March '24 Blog

Woooh, what a month! I have worked out that I have flown 4 times this month.. how exhausting! But, it was totally worth it.

I must begin by talking about the two incredible gigs that kicked my month off. Firstly I caught Dispute, Break Them HC and Devils Grip at The Castle Tav in Luton. This was a free gig but the class of performance and calibre of the bands did not feel like a free gig. All three blew me away but especially Devils Grip, I will be looking for their next local gig soon.

Then on the 10th, I saw Knocked Loose with Headbussa and Deaf Heaven as support. I could not believe how good the sound was for this show. Knocked Loose themselves said it was one of the best gigs they had ever played. After having seen them a few times before, I whole heartedly agree. They brought so much rage and violence to their performance that it was hard to not get involved. The only downside was that because it was a sold out gig, the crowd could not move as freely and there seemed to be a large amount of very inebriated people in the front, which made it a little less fun.

Late last year one of my favourite bands of all time, IDLES, announced their European tour with no word for a UK tour. Under the assumption that they may miss out the UK as I had heard they were going to confirm for Glastonbury, I convinced the hubbie to take a trip to Berlin with me to see them. Not two months after I had booked the tickets, flights and hotel, IDLES announced their UK dates. Ho hum, I guess I get to see them twice this year. 

Predictably, Berlin was incredible. I couldn't fit in everything I wanted to do but I think I had been slightly over ambitious with my plans. Nonetheless, we saw some of the great sights and managed to visit some great metal bars in the trendy Friedrichshain area. This city impressed me greatly and I am on board with catching another gig there one day. 

IDLES played the Max-Schmeling-Halle arena and absolutely smashed it. This tour showcases the latest album, TANGK and is currently being taken all over the globe, to be honest, it should be. The reception for them was incredible and I was very suprised that their hyper British references were so well recieved by a non-UK audience. Although, I will say, a German audience is not quite as rowdy and belligerent as us lot. They needed a bit of encouragement to create a wall of death and from what I could see, they were slightly more polite in the front rows. Probably a good thing, mind! The sound was incredible and the lighting enhanced the stories that front man, Joe Talbot, spat forth. 

We managed to get to their after party on the other side of Berlin and enjoyed the atmosphere with the band until the wee hours. It felt like an honour to share the space with them after they had played so well to such a large crowd. 

Just a couple of weeks after returning home, I flew out to Glasgow to catch legendary Santa Cruz Hardcore band, DRAIN. They played Slay which is a small, barrierless venue. It's like it was made for Hardcore. DRAIN did play Alexandra Palace a few days previously with Neck Deep but to be honest, Neck Deep are not my thing at all and a barriered venue just would feel wrong!

I managed to get fairly close for this gig and was swept up in the chaos. Lead singer Sammy Ciaramito spent a large portion of the gig either in the pit himself or lending the mic to a fan. This level of crowd participation is second to none. I once read in an interview that he knows that no one has more fun at their gigs than him and I agree!

Although an exhausting month, I have created some incredible memories and I have almost broken the back of my flying phobia!

I realise we are halfway through April so I will get quicker with these. Please do check out my instagram and TikTok to get regular updates and reviews on gigs (both Cece_Lawless).