Another trip to the legendary Nottingham venue for a stacked lineup of incredible hard rock and metal bands! Having seen half of them multiple times before, I was certainly excited to see them again, while the half I’d not seen had me just as pumped! Without further ado, let’s dive into just how great it was!
The legendary Californian nu/alt metallers Adema were up first. A band that I’ve been a fan of since my teen years but never had the chance to catch live, they certainly did not disappoint! They didn’t have a huge amount of time, but they worked their asses off and put on a fantastic show regardless. It was heavy on their incredible debut, but we still got a cheeky track from both Unstable and Insomniac’s Dream. The massive hit ‘The Way You Like It’ was of course a massive highlight, but closer ‘Giving In’ was also awesome, and a big crowd favourite! Tim is back on lead vocals once again and sounds just as great as ever, while whoever they had on drums also killed it, just like the other the other two. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to see them, but I already need to get to another of their shows, especially if it’s a longer set!
Next up were a band we’re very familiar with here at Overtone, South of Salem! It had actually been a little while since we’d seen them, and this very much reminded me of how much I love them! It was another set that was maybe a touch short, missing one or two of my favourites from their debut. However, the set was still stacked with banger after banger. From opener ‘Lwt us Prey’ through the awesome ‘Static’ to perennial closer ‘Cold Day in Hell’, the whole half an hour was amazing. Heck, we even got a cheeky cover, the band doing Savage Garden’s ‘To the Moon & Back’ perfectly, paying homage to the original while still sounding like SoS. Each member of the band worked their asses off throughout, and fromtman Joey Draper is such a commanding presence, the crowd eating out the palm of his hand from the very first minute. The band have been killing it for years now, and hopefully we are getting album three and a big headline tour soon!
Next up were my most anticipated band of the night, Finger Eleven. I have been a big fan of them for years, but somehow fell even more in love with them after last year’s Last Night on Earth. So, hearing ‘Adrenaline’ and ‘The Mountain’ live was truly something else! Having said that, I was actually a little surprised we got ‘Slow Chemical’ but DAMN, it was amazing to hear in a live setting! Just another incredible wrestling theme I’ve seen live, and my gosh do I miss when WWE had entrances like this again. And, of course, the likes of ‘Quicksand’, ‘First Time’ and ‘Good Times’ were also so great to hear live! Both guitarists put their all into the performance too, and Scott sounded as good as ever vocally. He may have been a little too stationary, but it actually kinda complimented their music well, and he still had some great crowd interaction! They fit perfectly on this bill and played a great set that was over all too soon. Shame the crowd were a little low energy for it, but outside of that it was excellent!
Out of the three times I’ve now seen Soil, this was the best one yet! It was still rather Scars-heavy like their last tour, but the album is packed full of so many bangers it’s hard to complain! The book-ending the set with ‘Breaking Me Down’ and ‘Halo’ will always be perfect, and the likes of ‘Unreal’ and ‘Black 7’ are incredible too! However, we had a little more variety than before. ‘The Hate Song’ and ‘Way Gone’ from their criminally underrated last album were amazing live, as was their new single ‘Enemy X’. And the likes of ‘Pride’ and ‘Redefine’ are always welcome additions to their live shows!
Speaking of the show, the band worked their asses off throughout! I touched on it when seeing Drowning Pool at Download, but Ryan’s vocals are stronger than they’ve been in years, and he was on top form as a frontman here! Meanwhile the rest of the band brought the energy in a big way, and were clearly having fun up there. They were a fitting headliner for the show, putting on one hell of a set for over an hour, and closing things out with a bang! And, what’s more, the crowd we’re big into it, marching the bands energy. Hopefully this renewed momentum and new track means another album is finally on the horizon soon…!
And there we have it, folks. A night packed with amazing hard rock and metal music, put on by four incredible live bands! I cannot recommend any of them enough, either on track or live, and this certainly won’t be the last time I see all of them, I’m sure!
We had the pleasure of chatting to Mr Baby Lasagna himself, Marko Purišić, about their brand new album, their upcoming European tour, and his future plans! Check it all out below!
I think a lot of people will still probably be most familiar with you from Eurovision. How would you describe your current sound to people who are only really familiar with that one track?
Goofy-ass metal, I would say. I think we definitely got back to our roots, which is like metal and rock music definitely. And I think our attitude is maybe what can give us some kind of a window to maybe separate ourselves from other artists, and that is maybe our kind of lightheartedness or goofiness or whatever. I think that’s kind of the best way to describe what we’re doing. I think there’s moments of like seriousness in those kind of moments, but I think I’m way too biased to be the one judging that kind of thing, so maybe people other people should take a lesson and see what we’re all about!
What made you transition back to metal? Obviously you mentioned it’s where you started out!
Yeah, definitely, maybe like 15 years ago. I would say that Eurovision phase would mostly would be considered from myself a transition because everything kind of just happened and I didn’t have an album, I just had songs on my computer laying down. Those are the songs that I wrote for other artists and they just didn’t go through. So I was like, this is now hot, I gotta have an album. I’m not 100% satisfied with it, but you know you gotta put something out and I think it’s the right thing. But then now that we have time, we are going back, although we never left, to the things that we truly love, which is mostly metal and rock music with subgenres of like hard style techno and stuff like that.
I didn’t realize you were a songwriter as well. I feel like it’s a little rare these days in kind of rock and metal to find people who do still songwriter for the people.
Yeah, I think it’s also rare. So when I actually got the award for the best selling album in Germany, not for me but for the band that I wrote for, a Gothic metal band. So that was kind of weird. But I can understand and I appreciate when people even from rock music, they’re now older and they’re tired and they feel like they’ve already written all that they can write, so they’re looking for help. They’re still really involved in songwriting, it’s just that they need that kind of first idea, the first brick on which they will build their own kind of approach. It’s not the usual kind that you are used to, to maybe, I don’t know, Sabrina Carpenter or whatever. Like pop music where they just come to the studio, here’s your new song and go with it.
Speaking on the album, it seems to have gone down really well. I’ve read a few reviews outside of my own and everyone seems to be loving it!
Yeah, I was kind of surprised with it. Not that I didn’t expect it or… you never know when you release it. As I said again, I’m way too deep into it to know what it’s like objectively, like what’s the response going to be. I was hoping for it, but I think it’s good. The only objection I would make to myself is that I don’t have the moment in album, like everything is good, but nothing jumps up, jumps out. I think in the third one we’ll have that better maybe something. I don’t know, that’s what I feel like!
Yeah. I feel like maybe a couple of again, just because I wasn’t familiar with your stuff pre-Eurovision, I feel like a couple of the the screams and stuff like that stood out. But, yeah, I suppose if you’re more familiar with your stuff…
Yeah, I think it kind of lacks a good moment, like a good part in the song that really stands out. All of the songs are like, yeah, good, nice, but none of them is like, oh, this is the one. I feel like I’m sounding like the guys from NoFX right now. I remember them releasing an album and journalist asking them, well, tell us about your new album, and they were like “it’s okay, the last one was better, but this one will do”!
No, I know what you mean though. I suppose as well if you’ve been sitting on the songs for quite a while, and I’ve spoken to a few artists where they’re like, the amount they played it in the studio and then rehearsing for it for a live setting, you kind of just get a bit desensitized to it almost.
Yeah, man. And it was kind of a tense situation for us because, you know, now all of a sudden you have kind of expectations, you have people listening, which you didn’t have so far, that can bring some pressure. Although it’s pretty under the surface, I think we did a good job with what we had and I think we can stand behind that album!
Is there a theme or story running through it or is it more kind of, you know, separate tracks?
Yeah, as a songwriter, I never got used to writing an album as a whole, I was always writing song by song by song. But I can see now looking back on the album and listening to it, there’s a lot of stuff. So the first album was really commenting a lot on society and blah blah blah. The second one now is really self-involved more. I think it’s just because of Eurovision and everything that happened, our lives turned one day to the next, we’re totally different. Everything is now different and there’s a whole lot of attention hear in Croatia on us, and it kind of brings a lot of feelings, a lot of emotions, it changes you as a person. And I think the whole theme running throughout the album is kind of that; like wrestling with something new within yourself. The best thing I can hope a listener could get from that album is hope. And I know I was writing a lot of songs, for example, “Face On Your Phone” as a fuck you. So it gives them hope, give them strength to oppose everything that’s bothering them in life, so that’s that’s what I hope!
What’s the writing process like for you? Is it mainly you? Or do you guys all just kind of get together in a room and hash it out?
Yeah, we when we started writing this album, we rented a really nice villa and we were like, “now we’re going to write an album and it’s going to be so cool. That’s like what the big bands do!” We go we got there expecting to write, I don’t know, it would be great if we write five songs, six, seven, oh my god, maybe 10. We ended up writing one song, ‘End the Party’. And yeah, I got to tell you, I even told my boys that I kind of hate writing in a group. For 10 years I was writing alone and now it’s so weird. Crossing off each other’s energy… I need to learn that and I’m willing to learn that, but I just locked myself in the room and started to play with instruments as I usually do. The only thing that’s different is that guys themselves also write song without me and then we collaborate more later and so we did it like that. I literally have anxiety, like they would say hey, let’s have a writing session, I would be like, oh my god, it’s so stressful for me. I don’t know why, even though I’m best friends with those people, but it’s just weird. When you get used to it writing alone for 10 years, it’s weird just canceling it all of a sudden!
You’ve kind of touched on it already, but there’s more writing going on I assume, right?
Yeah, I mean there’s nothing else that I can imagine myself doing right now. And I want to do this for as long as I can. The life that we’re now living is basically what I dreamed of since I was nine years old. So, of course, I remember thinking about the third album and writing it in my diary, what I wanted it to be, on the day when we released this one. So everybody was excited and listening to the new songs and you’re so detached from what’s going on in the general reality of the fans, because with with my own head I’m already in the third one. And that’s like a songwriter’s disease, I would say, because I’m trying to write as many songs as I did before. I remember in 2021 I wrote 200 songs in one year, 240, something like that, so it eas a few songs a week. So, you know, my mind is already what’s next!
The tour starts soon, right?
Yeah, next week! By the end of next week we have a first date in Milan. I think it’s worth mentioning here that we’re coming to UK again, which is amazing, because we love UK and we still have some UK dates to announce. I think we’re coming 20th or 21st or 19th, I don’t know, to Manchester and London in November. Both shows are going really well, which I’m super excited about because having a good audience in UK feels like a privilege. UK is a big market so I’m really happy about that. And I can say if you liked our concert last year when we were last there on tour, I promise you’re going to absolutely love this one. We did everything differently, it’s going to be perfect!
Is there any kind of comparisons you can make between the scene out here compared to back home?
Oh, definitely. First of all, I love playing outside of Croatia just because of hear in Croatia… now it’s getting better and it’s going to get better with time, but the ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ hype grew bigger than Baby Lasagna, than everything, it was just big of a song. And when you play here, people visiting your concert were not necessarily a fan of yours, they were fan of ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ and they were just waiting for an hour to play that songs. As I said, it’s been now two years, so I think it’s it’s kind of getting in the right direction where we are doing solo gigs and people are are actually listening to our songs.
But yeah, playing in the UK is different. It’s where people know your songs, and last year or the year before that we played 2000 Trees festival, which was so perfect for us because a lot of people didn’t know us there and it ended up being packed. We were on some forest stage and by the end of it a few thousand people were singing to us, which was like the biggest honor because we are new here. They were singing like, “Oh, Baby Lasagna”. That’s cool. And that was one of my favorite moments ever in music that I’ve been to, and it brought tears to my eyes. So yeah, I would say we have a special bond with the UK, and last year London was sold out, I think this year Manchester will be and maybe London too, so we’re excited!
You seem pretty active and up on the whole social media game. Is there any advice you could give for a band or artist just starting out on that side of things?
Post and run! I’m talking to you right now on my main phone and I’ve got another phone that’s turned off where I have all my social media. And I just record a video, post and just close it and stay away. I can’t do it for me and it eats me alive. I can see myself like going down spiritually and emotionally at some point, just draining myself, so I’m definitely careful with it. I’m trying my best to stay active on it because I think it’s a cool way to, you know, work on your relationship with the fans, but at the same time it’s not good for you. I would be definitely careful with it.
I’m glad that you you said that I seem to be on it because I feel like, “Ah, you’re not doing enough, ah, you haven’t posted in three days” and oh my god, because I see people having teams, social media managers and blah blah on my level. Maybe it could work, but I don’t know. At the same time it’s just why would I hire somebody. But I don’t know, it’s all confusing a bit!
We had the pleasure of sitting and chatting with the wonderful Aaron of the blues-rock power couple When Rivers Meet the other week. Check out as we chat about their latest album, upcoming tour and much more!
Your latest album dropped a few weeks ago, it seems to have gone down really well! Have you managed to see much of the fan and critical response?
We really have, and honestly, it’s been quite overwhelming in the best possible way. We always put so much of ourselves into making a record, so once it’s out there, you never quite know how people are going to connect with it.
The response from the Rapids has been incredible. We’ve had so many lovely messages, comments and conversations with people telling us which songs have connected with them and what the album means to them.
We’ve also been really pleased with the critical response. It’s lovely to see the album getting recognised, but ultimately, we’re just grateful that people are listening to real music.
Is there a certain theme running through the album, or is it more on a track-by-track basis?
I think there’s definitely a thread running through the album, but it wasn’t something we set out to create as a concept album. A lot of the songs came from different experiences and emotions, so each track has its own story and its own place on the record.
There are definitely themes of love, relationships, resilience, letting go and finding your own strength running through it. There’s also a sense of independence and standing our ground, which is something that’s really important to us, both personally and as a band.
You recently welcomed a child together. How has that changed things in terms of the music? I know at least the closing track of the release seems to be about it, and as a future father certainly touched me!
Becoming parents has definitely changed things for us, but in a really positive way! Music has always been such a huge part of our lives, and now we have Bobby, it’s about finding that balance between being musicians and being Mum and Dad.
And yes, the closing track ‘Bring Life’ is very much connected to that! It’s quite special knowing that something so personal to us can resonate with other people, particularly those who are about to become parents themselves.
Has your sound changed or evolved much from your early EPs to now?
Yes, definitely. I think our sound has naturally evolved as we’ve grown as musicians and songwriters. Our early EPs were very much rooted in traditional blues, with quite a raw, stripped back sound. Over the last 3 albums, we’ve explored more of our rock influences, and our music has become, heavier introducing dual guitars, Keys and extra harmonies into the mix.
We’ve also become much more confident in our songwriting and production. We’ve also opened up to co-writing with our producer and drummer on the last two albums, and I think that’s allowed us to experiment more without losing what makes us sound like When Rivers Meet.
We’ve never really wanted to put ourselves in a particular box. We love blues, rock, Americana and all sorts of music, and those influences have gradually found their way into what we do. But at the heart of it.
Have you got much of a tour planned for the rest of the year to support the albums release?
Absolutely! We’ve just finished our September and October Rhythm Rust & Static trio tour, which was our first tour back since having Bobby, and it was brilliant to get out playing live again.
We’ve now got our biggest tour of the year coming up in November and December, the Backbone Tour, where we’ll be heading out across the UK with our full six-piece band.
You’re rather involved on the social media side of things, do you have any advice you could give to a band or artist just starting out, in that regard?
I think the biggest piece of advice we’d give is to be consistent and be yourself. Social media is such a powerful tool for independent artists, but it’s important to remember that it’s not just about promoting your music, it’s about building a connection with people.
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support still or friends you’d want to bring along?
There are so many bands we’d love to share a stage with! We’ve been really fortunate to support Blue Öyster Cult at the London Palladium last year, and we’ve been invited back to support them in Glasgow next April, which is fantastic.
We’d absolutely love to tour with someone like The Black Crowes, Rival Sons,Thunder, G’N’R to name but a few. They are all incredible live bands, and we think our music would sit really well alongside theirs.
As for bringing people along, we’ve met so many brilliant musicians and made some great friends over the years. One of the best things about touring is getting to share those experiences with other artists, so putting together a tour with some of our favourite people would be pretty special!
If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?
That’s such a difficult question because there are so many incredible songs out there! But I think we’d have to go with The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac. It’s such a brilliantly written song, the way it builds, the emotion behind it, and that iconic bass line. It’s one of those songs that manages to be quite simple in places but incredibly powerful. We love music that takes you on a journey, and that song does exactly that. It’s timeless!
Pick up tickets to the Backbone tour here while you still can!
We headed to the legendary Rock City in Nottingham the other day for an absolutely stacked night of fantastic metal bands! The variety was amazing, from the legendary industrial headliner to the more pop-metal opener to some straight-up blackened death metal, and had me bouncing and singing along all night. There was no way we weren’t telling you just how awesome of a show it all was!
First up were our new friendsThe Nocturnal Affair. Having been a fan of them for a couple of years now, it was great to finally see them, and they certainly didn’t disappoint! They surprisingly came off heavier live than on track, but that may have been because of the stellar sound, a fixture of the whole evening. Still, Brendan’s voice was as great at the screams as his powerful cleans, and the band played their asses off around him. They had a pretty long set for an opener too, squeezing in plenty of their hits like ‘Cross Me Out’, ‘Choke’ and new fan favourites ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Place in Time’. And, of course, we still got their fantastic Haddaway cover to close. It was the perfect way to open a night like this; high energy, heavy and yet plenty melodic. I already can’t wait to see them again!
The pace changed rather dramatically when Hate took the stage. Having listened to their last album plenty I knew exactly what to expect, and it was fucking awesome! It was a full frontal assault from start to finish, and the band performed it masterfully. I loved the effort put into the appearance, not only the corpse paint that fit the vibe so well, but the mic stands were awesome and they even had some cauldrons on stage just for dressing, adding so much to the show. The setlist was awesome, too. From the very best of Bellum Regiis to their heavy hitters in ‘Erebos’ and ‘Rugia’, they blasted through a really great six tracks, all of which flowed perfectly into each other. And, for a black metal-adjacent band, there was a surprising amount of crowd interaction too, all of it being great. This is the type of music I think is so perfect for a live setting, and Hate blew me away with their set!
Next up were the mighty Crystal Lake. Bringing a metalcore flavour to the evening, they were another band I was highly anticipating seeing for the first time. They’re another band with a truly excellent recent release, so to hear some of it live was really awesome! Then, on top of that, we still got the best of Helix and even a couple of their earlier tracks, rounding out their setlist perfectly. Given how new to the fold frontman PK is, he fit in with the rest of the band perfectly, them geling and it feeling like a completely natural pairing. He is already a veteran of the scene from Prompts; his live vocals and performance both being awesome, and the energy he has brought back to Crystal Lake is amazing. And don’t get me wrong, it takes away nothing from the rest of the band, YD and co. playing and performing like they had something to prove through their whole set. The crowd were surprisingly slightly light, especially around the least active pit the world may have ever known, but it didn’t at all lessen my enjoyment. This is one of my favourite sets of the whole year, and I need to see them again ASAP!
And just like that we reached our headliners, Fear Factory. The only band on the bill I’d actually seen before, it didn’t at all lessen my excitement for their set. And my gosh, what a set it was! A full 17 tracks spanning much of their impressive career, from their debut album to their recent single. And, it was all played to perfection! ‘Roboticist’ is a fantastic new addition to their repertoire, but the classics like ‘Replica’, ‘Linchpin’ and ‘Powershifter’ are all firm crowd favourites, and the place got LOUD for them. It is a bit of a shame we didn’t get anything off their last album, but even getting a track off Genexus was a surprise and pretty fucking awesome!
As for the band themselves, they killed it throughout the full 90-odd minutes of their time on stage. You would not think this band formed all the way back in ’89, the way Dino throws himself around and still plays. And the rest of the band, even if they are all recent editions around him and a little more ‘hired guns’ at this point, all kill it too! Milo is a natural frontman for the band, sounding as close as dammit to Burton did back in the day, and is an excellent frontman in his own right. All four of them work together perfectly too, putting on a great, straight-forward show between them all! It’s damn impressive for a band to keep me hooked for that long by just their playing, but they did just that. Another fantastic set to close out the night!
And there we have it, folks. A night packed to the brim with awesome metal music, at one of the best venues in the country. Every band knocked it out of the park, somehow making me an even bigger fan of each of them in the process! I cannot recommend any of them enough, both live and on track, and I am very much desperate to see them again soon. To an amazing night!
We had the pleasure of chatting to the rising UK country star Liam Price at The Long Road the other week about him playing the main stage there, getting to support Larry Fleet and much more! Check it all out below!
How’s this weekend been for you? Been pretty busy by the look of things!
Well, as you’ve seen, it was pretty wet yesterday. But everyone’s in the same boat, so to speak. And today the sun came out for our set on main stage, which is incredible for everybody! So, yeah, crazy weekend, but it seems to be my life at the moment!
Yeah! I suppose the rain packed out the VIP tent yesterday for you, too!
Yeah. I thought I was a big deal, but then I realized it was absolutely chucking it down out there and everyone was in there!
Is it a similar sort of set for the VIP one?
Yeah, just a stripped back, very intimate set. I’ll probably chuck a couple of covers in there as well.
You won the competition here last year. How is it to come back and do the big stage this year?
Yeah, I mean it’s just crazy. To do the little stage last year, little stage yesterday, and then all of a sudden you’re on the Rhinestone stage with a few thousand people! It was great turnout. So happy with everyone coming out and seeing me. That was really kind!
I saw you had quite the queue of people wanting to take photos and all this, which was pretty cool!
I’ve got some really good fans, some really good friends that support me all over the country, and I appreciate them greatly!
You say you’ve had a pretty full-on year so far. I saw you around the US, and you’re there again next month, right?
Yeah, I’m going to go and open for Larry Fleet! It’s going to be really cool. And he’s actually a massive inspiration for me. I tell the story; when I went in the studio to record ‘The Grass Ain’t Green’, I had to give a reference track about like how I wanted it to sound and mix, and I gave ‘Where I Find God’ by Larry Fleet. So, to get the call to go and play with him, like it’s crazy!
You’ve come from more of a tribute background. How is it kind of transitioning into a more originals kind of sound?
I mean, tribute background in terms of the country scene, but I’ve been writing songs since I was 16 years old! I was in like a pop-punk band back in the day.
But, yeah, I mean the transition’s been pretty simple, pretty easy. The main thing about this genre is people are so supportive for roots music, like, you know, grassroots. So, they want to hear anyone’s new songs, and that’s why it’s a pleasure to be part of this genre!
Yeah, definitely. I feel like because it’s still such a newish thing in the UK as well for this country music boom, anyone that’s kind of picking up some steam is so readily like is kind of let in!
Bang on the money. Long may it continue!
And then you obviously put out a single May, right? Are we expecting some more music to follow?
Priority this this year, just to keep writing and get some tracks together and and get them out. Maybe another EP! Potentially an album. But you know, writing and recording, it really is a huge cost. Easily upwards of, you know, fifteen K.
Yeah. I’ve spoken to a few people this weekend about what goes into the decision to put stuff out, and it’s so hard I feel, especially with streaming and all this nowadays.
Yeah, and nine times out of ten you’ll find the reason EPs are released is just because it’s all the budget allows at the time. For four tracks, you know. And I feel like they’re easier enough to get in a studio and do in a couple of days as well.
Have you got a busy rest of the year planned after September then? Have we got some more shows coming in?
yeah, I’ve got some shows. So I’m going to do the Larry Fleet thing, and then I’ll be doing just some individual shows. I’ll be playing at like Rodeos Barbecue, Wolverhampton, doing some stuff there, and Birmingham. I’ve just got little splinter shows all over the country. I’ll be playing the Ulster Hall in Belfast as well in December, which is like a bucket-list venue.
And obviously I’m busy with the tribute thing, some things have rolled over my head. But yeah, just doing a load of that. The the joy is you never know what’s going to happen, so we’ll see we’ll see what what opportunities come, you know!
I imagine the Larry Fleet thing was a little last minute, was it?
Yeah, I had a call and they just said we’d love you to come and to the open. I was like, when is it? Eight weeks?! I was like, all right, we’ll get we’ll get it together! And I’ve ended up getting another show on the back of that in North Carolina, so I’m going to go do a couple of shows out there, and then come back. At least it kind of covers the cost a little bit more, we’ll break even, a couple of days out of them!
My budget mainly goes on great food out there! I like barbecue and I’ll do all that stuff, no problem!
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone still on the bucket list?
It’s a bit of a crazy one, but I’m an absolute… like Chris Stapleton for me, is like God. So I’d love to be on that lineup. But then also I think why would I ever want to be on a lineup with him? He’s like totally going to wipe the floor. He’d outclass any singer in the world. Yeah, the guy’s unbelievable. He could sing the phone book, couldn’t he? Like, yeah, that’d be amazing. A tour with Chris Stapleton or maybe on a little bit of a lower level like Marcus King. But King’s blowing up now too! So, yeah, but anyone who wants to take me on tour, I’m available, I play anywhere!
If you could have written one song from history, do any spring to mind?
One of my favorite songs of all time is ‘Always on My Mind’ by Billy Joel!
Day two kicked off excellently with Alabama Crow! They had plenty of energy right from the jump, all putting on one hell of a performance. What’s more, they all looked like they were enjoying themselves together up on stage, which always makes for a great experience. And, what’s more, the crowd showed up big for them so early on. I hadn’t seen them live before but I am already desperate to see them again. Hell, they’d flown under my radar overall honestly, but definitely have a new fan in me. Certainly a band I’d recommend to anyone!
Now, y’all should all know by now my deal with Eddie & the Wolves. “Best band in the world”yada yada. But this was quite a bucket list venue and festival for us, so from the bottom of mine and the rest of the wolves’ (and Edd’s) hearts, thank you to every single person involved for looking after us, and everyone who came down early to check us out. We sounded incredible, and it was one of the most fun gigs any of us have ever played. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we grace the stage at KKs! Oh, and Eddie & the Wolves rock, obviously.
The sheer talent Red by Night have for their age is incredible! And, even with some early technical difficulties, they still won over so many people through this set! Being a bit of a change of pace again, it felt like a more modern indie/hard rock infused with the more traditional elements, which set them apart in a great way. And the energy they brought to the stage was nothing short of infectious! I wasn’t familiar with them heading in, but they’re another that have gained a big fan in me. These guys have a real bright future ahead of them, and I already can’t wait to see where they go from here!
Thieves of Liberty are another damn solid band representing the scene, and put on another incredible performance like they are known for! Blasting through some of the biggest fan favourites from their 2024 debut, it was a lot of fun to watch them do their thing. They feel like veterans of the scene already and carry themselves like pros, putting on an effortless, polished performance through their full set. It had been too long since I’d seen them live, and I won’t let it get that long again!
Our good friends in Fangslinger once again blew me away, along with the rest of the crowd! Their blend of hard and Southern rock, alongside a sprinkling of metal, will never not be awesome, and it is somehow just as fantastic live as it is on track! The quartets talents together and individually is off the charts, and in particular their vocal harmonies are spectacular throughout. The setlist was awesome, too! A journey through the very best from their debut album, hitting every excellent high. They’re another band at this festival who have exploded on the scene at high momentum, and look like there is no stopping them on their rise to the top! Their stage show grows more and more each time I see them, and they’re another one I’d happily recommend to anyone!
This House we Built have been gaining a lot of momentum in recent years, and rightfully so! They’re another band that bring so much energy and passion to the stage that it’s impossible to not have a good time watching them! They skirt the line between punk, sleaze and hard rock expertly, and played a fantastic set packed full of their two massive albums. And, on top of that, new track ‘Desires’ was an easy set highlight, making me immediately excited to hear where the band go next. For now though, this is was an awesome show, and they’re another band I’d highly recommend checking out!
Blue Nation are another band that I somehow hadn’t seen live yet, but was blown away by! I remember very much enjoying their last album back in 2024, and they are true veterans of the scene and even pre-NWOCR. It very much shows in their live performances, as they are so very polished and refined throughout. And, whether it was tracks from The Ordinary People or from their excellent, extensive back catalogue, it all hit so well in the fantastic live setting. They deserve every bit of the love and praise and push they are getting, and they are one of the best live bands in the scene today!
Then, the mighty Fury took to the stage! We saw them just last year on the same tour, but they turned everything up to 11 with this headline set! Playing the very best of their amazing latest album, alongside their earlier massive hits, the setlist was awesome throughout. And the stage show they put on was well befitting of a headliner, too! From the outfits to the extra drummers to the sheer energy and crowd interaction throughout, it was truly spectacular to behold! They’re another band where it’s incredibly easy to see why they were picked to headline, and they deserve every bit of praise and love they have been getting. Another band that feel like veterans of the scene, and are somehow better than ever before! An incredible and very fitting way to close out not just the day, but the festival as a whole!
And there we have it folks, two days of awesome hard rock music at one of the best venues in the country! All of the crew and staff were incredible all weekend, the sound was phenomenal and the crowd seemed to love every minute of it. Lord knows we did! I cannot recommend any of the bands or the venue itself enough, check them all out ASAP. And here’s to next year’s event already!
Somehow this was the first edition of this festival we’d managed to make it down to. Celebrating it’s 5th live year at the iconic KKs steelmill, it also played host some of the very best of the scene in 2026! We had a blast from start to finish (although we sadly couldn’t make the Friday pre-show party), and wanted to rave about just how excellent it was!
Kicking things off with a band were the awesome Revenant. I’ve been a fan of them for a few years now, loving their EPsand seeing them live back in February. However, this was somehow even better than that last time! They had me and the pretty packed-out crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish, and put on a fantastic show fitting of the opening slot. From their heavy hitters like ‘Best Medicine’ and ‘e’ to so-far unreleased songs to even a cover medley or two, it was a really great 40 minutes of live music! And, the stage presence they all had together was magnetic. They are very much firing on all cylinders currently, and I already cannot wait for the album they’ve been teasing!
It had been far too long since we’d seen the last band, Joanovarc. Our last time was way back at Rockin’ the Bowl years ago, and the band have changed a lot since then. However, I enjoyed them just as much here as I did there! They had a heavier edge to them than I remember this time around which I loved, and it kept the energy high throughout. The sound as well was phenomenal, not just for them but for everyone throughout the weekend, and it certainly helped too. New tracks ‘Mechanical Overlords’ and ‘Money Machine’ were particularly highlights, but the whole set was pretty great! The band really feel like they’ve gelled these days, and it made for an awesome set!
Next up were the wild Germans, Sweet Electric. Being a long-time fan of Brad Marr from his early days in Massive, I can never not love the guy live. I have never seen a more born performer and frontman, he is so incredibly captivating to watch throughout. However, the band he’s surrounded himself with are also fantastic, matching his energy and stage presence perfectly. They all bounced around that stage from start to finish, and it was one hell of a set! And, on top of that, their setlist was awesome! Being heavy on their incredible new album, but still having plenty of the classic tracks from their debut that brought them to the dance, it was perfect. The crowd were loving it too, interacting a lot and hanging on every note. This was one of my favourite sets of the weekend, if not the whole year, and I already can’t wait to see them again soon!
Brave Rival took to the stage soon after and blew the packed-out crowd away! They were a bit of a change of pace after the hyper, sleazy energy of Sweet Electric, slowing things down and adding a dose of epicness to the proceedings. However, it made for just as fantastic a set! Lindsey Bonnick is one of the most underrated vocalists in any scene today, and the other three are such phenomenally talented musicians and songwriters. I had in my notes that they are like a blusier Evanescence, and that felt exactly right to me. The extended soloing section in the middle was particularly goosebump-inducing. They felt so very polished; ready for a step up to massive arenas and venues at this point. And as I said, it was a nice change of pace from the rest of the day so far. I had a blast with them and, while it wasn’t the first time I saw them, I thought they were even better this time, and it certainly won’t be my last!
Next up were local-ish glam rockers Midnite City. Another band that I have seen a fair few times at this point, but sadly one that I can’t quite get into. I love a few of their songs on track, and they are good live, but something about it doesn’t quite click for me as much as some of the other bands on the lineup. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great band, and the tracks that I liked that they played were great. ‘We Belong’ will always be a fantastic live song, especially to close their set, but the crowd seemed a little low energy for a lot of it. Still, I’d happily see them again at another show like this down the line, and if you are more into the glam/sleaze stuff than I am you’ll most likely love it!
Even a member down due to an unfortunate family crisis, Doomsday Outlaw still killed it! Honestly, they stepped out onto the stage like they had something to prove, and blew the roof off the joint in the process. John is a fantastic frontman, and the crowd matched his energy throughout the set. And, the other three members held up their end excellently. You wouldn’t have even been able to tell that they were working stuff out a little on the fly, as they handled it like complete professionals and played their asses off. Blasting through a wide variety of their extensive back catalogue, running through all their excellent hits, the setlist was awesome too! I will forever love this band, and having seen them twice this year, they are still very much on top form!
I have somehow been waiting to see Hollowstar for years at this point. One of the early pioneers of this whole movement, they haven’t been hugely active in recent years, and had to pull out of last years event at last minute. However, they more than made up for it here, and they played their heart out for the packed out crowd, and everyone went nuts for them! Hopefully we finally get some more studio stuff from them soon (if their socials are anything to go by it’s a yes), but until then I’d happily see them again soon!
And just like that, we reached headliners The Lazys. Another band that I’ve been a fan of for years at this point and have finally had the opportunity to see live, and they didn’t disappoint! Over an hour of boot stompin’, high energy Aussie hard rock at its very best. Playing the very best from their three albums, including personal favourites ‘Nothing but Trouble’ and ‘Half Mast Blues’, to their more recent, explosive singles, and all played to perfection while the band threw themselves around the stage for the packed out, adoring crowd, it was the best way to close out a day like this! The band were so fun and polished, proving why they are born headliners, and I am already desperate to see them again soon!
We had the pleasure of chatting to our good friends Revenant at KKs Steelmill the other weekend at NWOCR Fest, about their set, upcoming album and their plans for 2027! Check it out below!
How was the Set?
Oh, it’s good, yeah. Fantastic! Yeah, sounds great out there. The sound is really good!
Is this the first time you guys have been to KK’s?
Yeah! It’s a cool club!
It seems like it’s becoming a bit of a bucket list venue for bands these days!
Yeah! For me personally, being a guitar player, yeah, this is it! And it’s always nice when a venue and the staff know what they’re doing. They’ve been great to us, they made everything sound great.
You guys snuck in a couple of new tracks as well! How are they going live so far?
Yeah, they’ve been pretty well received so far! A couple of people, hopefully, are starting to learn the words. It’s sort of like the ones that we’ve been working on for our new album and stuff like that. We just want to road test them a little bit, you know? We’ve played them all year this year, haven’t. But yeah, they’re probably some of the first tracks that we wrote for the album, so it’s like, why would we not play them?
This is it. I feel like people are almost a little bit hesitant these days, and at least in rock world, to play songs that aren’t put out yet, so it is quite nice to see bands try out new things!
I think, you would… you’d be silly not to play this stuff live because also you kind of… people hear it and they go, “Oh, that one sounds great,” and then they buy it and they go, “Oh, great, it’s on the album!”
So I last spoke with you back in February when you were with Preacher Stone. How’s the last 7 months been?
Yeah, and we’re trying to write, we’re trying to finish the album and we go, “Yeah, so we’re not going to do anything, we’re just going to finish the album,” and then someone calls and goes, “Do you want to do this?” And we go, “Oh yeah, we do. We really want to.” So yeah, we’ve just been trying to get the album finished, and then pick up a couple of support slots, stuff like that. And then the summer holidays, everyone’s busy. Matt got married and took some time off! It’s just busy, life is busy. Being in a band is busy. It’s hard to set time aside.
You guys seem pretty busy for the rest of the year really as well, right? I saw there’s a few more gigs lined up!
Picking up from there, yeah. We’ve got the Valknut tour with Soul Revival and We Three Kings. that’ll be good fun. Get your tickets! We’ve got… we’re playing Cornwall Rocks next weekend. Newark. Yeah, we’re all over the place! Planet Rockstock. We’re going to Scotland. First time there, so that’ll be cool. That’s going to be a long drive. But yeah, it’s going to be great. And then we can take some time off over Christmas!
No Christmas gig planned this year, then?
No no, absolutely not. We did one last year! Our last gig’s with Brave Rival in Portsmouth. December 17th!
Then you’ve only put out the one track this year, which was the cover. Has it been weird not putting as much out after a full on couple of years?
Yeah, I’d say it was a bit weird, we’ve had to take a bit of time off to write the new stuff. So we’ve got quite a lot now under our belts. We could do EPs, right? But we’ve put an album together, and it’s brilliant! So I think it’s nice to keep a really good body of work, but I’m sure we’ll say, after 3 months of it being out, we’ll be like, “Oh, we want some new music.” You’re always trying to feed everyone’s kind of, “Oh, we want some more music? we want some more music!” a bit.
Yeah, I feel like the music industry runs so fast these days, like everyone just listens to it and goes, “Cool, what’s next?”
I think you have to be. Having done this for a while now, you have to be confident enough to say, “Stop,” and then write the new stuff. And then because the people are always going to want you to play somewhere! But yeah, we’ll probably go, “Right, okay, what’s next?”
I feel like once you’ve got a full collection and it feels like an album as well, it’s hard to try and separate it up if you did want to do more EPs. Like, if it’s all written and it sounds right, then it’s the right thing to do, I think.
I just look at it like this way: If you’re an artist, you’re just going to do what you do. And the “Oh, we’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do that” side of it, to me, doesn’t really come into it. I’m just going to turn up and play with my friends and we’re going to make some music and it’ll come out when it’s ready. That’s how I look at it.
How’s the Kickstarter going for the album?
Yeah, all good. Fully funded at 100… 60% or something? Something like that. Yeah, which is fantastic! 26 backers, which is great considering that we said about it in July. My dad did half of it. I’m joking! I mean, there’s nothing coming out until like springtime, so March, April time, and there’s 126 people straight away going, “Yeah, yeah, cool, right, we want it.” So that’s really nice, actually. That feels, that’s really comforting!
I assume it’s all written then. Is it getting close to all being recorded?
Yeah, there’s a few more bits to do. Then it’ll probably be good. By the end of the year, 95% I’d say. 95% finished. Sweeping the dust, stuff for cutting. Sam’s got to do his bits. He’s got to put his like parsley, this parsley on the side of the steak that we’ve got ready now. I mean, it’s almost ringing the bell to say it’s ready, it’s ready to go. Fly, my pretty!
Then you’ve got to work out what singles to put out, from when, and all that kind of thing. All that fun stuff!
Oh man, don’t remind me!
Then, have you guys got some stuff rolling into next year? I’ve seen a couple of bits in January. I imagine you can’t probably talk about it but is stuff coming in for after that?
Yeah, actually to be fair, the year is looking fairly busy already! Especially for the first six months. And then, you know, back end of the year, we don’t know what’s going to happen, but that’s the music industry. But yeah, it’s looking pretty busy. It’ll be revealed soon enough!
We had the pleasure of chatting to Australia’s own Jayne Murphy, formerly of Lime Spiders, about her current solo work, tour and latest single! Check it all out below!
How would you describe your sound?
I would say my sound is a blend of pop, rock and punk delivered in an Aussie pub rock fashion. Raw. Unfiltered. Honest.
You’re currently in the middle of a tour, how’s it going so far?
Having a bunch of fun! Punters have really taken to the new single and the new line-up in a positive way. We’re sizzling right now performance wise.. There was even conga-line dancing at one gig! A lot of people are also interested in seeing me play being a former member and lead guitarist of the Lime Spiders.
You’ve put out a new single ready for the shows, what can you tell me about it?
‘Pocket Superman’ is about denouncing violence – denouncing domestic and family violence. In Australia, it’s a curse. It’s on the rise. Metaphorically, a Pocket Superman is a “personal safety plan”. It could be a preloaded text message calling for help, a whistle to gain attention or even a siren type device to attract the attention of others, to deter a stalker. I was careful to ensure the lyrics weren’t gendered, because domestic violence affects everyone.
Had another single this year, are they both standalone or are we building to another album or EP?
Yes, ‘Greedy Rich Boys’ was released in April 2026. It is on the drawing board that ‘Pocket Superman’ and other recent singles will appear on a physical album format in the future. Like a best of the singles since 2019. I’m hoping to have it released on vinyl through my distributor MGM Distribution (Australia) sometime in 2027!
What is the writing process like for the band?
I’m the principal songwriter for the band project. I write 100% of the lyrics and titles, and come up with the main ideas for the compositions. I don’t have a particular “formula” for writing songs. It might be a title, a melody line or a rhyming couplet that might come to my mind and underpins the structure of the song. Sometimes a song will just spill out of my mind completely finished. It’s quite bizarre when that happens. The quickest fully written song I crafted was in 9mins. During recording pre-production I’ll send a “skat track” (my term for a loosely recorded acoustic version of the song) to the bass player and drummer. They’ll usually write their own parts and then as producer I’ll make suggestions to them about their parts and how it applies to my vision for the arrangement of the song.
Do you have a busy rest of the year and into 2027 with gigs and studio stuff?
Gigs in September and October. Sometimes I do solo gigs in record stores and small bars. Heading into the studio late November/early December to record a new single. Another tour is slated to run from 12th to 28th February 2027. Then another recording session to probably lay down the beds for another three singles. And as I mentioned earlier, I am looking to put together a single compilation in physical form, as a lot of the singles are only available in digital/streaming format!
You’re pretty up on the whole social media game, any advice you could give for a band just starting out?
Hmmm, social media can be quite a “hit and miss’ affair when you want to ride that algorithm, haha! I guess the best advice for bands starting out on socials is to be “strategic”. Research “best times” to post content. Collaborate with like minded bands. And even if you’re not getting the volume of likes and interaction you were expecting, persistence is the key. Don’t be shy to get family and friends involved. Quality content is important. Brush up on those Canva and Adobe Express skills!
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any bands you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along with you?
Good question. Big question. I think my dream tour lineup would be Foo Fighters, The Runaways, Green Day, Placebo, Blur and Flowers For Jayne. There’s quite a few bands I’d like to invite to tag along. So many talented younger bands out there as well. Might have to “draw straws” for that decision, haha!
If you could have written one song from history, what would it have been and why?
Ahhhh! Wow! Just one song?? Tricky! I guess it would have to be, “I Am Woman’ by Helen Reddy!
We chatted to the rising stars of Japanese heavy metal, Fireflame, about their debut full-length and future plans. Check it all out below!
How would you describe your sound?
We define our sound as Modern Heavy Metal, which strives for a seamless fusion of classic 80s heavy metal and modern metalcore. We dislike being boxed into a single specific subgenre. Rather than simply mimicking the past or sounding overly modern, we pursue a style where both worlds are perfectly balanced and blended.
The album’s been out a couple of months now, it seems to have gone down really well! Is there a particular theme or story behind the album, or is it more that each track is its own story?
The album is actually built as a cohesive concept! Excluding the bonus tracks, all 12 main songs are interconnected, telling one continuous story from start to finish. Central to this narrative is the overarching theme of “the persistent inner fire within those who continue to fight for something they cannot give up.” Through this story, we wanted to convey a powerful message about facing adversity and refusing to bend, no matter what obstacles stand in your way!
What is your songwriting process like?
The main process usually begins with Connie Flames (Ba) and myself (FireRay, Gt) putting together rough demos. Once we have those initial demos, we bring them straight into the rehearsal studio.
We jam and play through the songs together as a full band, shaping and refining the arrangements and details on the spot. It’s through this hands-on studio session work that everyone’s ideas and energy come together to give the final song its full form.
Is there more writing going on already?
Yes, absolutely! We’ve actually already completed 3 brand new tracks, and we have several more demos in the works!
Even though our 1st album Force Against The End was just released, we’re already focused on and excited about the next album. We can’t wait to push our sound even further!
Do you have a busy rest of the year and start of 207 planned with live stuff?
Now that our debut album is finally out, we’re currently planning a tour and getting ready to hit the road. It’s definitely going to be a very busy and exciting time for us!
What is the heavy metal scene like in Japan? I feel like I’m starting to see more and more bands from the country!
Compared to its peak, heavy metal definitely isn’t in the mainstream spotlight here anymore, and honestly, our hometown scene in Osaka has declined quite a bit.
However, we have amazing bandmates of our generation who share the same passion, as well as inspiring seniors who support us. Because of that, I truly believe we can rebuild and reignite the scene from here and we want to be the band leading that charge!
You’re quite active on social media, do you have any advice you could give bands just starting out, in that regard?
Honestly, we don’t really have advice to give because we’re still just a starting-out band ourselves! Haha.
But if there’s one thing, it’s simply to keep doing it over and over again. Just put content out there constantly, stay active, and keep pushing without overthinking it!
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring with you?
Supporting heavy metal legends like Loudness, Judas Priest, or Bullet For My Valentine would be an absolute dream come true and it’s something we are determined to make happen!
As for who we’d bring with us, we want to bring everyone who has supported us on this journey. It sounds like a big dream, but we’re going to make it reality!
If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?
That’s a tough one! But the first song that came to my mind is “Painkiller” by Judas Priest. To me, it’s the ultimate heavy metal anthem from the legendary drum intro to the relentless riffs and twin guitars, it completely defines what heavy metal is.
