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Sunday 23 November 2014

The Moon Landing Tour

James Blunt and Lacey
The Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
November 22nd, 2014

Regular visitors to this blog will know that I am a big fan of Nottingham band Lacey, so when they announced that they had been chosen to support James Blunt for the Nottingham date of the UK leg of his World Tour we had to go..... no matter what the cost.

Tonight's show was Lacey's first ever arena show and even though they are more used to playing smaller venues they had no problem fitting themselves and their sound to the size of the arena.

Lacey's usual line up is Graham Turner, Joshua Lewin, David Pearson and Peter Maksymiw, however tonight they have also been joined by Pete Mugleston, who is a former member of the band and is supporting with backing vocals and guitar.

Starting their set with 'Burning Out' from their EP 'Outlaws', Lacey got the show off to a great start and immediately grabbed the audience's attention. 

The rest of their set consisted of 'Change the Story' and 'Find A Way', which are songs from their upcoming album 'Under The Brightest Lights', which is set for general release in the new year following a successful pledgemusic campaign. 

 'Change the Story' is an upbeat song which got some of the audience dancing in their seats, whereas 'Find A Way' is a big sounding anthem which fit into the arena setting perfectly.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjRaAPz3JAQ )


Half way through the set they slowed things down a little when Graham took to the stage alone to perform 'Wait Till Tomorrow'.  This song is also featured on the forthcoming album and is a pure ballad which really showcases the range and strength of Graham's voice.   Having followed Lacey for quite a while now I knew that Graham had a great voice but hearing him sing a purely acoustic song with just the one guitar gave me goose bumps from the opening note right through to the last.  (Check it out on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHKouBACaUg )

Next on the set list was 'Contender', a song which features on both the 'Outlaws' EP and the 'Under The Brightest Lights' album.  It is also the song  which included the lyric that the album took its title from.  Contender is another powerful ballad which is sung from the heart and really allows you to become engrossed in the music.

Finishing with 'Tonight', which Lacey have just recorded as a single at the Steel City Studios, they  finished their set in style and left the stage to rapturous applause, proving to everyone that they have everything it takes to make their mark on the world.

Although this is the most I have ever paid for a ticket to see Lacey they have proved that they are worth every penny.  This may have been their first arena show but something tells me that it definitely won't be their last one!


I will be honest and admit that I only bought the ticket to see Lacey, as although I didn't mind James Blunt's music when I have heard it played on the radio I have never been an avid fan, however I have to admit that  I enjoyed his set.

Starting the night with 'Face the Sun' James Blunt launched into his epic set which lasted for around an hour and three quarters.

In keeping with the moon landing theme Blunt and his band were kitted out in space style jumpsuits, which led him to quip that they had come as astronauts and not the Ghostbusters!

There were a lot of James' songs that I had never heard before as I had only ever heard his songs on the radio.  However, songs in his set that I did recognise were 'Wisemen', 'High', 'Carry You Home', 'Goodbye My Lover'  and 'You're Beautiful'.

I also found that I really enjoyed songs called 'Smoke Signals', 'Bonfire Heart' and 'When I Find Love Again'.

Between songs James spent time talking to the audience which allowed his personality to show through.  He seemed to have quite a dry sense of humour and he made quite a few digs at his own expense regarding his height and his 'miserable songs'.


Although the popular songs seem to be quite downbeat not all of the songs that they played were miserable or down beat.  There were quite a few upbeat songs and they also treated us to a cover version of Slade's 'Coz I luv you', which had the already up and dancing crowd partying even more. 

Blunt sent the crowd into a frenzy when he leapt off the stage and ran through the crowd around the arena high fiving everyone he encountered.  He also attempted something that I have seen many bands do before, where they get the crowd to crouch down and all jump up in unison, however was not as effective as the show was an all seated event and jumping up from sitting on a chair did not really have the same effect.


One effect he did manage was to get the whole audience to turn in the torch app on their mobile phones and then asking the lighting techs to turn off the house lights effectively creating a starry sky for his rendition of 'Satellites', which looked absolutely stunning.

The show was ended by the brilliant number '1973' and a virtual firework display on the large screen at the back of the stage that also featured photographs of the crowds from various shows of the tour. 

It was obvious that a lot of money had been invested into this tour as the laser light show was remarkable and the projections on the screen at the back really fitted the theme and mood of the show. 

Although I went to the show solely to see Lacey I really did enjoy James Blunt and would go see him again.  Both Lacey and James Blunt gave us a cracking show last night and although we usually begrudge paying arena prices I do think that it was worth every penny.











Saturday 15 November 2014

Brighter Tour 2014

Patent Pending , The Suburban Legends and The Hype Theory
Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds
October 13th, 16th,17th,18th and 22nd, 2014

It's that time of the year again when Patent Pending pay their bi-annual visit to the UK, only this time around they are not just being content with the UK, they are finishing the tour with four debut dates across Germany. 

The UK part of the  tour took them to 14 cities from Glasgow to Southampton and even with a change of venue due to the closure of the Cockpit in Leeds, the tour pretty much sold out every night.

I would have loved to have attended every night of the tour but this time I could only get to Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds because of work commitments.

Starting each night were Essex band The Hype Theory.  I had seen these guys before at Nottingham's McMillan Fest earlier in the year when they performed an acoustic set.

Made up of Katie on vocals, Sean and Tom on guitar, Jack on bass and Josh on drums, they  pumped out some powerful music. 

Their set included songs such as 'If You're Going Down (I'm Going With You)', 'Satellite', 'Reverie' and 'War Cry'.

Finishing their set with 'Heartsick'  they launched beach balls into the audience and had the crowd singing along.

I have expressed my dislike for female fronted bands before as I find they are usually too high pitched and screechy but I have to admit that Katie sings at a lower more pleasing pitch. However, although they grew on me over the course of the tour, they didn't grow on me enough for me to become a diehard fan.

The next band on the bill changed each night so depending which venue you were at you could be  expecting anyone from Mumford and Sons to Whitesnake!  However, this was just a ploy to throw the audience off the scent of the 'real' band making their appearance during this 10 minute slot!

In July this year Patent Pending released an EP and mockumentary under the name 'Mario and the Brick Breakers'.  After drawing inspiration from the single 'Hey Mario' which is featured on their 2013 album 'Brighter', they came up with the concept of giving Mario a back story.  The mockumentary shows how Mario and his brother Luigi formed a band, met his Princess Peach and how the pressure of fame led to his addiction to mushrooms and the demise of his band.  The accompanying EP is the sound track to the mockumentary.  (Check it out for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAWabuN6L_0)


The ten minute set saw the Patent Pending guys dressed and fully in character of their respective characters from the movie (Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi and Donkey Kong).  The set consisted of two of the songs from the EP.  The set always started with 'My Princess Peach' and finished with 'Boom Boom Pass the Mushroom'. 

It seems that Mario and the Brick Breakers are every bit as popular and successful as their creators Patent Pending and it wouldn't surprise me if we see more performances from these guys at future shows.

Next up were the Suburban Legends.  I last saw these guys supporting Bowling for Soup on the 2011 'Fishing for Woos Tour', and absolutely loved them, so I was eager to see them again.
The Suburban Legends hail from Orange County California and have numerous members, however on this tour they were represented by Vince Walker, Brian Klemm, Brian Lee Robertson, Chris  Graue, Brad Polidori and Edward Larsen.

It is very difficult to describe the Suburban Legends to someone who hasn't seen them as they are a ska band, very much like Madness or Reel Big Fish, but faster and more chaotic!  Over the shows that we saw, the Suburban Legends treated us to 'Arigato', 'Whoa' and 'High Fives' from their original material as well as cover versions of Disney classics such as 'Just Can't Wait to Be King', 'You've Got  A Friend In Me', 'Kiss The Girl' and 'Under The Sea'.

Each night, charismatic guitarist Brian Klemm also treated us to a rendition of Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline'.

Add synchronised dancing, stage diving and jazz hands to the mix and you have a recipe for fun!  The Suburban Legends have an energy and enthusiasm that completely absorbs you and you can't help but get engrossed in their performance. 

Anyone who is a regular visitor to this blog will know that I have seen and reviewed Patent Pending previously and have always had great things to say about this band.  This tour has been no different!


I was lucky enough to be able to attend the VIP session a couple of times on this tour, which take place before the show.  These sessions include a photograph with the band, a signed poster, an exclusive acoustic set and the chance to hang out with the guys before the show starts, and unlike some bands the VIP ticket is not extortionate.



Like the main show, the acoustic session varied every night as the often took requests to decide what they would play.  In Sheffield we were treated to the acoustic version of 'Psycho In Love', while we all danced in a circle 'Italian wedding style', around a couple who had got engaged at one of the shows on the Spring Break Tour.  Other songs included were 'Let Go', 'Brighter' and 'Therefore I Party'.

The full band set also included the above songs as well as other favourites such as 'All Star Hipster', 'Classic You', 'We're Freaking Out (Map To Tahiti)', 'Dance Till We Die' and 'Little Miss Impossible'.
As always Joe did a solo performance of 'Spin Me Around',  the song he wrote for his wife Dana.

It wouldn't be a Patent Pending show without a cover song, or two! This tour we have been treated to a Patent Pending take on the Friends theme tune by The Rembrandts, 'Every time We Touch' by Cascada and an alternative punk version of 'Build Me Up Buttercup', originally by the Foundations.

The boys also have an amazing rapport and the onstage banter flows easily between songs. Whether it is Joe three cardinal rules; 'Stay hydrated, team work and safety first' before he leaps onto the audience to 'crowd swim' his way back to the stage or the 'how our generation will dance when they are old' demonstration from the Birmingham show which  saw Joe, Rob and Marc using the mic stands as walking sticks while twerking!

As much as Patent Pending like to perform they don't hog all of the limelight and are happy to share it with the Second Family.  During the shows that I attended they had Karl on stage to sing in Manchester, Brad playing guitar with them in Birmingham and they invited harpist Sacha along to finish out the tour and play every night with them as they loved her rendition of Brighter at the Glasgow show.

When Brad played on stage with them at the Birmingham show there was a little role swapping going on as Rob took to the drums, Anthony the vocals and Joe jumped into the pit and bounced and partied with the crowd. 

Patent Pending sure know how to rock hard and it was proved during that last show in Leeds  when the whipped the crowd into such a frenzy that the ceiling was dripping and the crowd bounced so hard that they left a hole in the floor of the Key Club!

I have now seen Patent Pending perform 24 times since I first encountered them in October 2012 and I can honestly say that I have never seen the same set twice!  They have so many songs in their back catalogue that they can play a different show every night and alter their banter and set list to suit the audience and always leave the crowd wanting more! 

Patent Pending still take my breath away and get better every time I see them.  Their sets fly by in a whirlwind of crowd swimming, jazz hands and bouncing! 

I have got to know the guys over the past couple of years and I can honestly say that I have never met a band that care about their fans in the way that Patent Pending do.  Even though their popularity has grown and quadrupled since they first set foot in the UK two years ago, they still make the time to spend with their second family.  It's no wonder these guys have a group of diehard fans who go to every date of the tour whether they are in the UK or abroad.


You only had to look around at any of the shows to see that the Second Family community has grown immensely over the last two years and I am proud to be a part of that family.  Roll on the 2015 tour!








The Dollyrots House Parties

The Dollyrots House Parties
Peterborough and Derby
October 12th and 15th, 2014

It's only a week since we saw The Dollyrots in Manchester supporting the Buzzcocks, but this week's Dollyrots shows promised to be something else as they had added two house parties to the tour.

Last year I attended my first house party of this kind when I saw People On Vacation, and loved every minute of it as it really was an intimate occasion, so when I got an invite to see the Dollyrots perform this way I jumped at the chance.

Each night was being hosted by a different person, Peterborough by the lovely Liz who's party I attended last year and the other by People On Vacation bassist Rob. 


Both parties started with Kelly and Luis playing an acoustic set, most of which was from a pre-decided setlist but some were spontaneous or requested.  The sets varied at each party but included songs such as 'Get Weird', 'Stupidly In Love', 'Brand New Key', 'Jackie Chan', 'Hyperactive' and my favourite 'Satellites'.

Liz's house party also heard a rendition of 'Feed Me, Pet Me' which was played especially for Liz's cat Otis!

During each set the Kelly and Luis also embellished us with tales from their various tours and background information to some of the songs.

After the set they hung out and chatted to everyone who wanted to talk with them. 

The highlight of the house parties had to be the chance to meet 'The Dollytot', River, as he had joined his parents on the tour.  He was the centre of attention, and a very cute one at that!  River stole the show at Rob's house party when he came crawling in mid song and then joined his mum and dad for the last two songs of that night's set.


If you ever get the chance to go to one of these intimate house party shows I would strongly suggest that you do as they are a complete contrast to the venue shows and really enjoyable. 


Thank you to Liz and Rob for being such great hosts.



The Buzzcocks and The Dollyrots

The Dollyrots and The Buzzcocks
October 3rd, 2014
 The Ritz, Manchester

Tonight we made the short road trip to Manchester for a night of punk.  The show was being held at The Ritz, a medium sized venue, right in the city centre.  It's a venue we have been to before and enjoyed as it has great acoustics and a sprung floor (so dancing/moshing takes less effort than usual).

Starting the night were The Dollyrots from California, who are made up of Kelly Ogden and Luis Cazebas.  On this tour they are also joined by People On Vacation drummer Michael Richards.   It has been two years since we last saw these guys as Kelly took last year out from touring outside of the US as she and Luis decided to start a family. 


Starting the night with 'Hyperactive', The Dollyrots started as the meant to go on.  Each song was delivered with energy and enthusiasm and it was obvious that they really enjoyed what they were doing.


The Dollyrots played a good range of music from earlier hits such as 'Satellites', 'Brand New Key' and 'Twist Me To The Left' as well as songs from their latest album 'Barefoot And Pregnant', including as 'Bury Me In Ireland' and 'First World Anarchist'.



Ending the set with crowd favourite 'Because I'm Awesome', The Dollyrots proved that they really were awesome!



Headlining tonight were Bolton band the Buzzcocks.  The Buzzcocks  are made up of Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, Chris Remmington and Danny Farrant.  Formed in 1976, these guys have been playing punk for years and their old school punk sound made a nice contrast to the contemporary punk that we heard from the Dollyrots.

Although not as fast paced and bouncy as the Dollyrots these guys played a great set including 'Fast Cars', 'Keep On Believing', 'You Don't Say You Don't Love Me', 'Chasing Rainbows/Modern Times' and 'What Do I Get'.




Performing and encore of 'Harmony In My Head Head', 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have Fallen In Love With)' and 'Orgasm Addict' the Buzzcocks left the stage to the sound of applause and a very happy audience.



The contrast of the two different punk sounds made for a very enjoyable evening as the old school punk and pop punk complimented each other perfectly.


Saturday 26 July 2014

An Evening with Tony Wright

Tony's Pledger's Only Album Launch
Gulliver's Manchester
July 20th, 2014

Last night took us over to Manchester to an exclusive gig hosted by Terrorvision front man Tony Wright, who was hosting a couple of these shows to celebrate the launch of his first solo album, 'Thoughts 'N' All'. In March Tony decided to use the Pledge Music forum to get funding to make the album and was amazed when his project reached 100% in the first 24 hours.

For those who are unaware of pledge, it is an internet based forum which allows artists to raise money to fund their music projects while at the same time giving something back to the fans.  For example a small pledge of around £8 will get you the digital download of an album.  Other pledges can range from items such as the physical CD, t-shirts, exclusive VIP gigs right through to experience days where you can hang out with your favourite band at the studio while they are recording or even own one of the instruments used to make the record.

Using the Pledge campaigns also means that it cuts out the major record companies which gives artists more say over the music they produce.  More and more bands are using this method and it seems to be growing in popularity.

Tonight's show is in the upstairs room of a backstreet Manchester pub.  It is small, dark and very hot!
Although the project is a solo project he does have a little help with backing music from Milton Evans (Terrorvision) and Steve Clarkson.

The first part of the evening consisted of Tony, Milly and Steve playing the album in it's entirety.  The album has 10 songs including 'Self Portrait', 'Little Things', 'Roll Over' and 'Gunner Getchya'.

The songs have some fantastic and intricate guitar lines, which mixed with Tony's lyrics made the songs really easy on the ear.

Included in the entertainment was the banter that ran back and forth between Tony and Milly between (and in some cases during) the songs.  I found myself laughing at Tony's one liners in all the breaks between the songs.  My favourite being the pencil ultimate song as he had used a pencil to write it rather than a pen!



Once the album had been played Tony announced that it they would normally go backstage and prepare for the encore but as the dressing room was at the other end of the building they decided not to bother. 

For their encore they played Terrorvision favourites 'Tequila', 'Alice (What's The Matter)' and 'Friends and Family', which got the crowd joining in a showed that it was obvious that the old school Terrorvision fans were backing him in his solo endeavours.

After the show Tony and Milly stuck around for photos and to sign the copies of the CD's that pledger's received on entry. 


The room only held about fifty people so it was a very intimate gig and a great atmosphere.  I would definitely pledge for something like this again as it was a really great night.   


Wet Wet Wet

Wet Wet Wet
Haydock Racecourse
July 19th, 2014

Never being one to turn down a free night out I was thrilled when my husband won tickets for my sister and I to attend Saturday's race meeting at Haydock Park, especially when I discovered that the night would end with a concert by Wet Wet Wet, a band that had one of the prime spots on my bedroom wall through some of my teenage years!

As neither my sister or I are really into horses we decided to go in time for the last race and the concert rather than the whole day. 

Wet Wet Wet kicked off the night with 'Wishing I was Lucky' and proceeded to play all of their well known hits from across the years and pretty much the whole of 'Popped In Souled Out', which was the album that shot them to fame in 1987.

Consisting of Marti Pellow, Tommy Cunningham, Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell, Wet Wet Wet  have been on the music scene for many years and do not seem to have lost any of their spark.  They put in an energetic and very upbeat, feel good set, which I'm sure sent the majority of their audience back to their teenage years.

Playing songs such as 'Sweet Little Mystery', 'East of The River', 'Angel Eyes', 'Temptation' and 'Julia Says' they had the crowd kicking off their heels and dancing on the grass in front of the small stage.


Finishing the night with their cover version of the Troggs, 'Love Is All Around', which spent fifteen weeks at the number one in the charts in 1994 after being used on the soundtrack to the film 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', they left Haydock to loud cheers and thunderous applause from the crowd.

 


These guys are not someone that I would have ever bought a ticket for as it would not have crossed my mind to go and see them but I'm glad I did as I had a fantastic night. Another one to add to my list of guilty pleasures!

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Download Festival 2014

Download 2014
Donnington Park
June 13th to 15th, 2014

It is that time of the year when we make our pilgrimage to the daddy of all rock festivals, Download!

This year will be one to remember, not just for the music but for the fact that it is the first time I have ever been to Download when it has not rained for the duration.  In fact this year we needed the sun cream.

The first band we saw this year was Powerman 5000 who had a techno rock sound to them and really were not my cup of tea.  They weren't awful but I quickly left their set and went for a wander around the market until I found someone else to listen to.

Friday afternoon saw one of my favourite live bands take to the stage.  I have seen Skindred perform live on many occasions and they never fail to disappoint.  Today was no different.  Skindred delivered a high energy set consisting of crowd favourites such as 'Doomriff', 'Ninja', 'Nobody', 'Pressure' and 'Kill The Power'.  Finishing with 'Warning',  front man Benji Webbe had their now famous Newport Helicopter going all the way up the hill in front of the main stage.  This really is a sight to see and it must look amazing from the stage.

Once Skindred had left the stage, festival organiser,  Andy Copping took to the stage to pay tribute to the late Stephen Sutton and Donovan who have both passed away recently.  As a sign of respect Copping led the crowd gathered by the main stage in a one minute applause.

Next on my list were Rival Sons. These guys attracted a good turn out even if the heat of the day had left the crowd slightly subdued, however it did not stop them from delivering a great set.  At one point Buchanan got so excited that he even managed to break the microphone.  They sang a few of their older songs and a couple of the new songs from their new album which was released earlier this month. My favourite song of the set had to be 'Electric Man' from their new album 'Great Western Valkyrie'.



As I went back to meet with my sister and friend who had decided to see Within Temptation I was able to catch the last couple of songs of their set.  This was not a band I particularly enjoyed as I found the songs too high pitched for my liking and was glad that I had seen my choice of band rather than their whole set.

Following Within Temptation on the main stage was Rob Zombie.  I really enjoyed this set and found him really entertaining to watch however, as much as I enjoyed the dramatics of his set I did find myself thinking that it wasn't quite as 'showy' as I had thought it would be.  This did not take away the enjoyment though and I thoroughly enjoyed the set.  The highlight of this one for me was 'Dragula'.


Headlining tonight where one of my all time favourites, Avenged Sevenfold.  It is now quite a few years since I first fell in love with these guys when they literally stopped me in my tracks as I headed across a festival they were playing at, but tonight didn't just stop me it took my breath away!


Playing a whole range of songs from the old crowd pleasing favourites such as 'Bat Country', 'Nightmare' and 'Buried Alive' to new songs from last year's album 'Hail To The King' such as 'This Means War'. 

Their set was well planned and executed and the energy and passion they have for their music really shone through. 





However amid the fire and pyrotechnics, for me it was one of their slower numbers that left me with goosebumps and a tear in my eye, as they paid tribute to their fallen brother James 'The Rev' Sullivan with the song 'So Far Away'.  It is a beautiful tribute to Jimmy who died of a drug overdose on 28th December 2009 and the arena came alight as many fans raised their cigarette lighters (and glowing mobile phones) in memory of The Rev. 

Finishing with 'A Little Piece Of Heaven', Avenged Sevenfold showed Download how it was done and why they deserved to be headlining the main stage!




Not sure how I would beat the A7X experience of the night before we headed down to the arena on Saturday knowing that we were in for another day of great music.

First off for us was Bury Tomorrow, a band that I have tried to see at festivals a couple of times and always failed to catch.  Today however I got to hear the majority of their set and was happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.  They gave a high energy set which cannot have been easy given the noon slot and the midday heat.

Next on the list were my sisters favourite Lawnmower Deth.  These guys have a very heavy metal sound until you listen to the lyrics.  Singing songs such as 'Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down', 'Flying Killer Cobs From The Planet Bob' and 'Satan's Trampoline' their set flew by very quickly and was very enjoyable.

The main attraction for us today was one of our old favourites, the amazing Bowling For Soup who were playing twice, once on the main stage and then later on the smaller Jagermeister acoustic stage.   

The set on the main stage was the usual fun and frolics of a Bowling For Soup show with crowd pleasing sing alongs such as '1985', 'Almost', 'The Bitch Song' and 'Ohio'.

The Bowling For Soup 'musically enhanced photo opportunity' was also present as the guys posed for photos to a piece of music written especially for this purpose.

During the performance a knight appeared on the stage and informed Jaret and the gang that he had been ordered to make a sacrifice to the gods of rock and that poor Fluffy (the giant inflatable sheep) was to be the sacrifice.  I saw the BFS set at Download 2011 when Fluffy's mate was 'killed' by Chris after being defiled by a large inflatable male part and today Fluffy met her death by the knight's sword (although she did put up a good fight first).  Following this Chris sang 'Amazing Grace' in honour of the sheep in his best preachers voice (which is actually a very good singing voice).

Then it was back to the fun with renditions of 'Girls All The Bad Guys Want' and the theme to 'Phineas And Ferb' (not what you would normally expect at a rock and metal festival but this is Bowling For Soup after all). 

The BFS guys attracted a very large crowd as this was probably a must see for some fans after BFS announced their farewell tour last year.  Our little group decided that BFS should be available on prescription as no matter how we are feeling they always make the world a little brighter.

Next I decided to check out Orange Goblin as I had heard a lot about them and never seen them.  These guys had a really heavy sound and vibe, with some good guitar riffs but I was disappointed that they did not manage to hold my attention as they should have done.

As BFS were playing the Jagermeister acoustic stage we decided to check out a couple of acts down there as it is not usually a stage I would venture to. 

The first act we saw was a guy called Toby Jepson, who sang some really catchy and quirky songs.  He announced that he and his colleague were the only act on the bill for the weekend to involve a saxophone, an accordion and a pair of crocs!  They are not an act I would rush out to see again but I wouldn't be disappointed if he turned up as a support act at a show.

Next were Anathema, who I really enjoyed.  The lead vocalist had an amazing voice and their style reminded me very much of Kodaline.  After hearing their acoustic set I was a little disappointed to find that their full set had already been played as I would have liked to have checked it out to compare the full band set to the acoustic.  These guys are on my lookup list for once the festival is over.

If you thought that a full band BFS set was crazy then you a were in for a real treat with the acoustic set.  Although the acoustic set consisted of just Jaret and Erik, both Gary and Chris were there to support their brothers.  The guys started with 'Two Seater' from their 2004 album 'The Hangover You Don't Deserve'.  

However in true BFS style the banter between Jaret and Erik and the audience was present.  Whether it was Jaret requesting to wear a traffic cone hat from a guy in the audience to the blow up dinosaur, you cannot help but smile.

Other songs in the acoustic set included a sing along to 'almost', and two of my favourites 'Turbulence' and 'Circle'.  




As the set drew to a close Jaret gave the crowd the choice of the last song of either '1985' or 'Girl All The Bad Guys Want', however when a request was shouted out for 'Belgium' he added this to the list and the audience chose 'Belgium'. 


During this song Jaret got the whole of the BFS crew to join them on stage including Chris, Gary, Dave the tour manager, Marco the merch guy, Harry the videographer and Tony and Derrick the guitar techs.



After their set they even made time to sign autographs and take photos with the crowd that had gathered along the fence with the hope of meeting their Texan idols and BFS being the great guys that they are obliged and spent as much time as they could meeting their fans.   It was a brilliant set and showed yet again why BFS are the best punk rock band in the world!



Headlining the acoustic stage was Ginger Wildheart who played a great set including 'Red Light Green Light', 'You Took The Sunshine' and 'Geordie In Wonderland'.  Although this was an acoustic set they had all the power and energy of a full band Wildhearts set and blew the small crowd away. 



Headlining the main stage tonight was Linkin Park who played their  2000 album 'Hybrid Theory' in full.  Including songs such as 'Paper Cut', 'A Place For My Head' and 'Crawling' they offered a really high power high energy set.

Returning for an encore they played crowd favourites from across their discography including 'Bleeding Out' and 'New Divide' from the 2010 Transformers soundtrack.   It is easy to see why these guys are still going strong after so long in the business and why they still attract a large following as the performance was amazing and really got the whole crowd into the party spirit.

Sunday held a promise of being a great party day although the weather did decide to switch from sunshine to drizzle for the most part of the day, however speculation was building as to who would be the surprise band which has been billed as simply '???' for the last few weeks.

As we had to leave Download at the end of the night due to work commitments I unfortunately missed one of the bands that I really wanted to see as packing the tent away took longer than planned.  I'm just hoping that the Graveltones did a good enough job to be asked back again next year!

I did manage to catch some of the Buckcherry set on the main stage though which sounded great!  Although I didn't catch the whole set I heard enough to get me in the mood for the day ahead. 

New on the bill for this year was Demolition Download which was hosted by Battle Heritage who are a full combat medieval combat club.  Basically they have real armour and real weapons and they battle it out to see who wins.  

The idea is that when you hit the deck you have essentially been 'killed'.  Although we watched for a little while we didn't linger there for too long but it was pretty funny to see a guy in full medieval armour square up at a 7 foot tall pink Download Dawg!


I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch the Richie Sambora set as I didn't know if it would be as good as imagined, however he had a great voice and I enjoyed his set.  I loved his cover of Bon Jovi's dead or alive and was glad that I decided to watch him.

When the time came for the band billed as '???' a huge crowd formed at the Pepsi Max Tent to find that the mystery band was none other than last year's second stage headliner Black Stone Cherry. 

I was unable to get in the tent and from my spot on the hill I could just about make out the silhouette of drummer John Fred Taylor. However Black Stone Cherry played a great set including 'Rain Wizard', 'Blind Man', 'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Blame It On The Boom Boom'. 

Unfortunately for the people who hadn't managed to get inside the tent, the set was spoilt by the noise from the fairground rides close by as they kept their music blaring during the performance.  I think it would have been much better if they could have muted their music for the performance or if the Pepsi Max Tent had a big screen and speakers outside as this wasn't the only oversubscribed performance for this stage. 

 The idea of a secret set was brilliant although, given the band, maybe it should have been hosted on one of the bigger stages.

Next on the list for us was Steel Panther!  These are another band that I discovered at Download festival.  Over the top and downright rude they lighten the afternoon with their unique songs such as 'Asian Hooker',' Gloryhole',' If I Was The King' and 'Death To All But Metal'.

Their unique look and lyrics earned them a fantastic turn out and everyone on the crowd seemed to be really enjoying the show.

Last on the must see list for us was Zebrahead as the Californian punk rockers headlined the red bull stage.  Zebrahead were nothing less than brilliant even if they did only have 30 minutes for their set. 

From the opening bars of 'Sirens' to the closing notes of 'Anthem' the crowd never stood still.  Zebrahead had pretty much packed the tent which was really good considering they were pitted against Aerosmith, and whether they had you singing the drinking song or helping their tour manager crowd surf in the 'SS Punk Rock' you can guarantee that we were having more fun than the guys listening to Aerosmith.  



Zebrahead have quickly become a must see band for me when they are in town as they are so much fun and (as I found out at their signing in the Kerrang tent) a real nice bunch of guys.  

The end of the set left the crowd shouting for 'one more song' however the Download official for that stage refused to let them play again, which resulted in resounding boos from the crowd.



As  Aerosmith's set lasted for quite a while following the closing of the other  stages we decided to watch the end of their set.  We caught up with them as they sang my favourite song 'Dream On', however I can honestly say that in comparison to Avenged Sevenfold and other headliners that I have seen at Download over the years, the Aerosmith set was lacking in something.  For me it just didn't have that wow factor that others have given me.  Which is a shame as bands like Aerosmith are ones you don't                                                                                         get the opportunity to see very often.






That said it did not spoil my weekend in any way and I had an amazing time.  Roll on Download 2015!



 










Friday 2 May 2014

Spring Break Tour 2014

Patent Pending, People on Vacation and Lacey
April 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th, 2014
Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, London, Bedford and Birmingham

I have always been a bit of a fangirl but I had never classed myself as a super fan until I met three bands that have become very important to me. 

When I heard that Patent Pending, People on Vacation and Lacey would be touring together I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Anyone who is a regular visitor to this blog will know that these are three of my favourite bands.

As this was a once in a lifetime chance to see all three of them together my sister and I decided to go to more than one show, starting with Nottingham's Hit The Deck Festival and finishing at the Birmingham show.  Our original plan was to do five of the ten dates but in the end we added Hit The Deck when they too announced all three bands and then added a couple more shows, meaning we ended up doing eight out of twelve.

Anyone who has ever seen these bands before will know that even if you go to every single night of the tour you will never see the same show twice!


Starting each night was Lacey.  A four piece alt rock band from Nottingham consisting of Graham Turner, Josh Lewin, Dave Pearson and Pete Maksymiw. 


These guys were the only ones who stuck to a planned set list each night. 




Starting the show with a new song called  'Won't Be The Last Time' from the album they are planning to release later in the year, they started the show with a burst of energy which they maintained throughout. 

We also had the pleasure of hearing another new song from the album called 'Get Me Out Of Here', as well as old favourites 'Hometown', 'Burning Out' and 'Contender' from last years' EP 'Outlaws'.

Each night they finished the set with their new single 'Reach Out', a very catchy and bouncy rock tune but listen closely to the lyrics and the story of the song is evident.  'Reach Out' is another song from the forthcoming album.  

If the three new songs are anything to go by, the new album will be well worth waiting for!  (You can download a free copy of 'Reach Out' from www.soundcloud.com/laceyofficialuk/reach-out/s-EsoZ8)

Even though we had the disappointment of their set being cut short at Hit The Deck due to bad organization by the festival (people were only let into The Forum 10 minutes after the advertised door time), they still gave the set everything they had and over the course of the tour have got even stronger and more confident. 

At the Bedford show Lacey looked slightly embarrassed and amused as they encountered the first bra to be thrown at the stage during one of their sets and they were slightly red faced again at the Manchester show when Joe and Corey from Patent Pending came on stage to join in with 'Burning Out' and Josh nearly took Joe out with the neck of his guitar as he spun around.  (Joe quite proudly showed his bruise off after the show). 




Although Lacey have not been around as long as their touring buddies it is evident that they are starting to get quite a following, as the same faces could be spotted at the front of the crowd for their set each night.  Their fan community 'Lacey's Outlaws' is growing at a steady pace and after the fantastic job they have done on the tour it can only grow larger and stronger.



During this tour Lacey really have shown that they have what it takes and with the calibre of the new songs they played I can't wait for the new album and their next show!

Anyone who went to the tour to see Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup doing his usual thing was in for a big shock.  You see People on Vacation are a million miles removed from Bowling for Soup's pop punk.

People on Vacation is a supergroup made up of Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), Ryan Hamilton (Smile Smile), Rob Lane (Teenage Casket Company) and Michael Richards (Session Drummer).  These guys have a more acoustic and rather quirky folk vibe to them, but don't be fooled... listen to the lyrics and it is obvious that they have been written by Jaret and Ryan!

These guys started each night with 'Punk Rock World' from their forthcoming album 'The Chronicles Of Tim Powers' and ended each night with a cover of Slade's 'Cum On Feel The Noize', with the exception of the Birmingham show when they ended with 'All I Ever Really Wanted' (also from the new album, which until now only people attending the VIP sessions had heard).

Other songs included 'Prettiest Girl', 'Because Of The Sun', 'I Get You',  'We Are The Lucky Ones' and 'Back To Being Friends' from their album 'The Summer and The Fall'.

Another song from the new album was 'You May Not Believe In God', which soon caught on and had the crowd joining in with the choruses very quickly.

However there was one song that got everyone joining in and that was a cheeky cover of Bowling for Soup's 'The Bitch Song', which was played every night and was well received by crowd. (Not really surprising as most people's first encounter with Patent Pending was when they toured with Bowling for Soup)

During the Sheffield show Jaret and Ryan brought their acoustic guitars into the audience and treated us to a completely unplugged rendition of 'Where Do We Go'.  This song is quite a mellow and haunting song anyway but sung in this way gave me goose bumps.  Seeing Jaret and Ryan stood in the middle of the crowd like that was something I never thought I would see.

It's fair to say that the song that everyone seemed to enjoy the most was 'Lonely Fish', and you can't blame them as it is one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard  (check out the official video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gijqq8f3UEA&list=PLy2UdCGg99hO6cDA8ilYpndYTiWaCQO0c). 

'Lonely Fish' was the song most requested at the VIP acoustic sessions and the one that got people moving during the full set.  It was during this song at the Newcastle show that they invited a young fan called Tom on stage to play the song with them after seeing his cover of it on YouTube.  I think it is safe to say that that show is a night that Tom will never forget! 

Considering that the rehearsal for this tour was done in two different countries, Jaret and Ryan in Texas and Rob and Michael in the UK, they played a seamless performance every night.


Whether you go to hear the songs or for Jaret and Ryan's banter (which usually contains at least one butt joke and couple of mentions of boobies) you can't help but come away with a huge smile on your face. 

I have a feeling the UK may see a lot more of these guys in the future! 

Since the 'One Big Happy Tour' in 2012 Patent Pending have been building quite a following and reputation for themselves here in the UK.  Their fan base the 'UK Second Family' is a tight knit community who attend shows not just to see and hang with their favourite band but it is as much about seeing other family members as it is hearing the music.

Whether you see them once or every night you will find that every show is different and that the time goes by far too quickly.

Patent Pending are made up of Joe Ragosta, Marc Kantor, Anthony Mingoia, Rob Felicetti and Corey DeVincenzo, five 'bros' from Long Island New York.

During this tour there have been three on stage proposals, two guest singers and one guest guitarist. Not to mention numerous shout outs and dedications from Joe to the diehard fans who show up at every performance. 



Then to top that you have Patent Pending's International Crowd Swimming competition, where Joe and Corey don diving masks and water wings (or as Joe calls them swimmy floats), part the crowd into two, run up the centre and then crowd swim/surf their way back to the stage in a bid to see who wins.

Throw into the mix a ton of catchy bouncy punk tunes and five band members who have seemingly unlimited energy and you have a show that you will never forget.


If I listed every song covered over the eight shows I would be here all night but ones of note are 'Psycho In Love' during which they do the crowd swimming,  'Spin Me Around' the song written by Joe for his wedding which Joe sings solo and a very upbeat cover of Andrew WK's 'Party Hard' which on a couple of occasions featured appearances by the Lacey boys.


Not to miss out on the guest appearances Jaret also joined Patent Pending on stage each night for 'Classic You' a song which was co-written by Joe and Jaret for the 'Brighter' album. 

Also making an appearance is Joe's younger brother Robert from 'This Good Robot', who provides extra backing vocals and guitar during the show.





There are three songs on the set list that never fail to move the audience.

'One Less Heart To Break' was written following the suicide of a close friend of the band and whether it is Joe's honest and open speech at the start of the song or the song itself that moves people I'm not sure, but this song rings out as one of the anthems with the entire Second Family joining in.

Many members of the Second Family are sufferers of depression and self harm and know only too well the significance of the lyrics.  If you look around the crowd during this song it is not hard to spot the members who have an affinity with this song and the countless members that it moves to tears.  (You can hear it for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5xwfMY6ork&list=TLlcrlV-MbV2vExR2szm3ErKl-WulJ8oYF)


Following straight after with 'Brighter' from their latest album, this song is the sequel to 'One Less Heart To Break' and reminds us that we can get through anything and come out stronger on the other side.  During these two songs at the Manchester show not only were there members of the audience visibly moved by these songs but even Joe shed a tear and had to regain his composure after seeing a kid at the front of the crowd with self harm marks along both of his arms singing his heart out.

'Second Family' is another song that really brings the crowd together.  This too has become one of the anthems of the Second Family community and raises the roof off of each venue as every member joins in as though they are taking a pledge of allegiance. 

Other songs across the night included 'Little Miss Impossible', 'Anti Everything' (complete with boy band dancing), 'Cut Copy Paste', 'The Whiskey The Liar The Thief', 'Shut It Down', 'I'm Not Alone', 'All Star Hipster', 'Dance Till We Die' and the UK's debut performance of 'Therefore I Party', to name but a few! 

If you have never had the pleasure of seeing these five charismatic long islanders then I dare you to attend one of their concerts and not fall in love with them.  These guys give it 100% every time they hit the stage and deserve so much more than they have already achieved, but something tells me that if they keep on the way they are going, they will get everything they deserve and more! 

This tour was a fangirl heaven as all of the bands hung around meeting people after the show and all of them are really lovely, humble, down to earth guys. 

They say you should never meet your heroes as they may not be the people you expect them to be, but what you get from these guys is everything you hope for and more.  There are no rockstar egos here just a three bands who love making music and cherish their fans.


I have my fingers crossed as tight as I can get them, that these three bands will tour together again some day as my aim will be to be at every show!