Photo Reports
Ever since they exploded on the scene in the early 2000s with their monster hit ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, I’ve been a huge fan of The Darkness, and they’ve been delivering sold rock ‘n’ roll year after year. Sadly, I never had the pleasure of seeing these guys in action live. So when it was announced that they were dropping by in my neighborhood in Finland, I knew I had to be there for a night of good rock ‘n’ roll! The culture house in Helsinki pulsated of the old school rock ‘n’ roll show The Darkness brought and with local rock heroes Shiraz Lane opening up the night, it was a night to remember!
We’re always up for a good black metal gig, and when we saw that the popular Danish project Afsky was going to set foot on Finnish shores to do a small co-headline tour with the just as popular locals Havukruunu, we just knew we had to be there. And while we were of course expecting a class act, we were really surprised by how the night went like and how the atmosphere felt. With all 3 bands, Afsky & Havukruunu with openers Qwälen, came some really intense and relentless shows as you’d expect from a black metal gig, but at the same time, I don’t think we’ve ever attended a black metal show where everyone felt as welcome as here. The bands are not afraid to express their dislike towards a certain faction on the far-right and speak up about certain social issues, causing the crowd to exist of not just your standard black metal fans, but people of many walks of life. We saw for instance a whole bunch of people who portrayed their affiliation to LGBTQ+ quite openly and proud, and we can only praise bands that actually make those people feel comfortable enough to be out and in the open!
Music has the power to unite people of all ages, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls demonstrated that very clearly during their gig at G Livelab in Tampere. The youngest fan in the crowd hasn’t even started school yet, while the oldest arrived at the gig on his mobility scooter. Yet we all got along well and the only thing running hot was the temperature, that almost turned the venue into a big sauna.
I highly recommend catching Steve ‘n’ Seagulls during their ‘More then a Tour’ tour for an evening of light-hearted fun.
Recently, As The Sun Falls has been coming on our radar with them releasing new singles from their upcoming new album, and we liked what we heard! The melancholic sounding melodeath somewhat reminded us of Finnish melodeath greats Insomnium, and we’re all there for it. And since we were going to get a visit of these Finnish lads at our venue Asgaard back in Belgium, we thought it to be a good plan to send out one of our people in Finland to go and scope out what’s up with this band. Additional to that, the Finnish Blackment and Czech Innersphere showed up as support for the night, and what a night for good metal music it was!
Atlanta is the origin of THE BLACK CROWES. Founded in 1984 they are celebrating 40 years of rock’n roll and more than 15 million sold albums on their current ‘Happiness Bastards’ tour. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson are the driving force behind it all and are the only constant members. After disbanding in 2001 and reuniting in 2005 they did a da capo of disbanding again in 2015 and reuniting in 2019. In March 2024 they did release their latest phenomenal long-player ‘Happiness Bastards’; and this summer they bring the new material live to the stage.
Opening up and warming the crowd is JIM JONES ALL STARS: a UK rock’n roll band with two sax players in the line-up. Some of you may know the JIM JONES REVUE, which is somehow the germ cell of the current band, and its line up. The style is hard to describe since it is a genre mash-up of rock, gospel, soul, garage, and a touch of blues, making it the perfect match for the main act.
Sharp at 9pm, THE BLACK CROWES enter the stage and the audience at once. Remarkably, the stage set-up is a classic one. These guys do not need pyro, lasers or large screens. A screen design full of love to rock’n roll and precious details. From each side piling up a wild mix of amplifiers, a large banner and curtains to the stage sides. On top of it all the drum kit, to the right still above the main of the stage the keyboard section and on the left two fantastic backing vocalists. Their performance is outstanding, great musicians giving a mix of old and new songs. This is the high class of rock’n roll performance. Lead and orchestrated by Chris Robinson and his incredible voice. He is dripping the rock star sweat out of every pore. Rich Robinson is changing his guitar for almost every song; the guitar world on this tour is a planet on its own!
For all fans of pure, heavily blues-infused rock’n roll, this event was a must-see! Enjoy our photos of this fabulous event!
Music lovers were transported into a trance during King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s (KGATLW) psychedelic rock adventure at Vorst Nationaal on May 15, 2024. The Australian band, notorious for their energetic live shows and experimental sounds, took the audience on a whirlwind tour of genres, from garage rock to metal and funk.
Before KGATLW took the stage, Australian band Grace Cummings warmed up the crowd. With their unique energy and captivating live performance, they provided the perfect introduction for the main act.
From the get-go, KGATLW grabbed the audience with tracks like “Rattlesnake” and “Head On/Pill,” setting the tone for an evening of exhilaration. The band alternated between mesmerizing jams and hard-hitting riffs, with songs like “Crumbling Castle” and “KGLW” sending the venue into a frenzy.
The boundaries of psychedelic rock were pushed in the second half of the set, with tracks like “Boogieman Sam” and “Robot Stop.” KGATLW left it all on stage, delivering an unforgettable night of pure energy and musical magic.
Fans were definitely ready to “FACE IT”, the show with Nothing More, Veil Of Maya and Of Virtue, that is! Concert-goers were lined down the sidewalk and around the block in anticipation of the concert at Kemba Live in Columbus, Ohio.
Of Virtue got the party started for the evening! Hailing from that “state up north” as Ohio State Buckeye fans like to say, the four piece metal band is from Lansing, MI. The band is composed of Tyler Ennis [vocals], Damon Tate [guitar/vocals], Michael Valadez [guitar] and Ryan Trinh [drums]. I had been wanting to catch these guys for awhile and was happy to see they hopped on this stop of the tour while Wage War and Sleep Theory stepped away for the evening due to festivals. They came on stage hard hitting and didn’t let up during their entire set. The singer even sang the hit song “Cannibals” from the crowd. They had lots of energy and they seemed to have a lot of fans in the crowd, which is always great to see!
Second in the lineup was Veil Of Maya, a metalcore outfit formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2004. They are made up of Lukas Magyar [vocals], Marc Okubo [guitar], Sam Applebaum [drums] and Danny Hauser [bass]. They came out and rocked their set from start to finish. A pretty consistent flow of crowd surfers began to come over the barricade by this point, which included the bands photographer, Meredith [drummer in the band VCTMS]. I looked up and realized she had her camera in hand and just got the biggest kick out of that! I was very impressed overall and I will definitely be adding them into my regular rotation of listening. I live for the breakdown and they check that box 100 percent!
After Of Virtue and Veil Of Maya, the crowd was totally amped up at this point and more than ready for Nothing More to take to the stage. The band originated in Texas and the current lineup consists of Jonny Hawkins [vocals], Mark Vollelunga [guitar], Daniel Oliver [bass] and Ben Anderson [drums]. I had high hopes for seeing Nothing More, and it was beyond what I had expected. Music can be a therapeutic and an emotional experience, and this was one of those cases. They are an energetic band, they connect with their fans during the set. Both Jonny and Mark sang/played at the barricade right in front of me during the first 3 songs that I got to photograph. Again, a steady stream of crowd surfers was going on during their set. The circle pit (which I stay away from!) was pretty crazy! There is a balcony at Kemba, and I was able to observe from above and it was gnarly! The one thing I love about this band is that their lyrics do provoke you emotionally. I knew I would cry at some point and it was during Fadein/Fadeout. I didn’t even try to stop it! That’s the great thing about music and that healing piece of it, even at a metal show, we can allow it to heal us a little bit at a time. I was blown away like I had fully anticipated, which means I am looking forward to seeing these guys again!!
Back in April on a very rainy day the gothic-western-blues group Me And That Man led by Nergal, better known from the black metal band Behemoth, flanked by the American rock ‘n’ roll group Frank The Baptist took over the seemingly sold out Korjaamo venue in Helsinki. From all the times I’ve seen Nergal performing with Behemoth with massive stage production and pyro, it was nice to see him playing in an intimate club setting with no barriers, no special stage production, just a band playing rock ‘n’ roll and having fun doing it. This was by far one of the better shows I’ve seen all year, check out the pics down below!
It’s Friday night and the party begins for many young people at the Neue Theaterfabrik in Munich, a beautiful room with friendly people and a very healthy atmosphere. On stage, after nine years and with a much bigger crowd than the first time the band performed in Munich, is the Welsh project Novo Amor. The simplicity and sincerity of the songs is a perfect match for the authors. On stage, there is no cynicism and a complete openness that makes the show authentic and enjoyable to savor. This new European tour is to present their latest album, “Colapse List”, released on the All Points Label this April. The popularity and acceptance of Ali Lacey’s songs seems to be reaching a wider audience, the result of hard work and love for the art he makes. In the midst of so many questions and answers during the show, one doubt remains in my mind: why “Novo Amor”, a Portuguese name that means, “new love”!
It was a beautiful evening and let’s hope it doesn’t take them so long to return to Munich again.
Anneke van Giersbergen, the talented Dutch singer, guitarist and songwriter, has been captivating audiences with her unique blend of rock, metal, and folk music for quite some years. At current, she is on the road exploring new musical territories with her ‘Heavy Strings’ tour in 2024.
While being on stage, her performances are accompanied by string quartet and a piano. In the program, heavy metal and rock classics are interpreted in a new way of semi-classical formats.
Some power ballads are in as well to round up the set-list. Besides her past in metal and speed-metal bands as well as her musical roots in classic and jazz: this approach is not a complete surprise but more like a potentially expectable fusion. The idea was actually already born in 2021 when she performed Metallica’s ‘Nothing else matters’ in a similar arrangement.
Her wide areas of metal genres covering set includes songs like ‘Still Loving You’ (Scorpions), ‘Run To The Hills’ (Iron Maiden), ‘November Rain’ (Guns & Roses), ‘Thunderstruck’ (ACDC) and many more. Probably the most outstanding arrangement is ‘South Of Heaven’ (SLAYER), which was just stunningly amazing. A song you usually would not expect to be arranged like this at all.
With Anneke‘s flawless singing and the ensemble’s performance, each appearance creates an unforgettable experience on stage.
