Song of the day - 27/02/2014

Today's song of the day comes from Australian pop punk rockers 5 Seconds Of Summer! It was the video that attracted me to the song as everyone basically strips down to their underwear, the song itself is a fantastically, catchy song that will lift your spirit up. This is the second time listening to the song in the past ten minutes and about to listen to it for a third time! It will be interesting if they perform this song live.







Find 5 Seconds Of Summer on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Song (cover) of the day - 26/02/2014

Todays song of the day comes from Southampton lounge trio The Lounge Kittens, well it's a cover of the profound modern classic Limp Bizkit's Rollin. When I first saw the title of the video I was a little bit skeptical as it isn't the easiest song to cover; I was happy to be proved wrong! This is about the fifth time listening to this cover in the last two hours. I just love how these ladies have taken one of the most manly rock songs and made it their own; ladylike and sophisticated! I can't wait to see what these ladies do next, might even catch them at a live show soon.

Find The Lounge Kittens on Facebook

New Video: Nervosa - Death

Brazillian thrash metallers Nervosa release their brand new video in the lead up to the release of their new album Victim Of Yourself.

This is my first time hearing the band and I really liked the song. I am slowly getting more into thrash metal and understanding it a lot more than I did say a year ago. Here's a taste of Nervosa!

Find Nervosa on Facebook

Word on the Street: Gotthard to release new album

The news just in is that hard rockers Gotthard will be releasing a new album called Bang! The album is due for release on 4th April 2014. 

I hadn't heard of these guys until today and I have got to say after listening to their single Starlight I am very excited about their album release. I hope they come to the UK. If you would like a taste of Gotthard then here we go.

Find Gotthard on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Turisas @ The Talking Heads, Southampton 22/02/2014

War paint, battle-axes, mosh pits and metal could only mean one thing...Turisas fought and conquered the last battle of their UK tour at Southampton’s Talking Heads.

Chicago metal heads Starkill got the final battle off to an exhilarating start. Their highly infectious energy circulated around the venue that I think encouraged massive audience participation. The musicians themselves are incredibly talented and very passionate particularly guitarist Tony Keathley; his originally slick solos and riffs were a crucial highlight of their set. They were most certainly the right band to start off the night of metal and I hope they come back to the UK very soon.

I had seen Finnish battle metallers Turisas a few years ago when they played Southampton University and I remember being impressed with their live show. Last night was no exception. Anticipation and excitement were already travelling around the venue as the band entered onto the stage. Turisas entered with such liveliness and drive, dramatically opening with Ten More Miles. There was a song on the setlist for everyone last night; from the triumphal gallant Rex Regi Rebellis to the classic disco cover Rasputin this eclectic setlist of songs went down very well with crowds at this sold out show. Nothing was going to stop Turisas, even when either their impressive stage smoke or the temperature in the room triggered the heat sensors twice and like true warriors they battled on to make sure their fans got the best show. Since this happened, my respect for the Finnish metallers has gone through the roof.

The experience was truly enthralling; everything from the general atmosphere of the venue to the fantastic music was just perfect. So far the best live show of 2014.

Find Starkill here

Find Turisas here

Words by Charlotte Whittingham

Thy Art Is Murder @ The Joiners, Southampton 06/01/2014

Another sold out night in Southampton’s sweatiest venue, this time it was modern deathcore pioneers Thy Art Is Murder’s turn to decimate the local crowd.

Aegaeon – Whilst managing to look like the merch guy is an admirable feat on stage, Aegeon’s blend of brutal deathcore tends to fall on its face. Don’t get me wrong, all the elements of a decent live band are here, but it never really goes anywhere, rather it seems that Aegaeon were playing a little too safe tonight. The barrier between audience and band seems to grow to a great distance and it leaves a few of the paying punters to wonder just why they got here early. A redeeming factor is that there isn’t a musical note wrong, stylistically it seems to be all there it just needs that extra push. (5)

Aversions Crown – Even if their alien influenced brand of deathcore seems rather hit and miss on record, Aversions Crown’s live show is something else. The trifecta of guitars are used to great effect as crowd pleaser ‘Overseer’ is deployed as the second track in. However it is set closer ‘Hollow Planet’ that really sends the crowd into a frenzy of punches and relentless moshing. Clearly on the cusp of something big, the next Aversions Crown release should be waited for with baited breath (8)

Heart Of A Coward – The somewhat home-grown heroes of this tour, Heart Of A Coward waste no time in getting down to business. Whipping the crowd up into a frenzy is no issue for frontman Jamie who manages to hold them in the palm of his hand for the entire set. Sing along favourite ‘Shade’ brings cries of Suffer…..bitch, all the way from the back to the front. Sounding almost like a djent band on record, HOAC seem so much heavier live, but it is crystal clear brutality as the sound is clearly working in their favour tonight. (9)

Thy Art Is Murder – It is a proof to the power of the internet that this band has travelled over to our shores for this tour. The Infinite Death EP brought many new fans into the genre and many people have been waiting for the chance to see them live. The simple thing is that TIAM just do not do a bad live show. Frontman CJ manages to look demonic before a single note is even struck and even takes a little moment to dedicate ‘Vile Creations’ to those at the bar trying to pick up women. With a commanding stage presence TIAM ran through the choice cuts from 2012’s Hate, even managing to take a quick detour through the aforementioned Infinite Death EP. As the last strains of ‘Reign Of Darkness’ fade away, it is a clear statement that TAIM are here to stay (9)

Words by Jack Webb

The Treatment @ 02 Academy Islington, London 07/02/2014

Pure classic rock and roll is the phrase I would use to describe my night at London’s O2 Academy in Islington featuring some of the greatest British upcoming rock bands!

The night started off with a brassy howl from London rockers The Howling. They just started playing as I walked into the academy that evening and I was instantly taken with their energetic stage presence with some destructive elements, such as slamming the microphone down onto the floor. Their studio like sound when performing live certainly went down with the crowds and members of the audience headbanging showed this within the first few minutes of their set. A great band to kick off the show, their spectacular live performance only reinforces the positive feedback received from familiar names such as Kasabian’s Tom Meighan.

Main support Cage The Gods have certainly been making a name for themselves in the past year and their performance from Islington Academy is vital evidence as to why they were featured in Classic Rock as one of the bands to watch out for. Starting off with an atmospheric introduction leading into the song Badlands that received a more than welcoming reception from the crowds Cage The Gods were well under way. As their set continued, the band’s infectious energy circulated around the venue particularly via the songs Sacrifice and Favourite Sin. All I can say is keep an eye out for these talented rockers, their new album Badlands will be out soon!

I was very excited about seeing headliners The Treatment! As you’d have seen from a previous blog post their new album hit the shelves last week and I really enjoyed it. When the lights went down I could feel the eagerness and anticipation build up in the venue as they awaited the Cambridge rockers. The set got off to an explosive start with single I Bleed Rock And Roll that most certainly got a unquestionably enthusiastic reception from the crowds. The Treatment most certainly know how to take care of their fans as they included an eclectic selection of songs in their set that seemed to really Get The Party On (see what I did there?). 

The songs that highlighted their set for me were Emergency, Just Tell Me Why and Nothing To Loose (But Our Minds). Emergency is my personal favourite song on the new album Running With The Dogs, singing and dancing along to the song put the biggest smile on my face. I hadn’t heard Just Tell Me Why performed live for a long time and when I heard the first few notes played I felt very warm inside. Nothing To Loose just provided the perfect end to a brilliant set as everyone swayed their arms to and fro.

So as a whole, the night was excellent. It provided us a rare opportunity to see front man type energy from every band and I look forward to the next time they tour!

Words by Charlotte Whittingham and Dan Leigh

Find The Howling on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Find Cage The Gods on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Find The Treatment on Facebook and Twitter