Dead Kennedys + Guns on the Roof
Oxford Academy - 29th of May 2008 Review by Marco Gaminara
About a month or two ago I'd been asked by a friend in San Fran if I
wanted to go visit her out there cos she wanted to go to the gig,
but not alone. Sadly that wasn't logistically possible, so I had to
decline. However when a buddy in South Africa mailed me last week to
say he was going to be in London for the weekend, but couldn't make
the DK gig in London as he's be on his flight over, would I be
willing to go with him to see them? Well needless to say I jumped at
the chance. Now if I'm not mistaken, on my only previous trip into
Oxford a couple years ago, I went to the Zodiac and this happens to
be the same venue, but I may be mistaken as that was a rather
eventful night full of getting lost and whatnot. Anyway, enough
digression...
Arriving just after 8, Guns on the Roof were already on stage, but
sadly weren't completely done with their set. Their stuff isn't
spectacular or different or new, the vocalist kept going out of key
and the drums were very monotonous, but as they are a punk band
that's par for the course. As I'm pretty sure that it's more about
energy and
enthusiasm than anything else. and they definitely had tons of that.
So if that's you kinda thing, then you'll probably enjoy them more
than I did.
Now onto the main feature... Unfortunately they only played for just
over an hour and the Guns had to get the crowd to return for the
second encore, as the house light had come on so everyone was
haemorrhaging out the building. But that said, it was a jolly good
show with a couple new tracks, updated versions of songs [MTV Get
Off The Air/MP3's Get Off The Web] but the main reason for everyone
being there... the old stuff. Granted there are only Klaus Fluoride
and East Bay Ray that were on those records, but what the hell,
better half than nothing, right? Right? Well yes actually cos new
vocalist Skip and drummer Dave Scheff do a fine job and the crowd
enjoyed it thoroughly. Strangest thing I've ever seen though was the
mosh pit being kept out of where it was a couple seconds earlier and
everyone pitching in to help some guy find the glasses that he'd
just lost. Amazingly enough they were found, a bit mangled but there
and as soon as they were, everyone went straight pack into pogoing
to "California
Uber Alles". The song "Too Drunk To Fuck" went down a storm and was
so much better than the version I'd heard at the cinema a couple
nights ago when watching Grindhouse, and it's incidentally the song
that got me listening to metal. :-D I think another reason that
everyone started leaving after the first encore is that DK ended it
with
"Holiday In Cambodia", which is certainly something to expect, if
they were a lesser band, but "Chemical Warfare" for the second
encore was completely frantic and the way that Ray and Klaus
compliment each other with tinny guitar and stoic bass is the reason
these guys have such a distinct sound. Sure Jello Biafra's lyrics
are the reason they
are so well thought of, but without the correct ensemble... 'Nuff
said really. So it was a great last gig in the UK for them, and for
us. |
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Iron Maiden and Anthrax
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine, California. May 31, 2008
Review by Dave Schalek
You may find this hard to believe, but the last and only time that
I’ve seen Iron Maiden in concert was December 21, 1984, at the
Rosemont Horizon outside of Chicago. This was the World Slavery Tour
and I had just turned 16 years old. Twisted Sister opened, and I
still have fond memories of that show. The mammoth stage show with
multiple Eddies, Dave Murray’s guitar solo with “The Star Spangled
Banner”, and even Dee Snider insulting a heckler in the crowd are
burned into my memories.
I somewhat lost interest in Iron Maiden after “Seventh Son Of A
Seventh Son”, but picked up on them again with “Brave New World”.
When I heard about the Somewhere Back In Time Tour and all of the
classics to be represented along with the elaborate stage show from
1984-85, I knew that I had to go to this one. I missed them a few
months back at The Forum, but was ecstatic to learn that they’d soon
be back in Irvine for two shows in late May. I managed to get a
decent seat for the Saturday night show at the outdoor venue in
suburban Irvine, which, as you might imagine, sold out very quickly. |
I was also pleased to learn that Anthrax,
another classic band that I haven’t seen since the mid 80s, would
also open the show and would have a chance to showcase their new
vocalist, Dan Nelson. The venue was already packed when Anthrax took
the stage and played an hour long set of classics from “Spreading
The Disease” to “We’ve Come For You All”. Highlights included the
opener, “Indians”, as well as “Got The Time” and “I Am The Law”.
Nelson’s voice is loud, strong, and comes across as a blend between
Joey Belladonna’s high-pitched style and John Bush’s rougher vocals.
In short, Nelson shows range and I now look forward to a new album
from these veterans. Scott Ian also took time to address the crowd
and thanked everyone for supporting the band over the years. A great
set and I now aim to see Anthrax in a smaller setting as headliners.
Everything I expected from Iron Maiden
was present. Simple as that. Hitting a string of classics with
concentration upon “Powerslave” and “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”,
the earliest song played was “Iron Maiden” and the latest song was
“Fear Of The Dark”. All of the elaborate stage effects with the huge
backdrop Eddie mannequin swathed in gauze along with the 15 foot
Cyborg version decked out in “Somewhere In Time” mode were there,
along with flames, fireworks, a rotating back display, |
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an appearance onstage by the entire crew during “Heaven Can Wait”,
and more. Notably absent, however, was “Flight Of Icarus” and I
would have loved to have heard “Where Eagles Dare”. The three song
encore consisted of “Moonchild”, “The Clairvoyant”, and the closer
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”. The set lasted two hours.
Set list:
Intro - Churchill's Speech
Aces High
2 Minutes To Midnight
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
The Number Of The Beast
Run To The Hills
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Can I Play With Madness?
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden
Moonchild
The Clairvoyant
Hallowed Be Thy Name
More so than any other show that I’ve been to recently, this concert
took me back to my youth and that’s an awesome thing. I wasn’t alone
in that assessment as a huge percentage of the crowd were old hands
such as myself, as well as that of a friend of mine who hasn’t been
to a metal show in more than 15 years.
You can check out the usual poor quality garbage at
http://metalrunsinmyveins.blogspot.com |
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Wishbone Ash Bourne,
The Corn Exchange May 3rd. Review and photos by Strawb
It is 1972. At the Munich Olympics, Mark Spitz winning seven Gold
medals in the pool and Mary Peter’s victory are making the headlines
before the terrorist outrage against the Israeli athletes pushes the
sport into the background.
The classic films A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather, and [closer to
home] Deliverance are packing in record audiences, who might be
wearing the fashions of the day: bell bottom trousers, cheesecloth
shirts and platform soles - and these are just the men. Terry Wogan
has just taken possession of the Radio 2 breakfast show slot, but in
music news, on the 28th of April, Wishbone Ash releases their
seminal album, Argus. The fact that this was their ‘difficult’ third
release was not, apparently, brought to the attention of the band
members who raised the bar on this follow-on from the previous
year’s Pilgrimage.
Back in 2008, the majority of the crowd who packed the main arena at
The Corn Exchange at Bourne were aware of these facts, and dementia
and alcohol effects aside, were further reminded of them during a
memorable two-and-a-half hours from the band.
Tut [a local band] had the thankless task of warming
up for the stars, and gave the roadies and mixer a chance to get the
desk set up well. Unlike at stadium concerts the majority of the
crowd were in to give them a welcome and join in the general
mood-setting. |
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Of the
original recording artists, only Andy Powell remains, and he took
centre stage to provide his trademark flying V guitar performance
and supply the vocals, ably supported by the newer members: Bob
Skeat strumming a mean bass, Muddy Manninen completing the classic
two-guitar line up, and Joe Crabtree thrashing the skins so hard
that I believe the RSPCA had undercover personnel in the crowd.
They were tighter than the finalists at the annual Scottish meanness
forum, louder than standing next to the runway at Wittering during a
squadron scramble and more pleasing than a willing bride on the
wedding night. The lightshow was restricted and the movement on
stage limited, but the show itself paled these facts into
insignificance. |
Opening with the
instrumental Real Guitars Have Wings, which was originally recorded
on the 1987 Nouveau Calls, the band got their eye in, and the three
hundred and fifty sell-out capacity crowd began to realise that a
treat was in store. Pausing only to allow for a respectable listen
to the applause, the vocals skills were added on Mountainside, from
1996s Illuminations. Andy said hello to Bourne before Growing Up,
the first of the three covered tracks from the most recent album,
last years The Power of Eternity. A jump back in time to 1980 and
the title track from Number the Brave meant that the band were
thoroughly warmed up by the introduction of the tracks from Argus.
Warrior was the first one to be played this evening, and after it
the applause really did warrant being called rapturous. Following
this up with Throw Down The Sword was a stroke of scheduling genius
and ensured that from here on in, we were as putty in the hands of a
master craftsman. And for track after track it continued: classics,
oldies, newbies, until after Phoenix, the band left the stage,
stating that a journey to London and then onwards to continue the
tour in America awaited. But I wasn’t worried, by now I had caught
sight of the setlist and knew that a three-song encore was to
follow. And the rest of the crowd anticipated the same, clapping and
stomping until a Richter Scale breach was threatened. However, after
these three tracks, culminated with the perfect Blowin’ Free, it was
over, and deadlines did mean no further encores could be had. As the
music faded and the ringing in my ears began to make itself known, I
could only reflect on what an excellent night it had been. I had
seen one of the classic bands from my youth perform to a very high
standard, playing my favourite of their albums in its entirety. The
age range in the audience had shown I still have years of concert
attending to go, and that the future of rock is not limited to mass
produced swearing MTV crap, because a good number of teenagers were
mingling with us older ones. And then, the bonus, members of the
band came out to chat and provide autographs.
As a rock fan who has been going to gigs since the late 70s and as
someone who now travels the country attending live concerts and |
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| festivals in
my capacity as a reviewer for Live4metal.com, I have to be honest
and say that this night was one of the best ever. A great venue,
affordable drinks, a performance from the top drawer and to have the
band meet the fans – well, there’s not much more to need, is there?
So congratulations to the organiser, Simon Bell and Four for Luck
promotions. And to complete the 70s analogy: if you weren’t there,
you were most definitely square. |
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Paganfest USA Review By: Dave
Schalek
Bands: Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie, and Suidakra
Venue: The Vault, Long Beach, California. Date: May 10th, 2008.
Oh, yes! You had better believe that I was up for this one! Frankly,
it’s rare that we get European bands a bit off the usual genre radar
showing up here in L.A., and all of high quality to boot. I skipped
the May 8th show of the Paganfest at the HOB WH simply because the
tour was hitting Long Beach on a Saturday, and even closer to my
house than my usual haunts on the Sunset Strip.
The Vault was packed from the get go as German melodic death metal
band Suidakra took the stage.
Playing a short set of about 25 minutes or so, Suidakra put on a
good performance, but, frankly, were outclassed by the other acts on
the bill. Also, the guitars were somewhat buried in the mix (this
would later be corrected), but I enjoyed their set and they were
well received by the crowd. |
Literally only about ten
minutes later, the eight members of
Eluveitie take the stage and launch into their set
immediately. Eluveitie has been making considerable waves with “Slania”,
only their second full-length, and the popularity of this band all
the way on the West Coast was evident as the place just went nuts.
Eluveitie was notable immediately for their high enthusiasm as the
brothers Kirder, the pipes, the mandolin, the hurdy-gurdy, you name
it, were all on display as Eluveitie roared through a 45 minute set
that elicited a huge response, and plenty of sing along, from the
crowd. Wow!
Once again almost immediately, Tyr
takes the stage (members were crossing over with Eluveitie for this
tour). I’m not terribly familiar with Tyr, and I found their set to
be rather plodding and boring, especially after the unbridled
enthusiasm of Eluveitie. Although the band was well received, the
crowd’s response to Tyr was much more muted, although the last two
songs of their short set were better. Strangely enough, Tyr was on
stage for only about half of the time of Eluveitie.
Finnish giants Turisas were on
next. Decked out in animal skins and warpaint, Turisas blew everyone
away with a high energy set |
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complete with
a very prominent violin and accordion. The amount of dancing that
went on, not just in the pit, was astonishing as everyone at the
Vault was literally jumping for joy. A great long set, and I was
especially pleased to see Turisas, and all of the bands, get a huge
response from us here all the way out in California.
Anticipation was high for Ensiferum,
who were firing on all cylinders with their Celtic brand of thrash
metal. Once again, even though the time was around midnight, the
Vault did not slow down for a moment as the pit that opened up
encompassed, at times, almost the entire crowd. Ensiferum simply did
not let up for one moment during their hour long set.
Finally, it was all over and I dragged my ass home. Probably the
only disappointment of the evening was the fact that Moonsorrow was
not included on the bill. I spotted a number of Moonsorrow shirts in
the crowd, and people around me expressed their disappointment, as
well. However, the in-between band house music was Moonsorrow, so
perhaps the tour organizers may have been aware of our
disappointment.
As usual, you can check out the crap at
http://metalrunsinmyveins.blogspot.com |
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