Metal & Prog Picks: July 2017

There are slim pickings for the likes of us in the summer festival/outdoor gig season round these parts. That said, if you’re prepared to travel over the bridge, the Steelhouse Festival (“the UK’s best value rock festival”) on July 29/30 has a great line-up headlined by Saxon and Skindred, with Rival Sons and Monster Truck also on the bill. But – hey – if you’ve ever seen Slayer in a mid-afternoon festival slot, you’ll know that some music belongs indoors. And this month brings a very mixed bag indeed, from noisy bastards Sunn O))) (whose gig has been upgraded to SWX) and Full of Hell to former Traffic frontman Steve Winwood at the Colston Hall and the now Bristol-based Little Angels fella Toby Jepson unveiling his new band, Wayward Sons, at the Louisiana. Don’t forget too that the Bristol Planetarium has Dark Side of the Moon: The Fulldome Experience on July 5, 12 and 19, featuring the Floyd classic in 5.1 sound with suitably mindblowing visuals.

https://youtu.be/zs_p17VIy1U

Geezer

Old England, July 1

Metal in Montpelier? About bloody time too. Actually, there’s no reason why you should have heard of Geezer as they’re a little trio from New York. They have a great line in cover/poster art and the title of their new album, Psychoriffadelia, tells you all you need to know about their sound. What’s more they crowdfunded their first European tour, of which this is the last date, so the least we can do is turn up and support ’em. If you need any further encouragement, Psychoriffadelia opens with a cover of the Nazareth classic Hair of the Dog.

White Noise Radio

Exchange, July 1

Rising Bristol band White Noise Radio launch their second EP, Cosmos, which has plenty to appeal to fans of the likes of Opeth and Porcupine Tree. See our interview with them here.

https://youtu.be/_hhZmY3gxzY

Metal 2 the Masses Final

Exchange, July 2

Yup, it’s the Bristol final of the annual contest for a slot on the Bloodstock festival’s 2,000-capacity NewBlood stage. Vying to make your ears bleed are Panic Switch, Awakening Hyperia, Embodiment, Myst, Kikamora, and Franklin Mint. There’s also a special guest headline performance by splendidly named 2015 winners, Mortishead.

Steve Winwood

Colston Hall, July 4

There appears to be no specific reason why the former Traffic frontman has emerged from the splenditude of his Cotswolds manor house for this tour, as he hasn’t released any new music for nearly a decade. Still, his previous show at the Colston back in 2013 was a career-spanning treat, with plenty of that early folk-prog stuff (The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, Dear Mr Fantasy), plus a couple of Blind Faith classics and, inevitably, Gimme Some Lovin’. He even rescued some of that mega-selling ’80s AOR material by stripping away the dated period digital production sheen. This is the first of only two UK dates this year, and his only show outside London.

Sunn O)))

SWX, July 13

Upgraded from the Trinity due to popular demand, ear-splitting, robed Seattle droners Sunn O)))’s (it’s pronounced ‘sun’, kids) first show in Bristol since headlining the 2015 Temples festival promises to shake central Bristol to its foundations. Hell, when they played Temples, you could hear the racket from Temple Meads. And they certainly seem to have a strange effect on people. One woman was even spotted doing the crossed-legged meditation thing during their performance. Founders Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson are still at the band’s core, with Attila Csihar of Norwegian black metallers Mayhem contributing vocals and funny costumes. Their seventh studio album, Kannon, is out now.

Full of Hell

Exchange, July 18

Meeting your grindcore needs this month are East Coast, Profound Lore-signed Full of Hell, who’ve just followed their Merzbow and The Body collaborations with a fifth studio album entitled Trumpeting Ecstasy. This broadens their palette with guest vocals from Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

Dan Baird and Homemade Sin

Thunderbolt, July 20

Our beardy friends in B24/7’s Americana, Blues and Country section will give you the full lowdown on all things Dan as he returns to the Thunderbolt. But the former Georgia Satellites guitarist has plenty of crossover appeal to those of us who like it loud. His previous shows in Bristol include memorable performances in the unlikely environs of Beese’s Tea Gardens, where Dan’s musical sidekick and former Jason and the Scorchers guitarist pitched up in the full cowboy regalia – including boots with spurs. Respect!

Ommadon

Cube, July 21

How do you like your doom, sir or madam? Crushingly heavy and veerry, veeeeeeery sloooooow? You’ve come to the right place. Ommadon hail from the Scottish Highlands and it’s fair to say that they’re in no great hurry to reach the end of each of their huge dollops of bleak doomery. Support comes from Nottingham’s Bismuth, who add an agreeable proggy twist to their doom; and Bristol’s very own Striga, who promise to speed things up ever-so-slightly. If this lot don’t send you home feeling profoundly glum, seek a refund.

Graham Bonnet Band

Bierkeller, July 24

Yeah, him: the short-haired bloke out of Rainbow, who incurred the wrath of feminists for singing those lyrics to All Night Long back in 1979. Impressively, Bonnet has worked with no less than three of rock’s most – how to put this delicately? – demanding guitarists: Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker and Yngwie Malmsteen. He’s also just released a new album, The Book, with his eponymous band. Fascinating fact: 69-year-old Bonnet’s first hit was Only One Woman in 1968 as one-half of the duo The Marbles. This, like most of his early material, was actually written by the Bee Gees. Don’t expect to hear it tonight, mind.

Massive

Exchange, July 26

A swift return to the Exchange for Melbourne’s Massive, who were last here in November. A self-styled “reckless rock’n’roll debauchery machine”, they sound pretty much as you’d expect. But – hey – there’s a huge market for boozy, unpretentious good-time Aussie heavy rock in this country and this show should tide us over nicely until Airbourne pitch up at the Academy in November. Support comes from fellow Aussies Tequila Mockingbyrd and Cheltenham’s impressive Welcome Back Delta, who are regular visitors to Bristol, their biggest show here being as support to Clutch at the Academy.

Wayward Sons

Louisiana, July 26

Now resident in Bristol, talented former Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson sure has been a busy little bee, fronting Gun and Fastway (featuring Motorhead’s Fast Eddie Clarke) and producing albums for the likes of Saxon and the Virginmarys. But he’s finally put his own full hard rock band together and has grown a nice new beard to celebrate. Wayward Sons release their debut album Ghosts of Yet to Come in September and make their live debut right here at the Louisiana prior to a string of summer festival dates, including Steelhouse and Ramblin’ Man.

COMING SOON

Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.

Elder, Fleece, Aug 6

Electric Wizard/Angel Witch, Bierkeller, Aug 17

Lonely Robot, Thekla, Aug 20

Suffocation, Bierkeller, Aug 27

KMFDM, Fleece, Sept 10

The Pineapple Thief/Godsticks, Bierkeller, Sept 17

Sparks, O2 Academy, Sept 26

Anathema/Alcest, Marble Factory, Sept 28

All Them Witches, Bierkeller, Oct 7

Supersuckers, Fleece, Oct 10

Windhand/Satan’s Satyrs, Exchange, Oct 13

Focus, Tunnels, Oct 17

WASP, O2 Academy, Oct 25

Dying Fetus, Fleece, Nov 3

The Hawklords, Bierkeller, Nov 7

Airbourne, O2 Academy, Nov 11

Cradle of Filth, Bierkeller, Nov 11

Von Hertzen Brothers, Fleece, Nov 12

Bad Touch/Mollie Marriott, Tunnels, Nov 16

Morbid Angel, Bierkeller, Nov 16

Caravan, Komedia, Bath, Nov 19

Opeth/Enslaved, O2 Academy, Nov 21

Fish, O2 Academy, Dec 13

The Darkness, Colston Hall, Dec 14