System Of A Down - Manchester Arena

system of a down

manchester MEN 14th june 2005

Its Tuesday night, U2 are playing the City of Manchester Stadium, and where would i rather be, yup, Manchester Arena, to pay witness to one of the most bizarre metal bands you are probably gonna witness, ever. Perverting the supposed rules of what makes metal metal into something that resembles eastern european folk, mixed with an Italian castrato, dueting with Barry White with laryngitis.

Ripping through an imense back catalogue of political awareness, demanding nothing from the audience but appreciation of a job well done. When you hear 10,000 people shouting in unision the words 'Mother F**ker', you realise your tongue must be placed firmly in ones cheek, as nothing is what it seems.

No elaborate light show, just 3 carpets for the ones without a drum kit. Just 90 minutes of non stop hard core metal frenzy, quirky yet catchy tunes. All this cut in between Armenian vocal stylings and a penchance for bodily theatrics, leaves SOAD with no encores, as they don't do them, what is the point of following a expected norm, when you don't play to the expected norms.

All that leaves is to have a nice wander back to the car, its a fine evening, after a fine evenings entertainment. Go home, and look for the bootleg on Ebay in a few days.

Eden Project, Cornwall

eden project

march 2005

Whilst staying with friends in cornwall, I paid a visit to the Eden Project, a most enjoyable day with plenty to view and explore. It may seem a little expensive, but for £15 you can visit as often as you wish for an entire year, good if you live near, and intend to visit again. As an ongoing project, building work continues, a third biome being constucted to contain a desert environment, so another future visit will be on the cards.

Rammstein - Manchester Arena

rammstein

manchester MEN 6th february 2005


Saw Rammstein at Manchester Arena, wow what a show. Supported by Apocalyptica, a metal/classical string quartet and a drummer, playing classical versions of thrash classics, along with own compositions, giving a most apt support to what was going to be the highlight of a year that had only just begun, probably the most impressive gig I have witnessed for quite some time.

Rammstein fuse a solid driving beat, with techno splashes, over which twin guitarists play riffs that Black Sabbaths Tony Iommi would be proud of.

The stage set was like something out of Gigers imagination, flames erupt out of the stage at choreographed moments, even sometimes from the band members heads themselves. The band produce a stage show without speaking to the audience at any time, but participation from the crowd is compulsary, despite the fact Rammstein sing in their own language, German.

From start to finish, Rammstein gave a most polished performance, dedicated to providing their fans with a spectacle to remember, complete with a large cooking pot, inside which the keyboard player is roasted by the singer (dressed as a nightmarish chef) using a flame thrower from the other side of the stage. All this to a song about a cannibal who ate somebody who advertised themselves on the internet.

In all a memorable night, enjoyed by all and sundry.

Cardiacs - Manchester Academy

Cardiacs

manchester academy december 9th 2004

Not having seen the Cardiacs for quite some time i was looking foward to it, especially as earlier that day i was in Barcelona visiting friends, so it was going to be an eventful evening to a long day.

Gladly my band of choice did not dissapoint.

A new guitarist had joined the ranks, and was filling a well worn pair of shoes as though he had bought them for himself. As for the choice of songs they played, well, a history lesson in the bizarre word that the Cardiacs inhabit was on the cards this evening.

A veritably well ticked dance card of old favourites was presented to a confused audience, as the Cardiacs were the support act for another, namely The Wildhearts, so the audience was not fully their own, but a gentle nudge in the right areas, and the fish in the pond were well and truely swimming in delight.

Out came all the classic tunes, some, as far as i know, had not seen the light of day for many many a year, but sounding as fresh as the daisy that adorned many a convert in the crowd. Tim loved us all, Tim loved his brother Jim, and we all loved them back.

But all good things must come to an end, and the end it did come, pity.

Watched the Wildhearts for a couple of songs, but no comparison.

Lets hope the Cardiacs play again sometime soon.

Shambala Festival

Shambala festival

august 2004

In a green field just outside Plymouth, lies a gently meandering family based fun festival, where everyone is welcome and hardly anyone knows about it.

With that in mind, its well worth paying a visit if you can find out about it. All the usual facets are there, live music, camping, dogs on string, good food, a friendly atmosphere, and the oddly familiar face.

3 days of sunshine, a fine collection of friends, a Saturday night of compulsary fancy dress makes it a weekend to remember, even for those indulging on a few chemical breakfasts.

The pace is sedate, mushrooms are for sale quite legally, and the odd officer of the law (that you do meet) doesn't want to go go home after his shift has ended.