Tag: writing

Review: Airbag The Underworld London – 24 October 2026

On By markosgigarchiveIn gig reviewLeave a comment

Thankfully this set was different from last year’s set and it covered at least one song from each of their 6 albums. If you want a visual spectacle and a dynamic frontman then Airbag don’t provide, what they do however is give you an immersive sonic landscape (especially good for our friend ‘blind’ Ray as he just got lost in the flowing sound dynamics) a listening experience to get lost in.

Yet another new venue for me, the Underground in Camden which holds about 500 on 2 levels.  A good venue to get up close and personal with upcoming bands.

The Norwegian band are:

  • Asle Tostrup – Vocals, Guitars
  • Bjørn Riis – Guitars
  • Henrik Bergan Fossum – Drums

On tour they add session musicians for bass and keyboards.

As mentioned earlier the two London shows I have witnessed are certainly not visual events, that said they have been in relatively small venues and they are reliant on the poor in-house lighting – and when I say poor I mean piss poor!  The odd bit of green and red as a backdrop to 5 band members dressed all in black basically rooted to the spot for the entire set.  That said lets focus on the music, which is superior in every respect. Bjørn Riis’ vision for the band I think was to be a bit like Pink Floyd but better – and in fairness they kinda pull it off (they have less dodgy stuff than Floyd – oh.. controversial!).  His guitar rules the show, whether in epic solo mode or just playing hypnotic riffs he is the constant.  Asle’s voice tonight is good, although some of the mixing is a tad dubious and his vocals get lost during certain passages, but overall a solid performance especially during the quieter sections.

The throbbing metronomic bass line (like marching soldiers) starts the classic ‘Machines and Men’ and the back line of bass and drums rule until Bjorn’s guitar launches into a monstrous Gilmour style solo.  Great song to start with and set the tone.  Followed by ‘Redemption’ with it’s heavy, ominous bass intro, layered atmospheric synths, and dominant, soaring guitar riff  “you’ll get your freedom if you do just as you’re told” – prophetic?

A lot of their songs evolve organically, layer by layer and ‘Killer’ is a classic example of this deeply embedded as it is within Airbag’s signature sound.  Asle donned guitar for my least favourite song of the night ‘Broken’ with it’s haunting relationship breakdown lyrics. In fact a lot of tonight’s tracks feature lyrics, with dark undertones, that deal with the erasure of people, beliefs, freedom, relationships, control, alienation and identity.  ‘Erase’ being a classic example of this dystopian atmosphere.

Airbag Set List (click on link to see YouTube videos)

  1. Machines and Men – (A Day at the Beach, 2020)
  2. Redemption – (The Greatest Show On Earth, 2013)
  3. Killer – (Disconnected, 2016)
  4. Broken – (Disconnected, 2016)
  5. Sounds That I Hear – (Identity, 2009)
  6. Erase – (The Century of the Self, 2024)
  7. Tyrants and Kings – (The Century of the Self, 2024)
  8. Megalomaniac – (A Day at the Beach, 2020)

Encore:

  • Colours – (Identity, 2009)
  • Homesick I-III – (All Rights Removed, 2011)

The Floydian influence is big on one of my favourite slow burner tracks ‘Sounds That I Hear’ especially on the more melancholic passages with floating keyboard layering, tight drumming and wistful guitars. 

‘Megalomaniac’ was another absolute classic highlighting everything that is great about Airbag.  Slow, repetitive throbbing and with great lyrics about power, control, and manipulation and off course the obligatory Bjorn mega solo.  Wonderful close to the show.

The band receive a raucous reception after each song and they appear quite moved by the adulation, especially as they take their final bow.  It’s a pity Asle doesn’t really interact with the audience in-between songs but hey that’s just me I guess.  The encores are the dreamy melancholic synth driven  ‘Colours’ and a 20 min version of ‘Homesick I-III’ proving beyond doubt that they operate comfortably within the classic 70’s Floydian comfort zone.

So to sum up – a bloody great night of progressive rock at its finest.  Atmosphere, ambient passages, melancholy repetitive beats, layered synths and guitar solo’s to die for.  I can’t wait for the next LP or to see them again in the UK.

“Don’t you wanna hear / Don’t you wanna see / The colours in my head“

Marko [27 Oct 2026]

PS – have a word with your management company and get a much better venue in London next time e.g. 229 or Koko or Troxy

Review: Mouth Ulcers and David Mudra at Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney [29 July 2026]

On By markosgigarchiveIn gig reviewLeave a comment

So a new venue for me, Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney.  Basically it’s a room above a clothing shop that holds 110 people, and this is their 8th gig and their first ever headlining sold out show!  Picked a great night for it too as it was one of the hottest of the year so far – phew!!!  I was fortunate to have had a chat and photos with the band in the Oslo pub across the street prior to the gig and they came over as very grounded individuals with a vision – a lovely bunch of youngsters following their passion and finding a niche for themselves in their chosen genre of music.

I thought my mates and I would be the oldest people there by a country mile and it would be full of twenty somethings, but I couldn’t have been more wrong as the vast majority of the sellout show were definitely pushing 50+!

I discovered them via their support act David Mudra on Instagram (which is fast becoming my go to place to search for new talent).  Only formed in 2025 this young band have come a long way in a short time with their colours firmly nailed to the goth/post punk sound. Given their limited song catalogue (their 7 track EP ‘Silent Pictures’ was only released on 10th July) I wasn’t expecting a long set, and I reckon it was about 45 minutes – but boy was it good. Ethereal intertwining guitar interplay, creating an atmospheric and cavernous sound built on melodic throbbing metronomic basslines and rhythmic haunting drum beats.

The Mouth Ulcers are:

  • Zak Watson (vocals/guitar)
  • Josephine Rose (guitar/vocals)
  • Jamie-Lee Culver (bass)
  • David Zbirka (drums)

Obviously the band were dressed all in de-rigueur black, with only Jamie-Lee breaking rank with red cowboy boots, and messy black eye makeup and hair – so you may as well look like you sound.  Zak has a bit of the Pete Murphy vocal sound about him which is no bad thing, however the subdued vocal mix tonight didn’t do him any favours at all – the usual ghostly spoken lyrics barely audible.  It’s a tiny stage so all 4 were basically stuck in position all night, so I can’t tell if they have any specific moves etc. that single them out for crowd attention.  Obviously Zak being the main focal point is still at the very beginning of developing his stage presence and I look forward to watching his development.

They played the entire EP tonight interspersed with new songs.  I always tend to think that the 1st LP any band releases is them at their best, and the new songs sound every bit as good.  Young they might be but I didn’t see many nerves tonight, it was a very solid confident performance.  Practice makes perfect and they more you practice the better and tighter you become as a band.

Set list (Click on the link to view the YouTube videos)

  1. A Cure For The Diseased
  2. Prevail
  3. You’re Not In Heaven
  4. Western Horror Story
  5. Space
  6. Satisfy
  7. Silent Pictures
  8. The Devil’s Mad
  9. Flames
  10. Stuck In Your Head
  11. A Perfect End
  12. Closer To You

‘Prevail’ is very Robert Smith at his Cure best.  In fact it’s actually quite difficult to pick out my preferred tracks as tonight every song was pretty damn good – I enjoyed the entire show.  They have created a stark brutal minimalist soundscape (wonder if they live in or near The Barbican?) and have put their own hand crafted stamp on modern goth with more than a nod to their 80s predecessors. 

Fresh, thrashy and ghostly – I hope they have a long and colourful (make that monochrome 🖤 😊) career.

A couple of things to finish off with, I think they need a definitive stand out band logo (one that defines the band), a signature intro tune that is played at every gig before they come on stage and once they are in bigger venues lighting needs to be worked on to showcase their dark side.  Also £12 a ticket is ridiculously cheap – they could easily have charged £25 tonight without batting an eyelid!

David Mudra

This German certainly has the looks, hair, style, attitude and some bloody good tunes to match.  Tonight it’s just his guitar and a drummer playing his “Music for Outcasts” but actually it’s pretty accessible new wave goth-pop.  The pair put on a pretty polished performance and the songs speak for themselves, finely crafted tunes with sparse guitar hooks and pounding drums.  It’s the perfect opener for the Mouth Ulcers – they could have been hatched from the same egg 😊.

So David is a bit of a Mike Oldfield in that he does everything himself – playing, writing, mixing etc. mainly on the web but now he is finally doing some live shows (probably a better revenue stream for the future). Hope he finds a wider audience for his talents. Highly recommended if you can catch him live.

Some live songs from my YouTube site for you to get a flavour for the man:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Stranger
Emergency

Marko [30 July 2026]