Music / Previews
Metal & Prog Picks: April 2018
Naturally, progressive rock remains anathema to the too-cool-for-school demographic, but the Colston Hall has been doing particularly well out of it of late. This month’s shows by Marillion, Jethro Tull and Peter Hammill all sold out a while back. Nice to see Bristol rockers Tax the Heat’s album launch shows at Rough Trade have sold out too. Further ahead, all the tickets for Halestorm’s show at the Academy in September were snapped up as soon as they went on sale, proving that Lzzy has come a long way since she played the Fleece back in 2012. Elsewhere, April promises to be a particularly strong month in our world, despite the usual annoying clashes.
Should you fancy a visit to the pictures, Scream for Me Sarajevo, the documentary about Bruce Dickinson’s Skunkworks’ gig in besieged Sarajevo, opens in cinemas on April 17. It’s followed by a recorded Q&A with Brucie himself.
is needed now More than ever
Fleece, April 4
Newly signed to Nuclear Blast, San Diego trio Earthless have been landed with the stoner rock tag. They reject this, perhaps rather self-consciously claiming cooler Krautrock/jazz influences. Whatever, the trio’s brand of mostly instrumental psychedelic rock is suitably mind-expanding – chemically enhanced or otherwise. Like Pallbearer before them, they’ll no doubt be accused of being sell-outs for sharpening up their act and enjoying the support of a proper metal label for their fifth album, Black Heaven. But the snooty underground’s loss is our gain, as usual.
Thekla, April 6
Crikey – is it really time for the annual Quireboys gig at the Thekla? How time flies. Actually, it’s a little less than a year since the Geordie funsters’ last show here. They’ve been rather industrious since then, releasing an EP (Leaving Trunk) and full album (White Trash Blues). Both of these mark something of a departure from the raucous rock’n’roll and Americana in which Spike and the chaps have traded of late, being blues covers collections. There are a few obvious choices (Boom Boom, I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man, etc), but they mostly delve a little deeper into the music that inspired them. What does it sound like? The Faces and The Stones playing the blues, obviously. Hopefully, these songs will shake up their live set, which has become a tad tired of late.
Rough Trade, April 6 & 7
Two shows by Bristol’s very own Tax the Heat to launch Change Your Position, the follow-up to their justly lauded debut on Nuclear Blast, Fed to the Lions. “Basically, it’s everything Wolfmother have been attempting for all these years but never quite achieved,” enthused Classic Rock. You can expect to hear the entire album at this show, along with some old favourites. But if you haven’t got a ticket, don’t bother: they’ve been sold out for ages.
Epica/Myrkur/Oceans of Slumber
O2 Academy, April 8
April is packed with rockin’ goodness, with several events vying for the gig of the month accolade. This one sets the bar very high indeed. Heavier than their fellow countrypersons Within Temptation but not as heavy as Arch Enemy, Dutch symphonic metallers Epica live up to their name and, pleasingly, don’t know the meaning of restraint. New concept album The Holographic Principle not only chucks in the kitchen sink but also sends out for B&Q’s entire stock of kitchen sinks as everything becomes grander than ever before. For those with deep pockets, there’s even a 3CD ‘ultimate edition’ out now on Nuclear Blast. Last time Epica played here, in November 2015, they packed the place out. Interestingly, all three bands on tonight’s bill are fronted by women – each of whom sing in very different styles. Epica’s Simone Simons is a trained mezzo-soprano. Myrkur, aka Amalie Bruun from Denmark, operates at the intersection of folk and black metal. Comparisons are often drawn between her music and that of Chelsea Wolfe and Anna Von Hausswolff, but neither of them have released an album as good as Myrkur’s brilliant Mareridt, which was right up there with the new releases by Mastodon, Steven Wilson and Anathema as one of the best albums of 2017. Be sure to get there early for Texan prog-metallers Oceans of Slumber, whose third album The Banished Heart is distinguished by Cammie Gilbert’s powerhouse vocals.
Colston Hall, April 9
Vast numbers of great bands formed in the aftermath of the Summer of Love, which means that there are plenty of 50th anniversaries this year. We’ve already had the Yes show, with Caravan still to come, and Zeppelin will apparently be doing something (don’t hold your breath for a live show, though). Now it’s Jethro Tull’s turn. Tull, in this incarnation, meaning Ian Anderson, since long-serving guitarist Martin Barre now has his own band. His replacement, Florian Opahle, wasn’t even born when most of the classic Tull albums were released, but he has worked extensively on Anderson’s solo projects, as have most of the current band line-up. Interestingly, they’ve also got strong local connections. Drummer Scott Hammond has his own Bristolian jazz quartet, orchestral conductor and keyboard player John O’Hara has a teaching post at Bristol University, and bassist David Goodier is from just down the road in Devon. Expect a career-spanning set with plenty from Heavy Horses (which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year), plus, intriguingly, ‘surprise virtual guests’.
The Dead Daisies/The Treatment/The Amorettes
O2 Academy, April 14
Can we say ‘supergroup’ any more? If so, The Dead Daisies are such a beast. The only name rock enthusiasts probably won’t recognise is that of the collective’s Australian founder: billionaire businessman and former champion aerobatic pilot David Lowy (why do I keep thinking of Tony Stark?). Whether he’ll be flying in for this tour in his Gulfstream jet remains to be seen, mind. He plays rhythm guitar, and the somewhat less loaded members of the current Dead Daisies line-up include former Motley Crue frontman John Corabi, journeyman bassist Marco Mendoza (until recently a member of the Black Star Riders), guitarist Doug Aldrich (of Dio and Whitesnake fame) and former Journey drummer Deen Castronovo. Their fourth studio album, Make Some Noise, sounds exactly as you’d expect from a band with such a pedigree, though it’s been accused of lacking much in the way of personality. There’s strong support tonight from Cambridge rockers The Treatmant, whose line-up seems to change every five minutes, and increasingly impressive Scottish trio The Amorettes.
Colston Hall, April 17
Mere mention of the band’s name still provokes a reflexive sneer in certain quarters. Still, these people are wankers and can safely be ignored. For those who are prepared to actually listen, Marillion’s latest music is brave, adventurous, provocative and entirely free of record company meddling now that they’ve become a successful, self-sustaining cottage industry as a result of being among the first bands to embrace the internet. Current album Fuck Everyone and Run addresses Trumpism and Brexit head-on, and we can do no better here than quote The Guardian‘s five-star review: “It’s a totally uncompromising record; 68 minutes made up of just five lengthy songs with no obvious radio-friendly singles. Politically charged lyrics alternate between sadness and anger, and rich, layered instrumentation references common Marillion touchstones such as Pink Floyd and late-period Talk Talk, with the occasional hints of Van der Graaf Generator at their most grandiose and menacing… Things come to a climax with the The New King, which has singer Steve Hogarth railing at the state of the world and its corrupt, self-serving elites, all set to dark, intense music that’s as good as anything they have done.” Trivia note: Marillion have fans in very high places indeed, notably Brit astronaut Tim Peake, who’s played their music in space.
O2 Academy, April 19
From Metallica riff recyclers to landfill metalcore, Florida’s Trivium have taken a lot of criticism over the years, not all of it undeserved. Still, there’s no denying the band’s popularity. Eighth album The Sin and the Sentence garnered mainly positive reviews last year and secured their highest UK chart placing since 2011’s In Waves. They’re also bringing a strong bunch of rising young bands along as their support acts: Code Orange, Power Trip and impressive Welsh death metallers Venom Prison.
O2 Academy, April 25
Benji and chums’ tribe-uniting dancehall-meets-rock club collision still provokes confusion (in the UK, their audience remains dominated by youthful metallers; in the US, they’ve topped the reggae charts), but Newport’s finest are at least reaping the rewards of their long-overdue, well-deserved success these days. The ragga-metallers’ seventh album, Big Tings, is out on Napalm at the end of the month and it’s been preceded by the single Machine, which has guest appearances by fellow Welshman Phil Campbell, formerly of Motorhead, and Reef frontman Gary Stringer.
G3 2018: Joe Satriani/John Petrucci/Uli Jon Roth
Colston Hall, April 26
Satch is back and this time he’s bringing the full G3 experience. Inaugurated way back in 1996, the G3 concept is a straightforward but highly effective one, teaming three of the world’s greatest guitarists to bounce musical ideas off one another. How this works is that each of the trio gets an individual set, followed by a huge jam at the end. The headliner, obviously, is virtuoso Joe Satriani himself, whose 16th album, What Happens Next, is out now. Now Satch, who last played the Colston back in 2015, is not exactly a household name – except in households full of guitar nerds. That said, those who’ve never heard of him may be surprised at how much of the US guitar hero’s innovative music they already know. It’s frequently used on film and TV soundtracks and in commercials and has been sampled by the likes of Nicki Minaj. In 2008, Satriani even filed a copyright infringement claim against Coldplay for allegedly lifting “substantial original portions” of If I Could Fly for their Grammy-winning Viva la Vida (an undisclosed out of court settlement was reached). Tonight he’s joined by one of this hack’s favourite guitarists, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, who’s been on the US leg of this tour since January. A hugely versatile musician, Petrucci is as comfortable with prog-metal shredding as he is with sparse, atmospheric Gilmour-esque tones. A treat for the UK leg is Uli Jon Roth, the original guitarist in the pre-metal Scorpions, who hasn’t played Bristol since . . .erm, I’ll get back to you on that. Something of a Hendrix obsessive who plays his own custom-made ‘sky guitars’, he last toured with Satriani on the 1998 G3 tour.
Fleece, April 26
You can’t fault the work ethic of the new band formed by former Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson. Having made their live debut at the Louisiana last July, Wayward Sons have been out on the festival circuit and toured with UFO, Inglorious and Steel Panther (including a show at the Bristol Academy). Having amassed an impressive fan base with these gigs and debut album Ghosts of Yet to Come, they now head out on a headlining trek. It’s a crying shame that their Fleece show clashes with two other great gigs in Bristol, mind.
Omnium Gatherum/Skálmöld/Stam1na
Fiddlers, April 26
It’s the Arctic Circle Alliance tour, headlined by yet another fine metal band from Finland. Omnium Gatherum have been going for more than 20 years now, evolving into progressive metal from their death metal origins. Arguably even more interesting are Icelandic Viking/folk metallers Skálmöld, who were last seen here at the Bierkeller supporting Eluveitie back in November 2014. A sextet with three guitarists and five singers, each of whom has his own distinctive vocal style, they’re heavier than their more ambient-oriented chums and fellow countrymen in Solstafir but have the whole Gregorian chant-style thing going on that recalls Faroese band Tyr. They recently recorded a live album and DVD with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Opening act Stam1na are even more Finns, who draw mostly on thrash metal and are regular chart toppers back home.
The Lantern, April 29
Winner of the Visionary gong at the very first Prog Awards back in 2012, former Van Der Graaf Generator frontman Peter Hammill put out his 35th album, From the Trees, late last year. And as one might anticipate from a creative fella who’s pushing 70, its lyrics are mostly concerned with the slow shuffle towards twilight. It’s a more stripped-back affair than some of his more recent releases, which will presumably be reflected in this solo show. But maybe if we ask really nicely, he’ll do a bit of A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, Killer or even Nutter Alert.
Fleece, April 29
Whoa – now this promises to be rather special. Let’s first address the mystery of AC/DC. If Angus really needs a replacement for Brian Johnson, he need look no further than Pontypridd, where he’ll find Nev MacDonald working as a schoolteacher. One of the great belters of British rock, Nev would be a perfect fit for AC/DC and no one deserves the break more than he. Nev’s previous bands, Kooga and Skin, never really got the breaks they deserved and the fear was that he might have abandoned music altogether. But now he’s put together Hand of Dimes with former Kooga keyboard player Neil Garland. After their set, they’ll be joining affable Bernie Marsden for a selection of Whitesnake classics. This doesn’t count as a covers band because Bernie wrote most of the bloody things and was a member of the superior, spoddy Brit blues-rock incarnation of Whitesnake before David Coverdale went Hollywood and replaced them all with pretty boys (and Tommy Aldridge). That’s him taking the solo in Fool For Your Loving (above). Bernie also has a long history with Bristol, having recorded much of Never Turn Our Back on the Blues, his live album with fellow Whitesnake refugee Mickey Moody, at the late lamented Bierkeller back in 1991.
COMING SOON
Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.
Lionize/Planet of Zeus, Fleece, May 3
The Obsessed, Exchange, May 6
Conan/Monolord, Thekla, May 14
Toundra, Exchange, May 14
Machine Head, O2 Academy, May 15
Gong Tribute: Camembert Electrique Reworked, Cube, May 19
Wildhearts/Reef/Terrorvision, Marble Factory, May 25
Amplifier, Exchange, May 27
John Coghlan’s Quo, Exchange, June 8
Richie Kotzen, Thekla, June 24
Bongzilla/Dopethrone, Fleece, June 27
Ministry, SWX, July 25
Camel, The Forum, Bath, Sept 11
Halestorm, O2 Academy, Sept 29
Glenn Hughes, O2 Academy, Oct 2
Evil Scarecrow, Marble Factory, Oct 11
Blackberry Smoke, O2 Academy, Nov 11
Hawkwind, The Forum, Bath, Nov 24
Clutch, O2 Academy, Dec 18
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