Category Archives: OI

Trashstock 2006

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by Louise

If you’re looking for a weekend of rock debauchery without the camping, the mud and the hefty price tag of a festival, then look no further!

Some genius has invented Trash Stock; two nights of full on ROCK, in none other than Nottingham’s Junktion 7.

This year’s line-up is absolutely fantastic:

Friday, August 18th:

DEVILISH PRESLEY – http://www.devilishpresley.com/

PATCHWORK GRACE – http://www.myspace.com/pwg

DRUGDEALERCHEERLEADER – http://www.myspace.com/drugdealercheerleader

SNAKESKIN – http://www.myspace.com/snakeskinrock

Saturday, August 19th:

THE GLITTERATI – http://www.myspace.com/theglitterati

THE HIGH SOCIETY – http://www.myspace.com/highsocietyuk

DISARM – http://www.myspace.com/disarmmusic

ZEN MOTEL – http://www.myspace.com/zenmotel

HEADRUSH – http://www.myspace.com/headrushrocks

Plus Special Guest DJs from Teenage Casket Co. on both nights!

Doors open at 9pm and the party goes on until 2am.

Fri 18 – £6 on the door
Sat 19 – £8 on the door
Fri & Sat Ticket – £12

A damn good bargain, if you ask me. Perhaps the greatest bargain you’ll ever find. No shit.

It promises to be a brilliant weekend. (With a line-up like that, it would be difficult to be anything less)!

Any questions about the gig, you can contact the promoter here: info@theriot.org.uk

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Blast From The Past

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by Davey

Blast From The Past

Thin Lizzy

Ahh, Thin Lizzy. One of the few bands you can’t fault. A leviathan in the world of rock, an immortal force, Thin Lizzy started out as the brainchild of one Birmingham-born Irishman named Phil Lynott, who wanted to create music for the working classes, by the working classes. An admirable goal. Especially when the competition was so fierce. When the band formed, complete with a name that legend has it was lifted from a Beano cartoon, they straightaway had to put up a fight against the mighty Lez Zeppelin. But The Zep’s brand of rock was, at least at that time, a more juvenile offering, and Thin Lizzy’s sense of down-to-earthness and a “novelty rock” version of the Irish folk tale ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ made the public take notice. Their most productive phase came when, after a string of unimpressive wannabe rock musicians, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorman were recruited. The guitarist slot became a revolving door, but once Eric Bell was replaced by Gary Moore, and the band could start experimenting with those twin guitar harmonies that the band name is now synonymous with, they became stable (at least for a little while) in order to kick off in style.

One of the most impressive things about Thin Lizzy was their resilience. The media in the 70’s hated hard rock and heavy metal, but the band toured relentlessly, with emotive music that really meant something, and so they were always ensured fans. The records came fast, but Lynott found he simply couldn’t reproduce a formula that worked as well as ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’. He started to write incredibly ambitious songs and wrapping them in vaguely articulated concept albums. Their huge fan base shrank into a small yet enthusiastic bunch of hard rockers – and they were the ones that mattered while Thin Lizzy was made to look like tired old traditional rock by the rise of punk. With the benefit of hindsight, this fan base is no doubt stronger than ever.

The post-Thin Lizzy years were some of the best for the former members, but this success was short lives for Phil Lynott, the original Rocker, who died in 1986, aged 37. Fortunately, with Gorman and John Sykes still touring under the Thin Lizzy moniker, the legend will never die; and we’ve always got Dan Hawkins’ stage t-shirts to remind us of the name.

No doubt the greatest tribute band in the world, Limehouse Lizzy, are touring the country this summer, blasting their talent far and wide. I cannot stress enough how much you NEED to see this band, Thin Lizzy fan or not. Their talent can only be matched by the real Thin Lizzy at the height of their fame.

For anyone looking to listen to more of Lizzy’s music, and don’t know what record to buy, go with ‘Wild One – The Very Best of Thin Lizzy’. It does exactly what it says on the tin. Then get hold of ‘Cowboy Song’ as an added treat. Do this and you really have got the greatest collection of songs by an incredible band that is as famous for their live shows as their music.

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The Basement + The Isles +Sertoli

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by Emma

The Basement – Leeds Cockpit – 16 July 2006

A quiet Sunday evening in Leeds, not many people around. We went to the Cockpit to check out Irish folk rockers The Basement following the release of new (and excellent I might add) album ‘Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs’.

First onstage were a melodic Sertoli, who were technically good and very entertaining but also rather tranquil. Their songs were well written and the vocals were excellent, but it’s more music to relax to, and the pace almost lulled me into an early Sunday snooze.

I was quickly snapped out of the trance and awoken with a bang by next band The Isles. The local boys put on an awesome show and within seconds of playing had brought in a bigger audience, turned up the volume and completely turned around the mood. The Isles played an impressive set with fiercesome levels of energy, dancing their way through their set with vocalist enchanting the small crowd with cheeky banter and a powerful presence. The songs themselves were upbeat, fun and down to earth and I would encourage anyone to take a listen at www.ilovetheisles.com. I would eat my hat if this band doesn’t make it.

The Basement entered the stage on an awesome vibe thanks to The Isles and they sure as hell weren’t going to let that slip! Playing several songs from ‘Illicit Hugs…’, the Basement played smoothly on and you would have to be half dead to resist dancing along with this band! Their folk rock combination provided a unique and feel-good soundtrack for the rest of the evening, husky vocals gravelly yet soft and soothing. The highlights for me were the gorgeous song ‘When Tomorrow Comes’ and ‘When The Night’s Gone Blue’. The Basement complete with beaming faces and straw hats look like a really happy set of guys, and this does project forward to the audience – I stood with a big smile on my face the whole way through. Music for the soul, no less, and I’m already looking forward to the next time.

You can find more information on the Basement at www.thebasement.co.uk , and I would highly recommend purchasing a copy of ‘Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs’ as soon as you can.

Emma

White Rose Movement

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by Jo

Norwich Arts Centre 6.7.06

This is a band that I saw supporting The Rakes not so long back.. was impressed then, so the opportunity of seeing them again was greatly welcomed. It was a hot night without being jammed into the admittedly delightful Arts Centre.. we stayed outside for a while. Right, usual spaces at the back, hanging on the rail over and above the sound desk. Mm vodka..

WRM (who have a smashing logo) to my eternal delight, are steeped in 80’s class pop and rock… I recognised Bauhaus and Duran Duran without trying very hard, and it was all music (!) to my nostalgic ears. Most of this audience were waaaay too young for the full impact of memory.. (many thanks for ‘Love like Blood’ before the grand entrance!) There’s an 80’s look too… can I have Taxxi’s top? Please? Nice red completely see-through chiffon shirt worn by Finn. People ought to follow that trend. Ahem. Anyway.. those rock foundations with pop fancy brickwork gave the crowd something very solid to cling to as they jumped and moshed and partied their hearts out. And that was just the crowd on stage.. Finn’s manic, desperate running from wall to wall trying to escape the asylum, and Owen’s rocking to make the asylum more bedlamish.. heavens. I’ve never seen a bassist stand on the drum over the drummer before. Very slashy. My word, we were satisfied.. and hot and sweaty. I didn’t dance, being where I was, so lord knows what the moshpitters were like.. poo smelly.

I think we need lots more of that in our lives.

I don’t think I wore my emergency late night long sleeves at all..

Setlist

Kick
Girls in the Back (ooooo poss my fave)
London’s Mine
Test Card Girl
Idiot Drugs
Deborah Khan
Pig Heil Jam
Love is a Number
Alsatian

www.whiterosemovement.co.uk

debut album ‘Kick’ out.. see website

How Time Flies

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Welcome one, welcome all to this, the July edition of Optimum Impact.

 

July. Already! I can barely believe it was a whole two years ago that three of us went gallivanting across Europe to festivals in Brussels and Germany, chasing Darkness.

 

It was on that trip that we did most of the proof-reading for the very first issue of OI. And, of course, we kept our first Sixsister Diary. (You’ll soon be able to find that in the Archives – promise!)

 

Anywho, here we are… Two years later… Still rockin’. We hope you lot are still with us!

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Sign ‘Thank God For Silence’ LP

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by Davey

Good god, you could just inject this kind of rock straight into your veins for an instant shuddering high. That’s what Sign’s LP feels like. Fronted by the enigmatic Zolberg, the only 19-year-old guitar prodigy around, the Icelandic power quartet simply demand attention with their G ‘n’ R/Glitterati type brand of hard rock, complete with spindly threads of sadness, sex, hope, wonder, and an obvious love for what they do.

Less knowledgeable beings could mistake their music for dumb teenage din, but there’s a lot of intelligence and worldly wisdom behind this LP, as opposed to the naivety that tends to cut through and ruin much of today’s youth rock. On top of this, they are breathtakingly dexterous with their instruments, making the most of the power of the harmony, vocally as well as instrumentally.

The title track of this LP stands out as the most epic, heroic song, stretching Zolberg’s vocal talents to the limit, atop a heavy backdrop of thick, sticky-sweet rock. Opener ‘Lift Me Up’ is similarly grand; a taste of things to come. I simply cannot fault this. And it seems they’re going down well in England without my adoration, having sold out the London Barfly back in February (their first visit to the UK), thanks to the omnipotent force that is MySpace. The band is currently in the throes of a very busy schedule, so I would recommend keeping an eye on them for their next visit to our fair shores.

Trust me, they fucking RAWK. And a little something for the girls… Zolberg is VERY pretty!

www.myspace.com/sign

www.sign.is

Protest The Hero – Kezia Album Review

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by Emma

Kezia is the debut album from Protest The Hero following a couple of previous EP releases. Within seconds Protest The Hero launch a full on attack and the first thing you are hit with on this album is the face-melting opening riff of the brutal, interchangeable sounds of No Stars Over Bethlehem. Blinding.

Next track Heretics and Killers continues the assault, boasting unrelenting drums, blistering thick guitar riffs and switches between Killswitch-esque power vocals to an oddly calm speaking tone. The album is led in this way and the songs are of huge proportions, belting you through fierce riff after riff. Last track A Plateful Of Our Dead is tremendous and rounds the album off nicely.

Not for the faint hearted, Kezia is technically brilliant and bold. Excellent showmanship and range here. This album is a real credit to Protest The Hero.


Saves The Day – Sound The Alarm Album Review

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by Emma

It’s an accomplishment that Sound The Alarm was completed at all considering the amount of chaos and upheaval the band have managed to work through with the departure of original bassist and problems with their record label. The result? Saves The Day give us another major album and fans will not be disappointed. The album spits in angry bursts and is quite aggressive at times (the first few tracks led by Head For The Hills are fast and pointedly furious in this way).

Sound The Alarm does soon take a turn for the sweeter though, and Eulogy and Dying Day riff their way into a much happier mood although the lyrics still show a sadness and vulnerability. The tracks on this album are all solid and the composition is difficult to fault. Percussion is particularly good and I am impressed with the great thrashes and beats pounded out on the drums during the majority of the tracks.

Saves The Day once again prove their worth and I am sure that Sound The Alarm will contribute to another great year for this band after all it took to get there.

Moneen – The Red Tree Album Review

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by Emma

Recent release The Red Tree is an outstanding album from the fantastic Moneen, following up the Switcheroo split EP they released last year with Alexisonfire. Moneen have made a massive musical leap and The Red Tree really is something to behold.

The album kicks off with the magnificent sounding and just as cleverly titled Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do, a statuesque song that truly dazzles. This just begins to show us what Moneen are capable of and the rest of the album only builds on this and gets better and better. I find it almost impossible to decide on the best tracks as they are pretty much all anthemic, watertight monsters of songs. The music is grand and Kenny’s vocals are bursting with feeling and are pretty much flawless. I can just manage it though and I think that Bleed and Blister does stand out as an awesome, epic track with enough twists and turns to keep it active and exciting. The album closes on the beautiful The Song I Swore To Never Sing.

The Red Tree is perfectly orchestrated and carefully written, Moneen have put so much into this and as a result anyone listening to the album will get so, so much out of it as I have. This is without a doubt one of the best releases of this year.


Rescue The Astronauts EP Review

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by Emma

Your Scissors/My Seatbelt

Your Scissors/My Seatbelt is the first EP available to buy from Derry sweethearts Rescue The Astronauts. The four-track disc produced by Neal Calderwood is a fine introduction to the raw talents of the ever changing five-piece rock outfit. I’m just a teeny bit disappointed that the awesome Crowds Of More Than One wasn’t included.

Track one I Am Your Sugar Rush trickles in with a strange movie-esque tinkle of bells and then suddenly blasts into action with grilling guitar and kick ass drums. The verses are brilliant with colourful and slightly aggressive vocals, lyrics to die for and are peppered with raw screams. The chorus is a little more gentle and brings down the pace a little, but in true RTA form is catchy as hell.

Second track Throwing Paper Airplanes is more pop-like and is a milder track with sweet harmonies and an inoffensive backing track. This song is a theme song for the young broken hearted and is a really cute little track. Lyrics are sweet and vocals are suitably enchanting.

Finely Tuned Frequencies is the third track and the eye of the EP and is such a quirky but beautiful ballad to tug on the old heartstrings. The song is expertly written and the guitar and percussion are perfectly executed to add a heavier undertone to the track. Ferris captures a rawness, intensity and versatility that shines through this track, but writing is the key and this is where the boys’ biggest talent lies.

Last but not least is Ideas To Resuscitate, upbeat and fluctuating between soft, high pitched vocals with a toned-down backing to powered throaty bursts of musical brilliance. There are parts of this track that are so well composed I wish I had written it myself!

In short, get yourself a copy (you can order online via the website) and I promise that you will love it.


City and Colour – Dallas Green

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by Emma

Interview – Dallas Green (City & Colour) – York Fibbers – 24 May 2006

Wednesday, 24th May 2006 in York, and I was lucky enough to bag my dream interview with the truly wonderful Dallas Green. Most of you will know Dallas from Alexisonfire, the hardcore screamo band from Canada who are doing extremely well and are currently embarking upon a mammoth European tour. On this day however, Dallas was here to play one of few solo shows as City & Colour, his awesome acoustic side project which is far from the aggressive tones of Alexisonfire.

Emma: Hi Dallas, I won’t keep you long because I know you need to save your voice, so first of all I just want to ask how are you finding the tour?

Dallas: Oh it’s good, yeah, it’s been surprising to be the first time over here by myself

Emma: Is it really strange to be here playing on your own without the rest of the guys?

Dallas: Not really, ‘cos I’ve been doing it for a while and I have always played shows by myself, so it’s not really that big a deal.

Emma: How does it feel being the main focus of attention, I guess if you have been doing it a lot you will be used to that?

Dallas: Um, I don’t know…I have never really been into the whole attention thing you know, I just really like playing, and that’s what I do of course, so its always weird just to have people kinda focus in on you, you know what I mean?

Emma: Yeah, how do you deal with that?

Dallas: I just try and be as honest as possible and let people know that I’m just there…you know I’m just a dork who loves to play guitar and to sing and that’s it!

Emma: Do you think that you are playing to the same audience with City & Colour as when you play with Alexisonfire?

Dallas: Yeah I think that most of the kids are kids that know the band you know and have been nice enough to check out the solo stuff, but there are some people, especially in Canada and stuff, there’s been a lot of people because my songs are on the radio now and stuff like that and there’s people that weren’t really into Alexis that are coming out to the shows basically because they’re not really into aggressive music or whatever. I think here it’s mostly people who are into Alexis.

Emma: Have you released any songs from the album at home?

Dallas: Yeah, Save Your Scissors was the radio single, the first one and the new one’s gonna be Coming Home

Emma: Sometimes was released over her last year…

Dallas: Yeah in November

Emma: …what has the feedback been like so far?

Dallas: Yeah it’s been really good, most of the feedback has been really good, and I haven’t heard a lot of negative stuff…I mean, I’m sure there’s lots of people that would throw it aside because of the band I’m in, you know, a lot of people don’t like that kind of music and they just figure that what I’m doing is probably not that good. So but everybody’s been really nice about it so…

Emma: Good, do you intend to continue with City & Colour, or is it a temporary side project?

Dallas: Yeah I mean its just like whenever we have time I just do it like you know what I mean like I’m only over here because we’re doing a European tour with Alexis. After tomorrow I fly to Germany, the guys – I just talked to them they are flying to Germany today so when I tour – it’s only when we have time, you know. But I’ll do another record because I always write songs, you know what I mean

Emma: Do you have your own favorite song from the album that is special or personal to you?

Dallas: I think that day old hate is my favorite song, and I don’t know why…that song just moves me in a way… I always save it to the end because I don’t feel right singing songs after it – it feels like it’s an end.

Emma: Moving on to the Switcheroo album that you recorded with Moneen…

Dallas: Yeah

Emma: How did you perceive their versions of your songs?

Dallas: I thought they were great, it’s funny, I can’t really sing Accidents the way I used to sing it anymore. Everytime I have to sing it like Kenny sang it, just from hearing that version of the song. It’s pretty funny I think.

Emma: And how did they react to your versions of their songs?

Dallas: They really liked them, ‘cos they really wanted to hear what George was gonna do with their words and stuff so that was fun.

Emma: Do you have a particularly fond or funny memory of being on tour either by yourself or with the guys?

Dallas: I don’t know…most of the moments I have on tour are pretty funny, especially when we are on tour with bands that we get along with like Johnny Truant. When we toured with that band, we all got the word Yeti tattooed on us – just a funny word that we were saying a lot, so we thought why not! We’ll tattoo it on us!

Emma: Well your not afraid of tattoos anyway…

Dallas: No, I’m not! There were some people where actually that was their first tattoo that they ever got so it kind of hurt!

Emma: Okay, so when you are on tour, what is the thing that you miss most about home?

Dallas: Um…I think just my family. I’m really, really close with my family and, you know, we always have these moments where we all sort of meet in the kitchen and then we just end up having a big talk for a really long time and stuff so I miss my family most of the time.

Emma: I bet you’re on the phone to them all the time when you’re away!

Dallas: Yeah, always

Emma: So this year you are all set to play at the Download festival

Dallas: Yeah

Emma: Are there any other bands there that you would want to check out if you have the time?

Dallas: Yeah I’m gonna go and see Johnny Truant play ‘cos they are playing the day before and a band called Khoma who playing right before Johnny Truant who I’m really excited to see. I’m gonna watch Alice In Chains, and I’ll probably go and watch Guns N’ Roses just to see how awful its gonna be!

Emma: not Metallica?

Dallas: No, I don’t have any intent on going to see Metallica! Billy Talent! I’ll probably go see them, and Opeth.

Emma: Will you be playing any of your own solo songs?

Dallas: No, whenever it’s us, it’s us and that’s it.

Emma: I saw you play once where you did an acoustic version of Side Walk When She Walks, and that was pretty special…

Dallas: Yeah, that’s cool

Emma: So for someone at our age you have really achieved a lot, do you feel that there is still a whole lot more to achieve?

Dallas: Oh I always like to play for more people and have our music get out to more people but, I think what we’ve done and what I’ve done is unbelievable like for me Because I never really figured…I never really had a lot of faith in myself, you know, I always knew I really enjoyed singing and playing and stuff, but I never thought it would get to where other people would enjoy it especially across the world and stuff like that. So I don’t know, I’m pretty happy. If it all got taken away from me tomorrow I would be angry probably, but I wouldn’t be totally devastated because I’ve done more that I ever thought I could, so…

Emma: I’m gonna move onto a subject that’s close to both of our hearts now…I read that Jeff Buckley really changed your life and was a massive influence. How did his music affect you?

Dallas: He made me want to sing! Before…I didn’t really sing too much before I listened to him. I was kind of afraid you know. It’s a hard thing to do especially when you’re not that confident, to sing in front of people and see what their reaction is gonna be. Before that I was really into instrumental stuff, like Mogwai was really big in my life before him, but then I found Jeff Buckley and he just made me wanna sing, just listening to him, so he’s responsible for me coming out of my shell.

Emma: And he was the same way too – like he didn’t want to sing until he realised how much people wanted to hear him sing

Dallas: Yeah

Emma: Do you have a favorite track of his?

Dallas: Dream Brother has always been one of my favorites to listen to and there’s a song that he does…they re-released Live At Sine – the double CD – it was originally a four track EP but they put out a double one and the first song on the first disk he did this thing where he just kinda stopped and clapped and sang. I love listening to that.

Emma: I also heard that you are really keen on skateboarding?

Dallas: Yeah, I’ve been skateboarding my whole life

Emma: Do you have much chance to take time out while you are touring to do stuff like that?

Dallas: No I hurt myself like a year or two ago skateboarding and I had to wear a cast and so I try not to skateboard on tour, because that was the eyeopener. As much as I love skateboarding – if I fall and break my hand on tour – there goes the tour, so when we’re off I’ll skateboard but when we’re on I don’t – so its not much!

Emma: So you will have to wait a while now before you can!

Dallas: Yeah, and then I forget all the stuff that I could do before!

Emma: A few months ago I got to interview George and Wade when you played a gig in Leeds…

Dallas: Oh, cool!

Emma: And I was asking them about the roles that you all have on a personal level within the group, and they both said that you were the sober one who made sure everybody else stayed in line, like almost the mum of the group! What do you think about that?

Dallas: Yeah, I’m definitely the mom! Well I’m the oldest so I immediately took that role, like those kids, they grew up in this band you know what I mean so when we started they were 17 pretty much so they have had to experience their late teens and early twenties on the road. So I immediately took the role, like I would sorta stay focused and let them grow up and party and do their thing, you know what I mean? And it worked well because that’s the way I am by nature I’m just kind very focused and driven you know?

Emma: What would you like people to take away from listening to your music, what would you like them to get out of it?

Dallas: I just hope that people get that its just honest, I really just want it to be about the song. I mean, I’ve never really wanted it to be about the way I dress or the way we dress or you know, what kinda fight we got into with another band you know ‘cos I think that a lot of the music today is popular because there’s a story behind it. I really don’t care about that you know, and like at shows in Canada especially, girls will yell out ‘you’re sexy’ or something like that and I just kinda say, you know I appreciate that but I really hope that you like the songs and that you’re not here because you like the way that I look. You know, that’s not what its about, it’s about the how the song makes you feel and that’s all I’m really trying to do.

I thanked Dallas for his time and stayed around for the show, which was nothing less than amazing. After generously staying around before the gig to chat to fans and sign many t-shirts and CDs, Dallas performed most of the tracks from album Sometimes along with a couple of other songs (including, to my delight, Side Walk When She Walks) with no more than an acoustic guitar and his achingly beautiful voice. The room was packed and an awed audience sang along to Casey’s Song and Save Your Scissors. Dallas bubbled with cheeky humour as he shared a few little stories from his tour with the crowd and involved interaction from tour manager Ollie. Dallas certainly won over the room with ease and the quiet simplicity of his songs shone through and made it one of the most gracious, relaxed and entertaining gigs I have ever attended. Heaven!

Sweet Seduction

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by Louise

I first saw Sweet Seduction playing at the finals of the UK Unsigned Rock event, held in Birmingham on May 26th. The classic riffs, gritty vocals, and energetic performance impressed me enough to make me mither for an interview. Drummer Randii was kind enough to indulge me…

1) How are things in the Sweet Seduction HQ?

Fine, we’ve just recorded 12 tracks of which 4 or 5 we’ll put out as an EP and the others will be locked away as they’re re-recordings of existing EP & Album tracks we’ve released in the past. We may tease people on MySpace with the new production and the alternate beginnings to some tunes or maybe stick a live recording of a Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC) on there if not on the EP as a VCD or something. Other than that still slaving away getting back to our old gig ethic, we’ve had a couple of chilled, well for us anyways, months gig wise with recording etc.

2) You recently took part in the UK Unsigned Rock event and won a slot at the Bulldog Bash. What did you think of the whole experience and the other bands involved?

It was good, we were quietly confident as we played last year and seemed to be one of the bands that got mentioned in reviews despite being on the Unsigned stage and most press concentrating on the main stage… That and the fact it was local and in 06 the scene for us in Birmingham has picked up ten fold. As far as other bands go, our mates and fellow Rock n Rollers Headrush are playing also, but UK Unsigned in general was quite a mix because the same regionals were for Bloodstock as well so we had a lot heavier stuff goin’ down like Dead Weight, who are awesome at what they do. I believe they’re on Bloodstock, I’m trying to talk them into the Bulldog too as its a lot heavier this year.

3) You played the Bulldog Bash last year, tell us about that..

It Rained!! Right fucking before we went on stage, but y’know we managed to attract people over to brave the rain and stay at the open air stage rather than run to the Main Stage which is in a marquee… So can’t complain too much, just a bit of bad luck I guess. I gather the 2nd stage will be moved near the main stage this year to gain the unsigned bands more exposure and passing punters, it was a bit out the way last year and you had to hope people were curious or the riffs would travel and pull people in from the stalls… Let’s just hope it’s sunny this year! But yeah, what’s not to like about the Bulldog? Bands, Beer, Bitches, Being Tattooed, Bikes and other stuff beginning with B… And its the 20th anniversary this year so will hopefully be the biggest yet!

4) You were previously know as the Wild Roses, why did you change your name?

We needed to, and I think we’ve progressed because of it, every reviewer saw the easy way out… a classic rock influenced band must want to be Guns n Roses, especially with a name like that right? And its pissed us off, we did actually play shows where people turned up and expected us to be a GnR tribute and we were like “yer can stick Sweet Child o Mine up yer ass, were not playing it!” So yeah we have that GnR influence but we also are influenced from 70s, 80s, 90s and even 00s stuff. Sweet Seduction does hint a bit towards Glam/Cock Rock but that’s where the heart lies as a whole I guess, we can all agree that every member listens to Skid Row where as only a select few do the Backyard Babies or say Beautiful Creatures. To be fair the band started off as an out and out cock rock band until Savage and me joined and brought a lot of modern Sleaze influences… so the Wild Roses may have been right at the time, the difference now being we’ve changed a hell of a lot and people used the whole GnR comparison as a put down even after that. Now the GnR thing is just someone trying to pigeon hole the band as they do all bands, and maybe said person doesn’t have a wider knowledge of the Sleaze/Classic Rock genres. The only bad reviews we tend to get these days are from narrow minded idiots who have something against Classic Rock before even putting the CD on, and at the end of the day we get more AC/DC comparisons since changing the name and its hardly a put down being compared to the two biggest Rock bands to walk the planet!?

5) What’s the best gig you’ve played and why?

Well there’s two answers to this… Both complete opposites… The one where we headline and have full control of the audience, the sort where every lyric is sung back to you. Then there’s also no better feeling, especially being an unsigned band aiming to gain fans, when you support and are appreciated by an audience that aren’t there for you. We’ve played with a whole host of signed/touring bands… We’ve played with the Sweet (well, Andy Scott the remaining member and session musos making up the rest of the band) a couple of times now and both of them were to 4/500+ people and we went down pretty well as I guess you’d expect from an audience of people who are fans of a band who’ve influenced bands that made a big impression on us such as Motley Crue… And of course we all now love the Sweet too because of it, they rock hard live and have heavier stuff than us! I remember the first time round, we were called up to play on the morning of the show and being quite shocked as the only song I knew of the Sweet’s at the time was Blockbuster and it didn’t scream rock n roll… well I was wrong! But yeah, as said above next to that it would have to be headlining the Flapper a few months back where we had the crowd singing back to us louder then the PA, that’s a massive high also.

6) Which track do you most enjoy performing?

Well most of them but we’ve all got favourite tracks and some not so, but that’s what becomes of five different people with different opinions, you have to agree to meet in the middle. For me it would have to be Crazy City Blues & Down in the City… Partly because they’re newer and we’ve not played them for the past two years, and partly because I think we’ve improved as a band and this is the result. Also I reckon we’d get lynched if we didn’t play Good Time Girl because people know it from MySpace and it’s nice going to a new city and seeing people singing along. Other than that, for much the same reasons, One Hell of A Night. And because it’s an anthem and you’ll get the gist of it and can be singing along by the second chorus even if you’ve not heard it ever before. Only problem is we hate practicing it because we play it every set without fail, although live it’s a different story.

7) Tell us a little-known fact about Sweet Seduction

Errrrr, someone related to Sony told us to go for Eurovision 07… They should have given us a contract instead!? I don’t think it’s really the done thing unless you’re established. The UK wouldn’t accept a rock band, fans would only moan they’re selling out. Although its ok to vote for a Finnish band most haven’t heard of, I mean people knew of Lordi but they’re gonna make big business over here because of that now, and fair play to them, I voted! Rock fans are really fucked up in their ethics. Although if the offer were to come along… ha ha.

8) Whats the bands motto?

…..One hell, one hell of a night….

9) Are pyrotechnics the way to go?

Fuck yeah!!

10) What can we expect to see from Sweet Seduction in the rest of 2006?

The usual hard work ethic. This is what we do in life, we’ll just keep building on what we’ve laid down already. With the amount of bands getting attention and signed out there, that couldn’t go toe to toe with us half cut, we can only assume we’re unlucky and expect to get snapped up some time soon.

Check out Sweet Seduction’s MySpace for gig dates: www.myspace.com/sweetseductionmusic

Diary of a stressed-out rock fan

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by Sheri

Diary Of A Stressed Out Rock Fan

Well, what fun was had in June – I think not! Those who used to use the forum back in the days when TD were just becoming famous will remember me crying into my keyboard over the stupid bitch hairdresser that ruined my life. After asking for blonde on top and red underneath ala Justin Hawkins stylee, I ended up with it all running into each other and a lovely (or not) shade of pink all over! Anyway, this time it wasn’t pink, just a horrific shade of prostitute blonde. Had to have brown put back through it to take out the brassy-ness. I then felt like a tiger with stripy bits but anything was better than the previous look. Am supposed to be working now too, my part time job is working from home but I just can’t seem to concentrate. Could be something to do with the humungous pile of washing that seems never ending or the fact that Riley is constantly screaming for my attention. I have realised that this month it is 1 year and four months since I last went to a gig and 11 months since I set foot in a cinema. In fact, the closest I have got to any rock action this month is when the sales woman came round selling N-Power electricity. Heard me call the dog and said “oh, Brodie. Are you a Distillers fan by any chance?” Made my fucking day!

Also feel incredibly fat but flat chested after a lovely incident in which Justin bought me some lingerie and the knickers were too small but the bra too big so, I’ve decide to go on a diet so as to look svelte at my sons first birthday family bbq. So far I’ve lost no weight and the herbal detox tea I’m drinking tastes like shit. How the hell do other people lose baby weight so effortlessly? Saying that, Id rather have a bit extra “meat” than look like Victoria “skelitor” Beckham

My things for the month

HATE:

That bloody “punk rocker with flowers in my hair” shit. I personally, have NEVER seen a punk rocker with flowers in their hair. Load of bollocks.

Riley shoving my toothbrush down the toilet.

LOVE:

The Editors.

Riley turning the sky over to the music channel all by himself and rocking out to Kerrang!

QUESTION:

Why do people always vote out the bitchiest but most interesting people on big Brother?

Sherilee (Sixsister 3)

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Monsters Of Rock!

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by Vik (Spid)

It’s been away for a long long time, but on June 4th 2006 it made its return, and what a return it was. Not only did they have Deep Purple headlining,they had Alice Cooper, Journey, Thunder, Ted Nugent, Queensryche and Roadstar on the bill too!

I arrived at Milton Keynes National Bowl at about Midday with Ian. The queues looked scarily long, but we were soon in, after a quick search. The venue itself is massive. It looks like an old Roman Amphitheatre, and the term “Bowl” is not a wrong one.

We had a little walk round and soon found the Beer and Refreshment stalls. There were a load of stalls to look at with lots of lovely things for sale, too. We decided to go down to the stage and find a spot for the day. We managed to get quite close to the stage and sat down for a little while, enjoying the sun.

We weren’t waiting long until Roadstar (formally known as Hurricane Party) opened the day with a cracking set, this band will go far. They are such pretty boys too. The crowd reaction was a little understated, which is a shame as I thought they deserved better. They started off the show with “Let’s get it started” how clever. And they kicked arse from then on. It’s a shame they only played for half an hour to be honest. But I will be seeing them again, and I’d recommend you do too.

Second on the bill was Ted Nugent, the nutter. The stage was set up with a big American flag and the amps were covered in army type material. America Fuck Yeah, from the film Team America started playing and he came out on stage. This amused me greatly. His set was good, if not a little long winded, he’s an excellent guitar player, and this is not in dispute. His solos were a little tedious toward the end though. He played all my favourites, though, Wango Tango, and Catch Scratch Fever, and quite a good cover of the classic AC/DC track Baby Please Don’t Go. He amused the crowd with threats of skinning his bassist alive if he didn’t get his bass amp fixed so they could get going. An odd man, but so talented.

Next up were Queensryche. Whose entrance was accompanied by some rather odd soundtrack of people talking, setting up the scene for the song they opened with. I wasn’t that keen on them in all honesty. Not my thing, rather gothic dark and wailing. The stage show was a little theatrical and confusing as the words weren’t clear in the songs. But they entertained the crowd, anyway.

Onto Thunder, and what a difference they were amazing. They know how to entertain. Playing a blinding set with all the songs Thunder fans have come to know and love over the years. The lead singer Danny Bowes was even nice enough to announce the football results for everyone. They had everyone singing along to very song. At one point when Danny wanted to show off his singing skills he had to tell the crowd to shush and listen, and of course got a roaring round of applause for his efforts. Incidentally it has to be said that Danny’s voice has improved a lot from their early recordings, in fact this band just gets better and better. Go. See. Them, now.

Journey haven’t played in the UK since 1980, and the 26 years away from our shores didn’t go unmentioned. They did apologise for their absence, and after the reception they got I don’t think they’ll stay away for that long again. They played some absolute classic songs no music lover should have missing from their collection, in my opinion. More singing from the crowd. Some beautiful and rather soppy numbers were in the mix, which were lovely. A perfect set, with no complaints from me or anyone else in the audience.

I was far too excited about seeing Alice Cooper live. I’ve heard all the stories about his stage shows, and he didn’t disappoint. The stage was set with a purple velvet lined coffin, a guillotine and a huge banner of Alice’s eyes as the backdrop. His band entered the stage after what seemed like and eternity, it was more like 20 minutes, but I didn’t want to wait! Such a showman, he gave the crowd everything they wanted and more. Playing almost every single one of my favourites, I’m 18, Only Women Bleed, Schools Out, Is It My Body, and Poison. And there only the ones I can name offhand now. The stage show was excellent. His daughter was so entertaining too, wearing outfits to go with each set of songs and making everyone laugh if nothing else. During the show the crowd started shouting “We’re not worthy” which amused Alice greatly. During the show he assembled bits of corpse into the purple lined coffin, and then got beheaded. His ‘head’ was then placed onto the corpse. This magically turned into a very healthy Alice. If he ever loses his voice he should take up as an illusionist. We were treated to a full hour and a half of sheer entertainment, which was worth the ticket price alone. I’ll be seeing him again, too.

Deep Purple were in short amazing. Playing a fantastic set of songs, accompanied by a light show, this annoyingly played havoc with my camera. We’d moved away from the stage a little at this point, the long day had knackered me out. But it took nothing away from the music. Plus the use of the video screens was very handy as we missed little of what was going on on stage. They opened by video screen footage of them all getting out of one case in a backstage area. My only and only complaint was Gillan’s dress sense, wearing what can only be described as a dodgy 80’s waistcoat for the second half of the set. They played all the classics, ending the night with Black Night, how perfect. They left the stage and went back into the case they had emerged from, and disappeared.

With that the return of the Monster was all over, until I hope, next year.


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Extremely Pleasureable Glamrock

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by Louise

The Pleasures

In December I discovered a band for which I instantly fell. The glitz, the glamour, the trash, the sleaze, the pretty colours, the sparkles…it all stole my heart.

Now The Pleasures have released their debut album; Greatest Hits (on June 1st), and are looking forward to their first UK mini tour, in July.

They will play three dates:

13th July – Junktion 7, Nottingham

14th July – Lark In The Park, London

15th July – The Attik, Leicester

Nottingham will be a brilliant kick-off; a night of sleazy debauchery as they play with King Lizard (www.kinglizard.co.uk) and Sweet Seduction (www.sweetseductionmusic.com).

In London they will play with several other bands, tbc.

And Leicester will round it off nicely with added performances from New Generation Superstars (www.newgenrocks.com) and Firebrand (www.theoneandonlyfirebrand.co.uk)

It will ROCK.


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Instrument of the Issue

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by Davey

Instrument Of The Issue

Gibson custom Justin Hawkins Signature Les Paul

When I was struggling to think of an instrument to focus on this month, Justin Hawkins’ weapon of choice didn’t even occur to me. In the past, I’ve revealed the secrets behind Dan’s Black Beauty and Frankie’s Thunderbird, so it’s the next logical step.

Although nowadays Justin is relying on his trusty and delightfully colourful Ibanez Phllip, his three Les Paul customs were a staple part of the gang back in the day, and were paraded in their fully glory during the 2004 Winternational tour. His customs were made in silver, pink and blue bursts, all appealingly sparkly, with PAF pickups and Bigsby vibrato tailpieces. The fingerboards each have an inlay of rather fetching mother of pearl and abalone flames licking their way to the head – a difficult and expensive procedure, but well worth it for a kick-arse guitar. Because of the craftsmanship involved, Gibson have only made eight signature models available for purchase, and they’re bloody expensive to boot. For mega Justin fans who have more money than sense only.

Justin’s equipment is ever-changing, but according to the 2006 tour programme, his tools are the trade are currently as follows:

Picks – .73 custom Jim Dunlop
Strings – 9-46 Hybrid Slinky Ernie Ball
Amps – 2 Mesa Boogie custom habitat guitar amplifiers
4 Mesa Boogie custom habitat 412 cabinets
4 Sennheiser custom radio receivers
1 Lehle custom switching box
2 Mike Hill custom switching box

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Blast From The Past

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by Davey

Blast From The Past

The Stranglers

I would normally consider myself a bit of a rocker, but The Stranglers is one of those groups I’ve grown up with, all thanks to my no-good brother. I got my indie-orientated tastes from him, as he introduced me at an early age to Blur, Oasis and Nirvana (only the former of which I still enjoy listening to). I asked for the 1977-1982 collection for Christmas three years back, and listening to it brought back such delightful, innocent childhood memories, in a world before I was old enough to understand what ‘Peaches’ and ‘Golden Brown’ were about!

The Stranglers was the most commercially successful and long-lasting group to emerge from the punk/new wave scene, producing at least one hit per year between 1977 and 1992. Nowadays, the band is far less prominent, with their 2004 album ‘Norfolk Coast’ only charting at 70th position in this emo/rock dominated music world of ours, but their legacy lives on, and, let’s face it, everyone can hum the bass intro to ‘Peaches’.

As well as knocking out some fantastic and memorable tunes of their own, The Stranglers did a few brilliant covers which they released as singles. A version of The Kinks’ ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ charted at number seven for them (just five places lower than the original) in 1988, and a more unlikely song, Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk On By’ (featured on the 1977-1982 album) hit number 21 in 1979. And I prefer The Stranglers’ versions of both…

The 1977-1982 holds some true classics of music, my favourite being ‘(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)’, the opening song, a fast paced and lyrically genius tune about the follies of trying to make it in the music industry. ‘Hanging Around’ and ‘No More Heroes’ are two of the more well-known songs, hard-hitting and raw, which was what The Stranglers were and are all about. They don’t take things lightly. Some of their music can even be sinister, best displayed in the frankly disturbing ‘Waltzin’ Black’, a repetitive and menacing fairground ditty with ominous laughter layered on top as the song progresses. Not to be played to children, trust me, it fucks them up!

The Stranglers are probably a love-them-or-hate-them Marmite-esque band. It’s hard to judge when they’re before my time, but I think with a retrospective view, I can gather that they were far from loved by all, as Hugh Cornwell’s voice is very much an acquired taste. Having said that, the vocals on some of the mainstream hits such as ‘Strange Little Girl’ and the classic ‘Golden Brown’ are far smoother and easier on the ear. Whether these songs were sung by co-vocalist Jean-Jacques Burnel or simply a different side of the Cornwell coin, I don’t know. The band go heavy on the keyboard and synth, and ultra heavy on bass, with less focus on the omnipresent guitar in an era overrun with ball-busting power solos and cock rock groups.
Now, the band would be considered “alternative”, and most definitely “cool”, which is a true sign of the times. I would recommend the 1977-1982 collection for curious newcomers to the music, as there are some gems on that record that can’t be found on the 2002 ‘Peaches – The Very Best Of The Stranglers’ album. Even if the band decide to call it a day in the future, they’ve got an extensive quality back catalogue to ensure success for years to come.

Posted in OI

Rally To Hell

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by Laurie (with Dori)

This is an personal account of two dedicated darklings who were able to go and talk to Dan and Justin.. don’t be jealous, that’s not what they wrote it for. I asked them to, just to share, cos no one else could get there.. just enjoy and rejoice in their luck.

Dori, her sister & I get to the CCCM and see some
people around and they turned out to be the other
members. We asked if we could go in and look at the cars and they said sure. So we go in and check out the cars – saw Justin’s ride and Dan’s was the only Rolls there. So that’s when I got the car pics.

We go back outside and wait. They had the street
blocked off and the cars were parked out on the street too. We were on the sidewalk standing around and then Dori turns and looks. “Justin!”

I turn around and there’s Justin with his suitcase
right behind me! “Hi!” Justin tells us, and then wemove so they can get through. Dan also says hi and we just watch as they go towards their vehicles.

Dori didn’t want to bother them but I walked in the garage and there was Dan. He kinda looks at us and smiles and says hi again, and I’m standing right by the trunk of the car as he loads his stuff in the backseat and then he loads up his suitcase in the car’s trunk.

Anyway, he goes back to talking with the guys from the club and we stand around a bit and watch them as they chat. Finally I get bold and go up to Dan as he’s looking through his itinerary. I told him we had the petition to give him and Dori gets it and hands it to him. I just said we did it to let them know that they have fans here that care about them and love them and want them to come back and play, and he’s looking at me and smiling and nodding and agreeing with me about the fans.

He said, “Well I was just on the phone with the record company this morning, so… We’ll see!” He did look through all the pages of the petition and Dori said we had 600 names and we were trying for 1,000. Dori also told him about the US Street Team and I said, “This is Dori, she does the Daily Dose of Darkness Site!” Dan smiles at her and goes, “DDD!”

Then she gets out her catsuit and shows it to him and I think she also said she was at the British Whale shoot (and I also mentioned that we went to some UK shows and he asked which ones. Me: Newscatle, Brighton, Manchester and Nottingham and Dori went to Manchester). I think that’s when Justin was there and Dori also showed him her catsuit and he asked if it was a riding suit or something and Dori’s all, “No, it’s a catsuit!!” LOL

Later I gave Justin that beaded visor. I totally
forgot it was a women’s size visor. Justin put it on and goes, “It won’t fit over my big head!” I asked for a pic of him in it and he’s all, “I’ll come back!! But he didn’t – liar!! LOL!!

Note from Dori: He called his head humongous when he tried to get the visor on. Ha! I asked Dori if she wanted them to sign her catsuit and she said yeah, so I led the charge back in the garage and asked Justin if he would sign it and he did. It says, “Dori – nice suit! Justin Hawkins”. We thank him and then move on to Dan. He says sure he’ll sign it, and then he does (they both put it on Dori’s back to sign it!! LOL!)

I asked for a picture again and he said okay, so
that’s when Dori took that one. Then I look at his
ride and go, “Oh is this your car” and he grins.

“It’s not mine, but it’s the one I’m driving.” I’m all, “Oh cool! You’re gonna have SO much fun! Don’t get in trouble!” or something like that.

So we got back outside and that’s when Justin was
posing with his car. He was so funny! He made a
comment about his co-driver wearing a shirt that was very “Brokeback Mountain” and then when he was
leaning over the car door, that’s when he said
something about “Whitesnake!”

Then they all load up into their cars and drive off. Dori said she waved to Dan and he waved back at her. I was too busy snapping pics to wave. At one point Justin was on the passenger side of his car and he was looking over and smiling at Dan. It was so cute! It wasn’t until after they drove off and I looked at the pics and saw that Dan had the visor hanging from the driver’s side mirror! I almost died when I saw that! It was so cool!

Anyway, we left a note for them at the CCC thanking them for taking the time to talk to us, and again mentioned that there are fans here who want to see them on a tour. We asked the dude there if they were coming back to NY and he said “Probably!” and said he would give them the note.

THE END

Rock in Rio

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by Tiago Andrade

The Darkness At Rock In Rio Lisboa – May 27th. 2006

When the bands for Rock In Rio festival were announced, the major band for the second day was Guns N Roses. When I first saw the bands that were going to play on that day and saw The Darkness I immediately run to buy my ticket for the Rock In Rio.
The 27th May 2006 for me started when my friend Pedro and André stopped at my house to pick me up. It was about 17 o’clock (Lisbon Time). We drove to Lisbon and during the 20km car trip from Cascais to Lisbon we heard a few songs from The Darkness “Permission To Land” album, as a small warm up for what it would became one of my life finest rock nights.
We arrived to Lisbon by 17:30, parked the car and went by subway to Parque da Bela Vista, were the Rock In Rio festival is being held during it’s 6 days.
When we arrived to Rock In Rio the first thing we did was run into the World Stage where 4 bands were going to play that night (Pitty, Xutos e Pontapés, The Darkness & Guns N Roses).
When we found a good place to stay, not too far from the stage the first band of the day started to play. Pitty it is a Brazilian punk/rock band. The afternoon was really hot that day, by 19:30 it was 35ºC in Lisbon.

By 20:30 the most succeeded Portuguese rock band entered the stage, it was time for Xutos e Pontapés. One hour of 20 years of carrier were reviewed by the band as they warmed up the crowd before the British glam rock band “The Darkness” take the stage for their premiere in Portugal.
As the sun went down and before The Darkness take stage, there were already 50.000 people in the city of rock!
By 22:15 we started to hear “Arrival” as the intro for the greatest band of Rock In Rio, the lights went down, smoke on the stage and suddenly we start to ear Ed’s drum the light fades-in in the stage and I’m going completely crazy when I see Richie and Dan on stage, the first guitar chords Knockers and there comes Justin and there we go, The Darkness live in Portugal!
During the middle of the song when Justin takes off his Jacket and on the back of his shirt we could read “Rockers Elite” and for the first time we can really hear the 50.000 crowd to roar, and then Justin comes to the front of the stage and tells to the audience “Olá! Nós somos os The Darkness” that means “Hello! We are The Darkness”, then he goes to meet Dan and say “This is my little brother Dan, in the guitarrr” and Dan start’s some guitar riffs before the music go on.
Before “One way ticket” Justin gives to the public an amazing guitar solo and the riffs for “One way ticket” come in, and during the song chorus everybody sings with the band “One way ticket to hell and back!” and the song finishes with Justin thanking in Portuguese to the audience “Obrigado” he says and again a big noise from the crowd retrieving his words.
Justin once again walks to the centre of the stage and introduces the next music to the audience “We are going to play our last single for you now. It’s called “Is It Just Me?””.
Once again The Darkness presence on stage is huge, Justin and Richie call for the public and everyone in the crowd start’s to sing “But is it just me or am I all on my own again?” and Justin once again improves and says “It sound’s fucking fantastic!” and the song finish after the last verse.
Justin goes once again to change his guitar and when he comes back Dan, Richie and Justin start to interact with us, everyone there retrieved with a big applause and we are in onto “Growing On Me”.

During the first verses the audience comes in singing “I can’t get rid of you, I don’t know what to do,I don’t even know who is growing on who, ‘Cos everywhere I go you’re there, Can’t get you out of my hair, Can’t pretend that I don’t care – it’s not fair”. Until now the concert it’s just being great, I was jumping and singing to every song word and a few people around me were there amazed with The Darkness performance, brilliant guitar from Dan as for Justin’s solo. As the song reaches it’s end Justin goes to Richie they rumor something between them and then he comes back and ask the audience “Having Fun?!” and we all respond with huge “YEAHHHHHH” and Justin replies “Simmm” that means “yes” and again introduces the next song “We now goin’ to play a song from our first album “Givin’ Up” cus I don’t give a fuck ladies and gentleman” as the song reaches it’s end, Justin tell us “Make some sounds c’mon! HEY! Okay we are going to play our first song of our first record for you people!” and Black Shuck and I must tell you great drumming from Ed’s as for Dan’s guitar. During all the song the audience once again sings the chorus “Black Shuck” with Justin has he stopped to let us sing. Around me few people knew this song, and as we started to sing it a few more joined us, jumping and singing. Justin also talks to the audience in the middle of this great song he tell us “This is Richie, his magical in every sense of the words!”. Before “Love On The Rocks With No Ice” we all started to call for the band the you could hear majority of the Rock In Rio audience “Darkness, Darkness, Dakness” like if we all were in a football stadium supporting our team.
Justin goes to pick up his guitar give us a short but brilliant warm up guitar solo, and Dan goes into the first chords on “Love On The Rocks With No Ice”. To tell you the truth this was one of the songs where the audience really joined the band and loved every single bit of it.
Once again no words to describe what happened during this song, Dan’s solo was amazing and then Justin came in and joined Ed in his drum bit and started to play Queen “We Will Rock You” in his guitar, and all those Queen fans in the audience like me went completely crazy and once again joined the band by singing “We Will We Will Rock You” and to tell you the truth I could see in all 4 member’s face that they were loving every single part of the show, that was why they were here, to Rock Lisbon!
Justin come in to the front and started to play with the audience “Whooo” and we repeated “Whoooooooooo!” than he went up into a higher tone “Yeahhhhhh” and once again we repeated “Yeahhhhh” than Justin started his hard falsettos and that was too hard for us and the show gone on and when the song it’s over Justin thanks to the audience in Portuguese by saying “Obrigado”.

Justin introduces the next song “This is our very first single ever, and it’s called “Get Your Hand’s Of My Woman” Motherfuckerrrrrrr” and we are in fore more genial Rock N Roll!
When the song reaches it’s end Justin once again started to play with us by singing “Mother” and we all repeated “Mother” than he goes into “Fucker” and all we repeated “Fucker” and finishes by saying “You are fucking fantastic!”
“English Country Garden” from is the next song to be played and Justin gives a small improvisation in his synthesiser and we are once again in into one of my favourites song from “One Way Ticket To Hell…And Back”.
After “English Country Garden” we are in into “Girlfriend” great performance by Ed and also Dan, and great but great singing from Justin. After “Girlfriend” the centre of the stage is taken by Richie, and here is something I wasn’t expecting at all, a wonderful cover from AC/DC “Highway To Hell” and “Thunderstruk” awesome cover’s from the band as for richie’s performance. This first cover was one of the highlights from the concert to the majority of the audience, everybody knew this two songs and were able to sing along with the band, but for me The Darkness concert highlight were about to arrive.
The concert at this time was almost at its end. “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” followed and what a great song live. Justin falsettos in this one were awesome, great guitar’s as for the drums and bass guitar. Almost everyone knew this song from MTV, and were able to sing it. When the song reached it’s end my friend Pedro told me that probably that have been the last music from The Darkness and I couldn’t believe it, since it was one of the Highlights and I needed to hear and see with my eyes “Bald” live, my favourite The Darkness song. Justin once again comes into the centre of the stage and tell us “So you are looking forward to Guns N Roses tonight hun!?” and a huge “Yeahhhhhh” is the response from the audience and I screamed with my friend Pedro “Nooooo!” right, we were there for The Darkness, off course i wanted to see Guns N Roses live, but today guns it’s not the same thing and The Darkness were Rocking on stage stealing the Rock In Rio festival for themselves. Then Justin added “Well are they the greatest band of all time!? Well that’s why we are here! We are going to play one more song, and than the stage is all yours okay? This song is from our current album, thank you very much for being here with The Darkness.”
When the guitar chords for bald start I went just mad, sing into every word of the song and once again jumping and rocking.
When the song reached its end I was completely Knocked Out, I thought that in 2005 summer I had seen it all with Queen + Paul Rodgers but surely I was wrong, because I never had been into a The Darkness concert.
That night, that show became my 2nd greatest show of my entire life. After Queen + Paul Rodgers and The Darkness I don’t believe that I will see something like that.
After Guns N Roses concert, that was powerfully, but not such powerfully as The Darkness. In overall The Darkness stole the entire Rock In Rio festival for them selves they are a massive Rock force on stage and they’re presence as musicians as for entertainers is in the Top.
The show was transmitted live on television and I was able to record it into DVD, and named it “One Way Ticket To Rock In Rio…And Back”.
To finish I would like to thank to all The Darkness community as for The Darkness for they’re Staying Power!
The Darkness set list : Arrival; Knockers; One Way Ticket; Is It Just Me?; Growing On Me; Givin’ Up; Black Shuck; Love on The Rocks With No Ice; Get Your Hands Off My Woman; English Country Garden; Girlfriend; Highway To Hell – Richie; Thunderstruck – Richie; I Believe In A Thing Called Love; Bald.

Happy June

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And so far, it is! The sun is shining, the festivals will soon be upon us, and there’s a brand new issue of OI for your delectation.

 

This month we have gig reviews aplenty, from <strong>Sisters of Mercy</strong> to <strong>Morrisey</strong>. We have news of a few upcoming gigs that will surely be the glamest glamrock gigs the UK will see for quite a while. We have a review of <strong>Screaming Tarts’</strong> latest compilation album, which is well worth investing in.

 

Plus, this month’s <strong>Blast From The Past </strong> is <strong>The Stranglers</strong>, and it’s <strong>Justin Hawkins’</strong> spangley equipment that features in <strong>Instrument Of The Issue</strong>.

 

Oh, and for you Darklings we have a review of The Darkness’ appearance at Rock In Rio.

 

Enjoy.

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