Scare Tactics - Ages 4 track EP - 2011

Scare Tactics

Ages EP 2011

Scare Tactics – Liverpool

Links:

www.myspace.com/scaretacticsband

Genre: Groove Metal

Scare Tactics is a 4 piece groove metal band from Liverpool. “Groove” being the operative word here!  Their style is like no other band I have heard in their genre, but these guys just memorize on stage, with their witty banter and great lively performances, you cannot help yourself but to get involved in their shows.

I think the title “AGES” is very apt as that is how long it has taken me to get around to reviewing it – so my deepest apologies to Scare Tactics  for the delay.

The cover is very eye catching and depicts a tattooed female warrior scantily clad carrying a spear with a dark cloak merging into the purple background and the large hazy moon with the Scare Tactics logo in the middle of it – It is very beautifully drawn by Alicia Aviles. The inside of the sleeve has four pictures of the band members and thank you’s to various people one being Geoff Barker who has always been the silent voice in the background and deserves a mention for all his support and indeed friendship to myself and Nic.

Right Hand Man

Opens with a blistering groove that immediately sets the body moving as well as the head and feet truth be known! Andy bellows out to some amazing drumming courtesy of Stu.  The chorus is very catchy as with the nature of the band’s tracks, but never losing the edge that is straight forward and intense!

Wrong but Righteous

Fantastic fret work opens up this track, with some thunderous beats.  Gripping you by the throat and never loosens its grip through-out.  Paul provides the rhythm section and the harmony.  The bass courtesy of Danny just thunders through the track like a hurricane! And great live too!

Ludicrous Speed

Not heard this track before and it certainly lives up to its name of Ludicrous Speed.  Fast, ferocious and intense in every aspect. It slows briefly only to come back twice as fast and with blistering assault. The guitar is absolutely first class.

The harmonies are superb and mould this track together nicely.  I always thought “Drunk Fuck” was my favourite track from Scare Tactics but I think this one has just taken over! 

Not Again

The guys are no strangers to the groove element and there is tons of it in ample proportion through-out this EP.  The chorus is just truly amazing and so captures the energy that is so beautifully Scare Tactics.  These guys may have a laugh on stage but they get down to serious business on this track.  The strings are just “in your face” with sheer brutality but yet they possess something quite extraordinary in the fact that the chorus slows and is epic in gigantic proportions.  The drums are powerful and energetic whilst the bass pumps constantly in the background. This track delivers and then some!

The band have informed me that they are not playing around Liverpool as much now as they don’t want to go stale and so moving out of town and this disturbs me somewhat because Scare Tactics are like some kind of wonder drug.. And the thought of not getting my fix – well it makes me feel restless to say the very least, but I will make damn sure I get to see them when they decide to play in Liverpool again that’s for sure.

A well-produced EP that vastly plunges the listener into a nice niche of awesome groove “what else!” with the added bonus of some stunning guitars, good strong bass lines, powerful drumming and not forgetting the vocals that steam their way through the tracks offered on this EP.  Compelling to the very end, they achieve the level of interest that will leave you in no doubt that these four guys have got what it takes to win you over!  They have my vote every time!

Track Listing:

Right Hand Man

Wrong but Righteous

Ludicrous Speed

Not Again

Members:

Danny Williams – Bass

Andrew Barker – Lead Guitar & Vocals

Paul Charnock – Guitar & Vocals

Stuart Barker - Drums

Rozetta Stone - 02 Academy/Basement Manchester 18.11.11

Rozetta Stone

02 Academy/Basement

Manchester

18.11.11

Rozetta Stone – Liverpool

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/rozettastoneuk?sk=info

Genre: Rock

Overview

Well I had been looking forward to this gig for a few weeks, and we were all asked to congregate outside the Empire Theatre to wait for the mini bus.  As always I was the first there and was greeted with about 150 people!!!!  But then I realized that they were queuing to see ‘Grease’ of all things. Old ladies singing ‘You’re the one that I want’ didn’t really float my boat, and when a black mini bus turned up a host of ten year olds swarmed around it thinking they were going to collect some autographs of the cast, and were sadly disappointed when 7 dolly birds got out wearing stilettos and cheap perfume and then just mingled with the crowd!

I couldn’t see anyone I recognised and after smoking about 5 fags, decided I must have the wrong place and was then making my way to the bus stop to go to the Royal Court. I let a few buses go before deciding whether or not to get on and finally when the bus came I was just about to jump on and finally a face I knew popped up in the shape of Liam – Rozetta Stone’s number 1 fan.  I knew I was in the right place then.

Time moved on and we made our way up to the Empire as the last of the Grease goers made their way inside the venue.  Then we spotted Becki – Ash’s sister, Jess, Steph, Amy, and Alex which made me feel a lot better. But no sign of Hannah anywhere!

We chatted for what seemed like a very long time and finally Hannah turned up about 6.05pm.

The mini bus turned up five minutes later and we all got on board ready for the trip to Manchester in high spirits.

On reaching Manchester the driver dropped us off saying he hadn’t got a clue where the venue was and thought it best we walk the rest of the way... We looked at each other in disbelief and hadn’t got a clue whether to go left, right or straight ahead. The ciggies were going down well at that stage!  Finally we decided to go left.

Not too far up the road I saw the familiar hair of Ash the drummer – You can’t miss Ash... with hair to die for!

We weren’t far away from the venue and got the tickets ready.  After the random search of bags we got inside and then got told the band were playing downstairs in a place they called the ‘Basement’ On going down the stairs and reaching the ‘venue’ I noticed that it had a decent size stage, but after attending a few 02 gigs in my time I knew that it would have its misgivings. (Sadly I wasn’t wrong!)

Everyone headed for the bar and ID’s (not mine) were being asked for.  Apparently even with ID if someone was under 21 they could have 1 drink all night. No ID got you ‘No drinks’ all night, WTF!!!  Becki hadn’t brought ID and therefore was refused a drink, so I went and got Becki and Ash a drink.  A few seconds later a snotty nosed jobs-worth from behind the bar appeared and whined that I had bought someone a drink when they had no ID... again WTF Becki is 20, has her own house, a car and is married with a kid.. It made no difference at all.  This of course didn’t go down well and put a bit of a damper on the evening.

I was thoroughly miffed as I never got asked for my ID, (long gone are the days when I kept getting chucked out of a pub for being 18!)

Review

Anyway, Rozetta Stone hit the stage all guns blazing and we gathered around the centre of the stage where the band kicked off with ‘Give me more’ my fave track, but half way through Chris’s guitar just stopped and Chris started pulling leads and hitting pedals to no avail, the band kept on playing.  It turns out that the amp which was on volume 10 at the beginning had been turned down to zero for no apparent reason and by whom we have no idea!  With volume back up to 10 the band hit it again and then the drum mikes fell from the stage taking James lead with it. Was this sabotage – we wondered!

Despite these little set-backs the band rose above it all and came through with a fantastic set, showing that ‘Scousers’ were not going down without a fight!

‘Primal’ was superb and ‘Raging Sun’ was immense. ‘Girl of my dreams’ had everyone rocking it’s just so catchy! I couldn’t fault the band at all.  They had quite a gathering and everyone enjoyed the set immensely.

The lights were really fierce and instead of lighting the band up lit the audience up so you were blinded when taking photographs, but what can you expect from the 02??

Ash was amazing on drums just as he was at Helrazer, James hit those bass strings like no tomorrow, Chris and Dil were powered up and bounced around the stage, and Louis was as cool as ever and just took things in his stride. They really enjoyed themselves up there just as we did in the crowd.

After the band’s set we all went outside for a smoke and chatted about the gig. It was sad that they had not had a trouble free set, but it is all experience and it was only the 7^th time they had played live, so taking all that into consideration they did really well!

We didn’t go back inside the venue to watch the other bands as there was so much to talk about outside and there were pictures being taken galore!  We decided to ask the driver to come and collect us earlier than planned and made our way back inside to help with the gear.

Once all the gear was outside we stood waiting for the mini bus and then I suddenly realised that we hadn’t collected our tickets... everyone panicked so Rich and I went back inside only to be greeted by a female bouncer who said we could go round the front to get them, but I knew it would be an ordeal so asked her (very nicely) if I could go back through the doors from whence we came and collect the tickets from inside the venue to which she agreed. Thankfully. Wow nice staff at the 02, who would believe that?

When asking for 16 tickets I did get an astonished gasp from the staff, but I explained that we all wanted tickets as a memento of the evening and so finally 16 tickets were counted out into my sweaty palm.   :D

I gave them both a hug ‘cos they had been really nice through-out the whole evening (unlike Miss Jobs-worth at the bar!) and made my way through to the exit where the female bouncer was waiting – even more surprisingly with a smile! Rich and I then left and joined the others outside, waving the tickets above my head and dished them out to the 15 people waiting there.

On the way back in the mini bus we all chatted about the evening and then Rich and I started to reminisce about the 80’s – it brought tears to my eyes – how different everything was back then and much more simple!

All in all though, it was a great evening and seeing Rozetta Stone (with a Z) live again was brilliant! Well done guys so glad you asked me along!  I won’t forget the night in a hurry. Good old rock music played superbly by five great musicians, Bring on the next gig!

Set List:

Give me more

Primal

Save Me

Raging Sun

Girl of my dreams

Members:

Louis Jackson-Payne: Vocals

Chris Dixon: Guitars

Dil: Guitars

Jay Lash: Bass

Ashley Janes: Drums

Alex Betts, Becki Crozier, Steph Kenny, Hannah Lloyd, Jess Lily Alice, Amy Campbell, Liam Canning, Richard and Danny Lashbrooke, Great meeting you all!