Venue: Carling Academy Islington
Date: 2nd March, 2007
Summary: full house for some extreme metal.. somewhat bewildered crowd at times.

Necrophagist: Started a little shaky with the first song descending into a musical mess. They did pretty much nail the rest of the set though. Very technical pieces played with great skill. I'm sure over time this band is only going to get better.

Misery Index: I have no idea what Misery Index were trying to do. They just seemed like another grindcore/death band. The crowd did seem to warm to them over time and a small pit developed but most of the time the crowd was just staring at them.

Origin: Origin put on a good show. The bassist is really insane. His fingers move like some sort of twisted metal fit has taken over but the sounds are awesome. The singer seemed a little weak. I don't know if the tour had taken it's tole or the venue sound wasn't good for his vocals. I enjoyed their set though.

Diskreet: Didn't get to see Diskreet which is a shame. I got stuck in the pub again!

I Enjoyed the gig but I'm not sure the crowd did! Most of the time they were pretty static just standing there. Seemed to be a lot of under eighteen year olds and mostly men! There were some classic old metallers who were so drunk they were like walking zombies... ahh good times!

Phazm: Full pit for Phazm. They played really well and their panda make up was both funny and effective. Played well. Echos of Loud Blast in some of their performance.

Decapitated: Played a good if a short set. Sounded pretty good for the underworld. There was a bit pit and a very full crowd for their performance.

It was a good gig and really packed for a tuesday night. I think the fact it was half term in london really helped fill the underworld. There were a lot of fifteen year olds there. It's the first time in years I have seen a queue outside the Underworld.

This is the best sound I've heard at the underworld and as sad as it sounds I think it was because they kept the volume down to just a deafening level. Too often they overload the sound system in the underworld and it all turns to mush.

Venue: Carling Academy Islington

Date: 4th Nov, 2006

Summary: Excellent viking night out for all the family

Exterminator played a competent set. Generic death metal from Belgium. No notable songs.

Grave played a good gig cant remember much of them
Dismember I've seen dismember before and they are good musicians. They play fast and well. I do think that their sound just turns in to noise when they play live though. There were technical difficulties during the set with the lead guitarist cutting out. This didn't seem to affect the band members too much. They seemed to be having fun.
Unleashed Unleashed are a great band to see live. They have a good stage presence, they know how to get the crowd going and their viking lyrics and driving sound will push you in to the mosh. They don't take themselves too seriously which is good for band singing "death metal... no compromise". I enjoyed their set a lot.
Entombed Entombed lost a guitarist recently and it REALLY showed during the set. They really need to get another guitarist. Again sound problems really hurt their performance. Again the guitarist cut out a few times. When he was comng through the sound lacked thickness without the second guitar. I REALLY like Alex Hellid as a guitarist. I think he has a strong stage performance and is technically good but it's not enough I'm afraid. Having said all that I still really enjoyed their performance. They still crack out some classic tunes.
I had a good night. There was a large pit and a lot of friendly people. There seemed to be a lot of tourists taking pictures of themselves where I was standing.. I guess Sweden had a few less metal heads that weekend.

Venue: Camden Underworld

Date: 1st November, 2006

Summary: Large crowd but not as packed as I thought it would be for The Haunted

The Haunted did a good set. There was a large and aggressive pit. I expected the underworld to be heaving with people but it was moderately packed I would say. The Haunted went through a good selected of songs from their back catalogue and a few from their new. The new songs seem very weak compared to the older songs from 'The Haunted' and 'Made Me Do it'. On the whole it was a good performance but nothing spectacular. The singer confessed to being ill that night so at least they put an effort in.I don't remember the other bands at all! Sorry, who ever they are.

On a more sour note. You may notice there is no ticket for this gig. Getting tickets for this gig sucked. I normally buy tickets for Underworld gigs at the pub above the Underworld (The End of the World). A month before the gig they didn't have tickets. Two weeks before the gig they didn't have tickets and two days before they informed me I needed to buy the tickets from the Ticket Master website. This meant I had to pay a £1.44 service charge for basically a web server to say... "yep here you go dazza got a ticket'. Then when I get to the gig and present my credit card they have the cheek to tell me there are no tickets and I should just walk through. Muppets.

Venue: Logan Hall, Institute of Education

Date: 9th October, 2006

Summary: A great man reading from his great book with his wife... then answering a few questions.

I have never been to see Dawkins speak. I am familiar with his work. As a fellow atheist I find his work fascinating. I've been reading Dawkins 'The God Delusion' for the last few weeks so I was quite keen to hear him speak.

The hall, with an approximate capacity of 900 people, was packed. They had under estimated the crowd that would turn up for the gig and it took AGES to get in. Once we were all seated it took a further age for Dawkin to appear on stage. He appeared with his wife Lalla and a member of the Foyles family. Foyle apologised to the audience and took a poll of religious, agnostic and atheist people. As you might expect most people were atheist but I was pleased to see perhaps 100 religious and agnostic people.

As humble and unassuming as ever Dawkins proceeded to read from various chapters of his book for an hour or so. I was a bit disappointed that he spent a lot of time attacking the old testament of the Bible. I wasn't offended but I would expect a man of his stature to pick a slightly more difficult target. He made some good points about the morality of scripture and the absurdity of literalism where any religious text is concerned.

At the end Dawkins took questions from the audience. All the questions were of a good standard. Again I was disappointed that all the questions came from atheists. I was more interested in what non-atheists would ask Dawkins. Alas they didn't seem to get the microphone and we ran out of time (maybe a case of natural selection in action?)

All in all, if you've read the book and agree with it I see no reason to go to this show. Otherwise I would recommend everyone go. Dawkins is a charismatic speaker with great depth and warmth. He is also funny and knows how to lighten the mood creating a welcoming atmosphere. If I could change one thing it would be that I would have liked to hear from religious people. Dawkins goes to great lengths in The God Delusion to show that their beliefs while sometimes admirable are not true. Their response to this would be interesting to say the least.

Venue: Camden Underworld

Date: 13 October, 2006

Summary: Small crowd, no pit, blow average gig

Slit: Ashamed to say that I missed their set due to random people appearing in the World's End pub above the Underworld and distracting me. Looked like there would have been maybe 30 people there for the set so I guess a lot of people missed it.

Grimfist

Grimfist put on a good show, if a little short. They are a four piece band (drums, bass, singer, lead guitar). To be honest they need another guitar. Their live sound seems a little shallow during the solo's because there is nothing for the solo to lift up from. The turn out was very low again, maybe 50 people. There was no pit but the band gave all and it was a good show. I'd definitley go and see Grimfist again. Hopefully with a better crowd.

Red Harvest

I didn't like Red Harvest at all. I got the feeling that if they split up and formed two new bands with some more people brought in there would be two great bands. The members are obviously talented but it just wasn't working for me. I'm not a fan of their albums and I was hoping their live show would win me over. The singer has a great voice and a lot of stage presence. It just isn't enough. Again the crowd was small, maybe 80 people. No pit but I don't think Red Harvest musical style would start a pit.

Susperia

I've seen susperia three times before but this is the first time I've see them headline. They must have been disapointed to see perhaps 100 people in the crowd (the Underworld is a 500 capacity venue). I was personally suprised to see them headlining as I didn't think they could pull a london crowd. I guess I was right! I have a love hate relationship with Susperia. I like seeing them live. I don't like their CD's and I can't stand the bassist. They sound really good live and they always put a good show on for the crowd. The bassist however is an attention seeker and it draws attention away from the singer who should be the focus of for the crowd. Again there was no pit to speak of . Susperia did redeem themselves though with an encore and a covero f W.A.S.P's Wild Child. This rocked and was a great way to end the gig. Certainly better then the time they covered an AHA song!
Over all not a gig I will remember beyond the hangover.

Venue: Mean Fiddler (LA2), London
Date: 20 Sept, 2006
Summary: Full house, ok crowd, ok pit, Soilwork were excellent.

Exit 10: First time I've seen them. They appeared to be terrified of the crowd. There were a few fans in the crowd. The singer seemed to be more comfortable though offering a strong performance. He wasn't afraid of looking a fool and ran around like a nutter. He liked to stand on the amp stack. He should have told the lighting technicians this as he was often in the dark! On the whole they were too emo for me. There were a couple of songs that were heavy enough for me to enjoy. I think they will mature over time. I'd definitly see them again. First band I've ever seen to mention their MySpace page.. not sure if this is a good thing or an emo thing.

Lyzanaxia: I've seen and heard bands like this a thousand times. They were confident and technically good but generic. I think they need better song writing skills.

Soilwork: I've seen Soilwork before. They are an amazing live act. They didn't disappoint. From the first song they were a powerful live act. The pit was good and strong if a little small. Soilwork's front man worked with the crowd to create a great atmosphere. It's hard for them to be lame as their music is awesome. They played very well and selected a good mix of hard, manic and strong songs. Nothing emo was allowed on stage.

Mean Fiddler is my least favourite venue in London but Soilwork made it worth it. I had a great time.

Keep of Kalessin: Again, haven't heard this band before. Very good on stage. Very loud and the sound didn't cope with the much faster playing then Insomnium.

Satyricon: I have seen Satyricon before. I just dont remember it too well (oops). I have one Satyricon album and I dont like it too much. I really enjoyed the gig. They were EXCELLENT live. They really know how to put on a good show for the crowd. The sound system didn't cope well with their sound but their performance made up for it. Ended with Reign in Blood by Slayer. Can't go wrong with that. The gig was good enough to make me listen to Satyricon's CD's again to see if I can get hold of something.

In general I had a great night (primarily thanks to Satyricon's performance). The venue was good, well controlled, air conned. Shite beer though as its the CARLING academy. Good crowd... even the pissed 14 year olds that couldn't stand at the end.

Venue: Mean Fiddler (LA2), London
Date: 12 Sept, 2006
Summary: Packed house. Good humored crowd, shite beer, good pit.

1349: I haven't heard this band before... and I failed to hear them this time. The sound was terrible. The crowd seemed to like them though. Seemed like fairly generic Black metal to me.

Zyklon: I've seen Zyklon before. I own three albums by them. They are a good live band. They seem to enjoy playing live. The sound hampered my enjoyment. The first half of the gig seemed fairly standard. Good performance all round. Near the end they played some new material that reminded me of Slayer. The pit picked up after this and fun was had all round

Enslaved: Hadn't seem them before. Still feel like I haven't seen them. Average performance, technically good. Black metal doesnt play well at the LA2 due to the poor sound.

In general a good night out. Not the best mainly because the Mean Fiddler is a poor venue for anything other then slaughtering lambs.