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.
Just a word about music genres: They are worthless.
A typical everyday conversation between me, and others often goes like this, "What kind of music do you like?" "Metal." "Cool." ... A few minutes/hours/days/weeks/months pass and I happen to mention my affection for, say, Blink-182 and BAM "Whoa, wait! I thought you liked metal and now you're tellin' me you listen to blink? You listen to pop-punk but you like metal?..."
Here's the thing it doesn't matter if you're a raging metal head with straight black hair down to your knees, ten pounds of metal punched through every orifice in your body, six inch platforms, and Norwegian death metal blaring out of your iPod at any given moment, if you wanna kick back and listen to Sonny and Cher once in a while then more power to you!
Genres are simply a way of segregating and organising bands into categories in a record store... Last time I checked we're not records, and we're not being organised into a rack. "Hey you, yeah you with the pink mohawk over there - don't even think about talking to the kids in plaid shirts."
So whatever, let's all just love and enjoy music - not genres, but MUSIC. (Oh, and this has absolutely nothing to do with the history, or culture, or empowerment of movements etc. I'm just talking straight up categorising).
Music genres are worthless boundaries.
Now I'm off to go listen to Jimmy Eat World. Party on.
A good song opening should be enthralling, inviting, and exciting - it should make you wanna listen to the song. Duh.
A great song opening should be one of the following: mind-blowing (your mind will be blown, so from there on out everything is a little warped on account of your mind having be blown from your skull. Cool.), spine-tingling (this is not a metaphor - your spine will actually tingle, like a friendly pins and needles. If this is not happening, then it might just be a 'good' opening), and jaw-dropping (this is a biggie - your jaw will, of its own accord, drop to the floor, and you have to literally scoop it back up with your hands and hold it shut for approximately 30 seconds. It ain't pretty!).
So now that we've covered the basics, let's get to it - and be warned there could be some messy walls (minds blown), itchy backs (spine tingled), and fucked up faces (jaws dropped) upon listening to the following ten kick-ass, face-melting, bone-crushing (forgot to mention those) openings. Let's do this!
10. Layla - Derek, and The Dominoes.
This needs no introduction, but I'm gonna give it one anyway - woah there, that opening riff should come with a warning; something like, Don't freaking drive whilst listening to this here song because you will likely crash on account of you frantically air-guitaring to the illest riff you're likely to hear in about five or ten! Trust me, take that warning kids! You'll thank me later.
On a more serious note, I think we can all agree that Eric Clapton is one slick guy with some ridonkulous guitar skills that we're all a little bit jealous of!
9. Enter Sandman - Metallica.
It's dark, it's brooding, it's omnious, it's cool as hell, and by the time our lion-haired friend James Hetfield comes in we've melted into a pile of goo. Fuck Yeah. Sleep with one eye open, indeed!
8. Your Betrayal - Bullet For My Valentine.
If this militaristic drumming isn't enough to tick your boxes, then I don't know what is. It starts off nice, and simple and just builds and builds until you're mind has blown (mess all over the walls), and those thundering chords are better than BBQ sauce.
It's back-to-basics metal, so get your horns at the ready - and because it's that good, I'm including the video for us all (to perve on Matt some more!)
7. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana.
If there is one song in the world that gives me chills with a single note, it's this little beauty! It's grown into one of the most iconic songs of all time, but at its heart and soul it's a classic grunge anthem - THE grunge anthem - with a bunch of high-school kids thrashing around in a dusky old gym.
Anyone who doesn't recognise this song (but can name all of the kardashkians) within the opening five seconds needs an intervention BIG time.
6. Hell's Bells - AC/DC.
Can't work out what this would be better for - walking down the aisle, or arriving at my own funeral? Either way, it would rock da house.
5. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen.
Why? Because this song is fuckin' weird, and fuckin' fantastic and the opening makes you think you're in for one thing, and it turns out you're in for a whole 'nother. Geddit? Whatever, turn it up.
Plus it just gets straight on with it - and who'da thought that those 4 voices would come together and sound like THAT? Choir boys around the world, take note - this is how you turn up the heat with a high pitched squeak.
4. Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Three words spring to mind: Party on, Garth!
This is just a killer opening in every aspect - it's trippy, catchy, slick, and classic Hendrix.
3. Thunderstruck - AC/DC.
This is the kind of song that was destined to be chanted by thousands upon thousands of adoring fans in stadiums all around the world. The opening riff is so simple, but so killer! Rock on. (Fun fact: This is my 7th favourite song in all time and space.)
Repeat after me: Thun-DER!!! Thun-DER!!!
2. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses.
From the moment this little gem kicks in all you wanna do is throw on a pair of pleather pants and jump on the nearest bar, and strut your stuff up and down it like you own the joint - don't you?!
I'm quite sure that this is everyone's gateway song into the world of Rock'n'Roll, and the opening is as instantly recognisable as it is infectious. (Plus, if we're being totally honest, it makes us think of Axl shakin' his thang in those tight little leathers like there's no tomorrow, and that's always a good thing - yeah, I took it there.)
1. When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin.
Come on, it was never going to be anything else was it? This opening is so atmospherical (is that a word?) that it literally transports you to some dusky, down-n-out old saloon in the days-gone-by where everyone's dressed in chaps, sluggin' back whisky just waitin for Clint Eastwood to show up with a stick o' wood in his mouth and unload on the shifty lookin' bunch over in the corner - and no, you don't feel lucky punk!
Oh shit my mind has just blown out my skull, my spine is tingling, and I've just picked my jaw from up off the floor - that seals the deal then, this is officially the GREATEST song opening of ALL time. (My dad has just confirmed that atmospherical is in fact not a word, but I like the way it sounds - I'm gonna make it a word!)
Now your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to go forth and listen to these ten tracks basquing in all their beautiful glory... You're welcome.
Imagine what Nirvana would sound like if they had a love child with Pantera, or as one youtube user put it 'Moaning Myrtle discovered grunge'.
Are you imagining it yet? It would be quite fantastically bizarre wouldn't it?
Well, imagine no more!
Japanese Voyeurs, formed in 2007, are a five-piece from London who have a unique grunge-metal fusion sound.
They released their debut album, Yolk, in March 2011 and have since gone on to support Slash on his UK tour last summer - before headlining their own tour september through november of last year.
This year will see Japanese Voyeurs play Sonisphere Festival in the UK for the first time - and with the success of their debut album, and plenty of internet hype it seems this could be their biggest year yet.
With what seems to be a drought in powerful female vocalists for rock bands these days, Romily Alice is a refreshing and much-needed frontwoman whose 'little-girl-lost' voice is a far cry from her confident, and intelligent persona.
They are an exciting band, with staying power, that could prove the spark that ignites the grunge movement back to glory.
With such high expectation surrounding the release of Enter Shikari's third studio album, the boys made sure they delivered something that would not dissapoint and would not be forgotten in a flash...
A Flash Flood Of Colour begins with 'System...', with opening lyrics of a beautiful metaphor comparing our dear old Blighty to a house succumbing to the eroding cliff face of it's foundation...
'There was a house in a field on the side of a cliff, and the waves crashing below were just said to be a myth, so they ignored the warnings from the ships in the docks. Now the house on the cliff is the wreckage on the rocks.'
This is a clear indication of where the albums heading, and from there on out the metaphors keep getting better, and the message keeps getting stronger.
It was clear from the band's second album, 'Common Dreads', that they were moving towards being another 'political' band with something to say - but it's frontman Rou Reynold's passion, and venom-spitting conviction with his lyrics that seperates them from the rest. Not all the glory lies with Reynolds, however, they are very much a band whose successes rely on the strength and solidarity of them as a four-piece. Their notorious live shows are packed-full of high energy, sheer passion, and madness from the word go thanks to loyal fans, and a unified band.
A Flash Flood Of Colour has been sitting on the top spot of the album charts since it's release on Monday, which sparks suggestion that they are moving toward mainstream success - however, you can rest assured this is not a band who look like buckling to mainstream pressures. They have achieved their success by sticking to their guns, and pursuing their beliefs - clearly demonstrated throughout the 11 tracks on the album.
A number one album for a band like this would be a triumph for independent music, and real music fans - fans who follow the band religiously with anticipation and excitement. Fans who buy albums, and travel around the country to secure their place in as many mosh pits as they can. Fans who feel a part of the movement.
This album is not only their angriest, and most aggresive yet but their most beautiful. Amongst the sonic barrage, there are moments of pure tenderness and poignance in songs like 'Constellations' and 'Stalemate' whilst maintaining a strong sense of purpose and direction.
Songs like 'Sssnakepit' and 'Gandhi Mate, Gandhi' seem to be steered on pure adrenaline & rip-roaring choruses as they tackle their anti-communist spiel.
From beginning to end, the album is like an assault course of experimentation, from it's electronics, classic metal-riffs, piano, brass & string arrangements to acoustic guitar, it has it all.
One things for sure, unlike their message in 'Arguing with thermometers', "you haven't thought this through have you boys?" - it is clear that they have thought this through, and in doing so they have delivered an album with brutal conviction, unrelenting energy and impressive spirit.
There are always going to be favourite albums - you know those ones we all hold dearest to our hearts, perhaps because they 'speak to us' or just tug on the old heart strings, or they simply make damn good driving partners. Whatever the reason, it doesn't always mean that these albums are necessarily all that great... But what about those albums that are so monumental, ground breaking and influential that they must be heard by as many pairs of ears on the planet as possible?
Well, I think I know a few - so let me start with the first....
Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses.
Released in 1987 under Geffen Records, no one (not even Guns N' Roses, their record label or their fans) saw this coming... It soon became one of the biggest selling albums in the history of Rock.
It was this raw, relentless, rip roaring assault of an album that turned this band into overnight superstars and ensuring they would remain a household name forever.
Somewhere between the explicit aggresion, and the extravagant tapestry of sex, violence, drugs and alcohol is the greatest hard rock album since Back In Black.
The opening track, Welcome To The Jungle, explodes into the air, hissing and spitting like a volatile firework with enough energy to power a city, setting the tone for what's to come.
However, what makes this album so successful is the clever decision to not attack the listener with screeching vocals, shredding guitars and monumental drumming from start to finish - they changed it up by throwing in beautifully written ballads that demonstrated the quintet's chemistry and emotional energy. Sweet Child O' Mine, perhaps the most iconic of all their songs, has an enticingly relaxed and endearing Southern Rock quality to it that proves frontman Axl Rose is not a one trick pony, but a Shire with an arsenal of talents and a an impressively equipped group of men standing beside him.
Timeless. It is simply is one of the greatest, most important and breathtaking albums of a generation. Favourite track? Welcome To The Jungle
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.
