Tunbridge Wells Forum does Metal Special - Loudly and locally.18th March 2009

I have to say, it turned out to be a very good night after all. Not many people were at the forum, a couple of metalheads, ongoers, the usuals, but it just turned out to be a pretty well-balanced night. lots of thrashing, headbanging, falling down (a lot, in my case), and beer.

As we all gathered round the stage and walls, we were approached by the first band, Gokkun (apologies for linking to a myspace page but they don't have Last.fm), and I have to say, the first song blew me off, it was insanely hardcore. As I was telling everyone after and the day after they played,t hey reminded me of Throwdown mixed with a bit of Killswitch Engage, and a lot of hardcore influence like Lamb of God, Bleeding Through, ChaseMotive, etc. the list goes on. Nevertheless, it was insanely nut-grabbingly good, as you'll see by this picture.
As you can probably tell by the picture, it was harsh, the vocals were a lot of shouty shouty, and the screams were.....hardcore, basically. fucking heavy. I loved all the songs they played, even though my mate kept dragging me out for a fag and I kept moaning that I wanted to go back inside to her because they were really good. But it was really good, I loved the aggression, he jumped about on stage alot, which impressed me because not many people were inside the forum at this point.


Nevertheless, our local musical prog metal geniuses continued on the stage. France, the lead singer, announced Ghost In Mirrors and a lot of cheers were heard.
Now, I've seen these guys twice before, and watching these guys is pretty inspiring. I first saw them with Matt Furby at the Forum and they played an excellent show, so I knew what I was expecting, and I got what I expected. A set of intricate, beautifully constructed yet powerful prog with carefully constructed synths and solos everywhere.
Ghost in Mirrors, I can no doubt say, have an unbeaten streak of excellent live shows. The bass was tapping, the drums were double-beating at intense moments, and the guitar was beautifully singing to the audience. I have to give kudos to the guitarist though, he's so concentrated at his gigs, it's unbelievable, and he gets everything just right, even bending down to focus on timing and techniques.
Very interesting band, I can see they worked so hard to create and play their music. As part of the crowd, we were having the jam of our lives during smooth moments and rocking out during the heavy times. Loved it.

After they played, the stage cleared, and everyone silenced.
22 mars 2009 - Written By Sherman Leung.

http://www.lastfm.fr/user/gravitypoint/journal/2009/03/22/2l2ndz_tunbridge_wells_forum_does_metal_special_-_loudly_and_locally.

Damsels Of Destruction Festival at Bridgehouse, London by Al Duncan

So back to London and the Bridgehouse 2 for Damsels of Destruction. Hell of a place to get to especially due to the lack of tubes running. Hi to Bob, Richard, both Chris's and everyone I met.
Winter Storm were first up and made the trip worthwhile on their own, great stuff guys. then it was Achilla and the day got better! Wonderful set and really got things rockin. Could it get better? Oh yes .. Apparition with the beautiful Sam in only her 2nd gig with the band( not that you would notice) made the trip from Scotland worthwhile on their own. special thanks to Sam for chatting and also for being there on Sunday.
Crimson Tears continued the upward trend, with a magical set that I thoroughly enjoyed and just as well cos it was them that I came to see! Fantastic stuff from Liz on vocals backed by the band in great style!..rock on! Triaxis were pretty good too, but by that time the early start and journey began to take its toll and I retired to my hotel early, so sorry to those I didn't see. £40 to get back to the hotel in a taxi ( I love London!)
On Sunday the tubes were even worse and it was a nightmare to get there and it seemed to show with the reduced number of fans at the venue, a great shame for Steve who put so much effort into the weekend.
A mention for a few band only here... Aceldama (ASELDARMA) opened ( well they were first after I got there) and to be honest it would have been worth my trip just to see them, I really enjoyed their set and bought a CD.
Psycho Baby were a welcome change from the heavy sounds of the weekend and a bright and refreshing band with some brilliant musicians and a stunning singer in Sally-Anne ( and not just her legs, she really has a great voice!)

Then a surprise....Ghost in Mirrors...... they turned out to be a revelation and made my weekend... I loved them...fantastic vocals from France and a really tight sound from the boys. Took a lot of pics and a video ( will post it soon) and had a blasyt.. thanks guys.. I see a great future for you.

Into the woods finished the weekend and were superbe, a great way to rock out the night and send me home smiling ( and deaf in my right ear!)
Spoke to Steve after the gig, he assures me there will be a repeat next June and I have pencilled it into my calendar.
Overall a great weekend despite the remote location and the poor London transport (God help London during the Olympics!) , the venue itself is pretty damn good and it really rocked all weekend and the fans were all friendly (as are all metal fans). this deserves to be a popular and regular event on the metal calendar.
Another £40 taxi ride later ( It cost more to cross London than it did to fly from Scotland!) and I was back at my hotel.
god I love these events...more please!
Al Duncan

Ghost In Mirrors @ BARFLY, 26th March 2009 By Adam Richardson. www.glasswerk.co.uk

The Barfly is impressively full for a Thursday night as openers Doll and the Kicks, of soon-to-support-Morrissey fame, impress with a strong set of exciting indie numbers with big choruses, they’re a promising package. Once the Kicks leave the stage the crowd gradually begins to diminish, though co-supports Spiked and Jukebox Vandals play enjoyable sets that justify their places on the bill, both full of bouncy punky numbers, inspiring some movement on the floor.

Headliners Ghost in Mirrors take the stage and immediately captivate courtesy of frontlady France’s brooding stage presence. With a metally sound that’s a departure from anything else we’ve heard tonight, Ghosts boast great atmospheric riffage and a heavy rhythm section, over which France soars with beautiful moody vocals. They finish with Across the Seas and Oceans, my personal favourite, and bringing to mind Bjork having jamming with the Deftones, it merits enthused headbanging from the now intimate crowd. Though the shrinking turnout was a disappointment, the headliners gave it everything in a high-energy performance and surely will be seen rocking bigger audiences at bigger venues before too long. For more information you can visit: http://www.ghostinmirrors.com

http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/london/7974/Ghost+In+Mirrors

By Adam Richardson, Wednesday 15th April 2009 05.13pm