Music / Previews
Metal & Prog Picks: July 2016
We’re well into festival season now, which means gigs are starting to get thin on the ground. Still, the autumn schedules are beginning to fill up. Scroll down for the Coming Soon section, with newly added gigs by Lordi, Anvil, the Devin Townsend Project, ace southern rockers The Cadillac Three, superb French proggers Lazuli and harmonising ladymetal trio the Lounge Kittens.
is needed now More than ever
Colston Hall, July 5
Joe Bonamassa rocks, as evidenced by his former membership of Black Country Communion alongside Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinan. But he’s also a blueser, which is why we’re leaving it to our esteemed and informed colleagues over in B24/7’s beardy Americana, Blues & Country dept to give this show a full preview. We’ll simply content ourselves with noting how quickly this show sold out despite those eye-watering ticket prices. Yep, £96.75 for a ticket for a Colston Hall show, which must surely be a record.
Fleece, July 6
US Sludge metal trio formed by Hydra Head Records boss Aaron Turner, formerly of the unfortunately named Isis and more amusingly named Old Man Gloom. Busy Mr. Turner will also be supporting himself with Mamiffer, a post-rock outfit which started out as a solo project for his wife Faith Coloccia and is renowned for working with a huge roster of guests from bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room, Sunn O))) and The Melvins.
Exchange, July 12
Poor old Ginger, eh? No sooner has he sorted a big tour for his post-Wildhearts project Hey! Hello! than singer Hollis buggers off, leaving red faces and cancellations all round. But the chap known to the taxman as David Walls isn’t one to sit around and mope, as he has 1,632 (estimate) projects on the go at any one time – including his autobiography Songs & Words (“…reads like the ultimate rock’n’roll survivor’s manual and makes The Dirt seem like a Janet and John book.” – Classic Rock) Anyhoo, Ginger promptly dusted himself down and booked this solo tour which kicks off at the Exchange and is something of an extended warm-up for the Ramblin’ Man Fair. His band includes ace guitarist Conny Bloom from Sweden’s criminally underrated Electric Boys and bassist Toshi from Hey! Hello! It’s well worth getting there early for this one, as he’s bringing two fine support acts: rising Brit rockers Massive Wagons and US pop-rockers Ryan Hamilton and the Traitors. As the man himself says: “The whole event is set to be a classic rock package, the likes of which hasn’t been seen on these shores since bands could all play.”
Thekla, July 29
Now here’s an interesting phenomenon: proggers and hard rockers who earn a crust from teen pop and boy bands. There are more of them about than you may suspect. Nick Beggs of The Mute Gods and Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson’s bands famously started out in Kajagoogoo. Then there’s Lee Pomeroy of Headspace and Rick Wakeman’s band, who lurks at the back of the stage playing the music that Take That cavort to. And let’s not forget Max Martin, who’s to blame for writing hits for Britney Spears (including …Baby One More Time), the Backstreet Boys, Pink, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, etc., but lets his hair down with metal band It’s Alive. To this list we must add Ivor Novello-winning writer/producer/keyboard player Jem Godfrey, founder of self-styled “neo-progressive supergroup” Frost* (their asterisk), who’s worked with Gary Barlow and bashed out hits ranging from Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again to Holly Valance’s Kiss Kiss. He’s no slouch on the keyboards either, having played live with both Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Frost* is something of an on-again off-again collaboration with It Bites/Arena guitarist and vocalist John Mitchell, featuring Level 42 guitarist Nathan King on bass (!) and busy drummer Craig Blundell, who was last seen round these parts on tour with Steven Wilson. Third album Falling Satellites, which features a guest appearance by Satriani, is out now on Inside Out.
Coming Soon
Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.
Honky, Exchange, Aug 1
Valient Thorr, Fleece, Aug 16
Nik Turner’s Inner City Unit, Louisiana, Aug 25
Red Fang, Bierkeller, Sept 28
Akercocke, Fleece, Oct 2
Ugly Kid Joe, Thekla, Oct 10
Stream of Passion, Bierkeller, Oct 14
Steve Howe, The Lantern, Oct 18
Focus, Tunnels, Oct 19
Lounge Kittens, Exchange, Oct 20
Gun, Thekla, Oct 21
John Carpenter, Colston Hall, Oct 23
Anvil, Bierkeller, Oct 28
Saxon/Girlschool/Fastway, O2 Academy, Nov 3
The Skull/Witch Mountain, Exchange, Nov 4
Y&T, Academy, Nov 6
Blues Pills, Marble Factory, Nov 8
Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, Tunnels, Nov 10
Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band, Bierkeller, Nov 10
Cadillac Three, O2 Academy, Nov 11
Lacuna Coil, Marble Factory, Nov 11
Entombed AD/Voivod/Conan, Fleece, Nov 13
Alcest/Mono, Marble Factory, Nov 16
Onslaught, Fleece, Nov 18
Lordi, Bierkeller, Nov 19
Planet of Zeus, Exchange, Nov 26
Meshuggah, O2 Academy, Jan 12
Devin Townsend Project, Colston Hall, March 12
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
