Some shows are born special. Although I’m relatively new to The Hell, I’ve already become hopelessly addicted to their latest album (reviewed here) – so nothing short of a bad case of death was going to stop this show (the first of The Hell’s A Shitemare Before Christmas tour) from getting featured on TMMP. Read more…
Biffy vibes, buckets of energy, raging outro riffs, and one of the most random videos I’ve seen this side of Baby Godzilla’s YouTube channel. All of my yes is being given to Fish Tank right now. Definitely a band to watch out for in 2015. Read more…
The first time I heard about The Hell, I was advised to imagine The Lonely Island – only metal. Well, The Hell might not have Justin Timberlake crooning about how “Every Mother’s Day needs a Mother’s Night”, but they do have a bottomless bag of fat grooves and slightly less than serious lyrics. And they’re called The Hell – which should really be enough for any self-respecting metal fan. Read more…
Welsh alt-metallers Kyshera have a lot going for them right now. Their fans are true fanatics, getting hyper at shows and spreading the good word about their favourite band all over the world; the respect and love afforded them have been hard earned through two albums and countless shows; and 2015 is looking bright and promising, with third Kyshera LP Circles on the way. TMMP caught up with frontman James Kennedy to find out more. Read more…
I got my teeth into this track a few days ago, and quickly wrote up a piece full of thoughtful phrases and quirky descriptions of its inner goings-on. But since then, I’ve not been able to stop listening to it – and my old words have been consigned to the circular file. Words, orgasms, and white sugar aside, I don’t have much of an addictive personality – but Ark is officially my fourth vice. As a music journalist, this kind of craving is not good for a career based on listening to innumerable songs over the course of a day, rather than just one – but when I mentally implode and wind up working as a “waste disposal technician”, at least I’ll be able to look forward to listening to Ark on the drive home. Read more…
In Guildford, Monday night is student night – and normally, it’s not pretty. Last night, though, the streets were almost deserted, the freezing air probably prompting the town’s partygoers to settle for a night in front of the fire instead. Those in the know, however, headed Star-ward to check out one of the local scene’s favourite live acts, and give a chance to whoever might be supporting them. Read more…
The Borderline – a cramped basement located around the corner from London’s infamous Crobar – is the perfect venue for a night of unrelenting rock. This time out, it’s safe to say that every band on the bill delivered exactly that. Read more…
From the big picture perspective down to the finest details, this album is a spectacular triumph. Skyharbor’s struggle to make their latest opus more than just a fanciful dream is finally over – and they’re evidently revelling in the results, as well they should. Read more…
Outside Brighton’s favourite seafront venue, the wind is whipping up white waves that crash heavily into the shoreline. Inside, the air is moving even more violently as Idiom tear through a barnstorming set, followed in short order by Heart Of A Coward‘s crushing djent-fuelled brutality. Both bands deserve their dues for effortlessly eliciting manic reactions from a crowd set on saving their energy for the headliners. Read more…
2014 has been a good year for awesome album launches at the Boileroom. This time around, opening act Rival Empires lived up to expectations by delivering a strong set backed up with energetic stage presence and buckets of passion. Current TMMP favourite If I Was A Whale (prefaced by a short grammatical debate as kicked off here) sounds epic live, overshadowing the inevitable Paramore comparisons with nostalgic reminders of how good Lostprophets were before Ian Watkins started touching kids. It’s all about the clean sections in that tune, while elsewhere we got unexpectedly brutal riffs and shades of the Foo Fighters and Incubus. Add to that some solid musicianship and a guitarist capable of throwing up the devil horns mid-riff without missing a subdivision, and you have a brilliant up and coming British band. Read more…