Various Artists – Xtra Mile High Club Volume 5: Smokin’ (Signed Vs Unsigned)

What a generous lot Xtra Mile Recordings are. Here is a label that thrust the sorely missed Million Dead into our hearts and minds, as well as nurtured the talents of the mouth-kicking scallywags, Reuben. Well, they did to me. Smokin’ is a compilation album, crammed with a hefty 42 bands – half signed to the label and half unsigned that have been hand-picked by the bands on Xtra Mile’s roster.

Sonisphere 2014 – Saturday 5 July

We’re late leaving the campsite and only briefly get a glimpse of Alestorm bringing pirate metal kicking and screaming – some dude is playing the keytar and it doesn’t sound too horrible. We’re only up early though to see one band: Babymetal. Judging by the crowd of people swarming to the Apollo stage, we aren’t the only ones.