In the first of what we hope will be a new monthly series here at Rock Sins, the returning Connor Morris is going to guide you through some of the bargains of the UK live music scene for the month of July (and slightly beyond). Take it away Connor!
Feeling a bit sick when you see the cost of live music at the minute? In disbelief when you see a ticket for an arena or stadium show costs the price of a small holiday? Same. But that doesn’t mean you should be priced out of seeing some great live music. There are loads of great up-and-coming and established bands touring in smaller rooms, they aren’t going to try and make you sell your first born child to go and see them, and they could probably do with your support a lot more too!
Every month we’re going to put together some listings of upcoming gigs and tours we think you should really consider taking a punt on where the face value* of the ticket won’t be more than £20 (unless you’re in London, then it might be a few quid more again, sorry about that). You can check them out first, or maybe just go inblind, there’s nothing better than being blown away by a band you’ve never even heard of before. We’re going to show you some highlights coming up this month, and list some more happening from July to September that you can take a look into as well.
*Prices are approximate as they may change from city to city and promoter to promoter, and we’re going off of face value as booking fees can also vary depending on where you purchase your ticket from. We’ll do our best!
If you are a promoter or band that would like to have your show listed in future listings, please fill in this form and we will be sure to include it next month – https://forms.gle/QEqZegxoXnsDUmR9A
JULY
Have Mercy w/ itoldyouiwouldeatyou & footballhead. £15 – £20
The first band we’re going to be shining a light on for the start of July is Have Mercy. They’ve got 6 albums under their belts now, with the most recent being last year’s “the loneliest place i’ve ever been“. Their music is emotional and heartfelt, combining elements of emo, indie and post-hardcore. If you like bands like The Wonder Years, Movements or Can’t Swim, then this should be right up your street! They’ll be joined by itoldyouiwouldeatyou for the earlier portion of the tour, and footballhead. for the later dates who are both well worth getting down a little early for. They’ll finish up in Sheffield before making their way down to 2000 Trees on the Saturday.
3 July – London – The Victoria (itoldyouiwouldeatyou)
4 July – Leeds – Key Club (itoldyouiwouldeatyou)
5 July – Manchester – Rebellion (itoldyouiwouldeatyou)
7 July – Newcastle – Cluny
8 July – Glasgow – Hug and Pint (footballhead.)
9 July – Sheffield – Yellow Arch (footballhead.)
Car Underwater £5 – £12
Making their UK debut at the start of July are Los Angeles emo sextet, Car Underwater. They’re going to be doing a few headline shows before supporting Bring Me The Horizon on their ‘Count Your Blessings” shows in Manchester. They released their first EP ‘Dagger Breaks Window’ at the end of April and it is an absolute belter! Tickets are only £10-£12, and there are also £7 and £5 tickets available in Leeds and Bristol respectively for anybody unwaged or on a low-income. (We would stress to only purchase these tickets if this applies to you) If you’re into anything along the lines of The Used, Underoath or From First To Last, then make sure to make it down to one of these shows before they move on to bigger things!
7 July – London – The Barfly
8 July – Bristol – The Croft
9 July – Leeds – Boom
Racetraitor – £10-16 (Manchester £26.50 – All day show with 18 bands)
One of the most politically charged metallic-hardcore bands of the 90’s will be making a rare appearance to the UK in mid-July. Racetraitor formed and split up in the mid-late 90’s, and then reformed in 2016 due to the political situation at the time. Their music carries a strong message of anti-racism and anti-colonialism, something all too pertinent still today. If you want something fast, heavy and political, then this is for you. They’ll be playing 8 shows in all corners of England, so you hopefully shouldn’t have to travel too far to make it to one! They will be joined with Hour of Reprisal on a handful of dates, but be sure to check with your local promoter’s socials to see who’ll be playing near you.
17 July – Ashford, UK – Stour Centre
18 July – Manchester, UK – Aatma (w/ Hour of Reprisal on Lev Day Fest and Gaza Benefit)
19 July – Newcastle, UK – Lubber Fiend
20 July – Nottingham, UK – Old Salutation Inn (w/ Hour of Reprisal)
21 July – Bristol, UK – Exchange (w/ Hour of Reprisal)
22 July – Norwich, UK – Voodoo Daddy’s (w/ -xhourofreprisalx and -templeguardhc Temple Guard)
23 July – London, UK – New Cross Inn (w/ Hour of Reprisal and Temple Guard)
24 July – Brighton, UK – Daltons
Stampin’ Ground – £15
Fresh from tearing Download Festival a new arsehole, UK metal vets Stampin’ Ground are offering a few more chances to see them this Summer, particularly to our Irish friends both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Based on what we saw at Download, you should take this chance, especially at this price!
30 July – Manchester – Star & Garter
31 July – Belfast – Voodoo (Frayed Ends / Microtonal)
1 August – Dublin – Lost Lane
2 August – Cork – Dali (Perish The Thought)
Shai Hulud w/ Afraid to Die & Crowquill £15 – £16.50 (Hardcore/Metalcore)
5 July – Southampton – The Brook
6 July – Leeds – Boom
7 July – Liverpool – Jacaranda
8 July – Bridgend – The Black Cat
9 July – London – New Cross Inn
Dying Wish w/ Overhead (Bristol) & Survivalist (Dublin & Belfast) £20 (Metalcore)
6 July – Bristol -Strange Brew
8 July – Dublin – The Grand Social
9 July – Belfast – Voodoo
Heart Attack Man / Pinkshift – £16 – £20
08 July – Manchester, UK – Rebellion
09 July – Birmingham, UK – The Flapper
12 July – Southampton, UK – Heartbreakers
14 July – Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
16 July – London, UK – Signature Brew (Blackhorse Road)
Endless Swarm £10 – £20
10 July – Manchester – Aatma
18 July – London – New River Studios (Violent Chimp Fest)
4 September – Newcastle – The Head of Steam
5 September – Edinburgh – Wee Red Bar
12 September – Glasgow – The Audio Lounge
Militarie Gun (w/ Morn) £17.50 – £20
11 July – Birmingham – The Castle and Falcon
12 July – Edinburgh – The Caves
13 July – Manchester – Gorilla (w/ Zoe’s Brothers)
AUGUST
Cryptopsy w/ Celestial Sanctuary – £20
2 August – Brighton – Chalk
3 August – Cardiff – The Globe
Celestial Sanctuary w/ Insidious Void & Indominus – £15
6 August – Belfast – Voodoo
200 Stab Wounds £18 – £20
8 August – Brighton – Dust
10 August – Leeds – The Key Club (Mutagenic Host / Fracture)
11 August – London – Downstairs at The Dome (Celestial Sanctuary / Mutagenic Host)
Castle Rat £20
10 August – Southampton – 1865
Prostitute £12.50 – £16.50
18 August – Brighton – Dust
19 August – Newcastle – The Lubber Fiend
20 August – Nottingham – Billy Bootleggers
23 August – Belfast – Ulster Sports Club
24 August – Dublin – Workman’s Club
26 August – London – The Dome
The Infernal Sea w/ Oneiros, ARROGANT DESTRUKTOR, Misko Boba & Old Corpse Road £15.50
23 August – Manchester – Rebellion
Teen Mortgage £20
25 August – Sheffield, Yellow Arch Studios
26 August – Newcastle, Think Tank?
28 August – Glasgow, Room 2
29 August – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
30 August – Tunbridge Wells, The Forum
Leeched £10 – £15
18 August – London – The Black Heart (Break Fifty / Only Pain)
18 September – Manchester – The Star & Garter (Flesh Creep / Only Pain)
SEPTEMBER
Spy w/ Spaced & Dry Socket £15 – £18 (£24 – London)
4 September – Torquay – Burn It Down Fest
5 September – Liverpool – No Play Fest
6 September – Glasgow – Mono
8 September – Newcastle – The Grove
9 September – Leeds – Boom
10 September – London – Underworld
11 September – Bristol – Exchange * No Spaced
12 September – Brighton – The Hope and Ruin * No Spaced
Drug Church w/ Downward & Liquid Mike £20 (£22.50 – London)
6 September – Leeds — Brudenell Social Club (Evening Show SOLD OUT / Matinee show AVAILABLE)
7 September – Manchester — Gorilla (SOLD OUT)
8 September – Glasgow — Slay
10 September – Bristol — Trinity
11 September – London — Electric Ballroom
Model/Actriz £16
8 September – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
King Parrot £15 – £18
10 September – Bridgwater, The Cobblestones
11 September – Swansea, The Bunkhouse
12 September – Derby, Victoria Inn
13 September – Birmingham, The Castle & Falcon
14 September – Liverpool, District
15 September – Southampton, 1865
16 September – London, Nambucca
17 September – Norwich, The Brickmakers & B2 Venue
18 September – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
Gutalax £19 – £20 – (London £25)
16 September – Cambridge – The Portland Arms
17 September – London – The Underworld
18 September – Bristol – Exchange
19 September – Manchester – Rebellion
20 September – Slay, Glasgow
Split Chain w/ False Reality & Roman Candle £18.50 – £20
18 September – Southampton – The Joiners
19 September – Birmingham – The Flapper
20 September – Manchester – The Deaf Institute
22 September – Glasgow – G2
23 September – Leeds – Boom
24 September – Bristol – The Exchange
25 September – London – The Underworld
False Reality w/ Roman Candle & Claymore £12
21 September – Newcastle – The Grove
More shows and tours may be added to this list as we go – and we aim to run a new article every month highlighting tours from that upcoming month and period. Keep checking back for more listings being added and new articles on gigs that (hopefully) won’t break the bank!
