WET NUNS – “Wet Nuns”

WetNunsSometimes it’s all luck in the timing, initially dismissing the band due to the attention seeking name however a video for Heavens Below appeared during a YouTube surf session, pleasantly surprised by the Stoner Rock Riffage I booked a ticket to see Wet Nuns‘ debut album release show after which they promptly disbanded! Continue reading

NORDIC GIANTS – Live @ The Lexington, London (01/10/2013)

NordicAnd now for something completely different.

“Cinematic Ambient Soundscape” is not a style I would normally follow but when the live performance is this good…

A discovery made when they initially supported God Is An Astronaut a few years back and then intrigued sufficiently to watch Nordic Giants at ArcTanGent Festival were they blew me (and everyone else) away with an amazing performance, so here I was again in London for the EP release show “Build Seas, Dismantle Suns”. Continue reading

ArcTanGent FESTIVAL, Somerset (28/08/2013 – 31/08/2013)

Arc2013“From the makers of 2000trees, ArcTanGent is a new 3,000 capacity festival featuring bands & DJs of a more Experimental / Post-Rock / Progressive / Leftfield variety… think bands like Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Battles, The Mars Volta, 65daysofstatic, Fuck Buttons, And So I Watch You From Afar, Three Trapped Tigers and Fantomas”

Well with a mission statement like that how can I not have been excited! Happily (with the help of Damnation Festival) they well and truly delivered. Continue reading

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING – “The War Room EP” & “Inform Educate Entertain”

“Inform – Educate – Entertain”.  Not many bands lay claim to such a mission statement but PSBWarthen not many bands are Public Service Broadcasting.

A two piece band who weld live instrumentation and Electronica around Public Information Films, archive footage and propaganda material to bring stories and events of the past to life. Continue reading

CANDLEFEST (Day 3) @ The Underworld, London (26/08/2013)

Candlefest13The Oxfordshire based Candlelight Records hosted it’s now annual feast of delights from its current roster of bands at The Underworld in Camden Town, over 3 days. Sadly I couldn’t attend days 1 & 2 because of other commitments, but I hear from other notable attendees that Anaal Nathrakh laid waste to the subterranean venue on the Friday with Altar Of Plagues bowing out for good apparently on the Saturday with an emotional set. I wish that I could have been there.

However, I made it on Sunday for what was for me one of the best line ups for ANY gig/festival thus far in 2013.   Continue reading

ATHELSTAN – “The Ride”

AthelstanAthelstan is one half of the project called ‘Forefather’ whom together with his brother ‘Wulfstan’ has created some of the best historical based metal ever, bar none.  Therefore it was a little bit of a very pleasant surprise to learn that he had a solo album on the cards, and hence forth it came, ‘The Ride’.  Continue reading

SHADOWLIGHT – “The Twilight Canvas”

Shadowlight came to my attention in 2010, upon their debut release of the Winter EP.

ShadowlightThe band are Prog in the Rock context, only dabbling lightly in the Metal territory, making them a great relaxing listen and calling to mind another of England’s Finest and their trailblazing Prog Rock work.   Continue reading

WINTERFYLLETH – “The Threnody Of Triumph”

WF TTOTFriends, Romans and Englishmen, here we have the third album by the mighty Winterfylleth, a band unashamedly close to my heart. OK confession time as for myself, ‘The Mercian Sphere’ resonated deeply within me, and not wanting to sound like a sycophantic prick, was and STILL is a spiritual experience with each listen. Some music can at times have me in tears, and that release did, and for all the right reasons! Continue reading