Those bemoaning the lack of great contemporary music clearly are not looking hard enough or are not looking the right places. However, even with the advent of social media and the widespread publicity it can bring, there are still thousands of bands, songs, albums and EPs that are undiscovered by the vast majority of listeners. Having set up this website (thanks to Paul Wray of Puppet Cell, whose album settled at number 13 in my Top 40 albums of the year; the first review to ever be published on my website - here: https://shorturl.at/bsW35; and my ever amazing girlfriend for the encouragement to begin - and maintain - this crazy venture) and starting to write more seriously in the Spring of this year, I have been fortunate enough to receive a wide range of material for potential review. As a listener, I have also sought out new music and tried to support new and upcoming bands; this year has introduced me to a raft of bands and artists I might never have found myself, such is the wealth of new talent.
Although the website is very much in its infancy, I thank you all for the positive messages I have received, the bands that have been accommodating in providing additional information when I have enquired, and to anyone who has read even one post. 2024 will be an interesting year for Hotel Hobbies and here are my reflections on 2023!
New and Old
Despite exposure to a wide range of new music, there was still much to enjoy from bands already firmly linked to my journey as a listener over forty years. My Top 40 albums of 2023 (read my expansive write up here: https://shorturl.at/anrvV) reflected the balance of my overall listening. Of the forty albums featured, twenty-four were released by acts I have previously followed, nine by those I was aware of but never fully investigated and seven by bands completely new to me. Sophomore albums by Frozen Soul (number 2 in my countdown) and Empyre (number 3) indicated that newer bands are producing amazing music and the future of the rock and metal scene is in safe hands.
Showing they still have much to offer, rock and metal stalwarts such as DHG (Dødheimsgard), Cannibal Corpse, Katatonia, Dying Fetus, Enslaved, Obituary, Metallica, Therapy?, In Flames and even The Rolling Stones released albums which were well received. One man metal projects including Hellripper, Rise To The Sky, Aldaaron and Panopticon continued to fly the flag for different sub-genres of black metal and long may enterprises of this nature continue.
Concerts
In the live arena, debates continued to rage about ticket pricing and the lack of variety of headliners at big festivals. With festivals in mind, Stonedead showed once again that the passion of a small, dedicated team can produce a feeling more special than you might experience at a much larger event. With tickets already booked for 2024, I look forward to another day reminiscent of the best years at the Monsters of Rock.
During 2023, I decided to target bands I had not seen before and or had not seen for many years, although there was still time to catch up with some old favourites. Pop veterans Belinda Carlisle (during the year releasing her first EP of new pop music for quite some time) and Duran Duran – both more than 40 years into their careers – rolled back the years producing dynamic performances but even they were outshone by Bruce Springsteen – still playing three-hour sets – on a glorious summer’s evening in Hyde Park in July. Demand for seeing acts play older albums in their entirety continues and Geoff Tate – whose voice is still remarkable – performed the whole of Operation: Mindcrime to an enthralled London audience in June. In one of the most unexpected comebacks of the year, The Almighty (who I first saw play live in 1991) reformed with their original line-up for a trio of gigs (read my review of the London gig here: https://shorturl.at/dmoSY). Such was their success, three gigs in 2024 and a further three in 2025 are already arranged.
Tribute bands continue to be popular and having seen them every year since their formation - this year in Swindon and a double header in Putney (review here: https://shorturl.at/ftvGQ - StillMarillion are still untouchable in this field. Money for Nothing (a Dire Straits tribute band) are also well worth seeing as I did at the Lighthouse Theatre in Kettering.
Empyre (which this year I saw in an intimate acoustic setting), Those Damn Crows (twice) and South of Salem (supported by the excellent She Burns Red) at the Blackheart (which I attended after witnessing their explosive performance at the Stonedead Festival in August) are three of the best newer bands currently on the rock circuit and I would highly recommend catching any of them if you have the opportunity. Within the realms of metal, I finally managed to see Soen (concert review here: https://shorturl.at/ejty6) who were as majestic as I expected, a joint headlining tour by Swallow The Sun and Draconian at the iconic Underworld in Camden, and High Wycombe based This Dying Hour (review here: https://shorturl.at/atARX). The four-pronged attack of Spite, Fit For An Autopsy (stealing the show), Whitechapel and Thy Art Is Murder (on their first post-CJ tour) provided the most intense evening of the year at The Roundhouse.
Highlight of the year though, was witnessing (in the company of Paul Wray and Paul Owen of Puppet Cell) the live England debut of In Mourning - supporting Insomnium. It has been a long wait for UK based fans of the band but they did not disappoint playing an electrifying 45-minute set – we can only hope they return soon as headliners.
Songs
It is impossible to calculate how many different songs I have heard this year and adding single reviews to my writing was to highlight the depth of music that is being released. For a range of reasons (financial, as pre-cursors to EPs and albums or simply availability of time), bands release tracks individually. Many of them have been amongst my favourite tracks of the year including some from bands only formed during 2023 such as the powerful and enrapturing Sever Red.
Here then, is a list of fifty of my favourite songs of the year. While some tracks are replicated from those mentioned as my favourite from albums in my Top 40 Albums / Top 10 EPs list, in some cases - for more variety - I have chosen a different song than the one named in my album rundown. There are singles, tracks are from albums that did not make the final forty and tracks from albums that I have not fully investigated but that have captured my attention. I have also limited myself to one track from any one artist. If I had to name a favourite it would be Abyss Perihelion Transit by DHG which is utterly mesmerising. Below the list is a link to my Spotify playlist – albeit Spotify arranges these by artist’s first name – included the word The! However, I heartily recommend visiting the band’s own websites or bandcamp pages to buy any music you enjoy.
Ahab – Mobilis in Mobili
Aldaaron - Chroniques des jour d'alors
The Answer – Blood Brother
Architects – Seeing Red
Baroness – Choir
Blackwater – Darkness
Cairo – Déjà vu
Cattle Decapitation – A Photic Doom
DHG – Abyss Perihelion Transit
Einar Solberg – A Beautiful Life
Empyre – Hit And Run
Enslaved – The Eternal Sea
Floor Jansen - Fire
Frozen Soul – Assimilator
Peter Gabriel - Playing For Time
Green Lung – Mountain Throne
Hayley Griffiths – Melanie
Ihsahn – The Observer
In Flames – In The Dark
Kamelot – One For Flag In The Ground
Katatonia – Opaline
King Howl – From The Cradle
Lords of Ruin – Universal
Mercenary – Burning In Reverse
Metallica – You Must Burn!
Ne Obliviscaris – Equus
Obituary – My Will To Live
Orbit Culture – Sound of the Bell
Periphery – Wax Wings
Puppet Cell – Poison of Guilt
Trevor Rabin - Oklahoma
Riverside – Friend Or Foe
The Rolling Stones – Live By The Sword
Sever Red – Afraid
She Burns Red – Crosshairs (Remix)
Shepherd’s Reign – Ala Mai
Silent Skies - Construct
Sleep Token – Euclid
Soen – Tragedian
Sublime Eyes (featuring Tobias Netzell) – Victims From The Grave
Svalbard – How To Swim Down
Tailgunner – Revolution Scream
The Hot One Two – The Fray
Therapy? – Poundland of Hope and Glory
This Dying Hour – A Dying Flame
Those Damn Crows – Man On Fire
Thy Art Is Murder – Bloodthrone
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit of Calamity
White Raven Down - Stole My Light
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Thank you once again for reading and see you in 2024!
Written: 31st December 2023
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