Category: Gig Reviews
Wednesday 13 – Newport, Corn Exchange – 9 August 2026
There is something gloriously unhinged about a Wednesday 13 show. It is part horror movie, part punk-rock cabaret and part sweaty bar-room exorcism—and at Newport’s Corn Exchange, the former Murderdolls man delivered precisely the kind of beautifully deranged entertainment the occasion demanded.
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Igorrr/HEALTH – Tilburg, O13 – 6 August 2026
Jase W mentioned it a few times but the move to the Netherlands has afforded him the ability to catch some particularly unique shows over the past years, and this was a good example… Between festival shows, the Netherlands has been blessed with a fairly unique co-headliner show of two bands that Jase just assumed he’d never see together. That being said, looking at it, they’re both their own unique brand of weirdness so our man guessed it’s not all that unexpected but he wasn’t not going to worry too much about it because he fucking loves both of ‘em…
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Opeth – Utrecht, Tivoli Vredenburg – 5 August 2026
Jase W’s week of musical escapades continued with him back at Utrecht’s Tivoli venue for the second time in a few days, but this time in the much more grown-up venue stage of their Grote Zaal. The difference being is that this is a proper amphitheatre hall for the intellectual gig goer and for big prog bands such as Opeth, the ideal venue for the discerning listener.
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Steelhouse Festival – Ebbw Vale – 24-26 July
On a glorious sunny day during the best summer since 1976, Steelhouse 2026 rolled across the Welsh hillside with the unforced charm that continues to set it apart. Thankfully, the nearby mountain wildfires were being brought under control and were far enough away not to cause any undue health concerns. With negligible rain throughout July, the drive up the hillside felt like a trip into Joe Bonamassa’s ‘Dust Bowl’. Across the weekend, the bill mixed muscle, melody and personality in a way that felt true to Steelhouse’s identity rather than tailored for a broader, blunter crowd-pleaser. From a Friday opener led by King Kraken and Parker Barrow to a Sunday finale topped by Steel Panther, the festival once again proved that its strength lies in atmosphere, community and careful placement.
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Protest The Hero – Utrecht, Tivoli – 3 August 2026
After a month of festivals, August has blown around so fast it’s made Jase W’s head spin, or that could just be the lingering aftershocks of RADAR pinging around his head. Evidently he was asking the question, ‘why do I do this to myself?’, given the state of his legs and feet; but soldiering on like a good little gig addict he was back on terra firma in the Netherlands and already at another show…
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Blackbird Festival – Cardiff Castle – 27 June 2026
Cardiff Castle rarely felt as alive as it did for the inaugural Blackbird Festival, a day that balanced hometown pride with heavyweight rock pedigree, capped by Alter Bridge’s long-overdue Cardiff return.
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Jera On Air – Ysselsteyn – 27 June 2026
The third and final day of this year’s Jera On Air arrived last Saturday, and despite all the trials and tribulations of the extreme heat experienced over the weekend, Jase W and his fellow festival goers still persisted in their pursuit of world-class performances…
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Jera On Air – Ysselsteyn – 26 June 2026
Here it was: the hottest day of the year the Netherlands had ever had in June. It was also the second day of the JOA weekender and our man Jase had heard through the grapevine that Defqon electronic music festival had thrown in the towel… but it took more than the minor matter of a heatwave to stop the metal action…
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American Football – Amsterdam, Paradiso 24 June 2026
The inferno that recently raged across Europe was continuing and Jase W once again was praying for some decent level of air conditioning tonight because he wasn’t keen on another trip home looking like he’d just completed an Iron Man challenge. Anyway, that’s besides the point, tonight he was ticking off a massive bucket list band for himself, American Football! Not just that but it was at one of his favourite venues in the country too, Paradiso.
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A Perfect Circle – Tilburg, 013 – 23 June 2026
The recent European blast furnace of heat continued while Jase W in Tilburg for a night at the 013. While the mercury outside peaked at 32c, our man could only hope for a venue that has turned its air conditioning up to 110 per cent because he was absolutely roasting. But what better way to deal with this than to reject the sun, stand in a dark room and listen to a prog band sing about how dire this all is? A wonderful accompaniment to his dystopian reality and need to get the hell away from the burning hellscape outside.
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Graspop – A Fan’s View
One thing above all, we are music fans, and occasionally we like to be that, going to a gig or a festival without our critics hats on… Jase W did just that last weekend, when he hot-trained it down to the annual Graspop Metal Meeting… but, he was also closely observing how things were organized to make the experience the best it could be for the thousands in attendance…
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Sisters Doll – Ahoghill, Diamond – 13 June 2026
Life is all about riding the waves and seizing the opportunities that present themselves to you, and it was doing the former that promoter Derwin McFarland found himself also doing the other as it was on a ‘Monsters Of Rock’ cruise that he introduced himself to a band of four Australian brothers and casually invited them to play his little club in the backside of nowhere in the wilds of Norn Iron… it was an invitation the four young lads gladly accepted and so here we are, back in Antrim hills for another night of sold out rawk ‘n’f’n’ roll action \m/
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