[avatar =”Mosh” size=”50″ align=”left” /]Ross wrote a good article about what he was looking forward to in 2015, along with a few things he was hoping for. I’ve got a few of my own, so here’s my wishlist – rock/metal wise – for 2015.
Well, one thing I’m looking forward to that I know is happening is the Steel Panther gig in March. Not just what I’m sure will be a great performance from the sexist bastards themselves, but a chance to finally see Skindred live. I’m not a great fan of their music, but hear great things of their live act so I’m awaiting amazement. To top it off, the wonderful Lounge Kittens are opening so rest assured I’ll be there early on to catch them.
Believe it or not, that’s the only thing music-wise I have lined up next year for definite.
In the pipeline, though, is something I’m quite excited about – a chance to interview Joey Tempest. The guy who wrote one of the most well-known songs in rock, an anthem that drags together thrash fans, metal-heads, punks, emos… everyone. If you’ve not seen the crowd at a festival chanting the opening bars of “The Final Countdown” then you’ve not seen togetherness.
Slipknot are coming around on their first UK tour in a decade with Korn as main and my “wishlist” would be to be able to get a ticket without being shafted by some money-grabbing arsehole. This links with the fact that AC/DC are also touring, but charging £75 upwards for tickets which is ludicrous and the reason that – unless they come round and do festivals again – I’ll never see them live.
So a big thing on my wishlist is for legislation to be put through to stamp on touting, legalised or otherwise. Re-sell tickets, by all means, but only at face value plus a reasonable fee to cover your own costs (delivery, etc.). That is, you shouldn’t be making a profit. There’s a petition here if you want to sign up and express your annoyance at the whole thing.
My wife is making noises about festival-going, which would be a highlight of the year. With so many in the UK to choose from, our main limitation is child-care for our younger two. I’ve not been to a festival in five or six years and she’s not been to one ever. Chances are we’ll make it ton at least one day at Wildfire (formerly Les-Fest) as it’s nearby and Lawnmower Deth are headlining. I hear great things about Bloodstock in relation to family-friendliness and the line-up’s good, but have Body Count and that’s likely the only chance we’ll have to catch them.
There are rumours of Iron Maiden having something new in the offing, but in honesty I’m wary after the last album being such a let-down (in my opinion), as was the associated live performance. I’d like Maiden to burst back with another more traditional release and ignore the last album like they’ve done Virtual XI. Then tour with a festival-sized entourage and blow me away again.
Similarly, much as I malign them, I would love Metallica to bring over that arena show they’ve toured round the U.S. with the centre stage, incredible props, lighting, flames… Bring back the music of old with the production values of now.
Another band who promised a full UK tour a couple of years ago and who’ve failed to fulfil it are Anthrax. Come on, they’ve not done a headline tour since… anyone? 2004? Longer? Festival shows and slots aren’t good enough! I want a full 2-hour headline show from the best of the Big Four, and decent ! Given that they’re busy through until April/May opening for Volbeat in the U.S., with European festival dates afterwards I doubt I’ll see it though.
I’ve been focussing a fair bit on live stuff here, so what else?
I’d like to see Moshville Times take another leap in popularity. With a good few of us working hard behind the scenes now, it would be wonderful if there was some way of at least making the site pay for itself. Gaining advertising or sponsorship would be great, though I’m not having any luck doing it. I wish I knew how the two guys running MetalSucks managed to make it a full time paying job!
By the end of the year, I’d love to see the site with another couple of people churning off original copy. If we could cover 60%+ of all the rock/metal gigs in Glasgow (even if just reviews), I would be ecstatic – especially if that meant that we were able to attend pretty much every unsigned or small act’s show as they visited the city. That was the original purpose behind the site, after all; promoting and getting word out about the lesser-known bands. All the coverage of bigger acts is a bonus for us, and helps drag in readers who will hopefully scan around the pages and discover a new band or five.
If we could double the facebook likes, that’d be nice but given the change in facebook’s algorithms it’s really not that important any more. 1-2% of my posts will make it to your facebook feed in the new year. That’s shit. I’d much rather focus on getting more readers on the main site, and reminding people of the joys of RSS and getting to pick what you want to read, not what facebook thinks is in your best interests (which, miraculously, is dependent on how much has been spent on it).
So that’s the bulk of my wishes for 2015 – some live stuff, a reduction in ticket prices / touting, and the Moshville Times getting bigger and better!
I hope everyone out there’s having a great silly season, and don’t go making any resolutions you can’t keep…
