Never again will I repeat myself. Maybe.

Four talented young violinists on stage in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. El Choclo concert

After a bit of a break from gig going during the first half of 2014, the result of a combination of an absence of attractive gigs in the area and of a number of somewhat pressing commitments, everything fell into place in June with five concerts in three weeks. There could have been even more,…

The autumn saw two excellent gigs in wildly different contexts, confirming for me once again that I much prefer small venues to huge arenas. The intimate The mighty Pixies came to Geneva and found themselves in the fairly unexpected district of Thônex, in the eastern suburbs a stone’s throw from the French border. It was…

Muse, Stade de Suisse, Berne, 17 June 2013 When being swept away by the multimedia maelstrom that is Muse live, it’s sometimes hard to remember that deep down they are an extremely good power trio playing songs with catchy hooks and huge singalong choruses.  Seeing them on stage ten years after the last time I…

2012 has not been a vintage year for albums.  Many of the bands I like spent the year touring the massive releases of 2011 and there was precious little new material to catch my ear.  Fortunately a few bands did come up trumps.

When I finally get around to writing the definitive Big Book About Shouty Bands With Guitars, one whole chapter will be devoted to the baffling question of why Therapy? have not consistently been one of the biggest bands in the world. My fondness for this group goes back a long way, to an afternoon in…

I’ve been searching for the right way to describe Anthrax.  They’ve assumed a role as some kind of elder statesmen of the thrash scene, but although their dedication and professionalism shines through they’re not exactly weighed down by gravitas.  It would be hard to do so, given the milieu.