Author Archives: andynathan

Gig review: ROBIN TROWER – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 5 September 2026

ROBIN TROWER- Shepherds Bush Empire, 5 September 2026

At 81 years old guitar hero Robin Trower is enjoying an Indian summer, recording prolifically. Live sightings of him in the UK in the eighties and nineties were quite rare, but he’s been a regular visitor since. The last time … Continue reading

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Gig review: BON JOVI – Wembley Stadium, London, 4 September 2026

BON JOVI- Wembley Stadium, London, 4 September 2026

It’s been hard to stand up and be counted as a Bon Jovi fan in recent years with the brilliance of their late eighties peak, not to mention their successful adaptation to changing musical trends and high energy live shows … Continue reading

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Album review: BERNIE MARSDEN- Stage

BERNIE MARSDEN- Stage

Conquest Music [Release Date 21.8.26] Bernie Marsden’s passing three years ago still hits hard, not least as he still had much to offer musically, and there have been a stream of recent releases, some of them posthumous.  A brilliant guitarist … Continue reading

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Book review: ON TRACK…. DEF LEPPARD… every album, every song by Scott Robinson

ON TRACK.... DEF LEPPARD... every album, every song by Scott Robinson

SonicBond Publishing (Release Date 29.05.2026) With Def Leppard’s successful UK tour still fresh in the memory, now is a good time for a look back at their career and to revisit their back catalogue. As Scott Robinson points out in … Continue reading

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Gig review: FIREVOLT FESTIVAL – Whitebottom Farm, Stockport, 7-9 August 2026

FIREVOLT FESTIVAL- Whitebottom Farm, Stockport, 7-9 August 2026

Four years ago, as the live scene slowly returned to normal after the pandemic, my interest was piqued by a festival called Firestorm on the very outskirts of Greater Manchester, featuring several of my favourite bands. It seemed too good … Continue reading

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Gig review: MALMO MELODIC- Plan B, Malmo, Sweden, 24-26 July 2026

MALMO MELODIC- Plan B, Malmo, Sweden, 24-26 July 2026

Now in its third year, Malmo Melodic continues to grow in scale and stake a claim to be the world capital of the melodic rock community for one weekend. There were 30 countries represented, once again with the United Kingdom … Continue reading

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Gig review: MAID OF STONE FESTIVAL- Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent, 17-19 July 2026

MAID OF STONE FESTIVAL- Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent, 17-19 July 2026

Now in its fourth year, Maid of Stone has in a short space of time established itself as one of the very best festivals, ranking alongside the longer running Steelhouse and Stonedead for mid-sized events catering for a classic rock … Continue reading

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Gig review: SAMMY HAGAR- British Airways Arc, Olympia, London, 12 July 2026

SAMMY HAGAR- British Airways Arc, Olympia, London, 12 July 2026

After a privileged life seeing the best bands, it takes something out of the ordinary to get me freshly excited. However, an exception was a rare trip to these shores by Sammy Hagar- as a band member and solo artist … Continue reading

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Gig review: GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS- Indigo2, London, 30 June 2026

GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS- Indigo2, London, 30 June 2026

He may be an archetypal all-American figure but every few years George Thorogood, with his Destroyers, makes his way across the pond with that distinctive retooling of old blues songs for the classic rock generation. Since they were last here … Continue reading

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Gig review: HALESTORM’S LZZY AND JOE: UNPLUGGED – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 17 June 2026

HALESTORM'S LIZZY AND JOE: UNPLUGGED- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 17 June 2026

Halestorm have graduated over the years to being a major draw in their own right: their London show last winter was at the 02 and they have just headlined the second stage at Download. Smaller shows are now thin on … Continue reading

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Gig review: SISTERS DOLL- Cart and Horses, London, 4 June 2026

SISTERS DOLL- Cart and Horses, London, 4 June 2026

Aussie melodic glam rockers Sisters Doll have been around for a while, their first album released as long ago as 2012, but over the past year or two seem to be making a concerted effort to break the UK. I’d … Continue reading

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Gig review: CHEZ KANE- Camden Underworld, London, 24 May 2026

CHEZ KANE- Camden Underworld, London, 24 May 2026

  The release of Chez Kane’s third album ‘Reckless’ has seen her most sustained burst of touring activity in the UK yet. Only a couple of months after some acoustic promotional shows (which this website reviewed in Kingston) was an … Continue reading

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Gig review: THE KARMA EFFECT – The Fighting Cocks, Kingston upon Thames, 21 May 2026

P1020674 - Copy

The Karma Effect’s main tour is later this year but, with the release of third album ‘Cruel Intentions’ came a limited number of album launch shows including this one in Kingston, also home of Banquet Records who do a remarkable … Continue reading

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Gig review: MAYHEM ROCK FESTIVAL- The Nest, Nottingham, 16 May 2026

MAYHEM ROCK FESTIVAL- The Nest, Nottingham, 16 May 2026

The Mayhem Festival aims to bring the best of what might be described as the Swedish glam metal scene- ranging from sleaze to melodic rock- to these shores. After a trio of shows last year with a triple headline of … Continue reading

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Gig review: CASSIDY PARIS – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 14 May 2026

CASSIDY PARIS- The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 14 May 2026

A lot has happened to young Australian rocker Cassidy Paris in the 21 months since she was last at this venue. Last spring, days after I saw her supporting Harem Scarem, a UK tour suddenly collapsed amid distressing personal circumstances. … Continue reading

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Gig review: WILL WILDE – Thames Side Brewery, Staines-upon-Thames, 3 May 2026

WILL WILDE- Thames Side Brewery, Staines-upon-Thames, 3 May 2026

Blues rock is a genre that rewards individual virtuosity, but 95 per cent of the time the star is a guitar hero. So Will Wilde stands out from the crowd with his chosen instrument being the harmonica. I’d been very … Continue reading

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Gig review: CATS IN SPACE- Half Moon, Putney, London, 26 April 2026

CATS IN SPACE- Half Moon, Putney, London, 26 April 2026

In January 2016, having just released an album in ‘Too Many Gods’ and begun to attract attention for its seventies inspired, yet original, songwriting, Cats In Space made their live debut at the Half Moon at Putney, which I was … Continue reading

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Gig review: WINGS OF AOR FESTIVAL – Arbis, Norrkoping, Sweden, 24-25 April 2026

WINGS OF AOR FESTIVAL- Arbis, Norrkoping, Sweden, 24-25 April 2026

The status of Scandinavia as the spiritual home of melodic rock is reflected not just in the volume of bands there, but an increasing number of festivals dedicated to, or featuring a goodly number of, melodic acts. When a new … Continue reading

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Gig review: TYKETTO – 229 Club, London, 17 April 2026

TYKETTO- 229 Club, London, 17 April 2026

As frontman and founding member Danny Vaughn proudly boasted from the stage, Tyketto’s profile has unexpectedly increased some 35 years after their classic ‘Don’t Come Easy’ debut, with a European tour with Black Star Riders and a Masters of Rock … Continue reading

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Gig review: FM- White Rock Studio, Hastings, 5 April 2026

FM- White Rock Studio, Hastings, 5 April 2026

With their 1986 debut album ‘Indiscreet’ FM took on the Americans at their own game with among the finest, and arguably the very best, British AOR albums ever recorded, with all the hallmarks of the genre- hook-filled songs on the … Continue reading

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Gig review: CHEZ KANE- Fighting Cocks, Kingston upon Thames, 2 April 2026

CHEZ KANE- Fighting Cocks, Kingston upon Thames, 2 April 2026

No one can accuse Welsh songstress Chez Kane of not putting in the hard yards. This show in Kingston’s rock pub, in my South West London heartland, marked the last of a remarkable ten ‘in-store’ acoustic appearances in seven days … Continue reading

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Album review: TYKETTO – Closer To The Sun

TYKETTO- Closer to the Sun

Silver Lining Music [Release Date 20.3.26] For so long one of rock’s best kept secrets, Tyketto’s mainstream exposure has grown over the past few years with well-received appearances at broader festivals outside their melodic rock genre and even a detailed … Continue reading

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Gig review: A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF MOTT THE HOOPLE – Riverside Studios, London, 27 February 2026

A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF MOTT THE HOOPLE- Riverside Studios, London, 27 February 2026

It is getting harder than ever to witness Mott the Hoople music being played, at least by its original creators. Ian Hunter is still very much with us but has not toured since the pandemic and sadly his bandmates have … Continue reading

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Gig review: MILKFEST, Indigo2, London, 1 March 2026

Chris Difford - MILKFEST, Indigo2, London, 1 March 2026

A year after the first event, blues festival and charity fundraiser Milkfest was back for a return delivery. The format was similar but the carefully curated eight artist line up featured all but one new act, and a new beneficiary … Continue reading

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Album review: SQUEEZE- Trixies

SQUEEZE- Trixies

BMG Records [Release date 06.03.26] Something old, something new….. for Squeeze’s first studio album in over eight years since 2017’s ‘The Knowledge’ they have revisited what might in a parallel world have been their debut album. At the outset of … Continue reading

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