Phil Pountney, Author at Backseat Mafia

Live Review: Soulfly, Nailbomb & Exorcism. Manchester Academy 2. 07/09/2026

Manchester has never been a city that needs much encouragement to embrace a night of heavy music, but there was something particularly ferocious about the prospect of Soulfly, Nailbomb and…

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Live Review: Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Scouting For Girls, Deco, Lois. Tileyard North, Wakefield 27/08/2026

There are some concert nights that begin long before the first note is played. You can feel them gathering in the air as the queues form, the lights around the…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Sunday 09.08.2026

There is always something slightly bittersweet about the final day of Bloodstock. After several days of loud guitars, pounding drums, huge crowds and an atmosphere that seems almost impossible to…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Saturday 08.08.2026

Saturday at Bloodstock Open Air 2026 was a full-on marathon of heavy music, with barely a moment to stop, catch your breath and take stock of what had just happened.…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Friday 07.08.2026

Friday at Bloodstock Open Air 2026 was the kind of day that seemed determined to test just how much heavy music one person could absorb before finally giving in. The…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Thursday 06.08.2026

There are few places quite like Catton Park when Bloodstock rolls into town. For four days every August, this otherwise peaceful corner of Derbyshire is transformed into a headbanging utopia,…

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News

News: Fortress Festival announces it’s first batch of 2027 bands to sit alongside previously announced headliners ‘Emperor’

The first wave of bands for Fortress 2027 who join Grand Hall headliners, ‘Emperor’ for their fifth anniversary event in North Yorkshire. Fortress Festival have commented that ‘It’s a struggle…

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Album Reviews

Album Review: ‘Works Live’ – Emerson, Lake & Palmer

For decades, ‘Works Live’ has occupied one of the most misunderstood positions in Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s extensive catalogue. Overshadowed by the commercial success of ‘Welcome Back My Friends to…

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Live Review: Metallica, Gojira & Knocked Loose. Principality Stadium, Cardiff 28/06/2026

There are few bands capable of turning a stadium into something that feels both colossal and intimate quite like Metallica. Playing Cardiff’s Principality Stadium as part of the seemingly unstoppable…

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News

News: Bloodstock Open Air Festival Preview, Ten Titans Not To Be Missed. The New Blood Stage Edition.

The New Blood Stage has become one of many true success stories of Bloodstock Open Air. While the Ronnie James Dio Stage welcomes established names and international heavyweights, the New…

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