I jumped the gun because this was before Sabaton. Raging Speedhorn in a dive in Manchester, a gig so rough & ready & out of control that Frank Regan fell off stage pulling the PA down onto me. And yes that does still make it one of the top 10 gigs of the year, rock n roll.

youtu.be/6pwSOlDaRgQ?...

Sabaton are that rare band whose more recent output is even better than most of the older stuff. And to have an orchestra playing their songs as a support act in Manchester in December meant there was twice as much Sabaton to enjoy. And of course lots of FIRE.

youtu.be/LsG8CB31IJ8?...

Another of the rough and tumble gigs was Killswitch Engage in Leeds, with Hatebreed, Fit For An Autopsy and Decapitated orchestrating a full night of it raining crowdsurfers. First time seeing KSE and they proved they're kings of their chosen subgenre.

youtu.be/nVs3ZyoRv0o?...

Not long after that Feeder began their Comfort In Sound tour in Leeds. An incredibly moving performance of a fantastic set of songs with gorgeous visuals culminating in this song with its Jon Lee tribute. Followed by the best High rendition I've ever seen, magic.

youtu.be/Xz-6Wn2VyO0?...

Well done! Although except for the Manics one I think I am pretty much in one of two positions 😂

On to Sep and Paradise Lost debuted a few songs from their new album at an intimate album launch gig in Leeds. Spending the set literally at Greg's feet as he played some of my favourite songs and solos was a fantastic experience (the sound was less drum heavy in real life)

youtu.be/F8ZaA2BYb3A?...

That was a tricky one as I'm partially obscured by the bass neck. Although I thought Cradle of Filth was probably hardest as I'm in the shadows.

Same @ as everything else so easy enough to find!

I saw 4 Manics gigs on the tour, all brilliant, especially the first night in Glasgow when the setlist revealed itself, but the crowning glory was the book launch with songs interspersed in Abergavenny, could listen to those stories all night. Exactly what I told Nicky too!

youtu.be/6bbY9af-Fgw?...

I expect you'll probably like the next one given you were sat in front of me! Where's Wally compilation was on instagram the other day, can't remember if you're on there?

Slayer arrived in Cardiff in July, with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon and Hatebreed in tow. Front row, battered by a constant stream of crowdsurfers but FUN. And this was the finale, enough said?

youtu.be/EgFWGzhhiIw?...

I did two back to back Iron Maiden gigs in June, the first was on an unbearably hot day in Birmingham (but still awesome), but the second (very wet) night in Manchester makes it here. Closer to the action and not dying. No video link here as Youchoob made me take them all down.

Impromptu trip to see the new Avatar! Never planned on doing them all in one day anyway haha

In April it was Heilung in Manchester, who I bought a ticket for on a whim as I'd heard they were an interesting spectacle. Part gig, part theatre, part ritual, definitely worth seeing. And very different from anything else I saw this year, captivating stuff.

youtu.be/gCGH9HA0WCs?...

March saw Napalm Death in Newcastle, they're always fantastic in their own right, but they put great bills together - the crushing Crowbar, the absolute blur of Full Of Hell and the grind silliness of Brat. Plus Shane came down off stage to personally hand me his setlist.

youtu.be/Ska3d_5t_Pw?...

But also who are these people? The content is all over the place.

Have to bring out all the "next year" gags, it's tradition!