The Dead Presleys, NeonFly and The Morning After at 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.