Royal Blood

Headliner: Royal Blood

Date: 17/02/24

Venue: the musician Leicester

Support: tigercub

So gig number 4 was upon me, this time the much hyped royal blood at a new venue for me the musician in Leicester. The venue was pretty cool unassuming on a quiet back street and this would be a test run for when I see pulled apart by horses here in a couple of months.

First band of the night was tigercub kind of reminded me in about 100 different ways about 100 different indie/alternative bands from the 90s in particular pavement, they were not bad to be honest but I was still not sure if I actually liked them or not and after listening to them on YouTube I'm still not sure now.  

Anyway royal blood....

Royal blood have been massively hyped in the media over the past few months despite having almost zero songs out there for people to buy, including being on the BBC sound of 2014 long list.

Anyway what can you say they only have about 8 songs but they all sound like classics part zeppelin, part soundgarden but some right good heavy riffs.

Certainly ones to watch and will be seeing them again in a few weeks on the nme tour.

And as for seeing PABH in here in a couple of months, it's gonna be a right hot sweaty affair.

Lite + the physics house band

Headliners: lite

Date: 13 February 2014

Venue: the soundhouse Leicester 

Support: the physics house band + a nother

So the third gig in a week and gig number 3 for 2014 this time off to the soundhouse in Leicester to see Japanese band lite. 

The venue tonight was the soundhouse in Leicester a venue that normally gets stupidly hot, and I soon found out why two massive radiators running parallel with the stagehand full whack, crazy...

Anyway the first band of the night came on and I have no idea what they were called. Musically they could all play their instruments well but the vocals were weak and the lyrics naff which kind off made them sound well... Pretty ordinary.

Next up the physics house band, I seem to remember missing them when I saw 65daysofstatic last year while they were setting up I thought richard ayoade from the IT Crowd was playing bass for them, turns out it hasn't him just someone with the same crazy hair.

Any way they were ace played for about 45 mins with only one brief stop about 30mins into the set that was rhythmic, beat driven psychedelic joy. Good band.

Next up Lite, before I got the tickets for tonight's gig I knew nothing about them but saw a flyer around Christmas time in the firebug and saw they were an instrumental math rock band from japan, I love a good random genre, instrumental music and Japanese bands so it seemed like a perfect mix.

Lite were immense! Japanese bands have a tendency to be ridiculously technical and lite were no different, technically brilliant and thoroughly entertaining.  It's a shame they aren't better know over here because they deserve a bigger audience.

Slaves + Pup

Co-headliners: slaves + pup

Date: 10 feb 2014

Venue: bodega Nottingham

Well following on from last weeks arena show it was back to the small and intimate surroundings of the bodega social club in Nottingham.

I didn't know much about either of the bands playing tonight but took a risk on some tickets during the January gig drought. I thought a couple of punky bands on a Monday night for £7 you can't really go wrong.

First up tonight was a band called slaves, dressed up in shirt and ties like they had just left the office and set up what appeared to be a floor tom, a snare and a cymbal along with a single guitar. 

One of the great things about small venue gigs is when you suddenly discover a band that you wonder why you had never heard of them before! Slaves made a right racket, dark punky and especially quirky songs. One of my favourites was where's your car Debbie a story about walking home a girl called Debbie, but being apprehensive about the Bigfoot that is living in the woods in Royal Tunbridge Wells, who would have thought eh.

Anyway slaves were ace! I have since bought the album from their bandcamp site! 

Next up Pup! 

A band from canada recently signed to side one dummy they came on and when they started had a few too many harmonies and ooh oohs for my liking but as they carried on they got a bit faster and heavier and buy the end when they played the only song I knew Reservoir, I was pretty impressed.

I love small intimate gigs like this where you can suddenly discover your new favourite band.

Anyway gig number 2 for 2014 was done and on to the next.

Frank Turner.

Headliner: Frank Turner

Date: 7/2/14

Venue: capital fm arena Nottingham 

Support: beans on toast, flogging Molly 

Well here we gig wise 2014 is off and running, first up Frank Turner!

I make no bones about it and to anyone that knows me I'm a huge frank turner fan.  I have been following him since the million dead days and his progression into acoustic music ran parallel to me discovering acoustic music and falling in love with it.  I have seen him play in small venues, big venues, in record shops, playing on the street and now in an arena! It was listing to Frank that also made me pick up an acoustic guitar for the first time!

I'm not a fan of arena shows too big for me and all that, but I kind of feel proud that Frank is playing these venues proof that hard work pays off, this was franks 1523rd gig. Hard work gets you places. Many musicians can learn something from this.

I know frank has received a lot of grief about moving up to these big venues but as he said its important to him that those people wanting to see him get that opportunity and shifting 10000 tickets for this show proves that the demand is there. 

Opening up tonight for frank was his old mate Jay (great name) aka beansontoast, I reckon he probably knows about six chords and uses these to sing songs about politics, sex, drugs and rock n roll.  I have seen beans before but this time unfortunately I only manged to arrive as he was finishing up his set.  Frank has often said that beans was the man who encouraged him to pick up an acoustic guitar and it sums up the man that he brings him on tours like this.

Next up flogging Molly! I was well into flogging Molly when I went though a bit of a Irish folk punk phase a few years ago with bands like the Dropkick Murphy's, the tossers and of course Flogging Molly so I was delighted when they were announced as the main support!

Starting off with drunken lullabies and requiem for a dying song they played a great singalong set ( for those that know the words) and playing one of my favourites if I ever leave this world alive during their set I was happy that I finally got to see flogging Molly live.

Next up Frank Turner!

Franks set started off with photosynthesis and everyone sitting down and then jumping up in unison to the chorus halfway through followed by plain sailing weather and rocking though a good half a dozen songs in quick succession the crowd where lapping it up, the sing along for glory hallelujah was incredible and the half way through the set he did a great version of Father's Day with a double bass.

Frank pretty much played a few songs off each album during a 90minute set finishing off with long live the queen, recovery and broken piano.

The encore started with the ballad of me and my friends a song with another great singalong moment "and were definitely going to hell... But we'll have all the best stories to tell" concluded with I still believe and four simple words the set was done.

Well first gig of the year done and another frank turner show done, this won't be the last time I see frank live, where next Milton Keynes bowl? Wembley stadium? Or the rescue rooms? Either way I'm sure frank will put on a great show.

Dave hause + Northcote

Headliner: Dave Hause

venue: Bodega Social

Date: 7/12/13

Support: Nothcote

So apologies to dave hause after keeping my blog for an entire year I manged to forget to record my memories of the last gig of the year.

2013 saw some great gigs, some great memories and of course the flaming lips debacle.

So what can I saw about the dave hause show? Well after 2 months probably not a lot to be honest.

Trying to dig into the old memory bank and remember the night, well northcote was the support and an artist who has released a few albums and recently a great self titled release on xtra mile.

Great sing along choruses and from what I remember I really enjoyed his set.

Now dave hause ex loved one and I must admit I was a little disappointed with his second solo album seems a bit over produced and not as raw and natural as his debut.

He went down incredibly well with the crowd singing along to the choruses and enjoying the show.

This has to go down as the worst of all blog entries and as the 2014 gig season starts I better get back on the horse and start updating it regularly with 4 gigs in 10 days to start it off it might get out of hand pretty quick.

Rocket from the Crypt

Headliner: Rocket from the Crypt

Venue: Koko Camden

Date: 6 December 2013

Support: The Computers

So another gig and another new venue this time Koko in Camden, I haven't been here before and have to say its a pretty spectacular venue I guess it was formerly a theatre as it had multiple tiers. The venue still had its traditional look with modern lighting and the biggest disco ball I have ever seen spinning around in the ceiling, I must say this was a very impressive place.

The first band on tonight was The Computers their latest album release this year love triangles hate squares has been one of my favourite albums of the year and I was looking forward to seeing them.

Taking to the stage in matching suits and launching into some good old fashioned rock and roll with the lead singer climbing on things, jumping around, standing on stuff, dancing with audience members through the crowd it seemed to me as if they were possibly trying to hard and were in danger of becoming the blues brothers.

I really like the sound of The Computers and get the idea of what they are trying to do I just think they should try less to fill the stereotypical image and concentrate on the music.

Next up Rocket from the Crypt!

It's been a long while since I've seen Rocket from the Crypt so I was looking forward to this and with a total sell out at Koko I guess plenty of other people were as well.

The venue seemed a bit of a maze to move around so I stood on the balcony to the side of the stage, almost in The same position that Greg from Dillinger Escape Plan jumped off the other week and I couldn't help thinking.... Shit... That's just mental.

Anyway the band took to the stage to chants of speedo, speeeeedo, speeeeedo and rocket, rocket, rocket dressed in the usual identical suits half way through the set launching into middle, on a rope, born in 69 and young livers in a blistering 10minute onslaught.

You know what you get with Rocket from the Crypt and the crowed were loving out, speedo made me chuckle at the start when he said thanks for letting us play this amazing venue, it's like playing on the Muppet show.

Speedos stories and interaction with the crowd was great and after about an hour the set was over.

With the crowd cheering for more they came back for an encore with a twist... They had changed into matching mail order Elvis suits, which in the words of speedo were cut high in the groin.

After an early finish due the usual Friday night discos these venues seem to love these days it was time to head home.

The long journey home was disturbed with inconsiderate people on the train looping about 4 Christmas songs for about 90 minutes, seriously the last thing I want to hear at 1am is noddy holder screaming its Christmas, or feed the world.  If I wasn't so considerate to others they would have got some Dillinger Escape Plan right back at them!

Girls Against Boys

Electric Ballroom camden

3rd December 2013

Way back when in the good old days and all that a couple of bands were very important to me in my musical education, these bands included the usual suspects bands like Fugazi, Black Flag, Husker Du, The Pixies, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty and a band called Girls Against Boys.

I first heard about Girls Against Boys from a friend at college and picked up a copy of Venus Luxure No.1 Baby on see through yellow vinyl, from the opening bass line of In Like Flynn and the way it slowly developed until Scott's vocals kicked it was like wow, and I suddenly realised what a great band this was.

The crunching sound of rockets are red still contains one of my favourite lyrics, I'm not crazy...but I'm trying.

I saw them many times in the 90s at some great venues including the sadly now closed Princess Charlotte in Leicester, Sheffield leadmill and once at some place in Nottingham where I seem to remember them playing in almost total darkness supported by another amazing band Brainiac who's time was sadly cut short with death of singer and noise makerTimmy Taylor.

After some great albums some 10years ago they called it a day and I thought that was it, they played a few shows Scott and Alex played in Paramount styles, Eli went on to produce stuff including a cool album from The Soft pack and errr James Blunt.

Anyway I was excited to hear earlier this year they were back and playing a few shows mainly in Europe, I was massively excited to hear of a UK date and booked my ticket as soon as they went on sale.

In the meantime they released and amazing new ep The Ghost List not just because I love the band, but because it's a great sounding record.

Anyway show time!

Since the last time I saw them we have all got a little older I mean it's I guess 20years since I first saw them but music is great for providing and provoking memories and it was a real delight to see these guys again.

Starting off with Tucked in and playing through some classic songs like super fire, go be delighted and learned it the Two Bass attack of GVSB was sounding immense.

Eli was jumping around like a crazy man, a bit of shadow boxing on the stage and I'm still to this day intrigued by the way he puts a bass through a wah pedal and the sound he gets from it.

Half way through the set they played 3 songs off the new ep which sounded great live, let's get killed is one of my favourite tracks of the year.

Ending the hour long set with bulletproof Cupid, in like Flynn, kill the sexplayer, let me come back and rockets are red finally bringing it all to a conclusion.

It was great seeing GVSB performing live again, hopefully this wont be the last time and hopefully the ghost list isn't a farewell release but hey none of us are getting any younger these days.

Next up is another one of my favourite 90s bands Rocket From The Crypt at Koko. A Fugazi reunion now would complete it for me but I'm pretty convinced that will sadly never happen.