Into the Pit: 054: VNV Nation – Live at Corporation Sheffield – 15-December 2007
Getting in a little late, I missed the beginning of Kloq, but got to see the majority of a set I had been looking forward to seeing.
Into the Pit: 053: theSTART – Live at Casbah Sheffield – 12-December 2007
Yet another band that I have been waiting years to see, first we had to endure two local bands that were really not good. The first were very-much Blondie influenced (to the point of playing a cover of Call Me), while the second were scratchy punk-pop where the silence between each song was probably longer […]
/Countdown/2007/Albums
Part three of my round-up of the year, and this week it is my albums of the year. Despite my reservations recently that there hadn’t been an awful lot to recommend for 2007, it turns out that there are actually quite a lot.
Into the Pit: 052: The Young Gods – Live at Roadhouse Manchester – 06-December 2007
First, I should mention the support band. A band from the south-west called Undercut, who were really rather good. Not at all the type of band I would expect to see supporting a band like TYG, but maybe that was half the fun. A five-piece alternative rock band, with passing nods in the music to […]
/Countdown/2007/Tracks
So, part one of my review of the year, and this week it is the tracks of the year. This as usual spans a number of different genres, and I don't doubt that there will be some disagreement with my choices: so to that end, let me know what you think the best of the […]
Tuesday Ten: 025: The Most Disappointing Albums of 2007
This week's TT is the first of four "end of the year" lists that will come between now and Christmas, one each Tuesday, detailing my best – and worst – of the year.
But Listen: 065: mindFluxFuneral – teatro de Revelación
Let’s get the comparisons out of the way first, shall we? This sounds very much like a Skinny Puppy creation. Not the post-millenium incarnation, but the prime-80s/90s version, where layer upon layer of sound is added to the mix, with unsettling samples, barely coherant vocals and a grimy, darkened feel to proceedings. Add to the […]
Tuesday Ten: 024: Changing Direction
Many bands change their output over time, often as a concious decision to evolve their sound. Sometimes it is an incremental process, and is often welcomed. Playlists: Spotify Then again, there are then times when a more drastic move in style is greeting with heresy by the fans. I’ve seen some of my favourite bands […]
DJ: Guest: 022: JUDDER! – 09-November 2007
Probably one of my favourite DJ sets ever, this was the Jim Henson Judder. So everyone dressed as Muppets. And Fraggles.
Tuesday Ten: 023: Tracks of the Month (October 2007)
The first Tuesday of a new month, so time for a look at my ten tracks of the month for October. The usual mix of new stuff that has caught my ear, along with a few older things that I've been listening to again. Anything that you think I should be hearing otherwise would be […]
But Listen: 064: Enthroned – Tetra Karcist
Anyone who puts a sticker on the front of their album stating "Extreme Black Metal – Posers Beware" is putting themselves in the firing line in a big way. With such lofty – and arrogant – statements it puts the expectations high for some form of groundbreaking black metal that is just too good for […]
Into the Pit: 051: The Birthday Massacre – Live at Satan’s Hollow Manchester – 25-October 2007
Like many other gigs of late, I was left feeling rather old again after this one. Again the attendance was heartening – it was a queue pretty much ’round the block before it opened – with many, many very dedicated fans of the headliners.
Tuesday Ten: 022: Overplayed Dancefloor Tracks
This week is a companion piece to last week's, really: looking at overplayed dancefloor tracks in goth/industrial clubs. Being a DJ myself, of course, I well appreciate that it isn't always the DJ's fault, and it is endless requests for particular tracks that cause it. Still, some of these tracks I have heard everywhere I […]
Into the Pit: 050: [:SITD:] – Live at Corporation Sheffield – 21-October 2007
[Note: An edited version of this review appeared in Alternative Magazine Issue 08]
Tuesday Ten: 021: Overplayed Videos
Like many others, I while away the odd evening watching some of the music channels on cable. And sometimes, there is even something good on. And a look at the playlist pages may make you weep if you are looking for something different. Kerrang TV‘s playlist has vanished (leaving a blank page – perhaps they […]
Into the Pit: 049: Pitchshifter – Live at Rock City. Nottingham – 13-October 2007
So, Pitchshifter. To say I’m familiar with the band’s output and their live performances would be understating it a little: I’ve been following them since first discovering Triad years ago on a John Peel show (probably sometime around ’94/’95), and then saw them live 13 times between ’96 and ’02 (I never saw the “last” […]
Tuesday Ten: 020: Bands I’ve Not Seen Live
This week, it’s time to revisit something I have mentioned in passing elsewhere. In fact, last week I put up a poll about gigs/bands you’d go back in time to see, and the results were fascinating. So to expand it a little, it’s time to look at bands I never did/never have seen live. I […]
Into the Pit: 048: Angelspit – Live at Corporation Sheffield – 07-October 2007
Last night’s gig was a pretty strange one.
But Listen: 063: The Secret Meeting – Ultrashiver
This album is the second collaborative effort this year to feature Dean Garcia (ex-Curve), following the release of the KGC album right at the start of 2007. In some respects, they share some similarities – at least that they are reportedly full collaborative efforts – but sonically they are very different.
Tuesday Ten: 019: Tracks of the Month (September 2007)
Another month – so it's time again for my tracks of the month.