N.E.W. Metal Productions Christmosh – Gig Review

Posted on December 10, 2025 by platinumal

N.E.W. Metal Productions Christmosh

6th December 2025

Mcleans Pub, Pentre, Deeside North Wales

Have you been good all year? Have you eaten your greens, minded your Ps and Qs, and got your Ever Metal reviews in on time? If yes, then good news: the final North East Wales Metal Productions shindig of the year is here – the annual Christmosh party! A fabulous six bands appearing at Mcleans Pub in Pentre, Deeside, covering a wide variety of Rock/Metal music and all gathered together to celebrate a festive end to 2025.

Warming us up like a welcome open log fire was Victim of Damp, alias N.E.W. Metal Prods ally Frank Williams, here given a seasonal makeover as Christmas of Damp. With Christmas jumper and trusty guitar in hand, COD gave us some choice cuts including new additions such as Therapy?’s ‘Screamager’ along with free shots and a melancholy Pink Floyd cover. The promise of Crimbo tunes wasn’t forgotten, with a rousing version of Slade’s evergreen ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ – event guru Fozzy (in Santa suit) on vocals.

Victim of Damp

‘Agro’ by The Raging Mabels is one of the Greatest Songs Ever. Their entire set of high speed, thundering yet melodic Zeke-like Punk Rock was an absolute, total joy from start to finish. I cannot praise this band highly enough, even though they forgot to bring merch (again). There should be a new Raging Mabels album out in the New Year, so be prepared for a cultural explosion of Nirvana ‘Nevermind’ levels. And if that doesn’t happen, every single one of you can suck balls.

The Raging Mabels

Sadly, last time SOOTO (Something Out Of The Ordinary) played Pentre a couple of months back, I failed to write up my review. That cruel oversight is about to be reversed. SOOTO deal in classic Hard Rock/Metal, and with the female vocals they’re like Stevie Nicks singing for Thin Lizzy. Professional but not superficial, SOOTO have a raw energy and love of the riff, combined with dynamic songcraft and expert playing. A fantastic set that was over too soon.

SOOTO

The only band I’d never seen before, Heroes of the Gauntlet were a pleasant surprise indeed. Billed as “Symphonic Power Metal”, I was concerned these guys would be a full-on cheese fest. They have two singers (male and female) with fantastic voices, and a microphone that turns into a sword. Add in some serious Power Metal riffage and super confident stage personas, and you’ve actually got one hell of a show. Heroes of the Gauntlet were gloriously over the top and it’s impossible not to love them! All they need is a live drummer and these Heroes cannot fail.

Heroes of the Gauntlet

Bad Earth we have met before, and yes – hands up, I am a bit of a fanboy. But when a band deliver this much power and presence on stage, how can anyone not be? A “Rockcore” trio from the North Wales area, what that genre entails is dishing out filthy Punk/Metal riffs and pummelling, killer rhythms that you can feel as well as hear. They get better and bolder all the time – though the silly buggers are very humble about it – and this night was no exception. New recorded material is due soon, so beware: Bad Earth have never shied away from delivering crushing, groove infused Rock and I don’t think they will.

Bad Earth

To say I was excited about the return of the fuzzed out, sludgy sound of Master Charger to Mcleans would be an understatement. Their album “Posthumous Resurrection” was one of the never ending delights of 2025, plus last time they were here, these boys absolutely killed it. Make no mistake, Master Charger can and will deal out a mighty, megalithic slab of Stoner/Doom that will make the earth tremble. And that’s exactly what they did, with every asteroid-heavy riff and mammoth beat ploughing through the audience mercilessly. Another off-the-charts performance and a great finale.

Master Charger

What a night. Quite possibly the strongest line-up at Mcleans that I’ve ever witnessed, featuring many of my personal favourites.

But now it’s down to you. Christmosh was the last North East Wales Metal Productions event of the year, till the return of Pentre Fest in February 2026. These events, these bands need your support. If you’ve ever considered a trip to Mcleans, then you need to be there on 27th and 28th Feb 26. No excuses!

KASP – Gig Review

Posted on July 15, 2025 by platinumal

KASP

Friday 11th July 2025

The Crown & Liver, Ewloe

The good old Crown & Liver in Ewloe used to be my home from home for many years. In fact, it was utilised as a club house of sorts not just by myself, but the members of KASP and a large chunk of tonight’s audience. Quite apt, then, to see these guys crank out some tunes that effortlessly recreated the sounds of the 1990s in this venue. The Crown may have been jazzed up over the decades, but it’s the same old boozer at heart.

KASP are four mates who got themselves together and formed a band, performing well known and appreciated cover songs. They’ve been gigging in the local area for a while, but this was the first time I’d caught up with them. It was a nice reunion of sorts with several welcome faces and a good atmosphere.

Wouldn’t you just know it, things didn’t get off to a stellar start: the set opener was ‘Rock’n’Roll Star’ by Oasis, and I’m not a big fan! To be fair, it’s one of the better Gallagher brothers songs, and KASP rattled the song out in confident fashion. Simon on lead vocals and guitar slotted right into the role with ease. Next up was ‘You Stole the Sun From My Heart’, a killer Manics cover where Adam ably took over lead vocals from Si and still delivered a formidable guitar part. Now we were starting to get bouncing!

Solid musicianship all round to be fair, meaning that a couple songs I’m not a fan of (that James monstrosity, ‘Sit Down’, being a prime offender) were superbly delivered with self assured style. Of course, this means that the quality songs in the rest of the set couldn’t really go wrong – especially with genuine energisers from Green Day, Stereophonics and even Steppenwolf’s old evergreen, ‘Born to be Wild’!

A special shout out to the closing song of the first set, a devastatingly great rendition of ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’ by The Hives. Classic track, rendered brilliantly by KASP. Kev’s nimble bass playing was particularly impressive, shining in that solo middle section; and Pete’s drums managing to keep everyone on track with all cylinders firing .

The band returned for part 2 after a short break, though I have to admit that my memories of the second set started to get a bit fuzzy…

I do remember a rousing version of Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ getting the crowd moving. And a nice dedication for yours truly from Si in his introduction for Foo Fighters’ ‘Times Like These’ (thanks!). There was more dancing for this set as the audience started to really warm up. More first rate tunes by White Stripes, Kings of Leon and Stereophonics kept the mood high and feet moving as everyone sang along.

KASP at the Crown turned out to be a fun night of solid musicianship and camaraderie. A great band who possess some real skills, delivering a non-stop run of hit songs for all to enjoy. It was kind of cool to have that gig with that band in that pub, too. The evening wasn’t just about nostalgia, though. It was about good times with good people, and that’s what live music’s all about, right?

Check out KASP on Facebook.

Brown Acid: the Nineteenth Trip – Album Review

Posted on April 9, 2025 by platinumal

Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Nineteenth Trip

Riding Easy Records

Release date: 31/10/2024

Running time: 35 minutes approx.

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

Back in the very early 70’s, I accidentally missed getting on the bus with Black Sabbath (or was deliberately left behind, you choose), and found myself stranded in Sweden. Luckily, I had a few contacts and was able to get by, eventually meeting up with a couple of young Swedish lads in Stockholm. They were into folk music, but I could tell they were great musicians with an ear for a melody. After some persuasion, they agreed to try something new and join me in a new band, part heavy metal, part rock’n’roll, with a bit of folk thrown in to keep them happy.

Our jam sessions were going really well, with me handling the vocals and devil worshipping lyrics, and the lads on guitar and piano. We had numerous tracks rehearsed, with some killer riffs inspired by my old mentor, Tony Iommi.

Then one day, it was all over. The two lads decided metal wasn’t for them, and they hooked up with two Swedish girls in an attempt to make something more commercial. A great shame, I thought, as we had potential. Never mind, I’d saved up some cash to get back home and off I went. No idea what happened to those Swedes though. I think they could’ve gone far.

All this reminiscing brings me round to discussing the latest Brown Acid compilation from RidingEasy records – the nineteenth, if you can believe it. It’s been a while since I last reviewed one of these releases, so to summarise briefly for any late comers, Brown Acid compiles long lost gems from the late 60s through the early 70s as a document of the early days of hard rock and proto-metal from the time. Most of these tracks – and the groups who performed them – have been lost to mists of time, but it’s always a joy to rediscover them in the 21^st century.

Our first song on this volume is “You Come on Like a Train” by the brilliantly named Dick Rabbit. Just under three minutes of Hendrix infused fuzz rock with clattering drums, it’s a high energy opener to get us moving. Next up is Blizzard with “Be Myself”, which has a killer intro riff that then dominates the song. Think Cream or Mountain and you’ll be on the right avenue.

“Sun City – Part II” is a gritty, raw rocker from the less imaginatively named Fox – the catchy riff is a beauty. Next up, Sweet Wine give us “Bringing Me Back Home”, a boogie, rock’n’roll bar-room brawl number that injects some Southern Rock into proceedings. It’s an unusual move for a Brown Acid comp, but it works well. Finishing off Side One is Enoch Smokey and their cover of the Chuck Berry classic, “Roll Over Beethoven”. A cover is also an atypical move for Brown Acid, but this rendition has enough apocalyptic hard rock mayhem to warrant its inclusion.

Side Two commences with “Get You” by Flight, a Grand Funk style rocker that’ll get your head noddin’. “Indian” from Quick Fox offers a more cerebral lyrical approach, lamenting the fate of Native Americans (no surprise there). It does have a late 60s psychedelic shine that gives the song a different feel and identity. Then it’s back to some full-on hard rock with “The Fury in Your Eyes” by Bonjour Aviators – a spectacular band name, great riff and almost punk vocals.

Cedric delivers “I’m Leaving” next, which is lo-fi garage rock that’s simple but damn effective – like The Kinks covering The White Stripes in a Detroit dive bar. Finally, we have the brain destroying proto–Space Rock of Zane with “Step Aside”, which sounds like Hawkwind sound tracking classic 70s dystopian sci-fi movie, Logan’s Run. If you don’t think that sounds cool, your life clock must’ve already died.

And that’s that: another ten songs saved from the wilderness and given a new lease of life, a second chance of glory thanks to the caring curatorship of RidingEasy records. And all the bands get paid, which is super cool. Brown Acid: the Nineteenth Trip is very much recommended for anyone who worships at the altar of early 70s rock – and also a great soundtrack to any party. Get it on!

Check out the RidingEasy Records website, plus Facebooks, Twidder, ChewTube and Insta.

This review was presented to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #18

Posted on September 12, 2022 by platinumal

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

The Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 26th August 2022

Three years. It’s been nearly three years since the last Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at the Queen’s Head in Mold, north Wales. The pandemic put this event on hold for quite a while, but finally it was time for a triumphant return to the decks.

Let’s recap the concept: each participant gets a 15 minute slot to play whatever vinyl they like. That’s it. Very simple. And good fun. Have a few beers, chat about music, discover something new to listen to.

Here’s my ;playlist from the night:

Sweet Apple – Wish You Could Stay (A Little Longer)

I wanted to start my set up with this gorgeous, uplifting track by Sweet Apple. J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr) is in the band, and Mark Lanegan guests on co-vocals. A sublime piece of melodic, alt rock pop. First song on their album “The Golden Age of Glitter”.

The Four Horsemen – Nobody Said It Was Easy

And then on to some early 90’s southern rock, courtesy of the Four Horsemen. This band were signed to Def American and produced by Rick Rubin. If you dig AC/DC tinged Skynyrd and ZZ Top, their wax is worth investing in. I have the album, but this was the 7 inch single version of this song.

Clutch – D.C. Sound Attack!

A stand out track from the “Earth Rocker” album by Clutch, a band I am somewhat obsessed with. I love this song, it’s energetic rock’n’roll with a funky riff – the instrumental is so good I could actually groove to it. D.C. Sound Attack!!!

Social Distortion – Dear Lover

What a band. The opening track from Social D’s “White Light White Heat White Trash” album, this is full of Mike Ness’s heartfelt angst in a pounding, mid paced punk rock’n’roller.

The Beatnix – Stairway to Heaven

The Beatnix are a Beatles cover band. Here, they’ve covered Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” in an early 60’s Beatles style. It’s actually really good and sounds authentic. I think this song raised a few eyebrows, starting off resembling an old Fab Four track but including the unmistakable lyrics. On the other side, there’s an Elvis impersonator called Neil Pepper, covering the same song – a great single, you need a copy.

I had a really enjoyable evening for Vinyl Night, in fact I’m sure everyone did! Thanks to Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music in Mold for hosting and organising everything. Hope to see you all again soon!

The Halcyon Dreams blogspot is here.

The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.

The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.

The VOD music website is here.

Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip – Album Review

Posted on June 27, 2019 by platinumal

Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip

Riding Easy Records

Release date: 20/04/2019

Running time: 29 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

7/10

Back in ’68, I believe it was, though a lot of my memory remains hazy. It was a small London jazz club, in Chelsea I think, and Hendrix spontaneously got up to jam. Moon was on drums, John Paul Jones picked up the bass, and Clapton and Pagey jumped up to run through a few blues numbers. I was in the audience, somewhat refreshed, with a quality geezer who worked as a roadie for Hendrix. His name was Ian, though everyone called him “Lemmy”.

Anyway, I might have overindulged in something or other, but it was a fantastic night. I mean, musicians of that calibre sharing the same stage! Incredible. Until, that was, Jagger decided he wanted to join in on vocals. Brian Jones decided to bring his bandmate down a peg or two, and lobbed a huge quiche at old rubber lips. Bosh, hit him straight in the mush. Jagger was not happy. The next thing you know, Moon chucks his sticks at Mickey Dolenz and all hell breaks loose.

There was cake and vol-au-vents everywhere. It took me days to clean the sausage rolls out of Pagey’s pick-ups. But that was the sixties, you know? All good fun.

Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip does a great job of bringing back the vibes from that time. Compiled by Riding Easy Records, it consists of ten rare shots of proto-metal and stoner rock from the late 60s and early seventies. These tracks are so long lost, whoever raided the tombs they were in probably received an ancient curse for disturbing them.

The songs on offer aren’t really of the sheer riff heavy variety that Black Sabbath would perfect, but if you’re interested in hearing how rock’n’roll was deep fried in LSD and pushed to the limit, there are some fine nuggets here.

The first track, “School Daze” by Attack!, has a real MC5 hell-for-leather rock’n’roll feel. That greasy, take-no-prisoners Detroit approach serves them well. Up next is White Rock with “Please Don’t Run Away”, a glorious fuzzed out, scuzzy rocker. The brilliantly named Luke and the Apostles give us “Not Far Off”, featuring fabulous throaty vocals over a dynamite slab of blues rock.

There’s plenty more psychedelic, acid drenched fare that will resonate with fans of Hendrix, Cream, Mountain and even early Alice Cooper. “I Need My Music” by the Tourists is another highlight, along with Moloch’s “Cocaine Katy”. There’s a reassuring low-fi sound to the whole thing, with occasional faint vinyl crackles even, that gives the enterprise some charm.

Of the two covers on offer here, Inside Experience’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses” is fine but doesn’t challenge the original. On the other hand, the wonderfully named Grump take the King’s “Heartbreak Hotel” out on a glorious, whiskey fuelled Leo Sayer and don’t hand it back till it’s puked it’s kebab up in the back of the taxi.

The tracks compiled for Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip may not change your life, but there’s plenty to enjoy. If you’re not already a fan of rock music from this period, then think of this as a history lesson and indulge yourself. Just be careful what you indulge yourself in, eh?

Right then, gin and tonic, anyone?

Track List

Attack! – “School Daze”
White Rock – “Please Don’t Run Away”
River Side – “Wayfarer”
Luke and the Apostles – “Not Far Off”
Tourists – “I Need My Music”
Bartos Brothers Band – “Gambler”
Inside Experience – “Tales of Brave Ulysses”
Karma – “New Mexico”
Moloch – “Cocaine Katy”
Grump – “Heartbreak Hotel”

https://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/

https://ridingeasyrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ridingeasyrecords

https://twitter.com/EasyRiderRecord

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfcKvfj8ei5GD2YVtLYhaoQ

https://www.instagram.com/easyriderrecord/

Hollywood Vampires – Gig Review

Posted on June 27, 2018 by platinumal

Hollywood Vampires + The Darkness + The Damned

Sunday 17th June 2017

Manchester Arena

It was a rare, but welcome night out for Mrs Platinum Al and myself in good old Manchester. Tickets were booked and we were off to see the big rock show. It promised to be an exciting evening, but I was unsure whether our expectations would be met.

First off the bat, our old chums The Damned! This was a real bonus for me, though the handbrake is also a fan after all these years of putting up with me playing their records. However I was a tad nervous, wondering how these esteemed gentlemen would go down with what appeared to be a more traditional rock crowd. And in such a huge venue.

Now I know I’m biased, but we were both impressed by The Damned’s performance. The band didn’t shy away from the large stage; they actually looked quite comfortable up there. I was quite a way away, mind – I think our seats were in Stockport.

Opener “Street of Dreams” was a moody yet raucous number that’s become a bit of a live favourite of mine over the years. Follow that with classic “Neat Neat Neat” and you’re off to a hell blazing start. Just as the stars align and every single person in the huge arena is going “Oooh, they’re quite good, aren’t they?” we get a minor mishap with Captain Sensible’s guitar packing in and the moment seems lost…

Not to worry, before you can say “is he the bloke who sang Shaddup You Face?” the band, old troopers that they are, are back in the game. Dave Vanian steers the ship over stormy waters and is in fine, confident voice all through.

The Damned

The icing on the cake – for me, at least – is the return of Paul Gray, a sight I’ve not witnessed since Sheffield, 1991! Paul’s bass rumbles and sounds triumphant, particularly in the “Love Song” intro. Fantastic. There’s just a drop in volume during “Ignite”, other than that, Paul is a ninja master.

Pinch’s drums are perfect, you can hear Monty (and see him bouncing about); so other than a couple of technical issues The Damned performed superbly. The set is far too short of course, but I was relieved that they seemed to go down well. From where I was sat, the arena seemed mostly full, so they didn’t suffer from support-band-empty-hall syndrome either.

I felt like I was watching my child in the school play; happily no-one forgot their lines and The Damned get a gold star.

You can certainly say that I got value for money for this gig, what with three bands on. However I was feeling a little short changed after The Darkness performed. Admittedly, I am biased in favour of The Damned. Yet I’ve seen The Darkness before, at Download festival a couple of years ago, and was much more impressed.

Not that the Hawkins boys don’t give it a fair shot; a short tight set is delivered in inimitable style with splurges of Justin’s trademark wit and swagger. Perhaps it’s just that the set is lacking some bigger numbers in the first half; following “Growing On Me” with “Love is Only a Feeling” as the third song is too much of a comedown so early on.

The Darkness

The crowd don’t seem to mind though, it all goes down very well. Let’s be honest, most of ’em are happy because they’ve heard of The Darkness and haven’t got a clue who The Damned are. Or, shock horror, don’t like punk rock. For me, with no “Black Shuck” in the set, and a mediocre version of “Barbarians”, it’s good but not great from the Darkness.

I still can’t bring myself to dislike ’em, regardless. At least The Darkness tried to bring loud, exuberant British guitar rock into the 21st century, and aren’t a wanky indie band.

There followed some musical chairs for Mrs Platinum Al and me, as we secured seats much nearer the front. This pleased the other half immensely, she would now have a much better view of the headliners (or one of them, at any rate).

And so the Hollywood Vampires took the stage, and the Big Rock Show was in it’s final phase. The air of tense expectation was only mildly subdued by the band’s arrival, as the audience were keen to experience what they could serve up. Would this be a vanity project for ageing rock stars and their pirate actor buddy? Or could they deliver something tangibly worth their collective prowess?

Led by the preposterously cool Mr Alice Cooper, the Vamps rattle through a few of their own original numbers at first, as if to prove a point. Yes, they can play – and they can write, too. It’s super confident and great fun – every song gets a chance to shine on it’s own merits.

Hollywood Vampires

Yes, that Johnny Depp

The bulk of the set is a succession of expertly reproduced cover songs, each dedicated with respect to a fallen rock comrade. Songs range from The Doors, to Motorhead, to AC/DC – with my favourite being a great version of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”.

Joe Perry delivers a spine tingling “Sweet Emotion” complete with the extended intro that builds magnificently. It’s a master class in rock star awesomeness, though Joe seems very much enjoying himself in a humble manner.

Despite the attention thrust upon him by a vast number of fans in attendance, Johnny Depp manages to not only look the embodiment of cool, but actually performs brilliantly. He appears very much in his element as part of this massive spectacle, indeed his rendition of Bowie’s “Heroes” is one of the highlights of the night.

It’s one of several moments that manages to evoke the ghosts of heroes past, as accompanying images are shown on the screen onstage. It’s not altogether subtle, but rock’n’roll rarely is. Instead the audience cheer their appreciation and nod sagely as our heroes are exhumed for us to behold.

Finally, Alice declares “School’s Out” yet again, as the whole show reaches it’s climax. Cooper is an absolute delight, the demented circus master and ring leader of this crazy gang. He is unbelievably cool and amazing at what he does: a true legend.

In the end, despite any doubts, it’s been a hell of a ride. Despite whatever misgivings anyone may have had regarding authenticity, the Hollywood Vampires delivered an excellent, well performed show that was pure fun. It was so much more than just athe world’s biggest covers band. Abandon your cynicism, this was rock’n’roll for the sheer joy of it. Which is what it’s all about, right?

Chester Vinyl Night

Posted on October 19, 2016 by platinumal

Chester Vinyl Night

The Lock Keeper, Chester

Friday 7th October 2016

So the two Bens – Ben the Swede and Coben – decided to stage a vinyl night in Chester. Not to detract from the great night in Mold – but living in Chester they were keen to see how it would go. There had been plenty of feedback from Chester locals who would love to try out the concept and play a few of their own records whilst having a few beers.

After some research, the Lock Keeper pub near the canal, just down Frodsham Street, was selected as the ideal venue. The upstairs function room was ideal, with loads of space and a DJ area at the back. The pub itself offered some fine beers at reasonable prices, so it was all set.

The idea was the same, borrowed from Halcyon Dreams and VOD: bring along a few records, have a 15 minute set to play whatever you like – vinyl only.

I volunteered to do my set early on, whilst waiting for the punters to arrive. Thus following on from The Swede’s opening repertoire, it was my turn. Playing to an audience of six people.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising

I’d planned on playing the superior, and slightly less well known, “Born on the Bayou” by CCR as my first song. However I mixed up Side 1 track 2 with side 2 track 2, and we got this evergreen classic instead. No major mishap, “Bad Moon Rising” is a fantastic song anyway. Always reminds me of “An American Werewolf in London”.

The Stupids – Mega Zombie

This is from one of the first records I ever owned, the “Frankfurter – Eat EP” by UK hardcore punk band The Stupids. They were at the forefront of late eighties skate rock, and sound tracked many a days skateboarding in my youth. This sublime song is just over one minute in length, with the words “Mega Zombie” repeated 27 times. Very fast and a true challenge to prepare the next track in time!

The Ohio Players – Fopp

Luckily I just made it, and dropped the needle on this magnificent chunk of seventies funk. The song first came to my attention via the Soundgarden cover, eventually I picked up a CD “Best of” compilation (also featuring “Love Rollercoaster”, as covered by RHCP). Not long ago I added the Ohio Players album “Honey” to my vinyl collection – which both songs are taken from. This is a solid piece of funk rock with a cool groove.

Tone Loc – Loc’ed After Dark

I wanted to play some tunes to show case some variety, and felt that a bit of old school hip hop would be nice. “Loc’ed After Dark” is the B-side from the “Wild Thing” 12 inch single. I chose it as again, there’s a nice funky beat. Got me strutting my stuff in the DJ booth, anyway.

So alas, my set was over – with still only six people in the audience. Never mind, the evening picked up and soon the function room was full. I even got to play a couple of tracks again at the end of the night to a fuller crowd!

The Chester Vinyl Night was a great success, with a room full of people enjoying the music and drinks. There was a picture quiz which proved popular, and a wide range of tunes spanning several genres – from dub to hip hop to classic rock. There was even a Phil Collins tribute section…

There will be more Vinyl Nights at the Lock Keeper soon. Well done to Ben and Ben for organising the evening – looking forward to more of the same soon!

The Chester Vinyl Night has a Facebook page, click here.

You can also find The Lock Keeper on Facebook here.

Thanks to Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music for help and advice.

Songs of the Week 09.10.2016

Posted on October 10, 2016 by platinumal

Biding time till I write up the next Halloween Horror Fest movie review, here’s five songs that stood out last week:

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Arabian Knights
The Stupids – Skid Row
David Bowie – Life on Mars
Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion
Anthrax – Antisocial

The Holy Rollers – Gig Review

Posted on November 10, 2015 by platinumal

The Holy Rollers

Saturday 3rd October 2015

The White Bear, Mancot, Deeside

Now I may not know much, but I do know two things very well: the first one is ROCK and the second one is ROLL. And so I was looking forward to finally seeing The Holy Rollers play, bringing their unique brand of rock star to a local venue.

The White Bear is a great pub; featuring live acts every Saturday in addition to all the other wonderful things they do (like the food). It’s also very close to home for me, luckily. Though I was a bit worried I might end up hosting the after gig party for The Holy Rollers, being so close to the place. Luckily that never happened – otherwise my TV would surely have been thrown out of the window…

Wrexham’s finest – The Holy Rollers – are a covers band par excellence; expertly rendering classics across various genres from different decades. I understand they’re also debauched rock’n’rollers with a penchant for chaos and partying.

Whilst anticipation mounted, the band took their places and the intro tape played the start of the A-Team. You know, “In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison for a crime they didn’t commit…” This was the first stroke of genius of the night. If ever I’m in a band, I want the A-Team intro before I go on. Awesome.

The Holy Rollers, crack commando rock stars that they are, launched into their first set of the night setting the tone nicely, with well chosen songs that skipped across styles effortlessly. There’s some Oasis (“Rock’n’Roll Star”); some Stones (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”) and even a classy “Beat It” to get the party started. An early highlight for me was the Weezer classic “Buddy Holly”, just ‘cos I love Weezer.

The band confidently raided the back catalogue of numerous great bands to deliver a quality set, impressing with their craft. Vocals and guitar duties are shared (and alternated) between Rob Roxx and G Bomb, adding some variety to the delivery. Both of them delivered the tunes with a cool tenacity that made it all look easy.

The first set featured a storming final run through “Should I Stay of Should I Go”, “Hard Day’s Night”, “You Really Got Me” and Primal Scream’s “Rocks”. You can’t fault that for a set list.

After a short break, the second half of the gig was back on. We get ‘Phonics classic “Local Boy in the Photograph” and a bit of Bon Jovi. The Holy Rollers version of Bad Company nugget “Feel Like Makin’ Love” was another highlight and a nice change of pace.

A mini punk rock section followed with “Teenage Kicks” (Undertones) and “Ever Fallen In Love…” (Buzzcocks). The rhythm section did a fine job of keeping everything together as the pace changed through out the gig. Bass player Maxx stalked the room like a rock’n’roll avenger with mayhem in mind. Drummer Good Boy Roy pummelled the skins as if they’d insulted his mother.

Although delivering familiar material, The Holy Rollers always have an element of surprise tucked up their sleeves. Case in point is the genius mash up of “Seven Nation Army” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” – two songs melded together to create a whole new monster. It shouldn’t work, but it does – incredible. The White Stripes and Marvin Gaye? Who knows what other Frankensteins these mad scientists can create?

The joy of The Holy Rollers gig was the fearless renditions of songs regardless of musical styles; be it “Uptown Funk”, Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” or the Smiths. They are unafraid to play great songs, whether old or new, and regardless of genre. It made a refreshing change to hear this four man mobile juke box playing songs that were well known, but given an exciting make over.

When the gig was over, The Holy Rollers dispersed. Probably off to some rock star mansion to drive a Rolls Royce into the pool. Or setting off fire works in expensive hotels. Whatever they got up to; we, the people can rest assured. Rock’n’roll is in safe hands.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #2

Posted on June 9, 2015 by platinumal

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 29th May 2015

OK, you know the drill – it’s Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at the Queen’s Head pub in Mold. It’s the same great deal as last time – everyone gets a fifteen minute slot to play whatever they want, as long as it’s vinyl. Old or new, obvious or strange – any genre you like, bring along those wax platters and give them a spin.

As previous, it was a welcoming atmosphere in the pub, and it was great to hear the music played. There’s always some old favourites, as well as a few that make you scratch your head, then go away determined to explore that sound more.

We missed the last Vinyl Night, the gang and me, but this time we came fully stocked and prepared. So after a few beers, here’s what my set-list looked like:

Nirvana – Do You Love Me

This is a cover by the Seattle Grunge mega lords of a KISS tune, found on the Hard to Believe tribute album. This record featured several then-underground, independent punk rock groups covering KISS songs. Also on this disc you’ll hear such bands as the Melvins, All and the Hard-Ons (I love ’em all) – but it’s Kurt Cobain’s crew that are the novelty factor here. Pre-dating Nevermind, this isn’t the best Nirvana song (not by a long way) but it’s kinda cool to hear them cover some classic glam rock. I picked this up fairly recently at a Manchester jumble sale; I played it ‘cos it’s rare (apparently) and unexpected (very).

Butthole Surfers – The Wooden Song

No, I didn’t play this song because of the shock/comedy nature of the band’s name. I played because the album Independent Worm Saloon, which birthed this tune, is a work of under-appreciated genius. The album roams from full-on punk noise; to psychedelic eruptions; to folky, melodious charm. The Wooden Song fits in the last category, with a nice added dose of weird.

Jimi Hendrix Experience – The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam’s Dice

Taken from the Smash Hits album which I picked up on reissue around 1990. This song was always a favourite, I chose to play it as it’s a different (and better) mix than the one found on the South Saturn Delta CD. I love how the song’s funky little riff rolls on, as Jimi’s voice and a wall of guitar noise threaten to throw the whole thing overboard. Beautiful chaos.

Black Sabbath – Planet Caravan

This is one of my late at night, chill-out jams. You can find this track on Paranoid. I chose it to showcase just how great Black Sabbath were, the variety and depth of composition going far beyond what the trendy elite give them credit for. A mellow jazz trip into outer space, this song elegantly portrays the grandeur of the mighty Sabbath. ALL HAIL SABBATH.

So that was it from me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, hope others liked it too. I was more confident this time with the turntables and felt that the whole experience was a step up from my previous effort.

Next up was Adam, with some gems from his ever expanding vinyl collection. It was Adam’s first tenure on the decks, he mastered it like a pro:

Guns’n’Roses – Bad Obsession
Prodigy – Poison
Beach Boys – God Only Knows

The final member of our crew was Ben the Swede, who travelled from far off Chester with his lady Janice to play some vinyl. Ben went for a Ritchie Blackmore theme with his choices, and damn fine they were:

Rainbow – Jealous Lover
Glen Hughes and Chad Smith – Maybe I’m a Leo
Deep Purple – You Can’t Do It Right By The One You Love

Thank you and good night – till the next Bring Your Own Vinyl Night!

The Halcyon Dreams blog is here, where you can find listed (very helpfully) all the songs played on the night.