Last night I finally saw the Nekromantix live. They're a psychobilly band from Denmark. Missed most of the first opener (saw their last two songs and they were alright). Then Sober Daze came on and were alright. The Howlers had good energy. Nekromantix were amazing! Not my favorite concert I've ever been to, but well worth the $20 or so for the ticket.

Next show: Agnostic Front in September (a punk/hardcore band)

Last night I went to see The Sisters Of Mercy.
I still haven't seen them, they had the fog machine on so hard, I literally didn't see anything, I was a bit disappointed by that but they played 2 of my fave songs (Marian & Amphetamine Logic) and they sounded great, If a bit heavier than I expected.
Some of the songs were really missing the female voice, Dominion, for example sounded a bit rubbish without the female vocals.
Seriously SOM need to go to AA for their addiction to dry ice...
I walked out while they finished with Temple of Love on the second encore to get a t-shirt, that song was killed by overplaying in a club I used to go to, for me.
I did enjoy the gig though
Dominion/Mother Russia got the biggest cheer from the crowd, though This Corrosion got the most up dancing.

Hahaha the dry ice was a bit much, I was in the upper circle so when I was walking out at the end the entire stairwell was full and there were a few security guys wafting it away from the smoke alarms and opening windows.

I was probably directly below you on the lower seated floor then
I had to sneak past the bouncers like a ninja to get to the merch stand

I only had a fiver with me so my only material memory of the gig is a wine gums wrapper.

Best gig I've been to was the March Violets

Last month I went to Paganfest, and I think it was the best metal gig I've been to. Turisas, Alestorm, Arkona, Huntress, and Helsott played. Turisas, Alestorm, and Arkona are folk metal bands from Finland, Scotland, and Russia (respectively). Huntress and Helsott are Californian metal bands.

A friend and I took the bus there after class, and we met up with some other friends in line. One of my friends brought paint, so she painted my face Turisas-style while we waited.

We missed half of Helsott's set because the doors didn't open on time (of course), but at least we got to see their last two songs. They're a local band, and I really enjoyed their music. The next band was Huntress, and I didn't enjoy them much. Their music was very mediocre, though most of the guys seemed to enjoy their frontwoman. I was in the second row for the first two bands, but the guy in front of me started talking to me and made room for me in front, which was awesome. (Perks of being a girl at a metal gig, I guess.)

Arkona was next. I'd seen them before, but their show this time really blew me away. They are amazing live - definitely the best band that night. Alestorm played after Arkona, and they're always fun to see. I enjoy them more live than on their albums. (Though a friend and I both got kicked in the head by crowdsurfers during their set.) Turisas was the headlining band, and they were brilliant too. Their lineup change seems promising. Mathias also got some of his paint on me when he shook my hand at the end.

Last night I went to the Hammersmith Apollo in London, and saw Judas Priest's last world tour Epitaph. Saxon and Kobra and the Lotus were supporting. Saxon and Priest are classic heavy metal bands, so I was expecting a grand performance. Glad to say that said performances were absolutely fantastic, and the crowd was rather enthusiastic (why wouldn't they be?).

Never heard of Kobra and the Lotus before- they weren't too bad I guess, may check them out. Managed to get to my seat after a couple of their songs due to fighting the crowd for a couple of band tees, and visiting the bar.

There are only two complaints: it was far too hot and I wasn't amused at having beer sloshed down my Whitesnake tee (that Whitesnake gig last June was awesome btw!), but it's what happens at gigs. Shame I was at the back of the balcony- would have liked to have been in the stands but it's my own fault for not booking the tickets earlier.

I won a pair of Van Halen tickets in a local tattoo contest so I'm heading over to the New Orleans Arena next month to see them rock it.

So, yesterday and last night (yes, twice in one day), I saw another quarter of Bauhaus. David J was in Austin doing a random show promoting his new album "Not Long for This World."

The first performance was a free in-store gig at Cheapo Records. This wasn't well promoted and resulted in about ten people watching him. And it was very clear we knew of David J because he was in Bauhaus. None of us knew the words to his solo stuff or even the Love and Rockets songs he did, lol! (Okay, I did know the words to one L&R song, but still) He was joking with us a lot and making up lyrics at times (he doesn't have them memorized well enough as he doesn't play them all that frequently and left his lyric book at the venue for the night performance). Afterwards, he was kind enough to stick around, talk, sign autographs, and take pictures. I got my "On Glass" 12' signed by him in addition to a couple CDs.

The night performance at Elysium was also awesome. He played some of the same songs as the in-store, but he also broke out two Bauhaus classics - "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight?" and "Bela Lugosi's Dead." To be honest, what he's done with "Bela Lugosi's Dead" isn't my favorite at all. He's trying and I appreciate that, but he likes to add improvised lyrics at the end which kind of ruins it for me. That and he doesn't do those long drawn out "Ooooooooooohhhhhhh Bellllllllllaaaaaaaaaaa" parts. I much prefer Peter Murphy's version where he combines it with "A Strange Kind of Love." But, nonetheless, amazing performer, great spirit, wonderful personality. I also managed to snag a setlist!

David J performing at the in-store
He was performing a new song and definitely didn't know the lyrics. So he grabbed a lyric book to read them, but the print was small so he needed it in his face. He then grabbed a poster so it'd look like we were watching him, haha
Vinyl signed!
I can haz picturez with David J?
David J at the night performance. Didn't get as many pics at this because my phone was dying and I wanted to try and get video of the Bauhaus songs

I went to one day of a 3 day festival called Forbidden Fruit on Sunday, it's a smallish festival most of the bands not playing the mainstage being Irish bands.
It had a very relaxed vibe and everyone seemed in a good mood, despite the mud.
Some of the bands I saw :
Grimes who was disappointing as I like her album, but I left halfway through as she shrieked her way through her set.
Austra who I enjoyed and were surprisingly energetic and camp given the somewhat glacial nature of their album.
Little Green Cars, I was surprised to find their tent completely packed for their gig, obviously word of mouth has gotten them a lot of fans, and their brand of catchy twee pop was pretty fun.
The Rapture had everyone up dancing at the mainstage.
Finally, my main reason for attending : New Order, I have to admit a part of me wanted to hate them, Hooky is a big musical hero of mine, but, they were great, it was a festival, so the set was heavy on the singles/crowd pleasers.
We left before the encore to beat the crowds, but stopped on the way to dance with other people that had the same idea to "Blue Monday", and as we left we could hear the crowd singing along to "Love will tear us apart"
It was a lot of fun.