I was at the excellent Hard Rock Hell yesterday, mainly to catch W.A.S.P. and take in the heady atmosphere of North Wales. Now when you go to these things you always miss more bands than you see, so I had a (first) look at some of the rock 'journalism' on the web.... and I'm not impressed with some of it. So here, for the benefit of mainly me, are some guidelines....
1) Get the band names right, The Quireboys are called the Quireboys, and have been (as they remind us) for most of their 20 year history. So unless we're back in the late 70's Choirboys they are not.
2) Get the song names right, W.A.S.P. do not, and as far as I am aware have never, played Murder(s) in the Rue Morgue as part of their set. The song is called Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the new morgue).
3) Don't describe Witchfynde as brilliant, they weren't :)
Interestingly, the original Murder in the Rue Morgue was a story by Edgar Allan Poe, and a better tale of ape related cut-throat razor slashery it is difficult to imagine :)
I know that there are loads of rock sites springing up following on form the recent resurgence of 'proper' music, but really...
We're not talking minute detail here...
if you can't get simple things like names right ????
And what about the gig, I hear no-one cry. Well here's my take on it.
The venue is excellent, plenty of space to wander around, well separated stages and a chip shop on site. The no under 18s rule meant that it was free of the annoying, troublemaking little twats who ruin many a gig these days, you know the type. Start a circle pit to a mobile phone ringtone, throw up over the crowd barrier, that sort of thing. It also meant you didn't get kicked in the face by crowd surfers. (god, I sound like an old fart...oh, hang on ;)
Even for non-VIP plebs like me there were enough performers wandering around or stopping to chat to make it feel like a real occasion. Congratulating Kim and Jackie from Girlschool on a fine set (oo-err) or shouting like only a deaf person can at Jay from Tigertailz makes the day a bit more memorable. What more could you ask for....
And the music, well the nature of these things means that you can't see half of what you would like to, but of the bands I saw I would put them in roughly this order....
W.A.S.P. - Brilliant as usual, nicked it with Blackies 'Audience Participation'.
Tigertailz - Close, almost stole it with the tailz / Girlschool version of Ace of Spades
Tysondog - Great set to a small but partisan crowd in the pub
Rogue Male - Enjoyed it, not quite sure why. Maybe because I was at the barrier in preparation for W.A.S.P.
Girlschool - Seemed to be more 'into it' that when they supported Motorhead
The Quireboys - Only saw a few songs, but seeing them in Sheffield next week
Elixir - Standard NWOBHM fare, but I liked 'em.
The Glitterati - Certainly competent but just a bit derivative.
Marya Roxx - As above, but cliched rock chick
Witchfynde - The people who liked them, liked them. I didn't.
Queensryche - Could have been brilliant or awful, left after three songs. Apparently played a great 'Silent Lucidity' for those who hadn't already left.
Right, problem now is that as well as Download and Sonisphere, I want to go back next year.
Dizzy
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