Fightstar, Brigade, We Are The Ocean
Intake Club, Mansfield. 20th May 2008 Charlie Simpson strolled on stage with a huge grin on his face clearly, despite the size and location of the venue, happy to be on the road and revelling in the adoration of the crowd. As Fightstar launched into set opener 99, the crowd turned into a sea of frenzied movement...
Chris T-T, Lucy The Caterpillar
The Luminaire, London. 7th April 2008 The only genre the song would ever fit into is folk, but as he pronounces: “That’s enough of that quiet shit”, the needle switches drastically with the introduction of a full band to lead the way with We Are The King of England...
Minus
Rock City, Nottingham. 27th March 2008 Playing live, vocalist Krummi has an overwhelmingly distinct voice, and as you stand and watch you’re almost waiting for him to push so hard that his voice breaks, leaving him incapable of singing ever again...
Ida Maria, Cage The Elephant, Johnny Foreigner
Barfly, Camden, London. 18th March 2008 Ida’s voice and presence on the stage though reign supreme, on current single Stella her guttural voice kept the crowd in captivated attention as she finished the song to a cry of ‘excellent’ from a member of the crowd...
Panic At The Disco, Metro Station, Black Gold
Rock City, Nottingham. 15th March 2008 On stage, there’s a definite sense of Ying and Yang. For every dramatic camera-friendly pose from Brendan Urie, there’s a shy head-dip from guitarist Ryan Ross. Unlike on past tours, though, there’s no sense of discomfort from Ross – he simply seems to be enjoying playing...
Lenny Kravitz
Koko, London. 13th March 2008 Stepping out of his tour bus in front of a line filled with people who were only there to see him would disprove those claims. Moving slowly to allow pictures to be taken and offering greetings to several people was the introduction to an evening that bordered on the surreal...
The Wave Pictures
The Enterprise, London. 11th March 2008 With only one or two official releases under their belt with their label Moshi Moshi, you might think they’re short of fans - not so. The North London pub was bursting at the seams, ready to hear the three boys plus violinist swoon out songs...
The Feeling
Rock City, Nottingham. 10th March 2008 Gracing the stage with their quirky haircuts, slightly equestrian apparel and perfectly timed harmonies, The Feeling put every single ounce of their eccentric cheesy camp feel into their live performance. Think bright lights, glitter, plenty of singing and one big happy set of fans...
Laura Marling
Union Chapel, London. 6th March 2008 Not that Marling minded as she was almost in a trance during her set, eyes focused on a point that no-one else could see and belting out songs in a voice which is breathtaking on record and takes on almost ethereal qualities in a live setting...
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Air Studios, London. 29th February 2008 Now the cynics here will say that he has acoustic tracks on his album, how has he never performed a fully solo acoustic set? Well, the answer is simple. Sam has consistently relied on his laptop before he had his band and so has never been thrown in this far into the deep end...
Stereophonics w/ Ronnie Wood
The Hospital, Covent Garden, London. 19th February 2008 Bounding back onstage with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in tow and grins that rivalled the elated crowd, a cover of The Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down followed. Wood bobbed and bounded on the spot, sporting a woolly jumper alongside Jones in his leather jacket and shades...
Amy MacDonald
Shepherds Bush Empire, London. 19th February 2008 The ‘little girl lost’ look that is so prevalent when she is not singing or playing is in stark contrast to the girl who appears when the chords strike up. Gone is the meek and mild to make way for upfront and loud...
The Maple State, Tellison, Furthest Drive Home, The Attika State
Cockpit, Leeds. 18th February 2008 There’s a treat for the crowd at Cockpit tonight as Tellison showcase some brand new material that doesn’t fail to disappoint, with the usual synchronised shouts and harmonising a-plenty, with the icing on the proverbial cake this evening coming from The Maple State...
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Koko, London. 15th February 2008 It became apparent over the course of the next hour and twenty minutes that judging by the songs that they played tonight, the album Searching for the Hows and Whys was going to be worth the wait, covering any overly political message behind a crunching guitar and prominent percussion...
Manchester Orchestra, Anathallo
Scala, London. 13th February 2008 Blasting out Golden Ticket and Alice and Interiors early doors, the band let the feedback flow and the wah wah pedal dance as they showed how you build on an album that already sounds like it was recorded at Wembley Stadium...
Shockwaves NME Awards Tour
Engine Shed, Lincoln. 4th February 2008 Just as Daft Punk have the ability to fuse electro and rock perfectly to create songs of epic proportions, so too it would seem do Does It Offend You Yeah?. Their set certainly provokes a reaction and a frenzy of pogo-ing across the venue...
Paramore, New Found Glory, Kids In Glass Houses
Academy, Brixton. 2nd February 2008 The greeting that then meets Paramore’s arrival on stage seems as loud as a fleet of Concordes taking off, with the deafening scream that bleeds into For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic completely drowning out Williams’ singing....
Palladium, Alphabeat
Barfly, Brighton. 26th January 2008 Superficially, it is difficult to understand the logic behind this gig pairing. Alphabeat are a clan of jitterbugs, rallying the crowd to at least sway to their infectious disco/popcombo. Tonight theywere closer to S Club 7 in style and innocent good time fun than CSS or disco-Bowie...
Jacob Golden
Roundhouse, Camden. 25th January 2008 On this icy Friday it was Jacob Golden who played host to this small stage at the Roundhouse. Who was up above you ask? Someone called Morrissey, oh and Jonathan Ross, but I don’t think he was part of the show…
30 Seconds To Mars
Carling Academy, Newcastle. 24th January 2008 When the lights finally went down the roar that erupted from the crowd could’ve shaken the foundations of Newcastle’s Carling Academy; then the magnificent light show happened. There were projected 30 Seconds to Mars logos on both walls...
Plain White T's, Boys Like Girls, Cartel
Rock City, Nottingham. 22nd January 2008 They've become one of the most loved acts in the world after ...Delilah was finally propelled into the mainstream across the land. With the PWT's hitting the UK once again, they've got their work cut out to make sure that they entertain their hardcore fans - and the novice gig-goers...
McFly
Hallam Arena, Sheffield. 1st December 2007 Despite the rain, spirits could not be dampened amongst fans whilst queuing for (arguably) one of the biggest bands of the decade, and Saturday's performance explains just exactly why they deserve this title...
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
333 Club, Shoreditch. 30th November 2007 Who knew that four middle-classed lads from Reading could rival Daft Punk in making electro-clash hybrids of pure dancefloor gold? Well Virgin Records, Bloc Party and Hadouken! to name a few...
Maroon 5
Nottingham Arena. 23rd November 2007 Met by a warm crowd in Nottingham’s chilly Arena, Maroon 5 kick off their small UK tour showcasing the new album It Wont Be Soon Before Long. Guitarists James Valentine and Mickey Madden are accompanied by new drummer Matt Flynn...
Alexisonfire
Town Hall, Middlesborough. 18th November 2007 Sunday; the day of rest, but as they say there is no rest for the wicked; that is the wickedly awesome Alexisonfire. After the crowd being thoroughly warmed up by Saosin, the five members took the stage in front of an eagerly waiting Middlesbrough audience...
The Pigeon Detectives
Rock City, Nottingham. 6th November 2007 One of the UK's most exciting acts, or a bunch of indie alsorans? By the looks of it, the Pigeon Detectives have plenty left in the tank yet, and with nearly two and-and-a-half thousand fans in Nottingham clamouring to meet their new idols, they'll be around for a bit longer yet...
Iron And Wine
Concert Hall, Reading. 4th November 2007 Attracting celebs to gigs in London is like attracting flies to a freshly laid turd, so when a well-known face in British comedy shows up in Reading for a gig, you know that they are surely worth the buzz. See who it was - and more importantly how the gig was - by clicking below.
Stereophonics
Engine Shed, Lincoln. 1st November 2007 Before going off on a UK arena tour, Stereophonics decided to do a couple of warm-up shows to brush off the cobwebs and to possibly give Kelly Jones' arm a try-out after his recent accident. Fortunately, the arm was good, and the gig was great. Bandidge informs you of just how good.
Kids In Glass Houses, Tonight Is Goodbye, Said Mike
Barfly, Birmingham. 21st October 2007 Kerrang! love them, Funeral For A Friend love them enough to bring them out on tour, and fans around the country are queueing hours in advance to be close to them. Yep, Kids In Glass Houses are the latest new buzz to be hitting the rock scene. Find out if they can cut it right here...
Fiction Plane
Little Civic, Wolverhampton. 18th October 2007 A small turn-out doesn't mean the end of the party, as Fiction Plane show in Wolverhampton. The band, who have supported The Police on their European and U.S. tour show the ability to be playing comfortably in front of 40,000 - not just 40.
Clocks
Water Rats. 18th October 2007 The biggest obstacle that a support band has to get over is apathy; sadly Clocks didn’t look like they cared enough to fight back. Dancing their way through a seven-song set as the main support to The Departure, they looked every inch the newcomer.
KT Tunstall, King Creosote
Academy, Birmingham. 15th October 2007 Even without Willy Mason, KT Tunstall pulled a great gig out of the hat at Birmingham. Overcoming technical glitches and a patchy start, she showed why so many around the world have fallen for her musical charms.
Maximo Park
Doncaster Dome. 5th October 2007 One of the UK's greatest treasures take to the road once again and show why they should be gracing only the most premier of venues. They may not be the biggest band in Britain right now, but they show live why they are one of the best.
Milburn
Astoria, London. 27th September 2007 Stepping out of the steel city of Sheffield, and from the shadows of those Arctic Monkeys and young guns Reverend And The Makers, Milburn come down to the Capital to show that they aren't the only Yorkshire lads to be getting excited about. Find out how, by clicking below...
Beastie Boys
Brixton Academy, London. 5th September 2007 They rocked Wembley Stadium during Live Earth, and now they are back for more. The Beastie Boys return to London to destroy the capital once again - this time, they've got far more time to make sure it's levelled...
V Festival
Chelmsford, Essex. 18th-19th August 2007 An eclectic mix of artists converge every year to Staffordshire and Essex for two days of high octaine festival fun and games. One of the most public-friendly festivals in the mega-show stakes has to cater to all sorts of tastes, so Bandidge checks it out to give our opinion.
Benicassim International Festival
Benicassim, Spain. 19th-22nd July 2007 One of the continents best festivals over the summer, Benicassim is steadily becoming a 'must-see' place to be at during the outdoor season. With headline grabbing performances from Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Iggy and The Stooges and Klaxons amongst others, does the rest live up to it?
Pull Tiger Tail
Little Civic, Wolverhampton. 18th June 2007 Pull Tiger Tail don't just have a natty name - they also have some belting tunes and an ever-increasing fanbase to boot. Playing in Wolverhampton on the night of their latest single release, Bandidge can tell you if PTT have the skills to pay the bills...
Hadouken!
Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. 16th June, 2007 Day-Glo fanatics Hadouken! are another new act that have been given the big music journalism tip-off for 2007. Does their genre-bending 'grindie' mix translate from the studio to the stage? It's time to find out on Bandidge...
Hadouken!
Academy, Birmingham. 12th June, 2007 Yet another artist here on Bandidge who gets the maximum stalking experience with a volume of reviews to read - but in a good way! Are the day-glo grindie guys and girls great over time, or have they found their peak for now? Find out within..
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL
The Review Firmly established as one of the best festivals to go to in the UK's busy summer schedule, Download Festival came back in 2007 and triumphed once more. With more talking points than the day after a Christmas office party, it's time to see who rocked the hardest this year.
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL
Five of The Best From 2007 There really isn't any point trying to deny that Download Festival is now one of the highlights of the summer months. With headlining sets from My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park and Iron Maiden in '07, there was something for everyone. But who came out triumphant? Find out inside...
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Rock City, Nottingham. 31st May, 2007 Call them what you like, be it folky, acousticy, flamencoey, jazzy... Rodrigo Y Gabriela are something else. Going from busking in the streets of Europe after leaving their native Mexico in 2000, they now stand on the verge of greatness - and this gig shows why...
Kate Nash
Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham. 27th May, 2007 We enjoyed her so much the first time we went back for more - This time at Nottingham's premiere music festival - Dot To Dot! One of the UK's most hottest talents takes another step towards fame and fortune in Rock City..
Kate Nash Fez Club, Reading. 20th May, 2007 Music journalists and other musical people in the know can't get enough of her at the moment, so Bandidge went along to check out what is so special about Kate Nash. Can she shake off her Lilly Allen tag? Find out in Reading!
Bring Me The Horizon
Birmingham Academy 2, Birmingham. 31st March, 2007 Bring Me The Horizon are being praised by fans and metal lovers countrywide as they tear a new rear-end into the current UK scene. Do the young upstarts have a future, or are they best left on record?
Stone Sour
Birmingham Academy, Birmingham. 12th March, 2007 Two parts of the Slipknot machine go back to their original band and show how they're just as good as the main machine. As Corey Taylor poses with a new look, and the band showcase their new album - just how good will it be live?
