• Rolo Tomassi w/ Hornets @ Voodoo, Belfast

    March 29, 2016 - By 

    It’s a rather frustrating thing when bands announce a ‘UK tour’ that in reality is more like an ‘England with a token date in Scotland or Wales and nothing in Northern Ireland (or southern, for that matter)’ tour. So it was particularly gratifying when Sheffield mathcore rockers Rolo Tomassi announced an actual, honest-to-goodness UK and Ireland tour that promised two dates in the North and one in the South. Tonight in Belfast they were ably (and very much suitably) supported by hardcore/metal headcases Hornets. Hitting the stage about half an hour late, they emit a screech of feedback that signals…

  • Jessica Hopper Keynote @ Women’s Work

    March 9, 2016 - By 

    As part of Women’s Work NI, a week long festival based around International Women’s Day and highlighting the valuable work women contribute to the music industry, current editorial director of MTV Jessica Hopper gave a rousing keynote speech to a crowded Oh Yeah! Centre. The crux of the legendary journalist/editor’s speech was that the so far rather circuitous conversation around women in the industry had only gained momentum recently: we are finally being heard. She outlined how how she got started (a punk fanzine inspired by Babes In Toyland), which brought her neatly to her other point: why is ‘fangirl’…

  • Exodus w/ Lost Society @ Limelight, Belfast

    March 4, 2016 - By 

    Anyone who thinks that thrash metal is in any way obsolete or past its best need only to have peeked into Belfast’s Limelight on Monday February, 29. Inside, you would have seen a sea of long hair, patched denim vests and old school metal t-shirts – oh, and heard one of the best metal gigs of the year, as well. As if to prove that point, support act Lost Society, despite having recently released their third album Braindead, are still a young band (as in ‘barely allowed in a pub’ young), but are carrying the thrash torch with unbridled enthusiasm…

  • Slipknot w/ Suicidal Tendencies @ SSE Arena, Belfast

    February 17, 2016 - By 

    August 27th, 2002: a date burned into the minds of Northern Irish metalheads, as it was the last time metal monsters Slipknot last graced our shores. Oh sure, there’s been Dublin gigs – the last of which was almost a year ago to the day – but it has been almost fourteen years since Northerners got to see the band on home turf. The announcement, then, of a date in the SSE Arena on the final leg of their latest world tour sent fans into long awaited paroxysms of delight. Somewhat disappointingly, we missed out on recently reformed tech/prog metallers…

  • Distortion Project Fundraiser @ Limelight, Belfast

    February 17, 2016 - By 

    The Distortion Project and heavy metal are inextricably linked here in Belfast, as the many fans who showed their faces on Saturday, February 13 in the Limelight will attest to. The six hour long gig was part of the fundraising effort for the Distortion Project that’s currently underway in order to secure its future (you can donate to the cause here); a raffle with several frankly awesome prizes plus twenty percent of merch and drink sales all went into the kitty. First band off the blocks was stoner/sludge locals MOLARBEAR. Slowly easing the punters into the day’s festivities with their slow…

  • Inbound: Donum Dei

    January 21, 2016 - By 

    Rising metal youngsters Donum Dei have come a long way from forming back in 2011 whilst still in school; they now gig regularly in Belfast and released their long-awaited debut EP Justice Fails last year. We chat with them ahead of their headlining gig on Saturday in the Pavilion for the Distortion Project, covering their past and future, as well as their ambitions for the band. Words by Melanie Brehaut. Hi guys. So Saturday will be one of your first headlining gigs I believe? You must be excited! We’ve actually done a few Belfast headline shows in Voodoo for Rock…

  • Rabid Bitch of the North (Single Launch) w/ Astralnaut & Erosion @ Voodoo, Belfast

    January 20, 2016 - By 

    It’s a gig that’s been a long time coming: Rabid Bitch of the North’s single launch for ‘Green Eyes’. Plagues by distribution issues (record label Alone Records hit problems with both Record Store Day and the crumbling Greek economy), invitations for preorder were went out in March last year but the vinyl single (and accompanying anthology CD) didn’t actually arrive until around Halloween. A posse of bands was duly assembled (with Caustic God sadly having to drop out last minute) for the launch gig scheduled for January 16th in Voodoo. First up, Caustic God’s replacements Erosion stepped onstage. Having been…

  • Motionless In White w/ Silent Screams and New Years Day @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    January 19, 2016 - By 

    Queen’s University student union complex: students by day, emos by night. Yep, it’s a case of ‘another underage gig in Mandela Hall’; this time goth metalcore heroes Motionless In White are back in town on their first run as headliners in the UK. Cue many, many black-clad, eyeliner-heavy teenagers descending on the cold streets of Belfast. Up first it’s another metalcore act, Coventry’s Silent Screams. The house lights abruptly drop and a heartbeat sound washes over the crowd, who respond noisily with a “Silent Screams! Silent Screams!” chant. Almost from the first note an emo moshpit breaks out (safer, less…

  • Maverick w/ Selene & So Long Until The Seance @ Voodoo, Belfast

    December 16, 2015 - By 

    A freezing cold night in Belfast city centre, surrounded by grimacing late night shoppers (outside) and beaming beered-up revellers (inside) – what else could it be but retro rockers Maverick‘s triumphant post-European tour/pre-Xmas gig in Voodoo? The perpetually cheerful lads gathered up a couple of support acts to help them celebrate the silly season, starting off with newbies So Long Until the Seance, who assemble onstage and proceed to rock out, delighting the growing crowd. Vocalist Mike Van D, formerly of horror punks Little Miss Stakes, quite simply belongs on a stage, as evidenced by the ease with which he cracks…