livegig

Rose Tattoo and Girlschool, Voodoo Lounge, Dublin, 8th September 2018

Rose Tattoo and Girlschool
Voodoo Lounge, Dublin
8th September, 2018
Review by Graham Horne

I arrived at the venue just before doors opened and there was already a queue of old rockers (I actually didn’t feel like the oldest one there for a change) starting to stretch its way down the road. I’ve not been to the Voodoo Lounge before and was surprised at how small and narrow it was. It was quite a nice bar (5 euros a pint, not bad for Dublin) and a seating area at the back, then a long narrow area to the stage. The stage is very small and there is no rear exit from the stage so all the artists and equipment have to somehow squeeze pass the punters, which seemed a bit of a nightmare for stage crew during change over.

Anyway, onto the bands. Up first were Girlschool who I have seen a few times since the heady days of ‘79. The band were on fire, kicking things off with ‘Demolition’, mixing the old classics, (and with a nod to Dio and Lemmy ) tracks from Legacy and Guilty As Sin. The years just rolled away for me and I felt like a teenager again. Listening to them playing most of their classic songs, ‘Hit And Run’, ‘Yeah Right’, ‘Race With The Devil etc, it’s hard to believe that the girls have been doing this for almost 40 years and they still look like they are enjoying it!

Now I have seen Rose Tattoo before (at Wacken) and thought they were good then, but in a small, tightly packed, sweaty pub they were amazing. This band are meant to be heard live. Starting off with ‘One Of The Boys, they played a good mix of classics such as ‘Rock n Roll Outlaw’, Assault And Battery’, ‘Butcher And Fast Eddie’, ‘Scarred For Life’, ‘Rock And Roll Is King’, and later tracks ‘1845’ and ‘Man About Town’, only pausing for Mr Anderson (swigging from a bottle of Stones Ginger Wine) to preach to the converted in between songs and deal with the odd heckler in the only way he can. By the time they got to ‘Astra Wally’ the crowd and band were sweating like a dingo’s dangly bits. It was hot in there I can tell you. They finished things off with ‘Nice Boys’, and then they were gone and everyone filed out with big grins on their faces, knowing they had seen a special gig.

Rose Tattoo Setlist
One Of The Boys
Juice On The Loose
Man About Town
Assault And Battery
Tramp
Rock n Roll Outlaw
Butcher And Fast Eddie
Once In A Lifetime
Branded
1854
Rock n Roll Is King
Bad Boy For Love
Remedy
Scarred For Life
Astra Wally
We Can’t Be Beaten
Nice Boys

LINKS:
Girlschool:

Rose Tattoo:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Graham Horne and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Callus, Live at Wrexfest, Atomic, Wrexham 28/07/2018

Callus
Wrexfest, Atomic, Wrexham 28/07/2018
Review by Beth Jones

I love it when an idea goes to plan! When Brendan (head honcho at Wrexfest) contacted me and said they wanted to do a metal night at Wrexfest this year and who would I suggest to try and get for the line-up, one band immediately came to mind – CALLUS!

After seeing these guys at Hammerfest earlier this year and being totally blown away by them, and subsequently following them through social media and in the flesh as they progressed through the heats at Mammothfest, Battle Of The Bands, Chester, it was a complete no brainer that our favourite three piece from the North should be part of it. When we found out that they were on the bill, we were a touch happy!

The evening had a diverse billing, ranging from slightly softer rock, to Metalcore, to …erm… a band called Glove who I am not sure how to classify! But we are all for diverse here at Ever Metal! It is what keeps music alive.

Wrexfest is an event which has been plagued by the weather and other factors since it started in 2013, but it battles on. This year, due to various issues, two of the bands on the Atomic bill had pulled out by the time we arrived, however this did mean that CALLUS got a longer set time – two thumbs good in our book!!

After conducting a very funny interview with the boys down a side alley two minutes from the venue, we headed back to watch them do their thing. They had told us that, because of their extended set time, they were able to chuck in some new stuff and we were super pumped to hear it! They did not disappoint!

The dictionary definition of CALLUS currently reads: ‘A thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue, especially in an area that has been subjected to friction’. This however will soon have the addendum…’subjected to friction from epic moshing to an amazing three piece who take you to a new level of awesome’.

O.M.G… I seriously cannot put into words how good CALLUS are! They are a weird mix of Thrash, Stoner, Doom, Progressive and Classic Metal, that should never work, but somehow it does, and brilliantly at that! They have a mix of chunky riffs, down tuned grooves, growly, shouty vocals, and insane drumming that gives you no choice but to move!

When they started their set the room was semi full, and it isn’t a big room, but as they played, the crowd grew and grew until it was packed to the rafters with people drawn to their sound. It was awesome!

I have stages of mosh – level 0 – ‘yeah they are ok – I will nod my head a bit’, level 1 – ‘I will take my hair out of my pony tail, because even though it is weird and wispy, I may want the hair effect as I nod my head to show that I am really in to this’, then level 2 – I will also now remove my glasses for I can feel my body going and I have no control over it, and if I don’t remove them they will end up in someone’s pint’! I was at level 2 mosh by the second song! I haven’t done that since my Tivoli days in the late nineties (and my body still knows it today!) but I seriously could not help myself!

These guys are so slick, so professional, so tight that you would swear they were a huge band of seasoned professionals, not a widely unknown one in the infancy of their career. I guarantee that they will not be unknown for long – they are too good not to get noticed! They kept the crowd thoroughly entertained throughout the 45 minute set and didn’t at any point lose anyone’s interest. Every single song was a smasher, and they performed the new stuff like it had been part of a great set for years. The audience were in the palm of their hands, even the breaks between songs, where guitarist/vocalist Louis Clarke switched guitars or retuned, were covered by an interesting sound effect which lead beautifully into the next song. Their set was not only jam packed with catchy, riffy grooviness, but was cleverly thought out and meticulously planned to keep the pace and momentum going from start to finish. We had not heard much of bassist/vocalist Ben Wormwell on vocals before now, but tonight we got to hear his vicious growl in some of the new material and it was growly and excellent! All of this brilliance was kept in check and time, and backed up by some of the most intricate tub-thumping I have ever seen, from drummer (and ego) Ryan Ormerod – the speed at which he moves his feet on the pedals, without triggers, is astounding!

I literally do not have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to describe how good these guys are, how they have completely won us over and have our utmost support here at Ever Metal, not only for the absolute amazing talent they all have, both individually and as a group, but also because they are three great, down to earth, genuine guys who deserve to be truly recognised for their hard work and dedication to their art. We are nearly old enough to be their parents, but I genuinely don’t think I could have been prouder of their performance here, if they were my own kids. #proud.

I implore anyone who has not heard them or seen them yet, to check them out and go and see them, you will not be disappointed. We eagerly await their debut album and will be first in the queue to buy our copy. A huge well done and a massive thank you to you guys for ripping it up in our little town!

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of all parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

All photographs are the property of Beth Jones and PhotograBee – http://www.facebook.com/PhotograBeeImages

Mason Hill & Hollowpoint – Live Review

Mason Hill & Hollowpoint
The Tivoli, Buckley.
8th December 2017
By Beth Jones
9.5/10

Having seen Mason Hill at Rockwich in the summer of 2017, when this gig was announced on our doorstep, it took me all of a millisecond to decide that we were going. Not only a chance to see my new favourite band, but also to go back to my old weekly haunt for the first time in 20 years, was far too tasty a prospect to pass on, and I had been eagerly awaiting it since. Now people who know me, will know my luck when it comes to weather and I am happy to report that mother nature has kept up her 100% record of trying to foil my brilliant plans, but as yet she had not succeeded!! So with the snow still falling and icy conditions on the road, we set out to the Tivoli ready for a great night.

We arrived in one piece and where very thankful to discover that Mason Hill and Hollowpoint had also made it! Unfortunately, Anglesey’s Bad Dog had been unable to make it off the island, but hey – two out of three ain’t bad!!

The venue itself hadn’t really changed in the 20 years since I had been there last, which was pleasing. I instantly went on a nostalgia trip, pointing things out and chuckling as a million memories came flooding back. The staff where really friendly and the bar was still reasonably priced, and it was also pleasing to see a pretty good number of people had battled through the weather to support the bands.

First up was Hollowpoint, a rock and metal band from Cheshire who supply a great mix of original tracks and classic covers, made up of Andy Cotton from Renegade, Stu Gower and Tim Hopkins from Gearjammer, Fozzy from Snakebite, and Nige Connor on vocals. I was really impressed with their sound straight away; it was very full and the vocal range of Nige was extremely impressive. They had the audience’s full attention and reeled off a host of originals and great covers at a roaring pace. Their vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and chunky bass really filled the space and they were very upbeat and full of fun – exactly what was needed to warm all the punters up on this chilly evening. For me, their best covers where Saxon’s ‘Stand Up And Fight’, and Maiden’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ – amazing vocals on both and great twin guitar work in ‘Hallowed’. A really top way to start the evening.

I had been making notes up until this point, but then Mason Hill came on and I was far too busy fan girling to make notes!!! What can I say about these guys…? Hell Yessss!! That is pretty much it!!!! Once again, from the first note they played, they had it. The whole crowd was with them straight away and they played with all the gusto that you would expect of a band playing a much larger venue to a much larger crowd. They gave us a mix of old and new, playing tracks from their debut EP, along with new material that will come on the hotly awaited debut album later this year.

The thing that I love about this band so much is their commitment. Their commitment and their stage presence, and their sheer talent make for an awesome live experience. Each one of them brings something different to the table, from James Bird’s seemingly effortless solos, Matthew Ward’s bouncing bass, Marc Montgomery’s skillful guitar, Craig McFetridge’s precision drumming and all topped off perfectly with the powerful soaring vocals of Scott Taylor, all the parts sit together in perfect harmony to create, in my opinion, the most exciting new band I have seen in many many years.

They switch between the heavier riffs of ‘Now You See Me’, to the soaring ballad ‘Where I Belong’ (which is simply a stunning song by the way) with total fluidity and just keep giving song after song after song of the quality that have the potential to be great rock anthems of the future.

Just for fun, as a finale, the guys threw in a perfect cover of Mountain’s ‘Mississippi Queen’. Yes. Awesome.

By the end, Scott said that his voice was going (not that you would have noticed from where we were sat) and I get the feeling that he had maybe pushed just a little bit too hard. And that would be my only one point about the whole night. Scott please look after that voice – we need it to go on for a long time yet!!!

In summary, although the weather outside was frightful, the bands were so delightful, and as long as there’s Mason Hill, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!! I came out of the venue a very happy Beth and smiled all the way home. Incidentally this was the maiden date of Mason Hill’s first ever tour and I am so glad to be able to say I was there. Looking forward immensely to seeing these guys again at Amplified Festival in the summer.

HOLLOWPOINT LINKS:

MASON HILL LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities