Jake Bugg: Shangri-La – Album Review

     

Released	18 November 2013
Recorded	2013 at Shangri-La,Malibu, California, U.S.
Genre	Indie rock
Label	Mercury (UK), Island (U.S.)
Producer	Rick Rubin Rating

Shangri-La is the second studio album by the English indie rock artist Jake Bugg. Released on November 18th 2013, the album was produced by Rick Rubin, which was then named after his very important studio in Malibu, California where the recording of this album took place.

Two years after his very first debut album arrived, following  tales of drugs and violence growing up on a Nottingham council estate, the 19 year old finds himself in a completely new surrounding and setting as this is highlighted by his album art work. Comparing the two, this new and improved Bugg, shows the bright future, with a long shot of his whole body, strong and confident, whereas with his first self titled album, gives us a more close, intimate saddened feel.

Following the first single release of "What Doesn't Kill You" in late September, gave us a short taste of what we would expect to find on his improved album, the high beats and fast lyrical motion of his words, imminently tells us a whole new story, with its live, catchy rhythm and and various solo tunes, Jake Bugg has adapted a whole new mood of positivity and brightness, shocking the audiences at first on such a change, but at the same time feeling a whole new liking to the song. Just a few months after the second release of " Slumville Sunrise" in October, a little closer to the release date, supported Bugg's new themes further as an additional music video gave a nostalgic feel to the dead 1963 era, as it felt familiar and had a degree of novelty, pushing forward a new, fresh intake into previous music.

Drawing in the audiences with its repetitive strums of a catchy guitar riff, Bugg carries on the fast lyrical speed, matching the head bobbing movement witch you will find, makes you want to move. The music video as well replicates this olden theme, however putting a modern twist, by using his past upbringing of  a "chavy council estate environment" Jake Bugg acts as a thief in robbing a ring for his girlfriend, which he is then chased around, by the use of badly edited green-screening, giving it an authentic, stereotypical music video feel for that era, however adapting this to a postmodern audiences, Bugg has then made it into a short film style of video, with the ending to include intertextuality and humorous  a modern audiences would find funny.

Jake Bugg's album takes on popular music in which america was more fond of around the time, yet bringing his short snappy songs with a British culture, Bugg has streamlines an alternative rock production, making Shangri-La sound more Brit pop than the mainstream 90s indie sub genres.

However not all songs in his album are fast paced and lively, as we get to the third song, "Me and You" still takes on the country theme, however it has slowed down slightly to settle for a more serious and emotional topic in which was previously explored, here we get a sense of the previous Bugg, infused with his new and improved attitude. Keeping in touch with his serious tales, the lyrics on "Seen It All" genuinely sounds like a teenager seeing another get stabbed, again adapted from the verité themed story. 

As well as making beautiful sounding music at such a young age, Jake Bugg has really seen it all, with just 19 years of age, he has been though life long experiences in which he projects into his songs stating "There is a lot of pain out there- the world is a cold place" He explores his own previous experiences into songs which mean more than the face value of them.

In the next few songs in the album, Bugg follows these same themed, slowed down songs as he takes it to the slowest pace with "Song About Love" striking as a young poetic image with his ambitious themes and lyrical photographs, he pretenses the hard life of the feral youth of broken Britain's and how true life real is. 

My own personal view on Jake Bugg is that hes is a great mix of talent, constantly producing modern rhythmatic indie music, relating to current and past themes of Britain in which a little sense of History is needed to understand deeper, however he is "just another lad writing tunes" yet the way in which he does makes him not just another lad. Another main reason in why I only gave it three stars is that it's not as good as the first one, always comparing albums to the previous one, Jake's first debut won me over in an instant, whilst this one had made me listen to it a few times before I got my head round it. This maybe because of his sudden, drastic change in tempo and pitch of the upbeat themes and fast moving words, it was hard to keep up with and follow, whilst his previous felt more relatbale and down to earth.

Bringing us back to his previous work, "Pine Trees" proves to show a sense of reminiscence of "Broken", showing that Bugg still has it in him to sing about these simple, yet effective songs that touch us deeply in a sweet short acoustic feel presented with his raw voice. Positioned near the end of the album, Bugg has used this to his advantage, taking you to a gap of thinking space, allowing the song to flow through in entirety before the last two, more saddened songs set in before picking you up back to your feet.

The album overall does contain some strong, highlighted points however the new atmosphere it brings is hard to compete with the previous one, thus making it weak, all in all, Jake Bugg has shown a clear progression as an artist who is full of surprises, keeping us on our toes for the next release. 

Vans Warped Tour 2013 SUNDAY 17TH @ Alexandra Palace

Back again for another hard hitting punktastic day filled with many more talented bands to mark the final day of Warped UK 2013.
Exhausted from last nights performances, the Sunday of Warped took a back seat, as a lot of filler bands were chucked around the place, giving us time to save our energy for the mighty headliners, Enter Shikari.
After being absent for a year, it was Shikari's return to end the tour in full havoc, as they shortly then announced 2014 will be another static year for them as their focus goes out to writing a new album, so not all is loss.

Not feeling the Sunday bands entirely, as only five sparked my eye to see, I thought i'd go and see the skaters at the half pipe in between bands, seeing as it was Vans Warped tour, there must have been some decent ones there. Surprisingly enough there was only one female skater called Lizzie, who showed to be even better than all the men together. Watching the skate area, as more and more skaters joined the ramp along with two BMX bikers, they put on one hell of a show, taking it in turns with each other as one showed off, the other closely followed, trying to show more skill than the last. Their little competition lasted half an hour, as the crowds eyes were glued following the skaters travel from one side to the other, flipping the board in the hair, twirling around before they caught the ground and imitated the same on the other side. Pure, raw talent was shown here as a variety of contestants from all ages proved their unique abilities to skate at pro standards. My personal favorite was of course the BMX'ers as they could ride head level into the air, with no hands, and do double flips, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.

First band up on my list was new pop punk emergence DECADE! as they filled the early set of starting at 1:55, the band took to the Jagermeister stage, with already a large sized crowd behind the barriers, Decade started off their set straight away.
First time seeing them live, they put in a great energetic show joined with a crowd full of enthusiastic fans at the front, jumping around in beat with the music. Filling up a half an hour set, Decade were a great band to introduce you to warped, getting you prepared for what was to come next.
An early start to the signings as at 1:30 Enter Shikari had announced that they would be doing one, causing one mammoth queue leaving the main stage, following the door in a trail of fans, desperately awaiting to meet Shikari.

From one signing to the next, the merch area soon became packed with While She Sleeps announcing their early one at 2:45, an alarmingly long queue formed, with more and more people joining as they found out along the way.

While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps

Whilst in the queue we heard rumors that A Day To Remember had arrived and were ready to do a signing at 4, which then followed with an intimate acoustic show at 5:55 at the Jagermeister stage moments after, hearing the news a day before, I wasn't entirely sure wither it was true, however once reaching the main hall we soon found a short line, an hour early waiting for the famous ADTR.
Waiting for over an hour, the band finally decided to show up, with crowds of people eager to see them the line doubled in size of the Shikari one, as not many people knew that they were playing Warped this Sunday. The excitement was building up within everyone's faces, as the thought of being a meter away from them, being able to make eye contact was exciting enough, let alone actually meeting them.

Jeremy  McKinnon

Kevin Skaff

Neil Westfall

A DAY TO REMEMBER

3/5th of A DAY TO REMEMBER greeted us at the signing, all with warm smiles and welcoming conversations which lead us to wait for them yet again for their short acoustic set.

Starting their set of with a song close to home, just off their new album Common Courtesy, "City of Ocala seemed to be the perfect settlement. With an overwhelming crowd already, the space was packed out with thousands of heads all trying to get a piece of them before the guards had to shut the doors off.


The raw echoes of Jeremy's voice just sent shivers down my spine, as hearing an acoustic is much different to hearing them normally, the basic, stripped sound is so powerful yet in its raw state, the sounding filled my heart with happiness and pleasure, accompanied with the soft strums of the guitar. As well as the echoes of everyone in the room, signing back the song, boosted the atmosphere to a further true acoustic set in motion, following their new album, "Right Back At It Again" swept into their next song, keeping in touch with the same atmosphere and movement of the bands journey. (Watch it live here)

Live Acoustic set

Right back to an oldie, "All Signs Point To Lauderdale" was next, as this was a song everyone could join in, relating to through the lyrics, screaming it right back at them with full rage and passion. (watch)

Drawing to an end, the band had only one song left, which of course had to be All I Want, finishing their four song set, ADTR made up for such a short play by bursting right into the first verse, joined with the crowds voices, accompanying it perfectly for a finished ending. 

Warped Tour, made the right choice in having them play a secret set for the Sunday, as it added to the high spirited day, and also brought a sense of surprise to what seemed to be an immaculate night. (All I WANT)

As soon as the last strum vibrated into the air, I left imminently to the West stage to catch While She Sleeps, as they had already clashed, only missing three songs, I joined the packed, sweaty room ready to get some energy flowing.

Like always, Sleeps know how to put on a show, even at Warped they seemed to grab everyones attention with their fast paced music, keeping the crowd moving constantly in aggressive states, forming pits all over the place.

More than ever, the band have progressed, in the way they interact with a live crowd, as big as Warped, they seemed to direct them all in the right hardcore movement. 

Just a few hours away from the headlining band we were all waiting for, Enter Shikari, three more big bands were set to play just before. One being Yellowcard who have always been a personal favorite to me, listening to them from such a young age, and now being in the same room as them, watching them play live was another thing. It took me back to my childhood, where they were all  I used to listen to, and when they played Ocean Avenue to end their set, the whole crowd went insane. The main thing that struck me about Yellowcard was their diverseness as a violinist was in the band, which you wouldn't normally see in a pop punk genre or any band set up.

They played such happy and upbeat music it was hard not to fell the rhythm flow through your body, the mood was set in high hopes, as they promised a return to the UK soon as it had been far too long. The first time seeing them live, they capture their sound on CD and amplified it into the crowd 10x better, as for a live band goes Yellowcard hit all the right notes.

But before the main headliners would take to the stage, Billy Talent and Rise Against were up just before, which was a plus for me getting to actually see them for the first time.

Certainty great in position, the two bands got the room packed,  and the crowd going, all hyped up just before Shikari took to the stage.

9:30 rolled around and it was time for the last ever band to perform at Warped 2013, Enter Shikari hit it all off with a slow introduction to System.... Meltdown! As one by one each meter joined the stage, with the crowd greeting them with lyrics.

With a 13 song set list, the band had chosen the right bangers to fill it up in true Shikari style, as right away people started to loose their shit and go mad along with the music, letting themselves flow along with the manic electronic music. The set up for Shikari was with their usual logo, strobing lights, flashing all over the crow. Picking up the pace a little bit, "Sorry You're Not A Winner" then followed with its lively, broken down guitar rifts, infused with its erratic verses.

 The whole set was only an hour long, however it seemed to take up the whole afternoon, filling time for hours rather than just once, they certainly kept us interested and feeling alive, with each song placed to set a different motion and atmosphere for the night, the band kept us interacted with their hardcore electronic music.

Halfway through I even noticed a guy in a wheelchair, centered in the pit with his friends safely guarding him, I guess nothing would stop anyone from having a good time tonight.
Infusing old songs with new ones, Shikari's set was lined perfectly, causing havoc and chaos all over the place, tearing down Alexandra Palace for the final night of Warped tour, ending with Zzzonked the place was left in complete ruins.

Once again Warped tour has brought bands from all over the world to the UK for two special days of madness, and I look forward to seeing it happen all over again, next year!

Vans Warped Tour 2013 - UK SATURDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

The legendary Vans Warped Tour was back for the second year in the UK, but this timing bringing us two days of absolute mayhem. November 16th-17th was booked at Alexandra Palace for the world wide famous event to be held at for thousands of fans.

I was lucky enough to get a weekend ticket for both days, appreciating the split of the mammoth list of bands which were announced to play that weekend.

(See below for tour poster)


The tour kicked off at around 1pm where the doors of Ally Pally opened, with thousands of heads emerging through the forum, awaiting anxiously for the stage times to be announced, checking who they were going to see and when. At this moment the forum was crowded with many people of all ages and gender, roaming around the halls, screaming with their friends, running off in all different directions to catch the first band.

The first band I wanted to see appeared to be Neck Deep, and starting at 2:45, I had plenty of time to ponder around the merch halls and stages to see if anyone was about.
Just like last year, It was in the exact same space, packed as ever with people running around, getting free stuff from the Impericon and many other stalls. Already I was so thrilled with the fact of actually being there and standing inside Alexandra Palace, moments before my many favorite bands play. Just the feeling you got when you entered the building was enough to get you going for the whole day, as all I could feel was excitement and anticipation for each band to take to their set.

As soon as it hit 2:30, I headed over to the Jagermeister Stage for Neck Deep. This was my third time seeing them this year, and second time that week as previously traveling to Leeds for TWY tour, I knew the set list off by heart. Neck Deep proved me wrong, as previously not giving a halfhearted performance, I have had second doubts about them performing at warped. Starting the set off with a crowd who seemed even more pleased to be there than the band, a pushie pit of young teens circled in the middle as Kick it set off. Playing the large Jagermeister stage, Ben was bouncing all the way along it back and forth, proving a much energetic, pop punk performance before departing the stage to join in with the fully erupted, crowd surfing manic which awaited him at the floor. The band, wasted to time into getting right into the music as one song finished the next started with the heavy influence of the 4/4 drum beat, kicking in with the uprising guitar riffs, which was then later joined by vocalist Ben.
 Just about to finish the set, the band declared they would be playing "Part of me" their famous acoustic song with the help of the crowd, now seeing this done before, it could have all gone pare-shaped, however at warped it seem to work, with Ben passing the mic out to the crowd, so we could take over for the final song, Neck Deep ended their set in harmony with everyone.

Right after they were all done, I wen't to the main stage to wait for The Wonder Years to come on next, but before them Crossfaith were just finishing their set which proved to be packed with vibrating figures, bobbing up and down, causing the ground to shake. Watching this form the West stage, I could tell that they had just finished a manic set, as their fast paced, heavy strums sent echoes of moshers all around the room, warming the crowd up before The Wonder Years took off.

 Shortly after, the pop punk legends, TWY took to the stage, dragging a wave of people with them as everyone shot to the front, finger point along to "Passing through a screen door" as they opened up with upbeat song. One of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing was them, and as always they had proved to put on a show, as their set was a lot shorter than when I saw them in Leeds, this didn't stop Soupy from making his ironic, beautiful peaches about memories hes grown up with, inspiring him to carry on writing these beautiful songs. A lot of people would find them repetitive, but with the pure passion in his voice as he broke down with each story, it was clear that it came from the bottom of his heart and he truly did mean it. The set lasted for about 45 minutes with the band playing a mixture of songs from The greatest Generation, Suburbia and The Upsides, they had constructed an immaculate set list, causing surfers to plunge over and over again, enjoy the much happy atmosphere. The Wonder Years are a band who never disappoint and always bring everything they have to their shows, even at warped, you could tell that they were glad to be playing in front of any crowd, as they were doing it for themselves as well as their fans. A lot of other people really got into them as a lot of, small pits were forming with people running into each other, not caring what they were doing but just having fun in the process. Really enjoying their breathtaking performance it was back to the merch stalls for Neck Deep's acoustic set.

This took part whilst Real Friends set was on (bummer I missed them but at least I got to see them in Leeds)
The five piece band crowded round lead singer Ben who sat in-front with his acoustic guitar, surrounded by a crowd full of fans who desperate to hear some sweet sounds.
First up was "Head to the ground", with such a close view, I sat directly in-front of Ben as he began singing the first few lyrics of the song before a few more people form the crowd joined in. Watch it here: LIVE
After finishing the last verse, he had a little chat with the rest of us, generally asking us what we wanted to hear and if we were enjoying the tour so far, everyone seemed much to happy that he chose to play Dammit by Blink next which was a classic favorite in which the whole room knew and sang along to, before attempting to another song, Ben's nerves got the bets of him and he forgot the next lyrics which resulted in laughter. It's hard performing in front of a crowd and even at the stage in which Neck Deep are at you still get the nerves and forget things, as you could tell Ben would just shut his eyes and sing, he was very frightened but that din't stop him from screaming the next song, which Part of me again. This time it was his pure raw voice, just like in the music video, it echoed around each person, grabbing our gaze imminently. This was my favorite song in which they performed as it's uplifting and bright to end a set with. Luckily this time he managed to remembered the lyrics but passed the guitar on, knowing he'd mess it up, the crowd swayed from side to side slapping in appreciation.

Right after that the band did a signing to meet all their fans and proved to be full of character and chatty to everyone which was nice to see for a change.

 From one signing to the next, we moved on quickly to catch The all mighty Wonder Years as the queue had already gone out the door for them, they were high in demand for a lot of people. Seeing them live is one thing, but when you actually get upfront, face to face with one member and just talking to them is another. The band, again seemed more than comfortable talking to every single person, whilst signing autographs and taking pictures, The Wonder Years were in high spirits for a good few hours after they played an insane set.

Canterbury at their singing

We Came As Romans

 After a couple of signings, a band who I actually wanted to see were playing before Yellowcard and Parkway, Like Moths To Flames.

Providing a different mindset and atmosphere, the crowd was already going crazy by the time I got there, as it being the first time ever performing in the UK, they were more than ecstatic to play for us.
Live, the band proved worthy, and promising to return again, as they could tell they had a lot of hardcore fans out there, repeating back the lyrics, moshing along to each song.
Not even being around for that long, LMTF's have concurred their third year of being a band, as producing such an advanced metalcore sounding, they certainty got me in the motion of their music.

As they finished their set we swiftly moved to the East stage waiting for Parkway Drive, whilst Billy Talent's last couple of songs pelted out.
This way we got a great spot for Parkway as well as seeing them.

The West side appeared to pull a large group of older fans in, and even some from the East stage, as everyone loved a bit of Billy Talent whilst waiting for Parkway.
For me personally, Parkway should have headlined, as a lot of people have traveled a long distance just for them, as time pressed on the room soon became full with many excited faces.

Finally the countdown began with the ticking clock of Dark Days began to settle in, the crowd roared, screaming until each member appeared on stage with their hands in the air.
Right before Winston came on, people in the crowd had already started to form a circle pit, clearing the floor for a much large space. Zooming right into the verse, Winston arrived who was greeted with the fan cheers of the corwd, in perfect pitch, pushing their hands in the air at each word he screamed.

Seeing Parkway before, I knew I could expect it to be a mad one, with the crowd causing much havoc, but at Warped, this proved to be 10x harder, with three pits now forming in all directions of the floor.
Having Just an hour set, the band played out a mixture of songs from Deep Blue, Horizons for the oldies and also Atlas, their latest one, emerging them all within each other, everyone had their favorites played that night.


Situated at middle right, I joined in with the people around me, having enough space to move around in and not get too squashed, whilst hundreds of bodies floated along others heads, surfing their way to the front in a cyclic pattern, which seemed to never end.
In between songs, Winston took the time to give a quick talk to us and speech about themselves and what we wanted to hear as routine, they played Home is for the heartless, Boneyards, Swing, Carrion, Romance is Dead, and many more songs in which we could find ourselves connecting with.

Towards the end of the set, Winston announced that in a previous show they had 800 kids crowd surfing in one set, and asked London if we could beat that, triumph as ever, strong willed and determined, the crowd set out to break the records, and get as many kids in the air, clawing their way to the stage.

Not even counting how many made it, there was a swarm of bodies now, crashing into each other, avoid the three large, manic pits which were still going on, hundreds of kids had participated in this record challenge, proving that London still had it in them.

Honestly better than their last performance, Parkway had made their mark once again, providing Warped tour with an astonishing hardcore show for everyone to enjoy and get battered at, being the joint headliner, they were perfect to just lose your shit to and get battered along to heavy music.

Ending their set with cannons filled of confetti, drenching ourselves with its sparking dust, we all had our final song before the mighty Rise Against took to the stage just next door for the final show of the day.

(More form Rise Against and tomorrows chaos review shortly)
See Sunday review.

Moose Blood + Roam + Zoax @ The Fighting Cocks

Recently I have been browsing the internet and social media sites for new, raw and fresh upcoming bands who I have acquired a liking to, triggering my senses that one day they will become big.
This so happened to be Moose Blood. As recently they played two shows in London for free, for a small intermate audiences along with Zoax and Roam. The reason why I found out about the was from a dear friend who wouldn't stop banging on about how great and unique they sound. Now I trust her judgment as she has proven to show me some of the most underrated yet mind blowing talent, England has to offer. As well as that she had previously gotten me into the supporting band of these two shows, Roam! Instantly falling in love with their upbeat pop punk genre, I was waiting for the day in which I could see them live.
This so happened to be one Sunday afternoon at Banquet Record's linked pub, The Fighting Cocks, which a few of their shows are held at.

Never being inside this venue or Pub, I didn't quite know what to expect as it was a full line up of three different genre bands playing together for a few lucky fans.
Only really familiar with Roam, I was excited to hear the other two bands perform live to see what the fuss was about.

First up was Zoax, who are a five piece rock based band from London. Arriving late, we only got to catch the last two songs of their set, yet nevertheless they were surprisingly solid. The lead singer Adam took to the floor where he greeted the crowd in a much enthusiastic bouncing manner, circling the small space we left him, he roamed around the place, filling up every empty motionless gap he could find, which really did grip me to their sound further. Already regretting turning up late, the band proved to be one worth getting to see on time, even though I only managed to catch the last two songs, they seemed to make up for the whole set. From the moment we entered the venue, we could already hear them outside, making the loudest of noise in such a small room.

The venue it's self was pretty small as the stage was in line with the floor, as it was at the back of the pub, despite it's size it seemed appropriate for these bands to play, as the room seemed packed with a quite a decent turn out.

The next band on were Roam, whom I was looking most forward to see. Again another five pieced pop punk band from Brighton/ Eastbourne, they all appeared very young in age, emerging within the crowds population, this was a band everyone could easily relate to. Previously listening to their music, I have adored them and see them becoming very big in the widely growing pop punk scene at the moment, as they seem to be hitting all the right spots. Only recently forming in 2012, it has just been a year for them yet they have come so far, as just announced they will be supporting Neck Deep on their tour in January, ( another gig I wouldn't want to miss).

Taking to the stage shortly after, the band wasted no time getting right into what they do best, playing a fully spirited show with lead singer Alex taking to the floor space, whilst the other members remained on stage.
Introducing them selves to the already familiar crowd, Roam started their set in full pop punk motion, carrying out their upbeat guitar rifts along with the head bobbing drum beats I found it hard not to let my body move along to this catchy beat.
Each intro into the song remained a sense of nostalgia, however each one being independent and unique in the way the verse and lyrics took as it progress to a much faster build up to the chorus.
For a young and fresh new band, Roam proved to have the skills and appeal for a much experienced pop punk band, and even better than some who have been around for a while now, they truly did deserve much more recognition that they have now, and someday I can see them becoming very likable in the music world.
Nothing In Return was one of the songs that played off their mini album "Head Down" which proved to be my favorite. The simplistic tempo, infused with the echoing sounds of the bridge, captivated me in a feeling of unison and community as a few people began chanting back the lyrics in pure passion.
(Listen to the live stream of it for free here: Head down mini album)

Another thing I liked about Roam was that they all looked to happy to be playing in front of such a small audience, making eye contact with the crowd, meeting their gaze with a smile boosted the whole atmosphere in such a small packed room. The set lasted for a decent amount of time, as towards the end more of the crowd got into the music, while Alex did his final circle of the room, bouncing around in every direction.
For a fact, they were the highlight of the night, as soon as they hit the stage, they had already got the crowd going and also left us in a high spirited mood, as their songs are much relatble, encouraging positive memories.

Following the first two live performance was finally Moose Blood themselves as previously playing at the Fighting Cocks before the band were much too familiar with the surroundings.

Not exactly knowing what to expect for their set as I had only just browsed on them, I could already tell by the masses of more people joining the floor, filling up the space, getting right close to where the stage started, excited for them to play that it was going to be good.
The emo band are originally from Canterbury, and are made up from four very talented members.

Taking to the small stage, the band did their little introduction before starting on their first song. The pure rawness of Eddy's vocals were crystal clearly beautiful, despite the fact he had a cold, this added to the husky, hard hitting, penetrating vocals in which he let out. Right away a huddle of people right at the front seemed engaged with this song as they already started singing along, finger pointing in perfect sync along with the lyrics. This all then combined with the heaviness of the guitars and drums, backing up the vocals, pushing forward the sentimental atmosphere.
The acoustic innocence which hid in his voice shattering through when Evening Coffee played as Eddy  vocalized each note of the song, highlighted by the guitar riff.

After each song was over, he would then take a short minute to thank everyone, over again for being here just watching them play, which was such a decent thing for them to do as you could tell the band was more than grateful to almost fill up the room. I for one, was more than happy that I went down because the voices I were hearing,composed with the instrumental backing defiantly made my Sunday.

As each song stopped and started, I'd wish that it would have never ended and they'd just repeat the set again  because it was that captivating, where you would just focus on them and close your eyes, letting the music absorb you, Moose Blood got me that hooked.

When it comes to emo music, Moose Blood hit the nail right on the donkey as they have seem to take the contemporary sound and combing it with a natural acoustic feel. Defiantly worth going to, Moose Blood were the highlight for me, as they proved to be miles better live than hearing them on their bandcamp, which is always a great thing to find.

Looking forward to hopefully see all three bands again sometime, as each one delivered more than expected to such a little crowd, Banquet records always seem to put on such a grand show with the best sounding music from all over the UK. It was a shame that it needed so soon, however each band demonstrated the afternoon to be worth 10/10.

Reverted - Sputter The Worm ALBUM Review

Four piece metal band from Camden Town, London, Reverted formed in 2010, adding their unique metal style to the public.
Having a heavy influence form existing bands, such as Tool, Metallica, Monster Magnet, Dry Riser, Mozart and also Beetoven, they certainly do bring a sense of diversity with them to the music world.

The four piece hard rock band are made up from Tony (Vocalist), Lui (Bassist), Daniel (Guitarist) and Ozzy (drummer) to form Reverted.

Already released two singles "Tolerance" and "Die my Saint", the band have also released a debut album called "Sputter the Worms" reaching number one on Reverbnation UK Metal Charts. This is an obvious sign that the band have progress far in such a short amount of time, also promising a very positive future.

The album starts of with their opening song "Don't try to steal me form the inside" which introduces you, straight away to a full pelted, hard hitting metal sound of the drum peddles infused with the sharp strums of the electric guitar, before coming to a halt then starting up again, this start and stop intro then carries on, into a full length of strums, intertwining with the metallic sounding of a simple bass riff before all comes together, with the piercing voice of Tony, backed up but the metalcore rhythm. The first song already paints a picture of what is to follow, as instrumentally, the sounding shows the typical conventions in which a metal, hard rock band would sound like, but then also added it up with the vocals, this band has adapted the stereotypes and added their own twist to it, making the music their own.

Keeping in touch with their metal roots, the title album "Sputter the Worms" plays next, following its metal intro, the song conforms to the original metal sounding, focusing its power to the chorus where a familiarity of Bullet seems to be in present in sounding before returning to a Metallica sounding tune.
The ending of the whole album takes in everything which has previously been produced, hitting its hardcore beats at the start and turning it into a grand finale as we are introduced to a more complex structure of music composed together, with the heavy sounding of vocals layered on top.

The band have kept in touch with the true roots of metal, yet making it appealing for a modern audiences, as I can say that Reverted are making their mark in the music scene by the soundings of their recent album and two singles, if you like what you're hearing then watch out for more, new, fresh music coming your way from the band very soon!

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Defeater EUROPE AND UK TOUR 2014 + Support announced

Hardcore, punk band from Boston, Defeater previously announced that they would be joining Europe and the UK for a headline tour! Waiting a few years for this band to come over to the UK and actually do a headline tour, the time has finally come as joining us in January, along with some special guest.

Just announced today, Landscapes, More than life, Caspian and Goodtime boys are said to be the support for this amazing tour!
You can catch these guys on tour in many dates in the UK, they are as followed on the poster, tickets are also available here:
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I can almost promise that this show is not one to miss, as it is packed with great bands who produces a hardcore edge, matching Defeater's punkiness twist, the line up is not one to miss so get your tickets before they're all gone.