MRG30 Festival - We travelled from London to the Merge 30 Festival this summer. It was an amazing few days of awesome music, people and food (thanks for the recommendations Mike)! You don’t know how much you need “Precision Auto” with Damian’s hardcore vocals, until you see it live.
Dischord House – We drove from Durham to DC and got to spend a few hours at the Dischord House with one of my all-time heroes, Ian MacKaye. Best museum tour guide ever.
Anxious, One Step Closer, Magnitude show in Washington DC- A stacked line-up of some of Triple B’s finest. How could you go wrong?
Jawbreaker show - Not only was this the best show of the year, it was probably the best gig of my life. A band I thought I’d never get to see live.
Institute show - This was such an energetic show. The room was moving and the anarchic sounds of Institute were bouncing off everybody.
Damage is Done Fest 2019: I only got to go to the Friday show and snuck out of my brother’s Bar Mitzvah to see the end of Saturday - but it was epic nonetheless. Legendary UKHC band, Arms Race’s last show was definitely a memorable one.
Soulside show - One of the pioneering post-hardcore band’s from the Dischord catalogue; Soulside came to London to play all of their classics and some new ones.
Mountain Goats live at Shepherds Bush Empire – After seeing them play songs from their new album at Merge 30, it was great to see them play a full set with some of my favourites.
Mastermind Bad Reaction - The next big thing from London. A 7-inch filled with mind-bending riffs and punishing breakdowns.
Uranium Club - The Cosmo Cleaners: Quirky post punk with great lyrics. One of my favourites of the year.
Frame of Mind- Irieshun: My favourite UKHC band. It was a shame to see them go this year. This album only cements their legacy.
Gutter Knife - Boots on the Ground: Some proper hardcore Oi! out of Brighton. Just like a knife from the gutter.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen: The best album of the year hands down. Another masterpiece from Nick Cave, where he crafts an experience like no other.
The Irishman: I’ve never seen a film like this: It seamlessly depicts different stages in the characters’ lives, which the actors portray so well that the CGI wouldn’t even have been necessary. Not to forget Scorsese’s signature style in a genre that he has honed.
Watchmen TV show: Every week this show gets better. There is nothing else like it on TV. Strongly recommend to anyone and everyone, comic fan or not.
