Why do they rock so hard? Reel Big Fish @ The Cresset, Saturday February 16, 2008

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Fun fuelled chaos dawned on Peterborough’s The Cresset last weekend when Reel Big Fish came out to play. It was the band’s third return to the city and it was by far the best show I have been to in a long long time.

Blending together a cocktail of reggae beats, funky punk vocals, hip hop and ska, Sonic Boom Six were first up to bombard the stage and they surely set the night off with a bang.

Laila K and the band knocked out some rather infectious tracks from their new album, Arcade Perfect including the energetic ‘Sound of a revolution.’ Minutes after appearing on stage, fans went absolutely crazy for them and began barging their way through the crowds, sparking off a wild mosh pit.

Next up were ska-punk sensations Streetlight Manifesto. The band is already vastly popular in the States and bearing in mind it was the band’s first appearance at the Peterborough venue, the night established that they are going to become a huge success in the UK.

The hype just did not die down at all - the kids kept on moshing! It was fantastic to see such dedication from Streetlight front man Thomas Kalnoky who proved to be a true entertainer.

If things weren’t stirred up enough, Reel Big Fish piled on to the stage and the energy of the crowd rocketed to an all time high.

Luckily for me, I was stuck to the barrier for the remainder of the night, but behind me there was a whole different affair going on. As the electricity pulsated through the heart of the mosh pit fans went wild as the opening track, Sell Out began to emit from the stage.

“I tell you what is b****in, this whole show is b****in!” yelled Reel Big Fish front man, Aaron Barrett.

The Californian ska outfit surely know how to “party hard” and had the entire audience hooked, reeling out a mix of old and new tracks. From the legendary ‘Beer’, to the pristine ‘New Version of you’ the band was then joined on stage by SB6’s Laila K, for an exhilarating performance of ‘She has a girlfriend now.’

Aaron, Scotty and Little Johnny Christmas brought humour to the stage with their usual mischievous antics and tied up the night with crowd favourites ‘Everything Sucks’ and a cover of ‘Take On Me.’

Reciting lyric for lyric and dancing in true ska style, the Peterborough fans could simply have gone on partying forever. I had the time of my life and even though I came out a bit battered and bruised – I’d definitely recommend you head along to their next show!

10 out of 10

by Nicola Fox

The Courteeners @ The Met Lounge, Thursday January 31, 2008

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Tipped to be one of the hottest new acts for 2008, last month saw hundreds of people gather to see NME darlings, The Courteeners perform in front of a sell-out crowd at city club, The Met Lounge.

Although the temperature outside dipped to below freezing levels, things soon heated up when the first few acts began to emerge.

Main support came from super-slick rock and roll band, Vincent Vincent and The Villains, who's vibrant, hip-swinging tracks 'On my own' and 'Pretty Girl' left a lasting impression on the crowd.

After short break between sets and a couple of drinks later, fans began to hoard on towards the dancefloor where indie sensations, The Courteeners took to the stage.

With a notable resemblance to fellow Manchester rock hero, Liam Gallaghar, Courteeners front-man Liam Fray quickly glugged down his Jack Daniels, grabbed his guitar and bashed out the first track of the night, Acrylic.

Polished guitar riffs and captivating lyrics, it was suprising to see fans reciting lyrics word for word, bearing in mind that their debut album is yet to be released.

There is no doubt that songs such as If It Wasn't For Me and Kimberly will go on to become true indie anthems.

The Peterborough crowd were fuelled with passion when Liam solely went on to perform a string of acoustic tracks.

Fray, who is renowned for making controversial headlines revealed a softer side to him, commenting on Peterborough’s ‘beautiful’ landscape. He told local press that “Peterborough is the urban equivalent of heaven, it has a lovely cathedral.”

Tieing up the night with an ecstatic performance of their latest track, "What took you so long?", fans went on to meet and chat to Liam after the show.

by Nicola Fox

Chaos as Amen hit the UK, The Park, Peterborough – October 28, 2007

Part 2 in our series of 'Reviews which the Editor managed to misplace' covers the chaos of hardcore punk band Amen, hitting the East Anglian suburb of Peterborough - which definitely makes it worth a belated airing:

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American hardcore punks, Amen recently joined forces with London unsigned metal favourites, The Inbreds and techno speed sensation DJ $peedranch on the fully anticipated 'No Barricades & No Bullshit 2007' tour.

Although the tour was struck by tragedy when it was announced that three of the band’s close friends and family had passed away, Amen continued the tour and thrashed out tracks in honour of their memory.

Indestructible front-man, Casey Chaos is famous for his wild antics on stage, aggressive appearance and anarchistic views but fans were privileged to be up close and personal with the band in such intimate venues across the country.

I caught up with the band at The Park, Peterborough (Sunday October 28, 2007) where the band was also joined by city horror punk favourites, The Ruined. Although the turn-out was mediocre, the reaction from the crowd was truly substantial.

City band, The Ruined opened the show blasting out hits from their ‘Hear Lies The Ruined’ album including the legendary ‘Poison Ivy’ and ‘Dead by Dawn’

The band were followed by Metal Hammer acclaimed ‘Britain’s newest stoner rock heroes’, The Inbreds who were out to party hard. As for the one-man laptop DJ - $peedranch left the crowd feeling in disarray.

With Halloween pending, Casey and the band took centre stage and drove fans wild opening the show with the ever famous ‘Coma America’.

After trashing the stage and horrifying the club owners, Chaos then gave fans the opportunity to choose what they wanted to hear. The words spat from the mouth of frontman as he belted out tracks such as ‘Piss Virus’, ‘California’s Bleeding’ and ‘Buy Amen’, raging fans from the city were relishing in Amen hype.

Amen closed the show with ‘The Price Of Reality’ and Chaos chatted to fans at the merch stall after the show.

by Nicola Fox