Category: Gig Reviews
The Jesus and Mary Chain/Ciel – Liverpool, Content – 15 December 2024
DJ Astrocreep’s last scheduled home town gig of the year saw him take in Scottish shoegaze troubadours JThe esus and Mary Chain for the first time, whilst also in a new venue for the first time. Content is based in the old Cain’s Brewery complex and is almost like a Tardis – you don’t realize just how big it is until you’re inside and the room just keeps on going! Acoustically, the venue is great, with well laid out speakers meaning the sound is loud without needing to be ramped right up and destroying the clarity. Brighton’s Ciel were our only support for the evening, which hinted at great things to come.
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Briqueville – Amsterdam, Paradiso – 15 December 2024
The Netherlands certainly does seem to do what Jase W would consider more unusual show setups and this was one of them. Briqueville, another band on Pelagic Records’ roster, were the opening act for an all-day event at Paradiso and certainly seemed to be a bit at odds with the other acts on the bill but in this instance our man was there solely for Briqueville. It was probably just as well because he was fucking shattered!
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Oh Hiroshima/Ništa – Haarlem, Patronaat – 13 December 2024
A mere 24 hours from his last jaunt to Patronaat in Haarlem to get screamed at by a bunch of loud bands, Jase W was back again to get his face melted again but in this case by one of Pelagic Records’ finest, Oh Hiroshima. It’s only been a short few months since our man in Europe saw these earlier this year at Pelagic Fest in Maastricht and he wasn’t going to pass off round two in a hurry.
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Can Of Worms – Haarlem, Patronaat – 12 December 2024
One of the best things about buggering off to another country as a music fan is discovering a treasure trove of bands that you would have never heard of prior to them getting big enough to visit where you lived prior. Tonight’s show at Patronaat in Haarlem, Can Of Worms, is headed up by two bands Jase W had come across through going to shows this year, Throwing Bricks and Ontaard.
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Scarlet Rebels – Crumlin, The Patriot – 22 November 2024
Having experienced a phenomenally successful few years, with their last two albums reaching high in all charts from the “official” listings to the rock charts, this was an early Christmas/end of year celebration for the Llanelli four. My previous reviews have spoke of the band’s humility and appreciation for the fans and their support to get them this success, and this a theme continued in this grassroots gig. The room was packed to capacity and not only because it was an “Christmas show” (albeit at the end of November), and there were many familiar (and family) faces in the crowd. David O will own up to having forgotten about this review with so many competing commitments at the time, but better late than never, eh?
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Gaye Bykers On Acid/Hugh Reed And The Velvet Underpants – Manchester, Rebellion – 13 December 2024
A potentially penultimate jaunt of the year across to Manchester saw DJ Astrocreep take in Grebo legends Gaye Bykers On Acid for the first time. There were two supports labelled – a Buzzcocks tribute band, who had to pull out with late notice, and Hugh Reed And The Velvet Underpants. With names like we have for the bands, it can surely only be a night of chaos and weirdness, right? It seems the big lad knew absolutely nothing of what was to come…
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dayseeker/Rain City Drive/Heart Of Gold – Manchester, Albert Hall – 10 December 2024
What better venue to close out an unforgettable year of live music than Manchester’s Albert Hall? With its historic charm and dreamy acoustics, this quaint venue was the perfect setting for the emotive performances of Heart of Gold, Rain City Drive, and of course, dayseeker. With this tour featuring three bands instead of the usual four, there was a longer gap between doors opening and the first act hitting the stage. This gave concertgoers plenty of time to make it from their day jobs to the Albert Hall, and allowed the crowd to pack in early, perfectly timed for Heart of Gold to kick things off, as their opening set was certainly not one to be missed.
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While She Sleeps/Currents/thrown/Resolve – Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse – 7 December 2024
Despite it being one of the rainiest nights of the year, fans made the trek to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, braving the downpour to witness While She Sleeps, alongside an electrifying lineup of rising stars. Our man Josh was among the horde…
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The Chats/The Prize/Rifle – Liverpoo, Invisible Wind Factory – 10 December 2024
A local gig saw DJ Astrocreep take in the Invisible Wind Factory for the first time ever, which almost feels like a crime against music, considering the work the owners have done in previous venues. Being slightly out of town into the docks makes for a slightly different trip than usual and the venue is actually great, once you get past the queuing issues. With a couple of supports to get everyone in the mood before The Chats come on, it should be a good old fashioned punk rock show, with plenty of bark to add to the musical bite.
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Helmet – Haarlem, Patronaat – 8 December 2024
To tie off a week of a fantastic run of shows, Jase W was back at Haarlem’s Patronaat to get my ears around alt metal long serving act, Helmet! Doing the rounds for the 30th anniversary of their ‘Betty’ album and doing a hell of a run of shows throughout Europe and North America in its honour, Helmet’s stop in Haarlem got upgraded from Stage Two to Stage One, so clearly Netherlands was keen to see what was on offer… as were we…
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Future Palace/Our Promise/Seven Blood – Amsterdam, Melkweg – 7 December 24
Germany has been producing some absolutely fantastic bands over the past few years and Future Palace are amongst the ones that have really gotten Jase W’s attention. Their aggressive style mixed with pop sensibilities is very much a part of why he has really gotten into them and it’s great to see them stomping around outside of Germany finally. Along for the ride are two bands JW had definitely seen the names of but haven’t properly made the time to investigate, fellow Germans Our Promise and Seven Blood. Tonight was going to be a real buffet for upcoming acts from the large neighbouring country to the Netherlands. What better way to experience it with Melkweg’s OZ stage?
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Within Temptation/ANNISOKAY/BLIND8 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome – 6 December 2024
Heading towards the end of the year Jase W got to play out the last month with one of the biggest shows this year with one of the biggest metal bands to come out of the Netherlands, Within Temptation. There was some difficulty to start with getting things arranged but it came through in the end and our man on the ground was now ready to get stuck into a huge show at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome. Along for the ride are Ukrainians BLIND8 and German synthy metalcore outfit annisokay.
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