A challenge for the Little Matador

WHEN we all stumble from tonight's (Friday 15th November) show in Belfast's Ulster Hall with ears ringing with metallic tinnitus, and get over Saturday's rock - whether you are at The Pavillion with Trucker, at the Diamind Rock Bar with Tigertailz - there's always Queens of the Stone Age to look forward to on Monday....

You will all already be familiar with Josh Homme and the output of QOTSA, the majority of which you should be familiar with and if you haven't got your ticket tucked in your wallet or purse are planning a purchase on our before Monday night.

But, when you queue up at the Odyssey Arena on Monday are you prepared for Snow Patrol? Okay, panic not loyal readers, for you will not be exposed to Gary Lightbody's soporific drone.

Instead there will be the alt-noise attack of Little Matador, the side project of Snore Patrol's Natahan Connolly.

With the likes of Dave Mage of La Faro and Gavin Fox of Idlewild joining Connolly for this triple guitar act it most definitely is not the middle class safe Snore Patrol sound.

When Little Matador opened for Nine Inch Nails at Belsonic they garnered a few inquisitive nods of appreciation. Yes, they are not typical hard rock/metal, but they do lay on a guitar-orientated heavy sound.

Connolly, speaking in the summer to one of the rags that passes for a newspaper described the Little Matador sound: “It’s louder, dirtier, a little bit sleazier.  A healthy respect for noise.  It’s always weird describing music because everyone hears something different.”

We, like more than a few others will be making sure we're settled in early to make an assessment on Little Matador before passing further judgment. And then there's QOTSA with a setlist that includes the likes of Burn The Witch, Better Living Through Chemistry, The Vampyre of Time and Live and of course A Song for the Dead.

Review to come after the QOTSA show, but don't forget to look out for the reviews of tonight's Distortion Project/Belfast Music Week six-band attempt to tear down the Ulster Hall

QOTSA, Buckcherry, Alabama3 and Motionless in White

AS they say in Belfast: "Haul on a wee minute there big lad!" because yet more tour dates in Norn Iron have been added this mad Friday.
As the Limelight complex prepares to open its Rock Garden there's a clatter of new gigs added that someone, somewhere may want to attend...

Heavily trailed already is the Queens of the Stone Age Odyssey date in November (18th). Also announced is Buckcherry in Limelight2 with Harcore Superstar on November 22nd.

Then we also have announced the Motionless In White gig with The Defiled and Glamour of the Kill at the Mandella Hall for a +14 date on 13th September.

We also have Alabama3, Jetplane Landing and a host of others...more details when we try to add up all the beer tokens necessary to attend these (and the Lamb of God date, and the Slayer date, and the Black Sabbath date...)