Download 2012 Official Poster.

While we dig ourselves out from the glut of ales, sprouts and assorted confections, the farthest reaching eyes of anticipation are already looking towards spring, summer and beyond in 2012.
So far 2012 is looking like one hell of a year with one hell of a set of headliners at Download alone, and as days go by more and more events are fleshing out their bills. Laying it all out on the table, we are taking a broad look at how these live music juggernauts are looking from scene to scene.
First up, we have Resistanz and the Whitby Goth Weekend in April.
Resistanz has now fully solidified its share of bands and aftershow events giving it a bill that puts it and it’s host venue The Corporation in Sheffield on the international map. Sponsored by

Resistanz 2012.

Deathwatch Asia and The Corp’s own resident EBM Industrial night Revolution, the two day festival returns this year with an utterly immense bill featuring the scene icons Icon Of Coil, Grendel and Ultraviolence alongside fast rising stars Surgyn, Studio-X and many more which look set to upstage the 2011 inaugural event in every way possible. With special guest DJ’s, the UK exclusive appearance of the EBM super group Icon Of Coil and an over all ticket price of just £50, this Sheffield event couldn’t get more competitive.

As the autumnal episode of Whitby’s Goth Weekend drew to a close, eyes turned to their April event, detailed in full as a full page advert in the Bonfire weekend programme. Funnily enough the weekend appears to have some of its fire back this coming year with a number of greats and underground legends confirmed for their Spa Pavilion event. The spring weekend takes place from 26th to the 30th of April and features a bill comprising of In the Nursery, Ugly Buggs, The Spiritual Bat, Last July, Dead Eyes Opened, Gene Loves Jezebel(in their final UK show featuring Peter Rizzo & Jay Aston), Die Laughing, The Bellweather Syndicate, Partly Faithful and Stills. Weekend tickets are priced at £50 for the weekend with Friday and Saturday tickets priced at £26 and £29 respectively. Naturally, an event that  has spread to the size of Whitby has comes with the added benefits of some fringe competitors, with a number of club nights and one off gigs already a staple of a weekend in this world famous event, but these are far too numerous to list here. Suffice it to say that there is always something else going on during the Goth Weekend, even if it’s just a running competition to see how many goths can fit in a single bar at once.

In June the summer and the festival season itself begin in earnest with the gigantic Download Festival in Donington. Download have laid their cards on the table already with the gods of thrash Metallica, crossover icons The Prodigy and the fathers of Heavy Metal itself Black Sabbath all due to be in attendance. While this is it so far in terms of announcements many are already calling it the biggest Download ever, though recent reports suggest that more bands are to be added to the bill in the next few weeks. Its all very vague at the moment but how can you top Sabbath and Metallica, on the same bill no less? The major downside of this is that tickets will be very in demand so grab them when you can!

Bloodstock 2012.

The slightly more loose lipped Bloodstock is a bursting bag of treats. Unveiling a whole heap of acts around about Halloween time Dimmu Borgir, Hatebreed and Corrosion of Conformity are confirmed for the  Ronnie James Dio Stage, while Anaal Nathrakh are set to headline the Sophie Lancaster stage. taking place across the weekend of 10th-12th August Bloodstock is the overlooked gem in the crown of UK rock festivals. Added to the mix of Alice Cooper, Orange Goblin, Anvil, Behemoth, Waitain, Paradise Lost, Seattle thrash mob Sanctuary, Michigan melodeath bruisers The Black Dahli Murder, Swedish heavy metal riff lords Grand Magus, the 2012 bill for the Catton Hall festival seems to be shaping up rather nicely this early in the game. Possessing all the budding potential of its peers empty posters but with some true heavyweights in tow Bloodstock is a serious contender for your cash. Another feather to is cap is that tickets are still currently priced at around £90 which for any full scale festival is a bloody bargain.

With Sonisphere, Hevy and Infest festivals all announcing dates (6th – 8th July, 3rd – 6th August and 24th – 26th August respectively) but precious little else, it looks like they’ve got their work cut out for them to win your hard earned cash, but what about everyone else? Decisions, Decisions…

The Deathnotes - When Words Signify Nothing.

Ethereal guitar Goth traditionalists The Death Notes are just over one short week away from the pinnacle of the Goth touring calendar with a date on the Saturday of this Novembers Whitby Goth Weekend. The bands position on the bill at the festival sees the act in the company of such scene luminaries as Abney Park, Devilish Presley, Berlin Black, Rhombus and Voltaire. To celebrate the band has made single ‘When Words Signify Nothing’ available to download for free via Bandcamp and the bands own official website. The single, with its  Siouxsie inspired vocals and haunting instrumentals is a fitting sample of the bands upcoming début album ‘Splinter’, due for release 15th November. The forceful and ever so slightly aggressive vocals of front woman Elaine take the forefront of this Nottingham based 5 piece, while the rolling riffage on ‘When Words Signify Nothing’ typifies the urgent tension of the band’s guitar sound. Once described as “Siouxsie Sioux fronting the Horrors” I’d say there’s a little more post-punk aggression than the neo-goth indie comparisons suggest. Death Notes – Splinter is due for release 15th November via Sonic Disruptor Records.

Whitby Goth Weekend.

While there is just under a week remaining until the first of 2011′s official Whitby Goth Weekend events, organisers Topmum Promotions have unveiled the line up for Novembers event including Steampunk inspired act Abney Park.
The airship pirates are to be accompanied by The Last dance, Devilish Presley, Rhombus and more across the two day bill of bands at the Spa with a number of associated club nights and events also taking place across the weekend and through out the town.
The full billing for the spa is

Friday 4th November: Abney Park, The Mist Of Avalon, Devilish Presley, Cryogenica, & Berlin Black

Saturday 5th November:Chameleons Vox,The Last Dance,Rhombus,The Dark Shadows,& The Death Notes.

Tickets cost £47 for the full weekend with a 75p booking fee and £25 plus a 75p booking fee. Early birds can nab the same tickets for £42 or £22 for a day ticket with the same booking fees if they purchase their tickets before 27th March. Tickets are available through the Whitby Goth Weekend Website or from Whitby Tourist Info on 01723 383636

Whitby's Winter Line Up.