Live Review: Mad Cool Festival ‘London Sessions’ with Haux and Monarchy @ Koko, London

Mad Cool Festival presented the first of their ‘London Sessions’ events on Tuesday evening at the iconic Koko in Camden, and I was delighted to be in attendance. Fresh from announcing that Queens of the Stone Age will be the first headliner at Mad Cool 2018 (taking place between the 12-14 July in Madrid), the festival got to work to spread the word with the first ‘London Sessions’, a potential series of events to showcase what Mad Cool is about. The event was free with invitation from the Mad Cool website, and it was a great way to kick off proceedings. Featuring American artist Haux and London-based duo Monarchy, it was a night full of smoky electronic synths and eerie atmsopheric vocals.

Live Review: Shadow Child, Kry Wolf, Eli and Fur @ Switch, Southampton – 21.02.15

Last Saturday night saw Switch open its doors to house and bass record label Food Music, and with the two label bosses Shadow Child and Kry Wolf on the line up, with the added flavour of Eli and Fur, it was a mouth watering prospect. Needless to say, it lived up to its expectations, a packed out Southampton crowd laying witness to a swashbuckling showcase of the brands potential.

Live Review: Hacktivist & The One Hundred @ Joiners, Southampton – 7.12.14

Shows like these are notorious for their crowd interaction, the mosh pits, the lead singer jumping into the crowd, the sweaty fat guy with his top off swinging it above his head, it can be these antics that makes these type of gigs so enjoyable to attend. However, it’s a shame when sometimes a minority of people take there enthusiasm a bit too far and get carried away with it, swinging there bodies all over the place, especially into small girls and people who are clearly not in the mosh pit. Different people enjoy gigs in different ways, some people like to mosh as there expression of enjoyment of the music, and some people just like to enjoy the music. The two should not have to clash, even at a small venue such as Joiners. In spite of this, the raw emotion that was shown by each band on the night is enough to get even the mellowest of guys stirred. The Intimacy of Joiners makes it feel like you’re at one with the band, the audience able to see each emotion on the bands faces – to study/to admire.

Live Review: Bondax & Friends @ Switch, Southampton – 29.11.14

It has been another fantastic year for Bondax. From being bedroom producers, to getting airtime on BBC radio one, to now selling out shows up and down the country, the Lancashire born duo are quite simply killing it. With a new album out featuring the likes of Karma Kid, Darius and Olsen they have managed to shake off the stigma of just being the ‘Northern Disclosure’ (albeit not a bad comparison to have put on you). Having seen all the praise and adulation from publications such as Mixmag, to The Guardian, we at Noise Cannon decided to see what all the fuss was about for ourselves, catching them on there album tour ‘Bondax & Friends’ down in Southampton at Switch.

Live Review: Hot Since 82 & Bontan @ Warehouse, Southampton – 24.10.14

Fresh from slaying everywhere from Chicago, to Napoli, to Ibiza this summer, Hot Since 82 is one of the fastest rising stars in electronic music. A massive essential mix, the launching of his Taken project, which sold out in 30 minutes, and his new imprint Knee Deep In Sound getting off to a successful start back in March, has seen the Barnsley born DJ’s already growing stock meteorically rise. Now we are heading into the winter months his progression doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. His new single ’Somebody Everybody’, featuring Black Box, is already sending shockwaves on dancefloors up and down the country, with the first compilation album off his label Knee Deep In Sound due to hit stores the 17th November. Shortly after releasing details of the album, a pre-album promotional tour was in the mist, and it was time to get Knee Deep in Southampton.

Live Review: John Newman @ Southampton Guildhall – 27.01.14

Playing in front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd at the Guildhall in Southampton, John Newman swept away the audience with a superb vocal display. Backed up with amazing pyrotechnics, the Yorkshire born singer/songwriter put on a flawless show, belting out a number of the songs from his chart topping album Tribute.