Friday 8th December 06 - Bliszko at Dempseys, Cardiff By Marianne Fox

When you look at the three members of Bliszko you don't know what to expect. Their image doesn't give anything away which adds to the charm of this ambiguous three piece. As soon as their set is underway you realise why ... it isn't like anything else on the scene, and you realise this pioneering band don't seem to know how special they are.

They have the right blend of melody and mystery to their songs, adding to their sustainability, you know that if you got to take a CD home it would grow and grow on you. It is a sound difficult to compare to any modern bands but if I had to divulge, I would liken it to the passion of Skunk Anansie blended with the rawness of Hole and the intelligence and maturity of Placebo. It is dark, it is sweet, it is passionate and fulfilling all at the same time. Bliszko take you on a journey as their set progresses you can't help but fall in love with them. The band clearly adore what they do and it shows...from the front woman's onstage antics (how does someone who must have such small lungs make that much noise?!) to the passion of the drummer, smacking the cymbals in what can only be described as a blur of metal and teeth.

The bassist performs it calm and cool which is how he plays, it is another unintentional lure in the Bliszko camp as his pace and ability surpass the outward show of effort.

Bliszko, throughout the set, look like they are playing as if their lives depended on it, whilst at the same time manage to make the whole thing seem like the most natural thing in the world. It all works quite well and you can't take your eyes off the dinky diva up front. Anna Williams is fiesty, foxy, emotionally intoxicating...the performance is passionate and mesmorising, making Bliszko's raw and powerful vibe a must see extravaganza that will reel you in and leave you wanting more... They release their single next year but check out their website at www.bliszko.com in the meantime and catch them at the Hornblower in Newport on the 12th January - if you are adding gig dates to your calendar for next year make sure you add these...one to watch out for and highly recommended!

Music Reviews - 10th November 2006 - The Beautiful South at The Fillmore, San Francisco By Simon Robinson
	As The Beautiful South file onto stage they are greeted with rapture. Launching straight into catchy new album opener The Rose Of My Cologne the appreciative throng sways to the Country guitar riff. With the opening bars of second number Old Red Eyes is Back the audience really bursts into life. From that moment on we're all putty in the hands of Heaton et al., Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 3rd December 06 - Sounds of the City featuring Signe Tollefsen and Ade Webb at the Lamp Hull By Michelle Dee
	I'd been excited, ever since I heard that the acclaimed Dutch solo artist Signe Tollefsen was to return to play Hull. Fighting against the wind on a very blustery Sunday evening Jane and I welcomed the chance to sit down at one of the candlelit tables inside The Lamp. We bought a pleasing light Ale that went by the name of Clarks and listened to DJ Freeman Read more...

Music, Reviews - Wednesday 29th November - Lostprophets at Hull Arena By Pat Gleeson
	Hull, it's not normally one of those cities that generally appears on the touring bill of a band with a multi platinum status. But none the less tonight is a little different. Its great to see a band like Lostprophets vow to visit all the cities they have never played before and liberate the whole country as it were, but the Pontypridd natives know all too well about how important Read more...

Music Reviews - The Flaming Lips at the Manchester Apollo By Joe Hakim
	The guy behind the desk barely lifted his eye-lids to speak to us. I had to reach over and point to my name in the book. "Oh yeah," he said, as he said as he highlighted my name. "Your room's upstairs." After I got my shit together I went downstairs to the bar. It quickly became apparent that this half man/half tortoise was acting as barman Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 24th October 06 - The Tender Box, City of Glass and The Talks at The Lamp By Michelle Dee Photographs by Kate Langan
	It's hard to pin down The Talks' sound. Their music rides down different streets in a two-tone beaten up Ford Anglia. It's back to the days of bouncy ska and white boy reggae rhythms; knees up numbers with the occasional indie twist, that'll knock you into a pork pie hat. Ring leaders Pat guitar vocals and Joe guitar and backing vocals formed the group in August after a number of Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 25th September The Romance She Likes Parties and The So and So's at the Sesh Linnet and Lark Hull By Michelle Dee Photographs by Kate Langan
	After a cancellation by local band Hospital Fight Grimsby band the So and So's found themselves down at the Sesh for their Hull debut. After seeing them at the Bridging the Gap Lincoln Gig at Christopher's earlier this year I was looking forward to see them live again. They took to the sesh stage and immediately were beset with problems. First of Read more...

Music, Bands- An Interview with The Holloways at Yo-Yo - Saturday 21st October 06 By Michelle Dee
	Tonight was the London based band's third appearance in Hull, the two previous gigs being at Ringside supporting Towers Of London and a show at The Lamp during the heat wave in July. This tour is now described as the fucking hot tour by Dave, the band's drummer. The band recalled the crowd at the Lamp describing the mix of people as very strange. There were those who had Read more...

Music Reviews - Zhain Down Under - Auckland, New Zealand By Tony
	Well, after the knock out show in Glasgow ( read the review here ) I decided to bite the bullet and tag along with Zhain on their shows Down Under. I have family in New Zealand so I combined the trip with visiting them. I could only catch the show at The Dogs Bollix in Auckland, I dare not risk getting lynched by the family if I did not visit them, and what a show it was. Boy the flight to N.Z Read more...

Saturday 21st October 06 - Razorlight, The Like and Boy Least Likely To at Hull Ice Arena By Michelle Dee
	Strangely he wasn't getting mobbed by screaming fans which I would have expected from all the publicity and hype surrounding the band. I glanced over to him he looked back, nothing was said, it was good. Inside the packed out arena after what seemed like an inordinately long wait, the first of the special guest's came on to fire everyone up. Read more...

Music Reviews 13th October 06 The Automatic at Asylum Hull University By Alison and Hannah
	Friday 13th October, unlucky for some, but not for The Automatic fans who were treated to a flamboyant 50 minute set from the Cardiff born quartet. Support was from two bands, one of which was so crap we can't even remember the name. The other of which was amazing - Mumm-ra ... Don't even ask me what the name means- it's a Topcat character Read more...

Music Reviews - 9th 0ctober Monday Nex Above It All and The Clauberg Opera at Ringside Hull By Michelle Dee Photographs by Kate Langan
	Having only seen The Clauberg Opera previously in the darkened confines of the Adelphi I found tonight's setting rather strange. The absence of light was replaced with dancing coloured spots and a disco ball. One of the reasons Clauberg took this gig apart from their desire to pick up as many gigs as possible was to try out a shortened version of their set. Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 7th September 06 - Dirty Rotten White Boys at Staks, Beverley Road By Michelle Dee Photographs by Andrew Lord and Dennis Low
	An air of something between curiosity and anticipation fills the Staks Café Bar. Tonight is the last of these popular Thursday nights of acoustic artists and bands and Alex Haribo Hunter's new band Dirty Rotten White Boys second ever gig. They reflect the ethos that everybody wants to be in a band these days and embrace the rock n roll lifestyle. Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 31st August 06 - Zhain at Vox at The Vale, Glasgow By Tony
	What is it about a band that makes you want to see them again and again and even buy their CD? If a stock answer existed every band would subscribe to the formula and be a success. Luckily, different answers exist making rock'n'roll so diverse and exciting. It is an amalgam of so many things, music, image, personality, projection and Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 1st October 06 - Shindigg - Soup at Certificate 18, York By Lyle Tuttle Photographs By Kate Langan
	By the time the portentous quip, If I keep myself low I'll never drop is delivered, David Tomlinson is half naked. Fluorescent lighting is unable to penetrate the shadow the brim of an army surplus hat has cast over his eyes, and assuming that those eyes have again glassed over as they had done by this time last week at The Adelphi, we notice that there exists a new Read more...

Music Reviews - 2nd October 06 - Soho Dolls Paparazzi Whore and Dance Bastards (debut) at Asylum Hull University By Michelle Dee Photographs by Kate Langan
	After hearing on the grapevine about new girls, Dance Bastards and also watching the cutting edge video created on a shoe string I was looking forward to their debut gig. I had checked them out for a few weeks on myspace -watched that stark video a good few times- and had the song Suckerrr firmly implanted in my head. As the girls take Read more...

Music Reviews - 25th September 06 Sleepers Acoustic Night With AfterGlow By Michelle Dee
	I just spent a very enjoyable evening in the pub Sleepers on Newland Avenue; just the other side of the railway bridge. First of all I drank a pint of Caffreys Cold. Now any connoisseur will know how good it is to start a night with a Caffreys. The cold just makes it that little bit better. Next I believe was the wheat based beer similar to Hoegaarden. Read more...

Music Reviews - Wednesday 27th September 06 - Kill Surf City The Holy Orders and The Neat at The Lamp By Michelle Dee Photos By Mo
	After a hop, skip and a jump I arrive at the Lamp with Dave lead singer of Kill Surf City. Sound checks are under way in the newly refurbished performance space and I leave him and the band to deal with the technical issues. I take this opportunity to do a brief interview with new band The Neat. Having seen the post punk outfit supporting The Dirty Dreamers Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 10th September 06 - Fonda 500 at The Mela Festival at Pearson Park By Becky Martin Photographs by Kate Langan
	As we slowly made our way to Pearson Park dragging our tired limbs behind us from a drunken night at Spiders, we emerge in the middle of the Hull Mela 06, a celebration of Hull's cultural diversity and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle, with its catchphrase of bring nothing but an open mind. The grassroots-style venue is a huge mixing pot of different cultures, foods, Read more...

Music Reviews - Stop It You're Killing Me, Monkey Boy and Freaks Union at The Adelphi By Becky Martin Photographs by Kate Langan
	The crowd's full of teeny-bopper emos and hardcore metal fans tonight in a glorious mixture of piercings, tattoos and spiky mohicans, as Stop It You're Killing Me kick off the rock night with their own brand of heavy guitars, energetic drums, and screechy vocals. The hot female bass player weaves in her own soft vocals towards the end of their set earning them a great reception Read more...

Music Reviews - 6th September 06 The Cherry Cobb Cartel at Durty Nellies By Michelle Dee
	So here's the set up you take an old Irish pub introduce a few musicians who jam their way through popular covers. Hits from Chuck Berry to U2, The Beatles to The Eagles with perhaps a few soul standards thrown in for good measure. This blend of talent and refreshment paves the way to a relaxed evening of fun socialising. Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 17th August 06 - The Tommys and Garden Gang at The Lamp By Becky Martin Photographs By Kate Langan
	The set couldn't have been more varied as Lamp proudly presents Garden Gang and The Tommys, one high energy glam punk rock fest, and the other contemporary girl rock that'll knock your socks off! German born band Garden Gang kick off their set with a mixture of influences including American 50's rock'n'roll, 70's punk and the new wave Read more...

Music Reviews - 22nd September 06 - Tonik The Shine and AfterGlow at The New Adelphi Club By Michelle Dee Photos By Mo
	Tonight is a night for Cilla to have a blow out; god knows she of all people deserves one. We arrive in a very wet Adelphi car park where great puddles make the footing precarious and more than one person ended up ankle deep in cold, muddy water. Perhaps some kindly building contractor might dump half a ton of aggregate on the car park next time they pass. Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 21st September 06 - Freaks Union 10th Anniversary Show with Monkey Boy and Stop It You're Killing Me at The Adelphi By Michelle Dee Photos By Mo
	Lads sporting fine Mohican hair do's standing tall, ladies in their tightest t-shirts, make up done just so. These are the punk kids piling in to the Adelphi during a heat wave. Tonight the celebrated punk band Freaks Union are putting on a special show to commemorate ten years in the business; ten good years as front man Jimbo proudly announced. Read more...

Music Reviews - 19th September 06 - Paul The Girl and Matt Edible at the New Adelphi By Michelle Dee
	Its blisteringly hot the air cons knackered there are young louts on stage pretending to be bad ass gangstas from da Bronx with little or nothing to say. They go on about being open to ideas, accepting everyone for what they are and being free doing what you do, but it is all bullshit. Judging by the racket they were making in the corridor whilst the visiting Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 17th September Aberfeldy Catherine Feeny and The Rocky Nest New Adelphi Club By Michelle Dee
	What a delightful night of live music; once again I found myself down at the Adelphi Club in Hull. A night with a strong billing that attracted a fine knowledgeable crowd. Aberfeldy the Scottish folk/electro five piece on their third visit to Hull not counting the two nights supporting The Beautiful South at the City Hall in July I arrived just after eight Read more...

Music Reviews - Leeds Festival - Part One By Joe Hakim Photos By Stuart Mountain and Mak
	My mates decided to throw a party the night before we were due to set off for Leeds. I initially thought about taking it easy, but the alcohol began to flow and before I knew it I was as pissed as a fart. Some of my mates went outside to have a game of football in the street, so I necked a half and sat on the windowsill and watched them play. Unfortunately, Read more...