General Catch Up on Stuff

Anthrax
Blew me away, I knew they would, but an almost perfect setlist and such an intimate gig made it so special. As soon as caught in a mosh started the whole room went ballistic. No choice but to just get involved, which resulted in minor injuries to my neck. Was great to gig again with Daz and finally meet Mr.Gaz P, the man himself delivered as expected, top off and random Bush or Belladonna pop quizzes to people. The kebab on the way back was immense. Great all round night.

Hammerfest
Again another meet up, met and carried lots of luggage for Dawn and Sharon, Also good to see Gaz. B and Becky again. I only went for the Friday and saw the delights of Sci Fi Mania (half naked ladies with fire, monkeys with metal grinders and a big robot mascot), RSJ, Chimara, Anthrax and Evile (some others, but I can't remember them). Anthrax and Evile were solid, as above almost same set but it didn't stop me headbanging away! Thank you to Dawn for the generous pass down of tickets.

Radio
How I dream of a radio show, just weekly.. not being too greedy. Well a new station is opening for the East Midlands called The Wall, demo sent, demo approved and it should begin in June hopefully. I'm thinking a metal Monday show potentially :D Also still waiting to hear if Hermitage FM can fit me into their schedule, they are on FM in North West Leics and online. Going to tricky to get a metal show into such a varied community station. But that's not my decision, I can merely wait. It's been years since I was a regular on a station and to do it again would make me so happy.

Glastonbudget
My band Rezurrected have been picked to go on the Big Top Stage! We expected a tent near the toilets to be honest, certainly not 1 of the 2 main stages! So excited now.. plans are a Metallica/Slayer ending.. we're working on it next week :D We also have pre-Glastonbudget party arranged for May 6th at the Vic Bikers pub in Coalville, all very welcome.

TFFM
April 6th (Good Friday) I have a show, filling in for someone. I'll probably just help out in this respect from now on, going for a 'growing up with the Corbetts' show as my brother is going to break his broadcasting virginity. I also have 2 members of the same band calling in, no not mine, a proper thrash band, trying to get another band sorted as we speak..Tune in from 8pm peeps! www.twitterfamily.co.uk

I'm so excited

Today I am excited. It's a very simple reason for my childish behaviour today. Tonight I see Anthrax at the Oxford O2. Yes, I have seen them before, but never so intimate.

I can hear you now, Anthrax aren't that great, why the excitement? We all have our favourite bands, and then we have our first loves. My 3 were Iron Maiden, Metallica and Anthrax, as a small boy I would play Live after death, ..and justice for all and state of euphoria over and over. To the point were I didn't realise they had other albums. Imagine my excitement when finding The Number of the Beast, Master of Puppets and Among the living..

The 3 mentioned bands I will always defend, I will always get uptight when people slate them. I can pretty much defend anything they produce, except for Lulu. I don't care who sings for Anthrax I can live with both Bush and Belladonna, tonight Belladonna will be in charge. For me it's the sound Anthrax generate, there is something amazing to come from their moments of chugging, I hope that sound is replicated live in a smaller venue.

I've seen Maiden and Metallica many times in their own tours, even exchanged high fives with James Hetfield (just slip that in there). But never Anthrax, I have only seem them at festivals where I was clearly the only excited person around, so had to contain myself. I also will be treated to the new album stuff, frankly Worship Music was a stand out album of 2012, not the best, but certainly a stand out and great return to form from them.

So for these reasons I am genuinely 'pit of my stomach' excited.. Roll on 3pm when I can leave work and hit the roads.. oh and please please play be all end all.. thanks.

I'm sure I'll have a wee picture or review or similar for tomorrow.. and with any luck a sore neck.

Shouty Nonsense

I'm a bit of a fuddy duddy when it comes to vocals / singers. Songs and tunes could be plowing away I'm all up for the next greatest band in the world and then the singer either shouts or makes silly noises and I'm instantly turned off. An example of this would be Machine Head, I should technically love them, but as soon as his vocals come in I just can't listen anymore.

However just recently I have noticed shoutiness appearing in my bands and selections, am I becoming more tolerant of the beast I hated. I have recently found Ektomorf and Meshuggah tolerable. I also don't mind the Gallows, he's all cockney shouting too.. I may as well be at Upton Park. But still something I don't mind about it all.. They should be in my binned section. Strangely I find myself going back to Ektomorf for a shouty fix.

Surely I can dig this now?

I like a lot of bands that can deliver heavy but with clean vox, Evile, Fury - Even gone back through the archives to Annihilator, Municipal Waste, Forbidden, Armored Saint. Trawled back catalogues and still they're not fixing me as Ektomorf do.

So with all of the above in mind it was time once again to hit Unto the locust by Machine head, knuckle down and listen in, after all my music taste was changing, surely tolerating shouty music is going to come in handy?

No, sorry. I still consider it shit. Off to dowse myself in TCP.