Novana (Nirvana tribute) @ The O2 Academy Liverpool review

Its been 20 years since In Utero was released and we have come to the O2 Academy Liverpool to see the tribute Novana play it in full, or at least that's what I thought but instead we were to receive a more robust rendition of Nirvana's works which in my opinion was the better option.

Supported by the wonderful Matchstick Men, the group came on to some minor microphone difficulties which were soon put right by the technician in mid scream from lead singer James Cooper.

What followed was a hitch-free set covering everything you would want from a Nirvana gig and from the outset they kept the crowd rocking. Playing hits like Rape Me, Heart shaped box and Lithium the audience were loving every minute of it and the obligatory shout outs for the favourite songs came thick and fast.

When finally Feels Like Teen spirit kicked in the people went wild. It's been a long time since I've seen a crowd doing and actually being allowed to do a mosh pit in a venue but they weren't holding back and even at one point crowd surfing.

All in all a great night with a great atmosphere, great dialogue between lead singer James and the Liverpool crowd and a great set of songs to go with it although I personally thought 90 mins a bit long I'm sure the audience members would disagree. 

New Single from Grunge/Alt-Rock Trio, Blind Wives

Release no. 2 from Blind Wives comes in the form of Spall, a 3 track single with bite, huge dynamics, catchy riffs and vocal hooks. We believe this release sets the bar high for this new band and will define their sound and songwriting style for the future.

Blind Wives take a real DIY attitude to everything they do. Their debut EP and this single were recorded, mixed and produced by the band but this time, TJ Lipple added his touches at the mastering stage. Continuing that DIY ethos, for this release Blind Wives produced their own video which was filmed on an old VHS camcorder as they wanted a natural, gritty look to the video. As with the production of the record, Blind Wives storyboarded, filmed and edited this video themselves.

Blind Wives' grunge approach to alt rock sees them take influences from Queens of the Stone Age, Reuben, Torche, Biffy Clyro and Kerbdog. While their hard work and energetic live show has so far seen them support notable acts Axis Of, Shapes, Paws, Hold Your Horse Is, Alpha Male Tea Party and Crusades

Far Plain - Human Forbidden album review

In March 2008, Will Attewell went into the studio with Jeff Alcaras to tape the first FAR PLAIN demo. Heavily influenced by the 90's, they produced 3 grungy rock titles to start the FAR PLAIN adventure rolling. Very quickly the irresistible need to perform live was felt and became a reality as Guillaume Jockey (The Four Horsemen), Fred Beauvais (Nutshell) and Marileen (Hide & Sick) joined the group.

After a series of performances, the group went back into the studio (aug 2009), with producer Phil Alcaras, to record "Portae Lucis" (Studio de la côte); the first official album of FAR PLAIN. A year with many concerts followed, forging a place for the group on the french scene. A considerable number of important articles (VS Webzine, Paville 666, Metal France and French Metal), success in radio OUI FM's "Oui Love Myspace" competition and a thoughtful piece in ROCK & FOLK propulsed FAR PLAIN into orbit amongst the leading lights of the French "Alternative Rock Music Mouvement".

FAR PLAIN started recording their 2nd Opus, "Human Forbidden" in September 2010 in collaboration with a label. A change of group members has brought in NùN (Eric Blanchard) replacing Marileen on the bass guitar for all live performances.

Human Forbidden” is heavy, very heavy, yet at times very catchy album. The album have also very intense filled with good, strong riffs, mixed with some nice acoustic tracks  ( “Tired” “One More Crush”) which brings a nice balance to the material. Although at times this was very repetiive I'm sure that Far Plain fans will find this a great addition to their collection.

Ringo Deathstar @ The 02 Academy Liverpool

Ringo Deathstarr. Sound like something out of Star Wars? Well nothing could be further. Hailing from Austin, Texas the trio consisting of singer and guitarist Elliott Frazier , Bassist Alex Gehring and Drummer Daniel Coborn have gone through numerous line up changes to end up at the O2 Academy supporting The Wedding Present.

Their sound is an amalgamation of Grunge, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain but with more of the intensity that Nirvana brought to the world.

The first thing you notice about the band is the contrasting figures within the band. Elliot with his intense, downtrodden and focused image along side Alex’s rock chick look and with Daniel on drums counter-acting the both of them with his almost bright and cheeky look the trio work because of the variation. As does the contrasting vocals from Elliot and Alex. His deep, disturbed sound as opposed to Alex’s high pitched approach which puts you a little off guard at times.

The music itself is full on. Elliot’s guitar thrashing and wailing reminiscent of Mr Cobain himself. Throwing himself into the guitar solos with total abandonment helped along by Alex’s more down beat bass playing.

Unfortunately it seemed the soundman at the 02 had not done his job as the bands vocals were barely audible and the music drowning out the lyrics of which I would have liked to hear and with not much consideration for the band itself in the form of still showing the upcoming events on screens either side of the stage did not help the band showcase themselves properly, which I felt was a shame as they seem to have a lot of potential and would likely attract a good audience of young and old due to their new yet old sound.

http://www.myspace.com/ringodeathstarr

Courtney Love talks of Kurt Cobain death

Courtney Love says her husband Kurt Cobain died because he was an 'oblivion seeker'.

The 'Celebrity Skin’ singer and the late Nirvana frontman - who committed suicide in 1994 – experimented with numerous drugs throughout their relationship, including heroin, but while she just wanted to get high on occasions Kurt possessed a nihilistic streak.

She said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper: 'He had his drug life. He was an oblivion seeker. I never wanted that. I was the kind of drug addict that just wanted to be comfortable in my skin. Escapism once in a blue moon. Kurt would just go on until he dropped. So he died, that wasn’t fun.'

Courtney, 45, believes she was made a scapegoat in the wake of his death and admits it came as a shock for her to be so unpopular, especially in the US.

The rocker – who had a daughter, 17-year-old Frances Bean, with Kurt – added: 'Being a scapegoat was new for me. I sometimes got the feeling Kurt enjoyed that I pissed people off. I didn’t like it at all.'