Saturday 27th January 2018

Ballsdeep at Firebug

with Seven Hells, I Saw The World Burn and King Leviathan.

Tonight’s show was organised by Resin events.

Reviewed by Martin Baker

Now with added videos.

After much anticipation, the day was finally here for Simon Yarwood’s birthday celebration gig, and with a fantastic line-up, it promised to be an outstanding evening.

Unfortunately, having been delayed getting to the gig, I made it just in time to see the end of Seven Hells’ set. It was refreshing to see so many people engaged and involved, so early on in the evening.

Their drop-down chunky classic metal riffs set the scene for the evening perfectly and left me wanting to hear more, so this is a band I will definitely look forward to seeing again!

Next up were the four piece, I Saw the World Burn, and straight away the intensity of the band got me hooked. Each powerful song was delivered with some proper enthusiasm from the band and even the slower parts with a cleaner vocal style were a welcome addition to a well-rounded set and it fitted in nicely.

Their 30 minutes came to an end all too quickly after a great dose of some truly kick-ass music. Maybe it’s the guitarist in me but I couldn’t help feeling like the guitar could have been a bit louder compared to the pumped-up volume of the rest of the band, since there was only one guitarist.

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, of I Saw The World Burn, performing at tonight’s gigs.

I must say I was excited about King Leviathan – mainly because I’d never seen them live before and also because they are classed as blackened thrash metal, right up my street! Well, these guys blew me away! For their entire 30 minutes on-stage they held in their character with a true performance using lighting and atmospherics to create an incredible scene, which took nothing away from their music.

They combine a beautiful mix of melodic aspects, older styles, modern styles, outstanding shredding solos and in general wonderfully brutal songwriting. For me this was so much more than I was expecting and I have to hand it to them for managing the first mini mosh pit of the evening. A brilliant performance that left me feeling totally amazed!

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, of King Leviathan performing at this gig.

There was an air of anticipation before Ballsdeep came on and it’s safe to say they brought the house down. Their hard-hitting classic riffs got everyone head banging and the entire venue was feeling it, feeling “funky” as the lead singer put it. In-between songs there was a Ballsdeep chant that the band appreciated which was brilliant and funny at the same time!

You could feel the band’s polished set list being delivered with power and with ease that only talented professionals can do and it was hard not to be impressed by their blistering badass riffs. As such, the crowd couldn’t accept the end of their performance and a well received encore brought the evening to an end leaving everyone thoroughly satisfied, myself included!

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, of Ballsdeep performing at tonight’s gig.

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate a birthday and Simon has definitely nailed it with his well-oiled event machine. The bands put on a fantastic show, their camaraderie was great to see and we even had an opportunity to sing happy birthday, which went down well! All in all, it was well worth coming down for and make sure you don’t miss the next event!

Saturday 27th January 2018

Casbah at The Musician

with Dig Lazarus, The Jav’lins and The Brew.

Tonight’s show was organised by Casbah Music Management and Promotions.

Sadly, I arrived too late to see Dig Lazarus; having been attending a film premier, I could not get there in the time for the first band. Fortunately, I have seen this band before and I know how good they are. I remember writing about them when they played at The Musician before, in June 2017. I said of them: ‘What a fantastic band. What a stage performance. It was amazing. They threw themselves into their set and gave it they’re all. Bursting with energy. Fizzing. Great songs. Full of melodies and musical brilliance.’ [Music in Leicester, 2017] Tonight’s performance would have been a recreation of that, in all probability.

I did however get to hear some of The Jav’lins. Good would be an understatement. This is, in my view, one of the best rock bands in Leicester. A band that excels at blues rock. The drummer told me afterwards that they plan to record a new EP soon and a new video is on the way. We will keep you posted about that, as news comes in.

Tonight’s headline band was The Brew. Like the Jav’lins, what they gave us was power blues rock. The band’s own songs, evoking the sounds of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

What we got was stunning guitar work and richly vibrant vocals. The band recently signed to Napalm Records – the label that specialises in hard rock and heavy metal. The label’s roster includes Alter Bridge, Alestorm, Powerwolf and a load of other names that will be familiar to metal aficionados.

Well, they gave us a set tonight that was fuelled. High class rock that throbbed with vitality. All of which was delivered with an electrifying stage presence and a colossal degree of commitment. All three musicians sang into their microphones – including the drummer. They sizzled with energy. Completely powerful rock songs that pulsated with passion. Marvellous.

Trevor Locke.