Rock music unites Americans, Scottish and Irish.

Carbellion – Bringing heavy rock music from the USA

Support – Big Iron & XIII Doors

At Trillians, Newcastle

26th June 24

Review and Photographs by Linda McDermott

What do you get when a handful of Irish, Scottish and American guys walk into a bar in England on a Wednesday night? You don’t know? Well, you get a bloody great night of heavy rock music, that’s what you get!

Ok, it’s a school night so it wasn’t the busiest but for those who had made the effort it was definitely worth it.

XIII Doors

First up was an Irish band called XIII Doors who have a great rock sound to them and who had travelled over from Ireland to gig for the first time on the mainland. They are here to do a three-date mini tour taking in Trillians, Wildfire Festival and Bannermans. Playing an eight-song set they got a brilliant reception from those present and rightly so, as they sang some well-crafted songs full of great riffs and melody.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them for the first time and loved their banter, so I’ve have downloaded their three released singles while I wait for an album to be produced. My favourite song is ‘Lead The Way’, with its heavy intro and its punchy beat, it’s a foot stomper of a track that is impressive and gutsy.

Check them out on their socials and have a look at the videos, (links below). I think you’ll agree with me that they are ones to watch.

Set List – Unleash the Beast, Into the Unknown, Face the Truth, Sorceress of Lies, See How You’ve Come So Far, Make a Life Again, Let Go of Yesterday, Lead the Way.

Videos

Lead the Way https://youtu.be/mB-DsUmvwPc?si=_GADVqvllBupdcwK

Unleash the Beast https://youtu.be/UhsJIl2vQOI?si=r-jKbxx-bPls3PMN

Face the Truth https://youtu.be/40gNry3ycrI?si=Sjo1dS9ol_opjix4

Socials

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/XIIIDOORS

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/xiiidoors?igsh=MXBkMWQ1bXd2NnNseA==

Big Iron

Next up was the Scottish part of this rock band trio, Big Iron. There’s no getting away from the fact that I love these guys and to be honest, they were the reason I went to the gig in the first place. I have to admit I hadn’t even heard of the other two bands playing, but that’s how you discover new music, right?

Like XIII Doors, Big Iron have a great sense of humour and always look like they are having so much fun on stage. They started their set with what is going to be their next single, ‘Tiny Little Pieces’ which is a perfect follow up to my favourite song, ‘Daiquiri’. They got stuck right in, introducing a new song that hasn’t quite got a title yet but deserves one. They tore through their set with guitar riffs at full throttle, and with Ollie deciding that the stage was far too small for them all, so he expanded it to the floor in front and spent most of the set pacing up and down it. I love the energy this band have and the way their music takes twists and turns that showcases the bands talents for writing great songs.

Have a listen to their EP ‘It Gets Bigger’ to get a flavour of their music and if you can why not go along to their headline gig coming up in Glasgow at The Garage Attic on 20th July.

Set List – Tiny Little Pieces, Miles Away, New Song, Daiquiri, River Runs Dry, The Mask, Denziens.

Videos

Daiquiri https://youtu.be/MQhi1MBUX40?si=AuuHSAytxVNAv0WD

Denizens https://youtu.be/ASlWxtvzkMY?si=bA3IH6x_IWgPGC95

River Runs Dry https://youtu.be/JTe3aUAu1VU?si=263BJl2vCoZO02GO

Socials

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bigironisbig

Instagram https://instagram.com/bigironisbig?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=

Carbellion

Finally, all the way from the U.S.A. it was the turn of the last band of the trio, Carbellion. Why have I not heard of them before? They’ve been around for twenty years, have some hard-hitting grungy rock music under their belts and can get you foot tapping within seconds of them striking the first chord. They too were on fire, playing heavy, punchy, edgy songs that are all well received. Playing tracks from their album, ‘Weapons of Choice’, released last year, they belted out a great mix of aggressively sung songs. I loved the vocals and big gutsy guitar riffs, with Cameron stating that ‘the riffs are heavier than getting tea bagged by god’! I’d say so!

Doing a heavy cover of T-Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy’ and ending the night with ‘Barfight’, one of their single releases, cemented in my mind that I’d be adding them to my playlist. I’d suggest you do the same, because they’re worthy of your ear.

Set List – Never, Top Alcohol, Pity the Back Seat, 20th Century Boy, Spaces, Jungle Song, Without a Trace, Listen for Ghosts, Barfight.

Videos

Barfight https://youtu.be/DAf_kijy-NI?si=7UVRKKoEdhCC_Gzp

Listen for Ghosts https://youtu.be/6-twe_w0KVo?si=Jj8SSjTQK6XABw1T

Pity the Backseat https://youtu.be/q5MU5SYAMmg?si=dsJt4vZZoRYVxVvN

Socials

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Carbellion

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carbellion?igsh=MWtob2g3dnNmYW84Ng==

All in all, it was a great night that could have done with a bit more support from the locals, but that didn’t detract from the night I had. I was really impressed with the way all three bands played, introducing me to some amazing rock music. I would thoroughly recommend catching all three bands if you see them on a bill, school night or not!