Everything Is Better With Dragons
Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon
I’m home, clean, exhausted and a little bit drunk. It is my birthday after all.
That aside, give me a chance to sleep and get my brain in order and I’ll tell you about Download; bands, shopping, food, friends, queuing and zipline pinata. And the thunderstorm on Thursday.
Bye bye, from a rather sleepy,
Rose
xXx
Thanks to Tumblr I’ve just found a couple if videos Sabbath added to their official YouTube channel.
This first one is for ‘End of the Beginning’ and looks to be from the event they did in New York a few hours ago, or at least from one of their recent tour stops.
(Part 1/2)
My First Festival
In just over two weeks I will be departing Lincolnshire in the company of my dear friend Lellibo for that great celebration of all things rock and metal, Download Festival 2013.
http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/news
I’m rather excited. I’ve never been to a music festival before. I’ve never been interested in that sort of thing. I was not a normal teenager or student; now I’m getting on a bit I am interested in music (if you hadn’t noticed). I have no idea what to take, although I have been trying to find out. The Download website is quite helpful and when I contacted the organisers with questions they were answered promptly. I also found a festival survival guide written by a veteran of Download, especially for people going to Download for the first time. There’s a link to it on the Download website.
http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/info
I’m going to meet up with an old friend I haven’t seen in a few years, and two new friends that I’ve yet to have a chance to meet up with. I hope to also meet new people. I don’t find it particularly easy to make new friends or even acquaintances, but I want to try. As well as a celebration of my 30th birthday this trip is also going to be a celebration of how far I’ve come this year. I still have trouble dealing with people (and occasionally leaving the house – people are scary) but I managed to go to London and meet a large group of strangers, and to go to a concert in Nottingham on my own, so this will help me prove to myself that I can do this stuff.
This morning I’ve been going through the line-up and stage times, trying to work out which bands I definitely want to see. There are quite a few. If I get my timing right I should be able to see most of them. Bands I have no intention of missing include HIM, Korn, Motorhead, Young Guns, 30 Seconds to Mars, Stone Sour and Sacred Mother Tongue. There are a few that I would like to see but I don’t mind if I miss a bit of their set getting between stages: Down, Papa Roach, 3 Doors Down, Turisas, Iron Maiden, QOTSA, Alice in Chains, Rammstein and Limp Bizkit. The rest of the time I’ll just catch whoever I like the sound of.
http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/line-up/all
I did a quick calculation and worked out that it might be expensive for the weekend (we’ve got 5 night camping tickets) but even if I only see those 16 bands, that’s £12.81 per band with free accommodation plus £20 towards petrol. You can’t get concert tickets, accommodation and train tickets for that; such good value for money! Now I just need to get some spending money together 😀
I’m planning to write about my experiences, and have purchased myself a notebook to write everything down in while I’m at the festival. I’m on the cadge for a camera to borrow so I can take some decent pictures. While I am getting one of the lockers and will be able to charge my phone, I want to save the battery for emergences, for example when I inevitably get lost, confused or forget my medication and need rescuing by my friends who I’m going to issue with spare inhalers for me.
So for the duration of Download I will be offline.
When I get home I plan to sleep, shower and start writing about it. Not necessarily in that order. It might take a couple of days for the band reviews to get published but they will be. In addition to band reviews I intend to write a general commentary on the festival as a whole, and a discussion of my reactions to it. I’m wandering how I will react to all the people, the constant stimulation and general atmosphere. I don’t generally do well in loud crowded places for more than a couple of hours at a time (it’s a wonder I survive concerts).
If anyone has any survival tips for the festival I’d appreciate the advice (or if any of my friends/relatives want to contribute to the 30th birthday spending fund – you know where I am).
Bye for now,
Rose
Nottingham Rock City
11th March 2013
Support: Sacred Mother Tongue
In This Moment
I’ve finally recovered enough to write, although I think I’ve come down with a chill from standing in the cold waiting to get in. Either that or all the singing has completely wrecked my throat. So I had a great night, eventually, if you hadn’t already realised that. But I’m supposed to be reviewing the whole night, not just Halestorm.
Doors opened at 7.30pm and I left my hotel and strolled up to Rock City at about 7.50pm, getting there for 8pm. Which was a massive mistake; I should have got there much earlier and waited in the queue. But I’m not much good at queuing so I stayed at my hotel and listened to Kerrang! radio instead. Anyway, there was queue, a massive queue. The crowd were cheerful, even in the cold, and the anticipation of a good night was palpable.
Rock City’s door staff are efficient enough that I was only waiting for ten minutes to get in. The Main Room, in which Sacred Mother Tongue were already playing, was packed almost to the doors. I managed to get myself a decent place to stand and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Sacred Mother Tongue
8.00pm – 8.25pm
Andy James – Guitars
Darrin South – Vocals
Josh Gurner – Bass
Lee Newell – Drums
I managed to hear the last fifteen minutes of their set, three songs – and I actually recognised one of them (Seven, from their EP ‘A Light Shines’)! I really quite liked this band, even if occasionally their singer, Darrin South, swerves in to yelling rather than singing, their guitarist (Andy James) is spectacular and the songs are really good. Their set was a great way to start the night.
After the gig I bought their EP from the merch stand; it was an enjoyable listen this morning, certainly woke me up anyway. I had a listen to their album ‘The Ruin of Man’, it was slightly heavier than ‘A Light Shines’ but still enjoyable. I shall look forward to hearing their new album ‘Out of the Darkness (released 15th April 2013).
They are also performing on the main stage of Download on Sunday 16th June 2013, and I shall undoubtedly be there to see them.
In This Moment
8.45pm – 9.20pm
Maria Brink – Vocals
Chris Howorth – Lead Guitar
Travis Johnson – Bass
Randy Weitzel – Guitar
Tom Hane – Drums
I’d never heard of this band before Monday night, and I’d happily never hear from them again.
The singer tried, possibly too hard, but no amount of props and swirly hair can make up for the fact that her voice is weak, she didn’t annunciate clearly – I had no idea what she was saying most of the time – and her voice had the same effect as nails on chalkboards i.e. I wanted to plug my ears with cheese. The rest of the band was good though. They dressed up in a slightly less silly a manner than Ms Brink, while still being a bit daft, their stage antics and interaction with the crowd as well as their skill with their instruments almost made up for the shockingly bad singing and incoherent lyrics. They almost had me bobbing along to the second song but I lost interest again on the third.
Strangely enough, I didn’t bother getting anything of theirs from the merchandise desk on my way out.
Halestorm
9.40pm – 11.00pm
Lzzy Hale – Vocals, Piano
Arejay Hale – Drums
Joseph Hottinger – Guitar, Vocals
Josh Smith – Bass Guitar, Vocals
It’s not often a band sounds as good live as they do on their records but Halestorm are definitely one of those that do. Playing a set that mostly consisted of the songs from their most recent album ‘The Strange Case of…’ as well as a couple of covers, and the odd song from ‘Halestorm’, they opened with Grammy awards winning ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’.
Lzzy Hale is an engaging front woman, who sings with passion and plays her guitars with skill. Her ‘Beautiful with You’ almost moved me to tears, while ‘Daughters of Darkness’ had the crowd screaming along. Her interaction with the audience was a mixture of rabble-rousing and humility. She couldn’t thank us enough for coming to see them.
Arejay Hale is an impressive drummer; his drum solo during ‘Daughters of Darkness’ was certainly memorable, especially after he threw his sticks in to the crowd and continued with his hands, and then the gigantic drumsticks. He also suggested, before ‘I Get Off’ that Nottingham should change its name to Naughtyham.
The Hale’s are an amusing pair but their guitarist and bass player are no less impressive musicians for not being as forward. The chemistry and friendship between every single member of Halestorm was obvious, as was the fact that they were having fun.
I had a great night, and invested in a t-shirt, patch and signed copy of ‘The Strange Case Of…’ to remember it by.
I’m not going to dissemble; I went to Rock City hoping that Halestorm would impress live as they did on their records and I was not disappointed. I discovered a new band, Sacred Mother Tongue, which I will try to see again, and saw a band, In This Moment, that I hope never to have to hear again. Other people might disagree, but then I heard a few people mutter that they didn’t think much to the support acts either.
Well, that’s my review of the night. Going to rest again now, I still feel rather rough,
Rose
Just a quick post, because I still feel like I’m hungover even though I didn’t drink last night. I understand this feeling is referred to as the bangover. Whatever name it has it’s exhausting, but worth it.
Last night Halestorm showed why they are the exception to my ‘I don’t like female metal/rock bands/singers’ rule. I honestly find most female singers too ‘screechy’ – their voices are too high pitched and have the same effect on me as nails on a chalkboard. Lzzy Hale on the other hand has a lovely voice.
I’ll tell you all about it and review the whole concert, including the two support acts, when I’m feeling human again, can get my notes in order and can get my laptop to a WiFi connection.
Bye
Rose
In an intimate venue, to a decent crowd, The Rasmus finished their tour of Russia and Europe.
The Main Room of Nottingham Rock City last night played host to the band mostly known in the UK for ‘In the Shadows’, their 2003 hit from the album ‘Dead Letter’ for the forth time. A mixed crowd waited patiently from half six when the doors opened until half eight for the band to appear, drinking and enjoying the music.
The Dirty Youth, the support act, warmed the crowd up, attempting to organise a sing-along with the crowd, most of whom had never seen them before. I think they will have gained a few fans at last nights show though. The songs were good, annoyingly catchy, and the musicians talented. They made the effort to sign things and talk to people at the merch desk after the gig.
And I had to resist the urge to steal the guitarists hat.
The Rasmus were welcomed vociferously by an enthusiastic crowd. While the room was not packed the floor was full. Giving a great performance, a mix of new songs – ‘I’m a mess’, and older hits – ‘Falling’ etc, the band really entertained. At one point Lauri grabbed a guitar, climbed on a stack of amps and performed from there. The audience sang every song with the band as they celebrated a successful tour.
Part way through the band were interrupted by ‘Scandinavian hunks’ with a letter which Lauri (vocals) read – it was to a young lady in the audience from her boyfriend – a proposal. The lass in question was called on to the stage and asked for her answer. The band sang in Finnish a song Lauri considered perfect for the occasion. Luckily the woman said yes.
The gig continued with some gentler songs as Lauri joined Pauli on guitars and sang as they all took seats at the front of the stage. The night continued and was over far too soon. Towards the end I found it a little difficult to hear what was being sung, although whether that was Lauri’s voice or the volume of the crowd was hard to tell.
The shouts of the crowd for ‘more, more’ after the band left, and the cheers and clapping when they returned for their encore could leave nobody in doubt as to the band’s popularity.
I had a great night, the music was excellent and the venue good. Even from the back of the room there was a great view of the stage and the band.
And now I’m going to collapse on the train home and try to get some sleep.
Bye,
Rose
On June 17th 2012 Blink 182 appeared in Sheffield as part of their UK tour which covers many major cities in June and July this year.
At Sheffield they were supported by Glaswigian quartet Twin Atlantic, and fellow Americans The All-American Rejects.
Twin Atlantic faced the twin difficulties of being fairly ‘new’ compared to those who followed them, and the half empty arena as the crowds made use of the bar and merchendise stands. They recieved a polite if unenthusiastic welcome from those present but their presence on stage didn’t prevent people from nipping off to the toilets and the bar.
Sam McTrusty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) tried to get the crowd going, and finally managed to get the front few rows bouncing along, unfortunately it wasn’t until they performed their penultimate song ‘Make a beast of myself’ that the crowd really warmed to them, and they got their biggest cheer. They finished well on ‘Free’.
Twin atlantic – 3/5 for effort, and they weren’t too bad.
The All-American Rejects entered to the largest roar of the evening thus far, the arena being almost full at this point, althought people were still making their way in.
‘Dirty Little Secret’ opened their set, ‘Gives you hell’ closed it. They had the whole crowd singing with them annd were cheered wildly as they left the stage. Tyson Ritter (lead vocal, bass guitarist) had a great rappour with the crowd, encouraging the to get wild, complaining they weren’t wild enough and calling a member of the security staff a banana at one point. Described by one audience member as ‘the most entertaining front man’ they had ever seen, Tyson Ritter seems to lose control over his legs at times, darting about the stage and tumbling to the ground, singing on his knees at times.
The All-American Rejects – 5/5 thoroughly entertaining, I hope they get to headline a tour of their own soon.
Blink 182 appeared briefly to much excitement once sound checks had been made, teasing the crowd, and then the curtain dropped. when it was raised again the audience made the band very welcome. The entire audience was on their feet by the second song, their backdrops and light show were fantastic, the giant side screens showing close-ups of mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge.
They proved themselves still as childish as they were ten years ago, although this time they had their own children with them. Mark Hoppus mentioned his son being in hospital, and when later on in the evening a message was sent that he was out of hospital the crowd cheered. The onstage banter was amusing and proved that they might be older but not that much more grown up than when they started twenty years ago.
The set list was a mix of classics such as ‘What’s my age again?’ and material from Neighbourhoods (2011) such as ‘Ghost on the dance floor’. The arena was hardly full but it didn’t make a difference, the audience sang along and had a great time.
Towards the end there was an excellent drum solo from Travis Barker, displaying his technical skills with flare, followed by a short accoustic set by Messers. Hoppus and Delonge, who appeared in the sound pit unexpectedly in the centre of the crowd, playing two songs including ‘Reckless abandon’ to much excitement and joy.
Blink 182 – 5/5 Again a thoroughly enjoyable set.
It was over all an excellent show, and special mention must be made for the four fanboys who were sat in front of me and couldn’t have been more than seventeen or eighteen, and who sang every song, danced all the way through and were in general quite adorable.
This was the first concert I have ever been to, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I’m planning to go to as many more as I can afford. Next up should be Rasmus in Nottingham in December, but I’m hoping to get to see ‘Reckless Love’ in Sheffield in October, and ‘LostProphets’ and ‘Frank Turner’ in Lincoln in November, but we shall see what happens.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 