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Tue 26 Jul – Black Country Communion, Michael Schenker Group

Tuesday 26th July O2 Academy, Leeds

Michael Schenker is the perfect choice to open tonight, and this is clear from the first number. The instrumental ‘Into the Arena’ brings the guitar playing to the fore and chugs rhythmically to a strut as the sound becomes fuller and brighter in time for vocalist Mike Voss’ entrance. These guys are real rockers and clearly real friends as well; evident in the way they move around the stage and interact with each other. ‘Armed and ready’ really gets the crowd going and ‘Another Piece of Meat’ in particular has a strong rock vocal performance from Voss.

‘Yeah! So we have a new album coming out called ‘Temple of Rock’ and this song is from that album- it’s called ‘Before the devil knows your dead’. It’s a catchy, shamelessly rocking song merging ACDC-like riffs with Whitesnake-esque melodic elements. The guitar solo is excellent…

The much anticipated day dawned clear and bright as I made my way down to our fair capital. A quick tube ride, walk and a pint on route found us at Victoria Park for the second year running to enjoy what looked, on paper, a better line up than last year.

First up on the smaller prog stage was Pallas. Playing mostly material off their newish XXV album they proved an excellent opener with their energetic, well crafted, heavy prog. They finished with their 1982 Arrive Alive which was well received by the growing crowd. We hung around at the prog stage for The Enid. I thought they started well with the trademark symphonic complexity but lost its way for me with the introduction of a male choir for Something Wicked This Way Comes. My mate remarked (rather harshly) that it looked like 5 puffs and a piano…

I then took a quick peek at the metal hammer stage and Gentleman’s Pistols who I thought were pretty good, rocking it up in the now hot sunshine. …

The much anticipated day dawned clear and bright as I made my way down to our fair capital. A quick tube ride, walk and a pint on route found us at Victoria Park for the second year running to enjoy what looked, on paper, a better line up than last year.

First up on the smaller prog stage was Pallas. Playing mostly material off their newish XXV album they proved an excellent opener with their energetic, well crafted, heavy prog. They finished with their 1982 Arrive Alive which was well received by the growing crowd. We hung around at the prog stage for The Enid. I thought they started well with the trademark symphonic complexity but lost its way for me with the introduction of a male choir for Something Wicked This Way Comes. My mate remarked (rather harshly) that it looked like 5 puffs and a piano…

I then took a quick peek at the metal hammer stage and Gentleman’s Pistols who I thought were pretty good, rocking it up in the now hot sunshine. …

Anthrax
Amplifier
Anathema x3
Arcane Roots
The Aristocrats
As I Lay Dying
Asia
Astra
Biffy Clyro
Bigelf
Billy Sheehan
Black Country Communion
Black Label Society
Black Sabbath
Blackfield
Bohren & der Club of Gore
Breed 77
Bryan Beller
c_c
Calvin Harris
Caravan x2
Chase & Status
Cheap Trick
Chickenfoot
Corey Taylor
Credo
Curved Air x2
Danny Cavanagh
Deathstars
Decade
Deep Purple
DevilDriver
Devin Townsend x2
Devin Townsend Project x2
DGM
Dianoya
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Dizzee Rascal
Dj Die Soon
Don Broco x2
Dream Theater
Dry the River
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Engineers x2
The Enid
Ex-Wise Heads
Fear Factory x2
Focus
Fool's Gold
Foreigner
Franz Ferdinand
Gary Moore R.I.P.
Godsticks
Gong
Guthrie Govan
Haken
Heaven & Hell
Hey Colossus
Hookworms
IQ
Jaguar Skills x2
The James Cleaver Quintet
Jeff Wayne
Jethro Tull
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Elliott's Down 'n' Outz
Joe Satriani
…

Murderdolls (+ Black Veil Brides and The Defiled) - Kentish Town Forum 12.02.11
Glamour of the Kill (+ Shadows Chasing Ghosts) - Guildford Boileroom 20.03.11
Hardcore Superstar (+ The 69 Eyes and Crashdiet) - Nottingham Rock City 26.03.11
Hardcore Superstar (+ The 69 Eyes and Crashdiet) - London Electric Ballroom 01.04.11
Crashdiet (+Houston) - Islington Academy 04.05.11
The Defiled (+Romeo Must Die) - Guildford Boileroom 13.05.11
6 Day Riot - London Borderline 04.06.11
Slaves to Gravity (+ Heaven's Basement and Jettblack) - Worlds End Camden 08.06.11
The Damned Things - Camden Dingwalls 08.06.11
Biohazard (+ The Black Spiders, TesseracT and The Dead Lay Waiting) - HMS Hammer, River Thames 13.06.11
Twisted Sister (+ Skindred, Devin Townsend Project, Sylosis and Buckcherry) - Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, IndigO2 13.06.11
Night By Night (+ Starscream and Bubblegum Screw) - Boston Music Rooms 24.06.11
Flogging Molly - Relentless Garage 29.06.11

…

A list of bands I have been to experience live,
(I'm not going to include unsigned acts or support )

Will update as I go to see more bands

IN ORDER:

- Dave McPherson (WTFC, Witham - 2005?)
- Status Quo (Towerlands, Braintree - 22nd December 2006)
- Lynyrd Skynyrd (O2 Academy, Brixton - 31st May 2009)
- Crystal Castles & Health (UEA LCR, Norwich - 24th October 2010)
- Von Hertzen Brothers
Sylosis
Triggerfinger
Michael Monroe
Rival Sons
Queensrÿche
Thin Lizzy
Slash & Myles Kennedy
Judas Priest (High Voltage Festival, London - Saturday 23rd July 2011)
- Furyon
Pallas
Black Spiders
Jethro Tull
Saint Jude
Michael Schenker
Thunder
Black Country Communion
Dream Theater (High Voltage Festival, London - Sunday 23rd July 2011)
- Peter Hook & The Light (Chinnery's, Southend - 18th November 2012)

.