Top 10 Live shows of 2011: 5-1

Here is my top five live shows of 2011;

5. Jenna's Revenge @ The Joiners; Southampton 13/11/2011

This particular gig marked the long awaited return from Gosport hard rockers Jenna's Revenge; after Simon 'Sic' McLaren left the band in March this year it took the rest of Jenna's months to find a new vocalist. However Sic decided he missed Jenna's so much that he decided to make a return; me and best friend Becca were so excited for this that she made them a welcome back cake that I carried. Although note to self; think about transportation of the cake before hand. It was a fantastic show none the less; Sic's energetic stage antics, some classic rock and a very tasty cake made the evening perfect for the return of one of the southern coasts greatest rock bands. 

Find Jenna's Revenge on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

4. Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry and Theory Of A Deadman @ Wembley Arena; London 29/11/2011

Three of the greatest grunge bands from across the pond playing under one roof for one night was one of the greatest gigs I have seen this year; all three of them performed fantastic sets. Will have to try and get the DVD of that gig; so many cameras were there to capture one of the most anticipated gigs of 2011. Unfortunately I lost mine at that gig but I will still have the fantastic memories of being part of the crowd.

Find Alter Bridge on Facebook, Twitter and their official website
Find Black Stone Cherry on Facebook, Twitter and their official website
Find Theory Of A Deadman on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

3. Heaven's Basement and Jettblack @ The Talking Heads; Southampton 19/5/2011

This for me was definitely one of the most anticipating local gigs I had been waiting since I bought the ticket a few months in advance; two of my new favourite bands of last year coming together to co-headline a UK tour. The venue was packed full of Southampton's rockers young and old, the bands all performing fantastic live sets and the general atmosphere was incredible. I would certainly say this was one of the best gigs of 2011.

Find Heaven's Basement on Facebook, Twitter and their official website
Find Jettblack on Facebook

2. Turisas @ Southampton University 15/11/2011

It was incredibly tricky to choose a top two gigs but I have placed Turisas second place; it was such an incredible experience to become one with all the metal heads of Southampton that very evening and Turisas performed a fantastic live set that got the crowd pumping with excitement. Support acts Kiaus and Chtonic also performed well; possibly the best night of metal took place in Southampton and I enjoyed every second of it.

Find Turisas on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

1. The Treatment @ The Joiners; Southampton 11/12/2011

The Treatment's performance at The Joiners easily had to be my best live show of 2011; purely because their presence on stage was full of energy and passion, the atmosphere was exciting and interviewing them was one of the most amazing experiences of my music journalling so far. The Treatment certainly know how to please the crowd and they sound incredible live. They were all so friendly and they made me laugh; cannot wait to see them live again next year with Jettblack and Reckless Love.

Find The Treatment on Facebook

Here's to more fantastic live shows in the new year; there you have my top ten shows of 2011.

Alter Bridge @ Wembley Arena; London 29/11/2011

I had been eagerly waiting for this gig since I bought the tickets back in June and I found out it was definitely worth the wait. Entering Wembley Village it was a very well set up with a number of restaurants and shops; I was also impressed with the very colourful lights that highlighted the fountain beautifully. My main purpose for the evening was to see three of my favourite rock bands that hail from the USA and Canada; they were Theory Of A Deadman, Black Stone Cherry and headliners Alter Bridge. Before I describe my experience at the gig I want to say there will be no photos for a while since I did loose my camera at the Arena; a bit of a nuisance but life must go on.

Anyways; the first act to appear on the stage that night were Canadian rockers Theory Of A Deadman. I have loved this band since I heard them in the shop Underground Clothing and I never looked back. They gave a top notch performance from start to finish performing a wide collection of songs from So Happy to brand new album material such as my personal favourite Bitch Came Back. It was great how frontman Tyler Connolly threw out guitar picks to the audience and how he introduced each song; overall I think Theory Of A Deadman were a great choice to open up the night of hard rock that was to fall on me that night. So I was happy to hear they will be touring the UK again next year.

Find Theory Of A Deadman on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Black Stone Cherry were next to play; I was happy to be reminded of how good they are when giving a live performance. I had seen them twice before that night and I remembered how energetic these Kentucky rockers were. It was amazing how guitarist Ben Wells and bassist Jon Lawhon make use of the space on stage with such energy and passion. I liked the selection of songs they chose to play too; everything from first album material such as personal favourite Rain Wizard to brand new songs such as White Trash Millionaire. I was very happy to hear they will be touring the UK and coming to Southampton on my birthday.

Find Black Stone Cherry on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Alter Bridge had only recently come into my life and I have grown a great likeness for them. Their live performance last night only boosted my respect for the band as they really pulled off a great live show; the lights went down and the intro to Slip Into The Void was heard on the sound system and there was Myles Kennedy in the spotlight singing the first line. What an incredible introduction it was. They got better and better as the show progressed but because of the heat inside the arena it made me feel very uneasy so I decided to step outside. That did not for one second stop me enjoying there show since I could hear it through the wall and I liked their live sound. Their acoustic rendition of Wonderful Life was remarkable, Ties That Bind cheered me up as I was frantically looking around for my camera and from what I saw they had great theatrical stage props. Such as pyrotechnics, grand stage lighting and a lot of confetti; I would definitely love to see Alter Bridge live again, probably next time I won't be close to feinting.

Find Alter Bridge on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Overall despite feeling a bit poorly and loosing my camera I did enjoy myself; all the bands performed fantastically well and the atmosphere was incredible. 

Tuomaslotte rates:  TTTTT  

Top 10 Albums of 2011 - Part 1

Well guys another year gone; it is now time to tell about my ten top albums that have really highlighted my year.

10. Black Veil Brides - Set The World On Fire

Despite their dissapointing live show in October I am going to give Hollywood rockers Black Veil Brides some credit for producing a fantastic album and starting a new revolution to music fans everywhere. I do love how the speak for outsiders in society and a lot of their music does very much speak to outsiders; it has a great mixture of songs such as the anthemic Fallen Angels and the heartfelt Saviour. Andy Biersack enticing vocals draws you in like a moth to the flame. You either love them or you hate them; either way their iconic Set The World On Fire has made it to number 10 of my albums of 2011.

Purchase the album now on iTunes or Amazon

 

9. Reckless Love - Animal Attraction

Finnish glam rockers Reckless Love's second album has really worked wonders in my music findings this year; very much liking the fact they remind me of a modern day version Poison. Catchy songs and old school guitar riffs are what really pushed my buttons; following a successful debut I think Reckless Love really deliver here.

Purchase the album now on iTunes or Amazon  

8. Alestorm - Back Through Time

I love the whole concept of this album produced by Scottish pirate rockers Alestorm; they write and perform songs that are related to pirate related matters and that is what I love. Most of the songs have a special place in my heart such as Scrapin the Barrell and The Sunk'n Norwegian. I definitely hope to see and hear more from them when I see them live in the new year.

Purchase the album now on iTunes or Amazon

7. Turisas - Stand Up and Fight

Eccentric Finnish metal heads Turisas have been a huge highlight of 2011 and this album is one of the reasons; I love their folk approach to metal and add an accordian and violin into the mix. My personal favourites on this album being The March of the Varangian Guard and Hunting Pirates this album really stood out for me this year. The key album that converted me to a Turisas fan for good.

Purchase the album now on iTunes or Amazon

6. Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea

To be honest; after hearing Blame It On The Boom Boom I was doubting what Black Stone Cherry's new album would sound like since I wasn't too keen on the song. However my hopes were lifted again after hearing the song White Trash Millionaire; the hopes were also confirmed. They still had their usual kick ass sound with catchy riffs and excellent vocal skills from Chris Robertson; a friend of mine mentioned the number of ballads on the album and I found he is right. Black Stone Cherry can produce a wide range of tunes and this album is proof.

Purchase this album now on iTunes and Amazon

That was part one for the top ten; look out for my top 5 post.

Back from Watchett and new music

Hello people; just got back from staying with my aunty and uncle in Watchett, a small seaside town situated in the English county Somerset. I had a wonderful time walking along the pier, scoffing cream tea and shopping in Taunton.

Grumpy Jack

Me trying to pull out the sword in the stone haha


I also recieved Black Stone Cherry's brand new album Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea that arrived just before I went off to Somerset; I have to say it was some great road trip music. Kicking off with their cracking new single White Trash Millionaire got the album well under way; I loved the different variety of songs such as the country sounding All I'm Dreamin Of to the down and dirty Blame It On The Boom Boom. My personal favourite on the album is a song called Won't Let Go; it's so heart warming and touching, it always has me welling up inside every time I hear it. Overall an outstanding album from the Kentucky rockers; possibly their best album to date. Here is the brand new video for White Trash Millionaire.

Find Black Stone Cherry on their official website, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter

Also coming back to a couple of videos from two band I like a lot; Amorphis and Black Veil Brides. I love the concept behind the Amorphis video; I had seen pictures of the shoot and wasn't quite sure what to expect. The location and story are incredible; just bought the new album that I will listen to some point this week.

Find Amorphis on their official website, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter

Black Veil Brides new video is very energetic; I love the setting and I am impressed with the amount of rain in the video their extraordinary hairstyles stay in tact. Their brand new album Set The World On Fire is avaliable to pre-order now; it's official release is 14th June 2011.

Find Black Veil Brides on their official website, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter

See you lovelys soon
Tuomaslotte

New Black Stone Cherry song

My goodness this is just proven to be a great day for some of my favourite bands; whether it's a new video by Dommin or Poets Of The Fall's new album. This post comes in the form of Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry; the last I heard from them was on their UK tour back in 2009 where I saw them twice, first time when they supported Nickelback on their Dark Horse tour and a second time in Pompey when they did a headline tour. So I have been waiting a long time for some new stuff from them and tonight it was their new song White Trash Millionaire. A few seconds into the song my face immediately lit up; Chris Robertson's vocals are still very sexy and the melody is oh so amazing. I do hope they come back to the UK and if the new album sounds as good as this song I have nothing to worry about.

To listen to the song click here or on the video below

You can also find more info about Black Stone Cherry on their official website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube