Tuesday 25 October 2011

Motionless in White, Pierce the Veil and Blessthefall 17/10/11

Motionless in White, Pierce the Veil and Blessthefall; a metalcore fan’s heaven. When Motionless in White came on stage they didn’t look like the traditional metalcore band, covered in make up and dressed to ‘impress’. First impressions concluded that they were a clone of Black Veil Brides, however, their music was a lot less whiney and a lot catchier. Their best-received song was ‘Creatures’ and although they were mediocre live, it felt like they were trying too hard to engage with the audience (for example, insulting ‘Twilight’, which is stereotypically disliked by most metal/rock fans). Having a birthday cake for Christopher Cerulli subverted expectations for the show and he gave a heart-felt speech, however, with less emphasis on trying to shock and more emphasis into their playing they can grow to be a successful band. Pierce the Veil were full of contagious energy; the crowd’s reception was fantastic and it’s impossible to stand still at a Pierce the Veil show. They played a good mixture of old songs, such as ‘Yeah Boy and Doll Face’ and later songs, such as their most famous song ‘Caraphernelia’. Their infamous cover of ‘Like a G6’ was pleasantly surprising and warmed the audience up for Blessthefall, who were on next. Vic Fuentes’ voice is raw and passion-filled, making Pierce the Veil an incredible live band who deserve more credit than they get. After a long wait, Blessthefall exploded onto the stage with their iconic fast riffs and powerful vocals. Beau Bokan was a natural on stage and fascinating to watch. He managed to interact with the audience perfectly and those who didn’t know any better would think he had always been the vocalist of Blessthefall. They played such classics as ‘Black Rose Dying’, ‘Hey Baby, Here’s That Song You Wanted’ and even ‘God Wears Gucci’. Their latest song, ‘Awakening’, was received well and sounded as good as their previous albums, maybe even better. Despite the frequent lineup changes, Blessthefall are an incredible live band and their new album is definitely one all metalcore fans need to add to their collection.

Monday 10 October 2011

Never Say Die Tour (As Blood Runs Black, The Word Alive, Deez Nuts, Emmure and Suicide Silence) 9/10/11


Due to the commercial success of the Never Say Die tour in the past, this year it was back with even more of a bang! Despite the resemblance to a Justin Bieber song, there was no pop here! Sponsored by Impericon, the headliners this year were Suicide Silence, and it definitely was a concert to remember.

Due to transport issues I missed the first two bands (Vanna and The Human Abstract), so the first band I saw were As Blood Runs Black. Despite not knowing many of their songs, they instantly engaged with the audience and offered a fresh new deathcore sound. The lead singer, Sonik Garcia, seemed extremely grateful to be presented with such an energetic crowd, and they played songs such as ‘In Dying Days’ and ‘Divided’. They had strong guitarists and definitely are a band to watch out for in the future.

The next band on were The Word Alive, an American metalcore band from Arizona. I was slightly sceptical when I saw their name on the line up as on record they didn’t seem as ‘heavy’ as the other bands listed, however, they sounded a lot heavier with more screaming live and performed amazingly well. Their performance of ‘2012’ was astounding and the crowd seemed to love them.

Deez Nuts, a hardcore punk band from Australia, are renowned for their explicit lyrics and energetic stage shows. Despite their slightly negative reputation, they were really fun to watch and engaged the audience well. Their crowd chants made them more accessible to the audience (for example “I hustle every day, every day, every day!” and the unpleasant “Your mother should have swallowed you!”). The lead singer had a strong voice that filled the venue and the mosh pits were intense.

The next band on were Emmure. Love them or hate them, you have to admit they were amazing live. The lead singer Frankie Palmeri has an indescribable voice and he was fascinating to watch. They played songs such as ‘I Thought You Met Telly and Turned Me Into Casper’, ‘Demons with Ryu’ and ‘R2 Deepthroat’. It really was amusing hearing the whole crowd shout “The next time you see her, ask your girl what my dick tastes like!” Things like this would only happen at a metal gig! I was pleasantly surprised with Emmure’s setlist as it had a wide mixture of songs to engage old and new fans. The passion Frankie displayed on stage was intense and I highly recommend that if you haven’t already to check them out.

The final band on were called Suicide Silence. They opened with ‘Wake Up’, which definitely did wake up any of the crowd that were exhausted from such a long night of metal! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd go so mental as they did during ‘You Only Live Once’, the latest single off ‘Black Crown’. Mitch Lucker proved anyone in the crowd who seemed doubtful of Suicide Silence’s musical ability wrong and his energy was infectious. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Fuck Everything’ became many people’s new anthem last night as it was an amazing demonstration of how metal music can be used to portray your emotions and rid yourself of anger.

All in all, it was a fantastic night with an incredible line up that helped introduce metal fans into new bands and genres. All I can say is bring on next year!

Dot Rotten, Delilah and Chase and Status 6/10/11


Over the past few years Chase & Status have gone from strength to strength and seem to have an ever-growing fan base. They've worked with highly regarded singers such as Plan B, Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal and seem to unite all different genres of music.They’ve become renowned for their fantastic live performances and I finally got the chance to see why they’re so highly regarded by drum and bass fans, pop fans and rock fans alike.

The first support was London grime rapper, Dot Rotten. Despite a very hesitant crowd, he seemed to be in his element on stage and soon got the venue moving. Although it was obvious he wasn’t well known to the crowd, he was a strong live performer and managed to engage with the audience. His set was short, but it was long enough for him to gain a few more fans and get the crowd worked up for the next couple of bands.

The next artist on stage was Delilah, who has worked on songs such as ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Time’ with Chase & Status. Her unique look and sound captivated the crowd and her voice easily filled the whole arena. Despite how nervous she was when she started, she sounded great and presented a more relaxed vibe than the grime artist on before her. Her new single, ‘Go’, was a mixture of existing songs but presented in a new and exciting way. Although she was good, it was apparent that the crowd were getting disinterested due to the slower pace, so she played her single again but a lot faster and with more electronic beats. All in all, she was a good performer, but maybe should have picked a more exciting set for such a energetic crowd.

After an extremely long wait, Chase & Status appeared on stage. The opened with ‘No Problem’, which was an instant crowd pleaser. The lighting and videos in the background were amazing and fitted the music perfectly. The next song they played was ‘Eastern Jam’, which demonstrated that they were going to play songs off both albums, appealing to both types of Chase & Status fans. Tempa T (A.KA. ‘Tempz’) joined the stage for a rendition of his song ‘Next Hype’, which led into the collaboration song ‘Hypest Hype’, which was fantastic and full of energy. Delilah joined Chase & Status on stage for performances of ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Time’. Although they didn’t have all of their guest performances with them on the tour, all of the songs played sounded amazing and the atmosphere could not have been any more intense. ‘Blind Faith’ with Liam Bailey was performed with such passion and sounded even better than the recorded version.

All in all, it was a fantastic concert with an amazing set list from Chase & Status. If anyone is looking to watch an amazing night of drum and bass, I would highly recommend that you go and see Chase & Status!