Photo Reports
Back in February on a cold Sunday evening, things in Tavastia got quite hot when a massive horror show took over with Wednesday 13 playing old Murderdolls tunes in the memory of Joey Jordison, culminating in with the headliner act, British extreme metal legends – Cradle Of Filth. The whole venue was absolutely packed to the brim – surprisingly though some spots were left empty after Wednesday 13 performance, which seemed to be the main event for some, since it had been over 10 years since we’ve seen him in Finland, and over 20 years since he has played any Murderdolls on Finnish soil. That didn’t take away from the incredible performance of the headliner. After over 30 years of going strong, Cradle Of Filth still sounds as good as ever. Check out the pictures down below!
Sonata Arctica started off their ‘Clear Cold Beyond‘ Tour at Tampere’s Pakkahuone a good week ago. In addition to several songs from their newest album like ‘Angle Defiled‘ they of course also played some of their classics such as ‘Broken‘, ‘Tallulah‘ and ‘Fullmoon‘. While the show wasn’t sold out, it was still well filled with excited people. And even already during Temple Balls there was a decent crowd at the venue.
Sometimes it’s fun to just try something completely different. In honour of the Sámi National Day, G Livelab Tampere organised this event that then had to be postponed due to public transport strikes. I first got interested when I saw that Brymir‘s Patrik Fält was also the drummer for Trio Boogiemen. I’m not really into rap and the fact that the lyrics would be partly in Sámi language meant I wouldn’t really be able to get much of the meaning of the songs, but in the end my curiosity succeeded.
The gig was split into two sets consisting of original songs from Áilu Valle and AMOC as well as selected songs from other artists. And while I as suspected didn’t really understand any of the words I still had the feeling that I was understanding the general message of the songs. Overall it was an interesting new experience.
The darker side can also be very beautiful
A short browse through the pages of the monthly magazine In Muenchen (https://www.in-muenchen.de) and, a name and musical style piqued my curiosity: John J. Presley. One video was enough to convince me that this wasn’t just another blues/rock band, one of those unoriginal and bland bands that all sound the same. The project led by John J. Presley has notorious and different sources of inspiration, which can range from the late Morphine, Mogwai, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, P J Harvey and Nick Cave, just to name a few. Dark, sombre and hypnotic sounds make up the band’s music. This trip to Germany on their own behalf is to present their latest album “Chaos & Calypso”, released at the end of last year on the independent label God Unknown Records.
Despite the low turnout, the band performed brilliantly and respectfully came back on stage to play a few more songs, which pleased everyone present.
I hope that at the next opportunity, in a different venue, things will work out better and all the brilliance of the Brits can be shown in a big way.
Thank you for the almost private session, it was an honour!
At the end of last month, upstart pagan folk organisers Idavoll hosted the second edition of their Hobgoblin’s Hollow event. The concept was borrowed from the headlining Dutch pagan folk band Seed and combines an afternoon of board games with an evening of unplugged pagan folk shows.
For this edition the lineup consisted of Eleni Neldë, a young band from Ghent that combines Native (Meso) American influences with European ones. Usually a female trio based around vocal harmonies, percussion, and guitar, for this occasion the roster was expanded to a 6-person band, adding harmonium, extra percussion and didgeridoo.
Seed closed out the night to a packed room with a full headlining set, including a brand-new work in progress song. The band seemed to be really enjoying themselves on stage and revelling in the close connection with the audience. As seems to be the norm these days, wherever Seed plays a horde of “seedlings” (the bands mascots) appeared, and this time was no difference. The band claimed the little stuffed creatures aren’t forming a cult, but we’re starting to have doubts…
Photos atmosphere & Seed concert: Lorin Renodeyn
Photos Eleni Neldë + friends: Charlotte Judenne
We broke out our ball chain necklaces and wide leg jeans and piled into the DeLorean to head “Back to the 2000s” with The Union Underground, SOiL, Ra and Flaw! We partied like it was 2001 on Wednesday night at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, IN!! Piere’s was stop number four on this adventure back to the glory days of Nu Metal. Fort Wayne showed up on a Wednesday night, with a line down the sidewalk before doors were opening. I was in my early 20s during the early 2000s, and one thing I can say about this generation is that we are dedicated to our music!!
First up was Flaw! I had not seen them live since the early 2000s Ozzfest days. The band’s current lineup is Chris Volz [vocals], Rob Buttorff [guitar], Joshua Skellet [bass] and James Kyle Adkins [drums]. They rocked, and I was quite entertained by the band’s bassist Joshua. He made lots of faces which made my job really fun!!
Next up was the band Ra! This was the 3rd time I have gotten to capture them. Sahaj Ticotin’s voice is mesmerizing!! It was just him and his tour drummer Andrew Webb performing, but the live show was as good as always!!
SOiL was on the docket next! They were also a band I hadn’t seen since the Ozzfest era. Current roster is Ryan McCombs [vocals], Adam Zadal [guitar], Tim King [bass] and TJ Taylor [drums]. They ripped, and the crowd loved them as well!!
Closing out the evening was The Union Underground! Again, I hadn’t seen these guys since the days of Ozzfest. The band consists of Bryan Scott [vocals], Todd “Taz” Osterhouse [guitar], Bones Elias [drums], and Diego “Ashes” Ibarra [bass]. All the build-up of energy came to a culmination as UU took the stage. The crowd took us all the way back into the early 2000s and broke a pit out, and there were also some crowd surfers!!!
If you haven’t caught this tour yet-it’s about time to call up Marty McFly and order up the DeLorean to take you out to a show!
With great anticipation, we welcomed Esprit D’air to the stage. With mind-blowing light shows, erratic energy and a unique sound we know and love, Northumbria Students Union waited with great anticipation to greet these monsters of metal live on stage. Straight outta London, Esprit D’air rock a self-sustaining attitude with frontman Kai manning everything from production and mixing in his home studio to dealing with PR and social media. While not under a record label, this band has ripped the walls of metal down and show that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
With support from Diamond Black, an intense dark rock band hailing from London, you couldn’t ask for much more emotion and vibes up on the stage. With never hearing either band live before, I was astounded by the amount of awe-inspiring energy that both could consistently perform while manning a staggering amount of crowd engagement. It’s what you expect from a band, to adore their fans the way they adore them. Below are a series of photos to better describe the events that unfolded that cold evening in Northumbria University’s Reds bar.
It was a big night in Munich to see the British Enter Shikari at the Zenith, which, despite being very well booked, didn’t fill up completely.
Opening the evening was the local band Blackout Problems, an excellent surprise for me. They showed that they have a great fan base and know very well what to do on a big stage, exciting the audience in a positive way.
After an excellent start, came one of the bands I most wanted to see live on stage, the Americans of Fever 333. Super high expectations, and they don’t disappoint at all live, they are a complete blast! The quartet from California bring the heat and get everyone up and moving in the Zenith. Jason Butler, known for his healthy madness and 1000% dedication on and offstage, proved it again in Munich, disappearing from the stage for seconds and then reappearing at a very high place, in a spot that few expected him to find again!
British bands have a weight on their shoulders as a result of the legacy of historic world names (Beatles, Motörhead, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, etc…). I believe that’s why you can expect great experiences from them. Enter Shikari are no exception and put on an excellent, extremely well-staged and refined show to present their latest work “A Kiss For The Whole”. The combination of the band’s excellent songs, and a set of world-class visual projections, resulted in a fantastic spectacle. The Zenith was able to welcome the Brits with open arms, and it was a night to remember!
It’s spring and the year kicks off with a metalcore highlight: Electric Callboy is on the ‘Tekkno World Tour 2024’. In tow, the German sextet brings along the band Coldrain from Japan and Nothing More from the United States. A musically excellent line-up of bands. Especially, Coldrain reminds us that in Europe, one should often look towards the land of the rising sun. Otherwise, gems like this might be missed and overseen.
Nothing More, based in San Antonio, Texas, brought the audience closer to another major escalation. The charismatic frontman of the combo is Jonny Hawkins – with a bare, painted upper body and barefoot, he sweeps across the stage, captivating the audience with his performance and voice.
Right on time at 9:00 PM, the pure escalation begins – huge, stage spanning video walls show projections and with a loud bang, it starts: Electric Callboy storms the stage. There’s no holding back in the audience for the next 2 hours. Pyrotechnics, fire pillars, and glitter confetti at least every third song ensure a constant special-effects firework. The 6 members of the German metalcore band – especially vocalist Nico Sallach and shouter Kevin Ratajczak – are whirling non-stop over the boards. Awesome light show in combination with colourful video animations, fantastic sound. Here’s where you get great value for money – big bang for your entrance fee! A true live spectacle!
Enjoy our pictures!
Cradle Of Filth being on a massive European tour is bringing a lot of people out of their houses and into venues, including myself. But what got me even more excited about this tour, is that the special guest was no other than Wednesday 13 playing only Murderdolls era music! And as support the Italian aliens of Sick N’ Beautiful and US industrial band Drift, it was quite the package! Sadly, due to another wintry assault in Finland, public transport experienced quite some delays, so we had to miss out on the first band, but this is what we did see:
