Category: Interviews
Darkest Hour/Fallujah/Bloodlet/Une Misère/Lowest Creature – Manchester, Rebellion – 20 January 2020
Twenty-five years is a bloody long time for a band to be together but that’s what Darkest Hour are celebrating in this latest tour, and with them they bring four other bands in support of this including a favourite of Jase Walker’s, Fallujah. Manchester is one of two dates they’re playing in the Über Kingdom as part of a European tour throughout multiple countries, as part of this review our man also got to have a sit down with Mike Schleibaum from Darkest Hour and a chat with him about how the tour’s going, what sort of challenges a band goes through spanning 25 years, and any possible future plans.
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – Chris Motionless
They say you should never meet your heroes, but when Jess R was offered the chance to interview Chris Motionless, she jumped at it… so off she and the singer shuffled, into a small room in Glasgow’s SWG3, to dive deep into some questions about Motionless in White, the new album ‘Disguise’, healthy lifestyles, skincare, conspiracy theories and more.
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At The Gates/Nifelheim/Deserted Fear – Manchester, Club Academy – 18 December 2019
Going a touch heavier than he has been for a bit, a three-band death metal gig for our travelling gigaholic, headlined by Swedish melodeath progenitors At The Gates, in one of only two UK shows on this particular tour. It’s back to the same building as the big lad’s previous gig in Mark Lanegan, albeit in a different room of the venue, for an evening of whiplash inducing headbanging and some pretty heavy fucking metal!
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Clutch/Graveyard/Kamchatka – Southampton, O2 Guildhall – 17 December 2019
Clutch are a band that Phil C got hooked on when he first saw them supporting Motörhead back in 2006. Since then it feels as if everything has conspired to stop him from seeing them again. When he was informed that they would be playing just across the water from his home and, crucially, he was in the area, he was not going to be thwarted. This being the first of a four date UK run promises to be a night of big riffs and stamping rhythms with support from Graveyard and Kamchatka.
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – H (Acid Reign)
The pioneers of the UK “applecore” scene, Acid Reign, have recently released their first new album in 29 long years. The followed this up with a (very) short run of dates, which fortunately included a return to ÜR’s home city of Belfast, a frequent haunt for the band in their first incarnation… We took the opportunity to grab a chat to charismatic frontman H about said album, some of the messages behind the songs, and how the media landscape has changed in the intervening years since they last released physical product. We also tried, unsuccessfully, to bait him into taking part in the ‘Tayto vs Walkers’ crisp wars…
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – Gary Moat (Burnt Out Wreck)
It’s been a busy year for hard rock crüe Burnt Out Wreck, with a brilliant new album in the form of ‘This Is Hell’ and a busy touring schedule in support of its release, culminating in a triumphant performance at the recent Winterstorm festival. We caught up with frontman Gary Moat in a car park outside B&Q to talk about said album and year, and also the recent re-issues of his former band Heavy Pettin’s back catalogue, including how the group don’t actually own the rights to their old material, and BOW’s own plans for next year
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Bokassa/Puppy – Manchester, Rebellion – 7 December 2019
Our travelling gigaholic’s latest gigging adventure sees him journey back across to Manchester, where he caught an early chat with Jorn, the vocalist and guitarist of Norwegian stoner punks Bokassa ahead of some pretty long journeys in the few days ahead. One support act awaits in the form of Puppy, promising an evening of contrasting rock sensibilities.
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Knocked Loose/Malevolence/Justice For The Damned/Renounced – Manchester, Club Academy – 2 December 2019
A four-band bill awaited our travelling gigaholic in his second home, as he stepped things up a notch with the heaviness, after a few punk gigs, into a modern hardcore and metal hybrid territory. Kentucky hardcore punks Knocked Loose have only been around for six years but seem to have garnered a burgeoning reputation for their live shows, so the big lad figured why the hell not, given their proximity…
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – Phil Rind (Sacred Reich)
One of the most politically-charged and pioneering bands of the crossover thrash genre, Arizona legends Sacred Reich recently reunited with former drummer Dave McClain and subsquently released their first new album in 23 years, the suitably titled ‘Awakening’, which they are currently supporting with a massive 89-date tour. Having rampaged their way up the Über Kingdom from the dark heart of Camden to Glasgow, earlier today (Sunday 1 December) they crossed the Irish Sea to ÜR’s home city of Belfast and a gig in our local pub, where we caught up with frontman Phil Rind for a quick chat about the album, how the media landscape has changed during their creative hiatus and how he is grateful to be able to continue doing what he is doing
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – Cursed Sun
Northern Ireland death groovers Cursed Sun are just about to release their latest EP, the ÜR-approved ‘Vendetta’. We invited singer Andrew ‘Jones’ Cassidy and guitarist Ciaran McKeever into ÜR’s hallowed inner sanctum to discuss the release, the positive changes in the band’s line-up, the creation of new single ‘MDK187’ and the influence behind its powerful accompanying video, why they hope it will be “fourth time lucky” in the annual Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition, and their plans to take their hard-hitting sound across the Irish Sea in 2020
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Killswitch Engage/Revocation/Tenside – Manchester, Academy – 18 October 2019
When metal titans such as Killswitch Engage come around, it’s rather silly to not make the effort to go see them. After a few near misses in the past, when gig clashes or health issues had stopped our resident gigaholic attending previous shows, there was no way the big lad was missing them playing so close to him… well, Manchester is his second home after all!
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The BIG Über Rock Interview – John ‘Harv’ Harbinson (Stormzone/Twisted Mind)
Best known as the frontman of Northern Ireland power metallers Stormzone, John ‘Harv’ Harbinson later this month releases his debut solo album, under the moniker of Twisted Mind. Following on from Monk’s review of same, DQ took the opportunity to sit down with someone whom she regards as an old friend, to talk about the album… what she didn’t realize is how deeply honest, incisive and personal their chat would become as the singer talked with brutal frankness about the inspiration behind the songs,the turbulence and upheavals in his life during the time of its creation, the support of his fellow bandmates during his darkest days and his plans for the future.
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