GIG: Apocalyptica/Swallow the Sun

I won't lie - I knew little about this band before a mate got me into them and let me borrow an album (which still needs returning!). But I agreed to go along on this proposed five-band-weekend because it would probably be good and different. So we went along pretty early and got into the place before the support had come on. The support were supposedly a doom-metal band, but I'd thought the guitarists would at least be pretty sweet. Well...they disappointed. They were pants. Each to their own, fair enough - but all the songs sounded more or less the same to me, nothing different. I was relieved when they left and had to keep telling my mate that this WAS worth it! And then on came the cello-chairs! These skull-shaped chairs (why is there four? I asked!) were prepared and looked damned good. The lights went down and four cellists came on stage. FOUR!!?! Holy mother of music. Four cellists and a drummer are what consist of Apocalyptica. Originally a Metallica-covers-only band, they now do their own music and also cover some other stuff. Two minutes in and it was the weirdest band I've ever seen. But...it...was awesome. There's nothing like the sound of the cello version of For Whom the Bell Tolls, one of my favourite Metallica tracks. The guys seemed really relaxed and were talking often to the crowd in their Finnish accents. Funnily enough, one half of the crowd wanted to mosh the hell out of these songs and the other didn't, which made for some hilarious elbowing incidents. I was more or less stuck in the middle, but I really was enjoying it. The enthusiasm of the band reflected on the audience as they gave their versions of some really heavy stuff - some of it their own of course. Apocalyptica have been going since 1993 but only since 2005 have had a drummer. The fourth cellist, as I later discovered, is Antero Manninen, an original member who left but has rejoined as a sessions musician. He's the guy who sits with the sunglasses on looking unbelievably scary, or just cool. The other three danced about the stage like madmen, but it was all fun. When it comes down to it, Apocalyptica consists of classically-trained musicians who are bloody good. Not all was heavy cello, as they played us Metallica's Nothing Else Matters, One and their own beautifully moving Farewell. At the end Eicca Toppinen declared: "And now we will punish you by playing classical music!" before mastering their version of Hall of the Mountain King. Different? Definitely.

GIG: Black Stone Cherry/Stone Gods/Sevendust

Well my tickets for the Carling Academy said doors at 7, but I was chilling in a little bar in Pink Lane so I did not arrive until half an hour after the doors opened. When I got there it was to discover US rock band had already played their set - which must have been very small. I'm not a great fan, but I was a little surprised that they had already come and gone, which was a shame. Anyway the place felt pretty good when Stone Gods rocked their souls on stage. As all know, this band is formed from the remnants of love-them-or-hate-them-band The Darkness, with guitarist Dan Hawkins and former Darkness bassist Richie Edwards taking the mantle of frontman. I was eager to see how they performed, and if they would live up to their great debut album, Silver Spoons and Broken Bones. Well, they did. Being quite different from The Darkness' glam-rock sound, this was all rock n' roll. Opening with the epic Burn The Witch, Richie flaunted his guitar at myself and the crowd with brilliant enthusiasm. They powered through tracks such as I'm With The Band and Defend Or Die with mean vigor. At one crazy point in the set, Richie Edwards disappeared from view for a minute, only to reappear 2 feet in front of me, running through the crowd with his white guitar! Not half a month earlier, Stone Gods were at the Carling (soon to be O2-sponsored) Academy supporting another band of upcoming rockers, Airbourne, and have obviously built up a rapport with the Newcastle crowd - they've already booked a headlining tour for March '09! Safe to say I'll be attending. Phoenix from the flames.

I'm pretty biased here as Black Stone Cherry are one of my favourite current bands. Having seen them earlier with Whitesnake and Def Leppard, I was really anticipating seeing them in the flesh and not ten miles away (can you tell I prefer the Academy as a venue?). They kicked off with Rain Wizard not too long after Stone Gods had left. "Here comes the raiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!!" - and there were the familiar tones of Chris Robertson. At this point I was once again in awe of the band who I think are one of the few who stand out from the mass of modern US rock bands. All four musicians of BSC are very talented and fit their own niche perfectly. Sounds like crap, but they're all great at what they do. I was particularly stunned by John Fred Young's five hour drum solo (ok, it was more like ten minutes, but it was superb), and at one point I looked around to find everyone with their eyes and mouths wide open. He even went on to play just with his hands. These guys don't mess about. Cherry played a good mix of stuff from the first and second albums, including Backwoods Gold, Long Sleeves, and the mind-blowing Lonely Train. My juices were flowing when they blasted out The Bitter End, a personal favourite. Chris Robertson showed just how much he meant the words he spoke when he introduced and sang Peace Is Free. It was difficult not to feel close to the band at that point!

All in all it was a fantastic night, topped off by shaking hands with John Fred Young and getting his signature after the finish. Hope they're back soon, what a great bunch of guys.

ALBUM: Black Stone Cherry - Folklore And Superstition (2008)

It's finally here, I'm reviewing it al last. Black Stone Cherry got their name as a southern rock band hailing from Kentucky, USA. Their first self-titled album got a lot of attention, and as a result Folklore and Superstition has been surprisingly high in the charts on sites such as play.com lately. The debut contained pure rock and riff-filled tunes, and the band have cemented their reputation and gained many avid fans including myself on their recent tours - I saw them supporting Def Leppard and Whitesnake earlier in the year, where they played the first song from this album, "Blind Man" as a taster. This is very reminiscent of the first album - quite heavy and obviously southern-inspired lyrically.

Now I can listen to the album in its entirety. The second song, Please Come In, has a riff that made be believe for a moment that I was listening to Led Zeppelin. There are actually some slow parts to this song, which partly prepares you for the rest of the album. The next two songs,Reverend Wrinkle and Soulcreek, are sure to be live favourites on their upcoming UK tour (with The Answer supporting). Behold! For the next song on Folklore... is surely BSC's first ballad.Things My Father Said is a moving slow song that will probably split opinions of lovers of the first album. It's a really good change from the rock and roll, I think. But fear not. The very next song, The Bitter End, is as good as the legendary Lonely Train, the key track from Black Stone Cherry. A catchy chorus is trailed by a short guitar solo - clearly single material? The dark Long Sleeves is followed by ballad number two, Peace Is Free - "can't you see?". Devil's Queen andThe Key are typical BSC stuff, and You is yet another ballad. Sunrise is my most played however - probably the best song on the album for demonstrating the brilliance of Chris Robertson's voice, and even has a touch of the caribbean! The Ghost of Floyd Collins is a spooky southern ghost story with atmosphere, and a great roundoff to the album.

Folklore and Superstition is different from the first album in many ways, but it retains the music that makes Black Stone Cherry such a good band, and the leaders of modern southern rock, taking after bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band have obviously had time to be inspired and produce some great lyrics and some intense guitar and drum work in between their constant touring. This year they have supported the likes of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and Shinedown across the globe. Black Stone Cherry are going up in the world, and this album demonstrates that they ain't no plain old rock n' roll band - they have depth to their material. Between the four of them they are one of the most dedicated and grateful bands out there right now. There really is something for every rock fan on this album - and it is far from generic. Traditional southern rock songs, ballads with a twist, and some very heavy material. Variation is the word - but I'm sure this one is going to become a classic, and a great of 2008. Well done guys, we salute you.