Festival – Skin Back Alley

Louise Distras announces 2016 festival shows

30/03/201630/03/2016 by skinbackalley, posted in News

British songstress Louise Distras has announced a series of festival appearances for 2016.

Louise and her band will be playing sets at some of the UK’s most prestigious independent festivals including Camden Rocks, Rebellion and Long Division, as well as the renowned Punk Rock Bowling festival in Las Vegas.

The past three years have seen Distras cutting her teeth across the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA with the likes of Billy Bragg, Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers and The Damned, and taking in festival appearances at Glastonbury and Bearded Theory.

Louise released her superb debut album, Dreams From The Factory Floor, in 2014 and is currently at work recording the follow-up with producer Steve Whale and engineer Pat Collier.

You can catch Louise and her band at the following festivals, with tickets available via louisedistras.co.uk/shows:

Check out Louise’s most recent video – for her track “Bullets” – below:

Download adds 38 new bands to 2015 lineup

25/02/2015 by skinbackalley, posted in News

Download have added 38 new bands to the 2015 festival bill.

Among the additional acts announced this morning are Butcher Babies, Cavalera Conspiracy, Blackberry Smoke, Allusondrugs, Hey!Hello!, Sylosis and New Years Day.

Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies said of the news: “Oh shit!!! Holler!!! Can’t wait to return to Donington Park with the craziest lunatics I know!”

Says Cavalera Conspiracy’s Max Cavalera: “I’m excited to return to Download with Cavalera Conspiracy – I promise you the most brutal show ever.”

Weekend tickets for the festival are on sale now via the official Download website, with day tickets going on sale for the first time this Friday 27th February at 9am.

The new bands join the likes of headliners Slipknot, Muse and Kiss, Judas Priest, Faith No More, Motley Crue and many more besides. This year’s event takes place at Donington Park between the 12th-14th June.

The complete list of new bands announced today is:

A, Aaron Keylock, Allusondrugs, American Fangs, Apocalyptica, Beartooth, Blackberry Smoke, Butcher Babies, Cavalera Conspiracy, Code Orange, Counterparts, Crobot, Dead Daises, Decade, Dolomite Minor, Emp!re, Fightstar, Ghost Town, God Damn, Heart Of A Coward, Hey! Hello!, Hyena, Iconic Eye, In Hearts Wake, Insomnium, Love Zombies, Modestep, New Years Day, The One Hundred, The Pink Slips, Pop Evil, Purson, Roam, Rival State, Sirens In The Delta, The Sword, Sylosis, Trash Boat.

Muse, Faith No More, Marilyn Manson confirmed for Download 2015

18/11/2014 by skinbackalley, posted in News

Muse have been confirmed as Saturday night main stage headliners for Download 2015.

They’ll be following Faith No More on Saturday the 13th of June. Marilyn Manson has also been confirmed to headline the second stage on the Saturday.

Muse’s set will be their first appearance at Download. The band commented in a statement: “We’re really looking forward to Download. We’ve never played the festival before so it’s going to be really special.”

Faith No More’s appearance will be their first since 2009 and coincides with their imminent new album, due for release in April. Say Faith No More of the news: “Hard to believe it’s been five years already, but what’s harder to deny is that a lot has changed. The last time we played Download the focus was on bringing back the past – now it’s all about the present and the future. Where it should be.”

Marilyn Manson commented of his second stage headline slot: “It’s been a few years since I’ve been at Download. The Pale Emperor will rise and I was born to cause chaos.”

Tickets for the festival go on sale this Thursday 20th November at 9am via www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Rob Zombie expresses sorrow over shortened show

23/07/2014 by skinbackalley, posted in News

Rob Zombie has released a statement apologising for his shortened set at Wisconsin’s Rock Fest last weekend.

Fans reacted angrily across the web after Zombie stopped his show and walked off after just two songs saying: “There’s no way I can do this. I’m sorry. It’s fucking bullshit, I know, but that’s what happens. What can we do? It’s my fault.”

In a more complete explanation, Zombie said via his new statement: “I’m very sorry to everyone who was at Rock Fest. Believe it or not, this is the first time in 29 years I have not been able to finish a show.”

“I understand people are pissed – but what can you do? It’s easy to say, ‘Man up and just do it,’ but when no sound is coming out there’s nothing you can do. If you’ve ever lost your voice you know it doesn’t magically return just because you want it to.”

“If there was a way to do the show I’d have done it, as I have many times before. I’ve done shows where I walked to the side of the stage between songs to vomit, I was so sick.”

The musician is adamant that he’s not looking for sympathy, but rather: “”As far as everyone yelling, ‘I’ve been a fan for 20 years and now I fucking hate you, you pussy rock star!’ What can I say? Shitty stuff happens sometimes. I tried explaining before I left the stage, but I could barely croak out a word.”

“We’re trying to figure out a time and place to make it up to everybody,” he continued. “I don’t take the fans for granted and I don’t take this situation lightly. My goal is to never let the fans down – but on that night I did. Unfortunately, I had no choice.”

Watch this space for future updates.

Iron Maiden round out 3 year world tour with Sonisphere set

07/07/2014 by skinbackalley, posted in News

Iron Maiden played a two hour headline set at this weekend’s Sonisphere festival, drawing a nearly 3 year long world tour to a close.

The British metal legends opened with “Moonchild” from their 1988 album Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, with frontman Bruce Dickinson declaring the crowd to be “…a loud and rowdy and thirsty bunch…”

“Tonight is the last night of a three-year tour, its all been building to this. If we don’t get it right tonight then we never will,” he continued.

The remainder of the set – as with previous dates on the band’s gargantuan tour – was based almost exclusively on Maiden’s most well known material from their 80’s run of classic albums, including songs “The Trooper”, “The Number Of The Beast”, “Run To The Hills” and in the band’s encore, “Aces High” and “The Evil That Men Do.”

Ahead of playing “Revelations”, Dickinson revealed that the last time he had sung the song was at a charity concert in Canterbury Cathedral, accompanied by Jethro Tull. “That was much more sedate, but tonight we’re giving it the full bollocks,” he said. “That’s a technical term.”

Earlier in the day Dickinson had flown a Fokker DR1 triplane as part of an eight aircraft strong WWI dogfight re-enactment. The air show had been organised by Dickinson along with the Great War Display Team. The “fight” took place over a wooded area next to the main arena and was accompanied by sound effects and a live military brass band on stage. It was only fitting that Dickinson seemed to be victorious during the display, “shooting down” two other planes and performing a final flypast before Deftones took to the stage.

At the close of Iron Maiden’s set, Dickinson and the band took time to thank their crew, wider team, and the audience for “keeping it real.” Dickinson concluded by saying that “…what’s coming in the next few years is going to make it more real for you guys, believe me!”

Iron Maiden played:

“Moonchild”
“Can I Play With Madness”
“The Prisoner”
“2 Minutes To Midnight”
“Revelations”
“The Trooper”
“Number Of The Beast”
“Phantom Of The Opera”
“Run To The Hills”
“Wasted Years”
“Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”
“Fear Of The Dark”
“Iron Maiden”
“Aces High”
“The Evil That Men Do”
“Sanctuary”