Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

That’s the noise currently living in my ears after last night’s Machine Head gig, and it’s one of the painful reminders of just how awesome last night was. The others would be the aches and pains of hours of pit antics, and a severe lack of sleep.

We got there way too early; I was expecting much worse traffic than was actually on the roads, so we were inside waiting for the arena doors to open by 5:45. It was disheartening at first, as teen after teen arrived and queued, most of who were wearing the same one or two Machine Head t-shirts, and all of who looked way too young to even remember the likes of Davidian. I was sat there feeling very old as emo haircuts, leggings(!) and bumfluff beards queued, wondering why on earth anyone would stand and queue to get in before the first support act starts, but each to their own.

I don’t even remember the name of the first band, but I feel for them. Trying to get a small crowd going for it at half-six in the evening, with really crazy vocals and heavy guitars is a pretty thankless task. They had one half-decent track but the others left me cold. Next up was Bleeding Through, a group I knew of through the likes of Metal Hammer, but had never really listened to before. They were pretty good, very heavy and really good at working the crowd (I’d never been a part of ‘The Wall Of Death’ before last night), but still pretty indecipherable. To be honest, I think the sound setup for the first two acts left a lot to be desired. All you could hear was guitar and nothing else. I’m as big a fan of heavy guitar as the next man, but I want to hear the rest of the band too.

After the first two small sets Hatebreed took the stage. Now Hatebreed I’m more familiar with. They were great, big heavy riffs and a lot of bouncing. They were the first ones to get me moving on the floor. They played a long set much to everyone’s very vocal enjoyment, and I think I’ll be investing in an album or two soon. Lights up, curtains up and time to mill around and get a drink before the headliners take the stage.

Stood there with my mate having a chat before they started, the roadies started doing the sound check, and I can honestly say I’ve never heard – or more accurately ‘felt’ – a louder bass drum. It made every part of me shake; we looked at each other in instant acknowledgement that this was going to be loud, very loud, and very excellent! Once the curtain dropped they opened with a track from the ‘The Blackening’ album and the whole arena went fucking crazy! They weren’t promoting an album so they treated us to a mix of old stuff and some of the less well-known album tracks which was just brilliant. Everyone in there knew every track, the pit was bouncing, shoving and getting into it (and we were in the middle of it), it was a metal-head’s wet dream. At one point the band got everyone to clear the centre of the floor and demanded to their very obliging fans, that they start ‘the biggest circle pit this place has ever seen’. We didn’t disappoint, it was immense and incredibly good.

Machine Head take the stage, Plymouth erupts

Robb Flynn and the rest of the guys are consummate professionals; every track they played sounded as good as the studio versions. Harmonised solos, awesome vocals and finishing with an encore of Halo followed by Davidian just topped off the perfect night. You haven’t heard Davidian until you’ve felt the machine gun double-bass drumming hammering your chest. There’s not a bit of me that isn’t aching this morning, I didn’t get in the front door ’til after 1am, and I can barely hear a thing today, but it was all worth it. I can happily say that I’ve seen one of my favourite bands in the world, and they lived up to my expectations and far beyond. I was going to go to a local Rock Night tomorrow night, but I don’t think I’ll bother now, there’s no way it can top that while it’s still fresh in my head .

A very blurry Robb Flynn in glorious phone-cam-o-vision

Technorati Tags Bleeding Through, Hatebreed, Machine Head, metal, Plymouth Pavilions

Machine Head are playing in Plymouth tomorrow night and I’m going to see them! I can’t tell you how excited I am, I’ve loved this band for a long time now, ever since the first time I heard the double bass drumming on Davidian (where this post’s title comes from), and this will probably be the only time I’ll have a chance to see them this close to home. I’m going up with a friend who shares the same love of very loud, very heavy and very excellent music, and despite having to work the next day, I already know how awesome it’s going to be.

I’m still in the hire car I was given after mine was written off a couple of weeks ago, and while it’s nice to drive a swanky brand new car around, I know that I won’t be buying a new Astra in the forseeable future. There’s something I don’t really like about it, something I can’t really put my finger on. Maybe it’s a combination of little things, like the way the indicators don’t click down into position; you have to press it down once to indicate left, then the arm resets back to the middle while the lights stay flashing. I’m tall and from my seating position it’s almost impossible to see the dashboard lights telling me if they’re on or off, and with music on I can’t hear it either, which means I have to duck and peer through the steering wheel to see if I’m still indicating… not good. The windscreen wipers work in a similar fashion, it’s a small niggle, but it makes the driving experience that little bit more annoying. The Focus we just bought though, despite being 8 years old, is brilliant, I really enjoy driving it.

No new games to speak of, I’m tightening the reins for the time being, I’ve got loads to be going on with and a bank balance which seems to be freefalling toward the end of the month. There’s another big squad training session this wednesday with an eye on the European Champs in April, and I’m looking forward to trying to smarten up my competition forms and sparring again. Plus it’s always good to mix with the guys from the other clubs.

On top of all of that, it’s sunny and beginning to feel like Spring! The sunshine on  the beach yesterday was actually warm! Can you imagine!

Technorati Tags Machine Head, Plymouth Pavillions, spring

A wet and windy Tuesday evening in Truro, Cornwall. Not the most glam of scenarios for most, but for me it was a night I’d been looking forward to for some time. Unusually for this quite quiet neck of the woods we had a major band coming down to play, although strangely it was really overlooked and subdued in the press. Yep, Dragonforce came to town!

Dragonforce are a throwback to the 80s style of metal; lots of hair, lots of guitars and epic solos. But in stark contrast to a lot of the groups from that decade, they do it with a load of style and a technical brilliance. Metal fans know them, even if they don’t particularly like the music or lyrical style. Anyone who’s ever played the Guitar Hero games will know them too, with Through Fire And Flames being the track that sorts the men from the boys (or the people with nothing better to do than practise for hours and hours from the people with active social lives ).

So after a trip to the local Nepalese, the very excellent Kathmandu Palace, we headed to the Hall For Cornwall to watch the bands. I was pleased to get inside and see that the place was crammed with like-minded people sporting band t-shirts from every genre possible, it’s nice to feel at home somewhere. I was really keen to get in and see the support acts, especially as I knew of one of them reasonably well, namely Glamour Of The Kill.

Glamour Of The Kill

I first heard of them when a track was on a Metal Hammer cover CD, and everything I’ve heard by them since I’ve liked. Some people say they’re a bit ‘emo’, but I think that’s stretching it a bit. Just because the vocals aren’t as rough as most metal bands. They’d already started when we got there, but I still got to hear Rise From Your Grave which was the one track I wanted to hear more than any other. I have to say they sounded as good live as on the studio versions. From there the music changed gear a bit as Sylosis took the stage.

Sylosis making things a bit heavier

I didn’t really know of Sylosis before I saw them on the support list so did a bit of youtube research. They remind me of Trivium, although not quite as polished as Trivium are these days. The lead singer did a great job of hitting his screeches, and the band were super-heavy, one of those ‘feel your ribs rattling on the bass notes’ kind. At one point between songs the lead singer said “And to think some dickhead told me Cornwall has no metal scene…”, nice. After making our ears bleed for a bit on came Sabaton, and what a treat that was.

Sabaton!

More of the Swedish awesomeness

I’ll readily admit I’d not ever heard of Sabaton before yesterday, let alone know any of their stuff, but I am a total convert this morning. They’re a Swedish power metal group and were simply amazing. Hair, massive beards, great tracks and tons of charisma, they’re easily one of the best bands I’ve ever seen perform live. The lead singer has an infectious grin, a wicked accent and they had the whole place jumping and chanting ‘Sa-ba-ton!’ between songs. It looks like I’ve got a few more albums to add to my collection.

Dragonforce!

There was a bit of a wait while Dragonforce set up the stage, including a raised ramp area for solos and suchlike, but it was well worth the wait. They belted out tracks from the latest Ultra Beatdown album and some older stuff too and the place went mental. I’d heard people say before that there’s no way they could actually play the solos recorded on the albums without some kind of studio post-production, but to those people I can say from first-hand experience, they really are as good live as on CD. Watching the hands of the guitarists ripping through solos lasting minutes each time was dizzying and awe-inspiring. I think there are a lot of tired, slightly hungover metal fans with ringing ears sat in offices and colleges across Cornwall this morning, all with a big grin on their faces.

While I was at the bar between sets a guy came up to me and pointed at my t-shirt (a Machine Head ‘The Blackening’ one) and asked me if I was going to see them. I was a bit confused, as I had no reason to think I might, but when he told me they’re playing at Plymouth in the new year you could have knocked me down with a feather. Machine Head. One of my all-time favourite bands Playing just up the road. Gaaaaahhhhh how did I not know this!?!?!? Luckily it’s not sold out yet, so I’ve nabbed a couple of tickets this morning. I can’t wait, it’s going to be off the scale!

Good times to be a metal fan in Cornwall.

Technorati Tags Dragonforce, glamour of the kill, Hall For Cornwall, Machine Head, Sabaton, Sylosis

Just a short one today, mostly to point out that A-ha are disbanding! What a sad day. Although I’ve not really listened to any of their newer stuff, there are barely any songs around that can match Take On Me, or more importantly The Sun Always Shines On TV. I absolutely love that song, it’s one of those that stirs up where you were and what you were doing when you heard it.

Other than that, there’s not much to report at the moment. It’s getting a bit colder, I’m having a pumpkin design choice dilemma, and my social diary is actually getting pretty full. This Saturday we’re all off to celebrate my friend’s wife’s birthday with a meal, the week after it’s the annual Falmouth Beer Festival (and I’ve got a nagging feeling something else is on, but I can’t remember what…), then the week after it’s Halloween. Cue a night out with loud music, and going to a fancy dress party as a muppet. It keeps on into November too, there’s Guy Fawkes night and in the same week Haye is fighting Valuev for the belt. That’s going to be a great fight, I reckon more fireworks than on Nov. 5th

How droll of me. If I could get to youtube here I’d finish up with a nice embedded video of The Sun Always Shines On TV. However, I can’t, so I suggest you head over there and watch it while I hum the tune in my head.

Technorati Tags A-ha, Guy Fawkes, Halloween, Haye, Valuev

You might have noticed that I’ve got a bit slack at updating this over the last few weeks. I could say that I’ve been on a secret spying mission, or maybe abducted by drug lords while hunting for treasure in Peru, but in truth I’ve just been utterly rubbish. So what’s new I hear the assembled masses holler…

Work on the house continues apace, and it’s so close to being finished now it’s tortuous.  The old stairs are out, the new ones are in, and as I type the ceilings should be being plastered. The builders are paid in full now, and I can tell you it’s no fun walking through town with a bag stuffed full with twenty pound notes! I was eyeing everyone suspisciously like they’d been following me all day and had a master plan ¬_¬

My Xbox 360 gave up the ghost this week and has (for the second time) decided that rather than playing games and streaming my music and films, it’d be much happier showing the dreaded three red lights…. Once I can muster up the ‘can-be-arsed-ness’ to find the Microsoft number again I’ll get it repaired, it’s very annoying.

I have yet another new interest! A couple of weeks ago I went along with my friend to his first class in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I’ve been back to every class since. It fits in nicely with my current training and I’m absolutely loving the technical – and very tiring -  aspects of the grappling. I’m covered in more bruises than a peach in a washing machine, have burned elbows and aches all over, but it’s great fun. It can be frustrating, but having something click and start to work feels awesome. It means I’ve had to buy yet another Gi (or dobok as is the case for Tang Soo Do), although this time it weighs easily twice as much as any other I’ve had. The heavy weave is really necessary as they take a heck of a beating on the floor, and are used for the locks and chokes. Some people really seem to like the look though.

And finally, to bring us bang up to date,  I went along to the Princess Pavilions in Falmouth last night to watch The Eagles Of Death Metal. I can’t imagine they’ll have known what they were letting themselves in for when they agreed to play there, but what we lacked in size and gradieur we more than made up for in effort and noise. The band themselves were awesome, every song sounded the way it should and the guitar riffs just tore through the place. You’ve never seen a more charismatic front-man, and it was so refreshing to see a big band like that who obviouslt didn’t take themselves too seriously.  What a great gig.

"I love you so hard baby...."

Technorati Tags BJJ, Eagles Of Death Metal, house renovations, slack git, TSD

Might I suggest that you all go out and get yourself a copy of the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album – It’s Blitz. Some of you might have first heard of them when ‘Maps’ was included in Rock Band – which is a brilliant song in its own right – but tihs new album is awesome!

If I had access to youtube here you’d all be listening to the tracks Zero and Heads Will Roll about now, I suggest you look them up yourself. Now. Karen O’s voice is just pure mmmmmmmmm.

Technorati Tags It's Blitz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I’ve had a lot of different things start to go right for me recently, and as much as I realise I’ll probably jinx everything by even thinking that, it’s tough, I wanted to post. Some things are probably pretty trivial, but the cumulative effect is a nice one. Even things like feeling my kicks are slowly improving and getting higher (they might not be, but they feel that way at least) are representative of these little pluses. It’s fair to say I’ve had some surprises too, most of them very welcome.

First up, my job looks safe. It’s been pretty tense over the last few months for everyone working for the council down here, as a giant merger of the main body and the districts have had people fearing for their jobs. I was lucky enough to be confirmed in my current role last week which was a massive relief having just taken some more money out on our mortgage to be able to get the house done.  Then over the weekend and early part of the week, Murphy seemed to be getting ill. His stomach was gurgling like crazy, he didn’t want to eat and was all slow, tired and unmurph-like. We took him to the vets as a precaution and typically the day he went he seemed fine again.  They say the best cure for a toothache is booking an appointment at the dentist after all… He’s got a few tablets to help settle his stomach now which is good and he’s back to his old self.

Work on the house seems to be going well. What was a massive hole in the floor has transformed into proper foundations and there’s even a floor now. It’s been built up with hardcore, gravel and sand and tehn compacted, and today they’re laying six inches of concrete on top of it all to form what will actually be the floor we lay the wood on. It’s exciting now to have something substantial there and not just a big pit of mud. Once the concrete sets properly I intend to get out there with big pieces of cardboard to represent the kitchen appliances and furniture  so I can see how best to lay everything out. The walls will go up pretty quickly apparently, I can’t wait personally!

My best friend’s stag do looks like it’s been sorted out, it seems we’ll be heading to the wilds of bristol for a weekend of drunken debauchery wholesome male bonding with vehicles and guns of different kinds. It’ll be nice to have the little break away because other than the prospect of being sent to Worthing again for more training, I don’t think there’s any chance of a holiday this year. Although saying that, having a nice new home with a bathroom and kitchen will certainly feel like a holiday compared to the last couple of months.

This Friday is the monthly Rock Night as ever, and it should be a good one. One of my friends and training partners has joined the RAF and is off to do a tour in Afghanistan for six months so we’re seeing him off in true TSD fashion . I think that’s it for now, certainly everything I want the wider world to know, but yes, it’s been a good week so far.

Time for some music, first up is a lovely uplifting song which would easily have made it on to some of my older playlists had I known it then.

..and this is what I’m listening to a lot lately..

Technorati Tags Angels & Airwaves, Five Finger Death Punch, house renovations, murphy, Optimism

My car has been absolutely beastly for weeks now and on Saturday I decided enough was enough, and that it needed a thoroughly good cleaning.  Armed with bin bags and a strong stomach I tackled the hideousness that was the rear seat footwells, in behind my seat and the passenger seat. The remnants of too many nights out were all there; empty chicken boxes, a bottle of cider, magazines, wrappers and bottles of all varieties. The thing is though, is that it’s not me sat back there, it’s my lovely passengers leaving the rubbish there. I think I need to have some words.

Clearing the boot was a mission in its own undertaking, I had no idea how big it was in there. There were two bags worth of empty plastic bottles from training, back from when I used to take bottles of water or sports drinks with me. As I went deeper, past all the stuff I kept ‘just in case it came in useful’ (like spark plugs, a full set of ignition leads and god knows how many spare bulbs) I started to get to stuff that I’d long forgotten which brought loads of memories back, lots of happy ones at that. I found shoes, beach mats, towels and a road atlas from summer missions to the beaches, along with bits and pieces from my last birthday. I found a book and an empty half-bottle of bubbly I forgot I’d left in there, and I had to laugh when I tore open a cardboard box only to get showered in ‘Happy Birthday’ confetti. It took me ages to get through everything in there because it all reminded me of things, people and places; it was like a little nostalgic trip down memory lane. By the time I’d finished on that Saturday afternoon I had two plastic bags full of empty plastic bottles and two bin bags full of assorted rubbish and things I didn’t need any more. It’s never getting to that state again. It’s a good job I did choose to clean it out too, I ended up driving for a big night out that night.

As soon as I saw that Zane Lowe was going to be playing in Falmouth I emailed my friend, she’s as into music as I am and we both agreed that we had to go. We loaded the car with people in various states of inebriation and headed down, only to be greeted with a practically deserted venue. I needn’t have been worried though, it was held on the university campus and it wasn’t long before it was full of ‘wacky’ art students. The warm-up DJs were pretty good, although one of them was very annoying through his overuse of a noise which can only be described as a manatee with a bad throat doing an impression of a fog horn. He put it in-between most songs which made it feel like a total cop-out instead of actually mixing the tracks together, something that someone like, oooh, a DJ might do?

When Zane came on at midnight the place started bouncing, and I have to say that having never intentionally gone along somewhere with the sole purpose of watching a DJ, I was so impressed. I know how energetic the guy is from his Radio 1 show, but had no idea how he’d come across as a bona-fide venue DJ. I needn’t have worried, he was simply awesome. There were times he was mixing three or four tracks in very quick successions, playing with loops and samples and even singing along and air-drumming. Everyone in the building was dancing, bouncing and throwing themselves into one another to a high-energy mix of hip-hop, indie, rock and drum ‘n’ bass (and I don’t even normally like d’n’b). It was a thoroughly awesome night, despite not having a drop of alcohol. I wouldn’t say I need alcohol to have a good night, but if I’m having a good time a couple of beers always goes down a treat, and I’d have to say that if it’s even possible, my dancing improves!

If you ever get a chance to go and see him perform (he’s on a Home Taping tour at the moment), do it. I defy anyone to not get up and jump and get drawn in with his utter enthusiasm.

Technorati Tags cleaning the car, memories, Zane Lowe

My feet are stinging and throbbing, my legs are aching and my ankles are stiff. I can barely move my neck and shoulders. What a great weekend.

We had the pleasure of having Drew Neal come down to teach a three hour sparring seminar yesterday, and although I’ve been lucky enough to train under him once before, this was much more personal and tailored to our club. There were only ten or eleven of us in attendance, and because of that we were able to work on the things we really wanted to. The first hour was spent going over some of the basics, which was good as it’s easy to overlook them and take them for granted, and that can be a bad thing, especially if you’ve gotten lazy or into bad habits. The next couple of hours were much harder work, concentrating on more advanced techniques and tactics, and then spending a long time sparring with everybody else. I’ve no idea how many rounds I fought, I completely lost track, it must’ve been about fifteen or so I think. Included in that time was the chance to spar with Drew himself, and it is just frightening how fast that guy can move and react – no wonder he’s got so many World and National championships under his belt. I’m glad we were totally padded and working at semi contact because otherwise I’d be totally black and blue this morning. He does everything that I try to do myself (but usually fail at within ten seconds of starting), mostly making the most of my advantages. Standing tall and staying tall throughout an exchange is the main thing, but not throwing more than two techniques in a row is another bad habit. I’ll get it, eventually.

When I sat down in the evening after a shower I realised how much the balls of my feet are hurting, I’ve managed to get carpet burns from the rubber mats. I’ve sneakily got my shoes off and my heels propped up on a foot stand under my desk, when really all I want to do is stick them in the fridge with my yoghurts. In fact I feel like a bit of an invalid all over now, after Friday night’s antics.

The last Friday of every month is Rock Night as regular readers will know, and I was determined to get a lot of dancing and a proportionate amount of alcohol under my belt after a few really stressful weeks. I bumped into an old friend there only to find out his band were playing a set there on the night – ace! They were great and surprised me with the variety of bands covered. I never thought I’d hear them do Wolfmother and Queens Of The Stone Age, but I did, and very well covered they were. Once the DJ got back on and Adam had a few drinks under his belt, there was some dancing going on and no mistake! I’ve been suffering ever since with very sore and stiff shoulders and neck, but it was definitely worth it. Awesome music + drinks + dancing like an idiot with your mates = a good night in my book.

Speaking of awesome music, any metal fans with taste similar to mine should treat themselves to The Way Of The Fist by Five Finger Death Punch. I’ve been listening to it a lot and I can honestly say there isn’t a bad track on the album, just a lot of excellent songs which make me want to get up and hurt my neck even more.

Thanks again to Drew for making the long trip down to us, teaching me a lot of very useful things, and giving me a thumping. It’s hard to get annoyed at someone kicking your ass up and down the hall when he’s such a nice bloke.

Technorati Tags drew neal, Five Finger Death Punch, rock night, sparring

I need a break. I’m stressed right out and I think my head is starting to get messed up. I got to work this morning and as I walked past reception, for a moment I couldn’t tell if I was arriving for the morning or coming in after lunch. Each day is blurring into the previous and the weeks are flying by, but with nothing much to differentiate between one and the next. I think part of it is just the dragging out of the end of winter, with the dark evenings and mornings, I’m desperate for some proper sunshine and warmth. The clocks go forward in four weeks which will go a long way toward alleviating a lot of it – having a house would probably help too.

There are a few little things in the interim lined up to which I’m really looking forward to, and which should prove good for a bit of stress relief and unwinding. First up it’s the highlight of my month – Rock Night! The club changed the DJs last month and it was definitely for the better. The old ones played some decent stuff, but they’d play it too early and end up playing almost nothing but thrash for the rest of the night. I like a bit of thrash, but it’s not my scene really. The new lot played everything I asked for, even American Head Charge, although no Pyschosocial? Get with it lads. I’m particularly hoping for a bit of Deathstars this month, I’ve been blasting the new album out in the car to and from work and it’s exactly what I expected and had hoped for. Theatrical Swedish industrial heaviness, awesome!

I’ve got Saturday to recover and sort myself out which is good, as we have multiple World, European and British WAKO champion Drew Neal coming down to teach a three hour seminar. It’s going to be tough, I’ve got no illusions there after having attended a seminar with him once before. He’s a really nice guy, and phenomenally fast, hopefully I should be able to pick up one or two things to improve my own sparring.

Next weekend I’m going to something where I stand a good chance of being the oldest person there. Anyone who’s listened to Radio 1 in the evenings will probably be aware of the excitable, enthusiastic Kiwi DJ, Zane Lowe. The guy plays excellent new music and it’s hard to not get as enthralled as he does, and luckily for me he’s playing a DJ set at a local student bar. One of my best friends is as keen as me and we’re heading down to look completely out of place and probably get drunk and shout “I’m on board!”.

Technorati Tags deathstars, drew neal, rock night, stress, Zane Lowe