Reading Festival Day 1

First band on the bill for myself were Creeper [8] that day. Even though getting let into the festival area took a bit longer than expected, I arrived just in time for the end of the first song. The energy within the rather big gathering under the tent of the Pit stage is intoxicating as the band belted out another one of their songs to the hungry mass. Considering that this bunch of musicians from Southampton haven’t been on the radar for too long, the amount of people passionately yelling their lyrics back at them covered in Creeper merch is quite astounding. One word from the singer and the crowd obeys. Circle pits, mosh pits, jumping, crowd-surfing, people on other people’s shoulders. Anything suggested is getting transferred to actions with the blink of an eye. This band is destined to grow exponentially bigger as they progress in the future.

Next on the bill are Lower Than Atlantis [5] set to play on the main stage of Reading. While the gathering in front of the stage is quite big, there isn’t too much movement noticeable in it. To be fair, I’m personally not surprised to see that. Song after song, there’s hardly any change in rhythm and energy. You nod your head along to it and don’t stop till they finish their set, all kept at the same pace.

Much different to that is the next artistic performance on the same stage since the maniacs of Die Antwoord [6] make it their duty to get the crowd up and going again. Even though they’re certainly entertaining, visually and musically, the setting of them playing a set in the bright sun on a Friday afternoon is rather unfitting. If the same show had taken place on one of the tent stages as a closer, it certainly would’ve had a bigger effect and been a better representation of their full potential. Die Antwoord aren’t for everyone, but with a different setting, I’m sure a lot more would’ve enjoyed and engaged in their performance.

Over at the NME / Radio 1 stage, the crowd is already a wild mixture of people trying to see the current artist performing on stage and gatherings of hardcore fans waiting for their favorite band to come on. More particularly, Twenty One Pilots. But more to that later.

Giggs [6] just finishes up his set as I enter the tent and make my way through the dancing and bouncing mass to the front. The energy in there is electrifying and intoxicating to make you join in even though you usually don’t particularly enjoy that kind of music. Kudos for that.

Next up are The Internet [2] who manage to drown all of that previous energy down to Ground Zero. The only person on stage to even do anything close to performing is the guy on the keys who does his best to dance and motivate others to do the same. Not only is the singer’s voice extremely quiet and tedious but combined with the motionless rest of the band and slow rhythms, it’s a pure mood killer.

As The Neighbourhood [9] take the stage, it all gets turned upside down rather quickly again. Considering their music isn’t particularly fast-paced either, they still manage to get the crowd moving again, swaying from side to side. Most credits for that are due to Jesse Rutherford (vocalist) who not only already partially amazes the audience by entering the stage in nothing but high-waisted hot pants, but also by his general attitude of not being afraid of anything and presenting himself with enough charisma to fill the whole stage with it. Their tunes set you to feel like you’re strolling down a beach promenade somewhere on the coast of California. Luckily for them, the temperature that day actually adds up to that, neglecting the cliché of the usual muddy UK festivals.

Preset to be shocked by Crystal Castles [8] are the girls who are doing their everything to defend their place in the crowd for any latter bands. The band is faced with girls booing, screaming for them to stop and yelling disgusting commentary at the singer as she descends to the front of the barrier. Clearly, she isn’t bothered by that in any way, probably not even hearing most of it. None the less, it certainly dulls the experience of this band for others in attendance. Still, Crystal Castles reignite the room with hectic strobe lights, screaming and spastic movements fitting their equally messed up music. Again, as with Die Antwoord, a different placement on the timetable and stage might have given them a better atmosphere to perform in and improved the way they were to be received by the crowd and appropriately appreciated as they deserve to be.

During changeover, dozens of girls are getting lifted over the barrier. Crying, screaming, shaking … most of them are having panic attacks and are getting carried off to the paramedics by security, some instantly faint in their arms. The hysteria is unbelievable. Every five minutes, a big push waves through the rows up to the front caused by people outside the tent trying to mingle their way in. More people fall over, get trampled on and have to get carried out of the venue. A setting like this makes you assume the worst for the upcoming performance.

Twenty One Pilots [8] enter the stage and the screaming in this tent threatens to make your ears bleed within the next couple of minutes. The band performs as flawlessly as usual though. Every song in the set smoothly proceeds into the next one. Josh Dun (drummer) rises above everyone as he steps onto a platform held by the crowd to play on their heads. One of many highlights this band has put into their set. To properly judge their performance, you have to consider that there are only two guys in this band who are putting on this masterpiece of a show. It goes without saying that there are dozens of workers behind the scenes to make all this possible but the duo certainly manages to entertain more than a big number of five-piece bands.

Any pause between songs is still filled with continuous screaming and chants. One chant in particular is carried out across the whole festival that quickly manages to do nothing but annoy every fiber of your being: ‘Whoop there it is!’ It’s like Seven Nation Army all over again.

Back to the gig, it all progresses as per usual until Tyler Joseph walks up to the barrier to crowdsurf his way through to a pole in the crowd to climb onto. This is a rather regular part of TOP’s show though, most of the time, Joseph usually simply appears on any kind of high point of a venue instead of making his way there visibly through the crowd. But the second he enters the thirsty hands of the audience, the poor guy drowns in it. People rip his shirt multiple times, pull off his mask, push him down in between all of them, giving him a hard time to get back up for air. Once he finally reaches his destination he stares over to Dun on stage and speaks into the mic: “We gotta be done, Josh … we gotta be done.” And with this, ends their performance early, cutting off their infamous finish. I wasn’t surprised at all to say the least, personally wouldn’t have done it differently. To not be treated like an actual human being with feelings and the ability to feel pain is something no one should have to go through, especially to receive such rough handling from a crowd of people who are supposed to be your fans, friends and admirer. 

I’ve seen comments online trying to justify behavior like this by stating that ‘[…] this is just what the Reading crowd is like! We’re not like the States. We’re not constantly on our phones. We’re rowdy and passionate! He should’ve expected nothing less when giving something like that a try.’ First of all, rude. Secondly, I’ve been to festivals and gigs all over the world, from Australia to the US to the UK to Europe … genuinely almost everywhere. The UK isn’t any better than the US when it comes to phones. 80% of the people around continuously filmed everything, took endless pictures of the same thing, tweeted about the gig rather than look at it. Plus, no matter how ‘passionate’ you think you are, to behave like this is nothing but disrespectful and disgusting and has nothing to do with anything stated. Unbelievable.

During the last changeover, the tent almost empties and dozens of girls have to get carried outside again by security as they simply start to faint all over the venue.

Not any less pushy and hysteric is the crowd for the upcoming Jack Ü [9] though. While the audience is mostly males at this point, they are all equally ecstatic and mental. The duo gig by Diplo and Skrillex is a unity of menace, hypnotic screens, blasting bass and rhythmic overflows. As the gig processes, the crowd gets rowdier and soon crosses over into violence.

Even though the two guys up on the stage, hiding behind their DJ counters, don’t particularly perform as much as the previous bands, they surely know how to properly get a crowd going. Both dive to the front of the stage occasionally, hype the audience, motivate them to escalate further and the audience follow any requests the artists yell at them. One hour later, the show is finished … every piece of clothing in the ‘room’ is dripping with sweat … everyone is trying to catch their breath … the majority of them all leave with a huge grin on their lips verifying the fact that Jack Ü delivered a show worth of a closer set. 

Billy Talent - Afraid of Heights (Record Review)

To begin with, I personally hold a whole lot of very positive, and negative, experiences dear to myself connected to this band. So to listen to a new record of the first band I ever properly flew to a different city for is quite a challenge for my musically neutral mind. There were expectations for this record. There certainly were. Not too high. But also not too low. After all, this band shaped me heavily in one way or another. But it still awoke nothing but disappointment in me.

The record starts rather slow with Big Red Gun and it has a hard time to actually build itself up further on. While Ghost Ship outshines its previous two tracks easily, hope dies down rather quickly again as soon as Louder Than The DJ rolls along. Its overplayed theme makes you slouch your shoulders with a tragic sigh, even though there might be live potential for it. 

Definitely the highlight of it all is The Crutch which finally rumbles the atmosphere with its differential take on. While it is still very much Billy Talent, it's a new and exciting side of it. 

Joy isn't around for long. Rabbit Down The Hole swallows it whole and as does the rest of the album till the outro, February Winds, saves at least the end. A personal major letdown is This Is Our War. The title itself promises a rather aggressive, controversial and rebellious vibe. But once the first notes hit, it's nothing but their The Navy Song all over again. 

As much as I love these guys and as much as I wanted this record to be nothing but themselves, it's too much of the same old again. Staying true to yourselves, all good and well. But mix it up a bit next time, boys, please?

Hardcore fans of the band will still dig it. While they will have a bit of a tough time adapting to the music as well, it'll grow on them eventually. If not now, at latest when the live shows hit their towns.

Fave song(s): The Crutch, February Winds

Overall: 5/10

Cheerio xx

Architects - All Gods Have Abandoned Us (Record Review)

Architects don’t even let you get prepared for a single second, the intro song ‘Nihilist’ kicks you instantly off whatever you were sitting on and keeps punching you for the whole of its 3-minute duration with its cutting-edge lyrics. One track in and you already know that Architects have, again, leveled up in comparison to their last record ‘Lost Forever // Lost Together’. While the mood is the same, ‘All Gods Have Abandoned Us’ simply tops up on the foundation these guys have already built with all their previous releases.

‘Deathwish’ taps into the more melodic section of the group while ‘Phantom Fear’ returns with the usual doom spreading darkness that we're to expect from them. With ‘Downfall’, which had gotten released just a week before the full album dropped, Architects give every critic a flawless piece of music to frantically search for mistakes.

A highlight on the record is definitely the song they first teased, ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, which was a perfect choice to represent the entirety of the record, summoning what they do best, squished it into a song and released it onto the world.

Shaking up your emotions, more and more, track by track, Architects pull you into their minds completely with thundering drums, haunting guitar sections, electronic-beats and interludes that smoothly fade from one song to another.

The finishing touch and, definitely, the most eccentric and outstanding track on this piece of art is ‘Memento Mori’. An eight-minute long song that simply shows once more as to why Architects are such a reinventing and unique band and one of the best British exports these days. Astonishing with endless instrumental creativity and lyrical plays that will leave you with your mouth open. Not to mention Carter’s unreal vocal performance throughout the whole record. It only gets more intense than this at their live shows, which are not to be missed as these folks hit the road to promote this new release.

Favorite track(s): Downfall, Memento Mori, Nihilist

Overall: 9/10

Cheerio xx

P.S.: If you’re in the UK, do not miss the band’s upcoming tour, especially their highly anticipated London gig at the Koko. Huge and very well deserved so.

The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It (Record Review)

What a name. What a record. What a band.

Starting off with a new recording of an instrumental piece which had already found a place on their debut record, you get the same vibe off of it at first. But, at latest, if you haven’t followed the band’s recent song releases, once 'Love Me' sets in, it’s more than clear that this is utterly different. With a perfectly chosen vibe of Bowie’s Fame, The 1975 take on society's obsession with celebrities and their standards these days, especially considering social media and the included fake PR friendships people love to show off on platforms such as Instagram. Healy’s openly mocking it just as much as himself though.

Also previously released was the following track ‘UGH!’ in which Healy confronts his own addictive personality and experiences with, specifically, cocaine. What could be taken as a very upbeat and, another, very 80s vibe song, proves itself to be far more interpretive than most music around these days. The subject itself makes you expect a dark setting, but Healy manages perfectly to bring it across in a more than intelligent and bittersweet way. While ‘Change of Heart’ has remained unreleased on the regular platforms, it did receive a play or two on BBC’s Radio1, as well as the band having presented their fans with it during their US / UK tour run back in November / December. Already at this point, it’s more than clear that the further you indulge into this record, the more bizarre it gets and the harder it gets to sort it into a certain genre. With ‘you used to have a face straight out a magazine’, one of many, what Healy loves to call, ‘Easter Eggs’ (such as in video games) reveals itself as a picked up lyric line from their debut record (specifically here, their song 'Robbers'). These can be found all over the album and give most a whole new meaning if you go back to rediscover its roots. In ‘She’s American’ Healy opens up about his problem to connect with the ‘American way of life’ as of recently, taking a piss at the things that have gotten thrown at him by, as indicated, girlfriends as much as critics. ‘If I Believe You’ tones the vibe down even more but excites with a gospel choir perfectly worked into it. With a title such as ‘Please Be Naked’, more present saxophones are to be expected and a lust-drenched creation. But it is quite the opposite with very few, very calming piano notes, staggering up with sounds of nature before ending in plain piano noises again. Slightly distorted guitar riffs introduce ‘LostMyHead’ before Healy silently starts singing a very reoccurring motif of the whole record about his own state of mind. The repeated ‘can you feel it?’ slowly but surely makes you feel as if you were floating if you close your eyes and concentrate on the individual instrumental parts of the song before it elevates you to an even higher level with the more rock-influenced sounds towards the end of it. Another distorted start, with different voices this time, the ‘Ballad of Me and my Brain’ starts, sounding rather easy at first. But as soon as Healy’s raspy vocals kick in, pleading, ‘I think I’ve gone mad, isn’t it so sad?’, and with it, further approaching the subject of his mental health and the struggles of sudden fame. Considering the fact that he taped his vocals in one single take gives it an even more outstanding aura than it already has. It lasts for almost three minutes, but the intensity of it all makes it fly by in no time. An instant second listen is inevitable.
Continuing with a personal favorite, we dive back into the groove-y sounds of ‘Somebody Else’ in which Healy shows his own fear of commitment as he cannot fully engage in such due to being in the position that he is (‘I can’t give you my soul cause we’re never alone’). With ‘I took all my things that make sounds, the rest I can do without’ he declares his undeniable dependence on and love for the band and music as a whole. A whole new turn takes ‘Loving Someone’ with a row of high-pitched yells paired with odd guitar pinches before a verse kicks off in which Healy raps, more than anything, his way through the song, criticizing today’s pressures of society. In an, what seems like an interlude worked into the song, Healy recites a piece called ‘Orange’ he had previously published on Instagram quite some time ago. Finally, the title track of the record comes along revealing itself to be another instrumental track with an immense length of six and a half minutes. Phrases are scattered across the song. Uttered. Whispered. A childish aura surrounding it for the most part, before it turns into something completely different as robotic sounds emerge, but simmering down again in the end. ‘The Sound’ is another one of the more upbeat pieces of it. It’s filled with Healy’s utterly unique way with words, especially in phrases such as ‘sycophantic prophetic socratic junkie wannabe’. Obviously, his style of writing is deeply injected in all of his creations, but sometimes it just shines more in specific moments (such as ‘Karcrashian panache’ in ‘Love Me’, absolute gold). At the beginning of ‘This Must Be My Dream’ it seems as if it has a happier turn, but it quickly becomes clear that the newly discovered relationship was just another mistake. The subject matter for ‘Paris’ stretches from other messed up people Healy meets along his way back over to his own imperfections and struggles. Undermined by the instrumental contribution, it all drowns in melancholy. In the acoustic track that is ‘Nana’ Healy deals with the death of his grandma, which is already enough of a tearjerker, but it gets even more intense with the following ‘She Lays Down’. In this, Healy speaks about his mother’s post-natal depression, sounding more close than ever as it is solely him and his acoustic guitar. Having started out with the joyful motivation of ‘Love Me’ and to end with the heaviness of ‘She Lays Down’ perfectly mirrors the weirdness and variety of sounds of this record. It’s nowhere to be placed. It’s bizarre. Each member presenting their talent in the best imaginable way, creating their very own sound. It’s exactly what The 1975 are and want to be: oddly glorious.

What a name. What a record. What a band.

Favorite songs: UGH!, Somebody Else

Overall: 9/10

Cheerio xx

The Black Queen - Fever Daydream (Record Review)

It has been a very long build up to this particular record. Starting with mystic and cryptic messages from the band itself through Instagram / Facebook / Tumblr and their newsletters. The road to this very piece of music has been long and, which makes it especially outstanding, incredibly intimate. Starting by sending out unique cassettes to the first 33 who signed up for their newsletter, developing into VHS' they randomly added to three orders of merch including even more riddles for the fans to solve, highlighting the importance of their followers by giving them special treatments through early access to their limited merch before the public eye even got as much as a glimpse of it, as well as sending them pieces of their music video 'Distanced' as another 'thank you' for being as loyal as they are and to show and treat them with as much respect as they in reverse treat the band. The bond these guys have created with their followers can only be described as exclusive, intimate and honest. Even more outstanding through the fact that The Black Queen have been involved in every little detail of this release, making it all a huge DIY project for everybody engaged.

In conclusion, the wait for the record to finally be released has challenged their fans' patience a lot. But they stayed sane and supportive and now that the record is finally out, the reactions have been nothing but positive so far.

I, myself, have been a fan of this band from the very beginning, honored to have received one of those cassettes at the start of it all. So to be able to give this piece of art a listen, is rather exciting. Here's what I think of it:

The intro is exactly what is to be expected of these guys, leading to the first proper track, and my personal favorite of the previously released ones, 'Ice To Never' which throws you back to 80s synth-pop. People who know the vocalist, Greg Puciato, from his main project The Dillinger Escape Plan, will be more than surprised as he starts singing. While he has proven often enough that he isn't just the maniacal frontman of Dillinger, but has an immense vocal range and musical talent in other genres. Clear are also the influences of fellow band member Joshua Eustis, who has been involved in bands such as Puscifer or his main project Telefon Tel-Aviv. Smoothly, it transfers into 'The End Is Where We Start' before diving into the smooth 'Secret Screams', which is drained with an erotic and sexual vibe in a way that only Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer' has done before. Another previously released track follows called 'Maybe We Should' tapping into a more dance and groove orientated corner. 'Distanced' on the other hand tones it all down again, dragging the listener to a nostalgic, but calm place. The same vibe continuous with 'Strange Quark' maintaining the previously set mood. 'That Death Cannot Touch' grabs you with its first notes and pulls you up to get back on the levels of 'Ice To Never', transferring into an almost outer-space mood as 'Taman Shud' kicks in. Ending the whole thing with the perfectly chosen track 'Apocalypse Morning', soothingly closing up the record in as much of a smooth way as it needs.

This record definitely received its proper way of marketing and promotional run till its release that it needed and deserved. The intimacy of it all is clear to everybody who listens a little more closely to it and especially the lyrics.

Another interesting aspect will be how they will present this all in a live show. Luckily, the wait for this won't be long since they're scheduled to play in front of a sold-out Complex (Glendale, LA) in just a couple of hours. Bringing it also to European grounds with a show at the Oslo Hackney in London on February 5th. These performances will certainly also be one of a kind and a must-see.

Without a doubt, even considering as early in the year as it is, this will most definitely claim its place in my personal Top 5 records of 2016.

Favorite tracks: Ice To Never, Secret Screams, The End Where We Start

Overall: 10/10

Cheerio xx

Tour of the Year - Parkway Drive / Architects / Thy Art Is Murder - January 23rd, 2016 - Zenith, Munich, GER (Concert Review)

The Zenith is one of the biggest venues in Munich and, especially for bands in this genre, it's one of the greatest accomplishments and verification of success to be able to play it and actually (almost) sell it out. As did Parkway Drive with this one. Just over 5.000 people attended the gig, making it PWD's biggest headine show outside their home country, Australia.

The tension before the start of the first support band, Thy Art Is Murder [7], gets more and more unbearable as the lights dim. Reason for that is the recent departure of the Australian deathcore band's front man and vocalist CJ. His vocals being rather significant for the band's sound, the new live sound would be an interesting experience. Especially since it was only the second time the new singer appeared with the band after the tour's debut in Würzburg a day earlier. 

But the doubts reveal themselves to be unnecessary as the new vocalist, Nick Arthur (Molotov Solution), delivers an outstanding performance. None the less, the most impressive, personally, are still the drum tracks and how well Lee Staton delivers them live.

Next up are one of the UK's best exports these days, Architects [10]. Due to 'only' playing a support slot, the band's setlist remains rather short, and also mostly unchanged from the one they had on their latest festival run in summer 2015, but it none the less gets the crowd moving in every corner of the venue. While their stage show never really includes much apart from a huge banner in the bag and a few light effects (or some special effects for their last headliner show at the Roundhouse in London in March 2015), this time, not even the banner made it onto the stage. But these guys don't need much of a show, their performance itself is enough to fully deliver everything perfectly and with a thundering sound as they're giving it their all. Architects always deliver, no matter their time given or the stage they're presented with.

Finally, the headliner is getting doomingly close and the lights slowly dim as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen comes to an end. The whole room gets quiet, the stage is tinted dark red, before a few single spotlights show the silhouettes of the band members behind a curtain. A few guitar riffs in and the curtain, gracing the band's latest album cover, drops down to the ground with a boom of the drums and a just as loud bang from two confetti canons at the corner of the stage, drowning the crowd in a red and white menace of paper. Parkway Drive [9] have arrived. It takes some time, but, at latest, as soon as the sounds to Vice Grip (their first released song off of their latest record 'Ire') bellow through the hall, every single person joins the madness. The show is further undermined with special visual effects, as well as different stage set ups getting revealed as another curtain drops behind the band, and, obviously, flames shooting into the sky for the last couple of tracks.

This tour is a circus full of attractions and is not to be missed if you have any chance to attend it.

Overall: 9/10 

Panic! At The Disco - Death of a Bachelor (Record Review)

I know I'm a little late to the new P!ATD party, but it's been busy and I'd still like to add my little something to this new gem of art.

Personally, I've been excited for this baby to be out ever since the glorious 'Hallelujah' got released onto the world. The excitement never died down with each song that got put out. Such as the intro 'Victorious' which instantly throws you off your chair to cheer and dance along to Urie's significant chants, immediately marking itself as one of my personal favorites. It's no secret that Urie has an immense vocal range and certainly likes to show it off, too, which is why in songs like 'Emperor's New Clothes', 'Hallelujah' or 'Golden Days', you might find yourself in utter awe at his talent. Not only that, but the notable fact that Urie plays all the instruments himself, adds to the already over-whelming musical talent with which this record is soaked. 

While in tracks like 'Death of a Bachelor', he shows off the obvious influences of one of his long-time heroes, Sinatra, and gets more jazz-y and groovey, others, such as 'House of Memories', make you move your hips once more. If you want to or not. There's really not much of a choice. 

Lyrically, it's very clear for the most part what he intends to get across. Most obvious e.g. in 'Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time' which covers the nightlife and its temptations, including drugs, alcohol, sex and the consequences it comes with for the next morning, its mood perfectly set instrumentally. 

Apart from the musical aspect of the record, Urie's has also done one hell of a job with all the videos he delivered to the songs so far, especially 'Emperor's New Clothes' probably being the most outstanding of them.

All in all, while the record does have a bit of a low point with 'The Good, The Bad and The Dirty', other than that, it's a rather flawless record, delivered by one of the brightest minds of music these days. 

Having gone through all the member changes, being the only original member left, Urie still lives up to the name and delivers another marvelous record with 'Death of a Bachelor'.

Favorite song(s): Victorious, Impossible Year, Emperor's New Clothes

Overall: 8,5/10

Cheerio xx

The Neighbourhood - November 17th, 2015 - Gloria Theater, Cologne (Concert Review)

Long overdue but about three weeks ago, on November 17^th, I spontaneously hopped on a train to Cologne to see The Neighbourhood at the sold out Gloria Theater. Let me tell you one thing straight ahead, they made it worth it all.

When I got to the venue at around 5:30PM, there was already a huge line of girls queueing to get into the venue. Occasional screams echoed down the street whenever the door of the tour bus, parked right in front of the building, opened and someone hopped in or out of it. 

The point the doors opened at 7PM, the girls went utterly mad and started sprinting towards the entrance. It was quite a sight.

Once inside, there wasn't much time left till the support act would hit the stage since going into the venue took ages. If that was due to security staff being overwhelmed with their duty or the girls being too impatient and interfering with their work is hard to tell, it was probably a lot of both.

Tunji Ige [6], a rapper from Pennsylvania, had quite a hard time getting to the crowd who were only interacting with the artist for the most part whenever he mentioned the headliner band. Nonetheless, some of his tracks got the room to jump along and dance for a while, but only for a short amount of time. After about 30 minutes, he and his accompanying DJ leave the stage again to make way for the main act.

As the stage gets prepared, not much has to get changed and it all remains pretty much the same. There's no back drop. No extensive lights. No huge production. All things viewable are the instruments and a couple of mics. Minimalism and simplicity as we know it from The Neighbourhood guys.

The Neighbourhood [9] open with the thundering intro of Ferrari, a new track from their just recently released record Wiped Out! (you can check out my review of it here: |x| ), but don't got further into the song than that and instead smoothly go into What Do You Want From Me.

The show gets played with hardly any talk sequences in between, which is much to my personal liking as the whole performance seems a lot smoother due to that. All tracks flow smoothly into each other and trap you further in their haunting and mezmerizing performance, no matter if they go from a more playful Prey into a slow Baby Came Home, or back from Daddy Issues into a more upbeat Female Robbery.

There's a bigger rumble of dislike going through the crowd as the band gets to the experimental and instrumental part of Wiped Out!, I personally loved that certain part the most as the focus is solely on the music and the track is also one of my favorites off of that new record.

As it has to be, Sweater Weather found a place in the setlist, too, as the second to last song. The crowd goes mental to the band's biggest hit up-to-date. No matter what though, it is a solid track and it is after all what brought them to a bigger audience. It is also clear that the most part of the people that night were only waiting for this to be played.

Despite that, they decided to go out with another bang instead of letting Sweater Weather fade and close up their show with RIP 2 My Youth.

A special shout out at this point to the band's FOH guy and light engineer because the sound and visuals were nothing short of stunning, working perfectly well with the band's concept of minimalism.

Here is the complete setlist:

Ferrari Intro

W.D.Y.W.F.M.

Let It Go

Wires

Prey

Baby Came Home

Afraid

Daddy Issues

Female Robbery

The Beach

Wiped Out!

Warm

Sweater Weather

RIP 2 My Youth

Personally, from their debut I Love You, Staying Up was definitely missing, and as far as their newest record is concerned, I would've loved to hear Cry Baby and Single. But the show was beautiful nevertheless, worth the travel and surely worth experiencing again.

The Neighbourhood will be back in Germany in March 2016 for their Underwatour, check their website for all tour dates: |x|

Listen to their latest release Wiped Out! on Spotify and buy it at a record store near you!

Cheerio xx

The Neighbourhood - Wiped Out (Record Review)

Starting by taking 'A Moment Of Silence' a little too literal, they manage to put an odd twist on the whole record already by something so simple. Easing us further into their usual laidback atmosphere with the previously released track 'Prey' and the ride through their universe begins. With 'Cry Baby' the atmosphere gets a bit more haunting and soulful and then transcends into the surprisingly faster, yet 6 minute long, title track 'Wiped Out!'. If you still don't feel like lying on the beach at the West Coast by the end of that, you might just not be listening close enough. Slowing the process down with 'The Beach' again, which was also released previously, they set the next stone for this journey to get in an even darker, spacier mood with 'Daddy Issues'. It might just be me, but I'm also getting Portishead and Puscifer vibes, especially from that certain track. Another track lasting over six minutes is 'Baby Came Home 2 / Valentines', though the second half mainly consists of a big instrumental part leading into 'Greetings From Califournia' which takes you exactly where it's greeting from. Unlike 'Ferrari'. Which sounds more like it got sent from outerspace than any part of the US. 'Single', being a personal favorite, puts you back at the beach with both feet buried deep in the sand Ending with the previously released 'RIP 2 My Youth' they close with what could be considered a proper banger considering their general style.

It's perfect to listen to on a long journey. When you do nothing but lie in your bed, relaxing with your eyes closed. Staring out the window on a rainy day. Simply, to completely annihilate your surroundings and taking your mind on a trip.

It's mesmerizing.

It's a drug for your thoughts.

Overall: 9/10

Favorite track(s): Single, RIP 2 My Youth, Prey, Cry Baby

Cheerio xx

State Champs - Around The World And Back (Record Review)

Having anticipated its release ever since Secrets got released, I finally managed to give the new State Champs record a proper listen. Going in with certain expectations of the guys, I get a little lost at the fact that I hear nothing all too new in any of the tracks. But then again, it’s not like there always has to be something ‚new’ about a band whenever they come back with ‚new’ music.

Generally speaking, if you look at State Champs’ past releases, you get exactly what you can expect from these guys. But better. While ‚The Finer Things’ was an already well-rounded Pop Punk record from one of the US’ finest exports in said genre, ‚Around The World And Back’ is still an improvement to it. With a few special highlights, such as the anthem that is ‚Secrets’, the thundering (as far as you can go to describe something pop punk as thundering) chorus of ‚All You Are Is History’, the resolve to the calmer things with the title track and the perfectly chosen outro track ‚Tooth & Nail’ to finish it all up.

Personally, I can hear a lot of similarities to All Time Low strike in certain songs. Especially so in ‚Losing Myself’ and ‚All Or Nothing’. Which is not a bad thing at all though. It’s simply soaked with sources of inspiration and shows how they managed to transform and include those into their very own style.

While the lyrical content doesn’t impress me much, Derek’s voice makes up for it straight away, being one of my favorites across the genre.

Having been on tour with the likes of All Time Low and 5 Seconds of Summer in the past year, playing to huge crowds every night, these guys are gaining popularity like crazy these days. This record will only increase that matter with its ability to put you straight back to summer with its vibe, despite its autumn release and their upcoming winter tours.

Check out their next tour dates on their facebook page and make sure to roll over to one of their gigs if you got the opportunity to do so. As much as you might be impressed by them on record, get ready for their rise and their tremendous live performance.

Favorite track(s): Secrets, All You Are Is History, Around The World And Back

Overall: 7/10

Cheerio xx

Five Finger Death Punch - Got Your Six (Record Review)

Starting off with some extra info: Got Your Six is Five Finger's fifth (or sixth, if you count the latest releases as two individuals) record within just 8 years! You would think that, considering the time period and the amount of material they've put out that it'd feel like a burn out rather soon. But Five Finger found their own sound and path rather soon in their career and they continously grow bigger with every record. 

Got Your Six instantly reassures you of the band you're listening to with the first sound. There is no doubt that Five Finger are back yet again. It's nothing but pure hard rock, a quality one at that.
The previously released Jekyll & Hyde had already given a little bit of insight as to how the rest of the record might turn out, but as you listen to the title track, you know exactly what you're in for.
Every Five Finger fan knows the band's groove and sound and these guys deliver with each riff and rhythm they create.
While it's generally the same drift as always thoughout the whole thing, there are definitely a few special highlights. Such as Wash It All Away, during which you can hear and feel singer Ivan Moody just throw a huge ''fuck you'' out for the media and people who drag him through the dirt in the press, amongst others. Or Hell To Pay, which has a definite huge crowd moving riff from the very beginning and gets you instantly stoked to experience this monster of an album live. A personal favorite is This Is My War. That song will sound absolutely phenomenal in arenas, so I'm really hoping it'll make it onto their future setlist for their upcoming European / UK Tour.

All around, it could use the loss of a song or two, but, none the less, Five Finger delivered a splendid record once more. It's heavy. It's got the usual groove. It will make you want to tear down walls. It will certainly make you move.

Check their website for all their upcoming tour dates and make sure to check those guys out live, because, trust me, as big as they sound on record ... live, they will blow you away. 

Overall: 9/10
Favorite track(s): Hell To Pay, This Is My War

Cheerio xx

Halsey - Badlands (Record Review)

I haven’t been too big of a fan of anything Halsey has done so far, so I was rather interested to check out Badlands considering the praise she gets online these days. To my own surprise, Castle is quite intruding to me and certainly already starts to drown everything I first thought of her.
While I really do enjoy her voice, I’m not too sure as to how much I dig the music behind it all. Her lyrics seem very thought through and creative with a wide vocabulary, yet the first three tracks sound very similar to each other, e.g.

She knows exactly what she wants to bring across and say with her songs, but I’m still not over the fact as to how ... not different it all sounds. Surely, she has her own sound and you can easily tell her apart from other artists, but the record in itself is not setting itself above anything. Colors is a piece that finally gets a bit over the rest of it and manages to at least keep me interested enough to not stop at this point but actually finish the record properly. Luckily enough, Coming Down keeps sparking interest and shows that Halsey doesn’t necessarily stick to the same vibes over and over again, despite what the first songs implied (maybe just unhappy placement). The further the record proceeds the happier I am that I kept on listening cause some proper gems show up out of the dark, such as Haunting with its endearing rhythm yet calming aura.

Towards the end though, the hopes that got built up, all drop down again as the last couple of songs don’t impress much once more.

While I get how Halsey speaks to a lot of people, girls in particular, of the younger generation, I don’t feel that Badlands is as much of a huge differential record as it gets praised for (at least from what I've seen on the web). Without trying to bash her, I'm just not sure if I simply have very high expectations and easily get bored, or if it isn’t for me in general. None the less, I do appreciate her persona and what she stands for, plus I do enjoy a few of her songs and will probably continue to check out anything she releases in the future. But this record won't be in my Top Album countdown of 2015.

Overall: 6/10

Favorite track(s): Castle, Colors, Haunting

Cheerio xx

Stray From The Path - Subliminal Criminals (Record Review)

The first song already throws you straight into the right line of good old Stray material again. With its siren-ish guitars every now and then, it really gets you going on one hand, though it sadly feels boring after about halfway through the song. Despite that though, Outbreak pushes you back into the rails to keep going and keep on focusing.
Every song is drenched with powerful lyrics, as we know it from those guys. The collaboration with Architects’ Sam Carter is a special little treat here, unlike the rather unfitting addition of Rou Reynolds (which is just my personal opinion though, seeing as I’m not a fan of his voice nor of anything he has done with Shikari). During Shots Fired I realize once more that I’m simply not the type of person to listen to a Stray record and not get bored of it after some time. D.I.E.P.I.G. finally mixes things up a little more and pushes the bar up a bit further again. What follows isn’t outstanding once more, but Snap is a definite favorite instantly and seemed like a perfect ending to the record to me. Which is why I was rather bewildered by the fact that These Things Have To Fall Apart started instead of silence, not having read the track list thoroughly enough before apparently.


Subliminal Criminals definitely has its very high and very low points, but, as mentioned, neither of the previous records had me focused and interested all the way through, so it’s no surprise that it went the same way once more with this one.

Nevertheless, fans of Stray should be stoked with this new release by these guys from Long Island, they certainly delivered to their regular audience.
Critical, heavy, strong and groove-drenched.

Overall: 6,5/10
Favorite track(s): D.I.E.P.I.G., Snap


Cheerio xx

Pop Evil - UP (Record Review)

The new record by Michigan rockers Pop Evil starts with a rather promising (previously released) track called Footsteps that certainly raises your hopes for the vibe of the rest of it. ‚Core’ continues to give it all a certain groove and feeling, setting the stone for a rather rhythm driven album. This seems incredibly fitting for the group, considering other tracks such as Boss’ Daughter and Deal With The Devil, which are some of my personal favorites of them. Sadly though, as promising as Core sounds at first, it also gets as redundant as quickly. In Disarray doesn’t really lift the mood either. This was the second song the quintett released prior to the record drop and it hadn’t impressed me back then either.
As the album processes the whole setting of it becomes more clear. In comparison to Onyx the riffs certainly got heavier and groovier, but Leigh’s voice doesn’t seem to be able to cover these fields just as well. Though songs like Take It All, Ghost Of Muskegon (which has a bit of a NIN feeling to me, at least in the beginning) and Ways To Get High will probably deliver better live, it is all missing power on record.

When I hoped for a bang to end the album with, there are three ballads instead. Not that I’m complaining, these fit together better again than the heavier bits, but it turns the whole thing way too slow despite its jumpy and energetic start.

I still love those guys, none the less, but I maybe expected just a little more from this one in consideration of their previous record Onyx. Still interested to see how they deliver these new songs live.

They’re preparing to tour the US soon with UP, as well as supporting Theory Of A Deadman, so make sure to check their site for a date near you.

Overall: 5/10

Favorite track(s): Footsteps, Ways To Get High

Cheerio xx

Bullet For My Valentine - Venom (Record Review)

So, to say this before anything else, I've never been too big on BFMV. But when 'No Way Out' got released and I heard it on a radio show for the first time (The Pulse on Team Rock Radio, if anybody's interested, which you should all check out anyway cause it's amazing. Get the Team Rock Radio app for free for your phone and tune it at 10PM, UK time, for two hours of brilliant music. No, I'm not getting sponsored to do this, it's genuinely an ace show), I was intrigued to listen to more.

Anyway, so, seeing as I was really into that track, it felt right to check out the whole record. Wouldn't be the first time that I'd get into a band later into their discography, e.g. BMTH who I really enjoy by now.

Here we go:

V - Fitting intro to set the mood

No Way Out - Previously released track that got me interested in the first place

Army of Noise - Nice chorus, rather redundant in general though

Worthless - Such a similar start to No Way Out, all in all a lot of similarities with that song

You Want A Battle? (Here's A War) - It all just sounds incredibly the same, same vibe as Worthless again

Broken - You know a new song is starting when Matt just screams for no reason

Venom - Did the song even change …? 

The Harder The Heart (The Harder It Breaks) - A little differential finally, rather refreshing

Skin - I'm not even gonna bother with this anymore

Hell or High Water

Pariah

Playing God

Run For Your Life

In Loving Memory

Raising Hell

I'm not too sure on their latest records, though 'Temper Temper' was a proper dive into the loo, but this one is definitely just a pile of 'same old, same old'. The songs hardly differ from each other, the riffs seem the same, the tempo is always really similar to what has come before. This record is not a roller coaster ride of new music and stunning twists and turns, but a lame slide downwards. It might be cause I've never been a fan of them, but the previously released song had given me hope. Sadly, they didn't quite deliver. 

Overall: 2/10

Favorite track: No Way Out

Cheerio xx

Rockavaria - Day 3

Hatebreed – Kreator – Testament – Faith No More – Metallica

Got out to the festival area extra early to catch the set of the guys in Hatebreed [6]. Having seen them multiple times before, the set didn't swoop me off my feet. They're always fun to watch though, even if you don't know all of their songs or are generally not massively into their music, Jamey Jasta [vocalist] will animate you to jump along as he spins around the stage like a ballerina. As always, they closed with an all-time favorite of … well, of basically everybody: 'Destroy Everything'.

I'm gonna be honest right here and say that I only watched Kreator and Testament due to not wanting to give up my place in the second row for Faith No More later on. The first section of the crowd always got closed during the last two sets of the day due to reaching the limit of people to be allowed in it … I simply didn't want to risk it. The fangirl in me needed to see the brilliance, that are FNM, up close.

Kreator [1] are really not my kind of thing and there was not a second that I enjoyed. Thrash metal has never been a passion of mine and it seemingly never will. Some parts of the performance were also rather unnecessary, e.g. Mille carrying a smoke gun, which was probably as big as a nerf gun for kids, that didn't really do much at all, especially while the sun was still high up in the sky. The sound was obnoxiously loud, too, which didn't improve their performance in the slightest.

Same thing with Testament [2], though I have to give them props for the drummer's [Gene Hogland] skills and to their vocalist's [Chuck Billy] for sounding immense during their gig. Other than that, they had a few catchy parts here and there, but it didn't get better from that on. Also, Chuck's rather cocky attitude on stage didn't fit in with the rest of the band at all, which was kind of off-putting.

To say that the audience was rather taken aback when they saw people setting up the stage for Faith No More [10] would be an understatement. As the crew carried flowers and all kinds of white instruments onto the stage, everybody simply stared in shock. Personally, I was beyond excited to see this madness up close … the rest of the crowd, well, not so much. They didn't only look weirded out, they also experessed their huge dislike about what was to come. To be honest, I have never experienced as much of an ignorant crowd as I did at that point. Probably everybody in the first section was mainly there for Metallica, absolutely no doubt about that. Also, everybody in the first section didn't show a single spark of interest into anything that wasn't thrash metal, or at least close to it. Some of them even started to boo and yell at FNM to get off the stage during their set, which was beyond rude. FNM didn't care too much though, they knew how far they fell out of the frame that day. Or at any other festival they were a part of. They embraced it with joy.

The performance they put on was mezmerizing and absolutely incredibly. My personal highlight of the whole weekend, by far. Mike Patton [vocalist] proved once more as to how much of an unbelievable voice range he has and went absolutely bonkers with any kind of device he had nearby. No matter if he was yelling into a megaphone, his mic or some voice changing device, he nailed it all. I will say this much now to round up this fangirl-ramble: Mike Patton proved that he is indeed a god and FNM are as madly brilliant as ever.

Metallica [8] didn't disappoint either. While it remains a mystery to me as to why they would have about 150 people behind them up on stage, it was probably an amazing experience for the fans who got to do that. They played some rarities they had buried for a long time and stunned the audience whenever one of those treasures came to life. Especially for hardcore fans, it must've been one hell of an experience to see such a change in their setlist. It was refreshing to see them have fun with their set, but, for some reason, they didn't seem to be in their best form that night. Metallica are always worth watching, so there's really no downside to it.

To end this all up, a few things about the festival itself:

• The Hellyeah announcement was unprofessional and uncalled for
• Not having port-a-potties at all on the whole festival area was a big burden to a lot of people. The only way to reach the toilets was to walk up about 100 stairs (from the mainstage) to the regularly installed restrooms
• Due to not having port-a-potties, most guys simply let loose in the middle of the audience, being too lazy to take those said stairs and made the whole place stink up with the sweet smell of urine
• Closing venues and stages when the capacity isn't even half filled is unnecessary and upsetting to people who paid lots of money to see exactly those bands
• Not offering the possibility to camp at the area probably made the festival a lot more unattractive to the main festival audience and made the event lose quite a percentage of the wanted crowd
• Bad sound quality made a lot of gigs impossible to enjoy
• Having too much security at said closed venues and having too less at the backstage area is not a too great representation of your priorities. Makes having backstage/working/AAA passes absolutely useless and could've endangered the artists if more people had known about the lack of security check at those important areas
• Booking all hardcore bands to a club stage where it is not allowed to stand up is an absolutely waste of bands with amazing energy
• Having a mass of festival merch but not offering any merch of any band who wasn't on the main stage doesn't throw the best light onto the festival either. The smaller bands are the ones who need those merch sales the most!
• Organizing a festival in as much of a 'reserved and snobby' area as Munich already predicted the bad ticket sales

I'd give the festival an all around 6, but only due to having a bunch of rad bands in the line up.

Cheerio x

Rockavaria - Day 1

Bonaparte – The Hives – Babymetal – Kvelertak – Muse

Luckily, thanks to my work place shutting its doors early cause we all went to the festival, I was able to leave just in time to catch Bonaparte [7]. Despite having seen that band twice already, they never disappoint to entertain. Though, organizationally speaking, they were rather misplaced on stage at such an early hour. Personally think that they simply are more of a past-midnight band. A festival closer, if you want to. Due to the early schedule, the arena was hardly filled so the party-factor wasn't too high either which drained the atmosphere a little. Too bad, really, cause the band and their ridiculously messed up performance was as great as always.

Next up were The Hives [7] and while the area had gotten a bit more crowded meanwhile, the people somehow didn't feel like partying all too much still. Rather fitting for all crowds in Munich, to be honest. If you're not big enough to constantly get played on the radio, you just might not be good enough for those folks.

The Hives didn't let themselves get irritated by that though and put on an ace gig. Adding to their good mood, it was Per's [vocalist] birthday who didn't let himself get brought down by the lack of response. Though the people did get awoken from their comatose state by some of The Hives' bigger hits such as 'Tick Tick Boom', during the encore.

Up next, on the stage inside the Olympiahalle, Babymetal [5] were about to start with their rather odd show. Due to the awful sound inside the hall, it was rather hard to depict any musical specialities apart from the odd mixture of little girls singing along innocently to heavy metal riffs. Most of the crowd wasn't sure what to do with what they were confronted with and ended up simply staring at the three girls on stage. The rest, me included, celebrated the hyped band with cheers and fittingly odd dance moves. Sadly, thanks to the terrible sound quality, as mentioned, you weren't really able to enjoy their performance to the fullest cause of having to leave the hall again after a few songs to not leave the first day of the festival already with an ear infection.

Back outside, it was already time for Muse [9] to hit the mainstage. The reviews and videos of that band bringing absolute madness to their crowd did not exaggerate. Not only did they have a rad light show, paired with brilliant sound management, the band itself also delivered exactly what they promise. Even though the fact that they headlined a festival called 'Rockavaria' got a lot of critic due to them not fitting said name, they definitely shut down those who doubted them with their performance. Matt Bellamy's voice did not differ from the record at all, if anything, it sounded more impressive live. Definitely a personal highlight to finally have experienced their show first hand. Their set had a great mixture of old songs, hits and newly released, and even unreleased, songs off of their latest record 'Drones'.

To end the day, I had actually planned to watch Limp Bizkit tear the Olympiahalle a new one, sadly though, the organizators had decided to close that venue down, saying it was already full inside. There is picture proof though that the GA arena and the seats were far from being 'too filled'. There had been several organizational mistakes throughout the day, but this one certainly was the most disappointing one. To close out people from watching a band who paid to see them, together with many others, when there clearly was enough space for everybody. Especially considering that 70% of the crowd were busy watching Muse end their set on the mainstage, it was a letdown to have to turn on experiencing that show.

As a little aid, I ended up at the Kvelertak [8] gig on the club stage. The crowd there gave off about the same energy as the one standing at the mainstage watching Muse. Having seen that band multiple times already, I knew what to expect (especially with no new releases ever since the last live set) and got nothing less than that. While I still got absolutely no idea what these guys are screaming and singing about, it's always a fun time with that Norwegian bunch of metal heads and their catchy music.