The Temper Trap @ Great Escape Festival, Brighton

The Temper Trap need no introduction, but they're getting one anyway...
They are an, hmm shall we say, Indie Pop Rock band all the way from Down Under. Frontman Dougy Mandagi was busking in Melbourne when he met guitarist Jonathan Aherne. Six years later after they collected a few more band members along the way The Temper Trap was born.

The Temper Trap were one of the headliners at this year's Great Escape Festival, and played Brighton Dome on the Friday night. Their unique and mesmerizingly haunting sound was perfectly suited to the Dome's impressive acoustics. 

They played a setlist mixed with old favourites and brand new songs from their upcoming album. There was a lull in energy from the crowd in the middle of the set as the band showcased several new songs in a row. A few complaints were coming from the crowd that they wanted to hear more 'crowd pleasers'. The new songs were beautiful, and sound as if they are as high a standard as ever but a live show at a festival is NOT the place to debut new stuff! Crowds can't get into it, and when it's one after the other, and the beers have been flowing, people get pretty pissed (off).
When they did play favourites like 'Science of Fear', 'The Drum Song', and classic 'Sweet Disposition' the atmosphere was electric. Dougy's voice echoed around the room accompanied by the beautiful chanting of the overexcited crowd.
Each song was accompanied by a uniquely created light show that ranged from dim shimmers across the stage floor for the ballads to full blown strobe lighting for the more up tempo tracks. My personal favourite moment was during The Drum Song when the drum skins were covered in water so as they beat down on them the droplets were swirling around in the air bathed in the intergalactic green light. Dope.

Aside from the lapse in the middle, The Temper Trap played a beautiful, spacey set that spiced things up at the Great Escape.

Billy Talent: Live Review

Concorde 2: 29th May 2012.

The queue outside of the Concorde 2 was full of punk rock fans of all ages dressed in home made punk jackets complete with studs, spikes, safety pins, badges, and patches. As the night went on, the layers of leather were slowly peeled off revealing more and more flesh until half the venue was full of naked torsos glistening with sweat. This striptease was much like Canadian punk rockers Billy Talent’s performance, as the revelations during their set kept on coming (and I’m not just talking about lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz’s tattooed chest!)

Before we talk about unbuttoning shirts and sweat soaked fans, credit must be paid to the support band ‘Time Is A Thief’ whose job of ‘warming up’ the crowd was already being done by the venue’s scorching temperatures but they certainly got things sizzling. The Irish foursome had an impressive stage presence and commanded the rowdy crowd well, treating them to hard-hitting riffs, and searing vocals as they played their way through a striking, classic rock set. The unsigned band proved they have the potential to take the rock stage by storm, and have the energy, raw passion and song writing ability to sell out tours of their own in the near future.

After the support act’s exciting performance the anticipation in the room was electrifying, and moments before Billy Talent burst onto stage there wasn’t a person in the room who wasn’t chanting their name, clapping their hands, or stomping their feet. The quartet sprung into the venue as crowd favourite ‘Devil in a Midnight Mass’ ripped through the speakers to kick off the first show of their festival warm up tour.

The band erupted the room into a pit of rip-roaring fury as they exploded through their set list accompanied by an intergalactic light show. It’s a testament to their unrelenting energy that halfway through second track ‘Living in the Shadows’ all four band member’s black shirts were glued to their bodies by sweat. Cue unbuttoning.

Front man Benjamin Kowalewicz joked about the heat as he writhed, wriggled, thrashed, and crashed his way across the stage all night.

Throughout the set he told the crowd how excited he was to be back in Brighton: the place where his mum was born and his grandparents were married.

As a celebration of drummer Aaron Solowoniuk’s first live performance since he underwent open-heart surgery four months ago, the band chose to debut their brand new single ‘Viking Death March’. A politically motivated song that incorporates the high-energy drumming, tight guitar riffs, and unique screeching vocals that Billy Talent are famous for.

One of the highlights of the night was during the breakdown of ‘Try Honesty’ when all you could hear was a room full of adoring fans chanting the lyrics ‘Forgive me father, why should you bother now?’ with only the bass line whispering through the speakers for company. Spine tingling moments like these are what make great gigs magical, and as Benjamin Kowalewicz said what makes slugging it out on tour all worth it.

When they returned to the stage to a room full of chanting fans demanding an encore lead guitarist Ian D’Souza performed a rip-roaring guitar solo proving why he’s considered one of the best guitarists in the genre.

They saved the best ‘til last with ‘Devil On My Shoulder’, ‘Fallen Leaves’ and ‘Red Flag’ keeping the crowd slamming around for as long as possible.

Before the sweat soaked punk rockers left the stage for the last time they made one more revelation that Brighton was first on their list of places they wanted to return to on their UK tour starting later this year. After a performance as impressive, and infectious as that there is no doubt that Billy Talent tops many lists as greatest live band you could hope to see.

Brighton's Great Escape Festival, 2012.

My favourite bits...


Day 1:


Yukon Blonde were the first band to kick off my TGE experience this year at The Hope. The four long-haired indie rockers came all the way from Canada to squeeze a couple of vibrant performances into their jam packed schedule. The band's high energy set, and dress code, was reminiscent of an early Kings Of Leon: their distinct sound filled the venue with smooth harmonies, indie rock riffs, swing rythmics, and a power-pop edge. 


Dear Prudence played their debut TGE set at Above Audio, and proved to the crowd they've got something special to offer. The Brighton band looked right at home on stage and lead singer Madi Poncia's smoky, haunting and powerfully unique vocals were a stand out of the day. Their noir-pop sound fused with a dark and moodish stage presence is reminiscent of the 80's with their own fresh modern day twist. Dear Prudence are best described as Siouxsie Sioux meets The Cure, with a bit of Depeche Mode thrown in. They commanded the stage impressively, with a tight rhythm section and catchy hooks that left the crowd wanting more.


The Skints treated the Coalition crowd to their own brand of reggae, ska, and dub. Their set was fresh, and tight but lacked much-needed energy during the middle. Their cover of Katy B's 'On a Mission' was the highlight of their set, showing their ability to put their own spin on a well known track. Lead vocalist Marcia Richards had a flawless, and raw vocal performance as she worked her way through the rich texture of songs in their set. 

Spoek Mathambo were the highlight of day one with an infectious, high energy, balls out futuristic performance at Coalition. Their colourful, no-holds-barred set held a carnival-esque atmosphere and at times like Jazzy Jeff meets Kanye West meets Africa Express Sound System. Their passion, interaction with the crowd, and genius cover of Joy Division's 'Control' set them apart from the rest of the acts on the bill. Techno, rap, hip-hop, melodies, synthesizers, jumbled, harmonized and electric sound fused together to create an unforgettable, mind-blowing performance that epitomised The Great Escape, and proved you can find a hidden gem around every corner. 

Spoek Mathambo

Stay tuned for Day 2's shenanigans....

Architects live @ Concorde 2, Brighton.

01.04.2012

Architects were set to kick off their latest UK headline tour at home in Brighton's Concorde 2, with support from New York rockers Stray From The Path and Sheffield 'Mathcore' band Rolo Tomassi.
Both supporting bands warmed the mixed crowd up nicely with strong, tight performances before the Brighton boys slipped onto the stage creating a haunting atmosphere by opening their setlist with 'Devil's Island': A song filled with passion, angst, and political animation condemning the recent London riots was the perfect choice to ignite the crowd of young, and old, life-long, and new fans.
Chests started pounding, heads were banging, and bodies began flying (literally) as they took things up a notch in the heavy stakes by performing old favourites 'Follow The Water', 'Numbers Count For Nothing', and 'Dethroned'.
Their friendship, and unity is a key factor in ensuring that the guitars were tight, the histrionics were impressive, the drumming was emphatic and frontman Sam Carter's passion and energy was second to none. His love for performing was clear to see as he interacted with the excitable crowd telling them how 'good it feels to be back home', and sharing stories about his own memories of watching his favourite bands in this very venue growing up.

The new and improved lighting was an effective addition to their live performances which added a touch of quality, and proved that it is the small details that make the biggest impact - particularly in smaller, more compact venues such as Concorde 2.

They had created an infectious, and excited atmosphere by making their way through albums 'Hollow Crown' and 'Here and Now', before finishing things off with their brand new single 'These Colours Don't Run', that despite only being released a week previous to the show saw a room full of adoring fans screaming every word back at them.
The Brighton quintet couldn't stay off the stage for long, as they returned to chanting fans demanding an encore to perform favourites 'Hollow Crown' and 'Early Grave'.

Their decision to leave 'Heartburn' out of the setlist suggests a choice to continue moving forward with their original ear-splitting heavy sound.
An impressive, explosive, and professional performance that demonstrates Architects' power and prowess over other metal core bands of this generation. Sam Carter told the crowd it was the bands 'fourth time playing in this venue', and without a shadow of a doubt it was their best performance yet. Wonder if they've managed to secure the roof back on yet...

Architects' new album 'Daybreaker' will be released May 28th. 

And all that's left to breathe, are empty words inside my head.

Any band who has achieved recognition performing to thousands in a packed out stadium arena will look back fondly, or perhaps not so fondly, on their journey towards stardom with memories of cobweb filled backstreet pubs and hot, sweaty sidestreet bars. This is all part and parcel of the road to success.
It may be Rise to Remain's ultimate ambition to 'sell out Wembley arena' but there are bands who thrive in a small, intimate environment and after seeing their headline performance in The Hydrant, it is clear that they are one of them.
Brighton's 'Hydrant' is just that; a small, intimate, no frills (and no air con) environment. It's hot, it's sweaty - but more importantly, good acoustics ensure it's nice and loud.
Support acts 'The Dead Wretched', 'The Safety Fire' and 'Bleed From Within' did an impressive job of warming up the crowd - although, perhaps 'warming up' is not what we needed as the room had slowly turned itself into an oven over the course of the night.
An hour and a half of screaming, and moshing preceded the main act who, when they finally made an appearance, did not fail to dissappoint.
Front man Austin, the son of mighty metal legend Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, delighted the sweat soaked crowds with his atmospheric voice as he chopped and changed from harsh metal screams to melodic harmonies.
A confident and unified performance from the London five-piece that captured the attention of the already tired crowd proved their immense superiority to their supporting acts, and suggests bigger things lie ahead.
They possess the ability to fill the air with wild guitar histrionics and militaristic drumming which gives them the all important power and prowess that all aspiring metal masters need in their arsenal.

Rise To Remain rose to the, albeit small, occasion and for one night commanded this stiflingly sticky Brighton venue. But as they say, there are no small venues, only small bands... (or something like that!)

Without doubt they are one to watch and could be on their way to world domination.

No Ssssweat. Reading Festival 2011.

I can't, and in fact refuse to, believe that it was exactly a week ago today that I was sat around a campfire making new friends with beautiful boys with dreadlocks (so beautiful!) and drinking cider getting overly excited at the prospect of watching some of my favourite bands the very next day. Reading Festival 2011 was over in a flash, but it was without doubt one of the best experiences of my life. There is nothing in this world more perfect to me than spending 3 whole days listening to nothing but music... so here it is my friends. 

FRIDAY kicked the whole thing off with a bang. It was pissing with rain, and I mean hammering it down, mud up to ya knees but hey that's part of the fun is it not? Armed with our wellies, and rain macs we trudged through the swamps to get to the main stage ready for Architects to start proceedings. I won't talk about every great band in detail because we'd be here all day, but I do wanna mention Architects. They had the pretty tough task of being the very first band to grace the mainstage and open up the festival, and to make matters worse every one was cold and soaking wet. Nevertheless they absolutely smashed it to pieces on their main stage debut. They got the crowd warmed up just right and the tone for the weekend was well and truly set. Good job boys!
As the rain got heavier, so did the performances... One of my favourite acts of the day was Bring Me The Horizon - Okay, so they're not everyone's cup of tea, but an aboslute highlight of my weekend was seeing my friend Nat, who admitted to being 'quite scared' of them, headbanging and singing her little heart out in the mosh pit, epic. Oli Sykes had the crowd in the palm of his skinny, tattooed hand and I'm predicting enourmous things for them in the future - I wouldn't even be surprised if they headline the festival in a couple of years time (you heard it here first! ;) Deftones were incredible, of course - Chino is a legend. Got a bit teary-eyed when Jared Leto announced this was to be 30 Seconds To Mars last visit to the UK for 'quite some time' - a.k.a they're retiring! :( I can't complain, I've seen them live 3 times now and they get better every time. Jared sung an acoustic version of 'The Kill' which was spine-tingling, tear-jerking and effortlessly beautiful.
But for me, the overwhelming highlight of the day (and pretty much, the whole weekend) was My Chemical Romance. They were mesmerizing - I got completely lost in their music as per. I've always adored them, and secretly I knew they would give a frighteningly good show but deep down I was afraid. There were so many negative comments being thrown around about them all day, and in the lead up to the festival but I was so proud of the boys for proving them ALL wrong. Oh and by the way if you haven't heard yet - Brian May came out for the encore. Yeah, Brian May, Brian Motherfuckin' May... BRIAN MAY. Walking back to our camp after their performances hearing people say 'I can't believe how good my chem were' kept that big ole grin on my face all night. My Chem rule. 


SATURDAY was a bit of a funny one if I'm honest. Musically it didn't float my boat all that much - there was some sorta indie vibe going on which is cool if that's your thing, but I don't know if any of you have noticed but it certainly ain't mine. As predicted, however, Two Door Cinema Club were amazing. Just when I was roaming around thinking I could do with a bit of sunshine to break through the rain - they walked out onto the mainstage, ginger hair, skinny jeans, wide smiles and all  armed with some funky summer tunes... and the sun did come out for a little while. Shortly after that I only went and met Rob Rolfe - who happens to be the drummer from the one and only Enter Shikari. He's lovely - proper nice fella and taller and even more handsome in real life. Love it, I'll get the pic up when it's developed! (highlight of my year I think?) So I was buzzing off that all day, and the indie music didn't seem so boring after that (and a few more pints of snakebite) 
And here comes the biggie - brace yourselves. So there I am on Friday morning flippin through the programme when I noticed a big picture of Rival Schools and I sat there and thought to myself, 'thanks for that Reading - talk about a tease!' and I flipped on by. I never thought for one second they would be playing the festival because, COME ON, I'd studied that line up over and over again... I went right back to the photo just to be sure and low and behold, they were playing. They were headlining the Festival Republic Stage on Saturday. How in the name of all that is holy did I fail to notice that. HOW? Well, I never. Now, I know that 'favourite' is a word that I use a lot - every other band I mention is my favourite, but we all know that Nirvana are my true, true faves... well Rival Schools step right up. This band were the first ever punk supergroup and they filled a Nirvana shaped whole like no other. I've adored them for years and years and never dreamed I could see them live. From that very moment (around 10 am on Friday) I couldn't stop thinking about it. My friends had never heard of them, and weren't that bothered about seeing them, but that wasn't about to stop me. When the time finally arrived, 9.20 on saturday evening, I trudged through the main stage crowds and made my way into the tent - squeezing through the groups of friends and hand-holding couples to get myself as close to the front as possible. I made it to the barrier - result! I stood there, admittedly very very drunk, treading that fine line between bursting into tears or having the time of my life - I was so nervous, literally butterflies doing summersaults in my cider filled tummy that I gripped the barrier so hard to stop myself from passing out (I need help?). Once they finally stepped out onto the stage, understated and humble, the butterflies went away and I didn't stop jumping and singing for an hour and 20 minutes. They just let their gorgeous music do the talking, no stage dives, no rockstar speeches, no backflips - just tight, polished and effortless riffs and choruses. What a band. 
I have to say, after watching them all by myself in that tent, squeezed between sweaty, punky strangers singing every word to every song that this was not only one of the best moments of my festival but of my life. Their new album is as good as their first - they were as perfect as I imagined them to be. I had tears in my eyes the whole time, and goosebumps covered the entire surface of my skin. It truly was one of those moments where everything and everyone around you just disappeared and it was me and the music - the most beautiful, hypnotic music around. Rival Schools you were everything I hope you would be and more, you rocked the roof off that tent, and gained yourself a hell load more fans that night! Epic doesn't even begin to describe it - thank you. Oh, and yes if you're wondering, they are of course my favourite band, ever. 

Unpopular opinion time: The Strokes weren't great. They were average at best, which sucks because although I've never been a great listener I was anticipating much more from them because I can recognise talent when I see it even when it's outside of my preferred music genres. But they were, dare I say it, boring. 

SUNDAY was it. The last day of music - and the day we'd all been waiting for. The sun had decided to put in an appearance on sunday, at long last, and there was a strange atmosphere in the air. You could tell people were tired - mentally and physically, but still determined to rock the fuck out. At 11 am on Friday and Saturday everyone was getting stuck into the mosh pits and the cider, but on sunday it was cups of tea and bodies sprawled on the ground. It was like one big giant countdown to Muse. Everyone was waiting for those mainstage monsters to bring us all back to life, but we had to wait a little while yet. There were a few decent bands kicking about on Sunday, We Are The Ocean, Taking Back Sunday and Panic! At The Disco to name but a few - but none more so than, especially for me, Enter Shikari. They caused some serious havoc in the pit - I've got the bruises to prove it, and melted some faces with their new remixes. Rou and the boys know how to put on a good show, and they never fail to disappoint. I will never ever tire of seeing them live, and I'm already counting the days til their next show (54!). Well in boys! Unlike Rival Schools who come out and just deliver tune after tune, Shikari are all about the theatrics, they backflip off eachother, throw their instruments all over the shop, dive into the crowd, hang upside down from the frameworks and climb all over everything - if you ever needed a band to wake you the fuck up, these are your guys. Chris Batten also proved, once again, what a bloody good voice he's got and they certainly worked the pit well. Also, would like to throw out a big thank you to the bloke who let me on his shoulders for 'Sorry, you're not a winner!' (yes, my blog is absolutely named after that song)

Okay, so after Enter Shikari I won't deny the tiredness, hangover, lack of sleep, general aching body and not having had a shower for 3 days was taking it's toll. I was starting to flag, big time. Alcohol was making me more sleepy and everywhere I turned there was another mellow, beautiful but mellow, band strumming about. I needed something and I needed something fast... So who came running? Who the hell came running but Kurt. Kurt Cobain. Yep, you heard. 

Nirvana's 1992 headline performance at Reading has gone down in history (not just by Nirvana fans) as the greatest gig of all time. I've got it on dvd so I've seen it a hundred times but when I heard they were playing it on the big screen in the alternative stage/tent I just had to go check it out. There I was sandwiched in between a few hundred other Nirvana fans in the pitch black staring up at Kurt, Krist and Dave and I felt as if I was there. I felt as if I was actually there back in 1992 watching that monumental gig - Goosebumps everywhere and floods of tears (and that was just the 6foot3, hairy, monsterous bloke next to me!) It was the most touching moment ever. I genuinely now feel as though I can claim to have seen Nirvana live, because I soaked up the atmosphere and was just transported back 20 years to that very moment. I was holding it together and just singing along to those beautiful lyrics, but the very moment that 'all apologies' left his lips, some giant teardrops left my eyes. Man, it was tough to stick it out after that. Remember when I said I don't listen to Nirvana all that much because emotionally it tears me to pieces, well forget that now. This past week I've not stopped listening to them. Obsessively cramming in as much Cobain time as I can get - falling asleep with 'Bleach' on repeat, walking the dog listening to 'Nevermind' and driving everywhere with 'In Utero' on full blast. Just when I thought I couldn't love them anymore... I guess it's just made me feel more connected. (I know I'm horribly cheesy but that's me baby.)

So after that emotional rollercoaster I only had an hour left until Muse hit the stage. Of course, I knew that performance was going to be bittersweet - it was the one I had been waiting for since I booked the tickets but it was also the end of my Reading Festival experience. 

I'm still a bit lost for words surrounding the whole thing. They were phenomenal. I've heard so much about how perfect they are live, but I was completely taken a back at quite how good they are. Matt Bellamy is a beautiful singer, granted, but his almost operatic voice makes the whole thing seem like a show - like a grand show, a story... when in reality it is simply 3 seriously talented blokes from Teignmouth playing some beautiful music. I cannot emphasise enough how perfect they are, and if you ever get the opportunity to see them live, grab it with both hands and do not let go. They are the best. The very best, and nothing and no one comes close to competing. 

"Oh, if I could kidnap that feeling; the one that melts softest from your mind I'd make no demands, no ransom. 'Cos I'd never set it free..."