A Decade Of Gigs Part Two - Stadium/Outdoor Shows

It is time for the next installment of my Decade of Gigs blog series that I am writing. The first one was about some of the gigs I’ve seen at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth (which you can read by clicking here). This time around, I’m going to go for a different theme. From small gigs to massive gigs – stadium shows and open air gigs. I had originally intended to talk about this mixed in with festival headliners, but that list was really quite massive so I have split it in two. I have also opted to exclude the 3 times I went and sat outside the arena in Hyde Park to listen to artists. It is hard to talk about it in detail when the view was a big green metal wall. As a reminder, the time period being covered by these gigs is 2006-2015. However, much like the first installment, we start in 2007.

When I write my festival headliners blog, I will talk more about Metallica at Download 2006 without doubt. The first big gig I want to talk about though is the first stadium gig that I went to - Metallica at Wembley Stadium in July 2007. Originally, I wasn’t too fussed about the support (I didn’t know Mastodon, didn’t think too much of Bullet For My Valentine, and didn’t like what I’d heard of HIM). However in the run up to the gig, Bullet had to pull out due to illness and were replaced by Machine Head. Mastodon were a wall of noise and I didn’t think much of their set. Machine Head, who the month before had one of the better sets at Download, had another excellent set. I didn’t watch HIM so cannot pass comment on them (I went to go get something to eat instead, and Wembley were out of plastic cutlery). Metallica were fantastic. They opened with Creeping Death and then launched into For Whom The Bell Tolls. They then played Sad But True, which created a genuine wave of excitement around the stadium. At the time of this gig, most Metallica sets had two encores, the first starting with Sad But True. This meant we could get something rare in the set. That box was already ticked when they played the title track from …And Justice For All in full for the first time in quite a few years (well, on this tour anyway). They also played Orion, which before the Master of Puppets tour from the year before, didn’t get played often live. The first encore started with the song written for the S&M gigs, No Leaf Clover. That was completely unexpected and was just brilliant. This was my first stadium show and for quite a while was my favourite time seeing Metallica.

A year later, Iron Maiden were revisiting their back catalogue on their Somewhere Back In Time Tour, and the UK date was their first ever UK Stadium show at Twickenham. I had a ticket to Wacken 2008 to see this show in Germany, but as I had some spare funds, I made a late call to go to the UK date as well. I had seen them twice by this point, and whilst I had enjoyed them both times, I wanted to see them play more from their 80s back catalogue. This tour had me more than covered on that front. Opening with Aces High was ace. My favourite part of the gig was them playing Rime of the Ancient Mariner followed straight away by Powerslave. Both times I had seen them previously, the atmosphere during Fear of the Dark was something special and it was the same during this gig – it was excellent. The last song of the evening was Hallowed Be Thy Name, and what a way to close a gig. This was a very good late call.

The next one on my list to discuss took place in June of 2010 and was different to all the others on this list for the simple fact it was a free gig. Rage Against The Machine celebrated the fact they got the Christmas No.1 song in 2009 by playing a free gig in Finsbury Park in London. It was absolute mayhem trying to get tickets, and it was the first (and only) time I’ve had to submit a photo to be printed on the ticket. Oddly enough, the ticket company sent me two lots of tickets. One with photos, one without. There were people outside who were desperate for tickets, which seemed strange as even if someone did sell them a ticket, they wouldn’t match the photo on the ticket and then surely wouldn’t have got in? No matter. I missed the first couple of bands but got inside in time for Gogol Bordello, who were really entertaining. I’d seen nothing like them before (something that still stands I’d say). After they finished, it got really busy. I’d only ever been so squashed in at a gig once before and that was at an indoor venue (RIP Astoria). Rage Against The Machine came on and it was exactly like the celebration party they had said it would be. It was a fairly short gig (their headline set at Download the weekend after was longer, so setlist.fm tells me) but this wasn’t a bad thing. The money they made from the single making it to number 1 at Christmas was all donated to charity (Shelter, if memory serves). They introduced the people who started the campaign to make them number 1 on stage and gave them a big cheque for the donation, which was cool. The final song of the night, unsurprisingly, was Killing in the Name and that closed out what was a very unique gig.

If I can absolutely help it, I never want to leave for a gig at 4.30am ever again. I went to see Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes Bowl in 2011, and the people I went with decided they wanted to be down the front, so they wanted to get golden circle wristbands. Apparently the best way to do this was to get there really early and queue. So, that is what we did. We arrived at the venue not long before 7am, we were one of the first cars in the car park and we waited. There were about 10 other people at the gate at this time, and about 20 or so had arrived by about 9am, when someone came out and gave us all golden circle wristbands. Mission accomplished. I took a long walk into the centre of Milton Keynes as I figured that would be a better use of my time until the doors opened (which wouldn’t be for another 5 hours). When I got back to the venue, it was not long before the opening band came on, and people were queuing for golden circle wristbands. I won’t lie, that annoyed me. The opening band were The Hot Rats, a covers side project of Supergrass. I fell to sleep during their set, which probably says all I need to about them. Jimmy Eat World were up next and they had a really good set. Biffy Clyro were the main support, the week before they headlined Sonisphere (still can’t work that one out) and they had a really good set as well. Foo Fighters though were on another level entirely. They played an absolutely blinding set. The set list was pretty much perfect for me (No DOA was the one glaring omission for me). They more than made up for the early start. However said early start came back to bite us in the arse not long after we had left. Turns out the organisation for getting cars out of the car park was limited. We were one of the first cars in, which meant we were one of the last out – painful.

The next entry on this list is the only one that takes place in mainland Europe. In 2012, it was apparently suggested to Metallica by Andy Copping, the Download Festival booker, that they should tour their self-titled album in full, so they did. They headlined Download on this tour but they also played their biggest show in France to date at the Stade De France. I managed to get a £60 return on the Eurostar, so headed across the channel to go to this gig. Due to leaving it late booking travel, I arrived fairly late into Paris and ended up missing both the support bands (I wouldn’t have minded seeing Gojira again, but the main support didn’t sound like the sort of thing I was interested in at all). Unlike UK stadium shows, the standing area was cut into sections and priced according to how close you were to the stage (If memory serves, there were 3 price brackets but I’m not 100% on that). I was in the section at the back which was fine by me. They played the Black Album in full but in reverse order so that they could finish on Enter Sandman. Much like when they toured Master of Puppets, they opened the set with 5 songs from their other albums before playing the album in full. At this point, I had seen Metallica quite a few times but I was always able to say that every time I had seen them live, they played something I had never seen them play live before. I knew this was going to be the case with some of the songs off of the Black Album, but I didn’t expect them to drop in a song off their Beyond Magnetic EP, which they did – Hell and Back was a nice surprise. As was the tour debut of No Remorse. Metallica played an excellent set that night, and it made me love the Black Album even more than I already did.

2013 was an interesting year as I spent a lot of money going to gigs and festivals. I went to 3 stadium shows as well as two festivals that summer. The last one on this list from 2013 I had bought the ticket a year in advance, but we’ll get into that later. The first two of these gigs happened within a week of each other and took place at the same venue – the Emirates Stadium in London. The first one of these was Muse. The first thing that occurred to me was that in 2012, I had gone to see Judas Priest after going to Twickenham to watch the Premiership Rugby Final, and I said to myself I’d never do that again as it was a really tiring day. Roll on a year later and not only was I going to a gig after the Premiership Rugby final again, but I was going to be standing in a much bigger crowd. Due to going to the rugby before, I missed the support. Honestly though, I can’t say that bothered me too much as it was Dizzee Rascal and Bastille. I had only seen Muse once before this gig and it is tough to say whether this was a better gig than when they headlined Reading the year before (and played Origin of Symmetry in full) but it was still pretty damn good. I think at this point in time, excluding seeing Rammstein, it was the most impressive stage show I had seen anywhere. That was backed up by Muse themselves being one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. Trying to put them in order of the best I’ve ever seen would be extremely tough, but I feel confident in saying if I did such a list, Muse would be in the top 10. The week after Muse was Green Day. I had seen Green Day the year before in significantly more intimate surroundings at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and this was a good show. However it was almost a replication of that show the year earlier. In hindsight, if I hadn’t gone to this gig, I wouldn’t have missed anything of note. Furthermore, I had a hangover during the gig which is never fun. This was the second time I’d seen Green Day and both times they haven’t played Good Riddance – most annoying. I did enjoy the gig though.

The final big show of 2013 that I went to is probably my favourite gig in the whole of the decade being discussed in these posts. That is a big call to make but it was just that good. Roger Waters had been touring The Wall album for quite a while and when it came to the UK, he did several nights at the O2 Arena (as well as other arenas around the country). I didn’t have the money for it, which was a shame. However, when he announced Wembley Stadium, I decided that I had to go. I bought a ticket a year in advance which for a gig is something I don’t recall having done before. I almost missed the beginning of the show as well as I took a nap in my hotel in London (by Clapham Junction, so quite a way from Wembley Stadium) and overslept. In a panic, I rushed to get to Wembley and was in the stadium for about 2 minutes before the show started. I mentioned before how the two most impressive stage shows I had seen before this gig were Muse and Rammstein. This topped them both. It was an absolutely spectacular show. The Wall is an excellent album, but the combination of it being played live and that stage show made it the best gig I went to in this decade. My two favourite moments of the gig probably won’t be that shocking to anyone who knows the album – but it was when Roger Waters and his band played Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two) and Comfortably Numb. This gig is also directly responsible for me saying the word “Blighty” more often than I used to. As it stands, this gig is the closest I have got to seeing anything resembling Pink Floyd live. That will change later this year when I see David Gilmour do a show at the Royal Albert Hall – but I suspect due to the venue, the stage show won’t come close to the one on display this night at Wembley Stadium. I’m happy to be proven wrong mind!

In 2014, I went to Hyde Park to see Black Sabbath. In the build up to Sabbath, I saw a set from Motorhead which left me thinking that Lemmy needed to retire (he never did, he kept playing almost until he died. RIP Lemmy). I also saw a belting set from Faith No More which had some sound issues and a great set from Soundgarden in which they played their album Superunknown in full. I was worried about the Black Sabbath set. I had seen Ozzy have a bit of an off day when he headlined Wacken in 2011. Sabbath the year before at Download were excellent. I had hoped it would be almost as good as the Download set, but I never imagined they would be able to match that set. They did so comfortably. The band were just on excellent form. It was a noticeably shorter set this time around (the Download set had about 4 more songs in I think) but that wasn’t a problem. Black Sabbath put on a really good show and if it is the last time I see them play, I will be fine with that.

After going to see Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes Bowl, I decided it would have to take something significant to get me back there. The venue is great, it is just a pain to get to and from. Pearl Jam announced they were playing there and I decided that this would be my best chance to see them live (they don’t seem to play the UK often and when they do, the shows sell out fast). This was an excellent decision by me as they were outstanding. This was in my top 5 of gigs from 2014 and just thinking back on it now, it surprises me that I didn’t put it higher than 4^th. The set was outstanding. I’m not sure if I will ever get to see Pearl Jam live again. If I do, I’m not sure how it can possibly live up to this gig. If this is the one and only time I see them live, I’m fine with that.

The final gig I want to talk about for this installment took place last year and enabled me to tick a band off the list of “must see” bands. AC/DC haven’t played many shows since I became a gig-goer in 2006 (7 to be exact). I didn’t have the money to get to one of the arena shows they did in 2009. I did have a ticket for their Wembley Stadium show that year, but I decided to sell the ticket and use the money to help pay for me to go see Nine Inch Nails on both UK dates of their Wave Goodbye tour. I didn’t regret that decision at the time but as time ticked on, and AC/DC weren’t playing gigs, I wondered if I had missed my chance to see them. Then, because they are nice like that, they released a new album and announced another show at Wembley Stadium. I managed to get a ticket for it and this time, I was going. The show was really quite cool and the set list was perfect for me. I had heard from some people that their set at Download in 2010 was somewhat phoned in which worried me. This one, whilst no doubt choreographed, didn’t look remotely like it was phoned in, which made me happy.

And that wraps it up for big gigs. Because I had fewer to write about than in the last one, I was able to go more in depth about each one. It was another fun visit down memory lane. So, that is part two of what at the moment is shaping up to be a many part series of blogs about gigs I’ve been to over the last decade. The next few parts to this blog will be festival reflections - a whistle stop look back at the festivals I've been to over the years. 

A Decade Of Gigs Part One - The Wedgewood Rooms

On this blog, I tend to write about things that interest me that I can write a lot about. My last three posts have been my bet gigs of 2015, my thoughts on Download festival at the time and about the Rugby World Cup final and my experiences at the game. One of my personal wishes is that I would find more time to write more as I do enjoy it, but life gets in the way (life meaning binge watching TV shows on Netflix). I tend to write most of the posts on this page about gigs and festivals I’ve been to or am going to. When discussing a gig with a friend recently, it occurred to me that I’ve been going to gigs by myself and with friends for a decade now (2006-2015). In that time, I’ve seen almost every band that I would want to see live (as things stand), which is pretty ace to be honest. I got thinking about the decade of gigs and it made me want to write about some of the gigs I’ve been to. What I couldn’t decide was how to do it. My original thought was to just write a long blog about a select number of the gigs in chronological order, and I actually did start that post. However, after writing about 2000 words and not even being 2 years in, I sacked that one off. I scrapped that blog but the concept stayed with me. I’ve decided to give it another go but do it in a different way. What I am going to do is post a number of blogs with a different theme. I want to write about Portsmouth gigs, gigs outside my home town, London gigs (I suspect that will be a two part blog) and best of the big shows festival headline sets that I have seen. This blog is the first one of a few that I will be writing about. This one is about gigs in Portsmouth that have all taken place in my favourite local venue – The Wedgewood Rooms. I won’t cover every gig I’ve been to there, but I will talk about quite a few of them. They will be in chronological order like I had originally intended, and I will stop at the end of 2015. This was a tough decision to make, as I’ve been to a couple of fantastic gigs this year that I would definitely be talking about, but they fall outside of the first 10 years of gigs. So, with that being said, this post is about the gigs I’ve been to at the Wedgewood Rooms between 2006-2015.

The first gig I went to in this decade actually took place in 2007. I’d been to the Wedge twice before (if memory serves) but never to see music. I’d been to see Robert Llewellyn do a one man show, and to a comedy club night. My first live music gig there was to see Turisas. Earlier in 2007, they had opened the main stage of Download and I enjoyed them there. At the time, I remember being surprised that a band who had played the main stage at Download would play a venue the size of the Wedge. My memory of this gig is a bit limited but I remember enjoying them in the more intimate surrounds of the Wedge a whole lot more than I did at Download. I also remember the atmosphere when they covered Boney M’s song Rasputin. It was the first time I had heard them do it, and it was fantastic. I’ve seen them a few times since this gig, but this would definitely be one of the best times I’ve seen them. Just over 2 weeks later, I went to see Devildriver. For a slight bit of context, before this gig I had seen them 3 times previously, twice at Download (the first time at Download being the time I was introduced to what a circle pit was by accidentally walking into it) and once at a venue in Southampton called The Nexus (I miss that venue). This tour was on their 3^rd album tour, and it was the best I’ve seen them. The main thing I take away from this gig is that it was the first time I had seen a circle pit in the Wedge, and it almost engulfed the entire venue. This is not an exaggeration, it was close to both of the walls at the sides and the sound desk at the back. I’ve not seen anything like that since at the Wedge. A week later, I was back to see a band I hadn’t heard much material by, but by the end of the night I was a fan. Black Stone Cherry played a blinding set. This was the first time I saw them and I’ve gone on to see them a number of times since (they will appear again in future volumes of this subject) and to be honest, I’ve enjoyed some of those other gigs more. This one however remains very special to me as I was there to see them on their first proper headline run in the UK, and since this tour, they have just got bigger and bigger, to the point they are being discussed as a future Download headliner. It is cool to think I got to see them in a 400 capacity room in my hometown.

I’m going to jump forward now to over a year later. In November 2008, I saw Lacuna Coil. I remember when this gig was announced being shocked. They played the main stage of Download in 2006, and played the Pyramids later that year. They were the main support to Bullet For My Valentine at the time of this gig, and announced two headline shows to fit in with days off from this tour, and one of them was at the Wedge. I recall thinking I was really lucky to be going to this gig as they were too big to be playing this venue so it would be a special gig. It was a special gig, but next time they did a UK tour, they played the Wedge again (another good gig for the record). That is the only entry in this post from 2008. In March 2009, I went to see Gojira. I didn’t know a whole lot about them at the time but what I did know, I liked. This gig was ace, and the floor moved. The waves of sound coming from the amps and speakers were almost physical waves. It was quite something. Going to this gig was an experience – that is probably the best way to describe it. Another gig that I’d also describe as an experience but in an entirely different way was when Cancer Bats rolled into town in May. It was my first time seeing them and it was outstanding. The headline set can’t have been any longer than 50 minutes and it was superb. I think on reflection now, I’d probably be annoyed if I saw a band do a headline set shorter than an hour (depending on how many bands were on the bill), but this was so good it didn’t matter. I’ve seen them 10 times in total, including their most recent visit to the Wedge, which was earlier this year. This gig though started off my love affair of seeing Cancer Bats live. Random side note, I went to this gig with a mate who shook hands with someone at the merch desk. I assumed it was a mate of his and just stood back and smiled. Turns out it was Liam from Cancer Bats! I shook his hand at the end of the gig.

Speaking of love affairs, in September 2009, I saw a band for the first time who are now one of my favourite bands. I remember being prompted by a friend to listen to The Wildhearts for over a year before this gig occurred and I don’t think I did until they announced this tour. The band were touring their latest album Chutzpah! Again, I was encouraged by the same friend to give them a go, and if I liked it, to go to the gig. I gave the album a spin and thought it was excellent, so bought a ticket. They played the new album in full, and then did a second set which was a short run through some of their back catalogue. I absolutely loved the gig, and knew at that point that I would be going to see them live again. Sadly after their Christmas tour (which I couldn’t make), they then went on hiatus and this didn’t happen again until 2012. I am very pleased I got to this gig though because if I didn’t, I don’t know if I would have discovered a whole lot of other music (including Ginger’s various solo projects). Just after the gig, I saw the friend who had been suggesting I listen to them. He saw my expression when he asked me if I enjoyed it, and simply said “told you that you’d like them” – he was very right. My last 2009 Wedgewood Rooms memory is seeing CKY. I remember liking a handful of their songs but not getting the chance to see them live. The gig was really good, and they played everything I wanted them to. When thinking of this blog, I wanted to include this gig but my memories of it are sketchy (it was over 5 years ago in my defence). I spoke to a mate I was at the gig with who confirmed that it was a really good gig and another one that after leaving, we were both raving about.

 I have two gigs from 2010 I want to discuss. The first one was the first time I saw Skindred. The second one is just a note about a cancelled gig which to this day, I wish would have been rescheduled rather than cancelled. If memory serves, Skindred played the Wedge in 2006 and I knew a number of people that went to that gig. I didn’t know them at the time so gave it a miss. Everyone who I knew reported back that they were superb and I was a fool to miss it. I decided if they came back, I would go. This was that chance, and I am very glad that I didn’t miss it as they were outstanding. I’ve never seen them even be average live. If they released an album which was universally well received, I could see them moving up the festival bills into the major slots. They get good slots now, don’t get me wrong (sub-headlining the second stage this year at Download), but I reckon if they good booked to headline a festival, they would be more than suitable in terms of the live show they would bring. Interestingly enough, they announced a show in 2011 for the Pyramids, but it got downgraded to the Wedge. That was also an outstanding show. The cancelled gig was Volbeat supported by Black Spiders. I had never seen them live at this point and had only heard one or two of their albums. I rushed out to buy a ticket though because I loved those albums. I remember being so excited for this gig and how gutted I was when it got cancelled. I remember at first, it was only the first week of the tour which was cancelled, and I tried to work out the sums if I could make their still intact London show at the Electric Ballroom. Reluctantly, I worked out it wasn’t do-able. It then got cancelled as well. I’ve seen them a few times since including headlining Wacken Open Air in 2012 which was just outstanding. It confuses me as to how they can headline major rock festivals in Europe, yet here they have to bring a big name support to fill rooms that hold 1-3k people. Personally, I blame Download a little bit for this. They played in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 they clashed with Korn and in 2014, they clashed with a secret Black Stone Cherry set on the third stage that attracted a crowd of 25k people apparently. Anyway, I’m getting side tracked.

I’ve got no entries for 2011 in this blog. I did go to the Wedge in 2011 and I did go to some decent gigs. My only mention of 2011 is that I went to a gig where a band called Dendera opened, and they were ace. What happened to Taking Dawn by the way? Anyway, I will skip forward to 2012. In June 2012, I saw Halestorm at Download. I remember thinking they were really very good. I already had a ticket to see them later in the year at the Wedge. Much like the first entry, Turisas, they were significantly better at the Wedge than they were at Download (I think them having a 25min set at Download might have something to do with this). My two main memories of this gig are quite contrasting. The first is one that I’ve already mentioned, which was just how good they were live (which is quite interesting as I’ve never managed to click with most of their recorded material). The second is a negative memory sadly but has nothing to do with the venue, more to do with the crowd. At one point in the set, Lzzy Hale played a song by herself and it was a real change of pace for the gig. It was a really good song, but throughout the whole thing, there were quite a few males in the crowd wolf whistling and shouting suggestions that Lzzy should remove her top. I remember in that moment feeling really sorry for her and wondering if that gets annoying. If it did get annoying that night, she didn’t let it show. It was the first time that I can remember feeling genuinely uncomfortable at a gig. That is the only entry I have for 2012, and I only have one for 2013 as well. I went to see The Bronx when they came to town. I had heard from several people online who had been requesting they play Download just how good they were live. So without knowing much material, I grabbed a ticket for the gig and hoped it would be a good one. Good is quite the understatement as they absolutely smashed it. It was one of those gigs that seemed to be over really quick despite the fact it wasn’t. I remember raving about the gig for some time afterwards. I finally got to see them again at Sonisphere in 2014 and although they had dodgy sound for some of their set, they reminded me of just how good they were that night at the Wedge.

2011-2013 was covered with 2 entries. I didn’t visit the Wedge often in these years. I didn’t stop going to gigs though as you will find out if you read the other sections of this blog when they are posted. I made up for that in 2014. The first gig I will talk about is Mongol Horde which happened in June. Earlier that year, I had seen Frank Turner perform under his own name at the Guildhall in what has probably been the best gig I’ve seen at the Guildhall. He then announced a tour with his band, Mongol Horde and it was coming to the Wedge. I thought it would sell out instantly and was really pleased I’d been able to grab a ticket. The gig was superb. They ran through the album they released not long before the tour (in a different order) and threw in some covers from bands like Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More, Foo Fighters and Sepultura. I had a bit of a buzz (read: was very drunk) during this gig but I remember it being superb. The next gig I want to talk about was just over 2 weeks later, and is arguably the most fun I’ve ever had at a gig. Earlier in the year, the country got battered by some pretty nasty storms and the Pyramids in Portsmouth was taken out of action. The co-headline tour of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake got moved to the Guildhall, where Reel Big Fish were the best band of the night. Later on in the year, they were booked to play Sonisphere. Around this festival set, they announced a run of small UK shows, and a gig at the Wedge was one of them. Despite having seen them earlier in the year at the Guildhall, I knew this was not one to be missed. I remember running into a friend at the gig who I didn’t know was going to be there, who was with an American friend of his. He had said he was super excited as he had never seen Reel Big Fish before and had a number of things he wanted to hear on the set list. He got to hear everything he wanted to hear aside from one song I think, which was cool. There was so much jumping and dancing at this gig – as I said, I can’t think of another gig where I’ve had as much fun. As a side note, writing about this gig encouraged me to listen to a selection of their music. A great band if you want to smile.

The Wedgewood Rooms played host to the debut UK gig for Gerard Way, formerly of My Chemical Romance, who had split up in 2013. I think his band had only played once before this show so it was almost a debut show. It was also announced I think 2 days before it took place. There was a strict no photography rule in place, so much so they encouraged people to pay for phone lockers before the gig. It was the first time I had ever seen anything like that in place at the Wedge, but then I think it’s probably fair to say that Gerard Way was the biggest act that had played the Wedge in a while. It was a good show as well. He played nearly all of his solo album with no My Chemical Romance songs being played at all, which if I recall surprised me. But no-one who attended seemed to be bothered by that. Less than a week later, I was back to see Airbourne. I’d been to their last two Portsmouth headline shows (at the Guildhall and Pyramids) and was really surprised to see them playing the Wedge (even the singer commented that this was one of the smallest shows they’d played in the UK in some time). It was really very loud. That seems like a daft thing to say about a gig because generally, they are all loud. However, this one was the first one in a while that made my ears ring. Superb gig though.

Towards the end of 2014, I went to the Wedge 3 times in the space of under 4 weeks. The first of these gigs was Bury Tomorrow. I had watched them on the main stage at Download that year and that set convinced me to buy a ticket. I was very glad I did as they were superb that night. So much so that I’ve wanted to see them again since but haven’t been able to make it happen. Annoyingly, they are being supported by Every Time I Die, another band who I saw have a good set at the Wedge, in Southampton in June. However I think I will be out of the county for that one. Damn shame that, but this show was really good. A week later, Sikth, on their reunion tour rumbled into town. I’d seen them once before and had no idea what was going on (I remember liking it though). This time I was a little bit more clued in and thought it was excellent. The only downside to it being the mate I went to the gig with was nursing a neck injury and so spent most of the gig next door in the Edge listening rather than watching. They were still great though. I do hope they will come back to Portsmouth again, although I think if they do, they might be at the Pyramids depending on the size of the tour.

The final gig of 2014 I want to talk about and the penultimate entry for this blog is Against Me! – I saw them at Download that year for the simple reason that they were on at the same time as Steel Panther which made seeing them a very attractive proposition. That set was one of my favourite sets of the weekend as they just battered through their 30 minute set (it helps that they are an ace band as well). With that in mind, when they announced they were coming to Portsmouth, buying a ticket was an essential purchase. You might notice a trend at this stage when I say I saw a band at a festival and then saw a headline show at the Wedge, but the headline show was better. I didn’t think before the gig that would be possible but it was. It also reminded me just how good their latest album is. I hope they will come back to the UK again soon. The final gig I want to talk about took place last year, and that is Less Than Jake. I mentioned earlier the co-headliner show with Reel Big Fish at the Guildhall and I don’t want to talk too much about it here as I will discuss it in the section about Portsmouth gigs on the whole, but I remember feeling exhausted after Reel Big Fish and enjoying Less Than Jake less than I thought I would. So, when they came back to Portsmouth, I was very happy to go see them again, but also to see them play the Wedge as their previous visits to Portsmouth had been to the Pyramids. The gig was fantastic. I enjoyed them so much more than I did when I saw them at the Guildhall. I remember turning to the mate I was at the gig with as they went off for the encore and saying “there is one thing that will make this gig even better for me” – it was a short encore break, and they came back out and played the song I was referring to. The Rest Of My Life is probably my favourite Less Than Jake song, and them playing it actually caused me to well up with tears of joy, which was a surprising reaction I won’t lie. It was already an excellent gig, but that really made it for me.

And that is my summation of my decade of going to gigs at the Wedgewood Rooms. I’ve seen some excellent gigs there. There was no way I could include everything I’ve seen there, and if I went into any more detail, I’d have probably been writing this blog for days. This post is the first of a number to come with me talking about my decade of gigs. Like I said up front, The Wedgewood Rooms is my favourite venue in Portsmouth and I felt it deserved its own blog rather than cutting this list down to fit it in with an overall Portsmouth gigs list. I’ve been there for two gigs this year which will easily make the second decade blog list about the Wedge (if such a thing exists in 10 years’ time). The second part of this blog will be coming soon. 

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!

Download Festival 2016 - Thoughts So Far

After a couple of months of writing about the Rugby World Cup (I miss writing about that), it is time to write about another familiar subject for this blog. On this occasion, it is about the Download Festival. Specifically, it is about the announcements made for the 2016 festival. 42 acts have so far been announced for the festival with probably at least another 40-50 to go. Andy Copping, the festival’s lead booker and promoter said in a recent interview on the ‘That’s Not Metal’ Podcast that there will be fewer bands playing next year so that bands could get longer sets. I’ll be intrigued to see how many fewer bands there will be on the main stages but overall, I support that decision. He also said something about staggering the stages so that people could see more of the bigger acts. Festival clashes have been a right annoyance at times (the one that instantly pops to mind is Volbeat and Korn from Download 2013, but I’m sure there have been others). I’d be intrigued to see how this works, however the walk if you are remotely near the front of the main stage to the second stage can be a right prick, especially if the weather has been nasty. I liked what Sonisphere festival did, but personally the model I prefer is the Wacken Festival model, with two main stages next to each other, and another open air stage which directly clashes with one of the main stages. That way the bands that play the open air stages all get longer sets and there is the prospect of seeing more bands for longer. I’m not sure if there would be the space to introduce a double main stage where the festival is currently set up, but it would sure be interesting.

Anyway, on to the bands. The festival, certainly for the last few years if memory serves, has launched with the 3 headliners but also some of the undercard. Usually the headliner, sub-headliner and the band that are 3^rd from top on each day. This year's announcement for next year's festival was quite unique on that front because they launched with just the three headlining bands. The three headlining bands for next year’s festival are Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. I love all three of those bands so I was quite happy with that first announcement. Only quite happy though because one thing that concerns me about Download and my future going to festivals is that there is no new headliner there that appeals to me. Download Festival has a limited pool of headliners that have not headlined before, that are newer bands. Of course you could say names like Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi etc as potential future headliners, but there are fewer bands that could continue headlining this festival for years to come making the step up, or at least it seems that way. The next bands that I think will headline Download that haven’t before are Biffy Clyro (because they have headlined Reading/Leeds and Sonisphere and will draw a crowd) and Bring Me The Horizon (they just seem to be getting bigger and bigger in popularity). This is where my worry sets in – neither of those two bands do a whole lot for me. I guess it is a wait and see what happens situation with bands that will or won’t make the step up, but I find myself concerned that the headliners that appeal to me most won’t be around for years to come, and the headliners seemingly that will don’t excite me.

As good as that headliner announcement was for me, it didn’t overly excite me. In recent years, I’ve been a regular at Download Festival and have seen all 3 play. Black Sabbath played in 2012 and both Rammstein and Iron Maiden played in 2013. For me, what would likely have sold this festival is the main undercard. One thing that is said to me is that a festival is not just about the main acts but the whole undercard. Now, that may be true, but I find it hard to believe anyone would go to a festival where they don’t like most of the main acts. The next announcement was the 6 bands that are filling the 2^nd/3^rd from top slots on main stage. On the Friday, it is Korn and Motorhead. Korn I was pleased to see announced despite the fact they also played in 2013. I was surprised to see they went from 3^rd from top (underneath Bullet For My Valentine) to being the sub-headliner this time. Regardless, I am yet to see a whole set by Korn so I’d quite happily watch them (as long as they don’t clash with Volbeat again…). Them supporting Slipknot, and doing a cover of Beastie Boys Sabotage together was just superb. 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 (to be fair, the sound wasn’t great that day in Hyde Park, which really didn’t help matters). 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 4^th 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. On the Saturday, it is Deftones and Megadeth. Deftones don’t do much for me personally. I’ve seen them live twice and both times it was a bit boring. However, if there is no-one else on stage that I want to see, I would watch them. Megadeth usually wouldn’t excite me at all, but at Wacken 2014, they had a fantastic hour set. So again, if there was no clash, I would watch them and hope they could replicate that performance. The Sunday is Nightwish and Disturbed. Nightwish are just ace, so that announcement is the best one for me out of these 6 bands. However, I am going to see them at Wembley Arena so they are not a must see band for me at Download. Disturbed coming back off hiatus I thought I would be excited about but I’m just not. I listened to a new song of theirs not that long ago and my legitimate reaction afterwards was a shrug. So, there were good bands in this announcement but nothing that had me itching to grab the credit card. I looked at the line-up after this announcement, and thought it would be the first time in several years that I wouldn’t be going.

There was then a one act announcement randomly. There is a film called Gutterdammerung that Henry Rollins was involved in headlining the 3^rd stage on the Friday. I’m not sure how it will work and to be honest, am not all that bothered. However, if Henry Rollins is there and it means he might do a spoken word show as well, that would be the best. After this, a big 32 band announcement took place. Download helpfully split them into the days they are playing and so in this round up, that is what I will do, starting somewhat appropriately with Friday.

The Amity Affliction – Not a bad announcement. I would consider watching them if they didn’t clash with another band I wanted to see.

Counting Days – Same as with Amity Affliction really. Hadn’t heard of them before this announcement. Listening to a song now and it’s quite good.

Fort Hope – Something very different from the first two bands discussed but not too bad. Again, if there was nothing I’d prefer to see, I would go see them.

Havok – I like what I’ve heard from this band, which admittedly isn’t much. I’d probably give them a watch.

Killswitch Engage – Great announcement. They did play recently but no matter. Also, that new song they’ve just released is really quite good. I have high hopes for the album.

Skillet – I only know one song, and I really like it. That song is Monster. I didn’t see them when they played the other year because they clashed with someone else. I could be tempted to see them just to hear them play Monster to be honest.

Twin Atlantic – They are one of those bands that I know the name but none of their music. Just put them on and they aren’t in any way offensive which is good. They definitely fall into the category of a band that I would see if there was nothing else on that took my fancy at the time.

Architects – Just went back to read what I wrote about them in my review of Reading Festival 2011, but it turns out I didn’t write about them. I must have just caught a song or two and not bothered to write down my thoughts. Anyway, this band are decent enough.

Atreyu – Getting a sense of Déjà vu with my writing here, but this is not a bad announcement. I would consider watching them if they didn’t clash with another band I wanted to see.

Beartooth – This is a band that have somewhat passed me by until listening now (I might have heard the odd song on Team Rock Radio but they didn’t stick with me). As I type, I’ve just listened to In Between and now listening to The Lines, and both songs are quite good. I’d probably watch this band, but again if they didn’t clash with another band I’d rather see (seems as the moment it’ll be clashes between bands I wouldn’t mind seeing).

Black Foxxes - Not really my sort of thing to be honest. Can’t like every band in a festival announcement I guess!

Dead! – Listening to them now and it’s not too bad. Sounds a bit like a poor man’s My Chemical Romance, sort of.  Not sure if I would go out of my way to see them though. If they were on before a band I wanted to see, and there was nothing else on, I’d probably watch them.

Down – Pretty ace announcement. Missed them last time they played to watch Europe I think it was. I’d probably watch them this time around.

Lawnmower Deth – This is a band that seem to play every other year. I am yet to see them but this is doesn’t overly bother me. I don’t dislike them, I’m just not overly bothered by them. Could be fun to watch one year.

Milk Teeth – Listening now for the first time I think (I might have listened to them in preparation for Camden Rocks once before…not sure now). They aren’t bad at all from the sounds of things. They could be worth a watch.

Neck Deep – Another one who bypassed me. Listening now and they seem to be quite good. I would likely watch them if they didn’t clash with someone else I wanted to see.

Rival Sons – Saw this band supporting Black Stone Cherry (I think) in Southampton Guildhall and I remember them being quite good despite the fact support bands tend to get rubbish sound at Soton Guildhall. Anyway, I’d probably watch them again.

Skindred – Skindred seem to be another band that play every other year but they are always good live so I don’t begrudge that. I remember discussing with a friend some time ago about their potential to be a festival headliner in the future as they seem to have the live show down. I’m not so sure now, but they will always play to a big crowd at something like Download.

Tesseract – I like what I’ve heard from this band. If there was no clash...you know the rest by now.

Attila – Haven’t listened to this band before, but I like what I’ve heard just now by flicking through their music on Spotify.

Billy Talent – Cracking announcement. Billy Talent are ace live and if this set means a new album is coming, I am all in favour of that.

Breaking Benjamin – I’ve never really listened to this band because all I saw online was how they’d never leave the USA because of the lead singer’s fear of flying. Now they are coming over to Europe for the first time. It will be interesting to see where they play on the bill. As for their music? I quite like it. I’d likely watch them.

Delain – Belting announcement. I missed their recent London show so I’d almost definitely go and see Delain.

Don Broco – Not too bad. Another one for the “if there was no clash” list. That list is getting long now.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Great announcement. Would definitely want to watch this band. I liked Frank Carter in Gallows but didn’t really keep up with Pure Love.

Ghost – I’ve only seen them once at a festival and I think and they are a pretty good live band. I think seeing them indoors would be a better experience but then whenever they tour, I don’t go and see them so I have no-one but myself to blame for not seeing them indoors. Add them to the list!

Gojira – Belting announcement. Seen them a few times now and every time they have been great. Would definitely try to watch (fully expecting a Delain/Gojira clash now just to piss me off).

Halestorm – Very good announcement this. They were pretty much the main draw to the Black Stone Cherry tour I can’t make at the beginning of next year (other than BSC of course). I didn’t really get into their latest album but maybe seeing stuff from it live would change that?

Ho99o9 (?) – I listened to bits of songs from 3 different albums/EPs, and they were all so different. Some good, some not. I don’t think I’d watch them/him/her/whatever.

Saxon – I like Saxon. I’m pleased to see them playing Download. I saw they are headlining 3^rd stage which means they might clash with Iron Maiden unless they headline before Maiden come on. That would be the sensible option if you are having Saxon headline. Though personally, unless Maiden have said they want no other band on while they are playing, I’d put someone completely different up against them, like Neck Deep. Clashing Maiden with Saxon doesn’t make any sense. But, if I can, I’d watch Saxon.

Shinedown – Decent enough band. Seen them a few times now. Haven’t kept up with them since I last saw them at Download so don’t really have much to say. It is hard to come up with new ways of saying I’d watch them if there weren’t clashing with anyone, but yeah.

Tremonti – I saw them this year when they played Download. It was decent enough but not good enough to make them a must see for next year. Insert something here about a list.

And that is how Download Festival 2016 is shaping up so far. I doubt we will see another announcement before the end of the year but I would imagine there will be one in January. After the first three announcements (if you include the film), I felt a bit bummed out. Yes there were some good bands announced but nothing that made me say “OH MY GOD I NEED A TICKET NOW”. Honestly? There still isn’t anything that makes me say that. The bill overall following that big band announcement is a lot stronger, with Sunday being the standout day for me in terms of the undercard. There is an awful lot on the line up that I'd watch if I was there but wouldn't be bothered about missing if I wasn't. I’m not completely sold on the idea of going to Download next year, but am hoping something will be announced in the first announcement next year which will sway me. I’m also waiting to see if a few bands are playing the UK next year and if so, where. These bands are Metallica, Guns N’ Roses (with the rumour that Slash and Duff will be back in the band) and Weezer. A possible scenario right now would be GnR and Weezer turn up at Reading and play the same day – which would be all sorts of ace (unless they clashed, which would just be the worst). Anyway, Download Festival 2016 in my opinion is looking much better following that 32 band announcement than it did before it. 

RWC 2015 - The Final Weekend: A Live Viewpoint

The 2015 Rugby World Cup has finished, and what a fantastic tournament it was. A lot of people covering the tournament have called it the best one yet and I would find it hard to disagree with that. The last two games of the tournament were the Bronze Medal match on Friday night between South Africa and Argentina and the main event – the World Cup Final between New Zealand and Australia. In previous posts I have covered a fair bit of what has happened in the games with some personal opinions thrown in there as well. This one will be a little bit different. I will still be covering what happened in the games, I will also discuss from my perspective of being at the two games. I had a ticket for the Bronze Medal match before the tournament began. However, I only got a ticket for the final on the Wednesday before the game.

I received an email from the tournament organisers talking about events that had occurred at the tournament and building up to the last two games. Towards the end of this email, there was a link to the ticketing website saying if any tickets had been put up for resale for the two games, they would be available online straight away so keep checking back. I did this, expecting to only see tickets left for the Bronze Medal match and to my surprise, there were tickets left for the final. The tickets that were available were in the two most expensive categories (£715 and £515 respectively) and as much as I couldn’t afford to spend £515 on a ticket, I was giving it some serious consideration. After all, how many chances at going to a World Cup Final are you going to get? Well, one every four years technically I guess. However, being realistic, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I pondered on this decision for several hours before deciding I just couldn’t afford to spend that much money on a ticket. I continued to refresh and on occasion, the website was showing availability for tickets in the next price category down (£315), but every time I opened up the window to buy, it was saying there were no tickets available. It then started to do this for the cheapest ticket category (£150) which was very annoying. I continued to try and as luck would have it, a £150 ticket appeared in my basket. In a bit of a frenzied panic, I rushed through the purchase options and secured a ticket. The confirmation email came through and I was a very happy man (a mild understatement actually but still).

However, before getting on to the final, there was a small matter of the Friday night game to get to. The 3rd/4th place playoff match is almost a dead rubber match but with the chance to get a medal at the end of the game. I was interested in going to this game as I’d get to see two of the semi-finalists play without having to pay semi-final prices. It was also a chance to head back to the stadium where a lot of memories were created during the London 2012 Olympics (I had only visited once previously the year after the Olympics for the anniversary games). As it transpired, it was also a good one for me because it gave me the chance to see South Africa play in person for the first time, meaning I would have seen all of the main southern hemisphere national teams play. Arriving in the general area of the stadium, there was a good atmosphere in the air. The surrounding areas were crammed with fans (although I was surprised the nearby Wetherspoons I went in before the game was not busy at all really). My first thought when arriving to my seat was how different the stadium looked now it had been modified to hide the athletics track. By the looks of things, the modifications were only temporary and it could be reverted back if needs be. It was a bit strange though. I briefly found myself wondering if they have had any issues with inebriated fans and those walk ways (an example of such can be seen in the photo just below this post). I'd have thought they might have put netting in there just in case someone were to accidentally fall over the barrier as that seemed to be a fair old drop without a pleasant landing spot.

The atmosphere was picking up as the kick-off got closer, but I thought it was a bit flat initially. It certainly picked up when JP Pietersen scored the opening try of the night. It was a very well taken try which Handre Pollard converted. Argentina however did not lie down after this early set back – they kept trying to attack all half but South Africa controlled the game and really should have put more points on them in the first half. Pollard was booed when he took penalty kicks at the posts rather than going for the corner. Usually I’m completely against booing a kicker as they line up to take a penalty kick or conversion however it did seem odd in this game, with very little at stake, to kick at sticks rather than go to the corner and potentially get more points. The main story from the first half is that Bryan Habana wasted 2 or 3 very good try scoring opportunities. Had he scored one of them, he would have become the highest try scorer in Rugby World Cup history. As it happens, he didn’t and remains tied with Jonah Lomu. The first half finished 16-0 to South Africa and despite their attacking intent, it did not look as though Argentina were going to get into this game. Perhaps an indication of Argentina's attacking intent throughout this game was the fact that South Africa made about 80 more tackles than Argentina. They also saw more of the ball and gained more territory during the game.

The second half started off better from an Argentinian perspective as Nicolas Sanchez scored a drop goal (and a damn fine drop goal it was as well). However, Argentina switched off for a bit it seems as the Springboks came straight back into it and Eben Etzebeth scored a try. To be honest, there isn’t much worth saying about the second half. It was fairly unremarkable. Argentina should have scored a try close to the hour but a free player on the wing was either not seen or ignored. The main thing worth discussing from the second half is that a number of substitutions occurred which allowed some players to get a standing ovation as they were finishing their final Rugby World Cup game of their careers (and in some cases, their international careers). For Argentina, it was Juan Fernandez Lobbe and Horacio Agulla who were making their final appearances. For South Africa, it was Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield and Schalk Burger who all got the chance to leave the field of play to a standing ovation. However, Burger got bought back on for a blood replacement when Francois Louw had to leave the field. When Louw returned to the field, Burger left with a theatrical bow, literally bowing out. Argentina, for all their attacking, got their just desserts at the very end of the game when prop Juan Pablo Orlandi went over for a try. The final score was 24-13. An epic game this was not, but it was an enjoyable one all the same.

So as mentioned earlier, on Wednesday last week I managed to buy a ticket for the final of the Rugby World Cup. Almost straight away, I started to worry about actually getting the ticket. After all, it had said that these tickets could be resale tickets. I was concerned that my ticket might not make it back in time for them to get to me. On reflection, of course it was foolish of me to be worried about this. I’m sure they would have had to stop selling tickets if they couldn’t honour the transactions. Hindsight is 20/20, in the moment however I said to myself I would be much happier when the ticket was in my hand. When initially arriving in London, Waterloo station is rarely quiet. It was heaving with rugby fans, all of whom were either heading to Twickenham for the game or to Trafalgar Square, where it was going to be broadcast on a massive screen(s). The moment I arrived in Twickenham, there was a genuine air of excitement I’ve never felt before when going to games there. I’ve been there to see England play a few times, as well as a few domestic games including Premiership finals and excitement levels have certainly been high, but this was something else. From my initial guess, there were more New Zealand fans around than Australian but it is hard to know for sure. What was cool to see is that even before the biggest game on the rugby calendar, Australia and New Zealand fans were walking to the game together and discussing how they thought the game would go.

My first port of call was the Twickenham box office and my earlier worries were set aside very quickly as I was handed my ticket for the game. I then strolled around the stadium and around Twickenham for a bit before actually heading into the stadium. As the game got closer, the atmosphere just seemed to grow, as did the excitement around. I did take my seat early as I just wanted to be in place and watch everything that was going to happen on the pitch. My seat was just behind the try line, in the south east corner – I was quite pleased with that. What happened next was completely unexpected. Someone came and sat next to me (that bit wasn’t unexpected) and asked me if I was at the game alone. I confirmed that I was. The person then said he had picked up a ticket to the game for his brother on the Thursday before the game and he was wondering if I’d mind swapping seats with him in order for them to sit next to each other. No issues as far as I was concerned. I swapped tickets, shook hands with the guys and made my way out the stand. I then looked at the ticket that I had just swapped for to find out that the guy had given me a category C ticket. So I had paid £150 and would be sitting in a £315 seat. Not bad at all that! I was now going to be sat in the west stand of Twickenham. My seat was now just in front of the 22 line and I was two rows behind the last row of the media block. Directly around me were mostly New Zealand fans, but over the aisle in the next block seemed to be all Australia. 20 minutes before kick-off and the atmosphere was already electric.

There was a bit of a pre-game show involving people waving flags of the teams that took part in the tournament which was cool. As the teams took to the field, there were flames, fireworks and the Red Arrows flew over the stadium. A very impressive way to start the game. Last time I saw New Zealand play at Twickenham, I was so close to the action I could hear the All Blacks singing their national anthem – although that is because no-one else was singing it. This time however, it was very different, with the fans belting out the anthem along with the team, as did the Australian fans. I like watching the haka on TV, but watching it in person is just great. Not for the first time on this day mind, but seeing the haka gave me goosebumps. The game started and within the first minute, Conrad Smith hit Michael Hooper with a massive tackle, one that was heard all around the stadium. The story of the first half seemingly was New Zealand attacking and Australia trying not to concede. New Zealand had edged ahead on the scoreboard 9-3 as the first half was coming to a close. Dan Carter was kicking perfectly from the tee and generally was playing very well, as were the rest of the All Blacks. It wasn’t that Australia were playing badly (they were looking very good at the breakdown again) but New Zealand were noticeably the better team. Australia were rocked with two first half injuries to Kane Douglas and Matt Giteau which probably didn’t help matters. Neither set of fans around me were overly happy with some of the calls made by referee Nigel Owens, and some of the Australian fans were practically livid when a New Zealand forward pass was missed by both Owens and Wayne Barnes, the nearby touch judge. I am amazed they did miss it as it looked forward from where I was and the pass was down the other end of the pitch. Anyway, New Zealand’s continued pressure eventually paid off. A lovely bit of play between Conrad and Aaron Smith and some quick hands from Richie McCaw allowed Nehe Milner-Skudder to go over in the corner. Dan Carter converted and the All Blacks fans around me were very happy at half time as their team went in front 16-3.

The half time chat I heard between Australia and New Zealand fans was about the forward pass being missed, but also how New Zealand were the better team. Looking at some of the statistics, it was hard to argue this point. However, one fact about the first half which will not have made for good reading for those in the Australia camp is that Australia did not make it into the New Zealand 22 with ball in hand. The second half started with a bit of a surprise change as Sonny Bill Williams was on for Conrad Smith. A ruthless change considering this was going to be Conrad Smith’s last game for the All Blacks, and he had just helped make the try and the end of the first half. However, Steve Hanson’s faith in SBW paid off pretty quickly as he made two very good offloads, one of which set Ma’a Nonu off, steaming towards the try line. He made it over and suddenly, New Zealand were 21-3 up. No team had won the World Cup having been behind at half time. Not only were Australia down at half time, but they had just conceded another try. The roar when Nonu got over the line was one of the loudest I have heard at Twickenham. Game over? I certainly thought so. 

Australia looked more alive after New Zealand’s second try, with a few line breaks really getting the block of Australian fans near me animated to say the least. Australia finally made it after about 50 minutes of play into the All Blacks 22 with ball in hand when a real game changing moment occurred. Ben Smith, when tackling Drew Mitchell, lifted his legs above the horizontal and put him down on his shoulder. The tackle was flagged as foul play immediately and the TMO was called into action. There was an All Black fan who started screaming at Wayne Barnes for raising his flag to indicate foul play for this, saying Barnes had robbed them in 2007 and he would not do it again. Having watched the game back on TV, I think Nigel Owens was prepared to give Australia a penalty and leave it at that, but the TMO recommended he take another look at the incident. When this happens, that is pretty much code for the TMO recommending a card is shown. I would say the incident was worthy of a yellow card and that is what Ben Smith received. The penalty from this incident was kicked to the corner, and the subsequent driving maul got Australia over the line with David Pocock scoring the try. Foley converted the try and suddenly, the score line looked a bit closer. It was at this point in the game we started to see the Australia we had seen throughout the tournament as they began to get their groove back so to speak. Right at the end of Ben Smith's sin binning, Tevita Kuridrani scored Australia's second try of the match which Bernard Foley converted to make it 21-17. Game on! New Zealand conceded a penalty in the Australia half and suddenly, the mood I’m sure all around the stadium but certainly around where I was sitting changed dramatically. The block of Australian fans to my right all burst into song, singing Waltzing Matilda. The New Zealand fans all around me were suddenly looking very nervous. This game was on edge, and it remained that way until the 69^th minute when Dan Carter scored a magnificent drop goal to extend New Zealand’s lead back to seven points. I haven’t spoken much about the contribution individual players made to this game, but Dan Carter was just superb throughout the whole game. He then increased the lead further when Australia conceded a penalty just in front of the half way line. There were people around me spuggesting that this kick was not within Carter’s kicking range but he made it no problem. Again, the mood shifted. The All Blacks fans were starting to believe again. Dan Carter was announced as Man of the Match, which was hardly a surprise. The game was coming into its final minute when Ben Smith, making up for the earlier costly yellow card, chipped the ball forward and Beauden Barrett beat an exhausted David Pocock in a foot race for the ball. Barrett kicked the ball on, it bounced nicely for him and he gathered it up to score a try. The roar in the stadium was deafening. Dan Carter converted the try and New Zealand were up 34-17 with less than a minute to play. From this point on, it was all a formality. New Zealand got the ball back and, with the clock having gone red, they kicked the ball out to confirm themselves as champions of the world for the second time in as many tournaments. Fans all around me were cheering, dancing, crying and hugging. There were Australian fans leaving their seats to shake hands with the New Zealand fans, congratulating them on the win. It was a wonderful moment.

It took about 10-15 minutes for the stadium to be set up ready for the trophy presentation. As that was happening, there were several interviews taking place. Richie McCaw and Dan Carter’s interviews were pretty much drowned out with cheers, as was Steve Hanson’s. Michael Cheika and Stephen Moore’s interviews were met with somewhat muted cheers but a round of applause from everyone still in the stadium. The stage was set for the teams to receive their medals. I think most people had stayed post game to watch the trophy presentation and the Australian team again were given a long respectful applause as they were collecting their medals. The cheers started when Richie McCaw went to receive his medal first and the whole New Zealand team and squad were being cheered. After everyone received their medal, Richie McCaw was invited back centre stage to be handed the William Webb Ellis trophy. New Zealand were the better team on the day and the best team of the tournament and thoroughly deserved this moment. There were quite a few All Blacks who were definitely wearing the jersey for the last time including MOTM Dan Carter and try scorer Ma’a Nonu. Richie McCaw in his interview stopped short again of giving a definitive answer as to whether he is retiring or not. If so for him, and for all the players playing their last games for New Zealand, what a way to go out. Once again the roar in the crowd was very loud and as the cup was raised, fireworks shot off as well as flames and streamers. It was at this moment I made my leave. As I left the ground, the chat outside the stadium was pretty much everyone agreeing we had just witnessed one of, if not the best, Rugby World Cup Finals. The whole day was one I’ll never forget - and on reflection, would have been worth £515 (and then some), but I’m still glad I didn’t pay that!

And that is it for Rugby World Cup 2015. It truly has been a spectacular tournament. Of course there will be plenty more rugby between now and 2019, but I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens the next time it is Rugby World Cup time. Until Japan!