In a world where most of musical history is at our fingertips via Spotify or YouTube, standing out takes something special. Every week tens of albums are released and deciding where to start isn’t easy. One band that make that simplifies that decision isĀ Creeper.
Love Zombies – Passionfruit
There’s a pretty good chance that one day I will look back and split my life into two distinct sections. Pre and post ‘Robots & Aliens’. The stupidly infectious song from Love ZombiesĀ has been running through my head ever since I first put onĀ PassionfruitĀ and I’m genuinely not sure it will ever leave. To be honest, I might even be okay with that.
Black Peaks & Heck w/ Bad Sign
Edinburgh can be a notoriously tough city to tour. That famous Scottish crowd doesn’t always emerge, and I have seen bands likeĀ Bring Me The HorizonĀ (onĀ Sempiternal) struggle to sell out supposedly small venues. So standing in Electric Circus and seeing a nearly sold-out crowd appreciate two of the best young bands the UK has to offer. Well, it’s one hell of a feeling.
The Interrupters – Say It Out Loud
In the excitement (or mehmentĀ depending on what side of the fence you are on) of the announcement thatĀ Green DayĀ are making their way over to the UK not much has been said about the band coming along in support,Ā The Interrupters.
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Metallica,Ā Slayer,Ā Red Hot Chilli Peppers,Ā Green DayĀ and the list could go on. What do all those bands have in common?
- They have had a visible impact on the history of rock music.Ā
- They have gone on way past their sell by date.
Think of it like this, what ifĀ MetallicaĀ had called it a day afterĀ LoadĀ andĀ Reload? What if theĀ Chilli PeppersĀ had checked out afterĀ Californication? WouldĀ SlayerĀ be looked on differently if they’d gone before they got old and how would the punk world viewĀ Green DayĀ if they had hung up their guitars before they tried to becomeĀ U2? If these bands had done those things, how much bigger would their legends be?
Nails
While 2016 is setting itself up to be an outstanding year for music, it is also refusing to allow us those dollops of joy without giving us a few swift kicks to the nads as well. From the death of David Bowie to the breaking up of brilliant bands like The Defiled music hasn’t been neglected by the curse of 2016. The latest high-profile casualty appears to beĀ Nails.
Ginger Wildheart w/ Ryan Hamilton and Massive Wagons in Glasgow and Aberdeen
There’s something special about aĀ Ginger WildheartĀ tour and his most recent run around the country feels more special than most. Having had to cancel theĀ Hey! Hello!Ā tour twice, once because ofĀ GingerĀ going into the hospital due to his battles with depression and once because of Hollis leaving the band, it is a pleasure to see the great man on stage enjoying himself after a while away. Throw in the reunions that have happened with Danny McCormack at a couple of the shows and the whole thing has an even bigger party vibe than usual.
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Get In The Ring
We can all claim maturity, but it doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone loves a good fight. It’s why UFC is worth $4 billion, and Brock Lesnar is a motherfucking hero. It’s also why watching two bands bicker will also be entertaining. Whether it’sĀ Guns ‘N’ RosesĀ andĀ NirvanaĀ orĀ SlipknotĀ andĀ MushroomheadĀ seeing two groups trade barbed comments through the media (or as is the case now, social media) is just fun.
Letlive
Sitting down to write aboutĀ letliveĀ is a tough thing to do. Since the release of their debut albumĀ Fake History, they have established themselves as a bands who continually defy expectation.Ā It is a trend that has continued with the fantasticĀ If I’m the Devil…Ā an album which shows them upping the soul side of their soul-punk sound.
Obsessed With The Past
I’m a gluten for punishment me and that’s why far too regularly I find myself browsing through the comments of the latest Metal Hammer Facebook post. It’s a horrible dark place where the very worst sections of our world reside, and it inevitably leads to me wanting to chew my laptop with frustration. ItĀ does, however, give me a constant supply of ideas for stuff to write about. So that’s something.

