FESTIVAL REVIEW: Tons of Rock 2019


After six years at the Fredriksten Fortress in at Halden Norway, it was clear Tons of Rock needed more space. So here we are in the biggest city in Norway, Oslo, at the new home for the festival. From my American point of view, this was wonderful to see so many bands I have enjoyed but haven’t made it across the sea. With three stages and forty bands, two of the said stages named in honor of famous Norwegian expressionist artist Edvard Munch. The Scream and Vampire had an electric mix of hard and most styles of metal. In addition to the campgrounds, there was plenty of rides, painted art and music for sale to browse on these bright and sunny Oslo days.Continue reading


SOS Fest XII – Part II – The Longfield Suite, Prestwich UK


The third and final day of SOS is more of a classic rock day, although it features fewer bands for me that I was aware of than yesterday. Today is more of an adventure day, and I’m hoping for some discoveries. Continue reading


SOS Fest XII – Part I: Live at The Longfield Suite


Time for one of the highlights of my year, the rather excellent SOS festival. A festival envisioned 12 years ago by Lynne Hampson of Rocksector Records as an antidote to the plethora of family un-friendly festivals around at the time. Continue reading


Tramlines Fringe Festival Live at Sheffield City Hall


I arrive to find Trigger Thumb just on stage, with a quite busy and appreciative crowd in front of them. The room is already warm and echoing, though neither of these things seems to put off either audience nor band, despite the slight disservice done to Trigger Thumb by this. Even from the third song in, there are noticeably more heads nodding along and more movement in the crowd from earlier, as the Bradford 3-piece start to quickly work over the crowd, with vocalist/guitarist Arron’s self-deprecation between songs raising a number of smiles around the room, as he says, We are Trigger Thumb and we are losers”. Musically, they veer between noisy Math Rock and some quite delicate guitar and vocals, showing an homage, at least, to The Mars Volta, whilst nods to the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Faith No More pop through at various times. They perform their set with a minimum of fuss and thoroughly earned the loud applause they garner at the end of their set.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival UK 2019


Throughout the journey from my home in the North of England to Leicestershire’s infamous Download Festival, I could be sure of only two things as a first time attendee; that I would absolutely see Tool headline, and that I would have to endure what was to become the muddiest weekend of my life in order to reach that point.Continue reading


REVIEW: New York Comic-Con 2018


Ghost Cult invaded New York Comic Con for the first time ever this year and it was, in a word a spectacle. It was a feast for the senses, except the olfactory. The only downside to the entire weekend besides the swarm of people like squiddies in The Matrix was the smell. The smell of movie theater butter popcorn, no doubt delights most people like a childhood memory burned on the brain. To me, it is vomit inducing in mass quantities and there was not one corner of the Javits Center that was not baked in this smell. Other than that is was a perfect combination of geeks, artists, and Cos-players and superfans. Comic-Con is vast and exhilarating. It’s incredible and a little scary to be honest. It was amazing overall. Continue reading