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 

The Treatment - Running With The Dogs

One of Britain’s best upcoming rock bands The Treatment have made a name for themselves touring with KISS, Motely Crue and Slash. They are back with a brand new album that most certainly shows the growth of the Cambridge rockers!

Kicking off with the single I Bleed Rock And Roll is a song that I think particularly sums up The Treatment to a tee…they bleed some classic, raw rock and roll perfectly. The album from that point on just gets better with songs such as Drop Like A Stone, title track Running With The Dogs and Cloud Across The Sun; these songs contain the crucial ingredients needed for the perfect rock songs, which includes original guitar riffs/solos, excellent vocal work and melodies that will fly around in your head for hours on end.

My personal favourite tracks on the album are Emergency, Cloud Across The Sun and Unchain My World. I cannot get enough of the song Emergency; I have probably listened to that about ten times today because the fantastic harmonies in the catchy chorus just have you hooked. Cloud Across The Sun is the equivalent of Just Tell Me Why from the previous album, a brilliant track just to sway and wave your arms along to when you need a break from headbanging. Unchain My World is a beautiful acoustic ballad that really shows off the ability of vocalist Matt Jones and it’s very different to the tracks I have heard from them previously.

So from this review I’m sure you gathered that I really enjoyed this album from The Treatment. All I can end the review with is that the albums of 2014 have most certainly got off to an unbelievably cracking start and Running With The Dogs is vital evidence of that!

Click here to listen to their new album before release date Monday, I've bought my copy!

Rating:  10/10

R.I.Y.L:  Aerosmith, Jettblack and AC/DC

Stand out tracks:  Emergency, Cloud Across The Sun and Unchain My World

Be sure to catch them on their UK tour which starts Monday 3^rd Feb!

Tour dates

03/02/2014             Waterfront Studio, Norwich

04/02/2014             Rock City (Basement), Nottingham

05/02/2014             The Sugarmill, Stoke On Trent

07/02/2014             O2 Academy Islington, London

08/02/2014             Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

09/02/2014             Academy 3, Manchester

10/02/2014             Corporation, Sheffield

11/02/2014             King Tuts, Glasgow

13/02/2014             Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

14/02/2014             Thekla, Bristol

Find The Treatment on Facebook and Twitter

Song of the Day - 27/01/2014

Today's song of the day comes from The Treatment with their song Emergency!

Their latest album became available for streaming today, whilst listening to a remarkable album that I know cannot wait for the official release for I came across the song Emergency! As I write this post, I am listening to the song for about the tenth time. It's catchy, has a great rhythm, possesses original guitar work and owns a chorus that flies around in your head moments after listening to it. These components give Emergency the essential package for a perfect rock song! Let me know what you guys think!

Click here to listen to the song

Be sure to catch them on tour and look out for their brand new album Running With Dogs!

Cage The Gods to join The Treatment on UK tour!

Following the success of their tour with The Answer, Cage The Gods will be hitting the road with The Treatment!

I was very excited to open up the email from Duff Publishing announcing this because The Treatment are a personal favourite band of mine and I watched Cage The Gods perform when they were support Heaven's Basement and they were a fantastic live band to watch! This run of tour dates (seen below) are in support of their debut album Badlands!

Their EP Favourite Sin is available from iTunes so be sure to give that a listen before catching them on tour.

You can find Cage The Gods on Facebook and their official website

Tour dates

Sat 7th Dec 2013           Great Yarmouth, Planet Rockstock (4pm start)
Wed 12th Dec                Nottingham, Rock City Headline Show
Thurs 13th Dec              Sheffield, Greystones Headline Show
Fri 14th Dec                   Manchester, Deaf Institute Headline Show
Mon 3rd Feb 2014         Norwich, Waterfront Studio - supporting The Treatment
Tues 4th Feb                  Nottingham, Rock City Basement
Wed 5th Feb                  Stoke, The Sugarmill
Fri 7th Feb                     London, O2 Islington Academy
Sat 8th Feb                    Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
Sun 9th Feb                   Manchester, Academy 3
Mon 10th Feb                Sheffield, Corporation
Tues 11th Feb                Glasgow, King Tuts
Thurs 13th Feb              Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
Fri 14th Feb                   Bristol, Thekla

Happy New Year and Introducing.........

Hello everyone and happy new year to you all. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas. I also thought at the beginning of each year I would write a post about new bands that could possibly make a breakthrough in the upcoming year. 2012 has definitely been a great start for me so far as I passed my driving test last Friday and have already come across some musical talents. So here are some bands that have really stood out this year and that you should definitely look out for in 2012. Click on the titles to access their Facebook pages.


Krash Rover


A dirty grunge rock band who hail from Texas; sort of trailing on Southern bluesy rocks like their Kentucky brothers Black Stone Cherry I think Krash Rover could just be the next grunge band to come out of Southern America and make it big. Hope to see them over here across the pond sometime and to hear more from them.

Simon Says


First hearing about them at university this year I thought it would be great to check them out at The Royal Oak in Southampton. Not only did I find another favourite venue to add to my list, I also came across a fantastic band who have really done well considering they started making music together a couple of months ago. I think 2012 could just be their year; their happy go lucky acoustic sounds have already charmed local audiences in Southampton so far and I think they could get the whole nation to sing 'Peanut butter Jelly'.

The Treatment


I first heard about Cambridge hard rockers The Treatment whilst reading an article about them in their 'Introducing' section and I saw they suggested fans of Aerosmith would like them so I thought I would have a listen. I immediately loved their album This Might Hurt and they pulled off a fantastic live performance, this particular one made it to the top of my best live shows of 2011. I also had the amazing opportunity to find out more about them as I interviewed them this year.

Click here to listen to my interview with The Treatment


Velvatine

Hayling Island rockers were one of the opening support acts for The Treatment when they performed on the Southampton date. I was highly impressed by their enthusiasm and their talent; their appearance reminded me of either Marc Bolan or Heavens Basement but their sound reminded me of AC/DC. I really think that Velvetine will shine more in 2012; only really having heard the band once this year I would really love to use 2012 to get to know Velvetine a bit more. Their performance at The Joiners was a great first encounter.




Western Sand


First coming across four piece rock band from Bournemouth at the Heaven's Basement/Jettblack gig. Hearing their music mostly through live shows I have really been captured by the bluesy rock sounds from Western Sand. It would be great to see more of them during the new year, including a brand new album that I have yet to hear. 

Well there you have the list of bands to look out for in 2012; I shall also be using Tumblr to write reviews this year

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.

Interview with The Treatment

After watching The Treatment perform a fantastic live set at The Joiners, Southampton I was more than happy to interview them. It was a fantastic experience; was a little bit nervous at first but then I suddenly felt more relaxed as the interview progressed. I liked to think it was a new challenge to me; would love to thank The Treatment for taking some time to do the interview, particularly guitarist Ben Brookland for giving me some useful advice and Jodie Newman for arranging the interview. I would also like to apologise to drummer Dhani Mansworth for getting his name wrong at the very beginning; rookie error. 

Click here to listen to the interview

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

I have realised that I so far for the past three years I have made at least one trip to The Joiners at the end of the year so far; as I have mentioned in previous posts that The Joiners is in fact my favourite music venue in Southampton as a lot of Britain's best upcoming bands tend to perform at this venue. Tonight it was the turn of Cambridge hard rockers The Treatment to take the stage; The Treatment have been a great highlight in the music industry so I was really eager to see what their live performance would contain. I also found last night proved to be a fantastic life changing step in the terms of music journalling and I shall explain why later.

The first band to play were Delirium; who are a rock band from Dorset. I thought they were a very interesting opening act to pick for The Treatment since they had a more grungy sort of sound, a lot like an Alice In Chains I thought. I thought their set overall was fairly average; I might have to see them again, I think they may grow on me after a while.

Find Delirium on Facebook and their official website

Velvatine were next to play; young aspiring rockers from Hayling Island whose sound reminded me of Heaven's Basement jamming with AC/DC. They really gave it their all last night, their songs were great and they showed a lot of energy in their performance; I found they reminded me of a popular band at my secondary school years ago and it just made me feel really warm inside.  I do hope to see and hear more from Velvatine in the near future.

Find Velvatine on Facebook

I was very happy when I had heard Western Sand had got the main support slot for the gig last night; I can honestly say here today I have seen them a number of times this year and last night was definitely their best show yet. I loved how they opened up with soundtrack music which I had never seen them do before until now and I think they really showed main support act material with the amount of energy they gave. They sounded fantastic too and I really do hope to see them in the new year very soon. 

Find Western Sand on Facebook and Twitter

For headliners The Treatment it was their first time playing in Southampton last night and was incredibly happy when they said they'll return. I had heard The Treatment's album This Might Hurt and really liked it, you'll see it's on my top ten albums of 2011, like I mentioned earlier I was really eager to see them live. What an amazing show it was; opening up with their single D****, F*****,F****** I could see it really got the crowds at The Joiners pumping. Playing other great songs such as Shake My Mountain, The Doctor and my personal favourite Just Tell Me Why to the utmost perfection and with so much passion I could definitely see why the Cambridge hard rockers bring such big crowds. I was also so stunned and excited when promoter and good friend Jodie Newman arranged an interview with The Treatment too, which you will see and hear in a later post, guitarist Tag Grey mentions in this certain interview they see themselves playing at Wembley Arena in five years time and after watching them last night I think so too.

Find The Treatment on Facebook

Tuomaslotte rates: TTTTT