#live review

[decaydancescans]

Fall Out Boy live review in Kerrang issue 1141

[bloodhoundg4ng]

While I work on organising MORE scans for you lot (yup, Still going! Still lingering, here....), Here's yet another tiny little exerpt; just to tide yous over.

KERRANG! - FEBRUARY 05, 2000 // ISSUE #787

This reminds me -- I should get back into Goldfinger! I've been slacking, recently...

[cherrylng]

SMASHING BUMPKINS! - Muse live review [NME (February 26th, 2000)

SMASHING BUMPKINS!

Muse

Leeds Duchess of York (February 15th, 2000)

Bombastic bassline? Check. Portentous lyrics? Check. Andes-scaling, Atlantic-sweeping, heart-conquering chorus? Mais oui. You join us during Muse’s new single, ‘Sunburn’, a song that wields its devotional, black-veiled misery like a parchment-bound crucifix: a hand-wringing lament so helplessly anguished, so ancient, you can imagine Methuselah himself whistling it in the shower.

What’s more, ‘Sunburn’ – tonight pinned and stretched by a taut, extended white-metal coda worthy of Metallica – is almost indecently beautiful; its black heart engorged with regret, its soul swollen-to-bursting by a lifetime of guilt. It’s the kind of high-wire theatrical elegy that Suede and their gushing brethren can only dream about. And it’s not even their best song.

That Muse are, well, different there is no doubt. For starters, everything about the Devonshire threesome is huge – their choruses shudder like newly awakened volcanoes, their riffs shift like Jurassic plates, and singer Matthew Bellamy’s voice doesn’t so much plunder new territory as clamber over snowcapped mountain ranges before plummeting to the depths of the darkest ocean. For all the above, and more, Muse have been accused of (whisper it) prog rockery; a yawningly lax tag, oft distributed to those deemed adventurous enough not to make like the Stereophonics.

Yet the allegation just isn’t true. Sure, Muse may radiate the essence of prog rock – the desire to do more, to be more – but the them-and-us snobbery and dank fug of damp-bearded academia that characterised the bulk of prog rock’s random harvest are simply not on the Muse agenda. While prog rock’s kaftan-stroking forerunners – Pink Floyd, et al – revelled in their detached iciness, Muse radiate passion and warmth like nobody else.

It’s an aesthetic that has informed pop’s finest envelope-pushers – from David Bowie and The Velvet Underground all the way to The Flaming Lips and Radiohead. Those wild-eyed visionaries who wanted, who needed to know what it’s like to as Brian Eno once put it – “be otherwise”. And tonight, with a performance of such breathtaking, astonishing, heart-swelling power, it’s hardly surprising audience members are wiping away the odd tear; Muse suggest membership to such a hallowed fraternity is their birthright.

Mind you, Muse don’t look like pop stars. Matt’s a dead ringer for Michael J Fox – a tiny, bird-like child-man dressed-down in Communism a go-go grey. Towering bassist Chris Wolstenholme, on the other hand, is a scowling, near-motionless foil to Matt’s leaping dervish, while drummer Dominic Howard is virtually invisible – a blur of arms and sweat-blind enthusiasm. But, crucially, Muse act like pop stars.

During ‘Agitated’ – a full-blown thrash-punk brawl kissed, bizarrely, by the most serene of melodies – Matt wrestles with his guitar, playing it behind his neck before thrusting it skywards in grand deference to the mighty god of Metal. In lesser mitts, such textbook rockisms would have their perpetrators charged with grand wankery. But the beauty of this barely 20-something trio is that any latent clichés are subverted and headed off before they reach Pretension Pass. So while the fallen-angel swoon of ‘Unintended’ attracts the first lighters of the night, its knife-edge paranoia ensures any straggling Bryan Adams fans are swiftly bound and gagged.

By the time newie ‘Plug-In Baby’ unfolds into a near-orgasmic crush of glacial emotion and Grimm-esque portent, it’s almost too much for some. Hardened stage-divers are hushed into submission; even little Matt is rubbing his eyes like an exhausted toddler. As divine closer ‘Showbiz’ squeezes itself through Heaven’s gates, Matt demolishes his guitar before storming offstage. Yet it’s neither embarrassing or self-indulgent. It’s simply necessary.

The best new band in Britain? You better believe it.

Sarah Dempster

Photographer: Roger Sargent

Translator's Note: Truly, I do enjoy finding these really, really old and early articles of Muse. It's not easy to find, but it's worth it when I can find it and pin down the date and magazine it came from.

Please do support me via my ko-fi! ☕

[strongbabe2907]

Live review of sukekiyo TOUR2026 Joukotsukotsujou -Kaihou no Gi- 16, 17 and 24th of feb. I will mostly talk about 24th cos my memory is best of that show.

The 16th was hectic since we queued for merch and the venue was new to me and wife had never been to a show in Japan before. When we arrived for merch there were already a bunch of people there. I think we got around number 50?

We had good numbers for the show itself, in the 20s. Namba hatch is kinda crazy as in the stairs and the way you queue outside😭.

Kyo wore the pink tabi boots, bare legs, white fluffy petticoat. Ontop he wore a jacket from the new kidill collection. Underneath it the swamppussy kidill shirt and the madaraningen collar with the leather harness + collar and necklace situation he’s been fond of lately. He wore a realllly long platinum blonde wig that reached his butt. No bangs. On his head he wore the valentina headdress.

(The jacket and it was the same harness/collar situation as this pic. He wore the harness like that all 4 days.)

The jacket came off after 2-3 songs.

On the 17th he wore the pink tabi boots, bare legs, the pleated black skirt he wears often. A similar jacket in shape but it was white with kissy lipstick mouths on it. I think it’s also kidill? But i couldn’t immediately find it just now. I think he wore the sukekiyo longsleeve but with the sleeves cut and was matching with yuchi. Again the harnass set up. A shorter, just passed his shoulders blonde wig with bangs today. Valentina headdress again.

For this show we had 200 numbers which were still great. We could enjoy a little more loosely. I cried during Uso. He said during encore this was the least popular show (ticket selling wise i think) and that’s why we got the best encore (3 songs).

For the 24th he wore the black tabi boots and a leopard print dress with frills along the bottom and it had a frilly collar.he wore a black skirt underneath, i think the pleated one again. He wore a black lace glove on his left hand. No headdress. Same harnass situation. The wig was platinum blonde again and reached his chest so kinda inbetween the other lenghts. No bangs. I was so close i could see his own hair at his ears and from the back. These were all full wigs he (or someone) altered and took the lower wefts out of, i am guessing for heat + tangling. Personally the 24th was my favorite look. Maybe cos it felt less costumey cos it was ‘just’ a dress? He looked beautiful in it🥰

For all three shows he walked out and just.. stood there and gave us a very sultry look. Lips parted, eyes half lidded, scanning the crowd/looking over us.. wah.

We were hoping for Akina Nakamori again, but he only sang futari shizuka on the 16 and 17th.

It was still an amazing setlist. Of course i could name another 20 songs i would’ve liked to hear but this setlist contained a lot of personal favorites.

During mosaic shoujo he lost track of the lyrics and we, the audience half picked up for him but seemed unsure. He stepped back a bit and we got this small, unguarded smile before he picked up again 😭🥹.

For candis and moan Mika had his glow drumsticks! Wife was happy cos she bought the moan glowstick and didnt bring it before. Luckily it survived. We also saw someone in first row with 4 candis lightsticks.. 2 in each of her hands, haha.

I think during one of the first songs Mika and Takumi were looking at each other and having a cute interaction moment too😭 Takumi was really so cool and sweet this evening. He playfully bit his guitar again (and utA’s hair i think).

Also we had number 29-30 but ended up second row just to the right of him and it was a smaller venue than hatch so we were very close. It’s intimidating being so close to him but he seemed in a good mood (he seemed like that for all shows) but he seemed to be vibing with our little section that night. There was eyecontact and the aishiteru deshou!’s and pointing and two times he winked and he reached out his gloved hand into the audience right where wife was standing next to me too.

I believe it was during junboku, muku de arouga (i dont know this song very well, it’s not on spotify for me) that he turned to his mixing desk set up. I had seen the big kind of cartoont button on the right side before.. but now i could see him very well. He pressed it as an explosion happened on the screen 😄 no idea if he’s done this before, but it was amusing to me.

Kuchi ni ringo was amazing again. Him miming taking a bite of the apple/heart and tossing it.. gah..

During Sesshoku when he sings ‘dope’ he sang it in a very much high, girly cadence. He did this with parts in waizatsu too and does this moment of pretending to be a girl babbling as she’s scrolling through her phone (also showing the audience).

On the 16th he did a lot of cutesy faces like puffing his cheeks out and such. On the 24th during waizatsu it was mostly 😙✌️ again.

A lot of high energy songs and he was dancing and pouncing and headbanging and seemingly having a good time. Not a lot of interaction with the other members until frameout karano where he pretends to stab both utA and Takumi (who also threw up a peace sign i guess to show he was okay😆). He leaned against Yuchi cutely.

I think for this encore he said he wanted to go home already and take his make up off, but the fans were telling him he couldn’t and he was smiley about it. Every time he spoke his speaking voice was so soft😭

I can’t remember at which songs but that night he teasingly/flirtatiously bit his finger twice. He also teased us with his skirt, sliding it up or dropping into a squat with his legs spread. I got a peek at his shorts on the 17th only i think and.. they’re short so.. yeah a lot of leg on show. His nails were either pink or a bright orange color, i couldn’t quite tell with the stage lights.

Also wow i realize i’ve gone in detail about the visuals but his voice was really, really good. He hit all the notes. I think only on the 24th he didn’t get everything in moan, but i had multiple times where it dawned on me this was actually live, it sounded that good. Him and the whole band were amazing.

We didn’t go to the 25th but i was told it was recorded! The 17th there was also a camera placed on stage by takebayashi that recorded the whole show. So hopefully we’ll get to see some footage of this in the future 🥹

I think this is all i can remember for now..

[showlightsphotography]

The Academy Is... 20th Anniversary of Almost Here Tour Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD - 12.6.25

[senorboombastic]

Live Review: Super Furry Animals and Getdown Services at O2 Apollo Manchester 21 May 2026

Words: Ben Forrester I’d been playing gig bingo with myself pretty much all night. Even when trying to remember how to walk to the Apollo, I simply followed the bald dudes seemingly in their late 40s in old school Adidas wear. Tonight we’re getting nostalgic, as Wales premier psych pop heroes Super Furry Animals play a sold out show at the legendary Manchester venue as part of their first UK…

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[soundslivemagazine]

Review: In Kingston, Bedouin Soundclash Are Home

Queen’s University alumni and former Kingston, ON residents Bedouin Soundclash returned to town on Sunday, 26 January to finish an intimate run of dates in smaller Canadian towns and cities, playing acoustic shows to sold-out halls and clubs.

Singer-guitarist Jay Malinowski and bassist Eon Sinclair met in 2000 when the two lived across from each other in residence at Waldron Tower as first-year students at Queen’s. Bonding over a shared love for reggae music helped Jay find his place in Kingston and at Queen’s, a university that had felt decidedly a little too hipster for him at times. Changing his mind about transferring out to somewhere else, Jay instead started Bedouin Soundclash with Eon, playing to modest but enthusiastic local crowds in dimly lit student pubs and at open mics.

They soon added percussionist Pat Pengelly to become a trio and their debut album Root Fire came out the following year, taking the band across Canada and beyond, playing to delighted audiences, all while the band still juggled midterms and assignments with their rockstar commitments. By the time they had graduated in 2004, released their acclaimed second album Sounding A Mosaic and moved base to Toronto, Bedouin were truly on their way to becoming one the best-loved bands of that ’00s Canadian indie music scene.

They have gone on to see it all— the Vancouver Olympics, CBC children’s television, #1 records, JUNOs, being darlings of BBC 6 Music, seas of fans, festival headlines and adoration from all over the world. It was a refreshing change of pace for them then, to bring it back home to where they began, in small, relaxed and lively rooms where the invisible barrier between artist and audience slowly disappears.

The band played songs from their latest album, the 2022 release We Will Meet In A Hurricane, such as the spirited ‘Walk Through Fire’, and classics celebrating 20 years of Sounding A Mosaic, both eagerly received by the crowd, who sang along and never made it feel like there were only two music makers in the room. Malinowski also took to the stage alone to perform some of his solo work as he plans to release an album later this year. There were some protest folk songs and other tender personal moments like his song ‘Deepest Blue’, written about his love for his son, all while lifting the curtain behind some of his and Bedouin’s best-loved work, revealing the Kingston streets he was walking down as he wrote their early songs (as well as an infamous foam party at Queen’s, where he and Tony Rabalao first met in passing).

More than anything else, the evening with Bedouin Soundclash was filled with a comfortable warmth and a sense of love, togetherness and community. Just before leaving the stage for the last time, Jay said to the crowd, I hope you all felt love tonight. Looking around the content room of Kingston fans, I can only affirm that they did.

In the chorus of their globally-loved 2004 single, the band sing, when the night hears my song, I’ll be home. On Sunday night in Kingston, ON, Bedouin Soundclash truly were home.

Interview: Bedouin Soundclash – Jay Malinowski on CFRC Radio! | Yellow Brit Road

Jay drops in to talk ahead of Bedouin Soundclash's Kingston, ON show

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