Is this the best flyer EVER?

Brilliant.
This is coming up in June at Bannerman's in Edinburgh. A flyer like this demands your attendance!

Celebrate the CruciFiction

Good Friday in Liverpool sees a gathering of Black and Doom Metal bands at the Lomax, four bands for £5.

Driving in the nails will be Chisham's PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE, Liverpool's very own NINKHARSAG (who are streaming their full album here) and CRYPT LURKER, and from the other end of the frozen M62, Mancunia's WODE (whose demo we reviewed here and you can check out here.)

I should be there for at least some of this so be sure to get hold of me and gimme copies of your demos!

I drink bitter, by the way.

O, to be in Baltimore.

This weekend, it's the 9th anniversary bash for our friends over at a389 Records, one of the most solid, hard working and inspirational underground labels out there.
Get over and have a fucking blast.
Look at that lineup!!

February Hexes

UK Druids Black Magician are embarking on a series of dates throughout February (including one at Belfast's Voodoo, which we visited last year and is a cracking, hospitable place) and Fibbers where we went a few years ago, so if you want to be able to tell your grandchildren that you were there at the start, now is your chance.

7th - Manchester (TBA)
8th - Liverpool (The Pilgrim)
9th - Edinburgh (Banshee Labyrinth)
10th - Bradford (Black Swan)
15th - Belfast (Voodoo)
16th - Dublin (Fibber Magees)

Home Town, Great Line Up, Good Cause.

Yeah this is coming up, great line up and it's for a good cause, the PDSA.
Look out for an interview with local madmen Dr Aids coming soon, if it's printable!!

From the official event's FB page:


Dr AIDS (Back to play Liverpool for the first time in over 6 months)
https://www.facebook.com/DRAIDSLIVERPOOL 
(PS ALTHOUGH WE'RE AT THE TOP WE AIN'T THE DOING HEADLINERS!!!) 

SWINELORD (Crust, D-Beat from Machestaaarrr)
https://www.facebook.com/Swinelord

RECTAL IMPLOSION (2 MAN GRIND!!!)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rectal-Implosion/255366281142585?

BATTERY HUMANS (Crust, Hardcore from the North East)
https://www.facebook.com/batteryhumansuk

STUCK IN A RUT (In your fucking face UKHC)
https://www.facebook.com/stuckinarutukhardcore

CRASH COURSE (Punk rock covers band from Bolton)
https://www.facebook.com/crashcourse77 

ESOTERIC YOUTH (Crust/UKHC from Manc)
http://esotericyouth.bandcamp.com/

THOUGHT REFORM (Boss grind from Preston!!)
https://www.facebook.com/ThoughtReform

WHAT LIES WITHIN (Young lads making a wave in the 'Pool & family too!!)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/What-Lies-Within/333162956754709?

NEOD (Local lads opening the show Brickcore!)
https://www.facebook.com/NotEvenOneDanzig



'AVE IT

Not as far away as it seems...

...not far away at all...

Legend

I am utterly thrilled to discover that one of my heroes, Michael Schenker will be playing just down the road from Liverpool, in Warrington, close to my birthday next year. I've never seen the man live, so I'm well excited (also a bit weary, we've all heard the stories) about it!!

Worshipping at the Altar of Dale Crover

Saw MELVINS play at show in Manchester UK last night.
Totally transfixed by Dale Crover throughout the show... that man just doesn't stop!!

Exclusive: BLACK MAGICIAN

Thee Claw presents an entire set (over 30 minutes in total) from Liverpool-based doom merchants Black Magician.

Recorded in near darkness at a gig in their home town on 3rd Dec 2011.

Vocals - Liam Yates
Guitar - Kyle Nesbitt
Bass - Kabir D'silva
Keyboards - Matt Ford
Drums - Jay Plested

http://www.facebook.com/Blackmagiciandoom

Enjoy.







Trivia: This show took place at the exact same time and date as doom legends Cathedral played their final show in London.

Incoming

To say we are excited about this would be an understatement.
Tickets available for the Liverpool date from http://whiplash4metal.com

Motörhead, Liverpool University, November 6th 2011

You can always be sure that winter has finally arrived in the North of England when you go to watch Motörhead on their customary tour.
For the first time in a few years we had the pleasure of simply travelling into Liverpool for the gig, instead of travelling over to Manchester. No real photos either tonight gang, we were too busy enjoying ourselves.

Support came from UK Subs (who we had missed) and Anti Nowhere League who played a solid set; watching them from the side of the stage and singing along to the likes of We Are The League made me feel thirteen again. When they finished, Animal strutted off the stage and through the crowd, straight into me, and I covered my boots with Strongbow. Punk's not dead!!
Just before the ANL's set, a rumour was going round that Motörhead weren't going to make it as there had been an accident on the motorway and that everyone would be refunded at nine thirty. As we were pondering this in the bar we heard the familiar rise and fall of an air raid siren…not only are Motörhead in the building, they're about to come onstage!!
We run to the (it must be said, pretty intimate) main room just in time to hear the opening notes of Bomber, Phil prowling the stage whilst Mikkey (surely one of the best drummers in metal today) bashes away and Lemmy, gnarled anti-hero extraordinaire, marshals everything from behind his Rickenbacker. Bomber is unbelievably followed by Damage Case, and I can already go home happy!
You almost always know what you're going to get from Motörhead, Stay Clean with THAT bass solo, Iron Fist fooling the uneducated into thinking Ace of Spades is about to start, but mid-way through the set, a sweat-soaked Orgasmatron completely takes me by surprise, Lemmy bathed in green ghost light as he sings of banners drenched in blood and crowns studded with eyes. Powerful.
Towards the end of the set, Lemmy puts his bass down, Mikkey comes out from behind his set and sits down with an acoustic guitar and they play Whorehouse Blues, which is a nice change of pace.
In an episode we are sure to repeat hundreds of times, during Killed By Death we noticed we were stood next to Carcass frontman Jeff Walker, so started singing "stood by Jeff" at the top of our lungs, to much bemusement on behalf of anyone around us. Of course, Ace of Spades, your dad's favourite Motörhead song, gets the crowd going nuts and set closer Overkill is still not long enough, and never will be, because you know when it's finished you have to go home.

And Lemmy gets to smoke behind his amps.

Incoming…

Wolfsbane, Liverpool.

Wolvserpent, Islington Mill (Salford UK) - 28 October 2011

It's been quite some time since we last showcased some drone here on Thee Blog, but this was certainly a great set from drone-doom-duo WOLVSERPENT, a pairing coming our way from Boise, Idaho (the very same place as our dear friends in UZALA). Here they are playing at Islington Mill (Salford, UK) during their recent European tour with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM.

Be sure to try and check out their new record, Blood Seed, via 20 Buck Spin.

This is slow hypnosis of the most sinister kind... We like it a lot!



Wolvserpent - Official
Wolvserpent - FB
Wolvserpent - My_____
Wolvserpent - Blogspot

Live Evil 2011 (Day 1)

Howdy from London gang. SJW here, about to hit the hay for the night... we have been here for Live Evil fest, a 2 day celebration of NWOBHM-style heavy metal. Some great acts on show here today, with lots more to look forward to tomorrow.

Okay, I am about to fall asleep while sitting on the couch, so enough of this for now. Full report to follow! Here's a couple of pics to whet your appetite.

Pine Barrens, Liverpool (2011.10.18)

PINE BARRENS played a show in Liverpool tonight (Tues 18th Oct). Great set, about 25 minutes at most. These guys played at separate gigs with both YOB and 1349 earlier this week, so they're certainly getting live hours under their belt of late. Looking forward to hearing some new recordings from them soon.

http://pinebarrens.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2010

Pine Barrens - Liverpool, 18 October 2011 (Part 8 of 9)

Yob (13 Oct 2011) Star And Garter, Manchester, UK

And, hell, here's a bit of video footage from the very same gig for good measure.

Upcoming

News taken from the Future Noise website about a show happening in Manchester UK next week:

Future Noise presents: Cut Hands + guests

Endtyme Records presents the first in a series of monthly extreme and experimental music events. These unique events, part band night/part club night, will feature a heady mix of challenging live acts interspersed with guest DJ’s spinning the best in DOOM / DEATH / BLACK / GRIND / NOISE / INDUSTRIAL.

The night is headlined by Cut Hands, an ‘afro-noise’ project featuring none other than William Bennett of Whitehouse fame on Friday 30th September 2011 at Night And Day Cafe, Oldham Street, Manchester.

The full line up features:
Cut Hands
Gum Takes Tooth
Blue Sabbath Black Fiji
Pine Barrens
From The Bogs Of Aughiska

Doors open at 8pm, tickets available via this link
https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/buy_tickets/events/?id=10017500

INCOMING!

Mutiny Events in association with Candlelight Records Present:

• ORANGE GOBLIN
• ANAAL NATHRAKH
• ALTAR OF PLAGUES
• WINTERFYLLETH
• THE ROTTED
• OCTOBER FILE
• XERATH
• EASTERN FRONT
• FALLOCH

Sunday 13th November
Moho Live, Tib Street, Manchester

£15 adv from Mutinytickets / Ticketline.co.uk / Seetickets.com / Wegottickets.com

Doors 2.00pm

DIRECT LINKS TO TICKETS:  

http://mutinyevents.bigcartel.com/product/candlefest-manchester-sunday-13-nov

https://www.ticketline.co.uk/order/tickets/13262299/candlefest-manchester-moho-live-2011-11-13-14-00-00

http://www.seetickets.com/Event/CANDLEFEST/Moho-Live/585178

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/134208

Terror

Hey gang... SJW here. Hardcore punk band TERROR play Manchester here in the UK tomorrow. I saw them a few weeks back at the Hellfest festival in France, where they instigated anarchy. I kinda want to see them again tomorrow, but I somehow imagine that it's going to quickly descend into chaos! (Pic below is from the Hellfest show... that dude's stage-dive was more like a stage-jump though!)

Still tempted to go along though! Terror always put on one hell of a gig.

The Devil's Church (All-day Show) Bradford, July 2011

Great gig in Bradford yesterday. Shame there weren't more people there!