The word ‘epic’ gets tossed around a lot these days, and I’m as guilty as anyone else of overusing it. But what other words could most effectively be used to describe this track? Intense? Sure. Badass? Certainly. But to my mind, all alternatives to ‘epic’ pale in comparison. Perhaps the best course of action is to stick all of the above together, brush aside that writerly aversion to adverbs and state that this track is intensely, epically badass. Read more…
I’ve never made a big secret of the fact that I love Guildford’s music scene. The sheer amount of musical talent hidden below the level of fashion-clone high street shops and uppity snobs with Come Dine With Me dreams is mind-boggling. Scratch away the net-worth-obsessed surface and you’ll find pop singers, gypsy jazz quintets, folk dreamers, alt-rock groups and, in Doomed From Day One, prog-metal titans in waiting. When they get big, many will assume DFDO’s success to have been some overnight phenomenon – but that’s simply not true. Doomed From Day One have already spent countless nights slogging around the local gig circuit, and their hard work is finally paying off. Nine Fingers is evidence of this. Full track-by-track analysis below: Read more…
As regular readers will know, Jamie Lenman is a big deal where I’m from. My Facebook feed literally blew up with the release of the double-A-side Fizzy Blood/Pretty Please, news of his secret set at The Boileroom in Guildford, and the dates for his Heavy / Mellow Band’s recently completed tour. On top of all that, of course, there is this album. Not just a standard-length LP, but a 70-minute double album that takes in so many styles that I felt compelled to delay this review and let it all sink in and mature for a while. Now, however, it’s ready to go. Read more…
Welcome to Part Two of The Musical Melting Pot’s Guide To Project RnL! Click here for Part One, where we looked at Project RnL’s YouTube-based output to date. This time around, we’ll be looking at the extracurricular work of Project RnL’s core members: keyboardist Eyal Amir, and vocalist Ray Livnat. Read more…
Opinion
Change Persona
Unfortunately I missed the evening’s openers, Origami Heart – but Change Persona kicked off my evening with a fun and entertaining set of well-practiced punk tunes. Throw in a Sum 41 cover, an enthusiastic crowd, and a frontman in a dress, and you have all the signs of an act with great punk-centric potential. Nice job! Read more…
Opinion
Side 1: The Mighty Progerians. The Earth is Flat; M.O.R.E; Vertigo Read more…
Opinion
Outpatients’ most obvious selling point is the presence of ex-SikTh vocalist Mikee Goodman, but this was much more than a one-man show. Read more…
Opinion
Jamie Lenman (AKA Radu The Handsome)
If you had been scanning the Internet for a decent gig to head down to last night, come across the listing for this show, and then Googled the name of opening band Radu The Handsome, you wouldn’t have found anything to do with music (apart from the listing for this gig). You would, however, have found a ton of references to Vlad the Impaler’s allegedly homosexual brother, and perhaps his appearance in an obscure Doctor Who audio story. From this information you might have deduced that this band are a bit into Doctor Who, and might even suspect – rightly – that Radu the Handsome are not a real band at all, but Doctor Who illustrator and ex-Reuben frontman Jamie Lenman and his new band performing under a pseudonym.
But let’s be honest, that’s pretty unlikely. Read more…
Fiction
His back stiff against the steel monolith, Frank struggled in vain to escape the wrist and ankle clamps that kept him in place. His head throbbed. The featureless white walls of his cubic cell met his gaze and stared back blankly. He had awoken here, helpless and physically unharmed bar the chafing of the unforgiving clamps against his bulky forearms and calves. His last memory was of the comforting glow of his computer screen as he slid on his prized studio headphones and pressed play. Now he racked his mind in a plainly hopeless attempt to come to terms with his predicament. Read more…
Fiction
It came without warning. The first telltale signs were almost blissful – a stately, charming set of beautiful and beatific tones that rippled serenely through the air. A false sense of security was erected, and promptly torn away. The first cracks showed in a shady and eclectic side alley, part of an only slightly larger cultural microcosm where esoteric individuals gathered to drink, be merry, and share countercultural views. Read more…