser; the strong beat and heavy riffs created a huge mosh-pit, and it was almost impossible not to move along to the music. Chronographs also seemed like genuinely funny guys, they joked that their drummer was really Harry Styles from One Direction. Judging by the songs heard during their performance, their new album 'Nausea' will definitely be an amazing metal album. All in all, it was another amazing night for metal fans at the Vault in Rugby.

The Dead Presleys, NeonFly and The Morning After at The Vault, Rugby 18/3/12

The Dead Presleys are a band from Rugby who have only been around since 2011, but they are already known for being a fun and exciting live band. The fast punk riffs and loud vocals were enjoyable to listen to, and all of the members seemed to be having a great time, just like the crowd. ‘Run Away Baby’ was brilliantly performed and their raw talent is obvious to anyone who has the pleasure to watch them live. The Dead Presleys are frequent performers at The Vault, but hopefully they will be playing a venue near you soon. 

London band NeonFly were next on stage, and they definitely did not disappoint anyone’s expectations. Their lead singer, Willy Norton was very enthusiastic about his performance and his vocals matched this. NeonFly’s harmonic influences create a very unique-sounding metal band, and the fast-paced riffs match this perfectly. Their bassist, Paul Miller, is very talented and his fast playing-style is very impressive. NeonFly’s incredible live performance proved that metal can still be unique and exciting, and that metal will never truly die. Their album, ‘Outshine The Sun’ is a very exceptional album, which will hopefully get them far in the music scene. 

As soon as The Morning After arrived on stage, it was immediately apparent that they had glam metal influences and that they were going to really rock Rugby. The lead singer, Sam Ryder, has an incredibly melodic voice, which appeals to not only those who love metal, but also those who like the lighter side of rock. He managed to engage the crowd with the performance, even getting a member of the audience to hold his guitar for him. Every song sounded different, adding to their unique style and everyone in the crowd were moving along to the music. The catchy chorus of ‘America’ was an instant crowd-pleaser; ‘I couldn’t forget you if I tried’ was an appropriate lyric, as they are an incredible live band who gave an unforgettable performance. The Morning After have raised the standard of the bands who perform at The Vault, helping to put Rugby on the scene for amazing live music. And I was definitely still singing the songs the morning after seeing them!

Thank you

I would just like to take this post to thank every one of you who read my blog and check out my reviews. It means the world to me that people enjoy reading my work and what I have to say. It would be amazing if you could also like my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/GigReviewsByJulia and suggest it to your friends. Thanks once again, and hopefully I should be going to a lot more concerts soon, so I can write a lot more reviews!

Far East Movement and LMFAO 09/03/2012

Some may see Far East Movement as a ‘one hit wonder’ band after their explosive 2010 hit ‘Like a G6’. However, they took this evening to prove they are a lot more than a forgettable hip hop band; they are a enthusiastic and talented band who really know how to engage with a crowd. Of course, when they played ‘Like a G6’ it got the most reception from the audience, however, they played a wide range of songs which all sounded unique and they even premiered a song from their new album, ‘Dirty Bass’. Their talented DJ played songs, which ensured that the crowd were able to dance and have a good time, and each rapper sounded unique. If you want to see a hip hop band which do not sound the same as the other mainstream artists, then definitely go and see ‘Far East Movement’.

LMFAO. Despite the band name looking like teenage internet slang, they are one of the most exciting live bands around at the moment. Coming on stage to a group of backing dancers, inflatable bottles of alcohol, inflatable palm trees and zebras, it was apparent that LMFAO were going to be far from boring! Redfoo (“with the ass ‘fro, yeah!”) came on stage apologising about SkyBlu’s absence from the show and burst into their latest single and album title track, ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’. For each song Redfoo and his backing dancers changed into different outfits with the song names on, and for ‘Put That A$$ To Work’ the dancers wore small leotards. The atmosphere was incredible; hundreds of people dancing away to the incredible songs being played. Each song sounded as clear as it does recorded, and Redfoo was an incredibly entertaining front man for the evening. The thrusting and gyrating for ‘I Am Not A Whore’ was extremely entertaining, and the cartoon characters on the screen were more than insightful of the party lifestyle LMFAO like to live.  ‘Sexy and I Know It’ was a memorable song to see live: all of the dancers and Redfoo were in Speedos, and seeing hundreds of people doing the ‘wiggle’ was amazing. LMFAO are a fun filled live band with many props and gimmicks, and they lived up to the expectations of them being an entertaining, light-hearted and fun-filled band.

Uneven Structure, Blood Command, Long Distance Calling and Protest The Hero 03/03/2012

Uneven Structure are a progressive metal band, with a slight Djent sound, from France. Their lead singer, Matthieu Romarin, has a strong voice, which filled up the O2 Academy well. Due to the variation of singing and screaming the band were able to appeal to most of the audience, including those who like the heavier side of metal.

The next band that appeared on stage defied the crowd’s expectations; a petite blonde girl who came on stage and started screaming. However, she had truly unique vocals; despite screaming, she managed to maintain her high-pitched vocals, which contrasted nicely with the low backing vocals from the males in the band. Blood Command had a distinct hardcore punk-rock sound, which was extremely refreshing to listen to in an age of ‘wannabe Paramore’ female-fronted bands.

After hearing that the next band on were instrumental I was slightly dubious about what they would sound like live and how the crowd would react. However, I should not have worried as Long Distance Calling were extremely talent and the crowd were fixated with them. All of the members were extremely talented musicians and every song sounded unique and the breakdowns were incredible. After watching them perform they have completely changed my view on instrumental music and many others’ in the room too.

Anyone who knows of Protest The Hero understand that they are extremely inimitable and quirky, with last night being no exception as they came onstage to a song from ‘The Lion King’. They opened with ‘Sex Tapes’ and the moshpits started instantly; the atmosphere was incredible. After playing ‘Termites’ Rody Walker said “That song has the word ‘rattletrap’ in it, want to know where I heard that for the first time? Hannah Montana. There’s a long and complicated reason as to why I was watching that show…” Rody proved he was a carefree born-entertainer with a great sense of humour, and throughout the night he was incredible at engaging with the audience. The bands’ energy was contagious and all of the crowd were moving and singing all of the words back at Rody. The riffs sounded perfect and the drumbeat was strong, matching with Rody’s exceptional vocal range. ‘Hair-Trigger’ seemed to be the most popular song and it was incredible to see such an exciting band live.

The Xcerts, I Am the Avalanche and Brand New 15/02/2012

Scottish band ‘The Xcerts’ were the first band on stage; young, exciting and extremely enjoyable to listen to. Despite not being remarkably well known, they provided an entertaining set with catchy riffs and powerful lyrics. ‘Slackerpop’, a song which has recently been featured on ‘Kerrang!’, is an enthusiastic rock anthem which really got the crowd moving. Finishing with the fast-paced ‘Hurt With Me’, the ‘The Xcerts’ used tonight to prove how talented they are, and hopefully we will be hearing a lot more from them in the near future.

Brooklyn boys ‘I Am the Avalanche’ exploded onto the stage with ‘Holy Fuck’; a wise move, as the amount of ‘Woahs!’ enabled the entire crowd to join in, whether they had heard of the band before or not. The lead singer, Vinnie Caruana, seemed truly astounded by how much the crowd were enjoying themselves and extremely grateful for the support, which is humbling to see from a recent band nowadays. The fast riffs and melodic singing in 'The Gravedigger's Argument' was astounding to listen to, and the swift changes in the pace of the song highlighted how exciting they are to watch live. 


The style of music Brand New perform is incredible; it ranges from melodic hardcore, to rock, to alternative. Despite being hard to define, they are a powerful and enticing live band; pure emotion oozes out of every lyric that escapes Jesse Lacey’s mouth. ‘Millstone’ had the crowd stood in amazement, yet the sound of everyone singing along was deafening. Jesse opened up for ‘Sic Transit Gloria.. Glory Fades’ by saying “This song is the best song we’ve ever wrote,” which was definitely apparent from the jumping which occurred as soon as the song started. ‘Seventy Times 7’ was an instant crowd pleaser; the lyrics are extremely strong and angry. A softer approach was met for the melodic ‘Mixtape’ and ‘Jesus’, with many lighters in the air and lots of swaying. Jesse is an incredible front man; not just due to his voice, but also how down-to-earth he is. He even had a rant about the different between American and English crisps, which was absolutely hilarious. After an impressive hour and a half set, ‘Brand New’ closed with ‘You Won’t Know’, the riff haunting everyone in the crowd. All in all, it was a fantastic night for rock/alternative music, filled with powerful lead singers and catchy riffs. 

Calvin Harris and Rihanna 29/11/11

Calvin Harris and Rihanna are two of the biggest names in the music industry at the moment. After their collaboration song ‘We Found Love’ reached number one, it was the perfect line up for an amazing night of dance and pop music.

Calvin Harris arrived on stage with an amazing lightshow in the background. He entered the DJ box and despite only being able to see his silhouette it was apparent it was him from his amazing music abilities and voice. As well as playing his own songs, he mixed in popular chart songs such as ‘Party Rock Anthem’ by LMFAO to engage the crowd and to give them fresh new music to listen to. Through the use of his musical skills he was able to make the whole sold-out NIA Arena move around and become extremely excited for Rihanna. When he asked the crowd to scream so loud that Rihanna could hear them back stage the sound was almost deafening! Calvin Harris is an incredible versatile DJ and amazing to watch live.

As soon as the lights dimmed and a video of Rihanna started playing the tension was unbearable. When she appeared on stage it was amazing, she opened with her single ‘Only Girl (In the World)’, which sold over a million copies. Her voice was astounding, and proved that despite her sex-symbol status, she was still an incredible singer. She used many different props and pyrotechnics, including a car and dancing crash-test dummies for ‘Shut Up and Drive’, pole dancers for her incredibly unique cover of Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki’ and chains and whips for the provocative ‘S&M’. She even had a tank that shot out smoke for ‘Hard’. One incredibly lucky female was brought onto stage with Rihanna for ‘Skin’. Despite using so many props on stage she was still able to dance and sing incredibly, much more than most ‘pop stars’ around at the moment. She had many different costume changes including a leather corset, a beautiful yellow dress and sparkly underwear. ‘Unfaithful’ proved her voice was extremely versatile and has shown how much she has progressed in the past few years.

Rihanna is an incredible music icon and puts on a fantastic stage show. Anyone who has the chance to see her live should definitely take it up as no matter what genre of music you are into, you will be amazed by her stage presence and beautiful voice.