Dylan Moran - The Stand Newcastle 17/08/2014

As part of The Stand Newcastle's 'Newcastle Alternative' to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Dylan Moran was performing a work in progress show. Dylan Moran hasn't been doing many gigs recently, but there was no trying to cover it up, he turned his 'rustiness' into hilarity, with little stories and talking to the audience. It was great to see a comedian so genuine about his work, he openly said he was nervous and unprepared but he had the entire crowd on his side and it didn't matter the material didn't flow as one, well rehearsed piece, because the moments wouldn't have been the same.

You never really got the gist of what this show he's building is going to be about, he covered a few topics, technology, the inner monologue, getting older. It was just a show about topics that were relatable to everyone, but all of it was really funny. He never took himself seriously, and the gig was better for it. He fit a lot of material into an hour and a half, so picking out highlights is hard, and also may spoil it for if some of the material makes it onto a tour, although his erotic novel bit was incredibly funny!

The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem return with their fifth studio album 'Get Hurt'. The album begins with Stay Vicious, which brings a heavier sound for The Gaslight Anthem. This distorted sound is certainly a different direction to The Gaslight Anthem's previous but fans were told that that's what to expect from Get Hurt. 1,000 Years is next and moves to a more familiar style, with Fallon's vocals clearer and the guitars lighter and more melodic.

The album drifts between this style of track, with distorted guitars and gruff vocals, to softer songs. The album is certainly much darker and heavier and overall a slower tempo than previous by The Gaslight Anthem, but at the same time it seems to lack as much heart when compared to albums such as Handwritten or The '59 Sound. The change in sound may be to give them a more mature edge, or that is simply where the band are now, but it carries less songs to really sing along to and more with deeper meanings in the lyrics, that just seem to get lost in the production. All that said, it is not a bad album by any means, it's easy to get into and enjoyable to listen to, but won't go down as one of The Gaslight Anthem's best.