Metal & Prog Picks: October 2022

Let’s kick off this month’s preview with some local news. Andy Fox, Bristol’s rock radio DJ, is celebrating 40 years in the disc-spinning game. That’s right: his rock show was first broadcast on Radio West (remember that?) back in 1982. As Entertainments Manager at the Bristol Bierkeller, he was also responsible for bringing Nirvana and a lot of superior bands (notably King’s X, Extreme, Dream Theater, Faith No More and Soundgarden) to town back in the day. Today, you can hear Andy’s weekly three-hour rock show every Thursday from 9pm on BCFM. It’s also available on the station’s listen again service. He plays everything from classic rock to prog-metal (all the good stuff, in other words) and interviews many of the big names who come to town. Andy’s rock show is also now syndicated to a total of ten networks in Europe, Australia and the US.

Steve Hackett

Bath Forum, Oct 5

Continuing to mine the rich Genesis back catalogue, guitarist Steve Hackett returns to Foxtrot on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. This was the band’s first UK chart hit, launching them on the path to international stardom. It’s also the one with the 23-minute audience favourite Supper’s Ready (“A flower?”). But it’ll be great to hear that rare foray into social/political commentary Get ‘Em Out by Friday as well as Can-Utility and the Coastliners, which was mostly written by Hackett himself. His band for this tour includes usual vocalist Nad Sylvan, Jonas Reingold on bass and backing vocals, Roger King on keyboards, Rob Townsend on saxophone, flutes and additional keyboards, and Craig Blundell on drums. As usual, there’s no support act but two full sets with an interval. The first one, which is likely to comprise solo highlights, starts at 7:45pm. The recording of Steve’s previous Seconds Out tour is out now on multiple formats (CD, blu-ray, etc) via Inside Out.

Anthrax/Municipal Waste

O2 Academy, Oct 6

Back in Bristol for the first time in five years, the most rap-friendly of thrash metal’s Big Four haven’t released any new material since 2016’s For All Kings, though they have recently put out a 40th anniversary live album, titled XL, from a livestreamed soundstage show that took place during the covid lockdown. The line-up is the same as last time, with Joey Belladonna still fronting the band and Scott Ian on rhythm guitar. Jon Donais remains on lead guitar, having replaced Dan Spitz, who, in one of metal’s less likely career moves, left to become a Swiss master watchmaker. Support comes from impressive second generation thrashers Municipal Waste, whose recent seventh album, Electrified Brain, was hailed by Kerrang! as “the ultimate soundtrack for smashing cans and banging heads”. Interestingly, this was the first date on the UK tour to sell out.

The Sheepdogs

Thekla, Oct 7

Yep, this show was supposed to have taken place back in March, but was cancelled with only a couple of hours’ notice after the entire band went down with covid (pity the bloke who’d driven up from Devon to see them). Last seen playing a brilliant show at the Fleece in 2018 – and before that making their Bristol debut at the Louisiana in 2013 – this classic rock quartet from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, boast the distinction of being the first unsigned band ever to make the prestigious cover of Rolling Stone magazine back in 2011, landing them a deal with the legendary Atlantic Records. They were also the winners of three 2012 Grammy-equivalent Juno Awards (New Group of the Year, Single of the Year and Rock Album of the Year). The suitably shaggy Sheepdogs manage to incorporate a bunch of influences, from The Band to the Allman Brothers, without ever sounding derivative. Hell, they even chuck in the occasional trombone solo. New album Outta Sight is out now. Note that blues hotshot Ricky Paquette is deputising for Jimmy Bowskill on this tour.

Rosalie Cunningham

Chapel Arts Centre Bath, Oct 8

Another rescheduled show, this time from April. One of those artists who really ought to be a lot more successful than they are, former Purson frontwoman Rosalie Cunningham has recently released her excellent second solo album Two Piece Puzzle, which was acclaimed thusly by that newspaper of record The Times in a four-star review: “Doom-laden church organs, medieval melodies, rustic folk touches and fiddly guitar solos all feature, with Cunningham’s sonorous vocal style bringing a sense of high drama . . . In true progressive fashion, it’s overblown, faintly ridiculous and great fun.” How could anybody resist that? Rosalie last headed our way back in 2019, when she and her band played a memorable show at the Fleece. Hopefully she’ll be fighting fit by the time she pulls into Bath towing that huge trailer bearing her band’s dressing-up box. And if you’re not able to get to Bath, an additional show has been booked at the Thekla at the end of the month (see below).

Coheed and Cambria

O2 Academy, Oct 14

Helium-voiced Claudio Sanchez and chums return to the Academy for the first time since 2008 (though they headlined the ArcTanGent festival in 2019). Coheed deliver a novel blend of prog-metal with emo choruses, but if you’re not completely won over you can always admire Claudio’s amazing hair instead.  Tenth concept album Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind continues the overarching ‘Amory Wars’ storyline that began with the band’s debut The Second Stage Turbine Blade 20 years ago. Support comes from prog/hardcore act Thrice and California’s Touché Amoré, who trade in what’s described as ‘post-hardcore’.

Jack J. Hutchinson

Thunderbolt, Oct 14

“Jack’s gritty, honest take on blues rock comes with a flourish of biker steel,” enthused Planet Rock of Brit guitar hotshot Jack J. Hutchinson, who’s touring in support of his recent Kevin Shirley-produced What Doesn’t Kill You EP/DVD, which follows the acclaimed The Hammer Falls album. Jack’s band comprises Bernie Marsden’s former drummer Phil Wilson and Charlie Rachel Kay on bass. Support at the Thunderbolt comes from Devon rockers Firekind.

Ryan Hamilton & Warner E. Hodges

Thekla, Oct 16

A great double-bill that promises to be a real treat for fans of harder-edged Americana. Fort Worth’s Ryan Hamilton has been described as “the Tom Petty of his generation” and is a master of that peculiarly American brand of catchy, sunny, witty pop-rock that succeeds in snaring the smart-alecky college crowd while keeping rockers onside, rather like a more rootsy Cheap Trick. Best known for his work with Jason & the Scorchers and Dan Baird, ace guitarist Warner E. Hodges is a frequent, very welcome visitor to Bristol. Ryan and Warner will each be playing full sets tonight, backed by Warner’s band (Ben Marsden on guitar, Jason Knight on bass and John Powney on drums).

Amenra

Fleece, Oct 16

Cult Belgians who’ve established their own Church of Ra musical collective, Amenra are the kind of act lumbered with such meaningless Pseud’s Corner labels as ‘post-metal’ and ‘artcore’ to draw in our hipster friends. What they actually deliver is a hypnotic brand of droning metal, served up with complementary, often pastoral projections flooding the entire stage and backdrop. Latest album De Doorn is their first for Relapse and was described by Metal Hammer as being “as huge, stately and emotionally devastating a piece of work as you’d expect”.

https://youtu.be/t50ZPY8Fby4

Dare

Fleece, Oct 23

Bristol Bierkeller, August 3, 1989: poodle-haired former Thin Lizzy keyboard player Darren Wharton is giving it some serious keytar while his new band, Dare, rock away behind him. But who’s that with the mullet on keyboards with these touted Mancunian rockers? Why, it’s Brian Cox. No, not the Succession fella, but Professor Brian Cox. That’s him in the Abandon vid above.  He wasn’t a TV space boffin back then, of course, but in a recent Classic Rock interview Wharton described how Cox always had his nose stuck in a Richard Feynman book while on the road. Although better known for the ghastly D:Ream, Cox has said that playing melodic hard rock with Dare was the highlight of his musical career. After he left, the band carried on without him, with Wharton still at the helm, and have just released their tenth studio album, The Road To Eden.

Skid Row

O2 Academy, Oct 23

Now on their fifth singer, with former Dragonforce fella ZP Theart – who fronted the band last time they played here – being replaced by Swedish Idol reality TV show winner Erik Grönwall, Skid Row are attempting another of those comebacks with new album The Gang’s All Here, which Classic Rock described as “their best album since their best-ever album” (that’ll be 1991’s Slave to the Grind, with the long-departed Sebastian Bach). Founding members Dave Sabo, Scotti Hill and Rachel Bolan are still present and correct. Curiously, Grönwall was fronting Skid Row’s support act H.E.A.T, during their previous show at the Academy, so someone in the headliner’s team was obviously paying attention. At the time of writing, both advertised support acts for this tour (Winger and Phil X and the Drills) seem to have pulled out.

Cradle of Filth/Alcest

Marble Factory, Oct 27

Time to dig out that old Jesus Is a Cunt T-shirt and offend little old ladies. Last seen at the Marble Factory back in 2015, Bucket of Muck left Nuclear Blast and are now signed to Napalm. Screeching founder Dani Filth remains at the helm of an ever-changing line-up, whose most recent recruits are guitarist Donny Burbage and keyboard player Zoe Marie Federoff. Support comes from French blackgaze titans Alcest, who were recently seen at ArcTanGent and played one of the very last pre-lockdown gigs at the Fleece back in March 2020.

Held By Trees

Dareshack, Oct 29

Billed as being somewhere between Gilmour-era Pink Floyd and latterday Talk Talk, this new instrumental prog/post-rock project is a musical collective featuring seven Talk Talk/Mark Hollis solo project veterans. Released back in April, Held By Trees’ debut album, Solace, has been picking up good reviews in the likes of Mojo and Prog.

Rosalie Cunningham

Thekla, Oct 30

See the Chapel Arts Centre preview above.

Conjurer

Exchange, Oct 31

Widely touted as the Britmetal band to watch, Conjurer signed to Nuclear Blast for their well-received second album, Páthos. “We have no image, we have no backstory, we have no sort of cult following or anything like that,” co-guitarist/vocalist Dan Nightingale told Kerrang! “We’re just four random, incredibly boring people who like to play metal and, somehow, that’s gotten us here.” Well worth checking out if you enjoy the likes of Mastodon or Pallberarer.

COMING SOON

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

Despised Icon/Decapitated, Fleece, Nov 2

Pallbearer/Elder, Fleece, Nov 3

Zeal & Ardor, Trinity, Nov 8

Fozzy, O2 Academy, Nov 12

Saxon, Bath Forum, Nov 15

AA Williams, Thekla, Nov 18

Gong/Ozric Tentacles, Trinity, Nov 20

Crobot, Fleece, Nov 21

Frost*, Komedia, Bath, Nov 30

Rick Wakeman, Bath Forum, Dec 3

Conan, Thekla, Dec 3

Magnum, Fleece, Dec 5

Moonspell, Thekla, Dec 8

Clutch, O2 Academy, Dec 13

The Dead Daisies/FM/Graham Bonnet Band, SWX, Dec 15

Lamb of God/Kreator, O2 Academy, Dec 16

Fury, Exchange, Dec 21

Sleep Token, O2 Academy, Jan 21

Imonolith, Exchange, Jan 26

Epica/Apocalyptica, O2 Academy, Jan 30

Karnivool, O2 Academy, Feb 3

Leprous, SWX, Feb 11

Katatonia/Solstafir, Marble Factory, Feb 12

Revocation, Fleece, Feb 16

Back Star Riders/Michael Monroe/Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, O2 Academy, Feb 22

Beast In Black, Fleece, Feb 22

Avatar, SWX, Feb 23

Napalm Death, O2 Academy, March 7

Ville Valo, O2 Academy, March 10

WASP, O2 Academy, March 23

Haken, SWX, March 23

Devin Townsend, O2 Academy, March 29

Bloodywood, Fleece, March 29

Steve Hillage, O2 Academy, March 30

The Zombies, Fleece, April 13

Cannibal Corpse, O2 Academy, April 18

The Aristocrats, Fleece, June 15