Venue - The Hairy Dog, Derby 7.5.2018 Line up Black Orchid Empire Tigress InMe   It's a bank holiday Monday and it's red hot. After spending the day at work I decide the spend the end of the day in a sweaty venue watching one of my current favourite bands (InMe) and 2 bands I've never heard of before. The first band up is Black Orchid Empire. I admit when they first walked on I thought I was in for some down-tuned screaming metal. What I actually got was a good, clear, and melodic voice with spot on harmonies provided by the bass player. There were still some heavy riffs combined with some non standard time signatures though. I was very impressed and bought a CD and listened to it on the way home. It's good but doesn't do the live show justice. If they come back near me I'll definitely try to see them again. Tigress were next up but I have to say the music was not for me. Don't let that put you off goin...

  Venue - Real Time Live - Chesterfield  4.5.2018 Real time live is a venue I have a lot of love for having played the stage many times and seen many bands perform on it. The stage is big, the lighting is great and the PA sounds fantastic. If you can't sound good in here then you've got no chance. Line up Jizzy Pearl  Doomsday Outlaw Emperors Of The Wasteland First to the stage we have Emperors Of The Wasteland from Derby. The sound that came from the stage right from the beginning was very powerful. All the instruments were very clear and hard hitting. The way hard rock is meant to be. Nick (bass) was very animated on stage doing away with any notion that bass players should be heard and not seen. This in stark contrast to the guitarist who, maybe because of his physical build, reminded me of a doorman at a nightclub. Whilst he wasn't moving around too much it suited the riffs he has playing. No nonsense rock. Al...

Venue - Rock City - Nottingham It's Thursday night and you've got work early on Friday. On the one hand you have to be well rested for work to pay your bills. On the other hand there's free metal to had at a good venue near you. I know which one I care about more. The event was arranged as a 30th birthday party for somebody and from being there it looked like everybody had a good time. First up we have Down In One. Local band Down In One are a beer fuelled heavy metal band with a touch of groove. A few songs in and the band have set the bar for the night with chunky riffs and screaming vocals. If you like your metal with big, sweaty, hairy balls and enough girth to leave you needing stitches then this band is for you.  They had the birthday boy up on stage for a requested cover of the Clutch song ' X ray vision'. I'd never heard the song before and it sounded good enough for me to want to check it out so that was a success. They finished with Mad...

Date - 23.3.18 Venue - The Hairy Dog  City - Derby Cost - £5   Line up : Primal  28 Double Ritual King Witch Tripper  This is the first time I've been to The Hairy Dog and I don't think it will be the last . The stage is as good as any small club gig I've been to the lighting effects, projector backdrop and smoke we're all used to good effect and added to the joy of watching these bands. I'll get onto those now... First up we're Primal. I'd never seen or heard these before. A Nottingham 3 piece (drums, guitar, vocals) that when I first saw them thought 'Where's the bass?'. It turns out they don't need them because their 1 guitarist sounds like 3 with all the effects that he uses. The sound reminded me of Rival sons/Royal Blood. Not really my kind of music but not bad by any means. I got the impression they are a band that hasn't gigged very  much because the whole thing for me lacked confidence. The vocalist barely loo...