Amy Gravelle (@AmyGravelle) checks out a host of acts about to tour, here’s her recent highlights that will be playing a UK venue near you soon.
Download Festival has been around for over a decade now, filling Donington Park race course with heavy noise year after year. This year’s 2014 lineup included the likes of Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold and Status Quo (!) to name just a few. So I slung on my Dr Martens, pitched up my tent and drew on the heaviest black eyeliner – all in the name of rock’n’roll, of course.
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Two years ago Royal Blood didn’t exist. Yet now, they’re one of the hottest must-see two-pieces on the circuit. So playing Download on Friday night at 5:55 is a generous slot for two guys who haven’t even released an album. Yet, it doesn’t take long for you to realise what all the hype is about, as the duo blast into tracks such as Little Monster and Come On Over, which are executed with style and effortless precision. Even though they’re made up of just a drum-kit and a bass, it’s hard to comprehend at times the sheer noise levels, completely blowing away the enthralled spectators. They have the potential to evolve into a band with the same caliber as Muse, but first they need to release their debut album already.
On the road: Glastonbury Festival (25-29 June), Summer In The City, Manchester (10 July), Supporting Arctic Monkey’s at Dublin’s Marlay Park (12 July), Reading and Leeds Festival (22-24 August)
The Marmozets are also a new band worth getting excited about, playing the Pepsi Max stage on Sunday, the Bingley-based quintet mix together terrifying roars with melodically clear vocal runs. Lead singer Becca Macintyre has a voice to be reckoned with, as she bursts into angelic harmonies during Captivate You and then a second later slams on the headbanging breaks for Move, Shake, Hide. Compromising a mass of rapturous bodies in the sweaty mosh-pit, the band as a whole dust off a fully charged set. With members’ ages ranging between 18-22, its no wonder the influential Roadrunner Records snapped these whippersnappers up so early on in their careers.
On the road: Reading and Leeds Festival (22-24 August)
Finally at the other end of the spectrum, Sunday evening’s festival closing headliners are legendary rockers Aerosmith, who are back on the Main Stage after playing a washed-out performance in 2010. Steven Tyler is as elaborately entertaining as you’d expect, switching between sparkly costumes and pouting into the cameras during hits such as Dude Looks Like A Lady and Walk This Way. There’s even time for a little tear jerker, with a performance of the inevitable I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing. But it’s the bands ability to keep on rocking, full steam ahead, churning out hit after hit that’s truly impressive. Despite all the new talent on display at Download, there were few bands that could top Aerosmith’s live performance.
On the road: Calling Festival, London (28 June)
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