One shot the King, Double-Wide, September Cross, Audio Toxic, Warcrux & Exitelle
Well now this was a line-up among line-ups. This gig was going on in the midst of Bonesaw+Zombified+Existing Threat in Aunty Annies and Million Dollar Reload+Trucker Diablo in the Empire. Reason I chose this gig was for a few reasons, mainly because I hadn’t seen Double-Wide in a very long time. Among other gigs this week I was going to go to a couple of Aunty Annies gigs, but there is only so much of the same band you can see in 1 month let along 1 week. Out of the line-up at Ma Nelsons 2 of the bands are booked to play at Aunty Annies only a matter of days between gigs...What is the point? The gig mentality of bands has got to an all time low in my opinion. This the more gigs the better mentality is out of hand and people wonder why the scene is saturated? Simply because the same bands are playing the same venue about twice a week. Ugh...I think I will steer away from having an all out rant.Back to the point at hand, the Ma Nelsons Charity gig. Another great success by the fabulous Clare-Marie McAllister and Tina Calder with all proceeds going to Children’s hospice. Technical glitches happened throughout the entire night from the sounds aspect and the fact that the sound guy was openly abusive and offensive towards bands in front of people, then looked like he didn’t want to be there the entire night would explain why every single band had an issue and complained. Normally I would tell bands to stop bitching but this frustrated temperament among the bands was rightly so.As for the bands on the night, 3 bands in particular I want to talk about. Before that, I would like to mention Exitelle firstly who were a highly talented and skilled rock duo of acoustics. Some may say that doesn’t work on the local scene but I have 2 words for you on the matter, TENACIOUS D! I am not comparing the style of Exitelle to The D, Matt Teeney is by far one of the most skilled guitarists I have seen. Along with the "Gary Lightbody" style vocals of the duo Steve, this is a partnership I would like to see more of and I recommend checking them out. Audio Toxic just was not my cup of tea and although I felt they were more on the heavier side of Indie Rock there was nothing grabbing my attention. One Shot the King are by far one of the most talented bands and technically attuned bands around and they get lost in their music. From what I observed it was their off stage professionalism and courtesy that needed work on. Other than that they are a great band to listen to and I will certainly be looking forward to picking up a copy of their cd, live I just found it hard to connect with them and sometimes found that they may have came across slightly pretentious as unintentional as it may have been.
image
September Cross
Now for my Picks of the night. Starting off with SEPTEMBER CROSS. September Cross is again one of the overlooked talents in this country. They play high energy fun 80’s metal at its best. There music may not be relevant to this day and age but my god if you love your rock and metal then you can’t help but adore what Ricki, Nick, Dave and Dean bring to the table. Great chemistry on and off the stage along with flawless playing makes this band one of the top metal bands around on the unsigned music scene. Front man Ricki Hewitt or “Tin Tin” has a voice that goes from gentle melodic singing to the rough, brash, darkness of metalistic voices that the devil himself would be jealous of. Nick Jago is in my opinion and in many others the greatest bass player in this country. This guy makes metal look happy. I never have seen a bass player smile so much. Dean Valentine on drums or “Bieber” as they call him is a fantastic drummer that gets into the music, rocks out and never misses a beat. The “Bieber” has the rare quality among some drummers at the minute of being talented, humble, and a decent guy overall. He is not a hard hitter and proves you don’t need to hit it hard to get a big sound. Now onto the last member of the band, David Shields. What a fantastic guitarist and for someone in his mid 30’s this guy rocks out like a teenager at his peak! He plays effortlessly and lets the music flow from himself. I love it when a musician can get lost in the music and still rock out and interact with his audience and Dave does this beautifully.Fury’s Verdict: With a bit of promotion this band could be around a very long time and I hope they are.
image
Warcrux
My second favourite band of the night was a very impressive WARCRUX! This was a band that I booked approximately a year ago. Back then this band was all over the place. Missing beats, timing going off, and a bassist into self harm and mutilation. Now all I can say is WOW! This band has transformed from a caterpillar of sloppiness into a beautiful melodic hard rocking butterfly. Front man James has been clearly been working on his vocals and can best be described as a cleaner and in tune James Hetfield. The entire sound of the band now sounds like somebody woke Metallica up gave them a slap and said get talented. Their Metallica cover “Master of Puppets” had everyone moshing out and even those Metallica haters in the crowd absolutely loved it. The new bassist, Chris Delaney, is a definite missing piece of the puzzle. This is a band that about a year ago I wrote off as below average at best and now I am eating my words with a smile on my face. Lead Guitarist, Neil Ward, is in love with his guitar in a way I cannot describe. I say in love with his guitar simply because together, they make beautiful music. Gordy Gray the drummer has definitely made a lot of improvement. I really love it when I see a band I worked with at the beginning step it up and take it more serious. These guys have worked their asses off to improve and I reckon they will get stronger. Places they need to improve well its simple, when playing high energy heavy rock you need to match your on stage performance with the music you are playing. As much as I was taken aback by how much they improved musically, the bands on stage performance was lacking testicles unlike their testicular fortitude fuelled songs.Fury’s Verdict: this is going to be a band that will be around for a long time with the right guidance and a lot of hard work.
image
Double-Wide
The best band of the night for me had to be the absolutely unrelenting DOUBLE-WIDE! This is a band that back in November 2009 at the Rosetta called everyone Mark so they wouldn’t forget anybodies name. Well let me tell you their off stage banter is great and they really mingle with other bands and make them feel very welcome, but their onstage presence and music is that of only a professional band. Jon Joe, John and Neal are possibly the most fun guys to work with in the business today. They have been grafting hard over the years to get the recognition they deserve and they are still working on it and in my opinion, it is bands and musicians like these guys that deserve the recognition and respect for pathing the way for the new age hard rock and metal bands. The thing I love about Double Wide is their genre more than anything. That deep southern metal just makes me think of better days. The crowd interaction these guys have is unreal. Any young aspiring rock band should definitely go see them and learn a thing or 2, not just about how to perform but on respect. Overall, the best performance on the night and in general one of my favourite bands in the country. This is a band that should be playing bigger venues by now. Be sure to check this band out whenever you can.Fury’s Verdict: Double Wide are close to reaching the peak of their local unsigned career and I hope that they keep on going cause they truly are a pleasure to go and watch.
Thats another gig review from my view. On a side note about reviews, for anyone that knows me, you know I have been doing the entertainment thing for about 13 years maybe more. I have been doing this in various places around the UK, Ireland and Canada. I am nothing special and these reviews are just my opinion. What I would say to bands that bitch, moan and cry about it is simple, stop being such a fucking primadonna. If you can’t take my opinion then you are fucked when a professional reviewer looks at you and doesn’t like you. Never tell a reviewer what to write about you, it won’t be an honest view and won’t help  your band out at all. In fact it will make you look beyond unprofessional. If any band has a problem with a review I give them then it’s as simple as this, ignore it or take it on the chin. There is always the additional option of cry, moan, bitch and in general make yourself and your band look like a bunch of unprofessional, egotistical, parasitic wannabes that think they are owed something from the world. So simply get over yourselves, work harder or ignore the review.
Until next time, be sure to check out your local gig listings and support your local Unseen, Unheard and Unsigned bands of the country.
**Look out for a review on the Setback debut single “SCREAM” and also my view on the Double Wide debut album “18 Wheels of Misery”

Authors: Scott Wilson

Read More: http://skotfury.blogspot.com/2011/03/ma-nelsons-charity-gig-10th-march-201.html