We think Black Sabbath purely invented metal so we could all keep warm at gigs during the winter. Thanks for that foresight, gentlemen. Here’s the best of what’s in store over the next seven days…
**SCOTLAND **Acoda: Kilmarnock, Fanny By Gaslight, Monday 2nd February The Corby four-piece have been making a racket for a good few years now, and have earned themselves a stellar live reputation in the process. They head into Scotland this week in support of their forthcoming second album, Truth Seeker.
**WALES **Oxygen Thief: Cardiff, The Moon Club, Saturday 7th February The one-man troubadour turned scuzzed-up punk rock three-piece hit Cardiff this week. Expect more politically-charged moments than Russell Brand’s YouTube channel, just don’t go causing too much trouble starting your own revolution afterwards.
**THE NORTH **11 Paranoias: Newcastle, Head of Steam, Sunday 8th February Featuring members from a number of UK cult metal bands including Bong, Ramesses and Capricorns, 11 Paranoias caught a lot of people’s attention with last year’s Stealing Fire From Heaven. The band bring their unique brand of mind-wrecking doom, stoner, and sludge to Newcastle this week.
**The Midlands **Onslaught: Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall, Thursday 5th February We all know how great Slayer and Anthrax are, but what about the thrash that was taking place on own our shores in the 80s? Onslaught hit the road this week to offer a reminder that us Brits can still hold our own in the thrash game.
**The South **Malefice: Reading, The Bowery District, Friday 6th February One of our favourite and arguably criminally-underrated British metal bands have made a date with their hometown this week. And check out their cover of the Game Of Thrones theme, too. It’s rad!
**London **Primordial: London, Islington Academy, Saturday 7th February Combining traditional Irish folk music with black metal, Dublin’s Primordial have to be one of the most enigmatic bands our scene has ever witnessed. We’d have much preferred it if an album of theirs popped up on our iTunes rather than U2’s Songs of Innocence. We couldn’t erase that one quick enough.
**Northern Ireland **Sick Of It All: Belfast, Limelight 2, Monday 2nd February The New York hardcore legends return to Belfast this week for a set of tender acoustic ballads. Just kidding, this is going to be an all-out rager as the band rattle through a blistering set full of songs that shaped hardcore as we know it.
Ireland Coldwar: Dublin, Fibber McGees, Friday 6th February Candlelight Records veterans Coldwar bring their blend of hardcore and death metal home to Dublin this Friday. With support coming from some of the city’s best metal bands – Snowblind, Killface, Enshrined and Chemical Sacrament – it’ll be a much better night than staying in and watching Graham Norton.