Mike Spall
Review:Judas Priest at Bournemouth BIC
Due to eating far too much in the local Weatherspoons and vainly attempting to get drunk quickly on cheap beer before having to buy BIC priced alcohol, I unfortunately miss hot new support band Rival Sons so can tell you nothing about them apart from their name. I enter the BIC moments before Queensryche start [...]
Album Review: The Program Initiative – Mercury [Phase 1]
Any regular visitors to this website may well be aware that The Program Initiative have blown me away with their awesome live show. So here we are with the release of their debut album Mercury [Phase 1] and of course my first concern was just how well their music would stand up on its own [...]
Review: The Program Initiative at The Joiners Arms
What a fantastic night of live music, three excellent bands, one of which utterly blew me away. This is the opening night of The Program Initiative UK tour and also a special performance to coincide with the launch of their sublime debut album. First though is tour support A Ninja Slob Drew Me. In their own words, [...]
Flies are Spies from Hell release FREE Post-Rock / Instrumental Compilation Album
The excellent Chichester based post-rock band Flies are Spies from Hell have put together a free compilation album featuring some of the best bands on the UK scene right now. Flies are Spies from Hell have played with all the bands on the album and they are all fantastic and will probably blow your spines off. [...]
Review: The Levellers at The Wedgewood Rooms
I’ve always been a fan of The Levellers but as so often happens one can easily drift away from a band when new and exciting bands pop into view. Unsurprisingly this happened to me with The Levellers sometime around the late nineties having previously been a huge admirer. Levelling the Land and the self-titled Levellers [...]
Review: Skunk Anansie
Having been denied the aural pleasures of 65daysofstatic at The Joiners in Southampton the night before due to the remnants of a nasty bout of flu I was determined not to be shafted by the bloody virus tonight. Thankfully my wife was driving so I shuffled into the passenger seat and gazed mournfully out the [...]
Review: My Endeavour, Sheep Bo Peep, The Program Initiative and Dendera
It is a relatively cold and boring Sunday night on which my friend and I venture to the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on good authority that we have to check out one of the South Coast’s best kept secrets. Sandwiched between some relatively uninspired bands tonight are The Program Initiative, proof positive that there are [...]
Review: The Computers, Chickenhawk and Alexisonfire at Portsmouth Pyramids
Having been a fan of Chickenhawk for some time now, I was overjoyed to finally be seeing them live tonight, albeit wedged between two bands I was not particularly familiar with. The first of these bands opening up tonight was Exeter band The Computers. Musically assured and full of confidence, they certainly won the crowd [...]
Review: Skunk Anansie – Wonderlustre
With new album Wonderlustre confirming that Skunk Anansie’s ‘hiatus’ is well and truly over, the band go out on the road this month to remind everyone what a stunning live band they are. Whilst not particularly new and original in terms of the songwriting itself, Wonderlustre is a mature offering from a band with a [...]
Review: Chickenhawk – Modern Bodies
Leeds based Chickenhawk have been a favourite of mine since they sent me an early demo some considerable time ago. I can’t normally justify writing about ‘out of town’ bands unless they have something very special to offer; then of course I’ll find any angle to justify writing about them for a South Coast based [...]
Legendary Genesis founder comes to The Brook for more ‘Electric’ live shows
Steve Hackett adds new material and special guests to his “Around The World in 80 Trains†Electric Tour as it Returns to the UK
Review: Faithless at Southampton Guildhall
Faithless, despite their success have also maintained an element of cult about them. A handful of chart hits, club anthems and some impressive album sales disguise the fact that they have successfully managed to stay at the fringes of popular culture. This has no doubt actually helped their career and sustained the longevity and devotion [...]