MADBALL (Live)

At The Cluny 2, Newcastle, U.K., October 17, 2019

MADBALL (Live at The Cluny 2, Newcastle, U.K., October 17, 2019)
Photo: Mick Burgess

They say that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Very true however, there are times when a golden offer is available that is just too tempting to avoid.

New York Hardcore legends, Madball, have lined up a series of shows in conjunction with their local brewery, Brooklyn Lager whereby tickets are a mere fiver. Still not tempted? How about a free can of lager for all ticket holders? A gig featuring Madball and free beer all for five quid? What’s not to like about that?

Not surprisingly the whole tour sold out in the blink of an eye and Madball switched the engine on and slammed their foot to the floor for Rev Up and left it there for the whole show as Heaven Hell and We Are The People battered the lively crowd into submission.

Frontman Freddy “Madball” Cricien vented his fury and untameable energy during Born Strong and Freight Train as the band and crowd became one with seemingly more people up on stage at various points than on the floor.

As the temperature rose, the mosh pit maelstrom grew more and more frantic. To the untrained eye it could have been a wild west brawl but seeing people helping those who had slipped said otherwise as Cricien leant in to the crowd repeatedly for eager assistance with the gang vocals at every opportunity.

By the time of Hardcore Lives and Doc Marten Stomp, Madball’s furious smash and grab assault in Newcastle was done leaving an exhausted and exhilarated crowd gasping like a prize heavyweight fighter at the end of 12 rounds in the ring.

Review and Photos By Mick Burgess

Author

  • Mick Burgess

    Mick is a reviewer and photographer here at Metal Express Radio, based in the North-East of England. He first fell in love with music after hearing Jeff Wayne's spectacular The War of the Worlds in the cold winter of 1978. Then in the summer of '79 he discovered a copy of Kiss Alive II amongst his sister’s record collection, which literally blew him away! He then quickly found Van Halen I and Rainbow's Down To Earth, and he was well on the way to being rescued from Top 40 radio hell!   Over the ensuing years, he's enjoyed the Classic Rock music of Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and Deep Purple; the AOR of Journey and Foreigner; the Pomp of Styx and Kansas; the Progressive Metal of Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, and Symphony X; the Goth Metal of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Epica, and a whole host of other great bands that are too numerous to mention. When he's not listening to music, he watches Sunderland lose more football (soccer) matches than they win, and occasionally, if he has to, he goes to work as a property lawyer.

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1 Comment

  1. Fucking mint review this pics are incredible you can feel the positive atmosphere by just looking.
    Great show
    No – incredible show

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