Jackson Jones Live @ RBL Stourbridge - 30th January

It has taken what feels like forever to get this one together, but finally it happened. We managed to get myself and Jackson Jones in the same room. I reviewed his album ‘It’s About Time’ back in the summer (no, the irony of that title in relation to last night wasn’t lost on me either) and we have been trying to get this sorted pretty much since then but finally here we are.

These are not my usual surroundings for a Thursday evening but you are always being told to try new things so here I am, and importantly the beer is cheap. This ladies and gentlemen is very important.

The first thing that I notice is that the gig has actually started on time which in my experience is practically an act of God. Proceedings are gotten under way by Mitch Jones (Face Of A Stranger) who works his way through a little 15 minute set to get things moving, with a cover of Simple Man by Shinedown being the highlight.

Now we get down to the main event. Jackson Jones takes the stage and for the next 90 minutes or so proceeds to give what is a fine demonstration of country and Americana. Opening track ‘If Love Was A River’ begins with what I think is just a fantastic turn of phrase ‘If love was a river and I was a drowning man…’ only in country right? However the nicest surprise was that Jones sounded exactly as I remember him from the album. It’s nice to know that the voice I remember was not on the end of any production trickery.

Things really kicked into gear with a few Jones originals, ‘Nothing Changes’ and ‘Days of Nothing to Lose’ standing out. I think there is always an extra little edge when a singer performs one of their own songs; they feel it a little more. Obviously that’s not to say that cover versions of songs can’t be performed incredibly well as they are in this case but the originals always feel like they carry a little more emotional weight. The opening section of the set drew nicely to a close as my mind drifted towards the bar and the audience applauded the display from Jones thus far.

The 2^nd section of the night kicks off with an acapella version of ‘The Ballad of William Sycamore’ showing a different side to the Black Country song smith. ‘Jack’ was fantastic it’s especially poignant for me, as the man described could easily be quite a few of the members of my family who are no longer with us.

A request from the audience lead to a rendition of ‘7 Spanish Angels’ and as the last note hit those assembled on the cold January expressed their appreciation. A couple more wonderful country tunes went by as we came upon my favourite cover of the night. ‘The Road To Bayamon’ isn’t a song I can claim to have heard of before but it’s a brilliant little song about carnival in Puerto Rico, and definitely one that I will be looking up. And that I believe is the key to a good cover, making you want to dig out the original, and here Jones was right on the money. The Jimmy Buffett tune ‘Margaritaville’ followed continuing the light hearted feel from the previous track. And this is one of the reasons that I love country music, in no other genre apart from maybe hip hop do you get this almost comedy element in the song writing. (Who would have thought you would have seen those genres together in a review!)

The evening had flown by and as the set drew to a close we were treated to a little sing along with a rousing version of the Dylan classic ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.’ Jones still very much in fine voice led the way as the audience by now in the palm of his hand followed. In all honesty Jones had scored points with me by managing to pick one of the few Dylan songs that I actually like, and you can’t ask for any more than that! The clock struck 11 and Jones enthusiastically turned out what was the final song of the night as if it was the opener, to the delight of those in attendance.

It was time for everyone to head home but Jones had definitely lived up to my expectations. His set had flown by the songs executed with the precision of a man on top of his game. The music was pitch-perfect and the audience went along on the country themed ride. It had been a great night, and everyone left in good spirits, with a spring in their step. What more could you ask for?

Throwback Thursday: T Rex - Get It On

This is without doubt on of my favourite songs of all time. That classic riff is the thing that makes you want to pick up a guitar and play like a rock star.

It was written by T Rex frontman Marc Bolan, and featured on the album ‘Electric Warrior.’ It was the groups 2^nd UK number one.

Yes Noel Gallagher may have nicked the riff for ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ but I think it’s time people stopped bitching about that now and just appreciated this record for what it is. Rather than going ‘Oh this is the riff that Oasis nicked!’

Classic track, classic riff, truly brilliant band.

Introducing - Almost Easy

I think it’s about that time again when I introduce you to a band that I will be following this year and a band that I think you should definitely look out for. I was impressed with these guys from the moment that I met them and I really do think they will be making some waves this year. I am of course talking about Almost Easy.

The band is made up of frontman and guitarist David Saunders, guitarist Adam Saunders, bassist Jack Watkins and drummer Jack Bloor. They are based mainly in Wolverhampton and they are going to be big on the local scene this year.

So here’s a bit of background for you. The band made their debut of sorts at a birthday party in 2010. They only played one song and borrowed a singer from another band on the bill that night called Zim. (Not the most glamorous of starts!) A few weeks later after some rehearsal time and a chance to learn the songs David Saunders was conformed as lead singer and the line-up was complete and they have been going from strength to strength ever since.

The band recorded their debut 3 track EP ‘What You Never Got’ in 2011 giving their ever growing fan base something to get their teeth into. The buzz continued as the group gathered mentions on Kerrang Radio and TBFM Online. A 2^nd EP called ‘Dark Sided Woman’ was released in January 2013 and this is where yours truly makes his entrance into the story.

I saw that these guys are booked on a bill featuring blog staple Face Of A Stranger later in the year, so out of curiosity I looked them up and I have to say I was very impressed with what I heard. I saw them play live at Ye Old Foundry in Dudley in December and that only confirmed my initial thoughts….there is an insane amount of potential in these guys!

I am going to be doing a lot more stuff with this lot this year so make sure you look out for that. You are going to be hearing a lot more about Almost Easy not only from me but people will be sitting up and taking notice TRUST ME!!!

For now though you can check them out here –

https://www.facebook.com/almosteasybanduk?fref=ts

https://www.youtube.com/user/almosteasybanduk/videos

The Crimson Star - 'New Road' Review

I will be the first to admit that I am a little late to the party on this one, as this record has been doing the rounds since last summer. But I got there in the end so don’t judge me… ok.

As is often the case I first saw these guys play when I had gone to a gig to watch someone else, but that night I have to say that they were fantastic. You only get one shot at a first impression and I definitely liked what I heard. I have since seen them perform again and they proved that that well-polished effort at the back end of last year was no fluke. And so it came to pass that I am sat here with the band’s debut EP in my hot little hands, and here is my verdict.

I am pleased to report that this is a very very good record. There are no frills, no complications; it’s just simply a brilliant hard rock record.

The EP kicks off with title track ‘New Road’ which provides the perfect introduction to what this band are all about. It fires straight into life with a big rock riff taking centre stage before the vocal hits, a vocal that wouldn’t sound out of place fronting a lot of ‘grunge era’ bands from the early 90’s. It’s got that forced feel to it, think parts of Nirvana ‘In Bloom.’ (Before you get on your high horse I’m not comparing the bands just saying that bits of the vocal style are similar)

‘Hey You’ has more of a traditional hard rock feel. The band lists Foo Fighters as one of its influences and I think that you can definitely hear that coming through with the more mid-tempo effort. This track also houses a brilliant little guitar solo that shows that there is more to the band than just big hammering bassy riffs.

Next we arrive at my favourite track, ‘Some Other Way.’ The track opens with a riff not too dissimilar from the Arctic Monkey’s ‘Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair.’ Personally I think that if the band were to release a single from this project then this song would be perfect, trust me you hear a lot worse on rock and mainstream radio. The chorus has a simple sing-a-long quality to it as well which definitely has the potential to get stuck in your head.

‘Shine On Me’ is again a little bit different from what went before it. To my rock fan trained ear there is a hint of Pearl Jam going on here, something which is never a bad thing in opinion. The stripped back interlude part way through is definitely something a bit different and once again the guitar work is again first class.

The final track is ‘The Greed Effect.’ As many of you will know there is nothing more that I love in the world than a really heavy powerful riff and this song is just that from start to finish. It kicks off at breakneck speed and doesn’t stop for breath, with that riff just hammering the song forward. If you wanted a snapshot into the band and their overall sound I would recommend getting your ears around this track, without doubt one of the highlights of the record, and enough to ensure that you are left wanting more.

As I said above all in all this is a very good debut effort from a band on the up. I do however have one minor criticism and that is more on the production side, sometimes the vocal feels like it is a little too low in the mix and gets crowded out. For me personally I like the vocal to be a bit more prominent, but then again that might just be me. But as I say this is only a minor niggle and doesn’t detract from what the band have achieved here, which is a fantastic hard rock record that you really should have in your collection.

Brierley Hill Rock Bar Opening Night - Review

Hype had been building from the moment that this event was announced a few short months ago. Come show night it’s fair to say that expectations were not only high but they were through the roof.

At 7.43pm the doors were not due to open for another couple of minutes, the weather was absolutely filthy but there was a queue of people waiting to get in. We are talking not about a few early birds here either. For an event of this nature in this particular corner of the Black Country this is frankly unheard of. To get the scale of what happened you need to understand a little bit about where we are.

Brierley Hill is not a town currently going through what would be described as a golden era in its history. To be blunt about it, in many ways this once great industrial town is on its knees. The nightlife is dead, pubs are shutting seemingly by the day, and basically there are no nightclubs. The government can talk about regeneration all they like but what this area needs are events like last night. Local events for local people. A capacity crowd was expected to turn out to cheer on local up and coming band Face Of A Stranger, DJ’s Johnny Doom and Loz Guest as well as one of the best Metallica tribute acts around Mentallica. As the warm up music hammered around the room, the queue at the bar was substantial. This was shaping up to be a good night.

By now you all know how highly I rate Face Of A Stranger, but if you have been sleeping on this blog, I think they are going places. And I mean REALLY going places. The first time that I saw them was actually at this venue in front of 10 people so to see them in front of a packed house it felt like things had gone full circle. In short they smashed it. 8 songs, near 40 minutes of hard rock battering your ear drums, what more could you want on a Saturday night?

They kicked off their set with the opening track from their debut EP ‘Dysphasia.’ Straight up hard rock, there are no frills here. Having seen the band so many times it was obvious that there was something different about tonight. By the time they arrived at their third track of the night ‘Violet’ it was now starring me in the face. They we so relaxed, they were totally at ease in front of probably the biggest crowd that they had ever played in front of and they were really enjoying themselves. Next track ‘Shutting Me Down’ was definitely another highlight.

We then got treated to the debut performance of a track called ‘Paradox.’ It’s a slow build of a song but this really adds to the impact when it does kick up a gear. The whole band was perfectly in sync with one another, drummer Luke Watton, bassist Ben Slater along with rhythm guitarist Josh Pagett were driving the band forwards at a relentless pace. Lead guitarist Joe Lewis was playing as well as I had ever seen while singer Mitch Jones has really started to grow into his role as front man commanding the stage better than I had probably seen to date. I should also give a mention to Watton for his drum solo which was a great exhibition as to why he is one of the best drummers on the live circuit right now.

Crowd favourite ‘The Road’ had the hard-core support singing along and as the set came to an end with a stirring performance of ‘In My Veins’ it was clear that Face Of A Stranger had not only lived up to expectations but surpassed them.

Since I started this blog I have been honest with all of you and have never fed you a line, and I’m not going to bullshit you now. If I said that Metallica had had any sort of effect on my life I would be lying. They are just one of those bands who have passed me by a little bit; I never really got what all the fuss was about. Sure, there are big vocals and equally big guitars but none of it ever really grabbed me. All of this meant that the hype surrounding the appearance of Mentallica last night was a little bit lost on me. But I will try anything once, so I was actually quite intrigued as to what the band would be like.

First things first… My God what a noise! They were loud! The sound was absolutely huge and the audience lapped up every last note of it. For aspiring bands everywhere there was a lot that you could learn from these guys. There was loads of audience interaction, bucket loads of energy and the musicianship was first rate. Some of the guitar work was just awesome. The band thundered from track to track to the head banging delight of those in attendance. It’s rare that you get to see so much air guitar in one place!

Among the highlights were renditions of ‘Seek n Destroy,’ ‘Master Of Puppets,’ ‘Whiskey in the Jar,’ and of course the mighty ‘Enter Sandman.’ I may not have been a fan but there are very few music fans out there who don’t love ‘Enter Sandman.’ ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ in particular was awesome I love that record anyway but the vocal and guitar work on this track in particular last night were simply brilliant. I think that at this point the highest praise I can give them is that as a result of their performance I’m going to have to go back and check out Metallica, it’s starting to look like I missed something. You would be hard pressed to see a performance as good as last night and not want to hear more.

But to be perfectly honest if things work out this night is about more than Face Of A Stranger, Mentallica, Johnny Doom or Loz Guest. Last night was about giving the music scene of Brierley Hill a new home, and if opening night was anything to go by the future looks bright.

Out Of Sanity Live @ Asylum 2 - 17th January

I have said it many times but live music really is one of the finest things in the world. At one end of the spectrum you have seeing your favourite band in a huge arena with however many other thousand people. And at the other you have where I was last night, small intimate venue, a supportive audience and a bill full of bands bit by bit trying to master their craft.

As often seems to be the case in the last few months the weather was awful but I found myself trekking across Birmingham to go and see another band take another small step on what they hope will be the road to success. The band in question was Out Of Sanity. I had seen them just before Christmas last year and had been impressed so I had high hopes, and I’m pleased to report that I wasn’t disappointed.

They opened with a track called ‘Destroy Your Captor’ which is very Black Sabbath-esque in structure and tone. The track builds from a low base and bursts into life, incorporating a couple of brilliant breakdowns and gets the set off to a hard hitting start. Up next was ‘Beneath The Ground.’ The highlight here is the fantastic guitar solo from Kris Davies, as the rhythm guitar hammers the song forward the solo over the top is one of the best that you will hear on the local circuit bar none. A quick glance around to those also in attendance showed that it wasn’t just me who was impressed. ‘This is The Time’ stands out as a track that could be a single. It has a very catchy lead riff and although it is a little softer than the opening two songs the sound of the group isn’t compromised.  

‘Blind’ is a song that I was very much looking forward to hearing. I had heard a very rough demo of the track in the week while doing a bit of research on the band, and I was interested to hear what it would sound like live. It starts with just the bass and drums opening the song (Another Sabbath staple) and then comes in this heavy heavy riff, followed by an almost growling vocal. There is definitely a darker edge to this track that hasn’t been evident so far and the classic metal screaming vocal shows that vocalist Brad Weston is far from a one trick pony. There had been a hint of nerves early on but by now the group had really settled into their rhythm and grown into the performance.

Next up was ‘Rebel’ which was a personal favourite of mine from when I saw them last time and again everything was totally on point, including a fun little interlude which some er….’interesting’ dance moves from Weston and drummer Mike Gregory. This might seem a strange thing to say but I had my fingers crossed as the opening chords of the next song blasted round the room. It was a cover of ‘Don’t believe a Word’ by Thin Lizzy. I’m a big Thin Lizzy fan so I was really hoping they weren’t going to try and be too clever with it and end up just ruining the song. But thankfully and to much head-nodding from those in the audience they produced a brilliant rendition.

We were getting into the final stages of the performance now but there was no letting up from the wall of sound coming from the stage. ‘Take This Life’ opens in brilliantly ominous fashion but soon explodes into life and you can’t help but think that this would be a fitting soundtrack to Armageddon. (No Bruce Willis) It’s at this point I would normally use a phrase something like ‘as the set winds down towards the finish’ but here the set closes as it began; with a musical punch in the face. ‘Going Over The Top’ starting with a killer bass heavy ensures that the band go out with a bang and get one of the best reactions from the audience all night.

Overall it was a very good performance, hard-hitting and in your face. Early on you could tell that there were a few nerves (In the grand scheme of things the band haven’t performed that much) but they quickly warmed to the task. All the members of the group complement each other. Like all good bands the bass and the drums lay the foundation Gregory and Jim Griffiths really put the platform in place for the rest of the band, the importance of this really cannot be underestimated. The rhythm guitar work from Adam Davis really powers the band forwards and helps provide the hard hitting sound, again giving a platform for lead guitarist Davies and singer Weston to build on. Davies intricately picks his way over the organised chaos to dance through solos with brilliant precision, while the vocal from Weston is versatile and packs a real punch. All the signs of a band being in tune with one another.

In short, Out Of Sanity are a band you really should be following.

Feel Good Friday: Clean Bandit feat Jess Glynne - Rather Be

I am sorry for abandoning you yesterday, there was no Throwback Thursday, I’m a busy man and I was distracted by plates and Thai food. But as I always try and do when I neglect you on a Thursday I have something for your listening pleasure, in the form of Feel Good Friday.

I have had this track on heavy rotation for a couple of weeks now, I just love it. It comes fresh from British group Clean Bandit. They have had a couple of minor hits before but this will definitely be a breakthrough for them. The classic house strings, crisp production and feel good vibe is everything you need to set you up for your Friday night.

Introducing - Out Of Sanity

It’s that time again when I go out on a limb, stick my neck on line and bring to you a band that I think could make some big moves this year. Over the last 6 months I have seen so many bands on the live circuit and half of them all blend together, nothing stands out, they are just another rock band. But when I first saw these guys play at the back end of last year something about them made them stand out to me. I can’t put my finger on it but there was just something about them. That something that makes you want to hear more.

Out of Sanity are a 5 piece hard rock/metal band based in the West Midlands and I firmly believe that they are going to start making a real name for themselves this year. The band is made up of lead singer Bradley Weston, guitarists Kris Davies (lead) and Adam Davis (Rhythm) bassist Jim Griffiths and drummer Mike Gregory. If you know anything about my love of bands you will know that I’m a sucker for a big vocal and a serious guitar riff, and this lot have that in spades.

All the members of the band have been in and around the local live circuit for a while now as members of various acts like Gold Fat Cats (Mike and Brad) Axewound (Mike, Kris and Jim) and No More Numbers (Mike) They have known each other for years but it was around 18 months ago when a jam session between Jim, Kris and Mike led to the arrival of Brad and Adam and the creation of the band we now know as Out Of Sanity.

Since then they have written a load of material and recorded a 4 track demo which you can find on Reverbnation. They played their first live show in June 2013 and have been going from strength to strength ever since. They list Black Sabbath amongst their list of influences and you can definitely hear that in their music, some of the riffs are huge!

They are playing their first gig of the year at Asylum 2 on Friday (17^th January) which I will be reviewing and there has already been talk among the band of trying to put together a full length album.

Like I said I really think that these guys have something and with hard work and a little bit of luck could really go somewhere this year. But don’t just take my word for it, check them out for yourselves you won’t regret it.

https://www.facebook.com/outofsanityband?fref=ts

http://www.reverbnation.com/outofsanity

Manchester United In Crisis?

Manchester United and its fans have enjoyed some pretty amazing seasons over the course of the last 20 years or so but right now the 2013/14 season doesn’t look like it will be one of them. They have lost their last 3 games 2-1 getting knocked out of the F.A Cup in the process. United are 7^th in the league with 34 points after 20 games. That’s 5 points behind Liverpool in 4^th and 11 behind Arsenal who currently sit at the top of the pile. Needless to say things aren’t really going very well.

Like I said it has been a difficult season for everyone involved thus far but there has been one man feeling the pressure more than anyone else and that man is the manager David Moyes. This is probably the toughest spell of his managerial career. At some point this season United have been without Rooney, Van Persie, Rafael, Young, Nani, Ferdinand, Vidic and Carrick for extended periods, and let’s face it most probably every team in the league would struggle when seemingly always missing a key player. But there are also times when Moyes has frankly made a rod for his own back.

He has made one signing which hasn’t yet worked out and along with new Chief Executive Ed Woodward made a real mess of the summer transfer window. There have been numerous poor team selections with Valencia on the right seemingly having a bulletproof existence in the team; Young has been poor for most of the season yet is still in the team meaning there have been limited opportunities for Zaha. This is not to say that Zaha would make all the difference if he was put in the side but it would be interesting to see if he was up to the job of playing for a team expected to be at the top end of the league. It could also be argued that his constant tinkering of the back 4 has hardly helped in creating defensive stability. And for crying out loud it is obvious to everyone who has seen him play that Chris Smalling isn’t a right back but in fact a centre back so if you are going to play him at least put him in his correct position.

There have been a small number of positives but they have been few and far between. Adnan Januzaj has come in and performed well and at times looks the only United player with any kind of spark. Phil Jones has played well and so has Welbeck now that he is being used more in his best role as a striker. But let’s be honest the team needs work. It looks like Evra and Vidic will be off at the end of the season. Although both are past their best they would be a big loss for their influence in the dressing room. It is looking more and more likely that Rio Ferdinand is moving closer to retirement with every passing week. On top of this there are the players who will probably be sold like Anderson, Kagawa and Young. And from a personal point of view Wayne Rooney should be let go if he and his agent continue to use the club as a bargaining chip. He has been given enough chances, yes he is a brilliant player but if he doesn’t want to be there let him go.

I suppose this is the bit where you are expecting me to provide some answers; well I’m sorry to say that I haven’t really got any. Big investment is needed but will the Glazers provide it? Will the players want to join? Are the players that are needed available? What is for certain is that the club could probably absorb 1 season without the Champions League both financially and from a football point of view, they are a big enough name to do that. But this slide needs to be addressed. Once you fall it is very hard to get back up to the top of the mountain, just ask Liverpool. Good luck David. I think you’re going to need it.

Throwback Thursday: Outkast - Hey Ya!

To celebrate the fact that it seems Outkast will be reuniting to headline the Cochella festival I thought I would bring you this classic.

It was released on 9^th September 2003 and it stayed in the charts in the UK for 21 weeks. It was taken from the ‘Love below’ half award winning album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’.

The track won a Grammy for Best urban/Alternative performance and also won praise for its video which was a take-off of the 1964 performance from the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Feel good music.

Throwback Thursday: Rolling Stones - Wild Horses

It might be a new year but some things never change my friends, Throwback Thursday is back! And the first edition for this shiny new year is an absolute classic.

This track is taken from the 1971 legendary album Sticky Fingers and was released on 12^th June of the same year. Most people might hear the Stones and think of the bigger up tempo tracks like ‘Satisfaction’ or ‘Brown Sugar’ but this country style ballad I believe is one of the best things that they ever recorded. Just to put that into perspective even me and my girlfriend agree that this is probably one of the best things they ever did. That’s how good this track is. Bringing people together.

It was written by Jagger and Richards and was ranked #334 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the ‘500 greatest songs of all time.’ Apparently it’s also Mick Jagger’s ex-wife Jerry Hall’s favourite Stones record. Beat that for trivia.

Anyway shut of the world for 5 minutes and pay this some attention. Beautiful record.