Another weekend . . . another road trip . . . another great time had.
Friday took the mentallicopter to Surrey. Camberely to be precise and The Agincourt Rock Club. This was the first of The Slavery of Puppets Tour and the Bill tonight consisted of Volkerstein, Mentallica and Higher on Maiden. All the metal a growing boy (or girl) needs for a night out. Just add beer and shake. . . your head! First up with a new band line up were Volkerstein - A tribute to Deutsche metal monster Rammstein. Higher on Maiden came next and galloped through a fantastic set. These guys are incredible and you should see them if you get the chance. Last on were Mentallica and as always banged there heads for the duration of the set. A great night was had by all. Thanks to Ash and Max and to their daughter who finally revealled the secret ingredient in Relentless . . . Bull Semen. . . quite a conversation stopper coming from a ten year old!
As Southend beckoned the next day we stayed within spitting distance of The Agincourt at the luxurious Travelodge. Of course a detour via the local 24hr store to buy beer. . . and wine. . . and cider . . . and . . . croissants was our first prority. A very civilised chat on such varied topics as politics, relegion, football and girls with big tits followed stretching well into the small hours.
Showers, Mcbreakfasts and nasty unhuman odours later and the mentallicraft was hurtling around the M25 Southend bound. We had a lazy day on the freezing cold promenade taking in the invigorating air and . . . brown sea?
At The Riga Steve was showing of his new PA and what great toy it is. The sound on and off stage was incredible which is maybe why the set grew to another 2 hour plus show. Was good as always to see Tony 'I Don't look like Freddie Mercury' amongst others.
So another memorable weekend came to an end. Inflatable guitar specialist Wayne was ejected in St Albans as he had a prior engagement and the rest of us went home to recover in time for next weekends jolly in South Wales.
In the words of James Hetfield, "It's all fun and games untill someone loses an eye. . . . . . . then it's still fun and games but you can't see it anymore. . . ".
Date Added: 11/03/2010
Death Paralytic 2010 T shirts now available
The T-shirt fairy has arrived in Mentalliland with a ship load of 2010 Death Paralytic tour shirts. With the fantastic bleeding eye front design and back print featuring dates from part 1 of the 2010 tour.
These are available from gigs for the princely sum of £10 or by contacting us here at Mentallicaworld.
Date Added: 08/03/2010
We Got Tickets will save you money -
so you can drink more!
There have been a fair few sales via We Got Tickets since the link was set up so we just want to emphasise to everyone out there that if you want to buy in advance and you buy your gig tickets via We Got Tickets you get great value and save yourself some beer tokens. Unlike almost all other ticket resellers you pay face value plus 10%. So no hidden handling charges or booking fee which pop up at the checkout and as We Got Tickets issue E-tickets via E-mail, No postage. So an £8 ticket will cost you £8.80. On other ticket providers that we looked the same £8 ticket could cost you as much as £11.25!
The band take no commission from We Got Tickets. Just the satisfaction that YOU don't get ripped off. So if it's a choice between a venue ticket link and We Got Tickets you know which one to choose.
Date Added: 08/03/2010
New Gig
Another new venue is added to the Mentallilist when the band visit Swansea on Saturday April 10th and play The Vice Rock Club.
Date Added: 03/03/2010
New Gig
A return date to The Riverside club in Stowmarket has been confirmed for Friday 15th October. See you all there.
Date Added: 01/03/2010
The Riverside, Stowmarket & Caged Asylum Mancheste
More good times on the road last weekend. Friday saw Mentallica journey South to Stowmarket in Suffolk and The Riverside Club. A great venue. Fleece and Matt provided a great sound only tempered by an enforced lack of volume . . . neighbours eh! But we have been barred from some venues for being too loud and as a place we want to return to we were happy for a quiter show! Thanks to everyone who came, had a good time and drank beer! Also thanks to the folks who came backstage to chat and get T-shirts. . . You travelled so far! Thank You.
Saturday brought one of the events of the year. A trip to Manchesters Caged Asylum. A sterling venue with a sound system capable of causing earthquakes . . . wait one darned moment. . . . Earthquake in Chile? Coincidence?. . . this reporter thinks not! Many thanks to Dave for creating a stunning sound. The curse of the Nothing Else Matters guitar struck again as Aid, sporting his most recent acquisition cracked the headstock on the mic stand toward the end of the track giving rise to . . . some. . . .er . . . improvisation. . . A few tracks we don't wheel out that often were requested in the shape of Fuel and Don't Tread On Me and both went down a storm.
Caged Asylum also offers something a little different from the usual metal venue in the form of lovely ladies in the business of Private Dancing of the lap variety. Needless to say Chris's cash was held for him less he spend the lot on lovely lady dances! Others in the band got free dances from members of the crowd later . . . why not me? Never me. . . Booo!
Hi to Flick and Lauren from Gig Junkie whom it was a pleasure to meet. . . Will they be brave enough to air that interview? We'll wait and see!
Good to see Daniel, Luke, Pippa,Tina, John & Vicki and a special mention to Lee Gosselin from Jersey who made it to our gig the night after seeing Machine Head. Thanks to Joolz for running the show and we'll be back some time soon. Check out Facebook for pics.
Date Added: 01/03/2010
The Musician gig
with Enraged
What another great night on the road. Taking point tonight was Enraged. They're a Rage Against The Machine tribute and I really don't think you can get closer to the real thing. Guitar is spot on as is vocals, bass and drums. But that's not enough. . . Enraged have that extra unknown ingredient which makes them stunning. If you get the chance get out and see them. You will not be disappointed. Check them out here. . .
Mentallica will be spending a few nights with Enraged and we're all looking forward to it 'cos they're top blokes as well as top musicians.
The Musician is a great venue with a great sound system that really does make the ground move in the deft hands of their engineer! Thanks to him (Yes, I have forgotten his name . . again!) and for his DJ ing skills. It's nice to hear some proper metal for a change. Good to meet Rachael (mad), Nicky(mad) and Cheryl(mad) amongst many others.
Thanks to Christine for being a great host - coffee and cookies much appreciated. We'll be back in the future for another night of madness and metal!
Cheers
Date Added: 23/02/2010
More Wharf Pics
More pictures from The Wharf, Tavistock can be viewed on The Gallery. It was a fantastic night and these pics bring it all to life. Thanks to Plukie for her expertise and friendship. See you and Daryll in Plymouth.
Aid is as excited as can be at the prospect of a delivery of new T-shirts for 2010. A Pushead inspired design which Aid refers to with affection as 'Bleeding Eyeball' which is the product of many many hours sat in front of a PC going bleary eyed himself. Fortunately Aid is a sad bloke who never goes out. . . hence he is now called pilot light. . . so no loss there! The shirt is part of the aptly named Death Paralytic Tour 2010. . . not sure about the death reference but the paralytic bit speaks for itself! Using the classic logo with Death Magnetic inspired additions.
Date Added: 15/02/2010
New Gig at The Barfly
A mere 24 hours after performing to a sell out crowd a return date has been confirmed for Cardiff's Barfly. This promises to be another special night. So put a ring around Saturday 21st August on your calander. Avoid missing out and get your tickets at www.wegottickets.com/mentallica
Date Added: 15/02/2010
The Barfly - Cardiff
There were a few concerns as we headed for Cardiff on Saturday lunchtime. As the bands journey progressed toward the city, just down the road at a little place called The Millennium Stadium the visiting Scots Rugby team were running amok and went in at half time with a commanding lead. Talk in the Mentalliwagon was of disgruntled Welshmen at the gig. Fortunately the Scots shot themselves in the foot with some awful decision making and were invalided back to porridge-land with nothing but battered pride. . .which led to an incredible evening at The Barfly.
We knew that pre-sales were doing very well with over 100 sold and it didn't take long for the place to fill in anticipation of the nights events. A big thanks to the sound engineer (sorry once again I forgot his name) who produced a thunderous sound from the ample PA. First up were Elsid, a local band who provided Stirling support and got the house going for Mentallica. Check them out at www.myspace.com/Elsid.
Mentallica took to the stage and the guys battled through some technical problems which started with the intro dying part way through. Fortunately the crowd were happy to finish it off with the fine Welsh choir version of The Ecstasy of Gold. Broken strings and a temperamental guitar later it was all over and it has to be one of the best nights in recent times.
Such a great time was had that before old aged Aid had caught up on his lost sleep The Barfly have confirmed a return date for August.
It may be an idea to buy tickets in advance for this show as chances are it will be a sell out.
Thanks to Jim as always for his industry during the night, to Ben and all at The Barfly who helped make it a brilliant night, to Elsid for sharing the stage with us and Wayne for making it all happen . . . and thanks to the Welsh rugby team for winning and making it just that little bit more special. . .Just a good job they didn't beat England!
Date Added: 15/02/2010
Yet more gigs-Manchester, West Bromwich and Swindo
The phone keeps on ringing with news of more gigs for Mentallica.
An exciting prospect as the guys visit Manchester and the famous Australian Walkabout Bar on April 27th.
On July 24th Mentallica will take part in an all day event at the The Public in West Bromwich. This purpose built art gallery now plays host to live music and is another new venue for the guys. More details will be posted soon.
A return to Swindon's Top 12 Bar is also confirmed for Friday 11th June. This will be a great weekend as the Mentalliwagon rolls on to Plymouth the following day! Ooooorah!
Date Added: 11/02/2010
We Got Tickets
Mentallica have teamed up with the web based ticket office We Got Tickets. You can get tickets for selected gigs from the dealer. Just click on the website link for the gig of your choice to buy tickets from the comfort of your own castle. This is a 'paperless' system so you could also save yourself a few beer tokens by purchasing on line.
Date Added: 10/02/2010
Barrow on Friday, Walsall on Saturday
A fantastic weekend on the road for Mentallica. Friday's trip to The Nines in Barrow was well worth the long drive. The crowd were many and mental! Thanks to Dave for setting it all up and to his wife Nik for providing much appreciated food for the band. Also thanks to Chris for his work on the sound desk. We hope that the unfortunate lady who fell in the mosh, damaged her leg and was subsequently taken away in an ambulance is on the mend. Hope to see you back in Barrow some time soon.
After the long jaunt of Friday came a very short journey down the road to Walsall and The Wharf 10 Bar. First time for the band in Walsall but it's good to know that wherever there's metal there are a bunch of folks who will drink beer and head bang all night long! Was great to see so many friends there, Al, Jasper, Helene & co, Helen and Rob, Mr and Mrs Jones(they who have the dubious pleasure of being parents to Mentallica's James Hatstand). . .and many more. Thanks also to Scott and Luke for all they did.
Have to admit though that after two nights of 2hr plus sets the necks of the band were starting to ache a little! Sunday was most assuredly a day of rest.
See you next week in sunny Cardiff!
Date Added: 08/02/2010
New Gigs - The Robin
The famous Robin 2 in Bilston has been confirmed for Friday April 9th this year. The stage will be shared with the brilliant ENRAGED. It promises to be a night not to be missed.
A long way of in the distant future a return to the fantastic 12 Bar in Swindon is confirmed for Saturday December 4th. Be good to see Dave and crew once again.
Also news of another event will be posted soon. An all day festival at an unlikely venue!
Date Added: 04/02/2010
The Day That Never Comes Video
You can see the video for The Day That Never Comes Here. The film was shot at The Wharf in Tavistock. Thanks to Daryll Stubbs for his expertise.
Date Added: 01/02/2010
New Gig - The Roadhouse
A quick return to The RoadHouse in Birmingham has been confirmed for Saturday 22nd May. This is a top venue. Extremely well run and with great crowds. We're al looking forward to this one. Hope to see you there!
Date Added: 28/01/2010
Great Photographs . . .
We want to thank Karen Chappell for some stunning pics of the band at work. Karen took pics at The Komedia, Mr Kyps and at The Crowbar. Take a look on The Gallery. Karen also specialises in motor sport photography and since 2006 has been Official club photographer for Lakeside Hammers Elite League Speedway team .You can see and buy her work by clicking on the banner below or going to www.fotoadventures.co.uk
Date Added: 28/01/2010
New date
Another new venue has been confirmed for Saturday 29th May 2010. The Club V is an exciting new venture in Fareham on the South Coast. The following day, Sunday 30th we travel West to Poole and the brilliant Mr. Kyps. Crash helmets to the ready this is going to be another great weekend by the sea!
Date Added: 27/01/2010
The Giffard / The Wharf weekend.
Another great weekend on the road for the guys. On Friday a first trip to The Giffard in Wolverhampton. Very close and personal, we all know The Giffard well as it's a regular wartering hole for the band. It's a great place to be if you like music. Classic rock/metal, Deathmetal or Grind Core this is the place to be all week! Thanks to Paul for arranging. Good to see Balf and Spanner again. Drinking to excess as usual! Well done.
Saturday saw a long trip down the M5 to Tavistock and The Wharf. One of our favourite venues and an excellent place it is. Thanks to Yvonne for hosting and to Dylan for his input. Also good to see Daryll and Plukie again . . . liking the purple hair. Always a pleasure to share the night with you. Sorry we couldn't play on - 2hrs 10 mins was pushing the curfew a bit! Good to have some beers later with the many people who came backstage to talk.
Plukie took somegreat pics some of which you can see on the gallery.
See you all soon
Cheers
Aid
Date Added: 25/01/2010
Purple day
Thusday 21st January 2010 is sadly the day that we say goodbye to Vinnie. She wanted her send off to be a purple occasion so just fora day or two the site goes purple sky.
One more thing regarding the T.P. quotes . . . .
". . .Kings are assassinated. They wouldn't be seen dead getting murdered!"
See you up there.
x
Date Added: 20/01/2010
Return to The Forum
It's a long way off but a return date for the fantastic Forum Music Centre in Darlington has been confirmed for Saturday November 13th. No doubt Dave will be keeping his hands firmly in his pockets on the journey there!
Date Added: 19/01/2010
The RoadHouse . . .
and the year ahead.
What a great way to kick off the 2010 tour with a trip to a packed RoadHouse in Birmingham.
A completely revised set went down a storm with the fans and after the best part of a month of for R and R the band were even more energetic than usual. Good to see some familiar faces such as Tom and his lovely lady, Al, Dave, Helen, Jasper, Andy, Mark and his friends who travelled from The Forest of Dean. Thanks for your friendship and support.
Many thanks to everyone at The Roadhouse. As we've said before this is a fantastic venue and Chris and DD work extremely hard to make this place a pleasure to go to and one of the top venues in the West Midlands.
Tommo provided us with a fantastic sound ably accompanied by medical miracle Dave. Top blokes all.
A few pictures can be seen in the gallery courtesy of Dave.
So touring starts again. With over 40 dates already confirmed or being confirmed (check out the giglist for a venue near you) this certainly looks like being the bands busiest year to date. So apologies to the long suffering families of Mentallica . . .although some will probably be glad at times to get rid of 'him' for a weekend or two! . . It's hard work for all involved but the buzz form being able to go out and play to so many people is a very addictive drug.
See you out there.
KEEP IT LOUD!
Date Added: 18/01/2010
New Dates
A long overdue return to Birkenhead is now confirmed when Mentallica visit The Revolver (formerly The Hotel California) on Saturday July 17th. The guys have had brilliant (and late) nights here so are really looking forward to the show.
Another new venue has been confirmed with The Champions Bar in Bournemouth which will take place on Saturday 3rd July. Always a good weekend out down by the sea!
Hope to see some old friends and make some new ones.
Date Added: 14/01/2010
The Giffard Arms
Word is that this show may well be a little bit over subscribed so if you're planning on getting there make it early!!
Date Added: 13/01/2010
The Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham - A show for Vinnie
This will be a special show for everyone involved. It will be a celebration of the life of our friend Vinnie Guy.
Vinnie's close friends Helen and Jasper have helped make the arrangements which include a BBQ during the day and we are sure it will prove to be a very joyous if emotional day.
Date Added: 08/01/2010
New Dates for 2010
News of more dates for an already busy 2010.
The Slavery of Puppets tour in league with the stunning Higher on Maiden continues to grow in popularity and can now be seen at TJ's in Newport, Gwent on Saturday 10th July. You can also catch this exciting show at The Agincourt in Camberley, The Fleece in Bristol and The Tropic in Ruislip (see gig guide for dates).
A return to the spiritual homeland of JB's Dudley will take place on Saturday 27th March (an extra hours drinking time if we're lucky thanks to British Summer Time!). The guys also visit the Wharf 10 in Walsall on Saturday February 6th.
Date Added: 08/01/2010
More sad news
We're all gutted that our great friend Vinnie sadly passed away on 3rd January 2010. She was a real fighter, and an inspiration to us all.
Vinnie loved the music as much as we do, and we'll really miss her.
She was going to be married in April, and our thoughts are with her fantastic fiancee Andy - top bloke.
Also to Helen and Jaspa, our true friends - take care of yourselves.
Vinnie and her brother.
Date Added: 06/01/2010
A funny thing happened on the way to The Forum . .
Do not attempt to adjust your television set. We now control the horizontal, the vertical and the petrol pump. . .
Picture the scene, A Wolverhampton filling station on a Saturday afternoon. Its 2pm. The van is loaded with the band and two significant others. Al, long suffering in his commitment to Mentallica and Strongbow. Also on board is Emma who joined us from Poole for what she had foreseen as a regulation band weekend! The band is due in Darlington, a mere 190 miles away at 6pm. What could possibly go wrong?
Oh no Grommet! You’ve got the wrong fuel!
Alas yes, one of our number had inadvertently inserted 50 litres of Unleaded petrol instead of diesel. No names for the sake of band honour. . . . . . . . but we will just say he only has five strings on his guitar. . .
A brief period of panic ensues . . . The AA are called . . . they arrive an hour later . . . they mercilessly rip the piss from the unfortunate petrol/vehicle interface. Many thanks to Ian and Nick for being such great blokes. Many sad memories returned as Herman the Merc. was lifted onto the back of the tow truck. The terrible fate of Chuggaboom and Wolfgang made an unpleasant return.
It turns out that Nick is Metallica fan and he plays the masters of thrash metal all the way to our rescue point. Upon arrival the bad fuel is extracted. More thanks to Messrs. Kissain and Jeffries for a very quick job.
So we hit the road at 5.30pm en route to Darlington. A leaden foot followed and by some miracle, after keeping to the speed limit . . . er. . . we arrived at The Forum as the clock struck 8.15pm. A rapid load in and sound-check later and the band were ready to go. Performing what maybe the final complete rendition of The Master of Puppets album. It was a fantastic night, not withstanding the unfortunate chap who lost two teeth in the mosh. It was over in a flash and we retired, with a strange combination of fatigue and relief to our local budget hotel. Many beers and chatter later we fell asleep in preparation for the following days show at Newcastle’s O2 Academy with the Legends of Rock show.
Sunday was memorably uneventful after Saturday’s shenanigans. The worst we faced was hiding the beer/cider stash from Mart! So a mere hour after leaving Darlington and being somewhat disappointed at the size of The Angel of The North, we arrived at Newcastle’s O2.
The Legends of Rock show was to consist of Hells Bells, Dizzy Lizzy, Mentallica, Higher on Maiden and Sankebite. It was a great surprise to see Pete back in the Snakebite fold. The Bon Giovi lads were unable to make the show due to illness. The day was unforgettable. Hells Bells provided a stunning opening to the show and as with all the bands, taking advantage of the large stage that the O2 offers. The front of house sound was breathtaking.
The guys put on a top show. Opening with Blackened was a great feeling. Most of 2009 as seen the guys opening with stuff from Death Magnetic. The crowd were fantastic and got involved at every opportunity. After Mentallica’s show Dave was overcome with some kind of post traumatic stress and decided to streak. Just as Higher on Maiden are about to take the stage he appears stark bollock naked proclaiming “Look what happened to me!” Sadly we had to leave before Snakebite took to the stage as the five hour journey home looked better with a 9.30pm start.
All we can say is a huge thanks to Lloyd for allowing us to be part of this show and an equally large thanks to the rest of the bands for being so easy to get on with and to have a laugh with. The Legends of Rock tour will be back next year. Look out for details. It will take in major cities across the UK and beyond so we hope to see you there.
Date Added: 24/12/2009
Old Friend new star
Oscar Wilde once said, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars!”
Next time you’re lying in the gutter gazing up at the night sky take a glance across to the constellation of Orion and linger on it for a while. For it is here that our great friend Jeff Powles will live on in the form of star AGASC_ID 17833616, Right Ascension 6hr 18m 18.2s, Declination +2deg 52’ 25.9” or more simply “Jeff Powles”. Barely visible to ageing naked eyes but it’s location amongst the best known of all the constellations means we’ll always know where to look when we need to.
Jeff seemed to spend a lot of times looking up to the heavens for one reason or another when he was with us! He was always a star. As a man, a manager and a truly great friend so it’s apt that we named a star for him.
Shine on you old tart!
Date Added: 08/12/2009
Dates for 2010
We'll be Kicking off 2010 on Jan 16th at The Roadhouse in Birmingham. The following Friday the guys travel just up the road to The Gifford in Wolverhampton. Later on the Mentallibus travels to the brilliant Limelight in Crewe on Saturday May 22nd.
Date Added: 24/11/2009
More Sad News.
This year will be remembered for many things. Some good, some bad and some very sad. We found out today that another friend has left us. Chris contacted us to say that his wife Kat had recently passed away suddenly. We had met Kat and Chris at Wozwolf MCC Rally about 6 years ago and had a good time whenever we met up (usually the annual Wozwolf rally). Chris always down the front during the gig and Kat next to him. If it were needed it's yet another lesson that some things, if not all in this life are completely unimportant when we're faced with the loss of those close to us.
Stay safe Chris and we'll all be thinking of you and hopefully meet up soon.
Kat and Chris
Date Added: 24/11/2009
October
Derivative of ‘Oct’ meaning eight for the . . . . Tenth month? Oh Gregorian man, how baffling you are!
October started with a frankly unbelievable night in Soho, London at the legendary Crowbar. Mentallica were invited to perform by Joel McIver at the launch of his book ‘...To Live is to Die. The Life and Death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton’. It was up close and very personal and all the materiel came from the Cliff era. It was a privilege to be there and even more so to be able to play.
There were lots of music press and Met club representatives there and it all went very well . . . apart from me losing my phone! It was never the less so good to meet Joel and talk Metallica. His book is a must for any Metallica fan . . . or any metal fan for that matter.
The next day brought a trip into South Wales and The Hog and Hosper in Pontypool. The venue is run by Sam who for many years fronted ‘Into The Bleach’, the top Blondie Tribute of the time. I myself had a life-size poster of Debbie Harry in a very small plastic dress on my bedroom wall when I was but a mere boy and it proved most useful! The venue is a top gig. Not a big place but well run and a room full of metal heads all up for a good night out. We will return in the spring.
The following week was a little strange due to two cancellations. Both beyond our control and down to venue closures. A very sad sign of the difficult times we exist in. The remaining gig of The weekend was very local for us as we shared the stage with Sack Sabbath. A fabulous bunch of lads with the very same disturbing and sick sense of humour as us!
The following Friday brings a return to one of our favourite venues. The Moses Gate in Farnworth just South of Bolton. Uncle Ray runs a tight ship and he is genuinely one of the nicest people we’ve met on our travels. We have a lot of friends here and it’s always a pleasure to go and spend the night with them . . . not in a biblical sense you understand. Purely platonic! The evening completed with the usual detour to Ivanoe Street to drop off our passenger, you know who you are.
Next day was a trip to High Wycombe and the Nags Head where we shared the evening with the outstanding Enraged. This tribute to Rage Against The Machine is manned by great lads and they have nailed the Rage sound. If you get the chance go and see them. You won’t be disappointed.
Onward and the next weekend meant a trip back up a very poorly M6 to Bolton and our mate Gary. A three band extravaganza at The Soundhouse. Motley Crew, us and AC/DC UK made up the evenings entertainment. Some friends made the journey up the road from Farnwoth and we had a top night. The Motley Crew guys were fun to be with and hopefully we’ll meet up again.
So onto the final weekend of the month and Halloween weekend . . . oooooooh! Friday saw a short trip up the A38 to Sutton in Ashfield and The Diamond. Always a pleasure to go to well run venues and this is one of them. Gary, having been in the business on both sides of the fence for many years knows what bands need and provides it all. Good to see Jai and Lindsay again.
The final day of October saw a return to possibly the bands favourite venue, Mr Kyps in Poole. We were all pumped up for this one. Support came from the incredible Maniacal Edge, this band is featured in Metal hammer as an upcoming band to watch and seeing them you can see why. Hard, heavy, fast yet melodic. Well worth a listen.
Thanks to Kyle for interviewing us for the uni’ mag. Hope we weren’t too cryptic! There’s a copy of the review on the site. Have a look. Special thanks to Karan for being brave enough to be on stage at the same time as us and for taking so many fantastic photographs. You can see Karens work at www.fotoadventures.co.uk. Well worth taking a look if you're interested in metal or motorsport.
Was good to see Emma again and thanks for giving us the guided tour of Poole and Bournemouth on Sunday. It was a memorable day. Also good to see our old mate Al who travels relentless miles to spend time with us. Always good. By the way we still have your bedding mate!
Special thanks to Jim for his always appreciated time and assistance on the road. You’re a top roadie mate. Keep on drinkin’!
Onward to November and another month of good times. See you out there.
Date Added: 24/11/2009
The guys meet Brian Tatler . . .
This week at Liverpools O2 Academy the guys got to meet the legend that is Brian Tatler. Brian is guitarist in Diamondhead the band that inspired Metallica to greatness in the early 1980's. It's not the first time the guys have met him but the first time there was a camera and sobriety available! Brian explained how he'd taken control of the lighting console at a JB's gig some years ago and on another occasion had had to decline an invitation to join the band on stage due to , er, beer flu. . . We chatted for a while and it was a truly fantastic moment. . . although Daves attempts at mythical wit seemed to fail like a Greek Tragedy!
Date Added: 10/11/2009
More new dates for 2010
Here are another few dates for the 2010 diary. On February 13th the guys travel to Cardiff to perform at The Barfly. On May 7th the band travel to a favourite haunt when they return to The Moses Gate in Farnworth, Bolton and the following day on May 8th the Mentalliwagon rolls on into Northamptonshire and Rushden Athletic WMC.
Date Added: 03/11/2009
Mr Kyps Review.
By Kyle Reed
We had a great night at Kyps (once again). This review was written by Kyle Reed for the Bournmouth Uni Mag:-
“How do we get in?” is the first question of the night as we approach who we believe to be a roadie by the back entrance of Mr Kyps. Only he isn’t and, to be honest, we should have known better. He has it all- the long locks, the carefully groomed ‘Hetfield’ beard and the leather jacket. He has the cigarettes, the beer and, oddly, what looks like a bottle of sun cream. ‘Did you find your hair elixir?’ axe man Aid sniggers as his front man re-enters the room, fixing his metallic mane. He is Chris Jones and he leads the band hailed as ‘Europe’s No.1 tribute to Metallica.’ And I was about to find out just how justified that title is.
Dudley based Mentallica are a fantastic bunch. They’re laid back and care-free and yet remain welcoming and professional. They drink ‘girly cider’- not forgetting the ice. Best of all, they are relentless in the way they talk of how good things are for the band. “Mr Kyps is the greatest gig on the circuit,” co founder Dave Hadley beams. “Tonight is going to be good.” Tonight, of course, is Halloween. The full moon is blinding, the fog is rising and the crowd of 300 ‘tallica fans have not forgotten the occasion. It’s a rare delight to witness werewolf, zombie and ‘crazed topless fan waving blow up club’ embracing in mosh together. But that’s Halloween and that's metal.
In the hours before the gig- completed by drummer Mart- the guys laugh and bounce the answers towards me with a fun-filled passion. “There was no question- it was always going to be Metallica, although the name was debated once. I still believe it should be ‘The Chris Jones Quartet” Chris jests, with a cheeky smile. When asked if they’ve ever met their hero’s, excitable bassist Dave sits forward with a grin. “We’d love to meet them. But I’ll tell you what, their sound manager helped us out in our opening shows and came to us once with a message, ‘Metallica have heard of you and they wish you all the best.’ That’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
On stage the guys are no different. They smile and laugh at each other, clearly lapping up every second. “We’ve got some Metallica fans in here tonight, right?” The roar from the crowd says it all. Mentallica are a tight and well oiled machine. They appear to flawlessly attack each track as it comes, covering both fan favourites and their own. They have the backdrop, an array of crucifixes across the stage echoing the album art from ‘Master Of Puppets’ and an endless supply of beer. The show itself couldn’t be better and ‘tallica classics ‘Creeping Death ’, ‘Enter Sandman’ and ‘Whiplash’ go down as expected. You can’t help but think Hetfield’s crew would be proud.
Horns aloft, you can almost envisage the 300 strong crowd take to the spirit of dress-up and don their best Sparta voice- “this is ‘tallica!” It, of course, isn’t. But believe me, it’s as close as you can get and talk backstage suggests tonight was something special. “I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun.” Dave muses, grabbing a beer. “Just the right amount of alcohol, the perfect crowd and the greatest sound we’ve ever had.” They’re also a bright bunch and, as he slowly takes off his clothes, axe man Aid explains to me the importance of having clean t-shirt. “Heavy metal is a lot of things, but it’s not unhygienic.” 5/5
Date Added: 03/11/2009
More new dates for 2010
The dates for next year continue to build as we can announce three more gigs for 2010. The guys return to The Flowerpot in Derby on April 3rd. Two new venues for Mentallica are the legendary Fleece in Bristol which will feature a double header with the awesome Higher On Maiden on 17th April. The Tropic at Ruislip provides another new venue and the guys will play there on 21st May again teaming up with Higher On Maiden for another double header.
Date Added: 22/10/2009
So that was September. . .
. . .and what a great month it was. First up was a trip to sunny Brighton and The Komedia. What a fantastic night. A packed house saw support from Nakedium and The Rocket Dolls. Thanks to Mark for a top gig. Next came a trip to the spiritual homeland that is JB’s Dudley. Another healthy crowd enjoyed support from Plymouth’s Huron and a night of feverish drinking and shaking of the extremities.
The guys followed that with a trip to The English Riviera and Paignton’s The Parkers Arms. A gig arranged to celebrate Josh’s birthday and celebrate he /they did. Josh and co were scarily talented for their limited years. They were still jamming when we hit the road in the small hours. Thanks to Debra May and Tracey for making us so welcome and feeding us. Next time we WILL take up the offer of a room for the night and have a . . . little drink!!
The following week saw Mentallica head in the opposite direction and Stowmarket in Suffolk and The Riverside Club. A top venue and another big crowd enjoyed getting loud and . . . well . . . drunk. Or should that be well drunk? Good to meet Emma from the PRS and chat about stuff. The day after the Mentallibus was off to The Venue in Hinckley. Two great bands shared the stage with us. Original band Internal Conflict and System of A Down tribute “Fuck The System” were both brilliant.
So another month is done and still we press on toward Christmas and another new year. October will be another bumper month. Starting with a trip to Soho and the world famous Crobar to participate in the launch of the biography To Live is To Die The life and death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton written by Joel McIver.
See you out on the road.
KEEP IT LOUD
KEEP IT METALLICA
Date Added: 13/10/2009
The Riga - Southend
The guys make a long overdue return to Southend in March 2010 when they play Thr Riga once more.
Date Added: 13/10/2009
The Boardwalk Sheffield
The guys will be returning to The Boardwalk in Sheffield on Saturday March 13th 2010. A great support is being lined up so another date to look forward to.
Date Added: 02/10/2009
Cliff Burton Book Launch - Press Release
You are hereby invited to Cliff Burton At The Crobar on Friday 2 October, a reading/signing/headbanging/drinking event hosted by London's Crobar and Jawbone Press, publishers of To LIve Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton.
The book, written by UK author Joel McIver ("the top scribe in the world right now" according to the new All Pens Blazing anthology), features a foreword by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and is the first ever biography of Burton, who died in a 1986 coach crash aged only 24.
McIver will be reading excerpts from the book in between songs from Britain's premier Metallica tribute band, Mentallica, and signing copies. Books will be available to buy at a discounted rate at the event, which begins at 8pm -- but you're advised to get there early, as the evening has been publicised by Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazines and crowds are expected.
"I can't think of a better venue for the UK book launch than the Crobar," commented McIver, "although I am slightly concerned that I may be heckled to death." Still, the sacrifice of one measly author is only appropriate for the cause of heavy metal: join us on Friday for the literary/metal crossover event of the year.
For more information, visit www.joelmciver.co.uk, www.jawbonepress,com or www.crobar.co.uk.
The Crobar
17 Manette St
Soho
London W1D 4AS
0207 439 0831
Unfortunately due to circumstances that we can't control the planned early morning gig at Worcesters The Marrs Bars has been shelved. We hope to replan for some time next year.
Date Added: 22/09/2009
New Gigs Added
The new year see's the band travel to The Musician in Leicester on Saturday 20th February 2010. Support comes from The Brilliant Enraged)
Date Added: 17/09/2009
Planet Rock
Mentallica are now featured on Planet Rock's Top Tribute Band gig guide. Visit Planet Rock now for some great music.
Date Added: 15/09/2009
Take me home Black-Country Roads. . .
. . to the place where we belong
Mentallica returned to their spiritual home on Saturday night and played to a mental crowd at JB's. It's always good to 'go home' to play. Thanks to the crowd for being so up for it! 1st band Huron were all the way from Plymouth and are well worth checking out with their monster riffs and snarling vocals.
Aid's ilegally adopted offspring Jim provided stirling service in delivering us to the venue and helping out said illegal parent through some techy problems during the set so there'll be extra pocket money for you. Aid also has to thank his biological offspring Willo for artistic input on the stage props some of which made a splendind impromptu bar stage left for Dave.
Thanks to everyone as usual for a great night and we'll see you soon. . . On Friday to be exact to see The Levellers!!!
Next Saturday we're off to Paignton for a Birthday Party so don't forget your balloons. . .
Date Added: 15/09/2009
Brighton - The Komedia
We love Brighton! Another great night on the South Coast and how we enjoyed it. . . A little too much at some points. Apologies to top Metallica fan 'Dave' for playing some stuff a little bit fast. It happens to the best when the adrenelin is pumping and everyone is up for it. Thanks to Lloyd and Lex on light and sound. What a brilliant job they do. Thanks to the lovely Karren for hosting this bunch of steaming buffoons known as Mentallichimps! Big thanks to Mark for making it all happen. See you all next year.
On to JB's and what promises to be another top night!
Date Added: 10/09/2009
So that was August. . .
. . . After a month off for a breather and some well earned festival/rally R & R Mentallica played a couple of storming gigs at the end of the month. The RoadHouse in Birmingham is a fantastic place and we all had a monster time. So too is The Boardwalk in Sheffield and we look forward to hitting both venues again early next year.
The start of the month saw the guys attend the wedding of their good friends Reg and Ingrid in Winslow. A fine event frequented by many bikers and other gentlefolk. Best Man Mart was particularly resplendant in his tailcoat! On the same day our very own dynamo Wayne was at Sonisphere being a very dirty boy indeed!
Dave and Chris spent a fine weekend at The Bulldog Bash a week later and held up the good name of the band by drinking far too much. Aid celebrated yet another birthday at Wozwolf Rally in Peterborough and got well and truly Sambucca'd by the girls and boys there. Mart, not to be left out was still drunk the day after he enjoyed his bro's birthday whilst watching the fantastic Love/Hate. . .He thinks he had a great time, from what he can piece together of the night. So that was August.
September promises to be a busy and highly enjoyable month. A visit to Sunny Brighton. A show at Aid's spiritual home, JB's and lots more. The guys are full on now until Christmas with almost 30 dates to get through by the time Santa empties his sack all over your girlfriends hearth. . . So buckle up and get your neck brace standing by.
KEEP IT LOUD
KEEP IT METAL
KEEP IT METALLICA
Date Added: 04/09/2009
The Drift - Jersey
Hot on the heels of the confirmation of Mentallica's date in Guernsey at The Greenman MCC Chaos Rally comes confirmation of The Drift in Jersey. The Date is 25th March 2010. The Drift is a top venue which regularly attracts huge crowds so we're looking forward to an early Spring trip to The Channel Islands.
Date Added: 03/09/2009
Southampton - Change of Venue
The gig at The Joiners in Southampton on November 1st has been moved just down St Mary's Road to The Unit. Any tickets already purchased stating The Joiners as the venue will be valid.
Date Added: 25/08/2009
Greenman MCC Chaos Rally - Guernsey
The guys are heading off to The Channel Islands in June next year to Guernsey and The Greenman MCC Chaos rally. MENTALLICA will headline on Friday 25th June 2010 on the Greenman Stage. Keep an eye on the gig list for more news of the show and dates.
Date Added: 25/08/2009
Legends of Rock Tour
Coming to a venue near you.
Keep a look out at your local venues for The Legends of Rock Tour. Dates at Liverpool and Newcastle O2 Academies are already confirmed and more will follow. The first date will be in Birmingham at The Asylum on Saturday 24th October. Unfortunately MENTALLICA will be elsewhere at a show which we committed to some time back but if you're in Birmingham on that day check out what will be a fantastic night. The line up for The Asylum show is Dizzy Lizzy, Snakebite and Dirty DC. Look out for more news on tickets and dates. The LOR Website is under construction and will be up and running very soon.
Date Added: 24/08/2009
All tied up . . .
The bands last available Saturday in 2009 has now been filled and MENTALLICA are looking forward to trip down to Kent. They'll head off to Sheerness and The Ivy Leaf Bar on November 14th. See you there. We can also confirm the bands last show before Christmas at The Rising Sun in Coventry on Sunday 20th December.
Date Added: 24/08/2009
The Boardwalk - Sheffield
Was great to get back to Sheffield and The Boardwalk. Thanks to everyone for sharing a fantastic night. Made all the better by our brave cricketing boys regaining The Ashes. Much praise goes to the girls who drove down from Hull to meet up again. Always good to see old friends
Thanks to Chris for the hospitality, to Fester for sound and to Fez in his capacity as Lampy. See you next year.
Cheers
Date Added: 24/08/2009
New Dates
The guys will be heading for The English Riviera in September when they play at The Parkers Arms in Paignton. Also another trip to the fantastic Wharf in Tavistock is set for January 23rd 2010.
Date Added: 17/08/2009
The RoadHouse
What a fantastic night!
Brilliant venue, brilliant hosts and a mental crowd. We've been all over the country over the years at all types and sizes of venue but The RoadHouse is right up there at the top of the list in every regard. Chris and DD are doing the business in turning the place into a top place not just for live music but as a great meeting place. Have a look if you're in the area (click the link below). Loads of top bands on and stuff to do including drooling over an array of bikes parked out front. Thanks to Tommo and Dave for sound and light. They do a top job and they're also pretty useful as a comedy double act! Thanks guys.
Good to see Mr. and Mrs Rich again and the other rogues who we always enjoy a drink and laugh with.
See you all again at The RoadHouse next year.
Cheers
Mentallica
Date Added: 16/08/2009
Gig News
New gigs have been added to the Autumn/Winter tour. The gigs are at completely new venues for MENTALLICA. On October 9th the Mentalliwagon touches down in Newcastle Under Lyme at The OXford Arms and on December 5th we journey South to The Crauford Arms at Wolverton, Milton Keynes.
Date Added: 07/08/2009
Autumn/Winter Tour T-shirts almost here
A new Autumn/Winter Tour T-shirts will be available from next week. Based on the very popular Whiskey tour T-shirt this one will also includes tour dates on the back. You'll be able to get them from gigs and through the snailmail via our Facebook site. Just click on the link at the bottom of the home page.
Date Added: 06/08/2009
LEGENDS OF ROCK TOUR
Coming to a venue near you soon
After a minor hickup the LEGENDS OF ROCK TOUR is back on track. The first date will be in Birmingham at The Asylum on Saturday 24th October. Unfortunately MENTALLICA will be elsewhere at a similar show which we committed to some time back but if you're in Birmingham on that day check out what will be a fantastic night. The line up for The Asylum show is Dizzy Lizzy, Snakebite and Dirty DC. Look out for more news on tickets and dates. The LOR Website is under construction and will be up and running very soon.
Date Added: 03/08/2009
Ingrid and Reg's Big Day Out - The Wedding
Just a note to answer the many enquiries. Mentallica are not playing in Winslow this coming weekend. Ingrid and Reg are good friends who we were lucky enough to meet, along with Mart and Julie at Wozwolf a good few years ago. We've spent many weekends at rallies encamped, sheltering from the rain and sambucca since. This weekend is a great day for everyone attending but Mentallica will be there only in their capacity to drink lots and have fun with good folk! So Winslow beware. . . as the lunatic Asylum descends upon ye. . .
Date Added: 29/07/2009
The Komedia - Brighton
The guys will be off to the seaside on the 5th day of September to Brighton's finest, The Komedia Club. Buckets and spades at the ready. . .
You can also buy tickets on line from SeeTickets.com for Mentallica's shows at Sheffield and Southampton. Follow the link at the bottom of the home page.
Date Added: 28/07/2009
What's going on in Mentallicaworld. . .
To keep you fine folk up to date with what's going on in Mentalliworld we thought it would be an idea to just post a few thoughts, new dates and fun polking on a weekly basis. So here go we . . .
Amongst the many new venues we have confirmed bookings with is The Strafford Arms in Wakefield. Sure to be a good night out. Other recent additions to the gig list include a stage share in Milton Keynes with Harptallica from The USA. Two lovely ladies who perform Metallica on Harps. Hopefully adding a new twist to live versions of Fade To Black and Nothing Else Matters for us.
Other new venues include Worcesters Marr's Bar, The Nags Head in High Wycombe and The Soundhouse in Bolton where the guys are part of a Monster Rock recreation of Donington '91 along with AC/DC UK and Motley Crew. That promises to be a fantastic night.
Look out for more news on the Legends of Rock Tour which features SNAKEBITE, HELLZ BELLZ, DIZZY LIZZY, HIGHER ON MAIDEN, BONGIOVI and MENTALLICA. This should be rolling out over the UK and beyond in the next few months.
There's a bit of a break for 'summer' hols and relaxation. The tour kicks off again on August 15th with a show at Birmingham's Roadhouse.
Farewell and my tip of the day is . . . Never put out a camp fire with your face . . .
Date Added: 22/07/2009
The Springhead, Hull
Another great night at Hulls finest. Thanks to Craig for playing host and to the hardy soles who braved the wonderful summer weather. Special thanks to Emma who travelled from Grimsby for the night out. See you all soon.
Cheers
Date Added: 22/07/2009
M******S of R**K postponement
Unfortunately due to some over zealous non-enterty the 1st date of the UK Tribute show at The Civic Hall Wolverhampton has been temporarily postponed. Best not say too much as you never know who reads this stuff and may take humpage! A new date will be announced in the next week or so and tickets for the July 18th show will be valid for the new date.
Date Added: 14/07/2009
THE MASTER OF PUPPETS SHOW
Videos
Look out on the media section soon for the entire MOP show videos. From Battery to Damage inc. They'll all be there!
Date Added: 19/06/2009
From Coalville it's the gig of the year!
Oooorah!
Yes it' that time of year when all roads lead to The Vic in the quiet hamlet of Coalvile, Leicestershire. One venue, two stages, a dozen or so bands, many tents and more beer, wine, spirits, crisps and junk food than could be easily accommodated in a fleet of Ethel Austin articulators! Moxters 2009 will be even better this year . . . no one knows why it just always is better than the previous one. The weather can't be any worse than last year and we all hoping for clear skies and warm sunshine for the whole weekend. It does aid all night drinking on the summer solstice. While the druids are cavorting on Salisbury plane we'll most likely still be drinking or approaching a state of coma!
So gentlemen. Start your engines, fill you recepticle and prepare for the event of the year. . .MOXTERS OF ROCK 2009.
Date Added: 16/06/2009
6 top Tributes in one arena . . .
Tour News
Mentallica are pleased to announce their involvement with the LEgends of Rock Tour. The tour is already up and working in Ireland. Each show will feature 6 of the countries top tributes. All chosen for their musical accuracy and rowsing live shows. The line up will include Hells Bells. Bon Giovi, Higher on Maiden, Snakebite, Mentallica and Dizzy Lizzy. Look out for more news on tickets and dates. The LOR Website is under construction and will be up and running very soon.
Date Added: 25/04/2009
Jeff Powles
We are all very saddened by the death of our great friend and manager Jeff Powles. Jeff lost his battle against cancer on the morning of April 1st. Typical of him he made no fuss because he didn't want to bother us. I'm sure venue managers around the country will laugh at that as he did nothing but bother them 24/7. Jeff was one of the good guys and when I can bring myself to wax lyrical about our friendship and the good times we spent on the road and at bike rallies I will fill many pages with memories. Until then I'll post this message which was received from Simon of Beholder and another good friend to Jeff.
Hey Guys
For anyone that knew Jeff Powles, Promoter and Mr Nice Guy, then the news that he lost the fight against Cancer will be as big a shock as it is to me.
In the National Music Scene Jeff was an Agent / Promoter who worked tirelessly to build up Local and National Talent along with working with some of the best Tribute bands in the country, bands such as Ozzmosis, By Jovi and more recently Mentallica.
Jeff was an integral part in building Beholder in the early days and over the years and became a close friend along with being someone I could moan to about what is sometimes the most stupid fuckin industry to be in. We spent many many hours complaining about venues, promoters, bands and fans and I gotta say of all the things he talked about - he kept his illness to himself and left the scene with dignity and grace.
I'm not gonna lie - I dont believe in an afterlife or a god - but what I will say is that knowing Jeff has left a great big fuckin hole in my heart and I miss him dearly. Needless to say my condolances and wishes go to his immediate family, and to you guys all I gotta say is be strong and don't you fuckin dare slow down! Your a killer band and a great bunch a guys so don't take ya foot off the gas!!!
Great guy and a great big heart - Fly Free Jeff!
Jeff Powles (Agent, Promoter and Friend)
Simon (Beholder)
Date Added: 08/04/2009
How many vans does it take to get to a gig?
I don't know. How many vans does it take to get to
3!
That is all.
Date Added: 22/02/2009
Review from Mr. Kyps 23.01.09
Review by: Dan O'Gara - www.listedmagazine.com
Friday 23-01-2009
In Rock We Trust: Mentallica + Empty Cage
It's Friday and on this chilly January evening, we park the car and head off into the warm inclines of Mr Kyps. When I say warm I mean hot! There are roughly a hundred punters here already and another two hundred expected. Not bad for a tribute act, but Mentallica always gather a large crowd whenever they play here. The beer is flowing freely and local band Empty Cage hit the stage and they immediately deal out classic metal riffs to the watching assembly. They get a good in-between-song banter going with the crowd. Bassist Bear offers to give lessons to the throng, when his question of 'who here can head bang?' is met with only six hands. The music is tight and well put together, so it's a shame that this is billed as their last ever gig.
Headliners Mentallica are onto a winner, with the wealth of excellent metal tunes their heroes have, we get hit after hit delivered just like the real band. Opening with Creeping Death we are treated to all the Metallica classics, including their take on Whiskey In The Jar. Which was funny when you consider that Mentallica are covering the Metallica version, who were covering the Thin Lizzy version, who were covering The Dubliners version, who were playing the Irish traditional song whose origins are unknown... phew! We even get a song from the new opus Death Magnetic and it shows that the band members have their stagecraft down to a fine art, as they egg on the multitude on with every anthem. Master Of Puppets and One were, for me, the standout tracks of the night! But the powerhouse rendition of concert closer Seek And Destroy, sent every metallifan home with a smile on their faces! Top night, many thanks Mr Kyps!
This review appears courtesy of www.listedmagazine.com - Bournemouth and Poole's the ultimate what's on guide, the FREE magazine contains everything from comedy, theatre and live music to dance, GLB events, sport, motoring and films.
Date Added: 31/01/2009
Big News on The way
OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!
We're all as excited as excited things with a particularly good reason to be excited . . . but enough of plagerising BlackAdder! There's some big news on the way for the guys and as soon as everything is tied up and sealed we'll share the news with everyone. Keep a look out!
Cheers
Date Added: 27/01/2009
A Message From Mentallica
To Mr Kyps
Hi all
Just want to thank Mr Kyp, Rich , Romin and everyone who shared Friday (23.01.09) with us. Big thanks to Empty Cage who sadly performed their final gig. Sure you all agree they gave a fantastic show and they are top blokes too. We all enjoyed the night (as always) and are glad that everyone else did too. Thanks to Emma for showing up yet again although this time she didn't go away with a piece of drumkit! Maybe next time. Hope to see many of you back at Kyps on Halloween this year for a creepy metal show. Thanks again.
Cheers
Aid
AKA Kirk Hamster
Date Added: 27/01/2009
TJ's Newport
Just to let you know that, unfortunately, the gig at Newport has been cancelled.
Date Added: 09/01/2009
'Twas the weekend before Christmas . . .
. . . and all were pissed!
What another unbelievable weekend
The 12Bar at Swindon was a brilliant night. Near to full house and everyone just a little bit happier as most have finished work until after Christmas. Who'd ' a thought 2000 years ago. Some woman gives birth in a barn and from thence forward everyone gets pissed for two weeks on either side of the bairns birthday . . . marvellous. Thanks to Dave for being a top bloke, engineer and man enough to admit that his lovely wife is a better navigator than he. Eternal thanks for talking Dave in from the infamous magic roundabout. Good to see Helene, Jasper, Rick and James. Thanks to Helene for a fantastic gift to the band. As soon as I can figure out how to do it justice on a scanner I'll show you. Rick was overjoyed as the 12Bar stocks his beloved VB beer. The national ale of his homeland, Australia. The first time in 6 years he'd managed to get some . . . beer too!
Saturday arrived and onward to Manchester and Caged Asylum. Can't really think of a word to describe what a night we had. Brilliant support came from a band to look out for, called Bison Hammer and also from . The place was rammed to the rafters (thank bruce Forsyth for stage barriers!) and everyone was up for a party. As usual scantily clad stunners milled in and out of the crowd. This time they were dressed in seasonal costume. . . although it's the first time I've seen Santa wearing a thong and suspenders! Julian has the best job in the world. He seems to walk around back and front stage all night swilling from a bottle of JD (He was on his second bottle by midnight) attending to the clubs troop of dancers.
A special appearance by The stunning Fuel Girls made a spectacular finale. Akin to a scene from Coyote Ugly, four babes climbed aboard the bar and treated the rowdy mob to a display of fire eating, fire breathing and red hot stripping fun (and a little bit of girl on girl stuff which pleased one of the band no end). Of course I was only mildly interested and didn't really look . . .
All in all one of the best weekends in recent years.
Hope you all have a brilliant Christmas.
KEEP IT LOUD!
Kirk Hamster
Date Added: 22/12/2008
Oooorah! It's Christmas . . .
The Gospel according St Noddy Holder
'Tis the season to be jolly . . . get pissed at the works party . . . fall over, laugh about it and wake up next day with a boiler! No? Just me then . . . but we digest.
Over this last weekend before Santa climbs down our collective chimneys and empties his swollen sack onto our carpets the Mentallisleigh glides effortlessly into equatorial Swindon and the 12Bar. We're looking forward to another great night at Wiltshire’s finest.
Saturday sees a journey north to the very centre of Manchester and the fantastic Ruby Lounge at Caged Asylum. What growing lad could ask for more than loud metal, large quantities of beer and scantily clad beauties plying their art in this marvellous amalgam of live music venue and lap dancing club. Hopefully this time Aid won't be distracted by the sight of said beauties taking a break and having a dance in front of the stage while the band are playing. . . at his age it could turn nasty!
Dave, Chris, Mart, Aid and Jeff want to wish you all a merry Mentallimas and don’t worry if you don’t get exactly what you want on Christmas morning . . .
It could still be a big night if you play your cards right!
Date Added: 18/12/2008
Bolton in the fog . . .
. . . to be geographically correct Farnworth
The guys were lucky to arrive at Moses Gate due to the fog. A real pea souper 'n all guvna! Uncle Ray was on form as always and the selection of fresh rolls was a joy to behold. Thanks to everyone who turned out . . . and there were lots of you . . . on a filthy night (weather wise). Good to see Pippa again and give her a lift home as always. Sorry I can't remember everyones name but we spoke to so many it all ended in a blur . . . that could've been the beer!
Already got some dates for next year so see you all soon.
Cheers.
Date Added: 06/12/2008
The Leopard, Doncatser
Saturday 13th December
Just to let everyone know that the gig at The Leopard, Doncaster is DEFINATELY ON. Some gigs at the venue have recently been cancelled due to sad and unfortuante circumstances but the guys will be there on Saturday 13th ready to rock out and drink lots of beer. Support will come from Forlorn so it promises to be a great night.
See you there.
Cheers
Date Added: 01/12/2008
34 hours without sleep
What a weekend!
Weekends fall into many categories. Some are fun, some are memorable, and some are unforgettable! We'd be lying if we didn't say last weekend wasn’t one of the most fun, unforgettably memorable ones ever!
A very long weekend began at midday on Saturday and finished on Sunday night with no or little sleep in between! The Master of Puppets show at The Wharf was fantastic. Friends Plukie and Darryl were once again there filming the show. With the extra camera angle we’re really looking forward to seeing the end result. We're extremely grateful to both of them for giving their time and at least on this occasion we got to chat and share a cuppa. Plukie was resplendent sporting her new purple hair!
Thanks to Rich, Dillon and everyone at The Wharf for being scarily professional during our usual stupidity! Was good to see Clayton and Jody backstage later. Top marks to Clayton for converting Jody from the ways of Dance to the ways of metal. Hope we’re back again soon.
We left a cold and wet Tavistock at around 1am and headed off to Northampton, arriving some 8 hours later via most of the service areas on the M5 and M6 and a very picturesque blizzard. We had been invited to Northampton by Kevin from Multitrack recordings to put down five Metallica tracks for a web site that he is developing. We were all excited about a day in the studio and eager to get on with it. Sound engineer at Far Heath was Angus, a really great and knowledgeable chap who coped admirably with general idiot-ness and the strange odours that were being produced.
The guys with Angus at Far Heath Studio's
Kevin asked us to record Enter Sandman, Whiskey in The Jar, Fade to Black, Nothing Else Matters and Master of Puppets. All were laid down live and tweaked. Even in a raw unmixed state they sounded good and we can’t wait to hear the end results. We have a lot of footage from our day of fun so will be concocting a “Making of” vid’ for our own and hopefully your entertainment.
After loading the van in a freezing downpour we headed home and back to reality. After almost 36 hours without sleep for most of us was it worth it? You bet!
Date Added: 25/11/2008
A big weekend ahead!
This coming weekend is a big one for the band. On Saturday they travel to Tavistock to perform The Master of Puppets show at The Wharf. A mental crowd is the order of the day here. . . check out the vid for The Four Horsemen on the media page for some Olympic standard stage diving on a recent visit!
On Sunday it's off to Northampton to record. Mentallica have been selected as the UK's top tribute to Metallica to lay down tracks for a new internet venture revolving around the countires top tributes. More info will be posted as the site goes live.
Looking forward to a great weekend. Hope you can be part of it.
Cheers!
Date Added: 16/11/2008
A funny thing happened on the way to The Forum. .
What a fantastic night at Darlington's Forum last night. A near full house saw another performance of The Master of Puppets show and by the amount of spilled beer and flying hair and bodies a good time was had by all.
A slightly different slant on proceedings this time with the first half of the show being MOP and the second half a feast of the biggies.
Fade to Black went out to Dave from wife Bev on his birthday. Was good to speak to both of you later and share tales of weird people at gigs! Also great to speak to Chris and Brian, Sorry we didn't get around to Whiplash but adding the requests pushed us for time. Ahoy to everyone else who hung around at the end for more beer and chat.
Once again I'm embarrassed to have forgotten the name of our sound engineer who did a fantastic job with a monster sound. Thanks to Danny from Holland on the lights and to venue manager Dan who looked after us Royally.
See you all again next year.
Cheers
Date Added: 09/11/2008
To be . . . or not to be . . . At Cox's Yard
The baird would not have approved!
Yet again another brilliant night at Cox's. Thanks to everyone who squeezed into the venue and for braving the monsoon conditions.
Apologies to Aftersin for making them set up their kit infront of ours but it was necessary with the tight switch over time. Even without having to reset Marts huge kit we had to miss a song or two and still ran over by 15 minutes risking the plug being pulled. Although with the hyper mood of the drunken mob in front of us I don't think that would have happened!
Aftersin played some great stuff and the crowd showed their approval. Check them out on MySpace.
Thanks to everyone who looked after us. Alas as usual I've forgotten names . . . it's an age thing! The venue manager (hereafter refered to as The Blackburn fan) and to our friend on the sound desk who once again proved his talents with a great mix despite our unintentional attempts to deafen him earlier on! As usual bar takings went through the roof and that was without a contibution from us as we were driving back!
Metallica addict and stage hopping buddy Wayne took the oppertunity to sort our set list for the show and it went down very, very well. Think we did have to insist upon adding Leper Messiah but as it was received so well I'd say 1 to us mate! That was Just Your Life went down a storm as an opener and we'll definately be using that one again. Wayne's impromptu stage visit complete with blow up guitar and a fine vocal performance during Seek and Destroy was brilliant.
Good to see Jasper, Helene, Rick, Al, Jen and everyone else who keeps coming back to share some time and a pint with us (In Al's case many, many pints of Strongbow!)
See you all again back at Cox's Yard next year.
Date Added: 03/11/2008
Review by Mark Daniels - Metclub Chapter Head
Previously posted gig review by Mark Daniels, Chapter Head, Metclub
The guys were a little bit nervous before this one. In the crowd was Metclub Chapter Head Mark Daniels who had forewarned us that he would be attending to review the show. Thanks to Mark and to everyone else who turned out on a very cold night to share some time with us.
This is what Mark thought: -
At some point most of us have tried to play something by Metallica, whether your a guitarist or a drummer, bass player or even singer. Metallica are well known for making awesome music that is at best difficult to play yet made to look so easy.
Last night I saw Mentallica at JBz Dudley and I was VERY impressed.
I've worked in music for nearly 10 yrs now for major U.S. heavy metal bands and I have seen Metallica easily over 25 times since 1992. Everytime I have heard that there is a Metallica Tribute on the scene I make a point of going, though this MENTALLICA show I have waited 6 yrs for as I have never been in a place at the right time to see it.
I can truthfully say that they are the best I have ever seen in Europe. There is only one or two at the most that give them a good run for their money. BATTERY and DAMAGE INC from the U.S.
JBz nightclub has housed some great bands in the years and used to have a great P.A. but has started to sound quite dull in recent years whether that be a result of poor engineers or a wear and tear issue but the sound wasn't the best last night.
Mix/Sound - It seemed like it was rushed. I felt the sound check could have been worked on a bit more. The drums weren't properly mic'd. The floor tom sounded empty and low in the mix, snare was a little over powering and symbols didn't suit the kit used by Mentallica's drummer. Lars' kit and symbols are a big part in Metallica's live sound so i'd try and use the gear as close to Metallica as possible to complete the accuarcy of the sound.
Vocals were slightly too loud compared for the actual music output front of house but werent unbearable by any means. Guitars sounded killer and had a nice shredding thickness. Especially the lead guitar sections! The clean channel also sounded good but again Hammett and Hetfield's gear (correct pick ups and effects) count for alot. Bass guitar was at a good level throughout and sounded "meaty".
Set list - Perfect for the old skool hardcore Metallica fans. Lots off the first 5 albums and nicely spread out to accomodate "fans wish to hear list".
Performance - 8/10.
The bass player is a fruitcake - very JASON NEWSTEAD. Rarely keeps still and is very energetic. Seems to enjoy it more than anyone in the building.
Lead guitarist was awesome, total respect for effort and accuracy although some solo's and sections were incorrect it would be wrong to suggest it wasn't a valiant effort.
Drummer was the dogs rocks. couldn't find a fault. Fast, accurate, hard hitting and constant.
Singer/Rhythm Guitarist. Good lookalike, stance, sound of guitar and presence could have passed for the true Jaymz, good vocal range and similar voice tone.
Very good stage presence, similar moves and attitude as METALLICA
Overall - I would definately see MENTALLICA again and I would reccomend to fans. Though if i had a couple of wishes it would be to get the right sounding instruments for the band but money is a bitch for all of us. Also not so much "HEY" "HEY" "HEY" "HEY" during the set. It was too frequent. Other than that I had a great night.
Mark Daniels
Date Added: 30/10/2008
Saturday Night . . . This must be Norwich
Thanks to Pam and Charlie (who was absent) for providing yet another heaving night at The Brickmakers. Lots of familiar faces and lots more new ones.
Things could've started better in as much as we could have managed keep the van and it's front bumper connected! (all sorted now) Aid's poorly amp blew yet more valves but ooorah for trusty Marshall solid state backups! The show will go on. . . We had a great night as always.
Big thanks to GRAVEMIND for another fantastic set of top metal. Cheers lads!
Thanks to everyone for hanging around to chat and drink. See you in March.
Cheers
Date Added: 27/10/2008
The Diamond
Another great night at The Diamond in Sutton in Ashfield. Thanks to Gary for having us and Simon for doing a great job on the sound. This was the final gig for the time being with Disarm Goliath so thanks to the guys for being brilliant and lets hope you see more of them soon. They've recently released their first album so look out for it.
Was good to see Jai again, pissed as always! Hello to Steevie and Sam (She was also pissed) and everyone who's name we forgot. Hope to see you all again next year.
Cheers
Date Added: 27/10/2008
Mr Kyps Halloween Party
Damn that weather...and that roof!
Unfortunately, due to the lack of a fully functioning roof at Mr Kyps in Poole the planned Halloween gig on Friday 31st October has had to be cancelled. We are all really disappointed as it promised to be a great night with new material to debut and stupidity to be paraded but alas the elements have won.
Mr Kyp tried to keep things going for all bands but the need for a complete new roof has meant all gigs are cancelled until December at the earliest. (Please check Mr Kyps website for news on other gigs) MENTALLICA hope to be back at Kyps in February 2009 so we look forward to seeing you all there.
Cheers
Date Added: 09/10/2008
Herefords 'Private' Party
A very 'Private' affair . . .
We weren’t told a lot about this gig beforehand and as we arrived we could understand why! Somewhere in Herefordshire (that’s all we’re allowed to divulge) we sauntered along a country lane toward the venue. A quite regal country house in the middle of nowhere. The signage on the approach was a little worrying. . .”Enter at Own Risk!” and “By Appointment Only” being amongst them.
We were greeted by Manager Kate who was a great lady and looked after us like no one ever has. Beer on request (after show of course) and what seemed like half a hog roast too! The ‘dressing room’ boasted the biggest TV any of us has ever seen and if you’ve ever seen Dave’s TV you’ll appreciate how big that is. Not really a dressing room more a communal gathering place for the hard worked residents to watch TV and DVD’s, but we were impressed. Especially by the ‘coffee table’ book . . . The SAS Survival Guide and Handbook . . . Hope that’s not too much said! Also worrying was the presence of a rubber chicken in a balaclava!
The victims . . . er . . . audience were at the end of seven weeks ‘training’. A group of US visitors undergoing instruction in certain arts of which we cannot speak. This was their ‘End of Term’ party and they enjoyed it like you wouldn’t believe. Especially the brave souls staggering around in front of us swilling from 1 ½ Ltr bottles of JD! Hardy souls indeed . . . although judging by the size of some of these guys they’d need that much to get a bit merry! The fave songs of the night had to be Don't Tread on Me and One.
Most of these good souls were returning home to The US over the next week and we wish them well, others were unfortunately heading off to well known war zones and centres of political unrest. We hope they get their job done and return home safe and in one whole piece.
Apologies to ‘Colorado’ for disrupting his enjoyment of the film ‘Redemption’. We all seemed to get enthralled in it during the after show mêlée and we’ll all be heading off to Blockbuster in the next week no doubt!
Big thanks to Andy and Andy on the sound system. It would be great to spend a night in the pub with the Andy’s to listen to Andy retell tales from the past. This man was once employed to drive Black Sabbath from gig to gig in a Rolls Royce! They did a fantastic job for us and we thank them and appreciate their work.
Could go into an Oscar type list of “thanks to” but the man who introduced us to Jaggermeister bombs deserves a special mention! As do Kate’s merry band of girls who kept everything running almost abnormally!
Date Added: 30/09/2008
Death Magnetic is here!
Todays the day we've all been waiting for. The 'official' release of Death Magnetic. Let us now which tracks you'd like to hear live.
Cheers
Date Added: 12/09/2008
T-Shirts for hire. . .
Whiskey in The Jar tour T shirts which celebrate 10 years on the road for MENTALLICA are still available. Pick one up quick!
Available from gigs and by post . Shirts cost £8 each.
(Cheques only for orders by post plus an additional £1.50 P&P (Pay-Pal coming soon)(Overseas delivery will be quoted on receipt of enquiry). Delivery in 7-10 days. E-mail mentallicaworld@hotmail.co.uk for details)
Date Added: 01/09/2008
Rio's Leeds
We had a fantastic night in Leeds. What a great venue and brilliant crowd. The guys thoroughly enjoyed the night and from the reaction of the crowd we think you did too. Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Cheers.
Date Added: 01/09/2008
Wozwolf - The Legless Eleven
What a hangover!
Twas indeed a grand week at The Legless Eleven. The 11th annual Wozwolf MCC rally in sunny Melton Mowbray.
Being a stout and hardy fellow Aid arrived along with long suffering best friend and erstwwhile manager Jeff just after lunch on Thursday and was greeted by the fine fellows hailing from Leighton Buzzard. Mart, Reg, Chilly, Skully and Brady are indeed hardened rally goers and make us pretenders whimper at our ineptitude in the spirit guzzling stakes!
Aid was memorably bolloxed by these fine people and thier best friend Sambucca at the Cock Out Rally in July. Alas he hadn't learned his lesson and again he was mugged with the aniseed cosh! .
A fine two days were spent before the rest of the band arrived to perform on Saturday night. Many good friends were to be found around the site. Paul the JD man and his crew, the legendary Kenny. . . We dub thee Pisshead! I did see the girls from The Railway in Ipswich while we were on stage but didn't manage to find them later. More new faces to remember including the brave soul who carried a seven (yes 7) Pint tankered! Friday night saw it full of JD and coke. . . ugh!
Saturday arrived and support came from Silverback who rocked with some brilliant music. The bass player needs a special mention. A goliath of a man with the fingures of a athelete. Rarley have I seen a bass player with such dexterity. Quite outstanding! The guys set seemed to be over in a flash. . . maybe due to the beer. . . and partly due to the Enviromental Health who complained about the noise! It's a field 4 miles from anywhere. Where do these complaints come from?
The strippers came and went . . . male and female. The beer flowed like a flowy thing and it was very late when the tents beckoned. Check out the pictures. Not many if any of the gig but loads of the weekends fun and frolics with our mates. Roll on the next rally.
Date Added: 01/09/2008
A DEAD SERVER - 1st September 2008
Unfortunately over the weekend Mentallica.net's web host suffered a bit of a seizure and passed away. As you can see the site is up and running again in a fashion and is being rebuilt. It looks as though the last few months of Forum Postings will be lost to the ether but alas there's nowt we can do. Hopefully all should be back to abnormal very soon.
Cheers
Date Added: 01/09/2008
Moxters of Rock 2008
And so the sun has set upon the Moxters of Rock for another year. Not as though it ever came out. Rain was definitely the order of the day on Saturday. Not that the inclement weather made the slightest bit of difference, as, once again, we've had the time of our lives.
We turned up on Friday this time, and were very glad that we did! The beer flowed from early on - Dave was so excited to be there, he immediately knocked over some beers, and walked into the ladies' toilets!
Luckily, Graham and John were on hand to take the piss, the aforementioned Graham propped up on crutches. Strangely, he only seemed to need them when it was time to go to the bar, whereupon he made John make the journey!
There were some great bands on Friday night, and we enjoyed them all whilst having a few beers. It was dawn before we finally stumbled into bed.
The great thing about the Moxters of Rock is that it's all about getting pissed and catching up with old mates. As always, Tony's moustache looked well groomed, and very Freddie Mercury – although we may have detected the slightest hint of grey in it this year.
It was great to see Paul, Ginny, Emma and Steve – Paul absolutely wrecked – we've never seen him sober. Biker shows all over the country – morning, noon, night – he's always heroically caned.
Not to take it away from the other piss heads we met on Saturday. Great to see Rob, Roy and his missus, Jai and Rick, who turned up in a great tricked out behemoth of a van, to name but a few. Al, as always, did not fail to disappoint, his stunning drinking performance summed up by one guy we were talking to, as follows. "Your mate Al is as happy as a pig in shit standing next to the bar drinking cider". Yes – that would be our mate Al!
The man in the orange hat himself, Jim 'Roadie' Sheldon, was also present at all times to swill beer and help us carry gear. Cheers, Jim.
We were all made up when Wayne, the Jersey-dwelling Metallica nutcase, put in an appearance. He is one of the craziest bastards we have ever met, and he joined us on stage for the whole of our set with a blow up Union Flag guitar. Top performance from 'Mr Bobby Cheese' himself, totally capturing the spirit of what the Moxters of Rock means to us.
And as always, there were the bands, who have become good friends over the years. The Guns 2 Roses boys are always a joy to drink with, and it was great to catch up with Deft Leppard. Both bands had to leave early, as they had other gigs that evening – are they mad? Finally managed to catch a Green Date set, and really enjoyed it. As always, the Red Mock Chilli Peppers were incredible. In addition, there were the Black Pig Morris Dancers. Huge, bearded blokes (and their lady partners), all dressed up in feathers and leathers. Interesting stuff.
As the evening wore on, all were treated to an intimate performance by rock and roll royalty – Badaxe himself. How we all loved his intimate, well thought out and subtle ballads as he cast a wry eye over the gentle nuances of this winding road we call life. "She was only 16, but took it up the arse with… margarine", and "Lepers can't clap, cos they've got no hands" were but two of his offerings. And, once again, he sold us a fucking album.
And so it's all over for another year, and, as always, it really was more fun than anyone deserves to have. Thanks as ever to an exhausted looking John and Nita for looking after us.
See everyone next time for more of the same! Hopefully, with a bit of sunshine, but at least we saved money on sun block!
Long live the Moxters of Rock!
Date Added: 01/09/2008
Mr. Kyps review
AS posted on Mr. Kyps Forum
Friday 30-05-2008
Mentallica Play Master Of Puppets
The last time Mentallica played at Kyps, England were losing the rugby World Cup Final, but the only losers this time were the people that didn't turn up to watch a magnificent gig by the best Metallica tribute band on the planet. This was the start of the "Masters of Puppets tour" and just the thought of seeing this album played live from start to finish filled me with the kind of excitement you used the get when it was Christmas eve and you were 6 years old !! A few bands are doing these album tours now, and it always goes down a storm. The thing about Mentallica is that they deliver the kind of energy that makes electricity seem old fashioned !! The band did a two hour and twenty minute set that didn't let up for a second.
I've come to the conclusion that the rock loving Kyps audience is a very fit one after watching them mosh for most of the set. From the moment the band launched into "Blackened" the place was rocking and I had to pinch myself that this gig only cost £7 !! strewth that really is rock at a budget price ! Next was "Sad But True" a slower paced song that chugs along with some ripping rythm and lead guitar with bassist Dave stalking the stage like a caged Tiger with an intent to inflict maximum metal mayhem. The band then went off for 30 seconds and the moment we were waiting for was here as they blasted into "Battery" from Masters Of Puppets. Every song from this classic album was greeted triumphantly by a big Kyps crowd
With title song "Master of Puppets" being played to total perfection backed up by a brilliant mix provided by the Kyps sound guys who once again provided a fantastic out front sound. Once every track was played from Puppets we were treated to some more of the classics, "One" with all the sound effects was a gem and "Enter Sandman" as usual delivered, with Vocalist/Guitarist Chris snarling his way through the song to great effect. Thin Lizzy's "Whisky In The Jar" kept us cooking and by the time we were being asked to "Seek and Destroy" we were on our last ounce of energy ! This was a brilliant gig from a band that consistently delivers what they promise. If they were back next week it wouldn't be soon enough. Me, I'm off to play "Master of Puppets" on me car CD" Bliss.
Review by: Terry Leabourne
Date Added: 02/06/2008
The first Master of Puppets show
From Poole to Brighton powered only by alcohol...
Well Friday brought the first Mater of Puppets show at Mr Kyps in Poole, Dorset. The guys were a little more nervous for this show. A new stage set including a brand new backdrop and some worryingly large crucifix scattered about the stage. . .perhaps luckily for some the pyro's didn't arrive in time!
Show time arrives and as usual at Kyps the animals are already restless and beying to be entertained...with a final intake of breath and a another intake of beer the show began with Blackened. Sad But True followed then For Whom The Bell Tolls and Fade To Black. The lights fade and the MOP intro, another new addition heralds the start of the Master of Puppets show for the first time. . .
From Battery through Damage inc. the crowd were at a constant state of mosh. Not sure if there was more sweat pouring from the brows of the band or dripping from the walls. Orion was greeted with a special roar. . .always an emotional song played in memory of the great Cliff Burton. Dave gracing the occasion by bringing out his Rickenbacker for this one. A quick breather whilst the explosions rang out and then back out for the rest of the set.
The guys were all ecstatic at the end of the night and the crowd were very special as they always are down in Poole. A lot of familiar faces in the room including Emma who seems to be trying to build a drum kit slowly with give aways from Mart. Thanks to the Russian chap and his Columbian friends, who are probably back in Bogata by now.
Fantastic doesn't sufficiently sum up the night. Thanks to Matt on sound and Romin for ushering in the direction of the alcohol. Thanks to Mr Kyp as always for having us. A pity that Rich was ill and couldn't be there. How we missed you taking the piss out of our accents. . .looking forward to seeing you next time mate. The evening finished at around 0530hrs on Saturday morning which was lucky as Brighton beckoned!
The trip to Brighton was uneventfull but when the green Mentallica machine arrived in town jaws were dropping. . .the bands jaws that is. . .at the various states of undress of the women folk of the town!
The Engine Room is a great club. Very Gothic with the dark (and sticky) atmosphere, arched recesses and cathedral like seating. Again lots of people to thank. Especially Chris for arranging things and feeding us and to Alex for doing an ace job on the sound. . .even if we probably made him hate us by playing a few songs from the Black album. . . he's a lover of everything Justice and before and not much else after.
Another packed house up close and very personal. The monitors only went into the pit once which was pretty good going! Not sure what it is about the South Coast but you guys love your metal. Again Orion went down a storm.
It's been a perfect weekend with the only down part being that it had to end. . .
Thanks to to all of the people we met and drank with and to the people who looked after us. . . and as always thanks to Al and Jen for travelling to see us. These two do as many miles as we do. . . Crazy!
. . . and of course as always thanks to Jeff for making it all happen. We'll celebrate at The Cock Out Rally!
Keep it Metallica!
Date Added: 01/06/2008
Disarm Goliath
Later this year the guys will be joined at certain venues by the brilliant Disarm Goliath. Sporting their brand of high octane metal it promises to make for some great nights of music and mayhem. Disarm Goliath have already played in the US and currently have a limited edition 9" vinyl picture disc available to buy over the internet. Check them out for youreself. Just click the pic.
Date Added: 14/05/2008
Classic Rock Magazine
Mentallica are featured in this months Classic Rock magazine. Pick up a copy today!
Date Added: 02/05/2008
The Brickmakers - Norwich
Another great night in Norwich at The Brickmakers. Thanks to Charlie and Pam as always looking after us. Big thanks to Gravemind for a brilliant opening set. See you all again in October.
Cheers
Date Added: 31/03/2008
Master Of Puppets - The Show....
The guys are excited to announce that they are to follow in Metallica's footsteps and take the Master of Puppets album show out on the road. Mentallica will play selected shows throughout the country which will include a complete performance of the MOP album as recorded.
Aid told us, "It's been hard work and taken a lot of rehearsals. We wanted to make sure it's all exactly as it should be. But we think it'll all be worth it. Some of the best Metallica tracks ever feature on MOP and we can't wait to roll the show out."
These special shows will include songs from the enitre back catalogue and the enitire MOP album which will be performed exactly as recorded:-
Battery
Master of Puppets
The Thing That Should Not Be
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Disposable Heroes
Leper Messiah
Orion
Damage Inc.
The first confirmed date for The Master of Puppets show is Mr Kyps in Poole on Friday 30th May. Many other dates for this special show are already confirmed and details will be posted soon.
Date Added: 10/03/2008
Gig review by Mark Daniels, Chapter Head, Metclub
The guys were a little bit nervous before this one. In the crowd was Metclub Chapter Head Mark Daniels who had forewarned us that he would be attending to review the show. Thanks to Mark and to everyone else who turned out on a very cold night to share some time with us.
This is what Mark thought: -
At some point most of us have tried to play something by Metallica, whether your a guitarist or a drummer, bass player or even singer. Metallica are well known for making awesome music that is at best difficult to play yet made to look so easy.
Last night I saw Mentallica at JBz Dudley and I was VERY impressed.
I've worked in music for nearly 10 yrs now for major U.S. heavy metal bands and I have seen Metallica easily over 25 times since 1992. Everytime I have heard that there is a Metallica Tribute on the scene I make a point of going, though this MENTALLICA show I have waited 6 yrs for as I have never been in a place at the right time to see it.
I can truthfully say that they are the best I have ever seen in Europe. There is only one or two at the most that give them a good run for their money. BATTERY and DAMAGE INC from the U.S.
JBz nightclub has housed some great bands in the years and used to have a great P.A. but has started to sound quite dull in recent years whether that be a result of poor engineers or a wear and tear issue but the sound wasn't the best last night.
Mix/Sound - It seemed like it was rushed. I felt the sound check could have been worked on a bit more. The drums weren't properly mic'd. The floor tom sounded empty and low in the mix, snare was a little over powering and symbols didn't suit the kit used by Mentallica's drummer. Lars' kit and symbols are a big part in Metallica's live sound so i'd try and use the gear as close to Metallica as possible to complete the accuarcy of the sound.
Vocals were slightly too loud compared for the actual music output front of house but werent unbearable by any means. Guitars sounded killer and had a nice shredding thickness. Especially the lead guitar sections! The clean channel also sounded good but again Hammett and Hetfield's gear (correct pick ups and effects) count for alot. Bass guitar was at a good level throughout and sounded "meaty".
Set list - Perfect for the old skool hardcore Metallica fans. Lots off the first 5 albums and nicely spread out to accomodate "fans wish to hear list".
Performance - 8/10.
The bass player is a fruitcake - very JASON NEWSTEAD. Rarely keeps still and is very energetic. Seems to enjoy it more than anyone in the building.
Lead guitarist was awesome, total respect for effort and accuracy although some solo's and sections were incorrect it would be wrong to suggest it wasn't a valiant effort.
Drummer was the dogs rocks. couldn't find a fault. Fast, accurate, hard hitting and constant.
Singer/Rhythm Guitarist. Good lookalike, stance, sound of guitar and presence could have passed for the true Jaymz, good vocal range and similar voice tone.
Very good stage presence, similar moves and attitude as METALLICA
Overall - I would definately see MENTALLICA again and I would reccomend to fans. Though if i had a couple of wishes it would be to get the right sounding instruments for the band but money is a bitch for all of us. Also not so much "HEY" "HEY" "HEY" "HEY" during the set. It was too frequent. Other than that I had a great night.
Mark Daniels
Date Added: 03/03/2008
Caged Asylum - The Ruby Lounge Manchester.
!
What can I say? What an absolutely brilliant night we had. Big thanks to Skull Branded Pirates who opened for us and what a fantastic band. If you like your metal with a hint of Turisas, Iron Maiden with some red hot guitar licks thrown in for good measure then this is you jug of mead! Brilliant. Check them out here
The crowd were suitably rowdy and up for a bit of head shakin' and singin' along. We had a great time and from what we saw and heard so did you guys...and where else do you get semi clad girls dancing on the bar and joining in the mosh (albeit very carefully!)
>
Thanks to everyone for looking after us and making a great night. See you later in the year!
Cheers
Date Added: 20/02/2008
Review from The Flowerpot, Derby.
By Barry Martin of The Derby Telegraph.
Review and photo by Barry Martin
Mentallica
The Flowerpot
Saturday 9th February 08
Pounding, bass-throbbing, brain-liquidising thrashed heavy-metal was the order of the night as Europe ’s number one tribute Mentallica rocked the Flowerpot to its very foundations.
The Mental’ boys, celebrating ten years on the road, were the first ever Metallica act to appear at the King Street venue, and they did not disappoint in any way, whipping up the 200-strong crowd into a night-long frenzy-fest.
Manic, ‘mad’ bassist Dave Hadley as Jason Newstead and thundering skinsman Martin Pritchard as Lars Ulrich blasted out the signature ‘Tallica beat with experienced expertise and venomous relish.
Aid on lead guitar as Kirk Hammett whiddled and thrashed with frantic, finger-blistering dexterity.
Stage presence star overall went however to James Hetfield doppelganger, Chris Jones, with his toxic-tonsilled delivery of the masters of mosh’s legendary 25 year-long musical legacy.
Seek ‘n’ Destroy, One, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Nothing Else Matters amongst myriad others were executed with note-perfect accuracy, with a mid-set medley of Enter Sandman and a full length, 8 minute 27 second Master of Puppets possibly being the Everest of a superb night of hyper-Himalayan highs.
Mentallica - The lunatics took over the asylum for one night and we loved it.
******. 11 out of 10. Mental’ metal manna from heaven.
Date Added: 10/02/2008
Whiskey Tour T-Shirts now available
We've now taken delivery of the fantastic new T-shirt for this years Whiskey in The Jar tour which celebrates 10 years on the road for MENTALLICA. Pick one up quick!
Available from gigs and by post . Shirts cost £8 each.
(Cheques only for orders by post plus an additional £1.50 P&P (Overseas delivery will be quoted on receipt of enquiry). Delivery in 7-10 days. E-mail mentallicaworld@hotmail.co.uk for details)
We also have the Classic design available.
Date Added: 04/02/2008
A Farewell to Wayne...
...for a while.
We want to say a temporary farewell to Wayne who's back off home to Jersey soon. Wayne has become a great friend over the last few years and has travelled many miles to spend the night with us...but not in the Latin sense!
It's good for us too as you don't often get to rub shoulders with TV stars like Wayne...no explanation needed...he knows! He's always more than happy to jump up on stage to help out with vocals, headbanging or anything!
Meeting up with great folk like Wayne make the long hours on the road and feeling like a Zombie the next day worthwhile. We'll miss you mate! Hopefully see you in April at The Robin.
Look after yourself mate and we'll see you soon.
Cheers
Chris, Dave, Mart and Aid.
Date Added: 03/02/2008
The Wharf in Tavistock
Saturday (02-02-8) saw another great night at The Wharf in Tavistock. The crowd maybe a little more reserved than last time as far as getting up on stage and falling back off goes but you guys were even noisier than last time.
A few spanners in the works including a falling apart kick peddle and some easily broken bass strings but other than that a great time was had by all. Martin thrashed away to perfection as usual and was mostly a blur of arms and hair, Dave did his Roadrunner/ Zebedee impression(Darylls words not mine!) leaping, bouncing and gurning. Aid miandered around the stage all night long akin to an old drunken uncle at a birthday party and Chris did what Chris does best...Stands at the front pretending to headbang whilst looking down young ladies tops!
As before our friends Daryll and Plukie (pronounced Plooky) captured events on film for us. Clips will go up on the site soon when editing is complete. Many thanks for Daryll and Plukie's time and friendship. Hello to Jason who finally got his DVD (he's the one in the pic) and to everyone who hung about at the end to chat.
Big big thanks to Dylan and Tom for their hard slog on sound and lights. Special thanks to Yvone for looking after us and not throwing us out in the rain as it got late! Also thanks to Ellie for sorting stuff for us and being so great to get along with.
We're due back in November with the...er...thing that I can't talk about until the end of the month under pain of death from the management. It promises to be the best night at The Wharf yet.
Date Added: 03/02/2008
10 Years
Just got back from the Rock Cafe in Stourbridge - my home town - after an absolutely fantastic night.
It's hard to believe that it is 10 years to the day since we first stepped on stage as Mentallica. When I look back at it, we were so shit scared that night , I'm amazed we ever walked out at JB's at all.
I've been privileged to share Mentallica with a number of fantastic musicians over the years. Steve and Smurf, in particular, were, and remain, good friends. (Smurf is, however, a drummer, and therefore technically not a musician!).
We've had some hard times along the way - Smurf - if you're reading this - I'll never, ever, be able to listen to or play Fade To Black without thinking of Roz, with a sadness in my heart. I think of her often, with a smile, and thanks that she touched my life.
We've met some great people. I can't name them all, but just looking round tonight at the folk who have become friends over the years - Paul, swilling his beloved Jack Daniels like pop, and his lovely wife Ginny. Their ever willing partners in alcohol. Emma 'Don't make me drink Sambuca', and Steve. Michael, the bass playing Stourbridge rock chick, who often brings a smile to my face with an e-mail about the bands she has recently seen. Stuey, who came to our first gig, and was there tonight, in addition to many nights in between. Our adopted mother, Jen, adopted dad Dave, Chris's sister (she'll hate me for calling her that), her ever present companion Rob, Macklin (will he ever finish the Simpson-esque picture of the band, so we can get it on a fucking poster), and Garthy, (who one night sold their Stone Sour tickets to come and see us). And then there's your total metal psychopath Wayne, who scares us all with his total dedication to Metallica, and his great girlfriend Leannder, who, without a word of rebuke, drives him huge distances so he can get pissed and abuse us. Also Mart (sends me twenty text jokes a day) and Reg, his faithful drinking buddy. Jasper and Helene also make our night when we see them. Last, but by no means least. there's Rob and Rich, for whom no distance is too far to take in the music - even though Rob would admit that it is Status Quo who really do it for him!
Al in particular has shared many miles with us. The original roadie, he was always prepared to go to any lengths to get us to a gig, happily driving hundreds of miles. The emphasis here would be getting us TO a gig. His love of Strongbow meant that, once the gear was set up, his job was done! We just used to throw an often inert, sometimes gibbering, always pissed, Al, in the van at the end of the night, and deposit him onto his doorstep when we finally got home! Al kept the band on the road through some really difficult times, and for that I will always be eternally grateful.
Al is semi retired now, although he often joins us on the road with his ever cheerful wife Jen. Sometimes, Emma, their daughter, also attends with, on occasion, her crazy lad Declan. Five years old, headbanging to Rage Against the Machine at the Moxters of Rock is an image I will never forget.
Jim (look at my orange hat) Shelton has taken up the reins as roadie extraordinnaire, accompanying us on many a trip through our great country, and beyond. Many is the night when we have walked off stage, parched, only to discover that Jim has drunk the fridge dry of alcohol. How we have laughed! Good lad, Jim. Keep it up!
And then there's the fantastic nights we have had. Can't possibly do justice to all of the memories, which will last me more than a lifetime, but I'll always love the Moxters of Rock. JB's will always have a special place in my heart. The fantastic crowd at Mr Kyps (as well as Rich, the sound engineer who has also become a good friend), Southampton, Southend, Tavistock, our friends at Chapter One in Holland - just too many to mention. Who could ever forget the post-gig riot in Hull? (We weren't invited back there in any kind of a fucking hurry!) Or Chris sripped naked in Southampton?(great photo). Then there are the unforgettable nights such as the Wozwolf Bike Festival, and the Rock and Blues - when I was so pumped up from the amazing crowd that I could not breathe properly.
One guy who has always put the band before anything else is our manager and friend Jeff Powles. I really could not begin to put into words what Jeff has done for us, so I'm not going to try. I just need to say 'Thanks Jeff'.
I'm absolutely thrilled every time I meet my mates Aid, Chris and Mart, and get to play the music that I love so very much. I love every minute of sharing the music with so many great people, who all love the Metallica as much as I do. And if that's not what it's all about, then what the fuck is?
Right. That's enough sentiment. I'm off to open another bottle of wine, and put 'Master of Puppets' on the stereo. Take that, neighbours! Thanks to everyone who has shared the last ten years with me. It really has been more fun than anyone deserves to have!
Take care. Keep it metal.
Date Added: 03/02/2008
The Boardwalk, The Bar 12 and 2007
What a great couple of nights we just had. Both The Boardwalk and Bar 12 were brilliant and treated us really well. Thanks to Mick at The Boardwalk and to Neil and Paul at The Bar 12. Was good to meet up with old friends too at both gigs.
Well that's it for 2007. We've all had a fantastic year which started way back last January with a trip to Belfast's Empire Hall. We have great memories of Holland and Jerry's in Veldhoven, which is alas no longer with us, and the incredible gig at Merthall in Horst in front of thousands. The wet summer brought us The 24th Rock and Blues Show and that was a bit surreal. Being on the same bill as some of our heroes such as The Levellers, Scorpions, and Michael Schenker but again to play in front of thousands was unbelievable. Just some of the highlights but every nights been a special one for us and for no more reason that we meet up with some fantastic folks on the way. Too many to mention all but Peter and the guys from Chapter one are now good friends as are the mad folk who travel many miles to see us. Wayne & Lianda, Jai, Helene & Jaspa, Al & Jen and many many more. . . and of course Mart, Reg, Scully and Chilly who appear at almost every bike rally anywhere in the country. Thanks to all of you for sharing a great year with us and heres to the next twelve months.
As always the biggest thanks of all goes to Jeff, the man who makes all of this possible for us. Cheers mate!
We're having a bit of a rest now until January 18th and are preparing for some special shows which will be announced in January. Have a great New Yers Eve. Drink far too much, fall over and be just a little bit too stupid!
Keep it Loud
Keep it Metal
KEEP IT METALLICA!
Date Added: 29/12/2007
The Firehouse - Southampton
Thanks to everyone who turned out to see us on Saturday at The Firehouse. Always plenty to do on the last weekend before Christmas so special thanks to the hardy types who made the journey. Big thanks to Wayne and friends for making the trek from High Wycomb and to Helen for meeting up with us again.
Cheers
Date Added: 24/12/2007
The Firehouse - Change of Date
Please note that the date for The Firehouse, Southampton has changed. The guys will now be rowdy and obnoxious on Saturday 22nd December instead. Look forward to seeing you all there.
Cheers
Date Added: 14/12/2007
Special Shows for next year
The band are planning a series of very special events next year to celebrate year 10. Some of the shows are already confirmed others will follow. We'll give you all the details soon and look forward to delivering some fantastic nights of metal again next year.
Date Added: 20/11/2007
New Media Section
New stuff has been added to the MEDIA section. Check out vids for One, Whiskey in The Jar and Creeping Death and MP3 tracks for Enter Sandman, Seek & Destroy and Master of Puppets. Ther's also a picture slide show available.
The vids, pics and sounds will be changed from time to time so look out for new stuff.
Date Added: 06/11/2007
Mr Kyps, a lost cup & a mental crowd
Thanks again for another fantastic night at Kyps. These are reviews posted on The Mr. Kyps website: -
Tonight's bill was originally meant to be a double header of metal with Mentallica being joined by Megedeth. Unfortunately for many the latter had to pull out due to their drummer leaving the band at short notice. Also tonight the England rugby team were playing in the final of the world cup, so with Mr Kyps providing big screen entertainment of the match, Mentallica had to wait til the game was finished before taking the stage.
From a rousing opening of Blackened, the band thundered through a blistering set of classic Metallica tunes to make everyone forget about the disappointment of the rugby. Tracks from the full spectrum were played including Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets, Seek and Destroy, Of Wolf and Man, Sad But True and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Slower tunes like Nothing Else Matters, Sanitarium and the brilliant One, complete with its atmospheric opening, fitted in perfectly amongst speedier tracks like Hit the Lights and Creeping Death.
The group overall seemed very polished and professional in their ability to replicate the sounds of the biggest metal band around, and they provided a lively show and interacted well with the large crowd who were singing and moshing along with enthusiasm. So well done to both Mentallica and Mr Kyps for providing an excellent value for money evening's entertainment.
Also: -
Mentallica: 2-and-a half-hour Show!
After a very disappointing end to the Rugby World Cup, to arrive a Mr Kyps at about 10pm to here Mentallica already on stage playing For Whom The Bell Tolls was a very welcome sound. I did not know at the time why Megedeth weren't playing but Mentallica did a very good job of not disappointing the crowd. From the people propping up the bar at the back of the room, to those of us mad enough to be in the mosh pit at the front, this band rocked and rocked hard.
After seeing the real Metallica at Wembley in July, which was a disappointment due to the acoustics in Wembley Stadium being absolutely terrible - especially at the top of the Stadium which were the only tickets I could get - it was brilliant to hear all the favourite and not so favourite Metallica songs played live. From the thunderous Master of Puppets and Whiplash to the girlie (these were Chris's AKA James Hatstand's words not mine) Nothing Else Matters.
The energy of this band was incredible, even more than the real thing at times. They play very well together and seemed to really enjoy it especially when the audience join in to sing along with them. I can't wait to see them back again at Mr Kyps. Thank you to Mentallica and Mr Kyps staff for a great night.
Review by: Lee Dominey
Date Added: 25/10/2007
From Southend to Tavistock in 275 easy miles!
From The Riga southend to The Wharf Tavistock was an interesting journey...Nah. I lied it was long and boring! The stuff either side of it more than made it worthwhile though. Friday night in Southend was as always a good night. Met up with some old friends like Paul and co...first time I haven't seen him swilling on a bottle of JD...We made some new mates too and all had a great night. After a long journey across country to Tavistock The Wharf was unbelievable. A fantastic set up. Briliant guys on the sound and lights, big thanks to Dylan & co...and the crowd, well you only have to look at the 'So What?' vid posted on the site. You mad bastards got even rowdier from there on. Thanks to everyone especially the brave soles who came up on stage to rock out with us. Very special thanks to Daryll & Plukie for capturing the whole event for posterity. More of this craxy night will be available for all to see soon. All seems set for a return visit next year so lets do it again!
Cheers
Date Added: 25/10/2007
The Belfast Empire
BELFAST ROCKS
Another night in Belfast, another great gig. It could've all been different as moments into the second song Aid's hired stack decided to die! Dave, Mart and Chris carried on as Aid tried to resuscitate the ailing creature. He soon realised that the beast was dead and the great amp hunt began. Luckily within a few minutes an ageing Marshall combo was discovered nestling beneath the stairs and like Aid, age proved to be no handicap. The band blasted through a breathtaking set accompanied by a fantastic crowd of metal 'eds out front. A fair few pounds were shed by the band during an 'energetic show' as greatest hits and new stuff were bashed out. Big thanks to Susan and everyone who looked after us so well during the weekend. Special thanks to the head guy whose name I'm ashamed to have forgotten, a picture of calm throughout the night and also to Davey on the desk. A great pro. Apologies to the hen party at Maddisons who, in the small hours were unfortunate enough to witness Aid stealthfully (not) nipping through the corridors in nowt but his boxers! Sorry girls!
Belfast is a great city and it's people amongst the freindliest you could meet. Forget going to see a band there. Just go for a great time. BELFAST ROCKS!
CHEERS!
Date Added: 26/09/2007
A few words about Rock & Blues 24 from the crowd
The view from the pit!
Now with so much to do at this event (custom bikes, merchandise stalls, fair ground attractions etc, etc) plus two stages yours truly can't get to see every band. Mentallica however I do see, a tribute to Metallica (obviously) hit the cross piston saloon stage and take the place by storm. These guys from the Birmingham area have been gigging about ten years now. There are so many people crammed in front of the stage that I hear rather than see Mentallica's performance but I've seen this band a few times previously and know how good they are. Playing what seems like a never ending set the mood of the crowd is lifted considerably during the Mentallica show. GD
Well believe it or not Mentallica will soon be celebrating their 10th Anniversary. The very first (and longest lasting) Metallica tribute band began what seems like an age ago and is still one of the hardest working bands around. We hope to have some special events lined up to celebrate and hope you can all come along to celebrate with us. Keep an eye on the site and in the music / motorcycle press for news of upcoming events. Thanks for your support over the years and here's to the next decade...
Cheers
Date Added: 20/08/2007
BEER, BIKES, BANDS…THE PERFECT WEEKEND
After a day or two to recover it’s great to look back on the weekend at RBCS24. An amazing event that, due to the weather, almost didn’t happen but…
We arrived on Thursday night in torrential rain and seas of mud but after a hike through said mud we pitched tents and went off to see what was happening. Disappointed to have missed Motorkill…word is that they were brilliant. The beer slowly began to make the mud funny and before long the wrestling had started…then we met up with Mart, Reg, Scully and Chilly from Leighton Buzzard who are great folks. I/we hoped to see you at the NABD rally in Oxford in September but we’re off playing! We’ll keep in touch and meet up soon.
We managed to get the truck up to the stage area first thing next morning or at least close enough for the tractor to tow us there! The stage crew, led by Chris were top chaps who looked after us brilliantly, as they did every other band over the weekend so thanks to you guys. It was amazing to walk out on stage to L’Estasi Dell’Oro and see the many people who were in The Cross Pistons… and they were up for a party. The achievement award for the obscure goes to the man with a giant rat on a stick and to the guy who was taking a shower in lager in the pit! MAD!!
The buzz from playing lasted all weekend and with the sun shining for the rest of the rally it was perfect. Saturday afternoon was memorably relaxed…Beer, Bikes, Bands! I got to see some of my heroes like Scorpions and the unfortunate Michael Schenker who seems to have real problems in his life. Get well soon MSG.
Some amazing bikes on show too. Some that looked like bikes, some that looked like nothing on Earth and some which must of taken days to clean all the mud off!
A great event, great people and great memories. Thanks to everyone at 1% who worked none stop to get the thing on in the first place and keep it going all weekend. Thanks to Simon from DS for the after show talk and for a storming performance with his band The Handsome Beasts on Saturday night. Thanks to Jim for his work on and off stage…and drinking beer! As always special thanks to Jeff for making it happen in the first place.
What a fantastic night we had. Thanks to everyone at the venue for looking after us especially the guys & girl on sound and lights. A very special thanks to Ogun who we have to say are a fantastic band and if you get the chance to see them then do. This was their 3rd gig in 24 hours but they still gave it everything and it sounded superb. The crowd made the night go with a bang and were ready to join in with the slightest prompt. You guys rock and we wish we could take you with us! Hope to be back again next year. Cheers!
Date Added: 15/07/2007
Watch Harvester of Sorrow live video here
A big thanks to Kenny for his work. Kenny asked us if he could film the band performing in Southampton as part of a project. He's kindly sent us footage of the result and we have to admit he's done a pretty fantastic job! He's a top bloke and currently performs in his own band called Defcab...check them out at www.myspace.com/defcab666.
Date Added: 04/07/2007
Cox's Yard - Stratford on Avon
Jaspa's birthday party!
What a great night in a great venue. You wouldn't think a place like this would be hidden in the heart of Shakespeare country. Big thanks to Al on the desk. A real pro. Every time I looked at him during soundcheck he had his head in his hands for some or other reason but he battled on and came up with the goods for the show.
We met up with Jaspa, Helene, Nat and a group of rowdy mates for Jaspa's second birthday party (No he wasn't 2! He'd had a pary last week as well!). We have no doubt that he had a great night. ..and he managed to walk out of the place unaided!
There was a really good turnout and we thank everyone for braving a pretty horrible night to come and see us and getting into the music so much, we all appreciate it. Thanks to everyone at Cox's yard for putting up with us and we hope to see you all again next year.
cheers
Below: Jaspa, Helene, Vinnie and the crew...
Date Added: 03/07/2007
Moxters of Rock 2007
Just got back .............
Once again, a fantastic day out. It was really good to see some old faces, and meet some new friends. Can't really mention everyone, as we see them all every year, and the day really is about catching up with loads of mates who we have met along the way over the years. But just have to say that Tony's moustache was looking resplendent as ever. You've never seen him and Freddie Mercury in the same place, and I'm beginning to wonder whether they are one and the same. Good to see Steve, and his family - first met him when we played the Vic on his daughter's eighteenth (I think) birthday, and we occasionally run into him at any and all biker rallies, him swilling Jack Daniels from a (usually close to empty) bottle. And of course there was Al, who, as always, was drinking huge quantities of his beloved Strongbow, and generally being an all round nice guy.
Caught some great acts, and loved Snakebite, the Red Mock Chili Peppers, and Guns 'n Roses, in addition to Ozzmosis, who were on fire as always. Missed Green Date, as they were on the same time as us, but got a chance to have some beers with them later on, which was fantastic. Also managed a few beers with the Snakebite guys - great bunch of lads (and lady). Tom from Snakebite didn't sound quite so good this morning - no singing for him this week!
And then there's that 'Badaxe' bloke who comperes. Every year he manages to sell me an album with two hundred songs on it. We've just listened to this years' offering - 'Anal Seepage', in the van on the way back. Eugh!
All in all, a fantastic couple of days. The sun even shone yesterday. Everyone this morning looked like death, hung over, and that's got to be a good thing. Have just left Mart puking up over a wall (after he'd thrown up in the van).
Lastly, thanks to John and Nita for putting on a top day, year after year. They really look after everyone, and that's no easy task.
So, if we don't see you before, same time, same place next year! I'm already looking forward to it, and hope that my liver has sufficienly recovered by then to do it all over again.
Cheers!
Guns 2 Roses Axl joins us on stage to belt out So What?
Date Added: 27/06/2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...AND MART
OOOORAH!
Difficult to believe that it’s been 12 months since we climbed aboard the Mentallica bus and played the first gig at The Cavern in Liverpool on 4th Feb 2006. It’s been a fantastic year travelling all over the country, going to Holland and Ireland playing the best metal in great venues, meeting great people and drinking large amounts of great beer. Mmmmm…Beer!
There are so many highlights to remember and a few low points…Chris falling off stage in Cirencester and splitting his head open…although I’m not quite sure which heading to put that under! Being breathalysed by the Dorset Police on the way out of Mr. Kyps in Poole...the result of which was completely negative. Big up to the Dorset constabulary massive though for being thoroughly nice blokes…not sure about their ABBA fixation though?
The Chapter one guys in Holland were fantastic as was our mad weekend at the Wozwolf MCC show on my ‘official’ birthday where we met some mad people. Hello to the boys (and their girls) from Leighton Buzzard. Martin still wears the T-shirt and I can still taste that ridiculously sweet sherry and the JD. Pass the sick bag! We've met and seen some great bands too. Too many to mention all but Enemy of Thought, Hollow, Fallen Ground (sensational guitar work) and Sacred Mother Tongue stuck with me and are all fantastic original bands, go see 'em. Then there's Megedeth. Fantastic musical ability and a great bunch of guys too. They have the same strange sense of humour as us which makes meeting up with them a good time guaranteed. Last nights double header at Mr. Kyps in Poole was unbelievable. Get out and see MEGEDETH if you get the chance. They're the real deal!
Best of all though as been playing in a band with Saft Dave again after such a long lay off and meeting up with Aslan, sorry , chewie, sorry I mean Chris. A man with the sexual capacity of a rutting Rhino. Mart the doting dad who thrashes the living daylights out of his drums but is terrified of loud noises…and Jeff our taskmaster whose ability to shock us with news of his next target venue never wavers, who mothers us everywhere we go and worries if we’re not home on time. Also thanks to my illegally adopted son Jim for all his hard work where ever we go…it’s tuff having to drink the rider whilst the band are on stage. Here’s hoping for many more years of the same stuff. See you all on the road.
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Well believe it or not Mentallica will soon be celebrating their 10th Anniversary. The very first (and longest lasting) Metallica tribute band began what seems like an age ago and is still one of the hardest working bands around. We hope to have some special events lined up to celebrate and hope you can all come along to celebrate with us. Keep an eye on the site and in the music / motorcycle press for news of upcoming events. Thanks for your support over the years and here's to the next decade...
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