Tattoo Jam event Review

Tattoo Jam 2012

 

SATURDAY 13^th OCTOBER - DONCASTER RACECOURSE

 

After given a few weeks to let tattoo jam sink in its time for the write up to one of the best events Riff have ever been invited along to.

 

We were running slightly late to the event and didn’t make it there till just gone half four meaning we had already missed a handful of the acts on the main stage, but we did make it in time to witness the Tattoo Awards Judging, which meant we got to see some quality tattoo work. As soon as we arrived we had a look around to weigh up what we would be working with, after a long, long, very long walk around the entire complex we settled down in front of the main stage to watch all of the judging entrants, after about an hour or so we headed upstairs to look at the tattoo museum which was an interesting exhibition to help pass time by. After a nice drink (food was extortionate, £10 pounds for a cook at home pizza no thank you very much!) we headed down to see Millie Dollar captivate the crowd with her very erotic burlesque complete with nipple tassels, there wasn’t a single man in the house not looking at the stage, I wonder how many tattoo artists slipped or drooled on their customers during the performance too! After Millie’s performance it was time for the best of day judging, where people who had their tattoos completed on the day were judged for the best one, shortly after the run of entrants were completed it was time for Sickboy to keep the crowd warmed up, a circus performer who likes pain, an awful lot. He came leaping on to the stage with an apple and a chainsaw revving away and immediately everybody cringed and covered there eyes, the apple went into his mouth and the chainsaw was used to carve and ’X’ into it, fairly crazy right? Wrong, it gets worse! Blind folded he did the same trick again, the woman stood in front of me couldn’t bare to watch as she mumbled towards me ’What the fuck is he doing?!’ but much to her delight it got a lot worse, introducing a clamp through his elbow skin to lift a very heavy steel barrel with the skin the clamp had pierced, I genuinely thought the woman was going to throw up all over my shoes at this point, she was not happy, and she seemed to be a bit happier when he decided to staple notes to his body, which wasn’t too cringe worthy, but as soon as a plastic bag containing a light bulb appeared she turned to me again and I lip read ’For fuck sakes he is mental’ and she was not wrong, he smashed the light bulb up in the bag and began to eat them as if they were a bag of crisps! He closed his short pain riddled set with some syringes piercing his face, cheeks (right through one side into his mouth!) and through any other piece of loose flesh he could grab hold of, thoughts from the woman before he went off you ask? ’For fuck sakes he needs help, thank god that’s over’ she was clearly impressed, next the awards were to be handed out to the winners of the afore mentioned judging ceremonies after the quick process we had another quick walk around filming a tour of the bottom floor (which will be uploaded for you all to view!) before heading upstairs for the grand finale, Cake Fighting! For those of you that have no idea what Cake Fighting is let me elaborate, two girls in very skimpy outfits, one children sized blow up swimming pool and to top it off milk, cream and trifle, lots and lots of trifle all mixed together in one sexy messy manner. Everybody left at the convention was upstairs waiting for this event, tables were set out nicely for everyone to sit and enjoy a drink whilst cake flung towards them, and the girls didn’t disappoint putting on a very entertaining show and something completely out of the ordinary.

All in all the event was very successful I thought, very packed out and very, very lively. The announcer for the event, Paul Sweeney really knew how to work the crowd and made the evening very enjoyable and memorable.

A great day out and a very exciting event to cover, hopefully we will be allowed back next year!

Young Guns Live Review

Young Guns – Leeds Metropolitan University

16^th October 2012

 

It goes without saying that 2012 has been Young Guns’ year as the band prepare to take to the stage tonight after returning home from their successful attempt at conquering America.

     Yorkshire-rooted band Marmozets enter the room with only one or two fans throughout the crowd and their set is disappointing to say the least. Dubbed as ‘the most exciting young band in Britain’ by Kerrang, the ‘family band’ fail to live up to this statement as the crowd remain silent and unmoving. Their substandard performance was not for lack of trying, but it is clear that Marmozets still have a lot to learn before embarking on any more live shows.

     With not a lot to outshine, Your Demise arrive on stage and immediately strike into action, much to the approval of the audience. Frontman Ed McRae jumps around being his usual, mouthy self and evokes movement within the crowd that tonight’s show so desperately needs. Launching himself into the mass of fans at his feet, his reckless attitude radiates throughout the crowd and encourages a flock of crowd surfers that set the tone for Your Demise’s set. Still, there isn’t much for Yankee five-piece We Are The In Crowd to outdo.

     The pop-punk band from Poughkeepsie receive an enormous reaction from the crowd as soon as they step on stage and there is no doubt that this band will finally bring something more to the night than just shouty vocals and give the performance of a lifetime. Kicking off their set with a popular song Better Luck Next Time from their debut album Best Intentions, We Are The In Crowd clearly know how to please the audience and the revel in the reaction from the crowd. Female vocalist Tay Jardine conducts the entire set and eventually the band win over even the most sceptical minds with their catchy songs and charismatic stage presence. There is no doubt that We Are The In Crowd don’t have any other way to go than up and as they leave the stage, the atmosphere is thick with excitement to see what Young Guns have in store.

     As the lights dim in preparation for Young Guns’ appearance, the audience go crazy and the band begin their faultless set with Dearly Departed, a song from their latest album Bones. The five-piece band from East London started their night as they meant to go on, flawlessly performing songs both old and new to perfection. The balance of tempo throughout the night was impeccable, with melodic songs such as You Are Not and Broadfields bringing a more intimate feel to the sold-out venue whilst still maintaining a heavier feel with songs such as Crystal Clear and Towers that drove the crowd wild. As usual, the band put on a show-stopping performance that outstripped their support acts by far and their enthusiasm and confident demeanour set the stage alight, leaving no room for speculation that they are one of the best British bands to date.

     Finally, as the night drew to a close, Young Guns unleashed the full force of their unquestionable proficiency upon their adoring fans and ended their encore with powerful hit single Bones that filled the room with its infectious chorus and ended the night on a complete high.

    

Abbie Harrop

Of Mice & Men Live Review @ Cockpit, Leeds

Of Mice & Men – The Cockpit, Leeds

14^th October 2012

 

Of Mice & Men are without a doubt one of the greatest metalcore bands to date and there seems to be no stopping the California five-piece as they embark on the most anticipated UK tour the band has ever seen.  Along with Secrets and Memphis May Fire, Of Mice & Men seems set to storm The Cockpit and there is an obvious sense of excitement from the moment that Secrets take to the stage.

     Beginning their set with only a few fans in a sold-out venue, Secrets seems eager to impress and frontman Xander Bourgeois immediately insisted on several mosh pits, much to the approval of the audience. Slowly gaining the approval of a few more heads within the crowd due to drummer Joe English completely tearing up his drum kit, Secrets were shameless and fuelled the anticipation for Texas band Memphis May Fire.

     It is clear from the moment frontman Matty Mullins steps on stage that their set will tear up the entire venue and as they jump immediately into The Sinner, Memphis May Fire revel in the overwhelming reaction from the crowd. The band pull out all the stops to deliver a performance worthy of a headlining act and secure their place as one of the greatest live bands this venue has ever seen. The crowd loved every minute of it and as the five-piece close their roof-raising performance with a fiery track from their new album, Prove Me Right, they leave with significantly more fans than they entered with.

     Finally, the agonising wait is over and the roar of the crowd is enough to quench any doubt that Memphis May Fire have stolen the show tonight. Launching into O.G. Loko, they tear up the venue with a presence so dominant that it’s impossible to deny the fact that Of Mice & Men have come back better and stronger since the departure of guitarist Shayley Bourget in February. In his place stands Aaron Pauley who finds no difficulty in establishing his title as a worthy replacement and fulfilling a role that not many others could achieve.  Chiefly playing songs from their latest album, The Flood, the band annihilate the stage and the reaction from the crowd is nothing less than what they deserve with frontman Austin Carlile completely smashing his vocal cords in a successful attempt of putting on one of the greatest shows of their lives. As they play hits such as Let Live and Product of a Murderer, the atmosphere is unbeatable, with every eye on the band and not a single person standing still. Songs from their re-issue of The Flood go down a storm and the crowd all gladly participate in crouching on the floor upon Austin Carlile’s demand for The Depths.

     However, everyone within the venue knows that the best is yet to come and the wait for the encore in unbearable before Of Mice & Men set the place on fire with phenomenal hit Second and Sebring, bringing Austin Carlile and half of his fans to tears before exiting the stage to an overwhelming applause from the crowd.  It is clear that the night had been a complete success and things can only improve for a band that, as of yet, know no limits.

 

Abbie Harrop

 

Punk Goes Pop 5 Review

Punk Goes Pop 5

 

The ‘Punk Goes Pop’ album franchise has been one of the most successful covers album in recent days, but more recently fans have seen a dip in quality with the later albums consisting of maybe one or two tolerable tracks, well, I am afraid to say it does not get much better as time goes on.

 

Before receiving the album I asked fans for their verdicts on what they think will be the best track on the album, many said that the ‘Mayday Parade’ cover would be the best and some said ‘Forever The Sickest Kids’

 

Kicking off with Memphis May Fire and their cover of Grenade by Bruno Mars, this track gives a nice gleam of hope for the album, but it is false hope… the track is very well put together and performed but I can’t enjoy listening to it when I know fully well that the album is bound to go downhill from here judging by the track listing.

 

Upon This Dawning are next up with their cover of Call Me Maybe (original I know)… this track has been covered more times than a young emo has been tattooed, so many times that it is becoming boring to listen to no matter who sings it in what style.

 

Next is the track everybody is raving about, Mayday Parade, Somebody That I Used To Know, the original is such a brilliant song so maybe a risky move for the band, but they do pull it off, somewhat. It is a good cover, its one of the better songs on the album, in true Pop Goes Punk fashion where they have one or two tolerable songs but it is still hugely disappointing, it lacks a lot of power that the original has, all in all a mediocre effort.

 

We Came As Romans are next in the line of fire with Glad you Came, which is a very typical PGP track, forced and seemingly unenthusiastic.

 

Four tracks in now and I am very, very disappointed in this album, but I need to battle on I guess.

 

Next up is Like Moths To Flames with Some Nights, which is a step forward in the album thankfully, giving some hope that the album is going to get a bit better from here on in.

 

Oh…. I spoke too soon.

 

Breathe Carolina…. Bille Jean…. Need I say any more? An absolutely atrocious cover, killed the song, killed the album, killed everything. Some songs are best left alone.

 

I am starting to lose all faith in this album franchise by this point now.

 

Forever The Sickest Kids - We Found Love are next up and steal the fucking show! Best track on the album, fantastic cover in every way, really up beat and great to listen to, it doesn’t sound forced and the band seem to really enjoy performing it. Thank god!

 

Issues with Boyfriend next, and the streak of good songs comes to an end, I think it is a toss up between this and Billie Jean for shittest song on the album.

 

Crown The Empire - Payphone, I was really keen to hear this track when I saw the track listing and to be totally fair it isn’t that bad, the chorus is a bit of a shame it lacks power and energy, but not a bad effort at all.

 

The Maine - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, when I read this in the track list I was very intrigued as to what it would sound like, and now I know…. BAD. They have done a good job to make it sound as different from the original as possible but it just doesn’t work what so ever.

 

Craig Owens - Paradise, this is actually a really good cover, which I guess is bad news for the rest of the album because that’s the two/three good songs all gone now, great vocal and instrumental work and very soothing.

 

The Word Alive - Mercy, What the fuck even is this, I couldn’t tell you. There is just no substance to the song, its just there, its one of those songs that you skip immediately in your I-pod.

 

Secrets - Ass Back Home close off the album, opening with some great vocal work and exploding into energetic scream vocals which work very well. Another great track on the album, which is a bonus. Maybe in future whoever compiles the album together should just put the better ones first.

 

All in all a very disappointing album, I was looking forward to this very much but it has let me down on every level, I think there needs to be more bands and some better tracks for the next one, unless this is the last one (fingers crossed) because if they just keep getting worse then next years just will not be worth it.

 

And just to mention, I have nothing against the bands at all, In fact I am a fan of all of these bands, the song choice is just poor. 

 

Final Riff Rating : R *poor album, poor effort, not even worth pirating let alone downloading*

 

 

We Are Lost Boys - 'Life' Review

We Are Lost Boys – ‘Life’ EP

Track List;
1. Don’t Care
2. From Home Sweet Home
3. Who Has To Know?
4.  T.W.O.T.W (The Way Of The World)
5. What Now
6. Old Street

 

The first track, ‘Don’t Care’, opens with some promising sounding drums swiftly followed by some grunge sounding guitar, finally the vocals come in, promisingly, the tempo increases and the song burst into the chorus, which is pretty catchy, and overall enjoyable. Coming into the second verse, the drums pick up again, and after expecting some increase in vocal intensity somewhere here, it just doesn’t happen. Back into the chorus again, which is just as enjoyable the second time around. After the second playing of the chorus, there is a section that completely ruins the song for me, singing the lyrics ‘You Don’t Care’, it’s not the lyrics that trouble me, it’s how they are sung, surely here is supposed to be the most intense and exciting part of the song, that comes just before the final chorus, instead, you get a feel that they ‘Don’t Care’ how this song lacks excitement and an overall good sound.

 

‘From Home Sweet Home’ begins almost how the first song ends. In this song, there is no chorus to make this song slightly enjoyable, I feel like a kick to the samosas would be more enjoyable than this track. The singer almost sounds like he is crying, singing lyrics ‘I’m not moving out’ and ‘I don’t wanna talk about paying rent, it’s getting old, getting boring and I told you that I can’t afford it’,  which if sung in an upbeat manor, might make a decent pop punk song, but not in this case.

 

Next up is ‘Who Has To Know?’. This track has quite a long intro, which isn’t too bad, the drumming is quite enjoyable and upbeat going well with the guitar. To be fair, I do really find the lyrics to be this songs saving grace,  and I’m sure many people will be the same. There is again a problem with what is supposed to be the most exciting piece of the song, or in heavier songs, the  breakdown, but here, it is just a few slow strums of the guitar, you would get a more creative piece of music if you gave a Banjo to a cat.

 

Fourth on this EP comes T.W.O.T.W. This again begins with a long guitar note, followed by a catchy riff, and then in jump the vocals. Once again, the singing lacks emotion and sounds lightly monotone, and like the previous 3 songs, boring. Once again though, I do not have a problem with the lyrics, it is the way they are brought to life, it’s is like having a car, but having no petrol; everything is there, but the vital thing is missing.

Track number 5 is called ‘What Now’. Which begins again with a decent intro, to be followed by gentle vocals, for the first time, I feel a tiny bit of emotion in his voice.  Vocals are brilliantly carried through most of this song by the guitar, before the drums kick in, but when this happens, the vocals are delivered in the same way as at the start of the song, much more emotion and volume is needed here to make this a ‘good’ song. Throughout the last minute of the song, the lyric ‘I Swear I’ll Try My Best’ are sung over and over, but it’s obvious he wasn’t singing about this EP. All in all, not a bad song by any means, just not enough emotion or volume to make it a ‘good’ song.

 

The final song ‘Old Street’ thankfully almost begins well! Sadly, the upbeat intro drags the song into expectation of fantastic vocals, but fails to deliver them. Once again sounding monotone, emotionless and lacking originality. Almost as if the singer cannot wait to get to the end of the song, singing like he doesn’t really care what it sounds like. Which is unfortunate, because sung differently, this song, and this EP as a whole could be very good.

In conclusion, in my opinion, this EP is lacking any emotion, originality, creativeness, structure and vocals worth listening. If this EP had being sung with more feeling and ideas, then I may have a completely different opinion, but unfortunately, this is what was presented to my ears.

Riff Rating; R

Danny

Johnny Foreigner - The Harley

Johnny Foreigner – The Harley 02/10/2012



Before I start I just want to point out that at this gig I was feeling rather under the weather. It dampened my mood but never the less, I love Jofo. So high spirits were crawling through the putrid taste of vomit in my mouth. Turns out this was the perfect JoFo gig to be ill at.



As I got to the rather empty Harley, the first support took to the stage. Kimmy Yeah from Sheffield played to a rather echoey room. With very little response to go in hand. Their excitable screams reminded me a bit of Jofo with a lot of Future Of The Left thrown in for good luck. Was pretty good but a hard case of wrong time wrong place.

The tour support came in the form of PlayLounge, a two piece noise pop band they fell as a perfect warm-up for the similar stylings of JoFo… yet the room was still empty and all atmosphere was lost. I was starting to get worried at this point that the night as a whole would be a disappointment.



Five minutes until stage time and the place quickly got busier. 40, maybe 50 people filled the very front section on the room to create a bit more of an atmosphere.

I started to notice familiar faces and suddenly I remembered I wasn’t at any ordinary gig. Danananakroyd and Los Campesinos T-shirts galore the JoFo tumblr fanclub was at full capacity as per usual. Now don’t get me wrong I have nothing against any of them, I’m not a writer for the NME who wants to just pan these poor sods for liking a band of JoFos stature but I’ve grown bored of it. I used to be in with this crowd, I befriended many of these guys to travel round the country seeing a band we all love. Its just I grew out of it. I still love the band, just not that obsessive scene these guys hold so fond.



Anyway back to the point, Johnny Foreigner take to the stage playing the theme of Star Trek The Next Generation and the crowd make a murmur of noise. Theres a sense that this tour hasn’t really got a purpose except to pay bills and with their new 4th member, try some new songs out. The set consisted of new and old songs, with the JoFo classics Eyes Wide Terrified and Salt, Pepa and Spinderella getting the warm response they so fully deserve. New song Three Hearts brings everything that’s great about last years album You Vs Everything together and pads it out with that extra guitar. Very promising stuff. Techy guitar riffs ring through the room co in siding with Kelly/Lexs’ vocal harmonies/chanting gets peoples heads nodding and feet tapping. ‘You don’t remember the cracks in the dam but you’ll know when its burst’ seem like too many words for the line in which its sung but work so well.



They laugh at the prospect of going off for an encore and play through to the final two songs New Street, You Can Take It and Absolute Balance. The former reciting the lines ‘You kinda, always know when its over’ repeatedly. Unfortunately these words seem more apparent than ever. I hate to say it but at the moment it feels like the upward climb Johnny Foreigner was on late last year seems to have peaked. Earlier this year they played to a packed Harley which will go down as one of my favourite gigs of all time (not to mention my band supported, Tip Your Bartender *cough shameless advertising*) and more recently at Tramlines Festival they rammed The Frog & Parrot with a secret set. Yet this time round, the set was solid, they were musically great but the fans and atmosphere seemed ironically foreign.



Johnny Foreigner’s new EP ‘NAMES’ is released on 27th October in both digital and Pin Badge form. Three Hearts can be heard online here - http://soundcloud.com/lexkelandjun/3-hearts



3/5

Mayday Parade - The Cockpit, Leeds

Mayday Parade – The Cockpit, Leeds
Monday 8th October 2012

Embarking on their seventh tour in the UK since the band started in 2006, Florida five-piece Mayday Parade had quite a turnout at The Cockpit in Leeds.
The night was kicked off by an almost unknown band, Natives, and the crowd were hesitant as to what to expect. However, Natives’ short-lived set had the crowd roaring within ten minutes, leaving a great anticipation rippling throughout the crowd for indie rock group For The Foxes. The band domineered the stage and had the entire venue cheering for them after vocalist Nicholas Dungo performed a heart-felt acoustic song that won the crowd over before ending their set with a rockier tune that left an eager audience for Arizonian pop-rock band The Summer Set.
The Summer Set stormed the stage, kicking off their set with popular song Chelsea that had every fan in the audience singing along and every person in the venue joined in with their catchy tune Fuck You Over, a song that got the whole crowd moving and swaying to the music. The Summer Set left on a high, leaving the crowd roaring to go in the wait for the most anticipated act of the night, Mayday Parade.
Mayday Parade began their set with Oh Well, Oh Well, a song from their latest self-titled album that sent a shiver of exhilaration through the crowd and continued their set throughout the night that consisted mainly of songs from their second album, A Lesson in Romantics. Of course, Miserable at Best and Stay conjured a few tears in the audience before the band completed their set with explosive songs such as When I Get Home You’re So Dead and Black Cat.
Overall, there could be no complaints to be made about the night. The support bands were definite crowd pleasers, Derek Sander’s vocals were flawless and the band as a whole were charismatic and enthusiastic, making full use of the stage and manipulating its potential to create an atmosphere so dynamic that the night was a complete success.

Abi Harrop,

Riff Media

Turbowolf Covers EP Volume 1

In a music scene dominated by bands playing pop-punk covers of pop songs Turbowolf have said enough! With the release of their Cover EP Volume 1, a four track EP of covered tracks, songs bands wouldn’t normally cover that every rock fan will love.

Track Listing:
1. Captain Caveman (Original by Lightening Bolt)
2. Electric Feel (Original by MGMT)
3. See Through Head (Original by The Hives)
4. Somebody to Love (Original by Jefferson Airplane / The Great Society)

Turbowolf are a real rock band, with a real 80’s rock feel to them, a quality very hard to find in the music scene these days, with a consistent habit of producing tracks that out do themselves and Covers EP Volume 1 is most definitely no exception.

Covering tracks that other bands wouldn’t dare cover and doing it so effortlessly. The best thing is… this is only Volume 1! This means we can expect more in the future, surely!

I think the track that definitely shows you that the band are, to put it bluntly, geniuses is the cover of MGMT’s Electric Feel, fucking outstanding work, definitely trumps the original by every margin.

The other covers follow suit and Turbowolf have really put a rock stamp on them, and when I say rock I mean real manly rock.

Turbowolf are leading the way to bring 80’s rock styled music back and they are doing it perfectly.

An outstanding band and an incredible piece of work, well played guys.

Riff Final Rating: R R R R

Adam

 

Six Over Six - Circadian Rhythm Review

SixOverSix – Circadian Rhythm 5 Track Ep.

SixOverSix are a 4 piece all the way from Dublin, Ireland!

The first track of the EP, ‘Skyline’, begins with a small guitar intro, frantically followed by enticing vocals leading into the chorus, which happens to be extremely catchy. More of the same follows, in the same way, until everything you thought you knew about this song changes! The tempo slows, some double bass kick in, and then all of the sudden with the Synth raising its voice,  paired with sound effects  and the tempo picking back up, you can’t help but love everything about this song.

The second track is a bit of a contrast to the first, more of an acoustic track, Sung beautifully in a fantastic way that works extremely well with the lyrics. Repeating the lyrics ‘You’re in my head, you’re in my head’ with the underlying drums works brilliantly, you fell like having a sing along!

Third on this EP comes ‘The Little Debts’. This track is almost a mix between the first two tracks, by no means is this anything like an acoustic track, but the meaningful lyrics are there, but at the same time, it is not as upbeat as the first track, yet it still has a soothing sound.

Next on this EP is ‘Clockwork Origin’. This song is similar to the third song, it feels like a combination of the first two tracks, starting slow and slowly building momentum and noise, although, this song still has its own feel that you really need to listen to, to understand.

Finally we have ‘…and His Father Before Him’. This is the heaviest track on this album, and contrast to the previous 3 songs is welcomed as a surprising contrast. Beginning with some enchanting guitar and lyrics, this song quickly draws you in and never lets you go, closely listening to the lyrics and bold shouts of ‘OH….OH’, you find yourself wanting to sing along.

All in all I was very impressed with this EP. Enjoying the contrasts between each song, and the meaning and tempo that varied between them. Personally I will be following this band closely to see what they can produce next. I strongly recommend that readers of this review give this EP a listen.

Overall rating : RRRR Fantastic EP

Check this EP out at : http://sixoversix.bandcamp.com/album/circadian-rhythm