Tag Archives: live review

Features, Reviews

Soil, (Hed) PE, Nonpoint & The Union Underground Tear Down Rock City!

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We had the absolute privilege of heading down to the legendary Rock City last Sunday to check out four of the biggest names from the early 2000s alt-metal scene all on the same bill. As a fan of all the bands from my childhood, I’d been excited for this gig for a good while and, spoiler alert, it was fantastic. But we couldn’t not let you know just how amazing each band were! Read on to hear the thoughts of a gushing fangirl…

First up were maybe the band I was most pumped for; The Union Underground. As a Ruthless Agression wrestling fan, ‘Across the Nation’ was one of the soundtracks of my childhood, and said track didn’t disappoint live. Between those and other old-school hits like ‘South Texas Deathride’, ‘Killing the Fly’ and ‘Turn me On “Mr Deadman”‘, the setlist was awesome. Heck, we were even treated to a yet-unreleased track from a project the band are working on, and it was almost as big a highlight as the rest of the tracks! Honestly it’s just so good to have them back as a band. Bryan Scott still sounds as good as he ever did, and the rest of the band gelled so well and sounded so good, it’s hard to believe that they are essentially more hired guns at this point. The band certainly over-delievered for me, and were a fantastic way to kick off the night!

Next up were the most consistently successful band on the bill, the incredible Nonpoint. And it’s easy to see why the band are still arguably on the rise decades into their careers. The band are putting out some amazing studio work still (though it’s been too long!) and put on a live show like few others. The band are absolute firecrackers on stage, with some of the most energy and stage presence I’ve seen from any performance. And Elias is one hell of a frontman too, with truly magnetic energy. He held the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout, yet the rest of the band put on just as good and energetic a show, too! Plus, coming out swinging with tracks like ‘Chaos and Earthquakes’, ‘Dodge Your Destiny’ and ‘Bullet with a Name’, and it was one hell of a setlist. My only complaint is that it was pretty short; I need to see a full set from them and SOON.

P.S. Nonpoint helped me realise that while just one band member wearing their own merch on stage is cringy, every member wearing it is cool AF.

Next up were the band I knew the least of (Hed) PE. However, goddamn, I came away obsessed! All I’d heard from the band before was ‘Bartender’ (which was amazing live), but the band are far more than that track. Opening up heavy with the likes of ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Ratrace’, Jared got to flex his screaming chops early. And even through some technical issues, they sounded fantastic. However, they easily changed pace throughout, even giving us snippets of ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and ‘Smoke Two Joints’ in the middle of songs. The reggae influence was strong, and blended seamlessly with their hard rock and metal sounds. Plus, every member of the band worked their asses off to put on one hell of a show! And what’s more, the crowd were big into them and ate up every single note! They got a solid 45-minute set that still went by in a flash and damn, they have a huge new fan in me, both live and on track!

Then we finally reached the headliner of the evening, the mighty Soil. Now, I’m going to be straight-up here. I’d seen Soil before in the same venue, back when they supported Static X on their comeback tour. That was another four-band lineup, and sadly I came away thinking Soil were the weakest band of the night. Even more sadly, I came away with the same feeling this time. However, that’s certainly not to say Soil were bad, just that the other three bands previously mentioned were incredible.

I LOVE Scars, so to hear the vast majority of it live was pretty awesome. The band performed it well too, even with Ryan’s self-admitted ‘shot’ voice. They sounded just as good as they do on that album, and it was great fun to see. However, that was about all they did, and that was my main issue with them. They played 11/13 Scars tracks, then came on and did their ‘Black Betty’ cover as an encore, alongside ‘Pride’, and it sounds like that’s a rare addition on the tour. I get the crowd are there to celebrate their breakout album, but when the headline band of the night are on stage for barely an hour and have plenty of other hits from other albums, it does feel just slightly cheep.

I don’t want to complain because as I said, they sounded awesome and put on a hell of a show. Maybe if they hadn’t had such a strong support lineup I’d have come away loving the set even more, but while I had a great time watching them, I did feel ever so slightly deflated at the end. Clearly I just love ‘Redifine’ too much to not hear it live!

And there we have it, an absolutely stellar night of alt-metal music! All four bands killed it, and won me over even more to them. In the last few days I’ve barely stopped listening to any of them, which is surely the sign of a good show! There’s still a couple of dates left on the tour and at least Nonpoint teased other UK shows in the near future, but I cannot recommend any of them enough live. If they are anywhere nearby any time soon, check them out, you won’t be disappointed!

Features, Reviews

Uncle Lucius and The Exile Club Rock The Bodega!

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A bit of a different one for us today, especially for the Bodega, as we headed along to see the American roots icons Uncle Lucius. The band’s first tour of the UK in eight years, and another album released since then, they certainly had a lot of catching up to do! They’re currently still on their Around the World in 30 Days tour, and had not long flown from Australia, with Europe up next, but still made a couple of stops off in the UK to show off their talents. So we knew we just had to come down to the show and see just what they were like live, especially after enjoying the album so much! Check out what we thought below!

First of all, supporting were a band I’d never heard of before, but quickly fell in love with. The English soul-roots-rock-country fusion band were somehow not on my radar before now, but they have a big new fan in me! The Exile Club have had a massive year in 2024, and deserve everything they’ve gotten as they are five insanely talented songwriters and players. And not only that, but they are born performs too, each having their own moments to shine both in the solo parts and outside of them. And the combination of Abbie Middleton and Joe Hazell practically fronting the thing is awesome, them both playing off each other well vocally and in their performance, and they are captivating to watch. However, that shouldn’t take away from the other three, who are just as great. And not only that, but their stuff packs a punch live too, even more so than on track. They won the crowd over in a big way, and are sure to be a massive name in the scene sooner rather than later!

And then we swiftly moved onto the headline act of the evening. The club was quickly packed out by the time Uncle Lucius took to the stage, making for an incredibly warm experience, to say the least! However, that didn’t matter, and didn’t stop the band from utterly blowing me away. The professionalism and tightness of this band are off the charts, every cog moving like a well oiled machine and making it seem like such a smooth show. They are all insanely talented individuals and players, and it all combined together perfectly. And they sound just as good live as they do on track which, speaking as a musician, is no mean feat!

Kevin, however, is truly on another level. Again, I don’t want to take away from the rest of the band as they are all insanely talented in their own rights, but Kevin is an effortlessly magnetic frontman. His Southern drawl and charm make him captivating, and he is honestly one of the most underrated vocalists around today, especially in a live setting. I loved every single member of the band for their playing, but Kevin really nailed it for me.

And of course, the band played an incredible set list of older hits and newer bangers. My favourite off the new album, ‘All the Angelinos’, was an early-set highlight, while tracks like ‘Holy Roller’ and ‘Mockingbird’ had the crowd hooked throughout. We even got a couple of covers snuck in for good measure, both of which were great! It was a great, chilled out set of US roots music!

And there we have it, folks, what an excellent night! Both bands more than delivered, and had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout. I love that this sort of music is starting to take off in the UK, and really can’t wait to see how far Exile Club climb, I’m gonna have to see them again soon! I cannot recommend either band enough, be it live or on track, so go away right now and listen to both! And thanks again to the amazing Lime Tree Music as always for hooking this up for us!

Uncle Lucius are Kevin Galloway (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Doug Strahan (lead guitar), Jonny Grossman (keyboards and lead vocals on select songs), Josh Greco (drums), and Drew Sherger (bass) and honestly they barely fit on the stage of the Bodega!

Reviews

The Dead Daisies, The Treatment and The Bites Rock Rock City!

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We headed down to the Legendary Rock City in Nottingham the other night for what was set to be a night of awesome hard rock music. Headlined by the 80s legend-filled supergroup, and supported by two awesome sleaze bands from either side of the Atlantic, it was geared up to be an amazing night. But just how amazing was it? Read on to find out!

This was my first experience with The Bites, having seen their name around on posters and stuff for a while but never having the chance to check them out. It certainly won’t be the last time; they were fucking phenomenal. Sounding like an even sleazier, heavier version of Faster Pussycat and taking to the stage with all the swagger and energy of early 80s GnR, the band certainly do their hometown of LA justice. Frontman Jordan Tyler has a magnetic, energetic stage presence from the moment he took to the stage to the very last note, holding the crowd in the palm of his hands and winning plenty over by the end of their set. However, the whole band put on an absolutely amazing show, one of the best sets I’ve seen all year. They are going to be a massive name in the scene sooner rather than later if they keep putting on performances like this!

Next up were The Treatment. This is by far not the first time I’d seen the band, them coming up when I was gigging in a previous band and I’ve even seen them with Overtone a few times. So, I completely get the influence they have had on the NWOCR scene and have all the respect in the world for them for what they have done and achieved. However, I have never found them to be the best live, and last week was no different. They were completely fine, sounded great and played it all well. And maybe it was just because of how good the Bites were beforehand, but it definitely felt a touch anticlimactic. Or maybe it was the disappointment of waiting all set for them to play my favourite song from them, ‘The Doctor’, and it never came. But still, the tracks off Wake up the Neighbourhood did sound good live. But yeah, I wasn’t the only one in the crowd who felt ever so slightly deflated by their set.

Last on were the ever-awesome Dead Daisies. I’ve seen them a few times now, but not for a while. While I was never anti-Glenn Hughes, I was definitely glad and excited when they announced that John Corabi was back in the band. It felt like the rest of the band were too, as they played their arses off for the entire set! Opening on the lead single from their brand new album, the band played plenty off that as well as a slew of older hits. From ‘Rise up’ to ‘Mexico’ to ‘Make Some Noise’ to ‘Long Way to Go’, I was a very happy bunny. Heck, we even got a few Glenn-era tracks, which I was not expecting at all. Corabi sounded amazing singing the likes of ‘Unspoken’ and ‘Born to Fly’. However, they may not have been quite the songs I’d have picked off those two albums… but still, they sounded awesome. And of course we got a few of their excellent, now trademark covers thrown in for good measure, too. It felt like the band returned with a new spark and flame with Corabi back at the front, and I loved every minute!

So yeah, overall a pretty fantastic night of live rock music! I got to relive my youth seeing another awesome set from the Daisies, and discovered another band I love and have become a big fan of in the Bites. I would implore any readers to check out every single one of these bands, live and on track, if you haven’t already. You won’t be disappointed!

Reviews

MIKA Rocks The Halls!

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So, I tossed around the idea of writing this review all weekend. Hell yeah, we headed down to see the legendary Mika, and had an excellent time. But the gig was just him and a DJ as a support, and he’s certainly not what we usually cover here at Overtone. However, he absolutely smashed it, so we felt it was only fair to give him the praise he deserves. We did Dadi Freya last year too, so it makes sense to cover this too! And it’s not like it’ll be a long one, anyway!

As we said, his opener was a DJ. I’m sure she was great at what she does, but it wasn’t for me and the crowd overall weren’t really into it. She was barely advertised anywhere though, so that may not have helped. Sorry no-speaking, no-named DJ, but we shall move swiftly on.

As I said before, MIKA absolutely killed it. I was expecting it to be good as I’ve seen live videos of him still sounding on point. However, it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, honestly. Right from the opening notes from him and his incredible band, they took the packed out crowd on a journey through his extensive, impressive back catalogue. It’s easy to forget just how many massive hits the man has, too. From ‘Lolipop’ and ‘Grace Kelly’ to ‘Big Girl’ and ‘Happy Ending’ to set closer ‘We are Golden’ and the oft overlooked ‘Underwater’, the setlist was PACKED to the brim of incredible songs.

And, to top it all off, MIKA is an incredible showman. He held the packed crowd in the palm of his hand from the moment he walked on stage until the very final note. Whether it was getting them all to sing along, telling stories between and even during songs, or even walking through the crowd and up to the balcony during ‘Big Girl’, the man is nothing if not a showman. I know he plays pop music, but I’ll be damned if he isn’t a rockstar.

A quick shout out to the venue, too. Originally Civic halls before it got a Covid-era referb, it is still in pretty amazing condition, the upkeep being of clear importance. The sound was amazing, it’s massive and easy to get into, and my only ever so slight gripe was the slowness of the bar-staff. But still, props to the venue!

Honestly, though this page is primarily a rock-centric audience, I’d recommend MIKA to anyone. It’s high energy, catchy pop-rock that is sure to keep a smile on your face throughout. A lot of it has a great message and is performed to the highest of standards. His vocals live are just as breathtaking as on track, and his performance is phenomenal. We have a lot of gigs and festivals lined up for the rest of the year, but this is truly going to be hard to top!

Reviews

Planet Rock Winters End: The Big Bad Review

We thought we’d mix it up to start 2024 off with a bang and head down to the much praised Winters End festival. Hosted by the incredible Planet Rock and boasting one hell of a lineup of bands we are friends with and some new favourites, we couldn’t wait to tell you all about it!

We sadly didn’t quite make it in time for opener Loz Campbell. However, we know how good of a show she puts on so I’m sure she was excellent. Instead, our first band of the weekend were Hand of Dimes. It had been years since I’d seen them, them having played one of the early HRH’s I’d attended, but they were just as good as I remember. Forged from the brainchild and singer of Skin Nev MacDonald, they are a fantastic blues rock band. The crowd ate it up, too, loving every minute. They’re one of the older bands on a pretty young bill, but hold their own and play a short but damn enjoyable set!

Next up were not only a personal favourite band of mine, but one of the highlights of the weekend for me, South of Salem. The band are no strangers to the site. But, it had somehow been over a year since we had last seen them. Since then they have only grown bigger still, and are hot off the release of their second album. Honestly, they have somehow gotten even better.

Opening on their older stuff still was an interesting choice, but the crowd ate it up. And whenever they played their new stuff, it went over just as well. Heck, the crowd were even requesting tracks off the new album when asked what they wanted to hear. And the band play it all to perfection. They have evolved into some of the best, most polished showmen in the scene today. The band are going to be huge, and I would recommend anyone to go and see them ASAP!

Black Spiders were up next, and are an odd one for me. I was a big fan of the band in my teens, so was pretty hyped when they announced their return. We’ve seen them on a few occasions since then, and sadly the more I see them the less I’m into them. The first time at HRH was fun, but it’s felt a little like diminishing returns since then. They’re still good, incredibly talented players, but it’s a little like going through the motions. I don’t know if it’s more because they’ve been everywhere recently and I’ve seen them a lot, but even their new tracks didn’t land too hard for me. I know a lot of people there enjoyed them so that’s good at least!

Then we finally reached the first headliners of the weekend, the mighty Massive Wagons. What can I say that hasn’t already been said before? The band are energy and stage-presence personified, and Baz conducts his band and his full-orchestra of a crowd to perfection. And their songs really speak for themselves, at this point. They are one of the biggest bands not only in the NWOCR scene, but one of the biggest new hard rock bands in the UK currently. And seeing them live, there really is no doubt why. Rattling through new songs and classics alike, the crowd hung on every note. And, of course, the image of Baz crowd surfing in an inflatable boat will forever be seared into my mind now. In a good way, of course!

Day 2 ->

Interviews & Features, Reviews

Marco Mendoza & Bad Actress Rock Real Time Live!

A true legend of the classic rock scene after playing with the likes of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Journey and many more, Marco Mendoza returned to his solo project earlier this year, bringing out an album and announcing an extensive tour. Taking along the phenomenal Bad Actress along with him on the UK leg of the tour, it was set to be a fantastic couple of weeks! We managed to head along to Chesterfield’s legendary Real Time Live last night to catch the show in person and chat to both bands. Check out what we thought below!

After a slightly late start, Bad Actress take to the stage to much fan-fair. And, to put it simply, they tear the stage a new one. I’ve not seen a band so young have such stage presence, attitude and energy for a long time. In fact, scratch that. I haven’t seen a band of ANY age have this much of those qualities in a long time. The band tour that stage up from the moment they got on it to the moment they left. That sort of performance seems reserved for just a few medium sized bands nowadays, so to see it in such an intimate venue from a younger band is fantastic.

They ripped through a full set of their own glam/sleaze tracks, that a lot of the audience seemed to know and enjoy. Every member of the band shone, from the tight rhythm section to Vinnie’s amazing vocals to the frankly insane leads from Chick. All of their talent blends well into their combined songwriting, too. Tracks like ‘Outta My Head’ and ‘High-Speed Heartbreak’ are firm fan favourites and sound if anything better live than they do on track. These guys are gonna be MASSIVE in the very near future, and I can’t wait to see them play to packed out, huge crowds.

When asked about what being on the tour with Marco was like, Chick and Lui had this to say:

‘It’s been really good actually. He’s a really supportive guy. This is his second time taking us out. We’ve got him in the van actually for this tour! We just brought ourselves a new van back in July and kitted it out with like seats and a table. It’s got nine seats so we’ve got all of his three in too. It’s all good craic getting to know each other! We had to come over from Swansea this morning; it was a long drive but it was good fun!‘.

Then the main man himself took to the stage. The anticipation in the air was palpable, and as soon as Marco Mendoza and his band ripped into the first few notes of the lead single of New Direction, ‘Take it to the Limit’, everyone cut loose. From the crowd singing along and dancing to the band’s high energy, the whole room kept the buzz high.

From there, Marco and co ripped through his back catalogue, playing the very best of his solo stuff, alongside a few cheeky highlights from his time in Thin Lizzy and other covers. Whether it was Thin Lizzy, Stevie Wonder or even Plastic Ono, all were fantastic. Heck, bringing Vinnie and Chick out at the end to jam ‘Boys are Back in Town’ with them was amazing, and went down a storm. However, his own material arguably went down even better. Tracks like ‘New Direction’, ‘Sue is on the Run’ and ‘Sweetest Emotion’ were clear crowd favourites, even more so than some of the Lizzy classics.

Check out our previous interview with Marco here.

Much like Bad Actress, each of the three members got to show off their incredible talents for their instruments, too. Honestly, this felt like a set for the musicians in the audience. Between the extended instrumental parts in a few songs, drum and bass solos and even some beatboxing/scatting from Marco, there was plenty to love even when there were no vocals at play.

When talking about his recent approach to touring, Marco had some very candid words to say:

‘We’re out there making a difference. What’s going on now with the state of mind of the fans and the music industry alike, worldwide, is that people are very apprehensive, very concerned. They really think about it twice, buying that ticket, going out to that show or supporting that venue. I’m here as a little reminder to say that if we don’t make a difference, it’ll all go. We’ve seen it, the past year or two, some of my favourite venues here and in LA and New York and everywhere, they’re disappearing.

‘So, something to think about folks; please make an effort to show up when your local bands are playing, national or international, and support the local venues. Without them, there’s no place to play! Whenever you can, make a difference‘.

And check out our review of New Direction here.

So, as I’m sure you can tell, it was one hell of a gig. Both bands are on a roll currently, both live and on track. They still have plenty of stops left on the tour, too, so if you can make it down to any to them I would very much urge you to do so. You won’t be disappointed!