The Menzingers say goodbye to exile

Although 'The Menzingers' new album is called "Hello Exile" they couldn't be more loved right now as they release another powerful yet personal album. Luckily for us they headed to Madison, Wi to play an intimate show at 'The Majestic'.

Another to great opening acts fill the tour bill, first up is 'Culture Abuse' that strive to be wild, with their awesome cords and unique vocals, if you closed your eyes you could almost feel a 'PIL' or 'Sex pistols' vibe from the sound they delivered. Next was, 'Tigers Jaw' who took a big bite of the action tonight, also delivering their unique sound and aura they blew away the audience. Big things are planned for these guys in the future I sense it.

One band tonight that does not require intuition is, 'The Menzingers' as we all know what their capable of. After six albums they deliver a hit filled set, focusing on the new record did not bother most as they new word for word or danced to the hypnotic rhythms.

Always A Day To Remember

I could be biased but 'A Day To Remember' are one of the coolest band on the planet. They have become one of them rare bands to rise from their own scene, "metal" and create a unique sound which appeals to everyone. From the heavy breakdowns to soothing ballads, singalongs to all round fun guys. This was the third time seeing the band but first time headlining their own show and it seriously was headline worthy.

The day for us started with some drinks in the sun and food at 'The Old Distillery' which could do with some improvement when it comes to food, it was either bland or overpowered garlic, but $3 beer is always helpful. Once we finished up all fresco we took the small walk to The Slyvee, still in its infancy as a venue but certainly not from the acts that have come through the doors, selling out shows every week it seems! Tonight was no different with the 'Raising Hell In The Heartland' tour. 

The first band to start the show was a UK band, 'Boston Manor', who I have interviewed many moons ago on a street in my home town, it is good to see how far they have come. There show reflected that ethos as well, working as a tight knit group of brothers playing passionate radio friendly rock. Second support tonight was, 'Knocked Loose' a raw energetic bunch of guys looking to cause trouble. Their sound is heavy and rough around the edges, not something i can get into live but okay to have briefly on a playlist.

Then it was time for the show to get kicked up a notch! From the get go, 'ADTR' were not going to take this tour/set lightly, they went all out playing hit after hit from their full discography. What excited me most was the amount of tracks they played off their official debut album, 'Homesick' an amazing and ever playable album to play on full. The band had everyone in the small venue captivated and on board with letting loose, giving out t-shirts, getting a fan on stage for their birthday and an emotional acoustic sing along for good measure. The show was one of the most memorable I have ever been to and I was drunk! Thanks to 'ADTR' for giving us a night to remember. 

 

Famous Last Words from The Annex

The mid west is hotting up this summer season, there are lots of huge shows for 2019 coming through the Madison area, especially at The Annex/Red Zone which recently saw, 'Famous Last Words' grace the doors. 

Celebrating the 10th anniversary as a band, 'Famous Last Word' lead vocalist (JT) feels "like [it has been] a long road, that has tested" him but still would not give up the feeling of writing music, being on the road and playing to crowds of fans. JT's passion for music started with the discovery of musicals and continues to adore them to this day, "my favorite musical would be a hard one to pick but one that inspired one of our albums was Phantom of the Opera". Just like the dramatic production of musicals, JT likes to ramp up the adrenaline when putting on their own show.

The show at The Annex was no small show, housing six bands on one stage. The local openers were 'Waiting For Reason' & 'Of Brighter Skies' two strong acts that I will be checking out in the near future as they made their presence known. The start of the travelling acts was, 'At My Mercy' a very young band both physically and on the scene they sound like they are still finding their sound and stride but a valiant effort. 

The next support was looking to steal the show, 'Awake At Last' arrived with their huge hooks and chorus, similar to the likes of early 'Set It Off' and later 'Slaves'. We spoke to the front man (Vincent) about what makes the band tick. "The music [we play] comes from us as a band wanting change, we want people to do the same as us, to follow their dreams, to keep pushing themselves froward, to hopefully make the world a better place." Like the last few words dictated, they are not about changing little things they want to make a big difference to a lot of people, not just from the music but though their live shows as well, "the real connection with our music is through the live shows, where we can hopefully build a movement". They more than proved that with their set tonight, although it was short they delivered on every level connecting with a lot of fans.

The final support act to play was the veterans called, 'Dayshell' a well rehearsed show drawing in a large crowd, as per usual they delivered a great set. Then it was time for the headliners, 'Famous Last Words' to wrap the show up with a career spanning montage of scream along tracks. It will not be long again before they are ready to rock the stage as they will be back here in August for another hot show with Oh, Sleeper. 

There is only one thing i can say, with these famous last words... it would be, pre-order Awake At Last debut album, out June 25th!

A Believer of Brat Fest.

The World Famous Brat Fest returns to the sacred grounds of Alliant energy center for a fun weekend for all the family. Thankfully, the weekend remained dry and warm for the thousands that came to eat up their brats with all profits going to local charities, they managed to sell upwards of 200,000. Awesome figures, as always there was also a large number of attendees at the site as well as Brats at work day, again raising so much money for amazing causes.

As well as the great brats there is the great music of local and national talent. Due to working I was only able to soak in the Friday highlights. A band that I have wanted to see for a while, Smashmouth headlined the main stage of the night bringing everyone together in a mass singalong. Although the band has gotten older since their nineties and naughtiest fame, they did not bring out an old act. They played an exciting show full of energy, delivering tracks from their whole back catalog, as well as some fresh new sounds. The highlight from the night was the double singalong whammy from, 'I'm A Believer' & 'Allstar'. With the famous Shrek song of believer bringing in a flash mob of people dressed up as Shrek characters. This will be a night families will remember together until next year. 

Frzn Fest Aims To Warm Up Madison This winter.

“Frzn Fest” is a relatively new kid on the block which is fitting for the acts it presents over the winter weekend. The festival showcases some of the best new acts both locally and nationally over two venues, “High Noon Saloon” and “Majestic”. Acts such as last year’s NoName and Big Thief have gone on to bigger stages and sell-out tours, as they grown their fan bases from these smaller but no less important and pivotal shows. When I worked over in the UK I personally witnessed a lot of emerging talent from amazing festivals like this, acts such as “The 1975”, “Ellie Goulding” or even “Mumford & Sons”.

Therefore, this festival is no different as it continues to grow both the industry and the scene, thanks to the partnership of “Heartland Credit Union” and “Frank Productions” who have put this great show on again. This year’s festival links can be found below; the events stretch over three nights with separate shows in each of the two venues, so you may be spoiled for choice. Personal highlights and recommendations from me is the European rockers, “Hinds” and “Slotface” appearing on the Saturday, as well as, new hip hopers, “Shredders”.

The fine print then would be that the festival takes place January 18^th until January 20^th 2018 and tickets are on sale now for one night or all three nights. If you purchase the very reasonable three day ticket you also get a souvenir hat to wear when travelling to the festival, or possibly whenever you are cold. That leaves me to say come one, come all and welcome in the New Year by discovering new and exciting emerging acts for 2018!

https://www.facebook.com/frznfest/ 

Nothing But Memories

After watching the band Nothing But Thieves support my favourite band back in 2013, I knew they were special. They delivered a beautiful set of songs from their lyrics to soaring vocals they were captivating from the get go. Since then they have toured around the world more than once and released two albums. All of this has been possible to their growing fan base and huge stadium filling songs. Unfortunately for me I have only been able to observe this growth and success from the outside by purchasing music and watching videos online. So when my new favourite band announced a USA tour, I had to jump at the chance to see them again, almost 4 years later! I booked a hotel and a 5 hour Megabus trip to the local show before organising interviews with the band and support acts. This was going to be Nothing But Memories, sorry couldn’t resist.  

As I set off on my musical journey to Minneapolis from Madison, we stopped in my in-laws town of Mauston. I was gutted I couldn’t get off the bus and check in with them but alas the journey continues. The journey itself was smooth and quiet, free wifi and a place to charge the phone. Once I got to the city I had an hour or so to take some quick sunset pictures before heading to the venue. The venue was ‘The Fine Line Music Cafe’ it seemed like a modern music venue, not much

character but very welcoming and laid out well. Before the first band hit the stage I managed to organise an interview with second support band ‘Missio’ from Austin, Texas. A great duo act who are into crafting huge pop songs, similar to ‘Imagine Dragons’ or a heavy ‘Foster The People’. However, unlike the huge scale of the songs, the two guys themselves are humble and polite. As we chilled out in the basement of the music cafe, we chatted about their rise to the stage, talking about their formation to first album “it has went from 0-60 really quick”, “there has been a real buzz about it and we can see it growing with more Loners” (‘Missio’ fans name). When ‘Missio’ played their set you could see the love and energy from the crowd, as a lot of people were singing along whether they liked it or not. Their live show is full of energy and magnitude; hopefully it won’t be too long until their touring on their own.

In a Tarantino flip, I finished my chat with ‘Missio’ and headed up to see UK support act, ‘Airways’. The band was on stage romanticising the American audience into their way for the English language, “init mate”. ‘Airways’ were also another band I interviewed that night and a refreshing change to talk with people from my motherland. Although their set was pretty placid, their sound is very visceral and natural, meaning no effects needed. To date they have crafted a handful of tracks that all pack a punch and feature on the debut EP, ‘Starting To Spin’. Lyrically they are beautifully written over a bed of gnarly rock and roll guitars; think of early ‘Arctic Monkeys’ and you won’t be far from who they are. As I descended to the basement with half of Airways we chatted about the tour, USA living and more tracks to come. “We hopefully have a new single coming out in the New Year, which we have been playing live on this USA tour. There are a lot of songs written but a lot to sort out before we can release it as a body of work”. And understandably so as I think albums can’t be just released by artists these days, they need to be teased and held back as they gather momentum from a massing fan base.

To move onto the main attraction for the night I headed down to side of stage to watch the Essex boys do it again, four years later. Not only did they deliver but surpass my expectations as they know all their instruments and responsibilities inside and out. They ploughed through a mixed set of 19 hits from the first and second album, no easy feat to sustain the energy for that long but they did it with hardly any sweat. Starting with, ‘I Am Not Made By Design’ and finishing off in style with their huge single ‘Amsterdam’. The band even added in a fan favourite to the Minneapolis set list, ‘Honey Whiskey’ after people chanting it for the second time in this venue. For the bands first encore, lead man Connor took centre stage on his own. He played a brilliant cover song before launching into ‘Hell Yeah’, demonstrating that he still knows his instrument despite focusing more on the lyrics and vocals these days. As the almost sold out crowd disappeared from the venue it was already clear this band are at the start of the rest of their career on the road around the world. With a show already confirmed at the bigger and legendary venue of, ‘First Avenue’.

As the rest of the band hung around to sign my stuff after the show and talk to fans, Connor took an early night to rest the now iconic vocal cords. As for the rest of my journey I managed to make it safely to my student house/hotel for the night. An old classic wooden house was cosy and warm for the price but did have thin walls and squeaky floor boards. Not the best when I jumped into bed to hear some girl moaning away like a porn film was being shot next door. Thankfully, I fell asleep quickly and before you know it, I was exiting, taking sunrise pictures and on the Megabus back to Madison. The journey was certainly an experience as the first and hopefully only road trip on my own in America.

As for a closing remark on the show, ‘Nothing But Thieves’ continue to grow as mature musicians. From their sophomore album (‘Broken Machine’) to live shows they have found their own niche and voice in the music world. The world stage is before them and they will continue to make it their conquering one venue at a time, so ‘U2 & Coldplay’ better be willing to share their arena tours in the not too distant future.

  

 

 

 

 

The Honeymoon Period

It feels like forever since I have written a personal blog and that would be because it has been a long time since writing one and much has happened, well enough to talk about.

Since the start of June I started work as a custodial (glorified cleaner) at the ‘University of Madison’ and ‘Burlington’ (discount store) work has been busy fitting everything in, but it feels good to be earning money again and paying my way, while still being well supported by my mum and my new in law family. The roles have been acceptable so far but certainly not getting paid enough as if I worked within the UK, but more on that later.

July seen us as newlyweds finally go on honeymoon to Florida mainly for the exceptional ‘Universal Studios’ theme parks. This ever expanding business now boasts three theme parks in total, ‘Universal Studios’, ‘Island of Adventure’ and new park ‘Volcano Bay’. This trip was also extra special as we had a good dose of UK accents and foods, including our friends from the U.K. that came to share the experience with us. Our trip started with me finishing work at night, before being whisked away with the wife to Milwaukee airport, two flights, one movie and a few snacks later we were in Florida. We already had a ride to our hotel organised which made it simpler, better still it was a friendly guy from Cuba, who hopefully convinced my wife to explore his native country in the future. The first day (arrival day) gave us enough time to check in to the average/good hotel and take the short walk to ‘Universal City Walk’. This was the entrance to the parks and housed lots of entertainment areas and stores for anyone that comes to visit as no ticket is needed for this area just strict security checks. The highlight from this area would have to be ‘The Chocolate Emporium’ a glamorous steam punk themed restaurant full of chocolate as you would guess, but also delicious and huge milkshakes ($12 each with free plastic jar); this is a must to do! Then we went for a brief introduction into ‘Universal Studios’ Main park to experience the Terminator show (very dated) and Simpsons ride (rather enjoyable).

The second day was perfectly setup as ever with a free hotel breakfast and a full tour of ‘Universal Studios’ with our friends from the U.K. Once we met up with them in the park we all marched on to the spellbinding ‘Harry Potter’ world of ‘Diagon Alley’ luckily we had an early entry pass (an essential purchase/upgrade!) so we could enjoy some of the sights with less people and jump on the magical rides before the huge lines began. The ‘Hogwarts Express’ train which runs from a fake Kings Cross train station in ‘Universal Studios’ to ‘Islands of Adventure’ is certainly an experience and worth checking out. Although you are riding an actual steam train the view from the windows is green screen and takes me back to being in England. The Kings Cross station is weirdly familiar to the actual one in London, which I have sat around in for hours on end. It even sells U.K. confectionary and displays may places I have visited on the time table boards, such details demands an applause. 

As the adventure and honeymoon continues, we discovered new areas, rides and food. All of it equally awesome and totally encompassing from the staff costumes to the music. However, the refreshments could be improved as quality does not match the price. It was great to have butter beer and a huge Simpsons donut but the “European food/breakfasts” we got were way off point. They served us fruit of melon pineapple etc with a croissant and a scone, nowhere near what us British have for breakfast. Moving from food to merchandise now and as you would expect there is a plethora of special and classic items in the various stores. One store I would recommend is the Island of adventure universal store or the stores in City Walk as they have big collections. As the Honeymoon started to wind down the excitement did not as we were always raring to go on the next day after only 5-6 hours sleep. We managed to take in some of the tourist trail in Orlando, visiting Ripleys museum and THE Hulk Hogan store.

Although we only got to enjoy the water park (Volcano Bay) for a brief period it was totally encompassing and brilliant in every way. Once you walk under the walkway to reach the new park the environment changes for the better and it feels like you are transported to the Caribbean. Navigating through the queue and beach huts takes little time before you are met with an impressive volcano towering over the skyline. The water park rides are also encompassing for all ages and fear levels, perfect for the summer sun. The only concern I would say for future travellers is the lockers are over priced at about $8 (for the day) when you should get one for free. Also you must get there early to get a good spot on the beach or to even get in as it reaches capacity really fast. Again merchandise and food can be pricey so stay smart and plan ahead.

We enjoyed the final night with our friends Mike and Katy by dangerously feeding the ducks in extrovert ways before being serenaded by opera singers in the couples beautiful makeshift hotel, which reflected Italy perfectly. This time, along with return the flight was a great chance to reflect and be thankful for what we have at the moment and what we have fought for as a couple. As Johnny Cash once sang ‘a richer man is someone without any money’. On that note the chapter of summer has closed on our first few months together, here is too many more, cheers to the newlyweds.

 

No Maintenance Required

The sophomore album by British rockers ‘Nothing But Thieves’ maybe called ‘Broken Machine’ but their music is far from kaput. This month signifies the release of the bands striking new album, a follow up to their highly successful debut album.

From the lead singles and theme of the album as a whole, it is clear that the band have developed both as artists and people. As Connor (vocalist) has described in many interviews the album comes from spending many of the last few years on the road dealing with health issues and relationships. These experiences have led ‘Nothing But Thieves’ to deliver a album full of soul and experimentation. As soon as the album begins on opener ‘I Was Just A Kid’ there is a mindful connection between where the band was when writing the first to where they are now. They are delivering a more mature sound and certainly something that would fit onto a ‘Foo Fighters’ record.

This track leads smoothly into their biggest single to date ‘Amsterdam’ A huge sounding anthem that has already been enjoyed in small club shows, begging to be used in stadiums with the crowd at their feet. As the album progresses through Connors vocals are demonstrated in remarkable quality showing range and passion. Especially on tracks, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Live Like Animals’, which shows the band stepping into new territory. Just like their live shows ‘Nothing But Thieves’ seamlessly move from moody intimate tracks to loud adrenaline filled arenas. ‘I’m Not Made By Design’ and ‘Afterlife’ demonstrate this superbly, possibly showing that they are the Radiohead of our generation if not bigger!

Just like the title track of ‘Broken Machine’, ‘Particles’ and ‘Get Better’ have connected with so many people due to them being based on the issue of mental health. This topic is growing in awareness but should certainly be championed more as young men suffer with this more and more but are afraid to speak of it. I know I have been in that dark place and thankfully came out the other side, it was music (and my wife) that helped me so it is great to see more acts in recent times addressing it.

‘Broken Machine’ is not only a statement about the potential future for ‘Nothing But Thieves’ but a statement representative of our current culture and society. This album is beautiful, from conception to delivery by one of the pioneering bands of this century. No music collection will be complete without this in your life.

Ps Pick up the ‘Broken Machine’ deluxe album as there is many extra treasures to be found, like the acoustic version of ‘sorry’.

Long Live Vista

Vista – Long Live EP review.

This EP breathes life into a fading scene and will certainly assist in giving ‘Vista’ a long lived career as artists. The new EP drops on July 21st so save the date.

‘Vista’ is an American two piece rock act from the east coast, fuelled by the digital age of music. Think of the new band ‘Pvris’ but a 2.0 version which embraces more production. The EP launches into their best work to date, the song ‘Allegiance’ is a sing along gem, perfect for festivals. Likewise their previous single, ‘Henchmen’ & title track, ‘Long Live’ are also high octane tracks on record and exciting to see live. The criticism to come from this EP is that the production use is heavy but not in a hundred percent original way, I would like to see the duo experiment more and go wild with their ideas as it feels a bit reserved.

In a world full of online media it is simple to easy access new music, meaning it is hard for new artists to stand out in a flood of streaming sites. ‘Vista’ is just one of them acts and as a new act still in their infancy they are still finding who they are. With that said their style from music to image is streamline, captivating and feels exciting, as the buzz for this band is growing. This EP is just a tip of their musical voyage, long live ‘Vista’.

Feel The Love This Summer

Clean Cut Kid – Felt album review

Feel the love this summer. After working relentlessly for almost two years, hoping on tours and teasing us with singles, ‘Clean Cut Kid’ has finally released a debut album, ‘Felt’.  Just like the name suggests it is a feel good album bursting with life and colour for people of all ages.

The passion these four “Liverpodlian” musicians have for music can be ‘Felt’ throughout this exciting body of work, as they prove they are more than capable of writing more than one hit. After picking up the album you will realise that ‘Felt’ is a collection of sing-along singles that you have constantly been humming to over the last year, all produced by the same band.  From ‘Vitamin C’ to ‘Runaway’, ‘Make Believe’ to ‘Pick Me Up’ these songs just leave you filled with joy and will certainly put a smile on your face. Just like their live shows, the album never has a dull moment. Even when the tempo drops to the slower ballads of ‘Evelyn’ and ‘Brother Of Mine’, your audio senses are captured into the tracks narratives.  

A stand out track is really hard on this solid piece of work, but the title track of, ‘Felt’ would be up there. Due to it being a master piece of a pop song, showing depth and love backed up by a catchy chorus, as per. If you want to impress a significant other, make sure to check out this super charged debut album as it will help cement anyone’s coolness as “I heard them first”. For fans of ‘The 1975’, ‘Michael Jackson’ &  huge sing-alongs’.  ‘Felt’ is an album full of intertwining musical gems resulting in a smooth standout album, which will be THE debut of the year.