Steve Hackett on the Wirral. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L. S. Media. November 21st 2009.
Making his first appearance in Birkenhead in five years, Steve Hackett arrived at the Pacific Road Arts Centre riding high on the back of a critically acclaimed album Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth and the knowledge that the tour has been well received by fans old and new.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. December 2nd 2009.
Even if you don’t know anything by the band it is well worth checking out the fantastic Eagles of Death Metal when they come back to Britain on their next tour, for as they constantly prove, they are among the best rock acts around today. They show right from the start of a gig that they are out to give a performance that will be remembered fondly by their fans and newcomers alike for a long time.
Originally published by L.S. Media. December 7th 2009.
It is not often a big band come to a city twice within a calendar year but the superb Electric Six have never really stood on tradition or been fans of sticking to the routine.
Electric Six are a band that you cannot ignore. You might love their genre blurring music, one minute electro pop, the next hard rock or you could find them irritating and beyond the pale but you cannot dismiss them. With a fun night in the offering the Detroit musicians opened the night with the storming Body Shot from the new studio album Kill but they never let the heat die down once during the night from that moment.
Madness in Wolverhampton. Photgraph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. December 18th 2009.
To a certain generation the evening felt like a school disco from their childhood in the early eighties. Not only did the audience have the pleasure of seeing the band on a short film but then there was the musical interlude before the main act. A superb D.J playing all the tracks the late thirty and early forty something’s would remember with fondness such as Tenpole Tudor’s Swords of a Thousand Men and The Undertones’ My Perfect Cousin.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. February 5th 2010.
One of the finest bands to come out of Scotland have dusted down their back catalogue and have hit the road in earnest, with what seems a mission to remind the British public, that there is more to the current bands who dominate people’s thoughts and also, once in a while look back to the bands of the past and listen to their music, which should always be heard.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. March 7th 2010.
One of the early tracks released by The Stranglers sums up completely the lack of good post punk bands with any sort of longevity. A band who have been at the business end of rock music and who have let trends pass them by without kowtowing to anybody else’s rules. That song finished a set filled with classic hits, firm fan favourites and nods to every decade that the band has been active. After over thirty five years, The Men in Black prove time and time again, that they alone are the exception to the rule that there are “No More Heroes“.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. March 8th 2010.
In the last few years, the music of Genesis and Phil Collins has undergone resurgence in popularity. Thanks in part to the welcome return of the band touring once more in 2007 and the seemingly bizarre sight of a gorilla drumming along to In the Air Tonight whilst advertising a certain popular chocolate bar.
Thanks to this recognition, the groups that have kept the music alive for many years are now reaping the rewards of keeping the faith. Some Genesis cover bands are happy to play the songs that the older fan will love but they don’t do too much from the later years when the band become the behemoth hit machine.
John Mitchell of It Bites. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. March 15th 2010.
One of the best progressive rock bands to come out of the 80’s made a welcome return to touring this month. It Bites only got back together a few years ago but on the back of the superb album The Tall Ships they have not kept still.
With a brand new live album out now, titled Live in Japan, the band came on stage at the Islington Academy to huge applause and genuine warmth from a very loyal following.
Johnny Barlow, part of the Amsterdam line up. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. March 22nd 2010.
They have been missing off the local scene for a while but Saturday night marked the glorious return of local boy Ian Prowse and the magnificent Amsterdam. One of the last times they came “home” was for the wonderful night of music at the Picket last year. Now, armed with a few new tracks ready to play and some old favourites to thrill the audience with, Ian, Johnny Barlow, violinist Anna Jenkins and the rest of this exceptional band set their agenda early with Joe’s Kiss and Hey Hilary before going into the wonderful Coming up for Air/ Nothing’s Goin’ Right.
Originally published by L.S. Media. March 27th 2010.
The band that became a phenomenon at the start of the summer of 2006 came back to Birmingham for the first time in a while and turned a damp British evening into a night of high energy and hot, steamy excellence.
The Automatic opened the night with the single Interstate from the recently released album Tear the Signs Down before giving the energetic crowd their first taste of the superb lyrics and frenzied guitar playing that would dominate the evening’s set list with the superb Recover and internaly angst ridden and certain journalistic bashing Magazines.