02 April 2011: IQ - The Robin 2, Bilston, England, UK

My first IQ gig and it was a bit of a special one - the first of their 30th anniversary shows. There was no support band at this gig, instead we got a slideshow of photographs from the past 30 years projected on three screens playing as the band arrived onstage to play a two hour-long set with a few surprises...

Despite a recent lineup change (the addition of Neil Durant on keyboards and return of Tim Esau on bass), the band sounded well rehearsed and professional. Peter Nicholls' onstage presence is incredible to watch - direct and confrontational with a more subtle and emotional edge to his voice. All of this is contrasted by his onstage banter with the rest of the band, genuinely relaxed and witty with the ability to put the audience at ease...[more]

12 March 2011: Levellers + The Wonderstuff - Rock City, Nottingham, England, UK

Has it really been twenty years?

The Wonderstuff arrived on stage at a very early 10 to seven-ish and blazed there way through a greatest hits package which included “Welcome to the Cheap Seats”, “Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More” and “Don't Let Me Down, Gently”. Thankfully there was no “Dizzy” (at least from what I heard - I missed the first few minutes), which I was dreading, and the packed crowd really enjoyed the set, and judging by the look on...[more]

04 December 2010: Pendulum - Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, England, UK

What do you get when you combine a visual master class in rock god posturing with solid drum and bass mayhem, a great night out at Nottingham Arena.

Although they lack the stage presence of The Prodigy and the aggression of Combichrist the performance was strangely compelling and there will definitely be a place for electronic rock over the next decade, Pendulum have finally come of age...[more]

19 April 2010: The Primitives - The Bodega Social Club, Nottingham, England, UK

Another day, another reformation. These usually fill me with dread as, with the odd exception (The Jesus And Mary Chain), the happy memories of some wonderful tunes are stealthily stolen away and replaced by a reissue and another hole in your pocket.

But hang on, this one might just be worth it...

Arriving fairly early I was concerned to see that...[more]

11 April 2010: Airbourne + Black Spiders + Taking Dawn - Rock City, Nottingham, England, UK

What better way to spend a Sunday night than going to a gig where you’re only interested in a support band?

The opening act of the evening were Taking Dawn from the good ol’ US of A. For me they were an unknown quantity with an amusing Wikipedia entry which was either penned by the band themselves or some marketing exec trying to build up the hype and shift a few units. First impressions were of being trapped in a time warp from the late 80s or early 90s. Taking Dawn looked and sounded very much in the same vein as...[more]

16 January 2010: Pressgang - Elm Tree, Cambridge, England, UK

I had a few problems getting to (and finding!) the venue, so the band had already started by the time I got there. Shame really, because they were on top form.

The stage was tiny and the venue was one of those narrow pubs that mean that wherever you try to stand you feel in the way - probably great if you just want a pub, but not much good for gigs. Especially bands like Pressgang where people do get that strange urge to dance around a lot...[more]

19 September 2009: The Wildhearts + Black Spiders + No Americana - Rock City, Nottingham, England, UK

First support was provided by No Americana; 4 young fellas, sounded alright, not really my bag though. The second support act was Black Spiders; loved this lot, whiffs of Sacred Reich, Motorhead and AC/DC which is meant as a compliment, rocked hard and heavy without resorting to the just-need-to-be-fast-to-be-heavy angle - highly recommended. They’re supporting The Answer (a.k.a. poor man’s Black Crowes) soon and I might go along just to catch the Black Spiders.

Rock City had filled up by this stage and I’d guess wasn’t far short, if at all, of being a sellout. It’s great to see people coming out for The Wildhearts once again after a brief lull in their apparent popularity (or marketing)...[more]

19 June 2009: Southside Festival 2009 - Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany

Thursday 18th June

Arrived in Zweibrucken to beautiful sunshine and a beautiful smiley face of my friend Iris who was picking me up and driving me to Saarbrucken where I was to spend the rest of the day in her garden eating cherries straight from the tree and annoying her cat with a long/thin stick. Later the same day we had a lovely dinner at a rather picturesque local old brewery come restaurant where I was introduced to...[more]

11 June 2009: Eastfield + Garden Gang + Paul Carter + Chris Butler - Victoria Inn, Derby, England, UK

It was much later than I had anticipated when I arrived at Derby's Victoria Inn and I was dreading missing the first artist but, a bit of good fortune for me, it was much later than anticipated when Chris Butler appeared on the stage at about 20:30 and consequently I managed to catch all of his set.

Less fortunately, Chris's set had to be cut short to fit all of the acts onto the bill. This meant that we only got four tracks. But, oh, what tracks they were.

Chris is a folk-punk-protest singer and his songs are story-telling...[more]

29 April 2009: The Sizzling Gypsies - The Enterprise, Camden, London, England, UK

Fortunately for the 30-40 foot-tapping music loving audience in the Enterprise last night, 5 males have been drinking gallons of the stuff.

Raucous vocals, drooling riffs and boundless energy were the first impressions I got from The Sizzling Gypsies. Put these traits together with an ability to write and perform huge songs and it seems all the ingredients are in place. Granted, I’ve only known of the band for roughly 48 hours through my friend Kev who has known the members of the band for several years, but having witnessed 30 minutes of material last night it’s easy to get pretty excited....[more]