Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Rammstein - Tickets Onsale Friday 9am

If a spectacular live show is what you’re after, you can forget about U2 and Muse and instead check out a performance by German industrial metallers Rammstein. Fans of the Berlin-based sextet will be able to confirm that, if you want to get your money’s worth from a gig, then you can do no better than to check out a Rammstein concert, which has everything you could possibly ask for in an action-packed live show – fire, fire and more fire. Obviously, there’s a few songs thrown in there as well, but mainly, there’s the fire. That’s right, Rammstein aren’t known for pulling any punches when it comes to pyrotechnics. An average night on the band’s tour will feature enough fireballs and flamethrowers to give the front rows a half-decent tan – and that’s when the group members aren’t on fire themselves.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 07 July 2011

Hardcore Band Letlive Talk to Stereoboard About Their Chaotic Download Festival Performance

Last month, LA-based hardcore band Letlive - who released their widely-acclaimed new album ‘Fake History’ earlier this year - played what was meant to be a relatively low-key slot at Donington’s Download Festival. After an extraordinarily eventful and somewhat chaotic half an hour, the performance ended up becoming one of the most talked-about sets of the weekend. Stereoboard has since got in touch with Letlive to find out more about the incident straight from the horse’s mouth. The band’s bassist Ryan Jay Johnson kindly offered us his own version of events, although you may want to take a look at the video below to make up your own mind. You were here in the UK a few weeks ago for Download Festival. Those of us who didn’t get to see the performance have been hearing stories about various altercations with security etc. So what really happened? Jason actually flew in via parachute and the security guards were helping him down from the rafter his chute was snagged on, much to the surprise of onlookers. It was perceived as a scuffle of sorts. Whatever videos have been released were documenting the struggle to get out of certain parachute lines.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 05 July 2011

Has Glastonbury Lost Its Political Clout? (Glastonbury Feature)

Back in the seventies, Glastonbury was leftist and anarchistic; a festival firmly rooted in critical, political commentaries. This year, despite the fact that Beyonce was headlining and that the likes of Wayne and Coleen Rooney and Kate Moss were "glamping" (what a repellant tabloid word); Michael Eavis had promised us that the forty-first Glastonbury was going to be a field of political discontent, a "sounding board of unrest", as he told The Guardian.

Written by: Rachel Preece | Date: Monday, 04 July 2011

Stereoboard Tours of the Week – Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly - Tickets Onsale 9am Friday

Now that a Pogues-shaped hole has been left in the world of Celtic punk following the band’s final Christmas tour at the end of last year, it seems that there are few groups around that could possible take their place as the reigning survivors of that particular genre. However, although Shane MacGowan may have slurred his last Fairytale of New York for the time being, the good news is that everyone’s favourite pretenders to the Celtic punk throne, Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, have both announced new UK tours this week.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 30 June 2011

'Dont Talk To Me About Slash' A Feature By David Evans (Slash Feature)

I know I’m not the first to come up with the idea, but after this last fortnight I’m seriously thinking about getting my jaw wired. First off, it would stop me stuffing my face with chocolate fudge cake … and yes I know I could always liquidize a few slabs with a half-bottle of brandy and drink it through a straw; I’d already thought of that. But no matter what lengths I’d go to satisfy my cravings, at least there would be no chance of me saying anything that would make me look a fool...

Written by: David Evans | Date: Monday, 27 June 2011

ATP: I'll Be Your Mirror - Alexandra Palace, London - 23rd & 24th July (Feature)

As ever, All Tomorrow’s Parties have managed to provide something delightfully eclectic for us all with the inaugural London “I’ll Be Your Mirror” festival. Taking place at Alexandra Palace on the 23rd and 24th July, the festival is being co-curated with ATP organisers by none other than Bristol trip hop legends Portishead, whose relationship with ATP stretches back many years.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 24 June 2011

The Fiasco Of Ticket Entry ID At Alicia Keys' London Concert (Feature)

A little over a week ago, June 13th to be precise, American superstar Alicia Keys performed a special one-off show at London’s Royal Albert Hall to rave reviews. The soulful singer was celebrating the 10th anniversary of her multi Grammy award winning debut album ‘Songs In A Minor’ in a stripped down performance without the usual glitz and glamour, instead wowing the audience with just her voice alongside her piano.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Thursday, 23 June 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Machine Head

Just a year after completing a marathon three-year tour of their album ‘The Blackening’, Californian metallers Machine Head are back with a new album and another UK tour. Last week, the band released their new single ‘Locust’, the first track to be taken from their as-yet-untitled seventh album, which is expected out in September. Following the album’s intended release date, Machine Head will return to the UK for the first time since early 2010, when they were nearing completion of their mammoth ‘The Blackening’ tour. Expectations for their latest offering will undoubtedly be high following the critical and commercial success of its predecessor. Upon its release in 2007, ‘The Blackening’ became widely regarded as one of the best heavy metal albums in a number of years. It earned the band their first-ever Grammy nomination as well as the prize for Best Album at both the Kerrang! and Metal Hammer Awards. The latter magazine went on to award ‘The Blackening’ Album of the Decade last year. It was also the first Machine Head album to enter the Top 20 in the UK since 1999’s ‘The Burning Red’.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Stereoboard's Review Of London Feis 2011 (Feis Feature)

Day One Things were all set for a storming start to Finsbury Park’s inaugural London Feis festival, which marked 21 years since festival founder Vince Power brought his raucous Irish musical tastes to North London with the first Fleadh in 1990. Storming that is, in every sense of the word. Yes we were to be treated to birthday boy BOB DYLAN’s only UK performance of the year, and have a Sunday send-off with the world’s grumpiest Irishman VAN MORRISON, but the clouds looked like they could have come straight over from the soggy Irish moors.

Written by: Jamie Rathbone & James Conlon | Date: Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Green Man Festival Returns (Green Man Festival Feature)

The 2010 ‘Best Medium Sized Festival’ winner returns with another outstanding line-up, boutique stores, taste bud adulterating food outlets, incredible cinema and plenty of hidden gems to be sought out

Written by: Rhys Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Alice Cooper Talks About His Upcoming Halloween UK Tour & New Album 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare'

After bringing his Halloween show over to the UK for two nights of terror in London in 2010, Alice Cooper has taken it upon himself to return once more for the Halloween season, claiming, “The UK doesn’t really celebrate Halloween as much as it should. It’s a very theatrical place and I don’t think they’ve quite latched on to the idea that you get to dress up as anyone you want to dress up with and get candy.”

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Saturday, 18 June 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Darkness - Tickets Onsale Friday June 17th

One way ticket to Hell… and back? It certainly seemed that way five years ago, when glam rock revivalists The Darkness decided to call it a day after a mere three years in the limelight. In 2006, just a year after the release of their second album, the Suffolk-based quintet chose not to continue without their frontman Justin Hawkins, who had recently left the band amid well-publicised stories of problems relating to drink and drugs. Following a Number One album, four Top 10 singles, numerous sell-out tours and a handful of festival headline slots, all within just a few short years, it suddenly appeared that things were not all as they had seemed. The rock and roll dream was over for The Darkness, almost as abruptly as it had begun. The future of the band was discussed briefly, but it soon became obvious that The Darkness were little without their flamboyant, cat-suited, glass-cracking singer.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Stereoboard's Round-Up Review Of Download Festival 2011 (Download Feature)

Chills and thrills certainly seemed to be the order of the day at the rock extravaganza that was Download 2011. Despite hosting one of the hottest line-ups on the heavy music calendar, the Donington event was noticeably cooler than usual thanks to an icy breeze that was doing its best to send the throngs of attending metallers running for their sleeping bags. However, the occasionally inhospitable weather at this year’s festival was far from enough to put a dampener on the event, which saw Linkin Park and Def Leppard both returning to top an outstanding bill of metal that yet again proved to appeal to the nu and old school alike. 

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Keep On Trucking (Truck Festival Feature)

Picture the scene: There’s 100,000 people around you. The beer is a fiver for a can poured in a (hopefully) sterile plastic cup, and you can’t see the Main Stage from your vantage point but know it’s over there somewhere as your favourite band take to it. Probably. Somehow you’re covered in beer and the only way to change is to head back to your tent which is about seven miles away in a different field.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Gruff Rhys

Reaching the age of 40 is never a welcome occasion for anyone. Unlike most birthdays, this one seems to represent something much less joyous and exhilarating and far gloomier with just a tiny bit of dread. While most people prefer to greet the big 4-0 with a brave and somewhat obligatory grin, the truth is that the four-decade mark is a day that many would prefer to skip. Sorry to go all depressing, but try and picture this from a different perspective. As much as most people despise turning 40 with every ounce of their being, try to imagine how much worse this milestone must be for a highly-respected rock singer. You’ve been cheerfully going along, releasing killer albums and touring for the best part of 15 to 20 years, knee-deep in sex, drugs and rock’n’roll the whole way. Then suddenly… bang! You’re 40. What now? Must it all stop? The touring? The lifestyle? The music? More importantly, are the kids going to take you seriously as a musician anymore? Or are you destined to be forever smirked at for any sorry attempt at showmanship?

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 27 May 2011

A Stereoboard Interview with Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin of Cults

Well, Lily Allen may have given up making music for a while, but that hasn’t stopped her from helping other people out with theirs. In the two years since the release of her second album ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’, the singer has opened a boutique and launched a fashion collection with her sister. Now, for her latest project, she has opted to try her hand at being a record company exec. The first act signed to her newly-founded In The Name Of label, if you haven’t already heard, is the New York-based duo Cults. Cults, comprising Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin, are a musical couple – and, incidentally, an actual couple – from San Diego in California, who first caught people’s attention when some of their songs started getting noticed on Bandcamp, the online music store for independent artists.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2011

“Seven Curses”: Bob Dylan’s 70th Birthday – A Look Back In Seven Stages (Bob Dylan Feature)

For a man that's had more rebirths in his career than any other, it seems strange to be celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday. But when half a century since 1960 passed last year, and Dylan was still reinventing himself abreast of the times in his 60s, there could be no doubting the size of the man's shadow over music and popular culture over the past half a century.

Written by: Chris Norman | Date: Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Interview with The Suzukis – Wigan’s Newest Hard-Rocking Hopefuls

When you think of Wigan and its musical contributions to the world, which examples spring instantly to mind? Northern soul? The Verve? George Formby? It’s true that this great mill and mining town has a long and colourful history in music that has, at brief intervals over the past 50 years or so, given us a number of notable movements and artists along the way. But what of the latest pretenders to the title? Wigan’s newest young hopefuls The Suzukis are finally here with their no-nonsense blend of raw punk rock and shameless Northern indie to put the town back on the musical atlas. Following some well-received shows at Brighton’s The Great Escape festival and Liverpool Sound City, The Suzukis are now getting ready to unleash their eponymous debut album, which is due out in July. Stereoboard catches up with The Suzukis’ vocalist Chris Veasey to find out more about the band and Wigan’s music scene.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Toots and the Maytals - Tickets Onsale Now

"Everybody knows the UK is like a second home to me," said reggae legend Toots Hibbert of his forthcoming UK tour upon its announcement earlier this week. This probably helps to explain why the Jamaican singer chose these shores as the setting for his upcoming dates, when he will be celebrating no less than 50 years in music. That’s right, the great Toots has been making music for half a century. He was there, with the first incarnation of his group The Maytals, during the earliest days of ska – several years before anyone even knew what reggae was. In fact, it was they who were the first to officially use the term “reggae” in a recording, in the title of their 1968 track ‘Do the Reggay’. Toots has previously claimed to have come up with the term himself, although its actual origin has been widely debated.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 20 May 2011

Interview with The Bluetones – Mark Morriss Speaks to Stereoboard About The Farewell Tour

After 18 years, six albums and numerous hit singles, Britpop survivors The Bluetones have sadly decided to call it a day with the recent announcement of a farewell tour this September. Following the news, Stereoboard caught up with frontman Mark Morriss to find out more about the history of the band and why they chose to wrap things up now.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 19 May 2011