Me, The Pretty Reckless and Evanescence 13/11/11

Despite not being particularly well known, Me were a surprisingly refreshing neo-rock band from Australia. Luke Ferris has an amazing vocal range, and every song sounded completely unique, ensuring that the audience stayed focussed on the music whilst having a good time. The catchy chorus of ‘Naked’ made it easy for the crowd to sing along as if they’d been fans since the beginning. The guitar solos were impressive, and as they incorporated styles from all different genres, it was nearly impossible not to like them. They’re definitely a band to watch out for!

Opening with one of the ultimate rock-chick anthems, ‘Since You’re Gone’, Taylor Momsen’s raspy voice filled the academy greeted by thousands of adoring fans. ‘Zombie’ was an instant crowd-pleaser and was perfect for showing her vocal abilities. The punk riffs and catchy lyrics contributed to an incredible performance; The Pretty Reckless wowed the crowd and proved that they were about the music, not just the fame.  Their cover of ‘Seven Nation Army’ was incredibly unique and matched Taylor’s voice perfectly. However, the best song of the night was definitely ‘Make Me Wanna Die’, which launched their journey to fame.

Opening with their latest single ‘What You Want’ seemed extremely fitting; “Hello, hello, remember me?” due to Evanescence’s disappearance from the music scene, however, their new album and amazing live performance proved they’re back for good! They played a mixture of old songs to appeal to all of the fans, including ‘Going Under’, ‘Lithium’ and ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’. Amy Lee’s voice was phenomenal and her skills on the piano were astounding. Playing ‘Bring Me To Life’ brought nostalgia to the crowd. ‘My Immortal’ was a perfect song to end the evening with, proving that although Evanescence are progressing musically, they will never forget their roots.

Black Spiders and Volbeat 27/10/11

“No make up, no bullshit, just good hippy rock music!” Micheal Poulson’s wise words set the tone for the evening, and the high expectations of the evening were far surpassed from this incredible evening of rock.

Despite only forming in 2008, Black Spiders were a surprisingly energetic hard rock band with a huge fan base; probably stemming from winning 'Best Underground Band' at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards last year. They managed to turn a hostile crowd into fans with just a short set, and their performance considering they were a support band was astounding.  Opening with ‘Stay Down’, the fast-paced and vigorous hard rock sound was apparent and catchy and with Pete ‘Spider’ Spiby’s rough yet melodic vocals it was impossible not to like them. It seemed like their most popular song of the evening was ‘Just like a Woman’, which incorporated aspects from old-fashioned British rock ‘n’ roll with a modern twist and an incredibly catchy chorus. With song titles such as  ‘KISS Tried to Kill me’ it shows they are a light-hearted band out to reinvent the genre and perform great rock shows. Black Spiders prove that rock industry is still going strong and they give a fresh input to the genre.

When Volbeat appeared on stage the crowd reaction was fantastic. The o2 Academy was filled with a diverse range of people from all over the world, but they all shared one thing; a love for Volbeat. Opening with ‘The Human Instrument’, the rock ‘n’ roll influenced power chords and Michael Poulsen’s voice created an incredibly different sound from anything ever heard before. The passion that the band played with was apparent throughout their whole performance and they seemed truly grateful for the fans’ support. Michael encouraged crowd participation and Jon Larsen even looked worried when fans were crowd surfing. When the crowd were asked where some of them has seen Volbeat before as this was their first UK tour, a resounding cry of ‘Sonisphere!’ shows that the festival scene is fantastic for making different bands accessible to everyone. Their wide range of influences was evident due to their amazing cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Sad Man’s Tongue’ and  Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Want to be With You’, putting their own ‘hippy rock’ influences into them to make them unique. ‘Radio Girl’ was an instant crowd-pleaser and ‘Still Counting’ proved how distinctive their style is; there could never be another band like Volbeat. They put Denmark on the scene for unique rock music and illustrates how rock music has progressed throughout the years to create their amazingly distinctive sound. If you’re looking for a mixture of rock, country, metal and a lot of passion, go and see Volbeat live!