Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton

December 31, 2019 Leave a comment

Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton, South London, was a chance for many currently lesser-known rappers to have some time in the spotlight. Yizzy himself did not come out until after 10pm, giving over two hours of stage time to a medley of different London rappers, including British-Latino rappers like Guala, whose music, in English and Spanish, I’ve never heard before. South American Brits in the audience particularly enjoyed hearing Spanish rap. 

Ecuadorian, Colombian and Black British rappers performed solo and with friends, setting a good mood for the audience. I personally enjoyed the camaraderie and support that rappers showed each other. British rap is so diverse, in ways that I previously didn’t know about, so I walked away from the show having learned something. Other performers included L1, RingRoze, Helms (an acquaintance from an old job whose appearance on stage shocked and delighted me) and Koder, who looks a lot like Andre 3000. Koder was received extremely well. He was extremely energetic, bouncing around constantly (making it very difficult for me to photograph him!) and interacting with the audience a lot. His song, ‘Richer’, is particularly good and was performed alongside his backing vocalist. His friends in the audience kept shouting out “UNDENIABLE!” which became an infectious chant. 

When Yizzy eventually came out, everyone was already on a high, so his set was full of energy. His latest song, ‘Back It’, features Dizzee Rascal and has a distinctive sound that is very different from most UK rap songs. The beat features heavy guitar and dubstep sounds that honestly haven’t been heard in popular UK music for about ten years. Yizzy can rap FAST and kept up the pace throughout his whole performance. He recreated his Fire in the Booth freestyle, which floored me. Just stellar performances all round creating a perceptible sense of excitement about the UK rap scene. Grime, drill, rap and hip hop are all different but at Yizzy Presents we got a little taste of all of these genres from a wide range of rappers. Made me feel proud to be British!

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby| Instagram | Twitter

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Emika ft Fifi Rong & Geiste live at The 100 Club

December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Emika’s show at The 100 Club by Tottenham Court Road was a cosy affair with a friendly, welcoming vibe. The club had chairs for audience members sitting by the side of the stage and everyone was very relaxed. The first support act, Geiste, reminded me of a younger Ellie Goulding in her style and the way that she jumped around onstage. She looked like a fairy onstage and made a lot of effort to talk to the audience and get everyone involved. She was essentially one-man band, singing while simultaneously controlling her complicated-looking equipment, including a loop pedal, creating a synthy electronic sound. At the end of her performance she excitedly jumped into the crowd to hug her friends who had come to support her.

 

The second support act was Fifi Rong, a Chinese-British alternative singer with amazing fashion sense and a beautiful face. Her strong, haunting vocals were combined with expressive dance moves that matched the vibe created by the lights and electronic backing music. She sang in both Chinese and English (I understand a bit of Chinese and realised that in one of her songs she was repeating the names of the colours over and over again – it sounded great!). She totally captivated the entire audience and I would happily watch her perform again.

Finally, Emika came onstage to play her keyboard and give us more electronic synthy vibes but this time with a bit more bass and finesse. She opened with an incredible cover of Wicked Games by Chris Isaak, an already atmospheric song made even more impactful with her use of instruments and breathy, wispy voice. Strobe lights flickered throughout most of Emika’s performance, making for a trippy experience. She would sometimes quickly wave her hand between her mouth and the microphone while singing, creating the same kind of sound that you experience when listening to music through headphones and the sound flits from left to right. She was awesome. Very masterful over her craft. And the audience loved it all.

Overall, a very strong performance from three talented women making strides in electronic, alternative music. I’m glad I got to experience it all in a small venue for maximum impact.

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby | Instagram | Twitter

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The Octane Accelerator Tour 2019 | Photos + Review

December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Horror is a word that you either love or hate. The idea of movies filled with slashers and monsters can be frightening to some. But nothing is as beautifully scary as an Ice Nine Kills show. 

I attended their last date of tour at Webster Hall. A sold out room of 1,500 horror lovers like myself has been the norm on this most recent tour, almost every single date selling out. And after seeing this most recent show, I have a feeling bigger, more sold out shows are on the wall. I have seen Ice Nine around 10 times in the past 3 years, and this most recently tour solidified their place in the metal scene. The opening bands packed a punch, and the headliner terrified the crowd in the best way possible. 

Awake At Last is a band every INK fan knows, they’ve opened for them time and time again, and Spencer is featured on their track The Change. They have a bright future, everyone in the crowd seeking to mow know the words to their songs. A frontman constantly preaching positivity, the entire band having high energy around them, it’s hard to watch and not enjoy them. 

 

Light The Torch got the warmest welcome I’ve seen for an opening band. Hailing from LA, the metal band has made a mark on the NYC music crowd. Not overly heavy, but filthy enough to make you bang your head, the feeling of the bass going through your bones is enough to get anyone just a little wound up. 

Fit For A King are veterans in the scene, but that doesn’t make watching them any less fun. Year after year, their sets pack a punch. Crowdsurfer after crowdsurfer was thrown up, breakdowns caused the crowd to move in on chaotic unison. Ryan Kirby can work a crowd with his words, and destroy one with his vocals. Watching them never gets old, and their upcoming headliner will hit harder than anything they’ve done before. 

I have seen Ice Nine Kills 10 times. And I couldn’t get bored seeing them another 10. This headliner was something special, they were the stars of their production. Hearing horror movie intro before a song begins possesses the crowd in such a way, it’s scary. Opening with Thank God It’s Friday, the show was off to a strong start. All 5 members are done up in costumes (Done by on tour artist Shevy) and frontman Spencer Charnas has a costume change nearly every song. Their setlist was full of scary new material, songs from Every Trick in the Book, a cover of Michael Jackson’s “ Thriller “ and a song from The Predator Becomes The Prey for old school fans like myself. Watching INK is a treat, regardless if you like them or not. Their production is so stunning, entertaining, and just makes you want to go insane. There’s nothing that makes someone wanna crowdsurf more than hearing Dr. Loomis’ speech before Stabbing In The Dark kicks in. Any horror and metal lover should do them a favor and go see all 4 bands on this bill. This was by far one of the most entertaining and high energy shows I’ve ever attended and had the pleasure of shooting. 

Ice Nine Kills Photos (here)  | Photos courtesy of Emily Sulkowski

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Cannibal Corpse w/ Thy Art Is Murder | Fall North American Tour | Photos + Review

December 5, 2019 Leave a comment

Cannibal Corpse Slaughters Ventura

Venue: The Majestic Ventura Theater on 10/25/19

When it comes to death metal bands, Cannibal Corpse is one of the ultimate greats. I got into them a little later than most, when I came across “Hammer Smashed Face” on Rock Band back in 2013. They’ve been on my bucket list of bands I’ve wanted to see since then, and with them performing what would be a sold out show so close to home, this was the perfect opportunity to finally see them. And with another one of my favorite bands, Thy Art Is Murder, performing as well as direct support, this was bound to be a truly stellar show!

First up was Thy Art Is Murder from Sydney, Australia. This was my third time seeing these guys, and this was the longest set I’ve seen them play. They played a lot of songs from the new record “Human Target”, while mixing in songs from each of their other Nuclear Blast releases “Hate”, “Holy War” and “Dear Desolation”, totaling out to an 11-song set. Thy Art Is Murder is described as deathcore, but take in influences from death metal, blackened death metal, and even metalcore. It’s because of this blended sound that the band can fit with a plethora of metal lineups. I previously saw them in March of 2018 co-headlining with Dying Fetus on a North American Tour, then saw them in April of 2019 when they acted as direct support for Architects (UK) on their North American Tour. Once again, Thy Art Is Murder acted as direct support on this tour for none other than Cannibal Corpse, so Thy Art was able to bring out some of the heavier tracks on this run. I personally was extremely stoked to hear them play “New Gods” and “Make America Hate Again” from the new record. When you see the band live, there are a few notable things to look out for. Holding down the fort in the back is Jesse Beahler on drums, who truly creates an interesting dynamic with intense and difficult drum parts played to perfection. On stage left is rhythm guitarist Sean Leander and bassist Kevin Butler, who each groove along in each song with high energy and a plethora of facial expressions. Lead guitarist Andy Marsh stands on stage right and can be usually seen looking intensely into the crowd as he shreds to his’ hearts content. Front and center is vocalist CJ McMahon, who is spotted in the first 2 songs sporting a hooded cloak and looking tall and ominous into the crowd, while screaming and growling with a wide range of tones and pitches. The band is also known for their bright and strobing lighting, not using any of the frontal house lighting and bringing forth an haunting presence, which goes right along with their serious politically driven lyrical content that focuses on anti-religion, anti-extremism, animal rights, greed, war, and much more. I was thrilled to see Thy Art Is Murder once again and I believe they truly put on their best set to date!

SETLIST

  1. Death Squad Anthem
  2. Make America Hate Again
  3. Fur and Claw
  4. Slaves Beyond Death
  5. Holy War
  6. No Absolution
  7. Human Target
  8. The Son of Misery
  9. New Gods
  10. Reign of Darkness
  11. Puppet Master

Next up was the all mighty Cannibal Corpse from Buffalo, New York. After many years of listening to them and playing their songs on Rock Band, it finally became time to see them. The band is good ole fashioned death metal that borders the line of brutal death metal. Their lyrical content draws from horror fiction novels and horror films, with highly graphic and controversial imagery on their album covers to go along with the musical content. As a big horror fan myself, I was almost immediately drawn to that aspect of Cannibal Corpse when I found out about them. The band has been going strong since 1988, despite a couple lineup changes near the beginning of their career. What I was pleasantly surprised when watching them was how humble they were. They didn’t do a walk on intro like a lot of other bands, they didn’t bring additional lighting, they just played good fucking music and got the crowd hyped. Vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher blew me away with his ability to own the stage by doing a single stance. The band isn’t known for being insanely energetic, but the power each member gives off just from their stage presence and musical technicality is mind blowing. With fourteen albums in their discography, I was pleasantly surprised how well the band was able to cover, playing songs from twelve of those fourteen albums. The crowd went nuts, with one of the most violent mosh pits I’ve seen. This was a perfect setlist, as the band played a whopping 18-songs, with George adding in some comedic moments while the rest of the members would tune their instruments. I was thrilled to hear songs like “I Cum Blood”, “Hammer Smashed Face”, “Red Before Black”, and “Kill or Become”, which were all highlights from the set for me. Bassist and founding member Alex Webster was also very fun to watch for me, as his bass stance was very powerful and was very fun to capture. The band had Erik Rutan, guitarist of Hate Eternal, filling in on this tour. His stage presence and ability to own those dueling guitar solos blew me away. Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz truly impressed me with his extremely technical drum parts that were played to perfection, along with his stage presence behind the kit. The dude is insanely fun to watch. Closing out the band’s lineup is guitarist Rob Barrett, who truly slayed it with his’ rhythmic patterns and technicality on the rhythm guitar. But the stand out was definitely George Fisher, who’s headbanging and vocal abilities drove the set to a whole other level. Cannibal Corpse’s performance was one for the books and I will definitely be seeing them again in the near future!

SETLIST

  1. Code of the Slashers
  2. Only One Will Die
  3. Red Before Black
  4. Scourge of Iron
  5. Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
  6. The Wretched Spawn
  7. Devoured by Vermin
  8. Unleashing the Bloodthirsty
  9. Gutted
  10. Kill or Become
  11. A Skull Full of Maggots
  12. Evisceration Plague
  13. Firestorm Vengeance
  14. Death Walking Terror
  15. I Cum Blood
  16. Make Them Suffer
  17. Stripped, Raped, and Strangled
  18. Hammer Smashed Face

Cannibal Corpse’s Fall North American Tour was an amazing night with two bands who absolutely crushed it, performing incredible music that blew me away. Both Thy Art Is Murder and Cannibal Corpse are at the top of their game and I cannot wait to see both bands in the new year when they come out to California again!

Cannibal Corpse | Thy Art Is Murder

Photos + Review courtesy of Jamie Kaufman | Instagram

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Wasting Moonlight – ” No Surprise ” | Music video review

December 3, 2019 Leave a comment

Just over a month ago Wasting Moonlight released their music video for their song “No Surprise” off of their forthcoming album “Honestly, I’m just Angry”, out December 21st. We enjoyed the live-show feel the music video gave off, the lights added beautiful colors which made it visually pleasing. After about 1:23 in bruises, and blood begin to appear on the band members faces. After discussing the video for a bit, Mandy and I came to the mutual decision that this was a visual representation of mental struggling, or perhaps they didn’t help someone who was struggling. Combined with the lyrics and the visuals that is how it comes across to our eyes. The song flows smoothly, vocals and instruments all in tune. The only thing we would change if possible would be to have recorded certain shots at a slower pace, it made us a bit dizzy!

Be sure to watch the music video below

Review courtesy ofCristine Trimarco + Amanda Spring

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The Starting Line & Chris Farren – Est. 1999 Tour Review

November 30, 2019 Leave a comment

The Starting Line are a band in the pop punk and alternative scene that have now been around for twenty years, as of this year. To celebrate this anniversary and major milestone in their career, the band did several shows throughout the year, and I attended the Denver, Colorado show.

          Chris Farren opened the Denver show, and I’ve seen him live once before, when he opened for Free Throw back in September. He played a little bit of a longer set compared to the last time I saw him, and since his album “Born Hot” had been released in October, he incorporated a lot of newer songs into his setlist, including “Search 4 Me,” “Domain Lapse,” “Love Theme From “Born Hot,” and more. He also played older material, including one of my favorite songs of his, “Human Being.” Chris has a lot of charisma and passion that really shows through his live performance, and he puts on such a captivating live set overall. Some of the highlights from the performance were the signs behind him saying things such as “applause” and “guitar solo,” (as well as showcasing his original art), and the fact that he walked through the crowd and went up to the balcony to perform one of the songs.

Not too long after Chris finished his set, The Starting Line finally took the stage, and they played a variety of songs from throughout their discography. They played a large amount of earlier hits, such as “Up & Go,” “Almost There, Going Nowhere,” “Cheek To Cheek,”  “Left Coast Envy,” “The Drama Summer,” and “The Best Of Me” from their debut LP “Say It Like You Mean It,” and “Leaving” and “Greg’s Last Day” from their debut EP “The Hopes Of Starting Over.” The set also included songs from releases later on in their career, such as “Surprise, Surprise,” “Inspired By The $,” and “Making Love To The Camera” from “Based On A True Story,” and “Direction,” “Birds,” “Are You Alone,” “Island,” and “Way With Words” from “Direction,” as well as the three songs off of their 2016 EP “Anyways”: “Luck,” “Quitter,” and “Anyways.” One of the most interesting parts about this show was the fact that the vocalist would tell stories about the band’s history after every few songs, and would sometimes use those stories to introduce some of the songs they would play next. The stories discussed quite a few parts of the band’s career, from how they first got together to the process of making some of the music they incorporated into their setlist for the tour.

The Est. 1999 Tour was a very unique experience with two really great acts and I’m glad I got the chance to attend.

Venue: Summit Music Hall | City: Denver, CO | Date: 11/15/2019

Review by Megan Langley | Instagram

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Diamante ft Silent Season – Blue Balls Holiday Tour 2019 | Photos + Review

November 30, 2019 Leave a comment

Silent Season

Diamante brought her Blue Balls Holiday Tour to the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston on Saturday, November 23rd. It was a night full of high-octane rock that we’ve come to expect from the fledgling blue-haired rock goddess, and her hometown of Boston was more than ready for the festivities.

The evening was opened by Massachusetts metal veterans Silent Season, who played an airtight mix of active radio rock reminiscent of bands such as Breaking Benjamin and Staind.  Their energy spoke clearly through their performance and crowd interactions, although there were moments in the set where I couldn’t help but feel some of their songs blending together.

Nevertheless, after Silent Season warmed up the crowd during their hour-long set, Diamante took the stage at 10:30 sharp. She immediately commanded everyone’s attention with her voice and showmanship, opening with the fiery single “Kind of Love”. Her band had no problem keeping up with this pace, joining her in getting the crowd to sing along for “Haunted” and “Sound of Us”. It’s hard to believe that at only 23 years old, Diamante acts with arguably more professionalism than some artists twice her age, hitting notes flawlessly and giving off complete confidence that comes naturally.  If this show is any indication, it is apparent that Diamante is more than ready to be playing arenas in the near future.

 

Diamante

Photos & review courtesy of : Amanda Spring 

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All-In Moment’s self-titled album “All-In Moment” – Album Review

November 28, 2019 Leave a comment

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Photo courtesy of Crisitne Trimarco

All-In Moment is a 4- piece hard rock/ metal band from Staten Island New, York. The band consists of vocalist Chris Scott, guitarist David Cohen, bassist Luke Lewis, and drummer Daniel Luczak.
Recently they released their self-titled album “All -In Moment” which you can listen to here

The album opens with “Before The Bomb Drops “, which in my opinion was a great choice due to the instrumental fast paced opening, as well as the breakdown that for sure would make anyone want to mosh the second they hear it.

Next up is “Haunt Me “, the vocals are my favorite part of this song, as well as the lyrics. I caught myself singing “haunt me in my dreams but I’ll be alright “ after listening. I enjoy how the vocals fade out, and the instruments end the song
Following Haunt Me, is “Unstoppable”, introducing some screams to this album at the perfect time. To feel unstoppable is to feel powerful. This song, with its fast-paced beat is catchy for sure.
The last song I will be reviewing, and my favorite song on the album is “From Chaos Comes Clarity” , the lyrics “ sometimes we all gotta fall, to find ourselves, from chaos comes clarity” are really important, and true with-in my own personal experiences. I feel many new listeners will related to this song, and they should give it a listen.
My team member Ashley, will be reviewing the second half of the album below,

Song # 5 off of “All-In Moment” is called “For You.” I’m not entirely sure who write the lyrics to this song, but whoever it was loves the person they sing about. They’d do anything for the one they sing about. It’s a heart warming song off a badass album! It picks up heavily at the end as well to keep the flow of the album.

Moving into song #6 “Refuse the Call”. This is song starts off hard and if I was seeing them live, there’d be a mosh pit within the first 30 seconds which I love. The lead guitar line is driving and I love the drums in this song!

“Oblivion” takes track 7. And out of the four I have reviewed, my personal favorite. It’s a headbanger for sure. It has a great pop punk feel to it, but still keeps that hard driving sound All-in Moment has. The breakdown has these dueling guitars which is one of my favorite things a band could do!

Closing out the self titled album is “Not that Far Away.” I honestly dig his style of singing because it reminds me of 90s grunge music, and who doesn’t appreciate that. This song rips. From the heavy flow of guitars, banging drums, and a sick bass line.

All in all I’d review this album a 6 out of 10! I’ve spent 13 years in and out of studio sessions. So in my opinion, the vocals could have been mixed a little bit more post production. Really rad band! Be sure to check them out, social media listed below.

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Photo courtesy of Cristine Trimarco

Review courtesy of Cristine Trimarco  & Ashley Grace

All-In Moment: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify 

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Artist Alert – Raul Del Moral

November 27, 2019 Leave a comment

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Raul Del Moral is a bilingual singer and talented guitarist whose genre influences include reggaeton, acoustic and folk. ‘Quedate Conmigo’ is definitely a club tune and is easy to dance to. The verses are sung in Spanish and the chorus in English, making it easy to remember. The accordion sound in the background is very distinctive. It’s definitely my favourite of his Spotify selection. Campeón is made up of guitars and trumpets and has a strong beat throughout. I loved the trumpet fadeout at the end. It was all in Spanish so I had no idea what the song was about but it sounded really good! The third solo song, Where is My Home? has a very different sound and feel. It tells a story about Del Moral unwillingly leaving his home and questioning where he now belongs in the world. The lyrics emphasize his feeling of displacement. The sprawling electric guitar solo that begins a couple of minutes into the seven minute song and lasts nearly as long as the remainder of the song is moving.

Courtesy of India-Mae Alby

You can follow Raul on all his socials – Spotify  | Instagram| Website

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King Soloman – ” I Need That ” Review

November 23, 2019 Leave a comment

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King Soloman’s most recent release “I Need That” follows suit with the trendy catchy lyrics of most modern-day trap and mumble rap. His vocal flow is consistent throughout the track. I enjoyed how he pays respect to where he started making beats, at his Alma mater Edward R Murrow High School, in Brooklyn. It’s respectable to never forget where you started. Can’t wait to see what more is to come. The music video for this song drops on December 25th!

 

You can keep up with him on social media : Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

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