Blog — Page 17 of 282

Thrice just got done finishing up the first leg of their Artist in the Ambulance tour with Holy Fawn. It's been 20 years since the band released the original Artist in the Ambulance, but the band is also celebrating the "Revisited" version of the album which the band released earlier this year. The release features re-recordings of all the songs, with some tracks containing special guests from Hot Water Music, Curl Up and Die, Holy Fawn, and more. Holy Fawn are no strangers to opening for Thrice. They recently opened one of Thrice's Illusion of Safety shows, as well as their 2019 Vheissu tour.  Holy Fawn continues to be a great addition to the show with their blend of Metal and Shoegaze. The band ran through a set of songs across their entire discography, from their first EP, Realms, to their 2022 release, Dimensional Bleed.

Thrice walked out and jumped right into "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts." From there, the quartet continued on through all of Artist in the Ambulance, taking moments here and there to thank the crowd for 20 years of support for the album. Thrice put everything they could into the show, from fog blasts, confetti cannons, and a number of lights set up all across the stage that enhanced the visual aspect of the show.

Once Thrice finished playing all of the record, they proceeded to play a b-side from the AITA sessions before playing another set of fan favorites from the rest of their career like "The Earth Will Shake," "Deadbolt" and "Summer Set Fire to the Rain" from 2021's Horizons/East. When they came back for their encore, they played a heavy cover of The Beatles' "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" before closing the night with "The Long Defeat."

Thrice's Artist in the Ambulance Anniversary tour was arguably the best Anniversary tour I've seen this year so far. The band made sure to really deliver something special that had the fans feeling loved and appreciated while the fans gave it right back at them. Thrice will continue to take the show on the road throughout the year with a stint in Australia, Europe/UK, and another leg in The US. Don't miss it! In the meantime, check out a gallery below from the show.

Artist in the Ambulance 20th Anniversary Tour:

Thu 31 Aug | Northcote Theatre, Melbourne

Fri 1 Sept | Northcote Theatre, Melbourne

Sat 2 Sept | Metro Theatre, Sydney

Sun 3 Sept | Princess Theatre, Brisbane

Tues 5 Sept | Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide

Wed 6 Sept | Badlands, Perth

Thu 7 Sept | Badlands, Perth

Oct 05 | Chicago | Concord Music Hall

Oct 06 | Indianapolis, IN | Egyptian Room

Oct 07 | Pittsburgh, PA | Roxian Theatre

Oct 08 | Wantagh, NY | Mulcahy’s Pub

Oct 09 | Hartford, CT | Webster Theatre

Oct 11 | Boston, MA | Big Night Live

Oct 12 | Sayreville, NJ | Starland Ballroom

Oct 14 | Charlotte, NC | The Underground

Oct 15 | Nashville, TN | Marathon Music Works

Oct 17 | Houston, TX | House of Blues

Oct 18 | Ft Worth, TX | Tannahill’s

Oct 20 | Tucson, AZ | The Rialto

12 Feb | Madrid, Spain | La Paqui

13 Feb | Barcelona, Spain | Sala Apolo

15 Feb | Paris, France | Trabendo

16 Feb | Antwerp, Belgium | Trix

17 Feb | Tilburg, Netherlands | 013

19 Feb | Berlin, Germany | Huxley’s

20 Feb | Munich, Germany | Backstage Werk

21 Feb | Cologne, Germany | Live Music Hall

23 Feb | Bristol, UK | Marble Factory

24 Feb | Manchester, UK | Academy

25 Feb | Glasgow, UK | SWG3

26 Feb | London, UK | O2 Forum Kentish Town

Murder by Death recently hit the road and were joined by Laura Jane Grace. They had a stop in So-Cal, and of course, I couldn't miss an opportunity to see two of my favorite artists on one bill. Laura Jane Grace warmed up the crowd with a slew of Against Me!, Devouring Mothers, and solo tracks, including a few new songs entitled, "Tacos and Toast" and "Fuck You (Just Because)." With their stop in Pomona, Murder by Death brought something special. The band made it one of a few stops where they performed their 2003 album, Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them? with the addition of another set of songs spanning the rest of their discography. Check out the gallery below:

The second iteration of Caterwaul festival took place in Minneapolis, MN over Memorial Day weekend, spanning two venues and three days/nights. The lineup is too big too list thoroughly but you can read about it here.

Headliners included Flipper (with Shannon Selberg), Chat Pile, Child Bite, VAZ, and Tongue Party. While Scene Point Blank was unable to personally attend, we did the next best thing -- we got a guest contributor to supply us with some original photos from the festival.

A thousand thank yous to the talented John Oakes for taking these shots. 

For the past month, Greg Puciato of Killer Be Killed, Black Queen, Dillinger Escape Plan, and now Better Lovers, has been touring North America for his first solo tour after finishing a stint with Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell. With the release of Mirrorcell in 2022, Puciato had 2 full-lengths under his belt to fill his set but still managed to throw in a few surprises.

Opening the show was solo Industrial act, Trace Amount-- a pseudonym for producer/vocalist, Brandon Gallagher. Despite people still filing in, Trace Amount still delivered a lively set to warm up the crowd. Following Trace Amount was Justin Pearson's (The Locust) latest project, Deaf Club. The band blasted into the room before the curtain covering the stage was done opening. After all these years, Pearson is as wild as ever. He never took a second to slow down between constantly jumping to the barricade to rile up the audience to even running to the back of the dance floor to shout from the sound booth. Deaf Club played a tight set which even included a cover of Nirvana's "Tourette's."

Rounding out Greg Puciato's support for the tour was power violence group, Escuela Grind. Katerina Economou's impeccable growl never wavered as they bounced around the stage to drummer, Jesse Fuente's blast beats. The band ended up running through an entire new EP they plan to record later this year as well ended the set with a cover of Hatebreed's, "Filth."

Greg took to the stage for his last show of the tour, opening with the combo of "In This Hell You Find Yourself" and "Reality Spiral." Throughout the night, he continued to play through tracks from his newest album, Mirrorcell, and tracks like "Deep Set Eyes" and "Roach Hiss" from Child Soldier -- the latter of which had Converge's Ben Koller on drums. Throughout the set, he would jump up to the crowd to sing along. When he came out for his encore, he proclaimed that they'd be doing a bunch of extra songs and some more special guests would be joining him. The first of the surprises were a couple of Black Queen songs, including "Secret Scream" and "The End Where We Start" with special guest, Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle. Next up were Gil Sharone and Tyler Bates to join in on their song "Now You've Really Done It" from the Dark Knights: Death Metal soundtrack. Greg ended the night with Dillinger Escape Plan's 'One of Us is the Killer." He'd been teasing the song throughout the tour, but tonight was the first night he and the band performed the entire song. Greg threw his face into the crowd for support on the vocals, spending much of the track at the barricade. The song ended and so does Greg's first solo tour. He delivered a strong performance and continues to be one of the greatest frontmen in the business. Not for one moment was he not giving his all.

I wasn't the only one to catch Greg on this tour. Be sure to check out Kevin's blog too!

Sleaford Mods
Opera House
Sydney, Australia
02 June 2023

When I first encountered Sleaford Mods many moons ago, their abrasive, electronically charged minimalist punk-hop that framed their rants about the austerity of a deeply divided, modern day England and the trials of working class life felt like an indulgent lecture about the futility of modern day life. 

In other words, it was irresistibly appealing.

With Sleaford Mods’ idiosyncratic post-everything melange comprised in equal parts of social commentary, rapid-fire stream of consciousness vocal delivery, rowdy Northern piss-taking and all out advocacy for letting yourself go, there is something to be found for anyone who harbours a modicum of interest in punk or hip hop.

Carried by pulsating, repetitive productions of bass and drums as the main instrumental elements and set in scene by a bank of bright, flickering lights serving as an entrancing torrent of visual stimuli intensifying every angle, the rawness, intensity and immediacy of the duo incarnating within the confines of Sydney’s Opera House still feels as intact as it was when I first encountered them in an art café in London.

Much more popular but still retaining purpose by remaining politically engaged and visceral, the woefully vitriolic emissions and ostrich-esque demeanour of inimitable vocalist Jason Williamson, who manages to embody a different personality with each barked lyric as he paces the stage tweaking and contorting, flanked by beatmaker Andrew Fearn, who after pushing play on his laptop indulges in frantically flailing his arms and legs for the duration of the show, result in a seamless, endlessly energetic and engaging show that musically sits comfortably between Anarcho-punk, Britpop, Grime and dancehall, which translates effortlessly and resonates with the definingly middle-aged crowd.