Went to see a great new band called Invasion last night – albeit at a trendy East London hot spot, On The Rocks. Anyway after the weird support bands who looked ugly and played like shit, Invasion come onstage: a tall, thin guy in a check shirt with a decidedly surfy looking guitar; a blonde female drummer; and an angular, elfin and dismissive looking Polish girl. The guitarist strikes up a wicked fuzzy stoner riff and the show begins. Despite having only three members – one guitar between them – these guys make quite a racket: a groovy, eccentric and heavy racket with the bonus of a cute singer and a great axeman (who carries all guitar duties). 

Check ‘em out if you like Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Cathedral, Hole, Courtney Love, or Peaches  

http://www.myspace.com/weareinvasion  

G

If only all metal shows were this engaging. Picture a four piece metal band, all dressed in real racoon fur (the little heads finishing on their boots), all covered head to knee in war paint and fake blood (“we used to use real cow blood, but it starts to smell on tour�) and picture them accompanied by three similarly attired Fins: one a keyboardist, one a Halford-headed violinist, and the piece de resistance, a truly possessed looking accordion player. Like a French busker crossed with Shakespeare’s Caliban.
The show is absolutely electric (as is the Vai-like wail from the violin), and amongst other calls-to-arms, Turisas treat us to their genre-sake anthem, ‘Battle Metal’. And all this before the demonic accordion player is banished from the stage with worrying realness, and is reprieved for a solo rendition of ‘Raining Blood’. For their encore the band storm into Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’ while a snow machine showers the crowd in unseasonal yet appropriate faux-precipitation. Absolutely totally and completely mind-blowing.
Pictures to follow
Gill

THERE’S a few of us at Hammer that aren’t ashamed to admit that – in the past – we were quite big (hed)pe fans. In the (ahem) glorious days of nu-metal, we could be found on the dance floors of our youth- baggy trousers and dreads on board – rocking out to a bit of ‘Bartender’ and (embarrassingly) rapping out loud.
Arriving at London’s Underworld last night, it seems we weren’t the only ones willing to spend an evening trying to re-visit the rap-metal glory of 1998. The venue was sold out, with 400+ people crammed inside – old friends reunited over a spot of ragga-punk in the capital. However, from the get-go, the sound expelled from the (stoned) lungs and instruments of the band was terrible. The set was packed full of brand new tracks off - as yet unreleased new album ‘Back 2 Base X’ (see what they did there?) - and they barely touched upon the hits of yesteryear.
Rallying calls of “Fuck Tha Pussy” from singer Jared met silence from nearly all inside, and the random “Bush is a wanker” type outbursts from the band prompted drunk murmurs only. All their tracks sounded the same – but we kind of knew that already. Despite cries between fuzzy-jams for older tunes and a re-visit to yee olden days of yore, (hed)pe continued on their own dazed path right till the end. Most left confused and disappointed. Proper pile of pants.
Katie P

I wasn’t there because I was shitting my life out of my arse and being sick in posh residential car parks. Never reheat Thai seafood take-away.

Absolutely gutted not to have made it, but i barely made it in a mortal sense that Friday, but here are some pics and what Gibson guitars had to say about the night.

“Gibson were proud to co-sponsor the Tommy Vance Tribute night in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The Classic Rock night was headlined by Judas Priest playing their only UK date of 2006. Other bands supporting Judas Priest were German rockers The Scorpions, Ex Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan and new comers Boned. It was the first heavy metal night that has been held at the Royal Albert Hall and was considered a huge success. Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson and The Who’s Roger Daltrey were on hand to introduce the bands between acts.”

And everyone got arse-holed and had a great time. Sweet.