Delain - Get The Devil Out Of Me single

It has been quite a while since I have heard from Dutch symphonic metallers Delain; this is the first new single called Get The Devil Out Of Me that I am hearing for the first time this evening. The haunting introduction played beautifully on the piano is a great way to get the listener intrigued, very used to what I have heard from Delain. Afterwards it did remind me of the song Faster by Within Temptation, tempo wise. Lead singer Charlotte Wessels distinct beautiful voice is heard throughout so overall a fantastic new song to introduce to fans what is on their upcoming album We Are The Others that is available to pre-order now.

Tuomaslotte rating:  TTTT

Find Delain on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Daniel Leigh - My Little Eye EP

London born singer/songwriter Daniel Leigh has become quite a star in the music scene on the southern coast of England; as well as writing and performing his own songs in diverse genres of music, he also fronts hard rock band New Device and teaches at Newbury Rock School. Having heard of his solo material at various acoustic sets around Southampton I was excited when I heard he was to release a solo EP, that is available to pre-order now. Opening track We'll Be Lovers Tonight was a great choice to open this magical EP with; I am very familiar with that song since it was the first solo song I had heard by Dan. However it sounded different to how I have heard it in the past, previously the recording had a more electronic beat to it but here it sounds a lot softer that I think works incredibly well. The single on the album The End Of Hope (Is A Long Way To Go) surprised me the most on this EP; I have only heard Dan's voice and the acoustic guitar so hearing the string arrangements in the first verse took me by surprise entirely and it really adds a beautiful element to the track. Overall a wonderful debut EP;  it contains fantastic songs where Daniel Leigh's distinct voice and lyrical skills are heard throughout. 

Tuomaslotte rating:  TTTTT

Stand out tracks:  We'll Be Lovers Tonight, Free Flow and The End Of Hope (Is A Long Way To Go)

You can pre-order your copy of the EP today by clicking here

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone that is celebrating this very day; either because of the Christian belief that Jesus Christ was reincarnated, those who gave up something they love for 40 days (like I did) that they now get to eat/drink/do or whether you are looking forward to getting lots of chocolate from family and friends. I gave my sister a chocolate bunny this morning as a reward for sticking to 40 days of giving up chocolate; later on we will be joined by my grand parents for Sunday roast that I am looking forward to very muchly.

Happy Happy Easter to you all

Tuomaslotte

Russ Diapper - Kingsnake

Local musician Russ Diapper, who is quite well known in Southampton for his drumming skills in the band Gecko, has released a second solo album quite recently. Like his previous album it's the perfect album to stick on the radio in your car for a long drive on the open road or to put on the stereo when you've had a long hard day at work, his music has a very relaxed vibe about it and that's was what I liked about the album. Russ Diapper's unforgettable blues voice and the slick guitar riffs and solos made it sound like classic vintage rock such as Thin Lizzy and Hendrix. For example the song Rock and Blues was very 50s I thought; I do love artists that can bring vintage music back to the 21st century and pull it off so well like it is done on this album. If your thinking of having a relaxed time this Easter or perhaps summer holiday then this is the album for you.

Stand out tracks:  Trust Me, Rock and Blues and Son Of A Gun

Tuomaslotte rating:  TTTT

David Giles @ The Railway Inn; Winchester 12/2/12

I had heard of Essex born singer songwriter David Giles via my boyfriend and I was told he was due to play in Winchester, the nearest town to home to watch him. I had heard his songs briefly and thought they were very cleverly written in the way they relate to modern day society. Particularly via the song Confessions Of A Facebook Stalker where I thought it was a great song to relate to a lot of people today who use Facebook on a day to day basis. I got there quite early since I had an interview set up with him; it was great watching soundcheck, I felt it was a fantastic opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes of gigs. The interview with Dave went splendidly and you will see this interview posted another day.

His set was particularly mesmerising and it was the busiest I had seen Winchester's Railway Inn for a while; entering the venue once it was a bit more full I got given a free shortbread biscuit from the merchandising team which is particularly unique and different to any other gig I have been to. I loved the happy go lucky vibe he brought to the venue; he looked rather fetching in a monkey hat combined with the English gentlemen look. Their cover of boyband Five's Keep On Moving was classic; it was fantastic to hear a completely different rendition of a song that was a big highlight of my childhood. Dave mentioned in his interview that he wants people to remember the gig and want to come back for more; can definitely say I will be making another trip to one of Dave's gigs again soon.

Here's a video from the gig that was filmed that he posted today; click here to view it

Kerrang! Tour @ Southampton Guildhall 7/2/2012

Wow it has been a while since I posted; well I'll tell you all about what I did last night.

I was familiar with how successful the Kerrang! Tour had been in the past and how people attend it every single year since it started in 2006. Last night I had experienced my first Kerrang! Tour gig at Southampton Guildhall where bands New Found Glory, The Blackout, Letlive and While She Sleeps were this years line up.

First entering the Guildhalls and vaguely hearing opening act While She Sleeps I wasn’t overly keen at first since it seemed more like noise than music. However as the set progressed their tunes began to grow on me a bit. Their energetic stage presence was a great crowd pleaser as it passes onto the crazy rockers, this performance definitely gave me a good insight of what was to come on this vastly popular tour.

I had heard of second Letlive via my boyfriend, Pete, and remember listening to the briefly but that’s all. As Pete and his best friend Chris ran into the crowd to watch them I took a step back just to watch from a distance what their stage presence consisted of. I was very taken by frontman Jason Butler’s stage presence entirely; pushing the boundaries by leaping into the crowd and standing on top of the speakers. I soon realised that I wanted to be a part of that experience so I went and joined the crowd which was the best place to be. Near the end of the set I was very taken aback when he went onto the balcony and walked across it; definitely one of the best live bands I have seen so far. 

I was very familiar of how popular The Blackout were; filling in for Sum 41 due to serious injury The Blackout stepped in as co-headliner that night for the Kerrang! tour. Being Pete’s favourite band of all time I think I definitely had my time listening to all sorts of songs by the Welsh rockers. Opening with the song I’m A Riot? You’re a F****** riot worked quite well; saying to the crowd beforehand ‘Sorry we’re not Sum 41’ amused me quite a bit. I was highly impressed with The Blackout’s performance; despite nearly getting beaten in the pits I was still able to enjoy their set. Performing personal favourites This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things and Save Ourselves (The Warning) put a smile on my face. One thing I have learned about The Blackout is that vocalist Gavin and drummer Snoz really like my strawberry hat.

Headliners New Found Glory, who are hailed the godfathers of pop punk by Letlive, from last night’s performance I can definitely see why. It was also a great introduction of this band that have made their mark in the Kerrang! history since I had not listened to them before last night. I loved their songs very muchly, I also enjoyed their covers of Kiss Me and Basket Case; will definitely start listening to New Found Glory after last night’s show.

I conclude that my first experience of the Kerrang! Tour was a rather enjoyable one indeed; the atmosphere, the bands and fans made the night worthwhile and I would love to go to another Kerrang! Tour.

Tuomaslotte Rating:  TTTTT

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