Sons and Lovers, Yasmin and Ellie Goulding at O2 Academy Birmingham 16/12/12

Sons and Lovers were the first band on stage and this was their first ever tour. Their lead singer was very energetic, and it didn't take long for the crowd to warm up to them. All of the members were very talented musicians, and they were an enjoyable and harmless band to watch perform. Their latest song, ‘Golden’, which they played live is available to download from their Facebook page. Sons and Lovers are a good opening act.

Next on stage was Yasmin, a DJ from London. She played many unique remixes, including songs originally by Ms Dynamite, Kelis and Ricky Martin. Yasmin’s remixes have an ambient and relaxed vibe, whilst still sounding new and exciting, and the crowd enjoyed listening to a powerful female DJ. Expect big things from her soon!

Ellie Goulding arrived on stage in black shorts and a black top to an adoring crowd of fans. She instantly impressed the crowd with her incredibly beautiful and powerful voice. Not only is she a great singer, but during the concert she also played percussion and an acoustic guitar. She played a strong setlist, with songs such as ‘Figure 8’, ‘Hanging On’ and ‘Joy’. Her band were also all very talented musicians and all of her songs sounded very unique and even better than on record. Ellie revealed her favourite song that she had written was ‘My Blood’, and she played it very passionately. For the encore she played her impressive cover of ‘Your Song’ by Elton John, before ending her set with her most famous song, ‘Starry Eyed’. Ellie Goulding is an amazing female artist, who unlike most in the pop music industry, is very talented and her voice doesn't need auto-tuning.

Check out Sons and Lovers here: http://www.facebook.com/sonsandlovers?group_id=0
Check out Yasmin here: http://www.facebook.com/YasminOnline?group_id=0
Check out Ellie Goulding here: http://www.facebook.com/elliegoulding?group_id=0

Papa Roach and Stone Sour at O2 Academy Brixton 10/12/12

Opening with ‘Still Swinin’’ from their latest album ‘The Connection’, Papa Roach instantly proved the crowd were in for an incredible night of live music. Jacoby Shaddix’s vocals were on top form, and he seemed genuinely excited to be on stage and perform for the first UK date of their December tour. They played a well-varied setlist, including ‘…To Be Loved’, ‘Getting Away With Murder’ and possibly their most famous song, ‘Scars’. Ending their set with the angry anthem ‘Last Resort’, they played a great set for fans both old and new. Papa Roach are a hugely underrated live band and put on a strong live show.

Stone Sour rocked the world in October with their new album ‘House of Gold and Bones – Part One’, and tonight in London they rocked the whole of the O2 Academy. Corey Taylor has an incredible stage presence; it’s almost impossible to take your eyes of him whilst he’s singing. With both strong screaming vocals and softer singing vocals, he’s the ultimate metal singer. Stone Sour opened their set with ‘Gone Sovereign’ and ‘Absolute Zero’, the first two songs from their latest album. Partway through their set Corey Taylor exclusively revealed that  the rumors were in fact true: Stone Sour are playing at Download Festival at Donington Park in 2013. Jim Root is an incredible guitarist and makes even the hardest of riffs look effortless. Stone Sour played a great setlist, packed full of both old and new songs, including ‘Orchids’, ‘Made of Scars’ and ‘Reborn’. ‘A Rumor of Skin’, one of their newer songs, is incredibly powerful to watch live and the crowd definitely enjoyed themselves, with moshpits filling the sold-out O2 Academy. For the encore Corey Taylor came on stage with an acoustic guitar and played songs such as ‘Bother’ and ‘Through Glass’, which was very moving. Stone Sour are amazing live, and their set at Download Festival is definitely not one to be missed!

Check out Papa Roach here: http://www.facebook.com/paparoach?fref=ts
Check out Stone Sour here: http://www.facebook.com/stonesour?fref=ts

Omnivium

Omnivium are an unsigned Melbourne metal band, formed in July 2012. They have three demo songs on their Facebook page, and they have a unique metal sound. ‘Demo Song 1’ has a very catchy riff, with some strong and fast drum beats. The guitaring is incredibly impressive, especially the solo in ‘Demo Song 2’. Although all three demo songs are without any vocals, they have recently acquired a new vocalist, Lewis Miller, and hopefully we’ll hear big things from them soon!

Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/omnivium.metal/

TRC at The Joiners Southampton 2/12/12

TRC, also known as The Revolution Continues, are a huge part of the UK hardcore scene at the moment. Chris Robson has an incredible stage presence, and told the crowd “It’s about hard work, not hard music.” Playing songs such as ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ and ‘London’s Greatest Love Story’, they were well received by the audience, who responded with extreme hardcore dancing. ‘#TEAMUK’ was an instant crowd pleaser, along with ‘Temptation’. TRC said they’d be back in Southampton soon with a new album. If you’re a hardcore music fan, I’d definitely recommend that you see TRC at a date near you soon! 

Daniel P Carter, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie at the NIA Birmingham 29/11/12

When Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson announced that they were touring together for the ‘Twins of Evil’ tour, fans around the world desperately tried to get tickets. With two of metal’s biggest icons, it was a tour not to be missed.

First up on stage was Daniel P Carter, the host of BBC Radio One’s Rock Show. He played an interesting DJ set, with bands such as Rammstein and Slipknot. Although he played a good mix of different genres, it was instantly apparent that most of the crowd did not enjoy some of the alternative sounding songs.

Despite Marilyn Manson previously having some negative reviews of his live shows, this tour proved that he is back and stronger than ever. Opening with ‘Hey, Cruel World…’, the first track from his latest album ‘Born Villain’, he instantly had the audience in the palm of his hand. With moshpits appearing everywhere, the crowd went wild. His setlist was incredible, a mixture of his best hits over the years, including ‘Disposable Teens’, ‘mOBSCENE' and ‘The Dope Show’. Marilyn Manson had a wide range of different costumes and props on stage, and he even made it ‘rain’ from the ceiling of the NIA. He also played his infamous covers of ‘Personal Jesus’ by Depeche Mode and ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics. Marilyn Manson has an amazingly powerful voice, and backed up by his amazing band and incredible stage antics, he’s definitely underrated and if you haven’t seen him live already I would definitely recommend that you do!

Rob Zombie is an incredible artist, at both his music and his films, and tonight the two perfectly merged together, giving his fans an unforgettable show. He opened with ‘Jesus Frankenstein’, a powerful song from ‘Hellbilly Deluxe II’. Despite Rob Zombie explaining that his voice was a little worse-for-wear, he still put on an incredible show and his voice still remained enjoyable to listen to. He also played two White Zombie songs, ‘More Human Than Human’ and ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’, which seemed to make the crowd extremely happy. As well as Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie had many props too, including a mars rover, huge bouncy balls and a massive screen behind him playing horror movie clips, both of his films and iconic horrors over the years. ‘Living Dead Girl’ was definitely a crowd favourite, along with ‘Mars Needs Women’ and ‘Sick Bubble-Gum’. Ginger Fish played an amazing drum solo, and John 5 also played an impressive guitar solo. They played a great cover of Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’, before ending the show with probably Rob Zombie’s most famous song, ‘Dragula’.

The ‘Twins of Evil’ tour has an incredible line-up, and it’s definitely one of 2012’s hottest shows. If you want metal, mayhem and fun, then this show is definitely for you!