A Special Time Creative

SHVPES – The Underworld, Camden

SHVPES headlined the Underworld in London.

The British rock band SHVPES just released a new single ‘One Man Army’ (2019, Spinefarm Records) and hit the road for two headlining shows in the UK one of which was in London at the Underworld. Formed in 2009, the Birmingham based quintet comprise vocalist Griffin Dickinson, both guitarists Ryan Hamilton and Youssef Ashraf, bassist Grant Leo Knight and drummer Harry Jennings, mixing elements of metalcore and nu metal with heavy hip hop and rap. The heavy guitar sound supports Griffins alternation between soaring screams and rapping. So far the outlet released two full-lenth albums being their debut ‘Pain. Joy. Ecstasy. Despair’ (2016, Spine Farm Records) and ‘Greater Than’ (2018, Spine Farm Records).

The venue opened its doors around 6.30pm and filled up steadily with a quite mixed but rather younger crowd. First act on the stage was the mysterious Bristol based trap-metal artist The Well Runs Red with a mix of hardcore, rap, trap, metal, horrorcore and industrial, to get the crowd moving.

Second band of the evening was the grunge-infused alt rock band Phoxjaw comprising vocalist and bassist Danny Garland, guitarist Alexander Share, as well as the brothers Kieran (drums) and Josh (guitar) Gallop. Having just released their debut EP ‘A Playground For Sad Adults’ (2019, Hassle Records), they create a distinctive and heavy sound with soaring guitar riffs, driving drums, melancholic melodies and rough vocals. With their explosive stage performance, they got the crowds attention right from the start and set the energy levels high.

Next up was the post-hardcore quartet Skywalker comprising vocalist Jay, bassist Tom, guitarist David and drummer Damian. The band’s sound is a mix of heavy riffs and breakdowns in alternation with catchy melodies, supporting deep and personal lyrics. Their dark and energetic sound got the crowd hooked and prepared them for the final band of the night.

With SHVPES starting their set, the space in front of the stage turned into one big circle pit. The band played a good mix of all of their releases including songs such as ‘One Man Army’, ‘Renegates’, ‘Afterlife’, ‘Undertones’, ‘Calloused Hands’, ‘State Of Mind’, or ‘Two Minutes Of Hate’ which was highly appreciated by the audience. Everyone seemed to have a great time, enjoying themselves crowd surfing, jumping around and singing along. Towards the end of the set Griffin took his chance and stage dove into the crowd himself. The sound was well mixed for the size of the venue. Each set had suitable light shows which helped to create an energetic vibe.

Overall, it was a special time with good music, great bands and an energetic audience. Both, the artists on stage as well as the crowd, seemed to enjoy themselves and a great time. The bands gave their best which was highly appreciated by the audience who sung along and released all their energy in a circle pit.

Venue: The Underworld

Band: SHVPES

Support: The Well Runs Red, Phoxjaw, Skywalker

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Acres – Black Heart, London

Acres finish their first UK and Europe solo tour with a sold-out show in London!

The British emotive post-hardcore band Acres just released their long-awaited debut album ‘Lonely World’ (2019, via A Wolf At Your Door Records) and hit the road for their first headlining tour through Europe and the UK. The quartet comprising vocalist Ben Lumber, both guitarists Theo Sandberg and Alex Freemans, as well as drummer Konnor Bracher-Walsh are known for their emotional, melancholic and ambient sound which underlines heavy breakdowns and atmospheric melodies. Anthemic choruses and screamed verses support the honest and emotive lyrics which Ben delivers alternating between calmly sung melodies, screams and emotional belts and outbursts. The alternation between melodical calmness and heavy breakdowns creates a unique dynamic and an almost haunted atmosphere at the same time. For their raw live shows Jack Rogers joined the band on the bass.

The Black Heart opened its doors around 7pm filling up quite quickly. First up was the Brighton based Nu Metal trio Profiler. Showing influences of early Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, they mix spoken and screamed vocals with driving power chords and anthemic choruses. With their energetic vibes they got the crowd excited and prepared for the following acts.

Next up was the alternative metal quintet Captives from Leeds who set the vibes with a mix of heavy guitar riffs and an alternation between anthemic melodical choruses and screamed verses. Having just released their debut EP ‘Ghost Like You’ (2019, self-released) earlier this year, they got the crowd singing along and screaming all the lyrics back to the stage.

Third band on the stage was the Manchester based emotive hardcore outlet Parting Gift. The quartet created a dark and melancholic vibe with their mix of raw ambient sounds and heavy guitar riffs as well as a mix of anthemic choruses and partly screamed vocals. With the almost monochrome lighting the haunted and moody atmosphere was even stronger and more present, perfectly setting the vibes for the final band.

With Acres entering the stage, the crowd let go of all the energy they stored until the end. Everyone sung along and enjoyed themselves by jumping and moving around which was highly appreciated by the guys in the band. Acres played a good mix of their songs with the focus on their just released debut album including ‘Deathbed’, ‘Medicine’, ‘Lullaby’, ‘Lonely World’, ‘Talking In Your Sleep’, as well as some of their older releases such as ‘Miles Apart’, ‘Write Home’, ‘Unwelcome’, ‘In Sickness’ and ‘Tallest Of Mountain’. Ben’s vocals and the rest of the guys’ performances were on point seamlessly switching between the raw melodies and energetic heavy parts. Both the audience and the band seamed to have an amazing time and Acres highly appreciated the support, energy and participation of the crowd.

The small size of the venue and the dark light enhanced the vibes of all the bands’ music, adding to the atmosphere of each set. Considered the size of the venue, the acoustic was balanced despite some technical issues.

Overall, it was a great evening with amazing bands, good music and an energetic crowd. Both, the bands and the audience seemed to have a great time and enjoyed their evening. It was definitely a special time and having seen Acres before, they never failed to impress with their rawness and unique sound, and always put together an energetic set.

Venue: The Black Heart

Band: Acres

Support: Profilers, Captives, Parting Gift

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Mount Snowdon, Wales 2019

Mount Snowdon, also called Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, is the highest mountain in Wales with a height of 1,085m. Located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, it is a well-visited attraction, especially amongst hikers and rock climbers. There are many different routes leading to the summit as well as a railway that starts at the foot of the mountain in Llanberis. The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a 7.6 km long rack railway that was opened in 1896 and carries passengers all the way to the summit of the mountain.

Because of its rare fauna and flora, it was designated as national nature reserve. The name Snowdon originated from the Old English word for ‘snow hill’ whereas the Welsh name Yr Wyddfa stands for ‘the barrow’ or ‘the tumulus’ which might refer to a cairn that buried giant Rhitta Gawr after his defeat by King Arthur.

On very clear days, the mountain offers an absolutely stunning view all across the country. It is definitely a special time visiting Snowdonia and Mount Snowdon which is always worth a visit!

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Cadair Idris

Cadair Idris is one of the mountains located in Gwynedd, the Southern end of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales. The Welsh name means ‘Chair of Idris’ and refers to Idris ap Gwyddno who was the prince of Meirionnydd in the 7^th century and won a battle against the Irish on the top of the mountain. Even though the crater like shape of lake Llyn Cau, the bowl-like appearance came from a cirque glacier during the latest ice age. The mountain has a height of around 893m and is a well-known amongst hikers and walkers, offering several routs to the top.

On a nice day with a clear sight, the view from the summit is absolutely stunning, offering a beautiful landscape and panorama. It is definitely a special time walking up to the top and enjoying the view from the summit.

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XIII Weeks – The Fighting Cocks, Kingston

XIII Weeks played their first headlining gig at the Fighting Cooks in Kingston.

The emotionally driven melodic hardcore band comprising Charlie (drums), Ben (bass), Jack (vocals) and Jamie (guitar), self-released their first EP ‘In Memoriam’ earlier in 2019. Mixing atmospheric guitar sounds and heavy riffs with shouted verses and anthemic choruses, the quartet creates a unique and almost haunted vibe with their music. Driving drums and heavy breakdowns create an energetic opposite to the vulnerable atmosphere.

The cave like, rather dark, but very originally looking venue, which is located inside the Fighting Cock, opened its gates around 7.30pm, quickly filling up with an excited audience. First band on the stage was the London based pop punk quartet Overtheline started off with loads of energy and got the crowd moving. Next up was the pop punk outlet New, Again who mix punk infused pop sounds with emo elements. Third band of the evening was the London based emo influenced post-hardcore band One Last Daybreak. The quartet mixes raw and catchy melodies with heavy guitar riff which creates an energetic atmosphere during their live show. Rising the energy levels even further, they got the crowd moving and left them warmed up and excited for last band of the night.

After a quick line check and the addition of some further lights on stage, XIII weeks started their set with ‘Wide Awake’ and got the crowd right from the start. Opening up a big circle pit the audience enjoyed themselves moshing around and singing along, releasing all the energy they had left. The band gave their best on stage and seemed to have a blast with Jack lifting Jamie on his shoulders before finishing off the evening with a rendition of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.

The sound inside the venue was fine given the small size of the room and the lights were kept simple and rather dark which added to the vibes of the music. It was definitely a special time with great music, talented bands and an energetic audience. Everyone had a great time weather it being the fans infront of the stage shouting the lyrics back to the bands and moshing around, or the bands them selves enjoying their time on stage. Grateful for the audience’s engagement, the bands couldn’t thank them enough four their support. XIII weeks is an amazing upcoming band who definitely deserves more attention and it’s exciting to see what the future holds for them.

Venue: The Fighting Cocks

Band: XIII Weeks

Support: Overtheline, New, Again, One Last Daybreak

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Counterfeit – The Garage, London

Counterfeit. finished their Europe and UK tour in London at The Garage with a bang.

The London based punk rock quintet Counterfeit. comprising vocalist Jamie Campbell Bower, both guitarists Sam Bower and Tristan Marmont, bassist Roland Johnson and drummer Jimmy Craig just released their debut album ‘Together We Are Strong’ in 2017 via Xtra Mile Recordings and have been touring in the UK, Europe and US. Formed in 2015, the quintet mixes punk rock sounds with grungy guitar riffs and raw and honest vocals. Musically, they show elements from pop, punk, rock and grunge, creating a thriving and raw sound which creates an energetic atmosphere at their live shows.

The venue opened its doors around 7pm and a rather young quite female dominated audience gathered in front of the stage waiting for the first band to kick off the night. The Pearl Hearts, a British blues driven rock duo, started off the night with their energetic and roaring sound. Even though, it was only the both of them on stage, they set the energy levels right from the start and picked up the crowd who danced and sung along throughout the whole set.

After a short break to set up the stage again, Counterfeit entered the stage and the crowd went crazy. They played a good mix of their songs with the focus on their most recent releases which was well received by the crowd. Slowing down the set halfway through, Jamie sat down with his acoustic guitar to perform a love ballade just before the rest of the band came back on stage to pick up the pace for the rest of the show. Jamie joined the crowd a couple of times in front of the stage performing with them, jumping and dancing around. The lights and acoustic in the venue suited the set and enhanced the energetic atmosphere.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the evening. The bands gave their best on stage and couldn’t hank the crowd enough for their support. Screaming on the top of their lungs, the dans gave all their energy and participated by clapping along and dancing around. It was a special time and a great way to end the tour.

Venue: The Garage

Band: Counterfeit.

Support: The Pearl Hearts

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TheCityIsOurs – Boston Music Room, London

TheCityIsOurs celebrated their album release with a sold-out gig at The Boston Music Room.

The five-piece melodic metalcore band from London just released their first full-length record ‘LOW’ (2019, self-released) which touches on topics such as mental health and self-betterment. Musically, the quintet comprising both guitarists Stuart and Mikey, vocalist Sam, drummer Louis and bassist Jay, show influences of metal and melodic metalcore with heavy verses that release the built-up tension in anthemic and melodic choruses. The mix between roughly screamed vocals and sung melodies are accompanied by heavy guitars and energetic drums which creates a unique dynamic and raw atmosphere.

The Boston Music Room opened its doors around 7pm letting in the patiently queuing crowd. After some technical issues in the venue, the first band was ready to kick off the evening. The melodic hardcore quartet comprising Charlie (drums), Ben (bass), Jack (vocals) and Jamie (guitar), set the vibe of the night with a mix of thriving drum rhythms, atmospheric guitar melodies and explosive choruses, which created a unique and almost haunted atmosphere.

Second band of the evening was the four-piece metalcore band Here Lies Titania who were joined by Mikey (TheCityIsOurs) for one of their songs and got the crowd moving a big circle pit with a mix of heavy guitar riffs, hitting breakdowns and shouted vocals.

Next up was the progressive metalcore outlet The Uncharted with a mix of distorted guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns, accompanying the alternation between shouted vocals and anthemic clean vocals which created an energetic atmosphere. The seven-piece band comprising both vocalists Pete and Arron, bassist matt, both guitarists Josh and Joe, keyboarder Aaron and drummer Jack got the crowd hyped and warmed up right before the next band entered the stage.

Comprising Stone (vocals), Kiahn (guitar), Joe (bass) and Joe (drums), the London based metal core outlet Behind Blue Eyes created a vulnerable and raw atmosphere with a mix of anthemic clean choruses and thriving screamed verses, accompanied by atmospheric guitar melodies. Towards the end of their set, they saw the venue lit by all the lights the audience hold up which they highly appreciated.

With TheCityIsOurs entering the stage, the crowd went absolutely mental enjoying themselves jumping around in circle pits and screaming the lyrics on the top of their lungs. The band played through their new releases and added some older songs into the set which was highly appreciated by the fans. Pete (The Uncharted) joined TheCityIsOurs for some guest vocals during one of their songs seemingly enjoying his time on stage. Towards the end of the set the crowd surfed their way to the stage and saw the band jumping off stage into the crowd as well. The band was overwhelmed by the positive feedback of their fans and couldn’t thank them enough. Even though, the venue had some technical issues, the sound was fine and not too muffled. The lights were kept rather simple and dark, which enhanced the atmosphere of each band’s set and music.

Overall, it was a great evening with amazing bands, great music and an energetic crowd. Everyone seemed to have a blast both the crowd in front of the stage as well as all the bands on stage. The bands highly appreciated the energy of the crowd and their participation screaming the lyrics on the top of their lungs and expressing themselves in a big mosh pit. It definitely was a special time.

Venue: Boston Music Room

Band: TheCityIsOurs

Support: XIII Weeks, Here Lies Titania, The Uncharted, Behind Blue Eyes

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Black Tongue – Black Heart, London

Black Tongue headed to a sold-out show at the Black heart in London before heading to mainland Europe continuing their tour.

The British doomcore band comprising vocalist Alex Teyen, both guitarists Eddie Pickard and James Harrison, as well as drummer Aaron Kitcher released their third full-length album ‘Nadir’ (self-released) in 2018, offering a dark, down tuned and nasty sound. The vocals are alternating between screamed and growled followed by breakdowns and heavy guitar riffs which creates a suffocating and energetic atmosphere.

The doors of the Black Heart opened around 7pm with the first band, British modern death metal quintet The Argent Dawn, directly followed by Human Error, a British deathcore band. The sextet got the crowd moving with their up-tempo heavy guitar sound and a mix of pig screams and shouted vocals. Next up was the Cardiff based metal band Upon Those Dying who picked up the energy. Alternating between heavy breakdowns, dark guitar sounds, a mix of screamed and growled vocals, followed by raw and emotional guitar melodies, they created a slightly darker and almost haunted atmosphere which was highly appreciated by the crowd.

The Exeter based downtempo deathcore sextet Drifted were up next and offered an alternation between heavy breakdowns, down tuned guitar riffs and screamed vocals which created a versatile dynamic.

Even though the venue was slowly but steadily filling up at the beginning, the crowd went absolutely mental right from the start creating a mosh pit in front of the stage that spread from one side of the venue to the other. When Black Tongues entered the stage the venue was cramped and the crowd was ready release all the tension and energy in a huge moshpit. The band played a good mix of their songs and saw the crowd screaming the lyrics back to the stage. The dark and energetic atmosphere was enhanced by the dimmed and simple lights. The overall sound could have been a bit clearer and better mixed, but nonetheless everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed themselves both the bands on stage, as well as the crowd in front.

Overall, it was a special time, with energetic music, a hyped crowd, and everyone had a blast. The fans released all their energy in huge moshpits right from the beginning and didn’t seem to slow down but rather increase the energy levels towards the end. The bands gave their best on stage, creating an electrifying atmosphere which was highly appreciated by the crowd.

Venue: The Black Heart

Band: Black Tongue

Support: The Argent Dawn, Human Error, Upon Those Dying, Drifted

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La Dispute – Electric Brixton, London

La Dispute headed to Europe and the UK and played at the sold-out Electric Brixton in London.

The American post-hardcore outlet La dispute just released their latest full-length record ‘Panorama’ (2019, Epitaph), before hitting the road again touring through America, Europe and the UK. Comprising vocalist Jordan Dreyer, drummer Brad Vander Lugt, both guitarists Chad Sterenberg and Corey Stroffolino, as well as bassist Adam Vass, the quintet are known for their complex songwriting and the mix of spoken word passages with versatile sung melodies and screamed outburst which compliments the emotion and atmosphere of the instrumentals and lyrics. They show elements of different genres such as screamo, post-rock, progressive rock, blues, jazz, punk and emo which creates a diverse and unique sound to accompany the diary like, storytelling lyrical style. The message of their lyrics is based on personal experiences, true stories and real struggles examining life struggles.

The Electric Brixton opened its doors around 7pm letting in an exited audience, filling up slowly but steadily. Petrol Girls, a British post-hardcore band, opened the stage with a mix of punk, heavy rock and spoken and screamed vocals. So far, the quartet released three EP’s and two full-length albums of which the latest, ‘Cut & Stitches’, was released in 2019 via Hassle Records. The crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, shouting the lyrics back to the stage creating an energetic atmosphere. Next band was the British punk rock band Milk Teeth who picked up the energy with their grunge and hard rock influenced music, getting the crowd all warmed up and hyped for La Dispute.

With La Dispute entering the stage and starting their set with Fulton Street I and II, the crowd immediately started singing along and dancing around. Jordan kept whirling around the stage like a whirling wind keeping the energy high. The set was a good mix of newer and older songs alternating between energetic heavy crowd moving tracks and slower emotional and melancholic songs which created a unique dynamic. Especially the raw emotional tracks created a vulnerable and almost haunted atmosphere with the crowd shouting the lyrics on the top of their lungs while the up-tempo songs invited to release the energy in a big circle pit in the middle of the venue. The lighting added to the overall atmosphere and enhanced the vibes of each song. La Dispute ended their set with ‘You And I In Unison’ leaving the stage thankful for all the support and crowd participation of the fans.

Everyone seemed to have a great time both the bands on stage as well as the audience in front. It was a special time with talented bands, good music and a energetic crowd who seemed to have enjoyed themselves by dancing and singing along.

Venue: Electric Brixton

Band: La Dispute

Support: Petrol Girls, Milk Teeth

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Polaris – The Dome, London

Polaris went on their first UK and Europe headlining tour and played a sold-out show at The Dome.

The Australian metalcore band comprising vocalist Jamie Hails, both guitarists Rick Schneider and Ryan Siew, bassist Jake Steinhauser and drummer Daniel Furnari started the year touring with Architects and came back for their first solo headlining tour across Europe and the UK. Since the release of their debut full-length ‘The Mortal Coil’ via Sharptone Records in 2017, which followed their two self-released EP’s ‘The Guilt & The Grief’ (2016) and ‘Dichotomy’ (2013), they toured relentlessly, growing a solid fanbase. Musically, they combine heavy metalcore guitar riffs, rhythmically grooving drumbeats, melodic and anthemic choruses as well as energetic breakdowns. Jamie Hails and Jake Steinhauser alternate between mostly screamed vocals in the refrains and huge melodic coruses which creates an electrifying atmosphere that resolves in heavy breakdowns.

The sold-out 500-capacity venue, The Dome, opened its gates around 7pm and let the patiently waiting fans fill the space in front of the stage quickly. First up was the British hardcore band Polar who started the evening with loads of energy. Their buzzing guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns got the crowd moving in circle pits and crowd surfing their way to the stage, while the anthemic choruses saw the audience singing along.

Having been well warmed up, the crowd went absolutely mental once they heard the riffs leading into ‘Lucid’ and did not slow down for ‘Relapse’, followed by ‘Regress’, ‘Sonder’ and ‘Frailty’. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves in a huge circle pit right in front of the stage. ‘In Somnus Veritas’ lead into their debut album’s anthemic lead single ‘The Remedy’ which saw the crowd screaming the lyrics back to the stage even louder than before. The energy stayed high with ‘Casulty’, while the melancholic guitar melodies and emotionally sung vocals of ‘Dusk To Day’ created an almost haunted and vulnerable atmosphere. Leading into the grand finale, ‘The Slow Decay’, ‘Crooked Path’ and ‘Consume’ seemed to have floods of crowd surfers making their way to the stage just to jump back into the crowd. ‘Unfamiliar’ was the closing song of the set and saw the crowd lose their minds once more. Polaris played a good mix of songs, mainly of their latest release but also some older songs from their EP which was well received by the fans. The band was overwhelmed by the warm welcome and the high energy of the crowd, and seemed to have had a blast on stage. The sound for both sets was well balanced, and the light show helped to create the atmosphere and vibes of each band.

Overall, it was a special time with talented bands, good music and an energetic crowd who seemed to have a great time. The bands gave their best and highly appreciated the fans’ participation. It will be interesting to see what Polaris have planned for the rest of the year after they finished the rest of their tour in Europe.

Venue: The Dome

Band: Polaris

Support: Polar

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