Review: Download Festival 2019

This weekend just gone was Download Festival 2019 at Donington Park. It was personally the 8^th one I’ve been at, but the first full weekend festival since Victorious Festival in 2016 (and that one wasn’t that much effort as it is down the road from where I live). My last Download festival was in 2015, so it had been a while since I’d been. As was the case for 2014 and 2015, I was in a hotel in Derby rather than camping on site. It is a bit of a hassle getting there and back each day, but no complaints at all on that front. The queue to get in each day seemed to be managed in a very odd way, which caused delays each time. I also didn’t get searched at all when going in. I don’t try and take things in with me that I shouldn’t, so it wasn’t an issue. However, in previous years when I have been searched each time I enter the arena, I’ve been surprised to see glass spirit bottles in the arena. This year, when seeing them, it was less of a surprise. I’m not sure what happened there. Anyway, I guess the main talking point, bands and wrestling aside for me has to be the weather and the condition of the site. The weather was mostly fine when I was watching bands. On occasion it battered it down, but I was lucky to be in a tent when this happened for the most part. The arena floor was very muddy as a result, which made getting about a bit of a slog from time to time. That being said, I didn’t fall over in the mud or get hurt, so again, no major complaints. I felt the festival did what they could in the arena in terms of straw etc.

A quick note about the Thursday. I arrived in Derby on the Thursday. Went out for food at Sainsburys Café (getting the rock and roll started early) – had a belting sweet potato katsu curry. The evening after that was mostly chilled and washing my shoes (had boots for the festival, went out to the shop in shoes, and ended up getting them muddy – a precursor to the weekend ahead!) Anyway, onto the primary focus of this festival, the bands. It usually makes sense with these things to kick off with the first day, so I will, with Friday. As per, the scores attributed are based on my own personal enjoyment, and not a comment on the band in question, mostly.

Friday:

I had Goodbye June on my list to watch but was queuing to get in the weekend arena/day ticket entrance the entire time they were on, which is a bit of a shame. Wasn't mad keen on seeing them mind, so not overly annoyed – but it would have been nice to see them. Instead, I trekked over to the Dogtooth stage to catch Groundculture – 6. I didn’t know much by them, but they were a fine way to kick the festival off. Up next on the Dogtooth stage was Those Damn Crows - 7 who were really good. Not a lot else to say about them. I left wanting to get into them properly. I trundled over to 2^nd stage for the first time for Kvelertak – 5. I've seen them a few times before and this wasn't the best time seeing them. Not sure if it was just being too far away from the stage or owt, but after they left, all I could muster was a shrug.

I headed back to a now much busier Dogtooth stage to see Conjurer - 9 and blimey, that was something. Blinder of a set, that. Want to see them again and can't make the October tour, which made me do a sad. They were so good. There aren’t many bands that would make me miss some of Clutch’s set, so I am glad I enjoyed them as much as I did. Speaking of Clutch – 8. I love Clutch. I didn't see them all because of that vicious clash with Conjurer. They finished with Electric Worry and X-Ray Visions - what's not to love? I suspect I'll be seeing them in Southampton at the end of the year and having a lovely time (assuming the sound isn’t bobbins). Up next on second stage was Deadland Ritual - 7 - I base these scores on my personal enjoyment of the set, and I thought it was cool seeing a supergroup play songs from Dio-era Sabbath, Velvet Revolver and Billy Idol. Their own material is...fine, but the score is mostly for the covers.  I didn’t stick around for the whole set as I wanted to make sure I was in the 3^rd stage tent for the next band.

If you had said to me in the build-up to this festival (well, before the times came out) that I wouldn’t be seeing Whitesnake, I would have called you a fool or something equally as derisory. However, when it transpired they clashed with The Interrupters – 10, well there was only going to be one winner there, particularly after their set at Slam Dunk. The Interrupters stole the show for the Friday (and nearly for the whole damn weekend). Their set was just immense. I really want them to be added to the Fireball tour. It will sell me a ticket in an instant. Stayed at the Avalanche stage for Reel Big Fish – 9, who were a lot of fun. The classics were all great as per and I liked one of the new songs. Sure, it was a bit RBF paint by numbers at times, but that didn’t hurt the set at all. They are good at what they do, that is for sure! Went over to the Dogtooth in the hope of seeing Jinjer but the tent was rammed, and people were several rows out, so decided against it. Figured this would be the case for At The Gates as well so decided to call it a night after Rob Zombie. Hey, speaking of - Rob Zombie - 7 - Decent way to end the night. I’ve never been a massive fan (due to me not listening to him/White Zombie more than not liking) but it was decent enough. Did think for a headline set on the second stage it was a bit short. I did consider sticking around for Def Leppard…but didn’t.

Saturday:

Got held up getting in again, but I had arrived early enough to factor this in, and didn’t miss the first band – which was nice.

For only the second time of the weekend so far, I was at main stage for a band! Alien Weaponry – 7 were first up and I quite enjoyed their set. Royal Republic - 9 were on main stage next and I loved this set, thought they were excellent. It made me want to see them again and they are playing up the road from me, so I might just! After them was a set I was very excited about. Power Trip – 8 did not let me down either – they had a great set. I thought it was brilliant that they were on the main stage and they didn't look out of place there. After Power Trip was probably the biggest extreme metal show in the UK to date with Behemoth - 8 on the big stage. I only saw the first 30 or so minutes, but they were sounding in fine form. You may wonder why I decided to leave their set to head to another stage. This was the second worse clash of the weekend for me, so decided to see some of Behemoth and then go catch Epica – 8. They opened with my favourite song of theirs, so that almost gave them a 10 right there. It was excellent though, but I think I prefer seeing them indoors. Not sure if they will stick a UK date on their Euro tour later in the year (which they couldn't announce right away due to Download) - we'll see. The rain started coming down during Epica, and it didn’t stop throughout the whole of the next band’s set really. 

Skindred - 9 - In the hands of a lesser band, this part of the day could have been miserable (what with the rain and all). Skindred were just excellent, which they always are. Sure, the stage patter is pretty samey at this stage, but that didn't spoil it for me. They could play every year and it not be boring. I don’t know if they will ever be higher on the bill, but they have the show to justify it. I’d love to see what they could do headlining the second stage or having a longer slot on main. After Skindred, I made my first visit to the NXT UK tent. Can't really give this a rating the same way I rate a band, but I enjoyed what I saw. Getting a main event of Matt Riddle v Ilja Dragunov was quite something! Moustache Mountain v Grizzled Young Vets as well was very good. Pleased to see Xia Brookside/Killer Kelly and Rhea Ripley/Piper Niven wrestle as well. After the wrestling, I headed to the Dogtooth and caught the end of Batushka - NR - I have no idea what to rate this. I base all these on enjoyment and I can't work out if I enjoyed it or not. I heard one song, a lot of bell ringing and what looked like a sermon? I was quite interested by the whole thing though. Also, probably worth noting that I heard a bit of Die Antwoord in the main stage on the walk and…I got nothing. Am I out of touch? No, it is everyone else that is wrong!

The headliner of the Dogtooth stage that night was Carcass – 9. Belting set this. One of the best of the day. Made even better by the announcement a new album is nearly finished. Hopefully a UK tour will come with that. I like that they played mainly classics but fit in some songs from their latest album. Jeff Walker joked that most of the people were in the tent because of the shit weather and a really shit band on the other stage. Not sure if he meant Die Antwoord or Halestorm, so I am assuming he meant Die Antwoord. They fit that description for my tastes at least. Anyhow, main event time to so speak. Slipknot - 10 - Band of the day for me. They were excellent. Could be one of my favourite times seeing them live, but all the times have been pretty great so tough to work out. Opening with People = Shit and Get This was incredible. Unsainted is massive live. It is outrageous when a band can drop a song as big as Before I Forget in the middle of their set as if it is just another song. Slipknot live 2020 has me interested - just not Ally Pally please!

Sunday:

Set off a little bit later after a call to my Dad (it was Father’s Day and all!). I didn’t need to be in first thing, but the queue to get in was relatively quick, so was able to see the first bands on. I headed to the stage where I was planning to start the day to see Redhook – 6. They were a decent enough start to the day.

Black Futures - 9 - I almost walked off when they hadn't started nearly 15 mins into their set, but glad I stuck around because they were excellent. Probably the delay (and subsequent overrun) had a knock-on effect on the rest of the day on that stage, which is a shame. A bit later than planned, but the next stop was to see NXT UK. Arrived as Toni Storm was wrestling Candy Floss, which was decent from what I saw. Xia Brookside v Jinny was also pretty good. The final two matches were ace, Matt Riddle v James Drake and Adam Cole v Zack Gibson. I did have a bit of a chuckle when they had to reshoot a segment with Toni Storm, Candy Floss and Kay Lee Ray (I guess these things happen, but it was hard to be that invested in it). Went back over to 3rd to see Black Peaks, who were due to be on in 5 or so minutes from when I got there, but Heart of a Coward were still on (aforementioned knock on effect). Resolved to missing Black Peaks, I went off to second instead and caught the end of Starset. Starset - 3 - Not for me! I didn't like what I heard. This is the only rating really that is influenced by not enjoying the set, and not really liking the music being played. Perhaps it would be a different story had I listened to them before the festival? Who knows. After them on second stage was State Champs – 5, who I thought were fine - didn't hate it, didn't overly like it either. 

Amon Amarth - 6 were up next and they are always decent, usually immense. I was quite far back for them though, which meant they were pretty quiet from where I was. Also, I bumped into a pal at this point, so was occasionally having a chat and not really paying attention. I may go see them at the end of the year if the price is right (which I tried to find out when typing this and it cannot be found – not liking this trend of gig ticket prices being unknown until they go on sale). Anyway, I cut seeing Amon Amarth short to see Beartooth – 8. First time seeing them and I thought they were bloody great. I need to check them out properly. They are another band who are touring in the UK soon, and it is tempting to drop into London to see them. Back to the main stage where I remained for the rest of the weekend. Lamb of God - 9 were immense as per usual. I loved their set. It was a slightly longer version of the set they played supporting Slayer at Wembley, so hopefully when I see them next they will mix it up, but this was still really good. The penultimate act of the day and indeed the weekend was Smashing Pumpkins – 7. They were one of the "must see's" of the day for me, and it was great to see some of the songs they played. They were good. The stage patter left a little to be desired, but it didn't spoil it for me. According to Setlist FM, they were joined on stage by Myrkur for a cover of Snowblind by Black Sabbath. I don’t think Billy Corgan announced her as Myrkur though, rather her real name (which to my shame, I don’t know). At the time, I remember not knowing who was announced but I have seen Myrkur before. Maybe Setlist FM is wrong, or maybe I just misheard the announcement. Anyway, the cover was cool although it probably meant we didn’t get 1979 played, which is a shame. No matter though, they were a must-see band and they didn’t disappoint. Finally, and oh boy! Tool - 10 – Comfortably band of the weekend. They were incredible. I just wish they could have played for longer. It was all so good, but he high point of the set for me was Vicarious, which I had got into my mind wouldn’t be played as the festival set list appeared to be shorter slightly than the main headline tour one. A comment on the graphics – they were all really cool to look at. It didn’t detract from the band at all that they themselves were not the focus of the cameras. Hope there isn't another 13 year wait to see them again!

All in all, Download 2019 was a decent weekend. Few little complaints here and there, and the weather did make getting about a bit treacherous at times, but it didn't spoil it for me which is cool. It was worth coming out of festival retirement for. I’m not sure now if I will return to festival retirement (indeed, I don’t have another one booked for this year). I guess it will all depend on the line up.

2016 - A Year In Live Music

Another year has come and gone (well, almost). It has been an interesting one for sure. I’m not going to focus on the negatives of 2016 in this blog. I’m here to do what I do every year – talk about the best gigs I’ve been to in the last year (I’m sure these introductions are getting shorter and shorter each year).

Before getting into the gigs of the year though, I usually give a mention to the festivals I’ve been to and the various sets I saw and rank them as well. However, I only went to Victorious Festival this year, so this will be a much easier job. I remember looking at the completed line up for Victorious and not being overly impressed with either day until the evening, which was a shame. However, I did discover a pub nearby that had Hop House 13 on tap. Swings and roundabouts I guess. Anyway, my top 10 are:

10. Pretty Vicious –Didn’t know a massive amount about them, but they were alright. 6/10
9. Dagny – I had a choice to see two bands before Pretty Vicious, and this band were on the same stage as them. They were pretty good. 6/10
8. The Boomtown Rats – I thought they were a lot of fun. Few good singalongs along the way which helped. On an unrelated note, they have been booked for next year’s Wacken festival. That is a weird booking for a metal festival but not the weirdest I suspect. 7/10
7. Levellers – Genuinely thought I knew some of their stuff before they came on stage, but I didn’t. They were really good though. 7/10
6. Sound Of The Sirens – Listened to a handful of their songs before the festival and wanted to see them live. They did not disappoint. Good music and genuinely funny in between songs. They had a really good set. 7.5/10
5. Manic Street Preachers – Manics are very dependable live. This was a solid set. It wasn’t my favourite time seeing them live (but to be fair, all their singles in one night will likely never be topped). 8/10
4.  Ash – Missed them at the Wedge earlier in the year because I’m an ass (but mainly because tickets had sold out before I got round to buying one) so seeing them here was essential. So glad I did as they were excellent. 8.5/10
3. Wolfmother – Genuinely didn’t know what to expect from their set but they were outstanding. Loved their set. If they come back to Portsmouth, I’d probably go see them again. 9/10
2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Sure there were sound problems in places, but the set was really good. I’m not overly familiar with his solo material, but there was a fair bit of Oasis in there which was pretty cool. The singalongs for Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger were pretty special. 9/10
1. Travis – I’ve wanted to see Travis for years. They played everything I hoped they would and they were great. 9.5/10

I’ve just re-read the conclusion of last year’s blog where I talked about 2016 gigs that could make the list for this year. One of them does which you will see later on. Most of the others were honourable mentions which I will be getting to shortly. Sad to say the Hey! Hello! headline show in Southampton got cancelled. I’ve seen them twice since the cancelled show, both times were really good. Hopefully we will get a headline tour next year. Anyway, to the honourable mentions! These are listed in chronological order

Honourable Mentions:

Cancer Bats – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth – January – I’d love to be able to wax lyrical about this gig. However, “beers before Bats” occurred (as well as beers during Bats) and as a result, there are chunks of the gig I simply don’t remember. Cancer Bats don’t do bad live shows though, and the bits I can recall back this up – which is why this is an honourable mention. People who get twatted for every gig they go to must have a lot of money to fritter away. Not remembering all this gig due to the drink is not a good thing! (Neither was working through the hangover the next day…oofh). Also, Palm Reader were really good.

Crossfaith – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth – March – Sure they were fun but it fell on the same night as I did a 10k run for charity, so turned up already knackered. Thinking back on it now, I can’t remember a great deal from it. It was a pretty short headline set from what I recall though.

Morass of Molasses – Edge Of The Wedge, Portsmouth – April – To my shame, I don’t tend to go to many small local gigs. Going to this was a good call though as this was a really good gig from top to bottom. The other bands that played were Foxer, Victorian Whore Dogs and Sahara Snow – all 4 were really good. Morass though were my favourite band of the night and I’m very tempted to grab an Icebreaker Festival ticket for next January just to see them again. Riffs for days!

Muse – O2 Arena, London – April – I thought after it happened that this gig would without doubt be in my top 5. When I drew up my original list it was towards the bottom end, eventually falling out of the top 10. It would have been 11^th had I done a top 11 though. The stage was in the round, sort of, which is pretty cool – only the second gig I’ve been to with that set up (if you discount Rammstein’s second stage in the crowd, which I am) and I am a big fan of in the round stages. On the show, it was pretty damn ace. I can’t remember off the top of my head everything about it but the way the drones interacted with the stage was pretty special. In terms of songs played that night, they played all my favourites from the new album. Map Of The Problematique was a nice surprise as was Plug In Baby. Overall it was a great set list and a really good gig.

Ginger Wildheart Band – Brooklyn Bowl, London – July - Would have been a strong contender for top 10, but I had to leave early to avoid a rail replacement bus. The last train back from London is long enough without a rail replacement bus being in the mix! Think this was Hey! Hello!’s first show with their new singer, which was cool. Ryan Hamilton’s band were a really good main support. The headline set by GWB was ace, and one which included songs I’ve not heard live before from the Silver Ginger 5 days, which was cool. It was really cool seeing Conny Bloom play with Ginger as well – something I hadn’t seen before. Also, I like the Brooklyn Bowl.

Amon Amarth – Roundhouse, London – November - Leaving this one out of my top 10 was a horrible decision. This gig ticked a number of boxes for me, including going to The Roundhouse in London for the first time (a venue I quite like now) as well as seeing Grand Magus live for the first time. They were really good. As were Testament, who were the main support. I saw them earlier in the year and whilst I enjoyed it, the sound mix that night was not their friend. Amon Amarth are an excellent live band – I’ve seen them deliver stunning sets in headline length slots at Wacken before. This was my second time seeing them at a headline show and this was just as good as the Wacken shows, if not better. Also, they had people with swords and shields battling on stage at different intervals which was pretty cool.

Delain – Engine Rooms, Southampton – November - Similar story to the one above really. I left early to catch a direct train home as opposed to staying to the end and getting a service which involved a rail replacement bus. As much as I love the song We Are The Others, I don’t love it enough to have been on a stopping service replacement bus. The gig itself was excellent though. Delain showing off the best of their new album, Moonbathers, with some ace songs from their back catalogue mixed in. No “Sing To Me” though which was a shame.

Alter Bridge – Genting Arena, Birmingham – November - I tend to not go to gigs just to see the support bands and leave before the headliner – but never have I been more tempted than I was at this gig. Alter Bridge are an excellent band, but they were the second best band when I last saw them in an arena (the best band that night were Black Stone Cherry). This gig had Gojira and Volbeat supporting – and they were third best. Gojira are a really good live band and the stuff from their new album sounds massive live. Having seen them live on a festival main stage, I knew they wouldn’t be swallowed by the stage – but they owned it. Volbeat…well what can I say? I’m massively in love with Volbeat and think it is criminal they aren’t headlining venues the size of the Genting Arena in the UK when they can headline stadiums and open air venues around mainland Europe! (More on that later). I enjoyed Alter Bridge a lot more than I thought I would, considering I’d just watched one of my favourite bands. They were very good.

And so, onto the top 10. It was quite interesting when compiling the provisional list as I only had 9. The 10^th spot was filled at the end of November. I went to three gigs in December which were all shouts for the top 10. Enough of the waffle though, the top 10 gigs I went to in 2016, starting with number 10.

10. Birthday Bash 2016 feat The Wildhearts – The Forum, London – December

I’ve said this a few times, but I bloody love The Wildhearts. They are one of those bands that as soon as they announce a tour, I work out what dates I can attend, in the hope it is more than one. This London show was also the Birthday Bash as it fell on Ginger’s birthday which meant it had a bigger bill than the other shows on the tour. A bash usually is one long Ginger gig with loads of special guests. This one was multiple bands on the bill. Opening were Elvana, who I missed. Then it was The Main Grains, who I caught the second half of and thought were very good. Then it was The Dowling Poole who were good. Hey Hello were on after them, and they were superb. I liked what I heard from Jim Jones and The Righteous Mind but I disappeared after 3-4 songs to go for a smoke. Dirt Box Disco were the main support and they were excellent – they are just a lot of fun live. After they finished, I cursed the fact the Hey Hello tour earlier in the year was cancelled as they were due to be the main support – whilst Dirt Box are great in a bigger room, it would have been great to see them in a 150 cap venue.

The Wildhearts came on and it was business as usual as far as a Wildhearts gig goes. The set list was a best of and it was outstanding. Unfortunately, Ginger was feeling unwell which became apparent during Nothing Ever Changes But The Shoes when he started throwing up on stage (didn’t miss a note of the song mind). I was expecting the gig to end there, but it didn’t. The crew came out and cleaned up the stage (so much respect for them) and Ginger and the band soldiered on throughout the rest of the set, including playing a song which I’d not heard live until this point – Stormy In The North, Karma In The South – which was ace. Danny McCormack joined them for the encore, which was cool to see. It probably should have been more special but Ginger feeling unwell was the main point of note here, and he started being sick again after Geordie in Wonderland which was a shame to see. Again, I anticipated the gig being ended but the final song, I Wanna Go Where The People Go, was played with special guest Frank Turner on vocals. The Wildhearts were just superb and this gig deserves its place on this top 10. It would without doubt been higher but I think after Ginger started throwing up, I expected the gig to end which took me out of the moment a little bit. If anything, Ginger and the rest of the band deserve the world of praise for finishing the gig – especially as well as they did.

9. Black Stone Cherry: Experience Kentucky – Guildhall, Portsmouth – November

In another end of year post, I included my story about having seen Black Stone Cherry at the Wedgewood Rooms. That story was included in the entry for them playing Wembley Arena if memory serves. They played arenas earlier this year I believe and I decided to give that a miss as the London date was midweek. Then they announced this tour. This was a “an evening” with tour, with Black Stone Cherry playing an acoustic set, taking a short break and then playing a full band electric set. As it was taking place in my home town, it was a no-brainer. On a trivial note, when I saw them at the Pyramids in Portsmouth in 2009, they originally booked the Guildhall and it got downgraded.

The acoustic set was brilliant, and they played Stay – which is one of my favourite Black Stone Cherry songs and one which hasn’t been played live in quite a long time (cheers Florida Georgia Line). A couple got engaged on stage during the acoustic set which was pretty cool. The full band set was ace – they played a few covers including Ace of Spades as a tribute to Lemmy. The set contained quite a few songs I’ve never seen them play live which is always good. It was great getting to see them play in Portsmouth again. I didn’t expect to see that happen after they started playing arenas. Black Stone Cherry are an excellent live band – and this gig proved that once again.

8. Billy Joel – Wembley Stadium, London – September

I’ve wanted to see Billy Joel live for quite some time. When he came to the UK in 2013, I so wanted to go but I just didn’t have the money. Also, the London show was at Hammersmith, which was a shock – but it meant it sold out very quickly. He announced a show at Wembley Stadium for this year and I mentioned it to my brother, as I knew his wife wanted to see him live. He asked me if I could sort out the tickets for them, so it could be a birthday surprise for her – which I did. After I done that, and had the Ticketmaster order page staring back at me saying “Michael, you are going to see Billy Joel!” – I was slightly annoyed that I wasn’t. After a bit of deliberation, I decided to grab myself a ticket as well. As soon as I bought it, I had buyer’s remorse but that went away fairly quickly.

Wembley Stadium all seated is a bit strange. I was in the upper tier, looking down on the pitch. Those poor bastards who sat down there got soaked during that gig as the weather was horrible. There wasn’t a support act for the gig which meant we would get about 2 and a half hours of Billy Joel which was pretty ace. The set was basically the perfect Billy Joel set list for me – with the added bonus of an AC/DC cover thrown in for good measure. Joel and his band were on top form all evening. I had read some reviews of his European tour which were all full of praise – so I went in with high hopes and I was not let down. This was a great gig. 

7. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Ricoh Arena, Coventry - June

Going to this gig ticked a box for me, in that I’d wanted to see Springsteen live for quite a while but never got round to doing so. I have spoken to a number of people about his live shows and every review was glowing. My parents, who had seen him once before this gig, said they didn’t know exactly what was going on (he played Darkness on the Edge of Town in full), but they could tell it was something special. This gig just happened to fall on my Mum’s birthday, so I went to visit them and we all went to see Springsteen together. In the US, he had been touring the album The River. I was a bit disappointed when that didn’t happen in Europe but not so disappointed that it took anything away from the gig.

No support band for this one, but one wasn’t needed. Springsteen and his band played for about 3 hours I think, maybe slightly longer. All of the reports I had heard set my bar pretty high for this gig – that bar was surpassed and then some. The whole gig from start to finish was just great – even when songs were being played that I didn’t know, I didn’t feel bored, waiting for one I wanted to see/knew. One thing which impressed me is just how well prepared the band were for the fan requests. They played three fan requests – and one of them was a song rarely played live. Now, they might have ballsed it up for all I know about the song in question – but based on the crowd reaction to it, it didn’t seem that way. They played a few cover songs throughout the course of the evening, the highlight being Because The Night, a Patti Smith song. The overall gig highlight for me was when they played several in quick succession that I loved – Born In The USA, Born To Run and Dancing In The Dark – outstanding stuff. I went to this gig, as said above, to tick a box but I would 100% go and see them again.

6. Clutch – The Roundhouse, London – December

Funny that this gig is here given the first time I saw them live, I dismissed them. I have come to the conclusion that they had a bad sound set up the first time I saw them. It wasn’t great. I saw them again at the Wedgewood Rooms which was noticeably better but I had to leave early to catch a train home. I didn’t give them much thought until I saw them at Download 2011 and they blew me away with how good they were. I wanted to go a headline show to see them again but I couldn’t make any of the London shows that cropped up between this set and their set at Download 2015 – which was even better than the 2011 one. I fully intended to see them on their headline tour in 2015, but I waited too long to get tickets and they sold out. I made plans for that day and then the gig got moved to a bigger venue as the Shepherds Bush Empire needed emergency work doing to its roof (after The Wildhearts blew it off in September – maybe). So there were now tickets available, but I had alternative plans. This tour came around and I again held off buying a ticket but got one in the upper standing area, which actually I quite like.

Lionize were playing as I walked in, who I thought were quite good. I also liked the main support – Valient Thorr – but not as much as Lionize. Clutch came on, opened with The Mob Goes Wild and from that point, this gig was just outstanding. There was not a single “piss break” moment during this gig. The set was almost perfect for me but no Earth Rocker was a bit of a disappointment. That is the only negative I have to say really. This gig made me go back and listen to the latest album again (which I already liked) and discover just how damn good the song Firebirds is. There was a pretty long pause before the encore of Electric Worry and X-Ray Visions – which was a superb encore. Of all the times I’ve seen Clutch live, this is definitely the best.

5. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – Guildhall, Portsmouth – December

For most of these entries, I’ve written a bit of context to go along with discussion about the gig. That is a straightforward task for this one – In 2014, the Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls gig at the Guildhall was my gig of the year. In 2015, it was my second favourite gig of the year. It seems strange putting it in 5^th this time around as it was outstanding. It has been a tough year for establishing an order.

I missed the support acts because I was in a pub across the road (I know; I am an awful person). I don’t tire of seeing Frank Turner live. Much like The Wildhearts, when Frank Turner announces live dates in the UK, I try to work out if I can make any. This set list was a bit different to the tour from last year but was still pretty great. Also, getting to hear him play Love, Ire and Song was just great (played it in 2014 and I have no memory of it taking place – despite not being overly drunk for that gig). I don’t know if there is anything else to add really – another year, another excellent Frank Turner show seen.

4. Arch Enemy – The Engine Rooms, Southampton – August

I wrote a full review of the gig here, so I won’t tread over too much old ground again. What I will say though is that when I was heading to this gig, I had hoped it would be in my top 10. I had no idea it would be so good that it was a genuine contender for gig of the year at one point. It has changed place on this list a number of times, ending up in 4^th. It was a headline show I had been waiting to see for nearly 10 years and it was much better than I ever thought it would be.  

3. David Gilmour – Royal Albert Hall, London – September

I wrote a full review of the gig here, so I won’t go as in depth with this one. The review of this gig was the most recent post to this page before this one and just re-reading it, it reminded me just how special it was. I don’t think I need to add much more than that really.

2. Weezer – Brixton Academy, London – April

I missed Weezer at Sonisphere 2011. I had a headache kick me in the...well head I guess, during Sum 41 and I left the arena to take a break to shake my headache off. I came back in to watch Ginger, who played a great set. However, I left the tent and my headache was back and worse. So I left the arena again and didn’t come back. This meant missing Weezer – but I remember being alright with this because I was convinced they would come back. And then they didn’t. As the years rolled on, no UK show happened. They released an album in 2014 which was pretty decent but still no UK show happened. Then The White Album was announced to come out for earlier this year, alongside a couple of UK dates – Manchester and London. It was midweek which was a pain for those who don’t live in London – but I had to go.

The support band were Dinosaur Jr, who were really good. I’d seen them once before at Camden Rocks festival which was also good. However, having a good support that night was little more than a bonus. I was there to see Weezer and they did not disappoint. I had managed to listen to The White Album twice before going to the gig (it is great by the way) so I was somewhat familiar with them. It seemed I was in the minority though as the crowd didn’t really singalong when the 5 songs from the new album were played (it was a bit louder for the stuff from Everything Will Be Alright In The End). However, when they played one of their better known songs, the singalongs were something else. In the first half of their set, from their back catalogue, they played My Name Is Jonas, Hash Pipe, Back To The Shack, El Scorcho, Pork and Beans and (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To – the singalongs were loud. This to me was almost the perfect Weezer gig (and had they played Dope Nose, it would have been).

1. Avantasia – The Forum, London - March

I’d seen Avantasia twice before this night, both times headlining Wacken festivals and both times they were my band of the festival. I did not anticipate they would play a UK headline show and this view was reinforced when Team Rock Radio were plugging Bloodstock Open Air in 2013 and mentioned just about every band playing apart from Avantasia – who were sub-headlining the Saturday night. One of the publications that fall under the banner of Team Rock, Metal Hammer, when reviewing the festival wrote something like apart from the 500 diehards there, no-one could care less – can’t imagine why that could be. Anyway, fan boy annoyance aside (not least as I couldn’t make that show), when a headline show was announced, I snapped up a ticket immediately.

It was “an evening with” set up in that there was no support band. Doors opened at 7, Avantasia came on at 8. The new material from Ghostlights worked so well live as did all my old favourites that I had seen previously at Wacken. Tobias Sammet was only not on stage for 3 of the 24 songs of the night (sadly, two of them are my favourites but no matter) which is pretty damn impressive. It was everything I hoped it would be and then some. Looking back at the set list from that night now, I’m really struggling to not say “all of it!” were I to be asked about the highlight – and that to me is the sign of a great gig. I’ve spoken about this gig without once giving mention to Michael Kiske. My favourite Avantasia songs that have more than one singer usually feature him, and he was so good during this gig. That isn’t to say the other singers and musicians weren’t great, because they all were. I think the thing which made it gig of the year for me was seeing this music that I absolutely love in such an intimate setting, given the context of the previous times I had seen them. They were always great at Wacken, but this was just something else. I remember watching their first live DVD, and there was a clip of them playing a venue in Argentina the size of The Forum. I remember wishing they would do something similar in London, and speculating just how incredible it would be (and then being annoyed because it would never happen). It did, and it was (and then some).

And that, for 2016, is that. It has been a good year for gig going and I’ve been to some great gigs. I suspect I will do this again next year and I can already see some potential gig of the year candidates in my calendar. At this stage, it is hard to look past Guns N’ Roses at Olympic Stadium – but we shall see. Had you asked me this time last year what my gig of 2016 would be, I would probably have said David Gilmour.

2015 - A Year In Live Music

Before I start this blog about the gigs and festivals I've been to in 2015, I wanted to write a quick something about the recent passing of Lemmy Kilmister. I saw this news break and it really saddened me. I never met Lemmy, nor would I call myself a massive Motorhead fan, but his passing really made me sad. Not long after I saw the news, I remembered back to the words I wrote about Motorhead in my last blog. They weren't overly positive and ended with a somewhat unfortunate sentence, considering.

"Motorhead deserve the slot because they are Motorhead, but seeing them last year in Hyde Park supporting Black Sabbath was a little bit painful and I suspect that this will be no different...The new music they release is consistently good but live? Sadly not so much anymore. Also, there have been quite a number of cancellations recently, so I hope whoever is booked to be 4th from top is ready to step up, just in case. I hope it doesn't happen obviously, but it is an eventuality you have to be prepared for."

When I wrote those words, it was referring to Lemmy being ill. At no point was I thinking he might die. It just didn't enter my head. The sad thing though is that I was right, in the worst possible way. This is one of those situations where I definitely do not like being right. When I look back at the times I saw Motorhead live, I will likely most fondly remember seeing them at Southampton Guildhall as my favourite time seeing them. That gig was outstanding. RIP Lemmy, the world is a worse place now that you have passed.

(Source: BBC)

Nearly two weeks ago, I attended the last gig I will attend in 2015. Not long afterwards, I got to thinking about the end of year blog I write about live music and my favourite gigs and festival sets of the year. In all honesty, the bulk of that discussion was trying to remember what bands I had actually seen this year and where I had seen them rather than what gigs I enjoyed the most. I was convinced I had been to Islington Academy for a gig this year, which I haven’t and also couldn’t believe that I hadn’t been to Brixton Academy in over 2 years (again, I haven’t). Anyway, after that hurdle was overcome, I started to think on the two lists I tend to draw up and what would be on them. A list of the best festival sets this year would be a much easier list to draw up (I thought) as I was only at one full weekend festival (Download). I went to both days of Victorious Festival but don’t count that as a full weekend festival as I walked home afterwards. I was also at a bit of Camden Rocks Festival and the Radio 2 Festival in a Day in Hyde Park. Whereas in previous years, I’d have plenty of choice to make up a top 10 for festival sets, this year it was harder because I didn’t write reviews about Camden Rocks, Victorious or the Radio 2 day, so I had no scores to look back on. I know, my own fault. To make life easier for me, I have opted this year for a top 5 of festival sets, with a lot of honourable mentions, as the top 5 was definitive. So with that being said, this is the list.

Honourable Mentions:

Camden Rocks – Anti-Nowhere League; The Dirty Youth – I was feeling sad when I arrived at Camden Rocks Festival because I’d just come from watching Bath lose in the Premiership Rugby Final. I only managed to catch 3 bands because after The Dirty Youth finished, anywhere with a remotely big band playing had a queue out the door and, having lost a list of stage times, instead of seeing a random band, I decided to leave. However, both these bands here had outstanding sets. The Dirty Youth in particular really picked me up as my mood had slumped a bit before they came on stage. As a side note, as I was leaving the venue of the first band I saw (more on them later), I bumped into someone who asked me for the final result. I mentioned how Saracens had beat Bath and the guy, a Bristol fan, was happy. I reminded him that whilst Bath had indeed lost the Premiership final, Bristol had just lost the Championship playoff final again, and were competing in the second tier of English rugby. Perhaps not the most mature thing to do, but it briefly cheered me up at the time.

Download – Judas Priest; Slipknot; Testament; Evil Scarecrow; KISS – Bands who played Download make up 80% of my top sets list. However, there were other sets that I really enjoyed. Judas Priest were excellent. They inspired me to see them again live later in the year. Slipknot were also excellent – I would say they were better at Wembley Arena – but they still had a great headline set. Testament were ace, they had a short set but came on stage and smashed through their songs. It was a very quick 30 minutes that is for sure. Evil Scarecrow were perhaps the surprise package of the weekend. I went to watch Crabulon to be honest, but the whole set was really very good. I loved KISS as much as I did because it was my first time seeing them. Paul Stanley’s voice struggled a bit with certain songs (especially with Detroit Rock City at the beginning) but that didn’t ruin the set for me (like it did with Motley Crue). KISS were really enjoyable and the show was excellent.

Victorious – Texas; Hayseed Dixie; Primal Scream; The Subways; We Are Scientists – Victorious overall wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. I think it is because it rained and I knew I could walk home if I got fed up of the weather. I didn’t until I was done with the bands each day, but still. The five bands mentioned above were all really good. Texas were the best band of the weekend for me, closely followed by Hayseed Dixie. I’d quite happily see them both again.

BBC Radio 2 Live In Hyde Park – The Corrs; Bryan Adams – There wasn’t a bad act on this day really. I was disappointed in Rod Stewart’s set as I only really know the songs you hear on the radio regularly (Do Ya Think I’m Sexy, Sailing, Maggie May etc) and he didn’t play any of them. I guess it was to try and sell tickets to a greatest hits tour? Who knows? Anyway, enough with the negativity. It was a good day out in London and The Corrs and Bryan Adams were the best acts of the day for me. Neither set made the top 5 of festival sets for this year, but they were both really very good.

Top 5:

5. Eureka Machines – Camden Rocks Festival – I’m sure there are several instances on this page of me saying the following words, but I fucking love Eureka Machines. This was supposed to be a 30 minute set but they ended up playing for close to 45 minutes as they started early. This was the second time I’d heard them play music from their Brain Waves album live which made it even better. They played in a small bar/restaurant called The Cuban if memory serves, and the place was packed for them. Superb set from a superb band.

4. Faith No More – Download Festival – Headliners in 2009, but on this day they sub-headlined to another band in this list. They were great at BST in 2014, but they had sound problems. They sounded spot on for this set and it was clear to see that Faith No More are more than just a nostalgia act these days. The new material sounded as good as the old stuff, and the old stuff got a fantastic reaction each time. For me, this was the best I’ve seen Faith No More (although I was feeling rough when I saw them at Hammersmith, which didn’t help matters). Off the back of this set, I’d love to see them again, indoors preferably.

3. A Day To Remember – Download Festival – ADTR were one of the main draws of Download 2015 for me. I had gone to see them in Portsmouth in 2014 and the gig was cut short due to some prick jumping off the balcony. That gig would likely have been one of my top 5 for last year but due to events, it wasn’t. They had an outstanding set at Download – my enjoyment of which was helped by the fact they played pretty much everything I wanted to hear them play. Towards the end of their set, there was a rather loud chant of “10 more songs”. A future headliner for Download? Quite possible.

2. Clutch – Download Festival – Last time I saw Clutch was at Download 2011. I had missed a UK tour between then and this set as the closest date to me was on a Thursday, and I decided against going. They had an absolutely belting set on the main stage. They played some new material from an album that at that point, had not been released. It was from an album called Psychic Warfare which is a really good album. I am sad to report that I didn’t pull my finger out quick enough and their London date on their 2015 tour sold out. So after I abandoned plans to go, and made alternative plans that day, the gig got moved due to a venue closure to a bigger room and more tickets went on sale. So on the 12^th December, not only did I not see Clutch, but I watched The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Really, I made the wrong call! Hopefully they will be back again soon.

1. Muse – Download Festival – I was toying with the idea of a day ticket to see KISS as they were the only headliner I hadn’t seen live. However, when more of the bill was announced and the main stage run of Rise Against, ADTR, Faith No More and Muse was revealed, I knew I would be going for the weekend. That whole run was just brilliant and set the bar exceedingly high for Muse to reach if they wanted to be the best band of the day as far as I was concerned. They did so with ease. From the second they came on until the very end of their set, they had me and thousands of others wrapped around their little fingers. It was one of the best festival headline sets I’ve ever witnessed (that could be a fun blog to write for another day). As the set rumbled on, it seemed as though the only negative I would have to take away from it would be the fact they didn’t play Plug In Baby. During their encores on this tour, they were playing Uprising, Starlight and Knights in Cydonia and it hadn’t been played in the main set. After Uprising, Matt Bellamy teased playing Plug In Baby before launching into it, which received a massive cheer from the crowd (myself included). Sure, we didn’t get Starlight which is also an excellent song, but I would have preferred to hear Plug In Baby on this day and that is what we got. My final words from my Download review of their set still seem appropriate for this part of the blog. “I could sit here and gush more about how good Muse were…and it is a little bit tempting. But I will leave it there. Muse fucking rocked!” Roll on April when they play arenas in this country, in the round. That will be something else.

Gigs:

I don’t really have a whole lot to say here about the gigs I have been to this year. It occurred to me that this year is the first in a few that I’ve not seen a massive act at an intimate gig. I have tried for a few years now to rein in spending on gig tickets and to a degree, I managed that this year. I still went to London over 10 times for live music this year though so could still do better. I would say my biggest regrets on the not going to gig front from this year are Volbeat in Denmark, Skindred in Southampton, Amaranthe in Islington, Deathcrusher Fest Tour in London and David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall. All of those gigs would have made choosing a top 10 a right prick to be honest! One of those has been rectified as Gilmour announced more RAH dates and I am going to one of them which could well be the gig of 2016 (spoiler alert). As I have a healthy list of gigs to choose from, this list will be much like previous end of year ones. There will be a top 10 and also an honourable mentions list done in chronological order. I feel as though the honourable mentions list could have been longer but I could also be here until 2016* if it was.

*slight hyperbole there but never mind.

Honourable Mentions:

Royal Blood – Pyramids, Portsmouth. January 2015 – Originally supposed to take place at the end of 2014 but due to illness, it was postponed until January, which then led to the strange situation where they played two gigs in Portsmouth, really close together (the Pyramids in January and the Guildhall in March). This gig had Turbowolf in support who were excellent. Royal Blood were better than Turbowolf on this night, and sounded amazingly tight. I read some reviews which called them boring but I didn’t think that at all. An honourable mention for two reasons. First, it was a pretty short gig. They were on stage for about an hour I think. Second, I forgot to include them in my initial long list.

Queen w/Adam Lambert – The O2, London. January 2015 – This was a tough call to put this in honourable mentions as the gig was very good. However, it was between this and the gig that is in 10^th spot, and I honestly preferred the other gig (obviously, hence why it is there). Adam Lambert did a fantastic job as the vocalist for Queen, and it was great to hear a lot of songs performed live that I never thought I would get to hear played live (at least by some of the original musicians anyway).

Fozzy – The 1865, Southampton. March 2015 – My first experience of this venue this year was pretty bad actually (not the gig, but the wait to get in) so I over corrected this time and arrived nice and early before doors to find there was barely a queue to get in. Opening were a local (to me) act called Dendera. I like them and this was my first time hearing music from their second album which was great (still need to buy that). There was also another band called Malrun on the bill, who to be honest I can’t remember if I enjoyed them or not. Sorry guys! The main support was a band called The Dirty Youth. This was my first time seeing them (could have seen them before this in Southampton if memory serves but put it off as I knew they were supporting here) and I was completely won over by the end of the set. In all honesty, the main reason this gig is on this list is because of The Dirty Youth. I enjoyed Fozzy and thought they had a great set – my favourite time seeing them live as a matter of fact. On reflection though, the main talking point for me is The Dirty Youth. I have since seen them a couple more times and they were also ace (one mentioned above in the festival recap). I’d like to see them do a full headline set now.

While She Sleeps/Cancer Bats – The Forum, London. April 2015 – The first of 3 jaunts to London in 3 days is the reason this gig only makes the honourable mentions list as I left slightly early to beat the crowd. Both headliners were fantastic though. I now want to see a While She Sleeps headline tour. There is more on Cancer Bats later.

Goldfinger – The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. May 2015 – This gig was just a lot of fun. The support bill were all really enjoyable and Goldfinger just smashed it. Had to leave slightly early to avoid a long wait (or walk) to get home but they played Superman just before I had to leave, which was ace of them.

Eureka Machines – Boston Music Room, London. November 2015 – I absolutely love Eureka Machines. This gig was just brilliant. There were a number of technical troubles but that didn’t really detract from the gig for me. I love going to see them live and they are one of those bands that now as soon as they announce dates, I try to see if I can make it. Thankfully I was able to see them twice this year which was ace.

Judas Priest – Guildhall, Portsmouth. November 2015 – Another tough call as to whether this would make the top 10 but it just missed out. This was a great gig that I never expected to be at. When they finished their set at Download, Rob Halford said “Will you come see us on tour?” to the crowd, and I turned to a mate and said “yeah…if they play Portsmouth!” and we laughed at the very idea of Judas Priest playing Portsmouth. Roll on a few months and that is exactly what happened. It was a really good gig. Judas Priest are still excellent live and this was another example of that. This will likely be the last headline show of theirs I’ll go to for a long while though unless they release another belter of an album as it is pricey going to see them live.

Top 10:

10. Hey! Hello! – Camden Underworld, London. June 2015 – This one was almost an honourable mention in place of Queen. However this beat it out for two reasons. First, I was in the gods for Queen and sat down. Second, this gig was just a ton of fun. Ginger opened the night with a solo acoustic set which was mostly made up of songs from GASS, which I was more than fine with. The second band on were a young band that had Ginger’s eldest son in. I remember enjoying their set as well. The main support were Role Models who are always pretty good live. Hey! Hello! were the best band of the night though and even though the set was brief (a warm up for their upcoming Download set), it was excellent. The night ended with a No Doubt cover that was superb. Hey! Hello! may well be Ginger’s new main project in the coming years, and it was pretty cool to be at their first (?) headline show.

9. Slipknot – Wembley Arena, London. January 2015 – When originally discussing this list, I figured this would be nearer the top of this list. When I sat down and really gave it some thought, I realised that while it deserved its place in the top 10, but not higher than it is. I got in and missed most of Korn’s set (it turns out most of the crowd had the same idea as me and missed King 810). However, I did get to see Korn perform a Beastie Boys cover with Slipknot – that was cool. Slipknot’s set was ace and we got the setlist that I wanted (I think they were doing 3 on rotation). This was only my second time seeing Slipknot indoors and I much preferred it to the first time, even though I loved that gig as well.

8. Less Than Jake – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. July 2015 – This gig was just great from the moment Random Hand started to the minute Less Than Jake finished (if you excuse the band changeover time). I saw Less Than Jake the year before and while I enjoyed them, I think I was so happy to have already seen Reel Big Fish, I was a bit burned out. This time was all about Less Than Jake and it was fantastic. Also, this is one of a few gigs this year where a song has played that I’ve actually welled up at. They played The Rest Of My Life, the song that got me back into Less Than Jake and a song I absolutely love. It was a complete involuntary reaction as well but yeah, that happened. Great gig,

7. Cancer Bats – 100 Club, London. August 2015 – First visit to the 100 Club and first time seeing Cancer Bats headline a show since their tour where they did 6 gigs in one day in London (I excuse the co-headline tour because they may have played the same length set as While She Sleeps, they didn’t headline that night). There were two bands that played before the main support and I don’t remember their names, but I remember them being good. Krokodil were the main support and they smashed it. However, Cancer Bats put it back together and smashed it again. It was such a good set from them and completely justified the jaunt to London to see them again. Thankfully, they are in my home town next year, and I expect to see them in and around the end of year post again this time next year. Also, the 100 Club is a cool little venue. I just can’t imagine Metallica playing in a room that small – that must have been carnage.

6. Epica – The Forum, London. November 2015 – I waited until the week before deciding I wanted to go to this gig, and I’m so glad I went. Last year, this band were on the honourable mentions list which was probably fair enough for last year. This gig overall was better. Epica were just as good if not better than last year. The support bill was just fantastic with Eluveitie and Scar Symmetry opening the night (Eluveitie’s set showing me that Epica seem to always bring a band that does a very long support set before they come on, just like last year with Dragonforce). This was a belting gig and completely justified my ticket buying. I could see them becoming a band that I go and see every time they do a headline tour in this country (providing I can make any dates of course). I say that mostly because I just saw them post US tour dates on Facebook and thought “I’d see them if I was in the US”. I won’t be, so I can’t, sadly for me.

5. Nightwish – Wembley Arena, London. December 2015 – The most recent gig I’ve been to. Fresh in the mind and one that will live on for some time I think. Before this night, I was 1 for 2 in terms of good Nightwish gigs in London. The Astoria was a good night, their end of tour show at Brixton was not so good. This show banished the memories of Brixton for me. The band were on superb form (just as good as when I saw them for the first time with Floor Jansen at Wacken 2013). The stage show was one of the best I’ve seen in an arena and overall what this gig proved is that if they were announced to headline Download, I think they could do it and put on an amazing show. Amorphis were a really good opener and I’m glad I finally saw them. Arch Enemy made me want them to do a headline tour of the UK. If they do, expect to see that gig on this list next year. They were fantastic. All in all, a great night.

4. AC/DC – Wembley Stadium, London. July 2015 – Until I sat down and gave it thought, this was my number one gig of the year. The reason for this is simply because it was AC/DC and they were excellent. The show was simply brilliant and continued my run of good gigs there (Metallica, Roger Waters and now AC/DC). Vintage Trouble were the support and they did a good job opening the gig. I enjoyed them. Very different to AC/DC mind. There really is little more that needs to be said. I’d heard they phoned in their Download 2010 headline set. I’ll never know if that is true as I wasn’t there. On this night however, they were on it, and it was a superb gig.

3. The Wildhearts – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London. September 2015 – P.H.U.Q in full. Enough said. Oh, and also the set after they played P.H.U.Q was fantastic as well (including the song Anthem, which I have wanted to hear live from the moment I first heard it). Hey! Hello! opened the night and that was a great set. A scaled down version of the headline show I saw earlier in the year but still good. The main support was Baby Chaos, a band I’d never seen before but heard nothing but good things about, and I liked their set. The Wildhearts though were just something else. I might be biased as they are one of my favourite bands, but I would like to see them tour every year. Ideally next year will contain a Fishing For Luckies anniversary tour. If so, I think there is a chance I might end up on a plane to see them more than once again (or at the very least, a coach). The night closed (or so I thought) with 29x The Pain, but just before we left the area of the Empire, we could hear they finished with The Duck Song, which was just ace (and had me talking about getting a tattoo inspired by that song for quite a few days afterwards).

2. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – Guildhall, Southampton. November 2015 – Last year, I saw Frank Turner in Portsmouth and it was the best gig I went to all year. This year, I saw Frank Turner twice in Southampton and they were two of the best gigs I went to this year. It was a tough call to say that the first Soton gig was not my best of the year, as it was just amazing. The setlist was incredible, and the new material woven in with the older songs just sound like they’ve been a part of the back catalogue for many years. Both nights a different part of the set made me well up (again, involuntarily). The first night it was hearing Mittens live. The second night it was Song for Josh (actually that was a bit more than welling up if I’m being honest). I’ve seen Frank Turner both solo and with the Sleeping Souls and every time has been outstanding. These two gigs really could have been gig of the year had it not been for the night that I have picked.

1. System of a Down – Wembley Arena, London. April 2015 – This was my second time seeing System of a Down. I loved their headline set at Download despite almost every review I’ve seen in the years after saying it was lacklustre. This gig however was far from lacklustre. I could spend time writing every superlative I know about this gig and it still wouldn’t seem appropriate. I’ll just write one for now, it was phenomenal. They played for over 2 hours, playing a 35 song set. As far as dream System of a Down setlists go, this one was as close as I’m sure I’ll ever get to see. But to see them again, and see them just be amazing, was the best moment of 2015 for me in terms of live music. If they release new music and tour, I’m sure I will try to go – but I’m not sure they would be capable of topping this gig for me. I never got to see them play at the Astoria in London (I’ve been told these gigs were something special), but this for me was something very special. Also, Holy Mountains is a fantastic set opener. I had goose bumps from the second it started.

And that is 2015 in live music for me. Next year so far is not looking very full but I’m sure there will be additions made to it. There has already been one gig casualty with The Ghost Inside having to cancel their tour due to a tour bus crash they were in. I was sad to see that the gig was cancelled but the band’s health is more important than a tour and I hope they will come back stronger and better than ever. With regards to gigs that are booked, the potential stand outs for me at this early stage are Avantasia, Muse (in the round) and David Gilmour in London as well as Cancer Bats and Crossfaith in Portsmouth and Bowling for Soup and Hey! Hello! in Southampton. 2015 has been a good one, roll on 2016!