Music – Fooyah – Ian Parish

May 8 2026

Smash Into Pieces – Electric Ballroom, Camden

I spent a school night recently in the big smoke. I took a train from Ebbsfleet International Station to north-ish London and then tubed it to Camden Town. The reason for travel was to watch a few bands at the Electric Ballroom. I had a nice, but expensive, burger for dinner. I also bought two drinks and that came in at more than GBP20 in The Worlds’ End, I know I’m old but this seemed very expensive, I miss the days of drinks in the Officers’ Mess. The Electric Ballroom was a new venue to me and I liked it. There was plenty of space, the bars were large and one of them was sheltered around a corner, you could escape easily.

First up were Dark Divine, a band from Florida which isn’t their fault I guess. I enjoyed their music. The singer was a good frontman and worked the crowd well. They genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. The music was standard metal. The usual singer with a good voice doing growly stuff and the guitarist sand the deep growl. The lead singer was chatty with the crowd and really seemed to be enjoying the whole show so that was nice.

Second band was Enemy Inside which was our main reason for attending this gig.

I enjoyed their show. I felt it was, again, pretty standard metal. It was good fun although part way through I needed to move to the bar so I could rest my back. The damn muscles in my lower back have been painful for about two weeks now and standing watching a show was not helping. Enemy Inside were good enough for me to seek out their music on iTunes and pay for some albums. I’ll put it on when I’m working.

The headliners were Smash Into Pieces. Smith and I weren’t that bothered about watching them but we stayed for a couple of songs. To be honest it was nice to have an evening out and still get home at a sensible time which meant I wasn’t absolutely fucked for work the next day. Yes, I understand that makes me old, but that’s where we are in this life so far.

Smash Into Pieces seemed reasonably heavy to start. The guitars were pretty cool. But I have some observations. . . . The drummer wears a mask – whoopee do, seen it before. Some people in the crowd thought it was really cool. I didn’t care particularly. The light show was pretty cool with lasers and shit, again the youngsters seemed impressed. The singers voice was really weird. I did not like it. It grated. I listened to some songs when I got home to see what the rest of their produce was like and it was a lot more keyboardy and less heavy. The singers voice still grated and that’s a big no-no for me. It’s a bit like Muse – I’ve tried to listen to their stuff, really tried and I should like it – but I can’t cope with the voice. This band’s live voice was not good. Maybe he’s having a bad night but it was poor.

Overall, I had a good evening. Good company, Smith, nice food in my current dieting time of life and a couple of bands I really enjoyed in a new venue, in bed before midnight. Worth it.

April 16 2026

Because It Happened

This video on my channel over at YouTube is just a bunch of people pretending to be Slipknot and having fun. That is all.

April 12 2026

Orchard Battle

A few days ago I went to Dartford – somewhere I’d not been before – and spent some time with Jock and their family at the theatre. Dartford seemed a curious place, the railway station building was very curvy and pretty, the car park for the station was not on any road signs but was reasonably priced for the evening. The road to the station passed next to one of the platforms and it seemed a little strange for the train to be right next to the road. I was visiting the Orchard Theatre as Jock’s son was in a battle of the bands there. The theatre was pretty much next to the station but as we approached it had scaffolding and was cordoned off. We walked around the building following the signs for the entrance and didn’t find one. We walked around the building twice. There were definitely arrows pointing in a particular direction so we were following the correct route.

After two complete circuits of the building and no entrance found a local asked us if we were looking for the theatre, yes, we replied. It’s over there and he pointed to what looked like an industrial park. Not far away we could see a marquee style tent and a small banner saying Orchard Theatre. It turns out that while works are being done on the actual theatre the whole organisation had moved to a temporary location in a tent. To be honest, it was quite well done and there was plenty of seating, toilets and a bar, you know, all the usual theatre stuff. We met Jock and his family and then proceeded to the auditorium to watch the battle commence.

The first three bands were under 18s and then after the first break it was the grown ups turn. The first band, Kaira, were a thrash metal band and I’m not sure that the audience was ready for them. I didn’t recognise their songs but I did like their style of music. Next up was Blacktone, They played some great songs and really looked like they were enjoying it, the singer was super excited! The final youth band was Wishbone, who played indie music with some excellent close harmony vocals – it wasn’t my kind of stuff but they did well struggling through some technical difficulties. We all voted for Blacktone.

Of the adult bands I think the first band, One Hash Brown, were musically the best. They seemed to have quite an indy sound and it wasn’t my style of music but they did well. The middle band were called The Resolve and they genuinely looked like a middle-aged divorced dads band. They played some classics and were well polished. The final band, Cabin Pressure, played well but again, it wasn’t my style of music.

Of the younger bands, Blacktone won and will now have that excellent ego boost and the chance to spend some time in a recording studio. I’m glad they won. The Resolve won the adult part of the competition and as they played the best crowd pleasers I’m sure they deserve it. I’m sure all the other bands will go on to do good things. It’s great to see such talent and musicians trying to make it in the tough music business.

February 8 2026February 10 2026

Ashbury Heights – Downstairs At The Dome

Smith and I went to see Ashbury Heights last night. I had seen them before at Mera Luna but this was the first time I had seen them headlining their own show. This was a new venue for me and the easiest way to get there was to drive into town. I booked parking at the Tufnell Park Tavern, which, when looked at from street view, looks like a shit pub. You know the type, Sky sports wall to wall and Farage voters inside. But, I have to say the pub was really nice and welcoming, we had a drink there after the gig and it was lovely. One of the staff explained that if I park there again then if I have a drink the parking is free – something I’ll think about for the next time I’m in this area.

While driving to the venue I noticed a lot of Arsenal Football Club fans and realised I must have been close to the stadium they use. They weren’t too much of a problem although there were some local road closures to ensure people could move between the transport links and the stadium safely. I didn’t mind this. I did mind being held at a T-junction by a police motorbike. It turned out I was stopped to allow a convoy of big vehicles through. I don’t know who it was, probably either the Prime Minister or the Prince Of Wales. I was annoyed because I don’t think anyone is important enough for a convoy like that. People are equal and I don’t care what anyone else says. I have just googled where the PM was and Facebook seems to think he was at the match. I guess being in a Range Rover isn’t as cool as the helicopters I saw flying Barack Obama when I was in DC.

Before the gig we ate at what I described as a bakery with a cheeky restaurant at the back but it turned out to be a Greek street food café type thing. It was genuinely really nice and good value it was called Pitta Republic but it was hidden in the back of Intrepid Bakers. We then found the venue and it was quite standard. Black painted walls, a bar, a merch area and basically an open space, hall shaped that can fit 300 people. There weren’t really any quirky aspects to the venue, which was actually nice. The sound system was good and the set up was well balanced. The only slight issue was any lighting from the front didn’t seem to be working, otherwise, impressive.

First band up were Promenade Cinema who were already playing when we arrived. It was fine. There was a keyboardist and a singer. The songs had no real variation in them, no tempo changes or melody changes. Like I said it was fine. I did find myself wondering what to do with my arms during their set. I wasn’t clapping along so my arms just felt oddly in the way, I didn’t know where they should be. I tried behind my back, crossed, hands in pockets but they just felt “in the way” during this band. I think that means I was bored.

Ghostbells were up next and before the gig they handed out a load of plastic bracelets that had pinkish- red lights in them. The whole crown had them on their arms during this set and I thought that was a really nice touch. This band were better, their songs had variation and guitars. The singer had really good microphone control to make her singing fit with the music and changes in volume – I don’t know why I noticed this but it made me happy. I enjoyed it. I’d see them again quite happily.

The headliners were amazing. Musically excellent, great personalities, really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I could stay close all through the set as my neck started aching and given it’s been rough for over a month I moved towards the back to relax and be able to move my head a little easier. Ashbury Heights played a lot of bangers. Songs I’ve heard before and some off the album I have by them. It was an impressive display of musicianship from a band who have been around a long time. I really enjoyed it.

January 3 2026

Clever Breakdown

I browse Reddit and I think it’s the only main type of social media that I do look at. Today I saw an image which had a breakdown of my favourite types of music. I thought I’d share it here and you can see the type of stuff I like.

October 21 2025October 22 2025

Keg

Every now and then it’s well worth jumping around in front of a crowd and hitting things. I would always suggest that you do this in a safe space and also where everyone knows what’s going on. I did this recently and I had a great time. Not sure what to do if we play more songs though. How do I top that?

August 22 2025

M’era Luna 2025

There now follows a summary of my time in Germany this summer at the M’era Luna festival. This one will be known as the first one where we had VIP passes to the Hannover EBM marquee and beer.

On Thursday we woke early to head to Heathrow. Flight was good. Landed at Hannover and got the train to town. Found our “hotel” which was a box hotel. We elft our bags and headed off to meet friends. We saw quite a lot from the top of the new town hall but the best bit was the lift that took us to the top dome. It curved inside the building so the floor was level at the start but not at the end. It is more of a tourist attraction that actually being at the top. We ate at a Greek restaurant that night after seeing our room which was small (expected) and a very curious design. The floor smelt of piss though. We popped to the Maschsee Fest then headed back to the hotel, I had been up since 0400.

Friday was a train journey to Hildesheim, get wristbands and buy shuttle bus tickets to the site. We had to wait for tickets, wait for the bus and then it took two hours to get to the site and the traffic around Hildesheim was fucked. But, once at the site we found a pre-made tent and chilled. We had arrived in Hildesheim at 1045 and arrived at M’era Luna at 1600. Ants seemed to be attacking our tent but when we returned after the bands they had moved on, maybe we weren’t their correct flavour of person. Strangely for M’era Luna there were bands on the Friday night. I think this was because it’s 25 years of the festival and so a special occasion. Lord Of The Lost played and also released their album on the same day.

Lord Of The Lost – Friday headline set, a good show, lots of fireworks, your man singer from Unzucht (now Oomph!) came on stage to sing a song about M’era Luna.

After the bands I showered. There were no lights in the shower tent and no shower curtains. This is sometimes how things go. Also, definitely not the worst shower I’ve ever been in.

Saturday bands went as follows:

Null Positiv – main stage. Good metal. Female singer. I enjoyed it. Well structured songs. Good audience engagement.

Chris Harms – club stage. He’s the singer from Lord Of The Lost. 80s fucking shit. Good songs I guess but left me really cold.

Tanzwut – main stage. Rock with bagpipes.

Ambassador 21 – club stage. Fucking angry industrial. Great set. Ended with Power Rage Riot Death.

Funker Vogt – club stage. It just misses live. Can listen to their stuff not live. It’s just a little boring live. Good atmosphere though.

Faderhead – club stage. Fucking great. Excellent songs. Good vibe. Really good. My absolute best of the weekend.

Solar Fake – club stage. Solid set. Elliott MF Berlin on keyboards and guitar at times. He had so much energy. Not quite excellent though.

Eisbrecher – main stage. Excellent show as ever. The sound was really impressive.

Sunday things included watching bands, meeting people, checking train times for Monday and having a good time. The train times is a pain as you work from your flight time and keep subtracting time until you find out “get up” time, which was about 0600. This meant there was time for one missed connection but not two.

Beyond border – Main stage. All right. Two farmer dads and their son. Left to see:

Corlyx– club stage. Female singer. Good bass. Hate the guitars, very “The Cure”.

Manntra – main stage. Viking looking but good metal/rock. Classic metal with good audience participation.

Schattenmann– main stage. Metal. Liked the voice of the singer. Good show but left to:

Noisuf- X – club stage. Hard and fast dance. Big crowd for club stage at 1300. Played Hit Me Hard and Hit Me Fast

Sierra Veins – club stage. Electronic. Slow with heavy bass. Little singing and though a chorus box. I enjoyed it. But I can’t classify it. I have since bought some.

Leather Strip – club stage. Damn good. Just Kurt. Proper EBM. Really good. Oddly, given how good it was, I’m not too fussed about seeing them again.

Rotersand – club stage. Fucking great. Loved it. Singer came into the crowd near me and Smith, we pogoed together.

In Strict Confidence – club stage. A bit meh for me. I don’t get on with the deep male voice.

None of the Sunday headline bands interested us and so we went to the tent, whereupon we had the idea of travelling to Hannover Sunday evening to remove a lot of the hassle from Monday morning. There ensued quick investigations of trains and hotels and we left. We walked past the main venue entrance with two bands playing and headed to Hannover. This hotel was much nicer than the Box Hotel, and, with no explanation at all, was next to the red light district.

Monday was the flight home and to chill. It was a great weekend with Faderhead and Rostersand sticking out for me.

July 8 2025July 6 2025

An Old Music Cassette Collection

I rearranged my workplace the other week and had a bit of a sort out. One day I might even empty the cupboards at the back of the room or I may even throw away the Video DVD player that lives behind the door. But, in this clean up I found the following collection of music cassettes.

These are the tapes I would listen to in work while marking or doing other things that I’m meant to do. Although you might be thinking I’m a massive Ozzy fan because there are two tapes of him, I can assure you I’m not that fussed. I enjoy some of the music. There were more tapes somewhere and I’ll see if I can get an image of those.

May 23 2025May 21 2025

Combichrist – The Underworld

ITs’ another year and another chance to see Combichrist. This was the twelfth time I have seen this band since 2009 and, if I honest, I am starting to get a little bored. The Old School set at M’era Luna last year was amazing. I didn’t know what to expect last night but there hasn’t been any new material from the band for a while. First we have to cover the early bands.

Smith and I got to the venue while Esotrik were playing their set. It wasn’t anything special. In my notes I wrote – OK.

The second band of the evening were Crimson Veil. A band comprising 3 women and a man playing guitars. The drummer was excellent. I liked the idea of the electric viola and harp. The singing was excellent. I struggled a little bit with the beat and the length of the songs. The songs were long. The beat felt disjointed. I suspect this is what would be considered “experimental” sounds. I also suspect it was musically clever, but my ears aren’t good enough to spot that.

Extize were great. It was the singers birthday and also the release date of their new album. It was their first time playing in the UK. I really enjoyed their set last year at M’era Luna and I also really enjoyed the set they played here. It was good fun, the band looked like they really enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed myself. In my notes I described this as heavy dance with humour. I will buy their new album.

The headliners were Combichrist. It was a solid set from the band. I didn’t dance or mosh too much as I was worried my back would die again – it died at a gig I played before christmas. So, I stood near the back and observed – this was my standard position years ago before I got pit-hungry. Apart from two newer songs in the middle of the set it was all really really good. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole show. I would still argue they don’t need guitars on most of the songs, but they have moved on from electro and it does kinda work.

Elliot Berlin is now on his way to being the most seen artist in my concert going career. He used to be with Aesthetic Perfection and is now with Combichrist. Joe Letz didn’t make it to this many shows I’d seen. He left Combichrist a few years ago. It’s interesting that it has taken me this many gigs with Combichrist to start getting a little bored. There are many bands from my teenage years who I’ve seen a few times but really don’t think I’d be that fussed about seeing them again. In music my attention wanes.