Author: Diamond Dave
Kula Shaker – Manchester Ritz 12/2/26 Wine experts will often say that often their favourite tipple of choice will get better with age. I am no longer a drinker but I have to say the 2026 vintage of Kula Shaker is very much to this Ulsterman’s tastes! I have been a fan of the band […]
Where do I start with Jah Wobble? One of the great musicians that came to prominence in that post punk era, which was in many ways a lot more interesting that the era that preceded it. It wasn’t so much about the shocking tabloid headlines and the uproar but musicians looking into themselves more, making […]
With Bradford being chosen as this year’s City Of Culture there has been a worry that with all the talk of Art, Theatre and Dance being so well represented in this area, well maybe we rockers felt a little bit unrepresented. But that changed with the opening of a rather splendid music venue (Bradford Live) […]
I love to dance. Now I am not very good at it but it is something that can bring a lot of joy to this Northern Irish rotund rocker. Now if I am going to dance, and this does not happen half as much as it should, well the Burundi influenced beats of Bow Wow […]
In their recent US Tour, The Psychedelic Furs took Gary Numan out as their support and in recent tours of the UK we have seen the likes of Wendy James and Jah Wobble added to some wonderful bills. Anja Huwe, known from Xmal Deutschland is here to entertain this Yorkshire crowd. It’s an interesting performance, […]
Gracing the Brudenell Stage on this Autumn night were two artists that I have been lucky enough to see numerous times over the last thirty odd years. Both are almost chameleon like in the way their careers have developed over that time. I first saw (and indeed reviewed) tonight’s headliner when playing with The Almighty […]
Are music festivals that take place indoors the future? Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s just the slow transition from being a party loving rock animal to a bit of a boring old fart that makes me think like that! Yes, when the sun is out and you have a cold beer in your hand, […]
Hellfest….I mean what can I say? It really is such a special event which I have been lucky enough to attend each year since my first trip back in 2013. Held each year in the beautiful town of Clisson, about half an hour train ride from Nantes. Hellfest has become one of the highpoints in […]
The Wardrobe is a venue in the centre of Leeds which has a colourful history. Mainly known for playing host to comedy, but is also a wonderful venue for Yorkshire rockers to let their hair down and put on their dancing shoes. The venue gets it’s name from the fact that the building used to […]
It had been a long time since I had ventured across The Pennines to visit Manchester Apollo, a legendary venue in the North West of England, similar to Hammersmith Odeon or Brixton Academy would be in our capital. With this bill though, I would have travelled much further. When I was the Stage Manager at […]
The Fillmore is one of the world’s great music venues and I was lucky enough to visit for the first time (and what could be the last as there are plans that the venue may close) last month. The venue was opened in the late 1960’s hosting such names as Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival and […]
Now here’s the thing you see- when you have just started the second week in January it may be a very bold statement to say that I may have seen my favourite gig of 2025 already- the year has started on a quite ludicrous high. The Jesus Lizard had not brought out an album since […]
