Author Archives: andynathan

Gig review: QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT, Wembley Arena, London, 15 December 2017

Posted on December 31, 2017 by andynathan

Arguably what we now think of as stadium or arena rock – big anthems designed for crowds to sing and sway along to and spectacular stage shows to match – can be dated back to 1977. After being overwhelmed by … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Adam Lambert, arena rock, Brian May, classic rock, gig, News of the World, pomp rock, Queen, review, Roger Taylor | Leave a comment

Gig review: JIMMY BARNES – Islington Academy, London, 13 December 2017

Posted on December 29, 2017 by andynathan

The unofficial title of the World’s Greatest Living Australian is up for grabs at the moment. Don Bradman departed a few years back to the great pavilion in the sky, where more recently Richie Benaud has delivered a laconic ‘morning … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 13 December, Aussie, Australian rock, blues rock, classic rock, Cold Chisel, Danny Spencer, gig, Islington Academy, Jimmy Barnes, London, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: GUN – Electric Ballroom, London, 9 December 2017

Posted on December 19, 2017 by andynathan

2017 has been arguably the biggest year for Gun in the near decade since the Scots reformed, with a critically acclaimed new album, ‘Favourite Pleasures’, radio airplay, prestigious festival slots such as Stone Free, and finally this winter tour. The … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 9 December 2017, Dante Gizzi, Electric Ballroom, Favourite Pleasures, gig, Gun, InMe, Jools Gizzi, Lauren Harris, review, rock, Tommy Gentry | Leave a comment

Gig review: ELECTRIC BOYS – Camden Underworld, London, 4 December 2017

Posted on December 11, 2017 by andynathan

When funk rock and metal was all the rage for a brief period at the turn of the nineties, the Electric Boys rode that zeitgeist very effectively with their debut album ‘Funk’ o’ Metal Carpet Ride’, allied to a striking … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 4 December 2017, Andy Cristell, Camden Underworld, Conny Bloom, Electric Boys, Franco Santunione, gig, Groovus Maximus, Niklas Sigevall, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: LIONHEART/AIRRACE- Camden Underworld, London, 2 December 2017

Posted on December 8, 2017 by andynathan

Lionheart - Camden Underworld, London, 2 December 2017

Picture a brief point of time in the early to mid-eighties. With the New Wave of British Heavy Metal running out of steam, many of its more enlightened musicians turned their ears westwards to the more AOR sounds that then … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Adam Payne, Airrace, AOR, Dennis Stratton, gig, Laurie Mansworth, Lee Small, Linda Foster-Kelsey, Lionheart, melodic rock, review, Rocky Newton, Steve Mann | Leave a comment

Gig review: BAD TOUCH/MOLLIE MARRIOTT- Islington Academy 2, London, 26 November 2017

Posted on December 1, 2017 by andynathan

BAD TOUCH - Islington Academy 2, London, 26 November 2017

The old saying that it takes years to become an overnight sensation was never truer in the case of Norfolk band Bad Touch. I’ve seen them play numerous support slots over the years but was unaware until singer Stevie Westwood … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Bad Touch, blues rock, gig, Mollie Marriott, review, Stevie Westwood | Leave a comment

Gig review: BRIAN DOWNEY’S ALIVE AND DANGEROUS – Nells Jazz and Blues, West Kensington, 25 November 2017

Posted on December 1, 2017 by andynathan

If Philip Lynott was the creative force and public image of Thin Lizzy and their twin lead guitars their defining musical sound, Brian Downey was the rock on which the band was based. His understated but effective drumming style was … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Alive and Dangerous, Brian Downey, classic rock, Federal Charm, gig, hard rock, Live and Dangerous, review, rock, Thin Lizzy | Leave a comment

Gig review: H.E.A.T. – Islington Academy, London, 21 November 2017

Posted on November 28, 2017 by andynathan

H.E.A.T.’s return to the stage, hot on the heels of their long delayed, controversial but in my view excellent ‘Into The Great Unknown’ album, was eagerly anticipated. However November is a notoriously crowded month in the gig calendar, which this … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 21 November 2017, Black Diamonds, Crash, Dave Dalone, Degreed, Erik Gronwall, gig, H.E.A.T., Islington Academy, Jona Tee, London, melodic rock, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: LYNCH MOB – Islington Academy, London, 12 November 2017

Posted on November 19, 2017 by andynathan

A very rare appearance from former Dokken guitar maestro George Lynch – and the first with his band Lynch Mob in the capital since 1990 – should have been the hottest ticket in London town. It was therefore something of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 12 November 2017, Dokken, George Lynch, gig, Islington Academy, Jody Turner, Lynch Mob, Oni Logan, review, Rock Goddess, The Wild Lies | Leave a comment

Gig review: ROCKINGHAM FESTIVAL- Nottingham Trent University Student Union, 20-22 October 2017

Posted on November 5, 2017 by andynathan

Loverboy - ROCKINGHAM FESTIVAL, 20-22 October 2017

Though this was the third year of Rockingham Festival , the natural successor to the much loved Firefest in its autumnal Nottingham position, it really felt as if the Festival came of age. Having settled on a format that works … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged Airrace, AOR, Bailey, Blanc Faces, Brother Firetribe, Cruzh, Dare, Dave Bickler, festival, Fortune, gig, Great White, Harem Scarem, John Parr, Kix, Loverboy, Maverick, melodic rock, Moritz, review, Rockingham, The Amorettes, Vega, Vince Neil | Leave a comment

Gig review: WISHBONE ASH/Steve Hill – Islington Academy, London, 19 October 2017

Posted on October 23, 2017 by andynathan

WISHBONE ASH - Islington Academy, London, 19 October 2017

A new chapter has begun in Wishbone Ash’s long and distinguished history, with master guitarist Andy Powell accompanied by a new partner in Yorkshireman Mark Abrahams, following Muddy Manninen’s departure after twelve years. They remain one of the hardest working … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Andy Powell, Bob Skeat, classic rock, gig, Joe Crabtree, Mark Abrahams, Steve Hill, twin guitars, Wishbone Ash | Leave a comment

Gig review: MARTIN TURNER – 100 Club, London, 14 October 2017

Posted on October 18, 2017 by andynathan

You could argue that Wishbone Ash founder member Martin Turner has overstayed the classic album concept with regular live renditions of their 1972 classic ‘Argus’ over the past decade. Yet his band’s performance of the album at Ramblin Man Fair … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 100 Club, 14 October 2017, Argus, Danny Willson, gig, London, Martin Turner, Misha Nikolic, review, Wishbone Ash | Leave a comment

Gig review: NAZARETH – 229 Club, London, 13 October 2017

Posted on October 17, 2017 by andynathan

When their seventies hit making days in the UK ended, Nazareth seemed to concentrate on less fickle foreign markets, and opportunities for more recent fans like me to see them in the UK seemed few and far between. Yet in … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 13 October 2017, 229 Club, Carl Sentance, gig, hard rock, Jimmy Murrison, Lee Agnew, London, Nazareth, Pete Agnew, review | Leave a comment

Album review: KRYPTONITE- s/t

Posted on October 2, 2017 by andynathan

Frontiers [Release Date 04.08.17] The latest in a series of star-studded melodic rock collaborations on Frontiers, Kryptonite have the pedigree of a bona fide supergroup of some of the top Scandinavian names, headed by Poodles singer Jakob Samuel and including … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Jakob Samuel, Kryptonite, melodic rock, Michael Palace, Pontus Egberg, review, Robban Back | Leave a comment

Gig review: VEGA – University of London Union, 23 September 2017

Posted on September 25, 2017 by andynathan

Having boasted GRTR!’s album of 2016 with ‘Who We Are’, Vega continue to work hard to bring their modern brand of melodic rock to the masses. After touring with Dan Reed Network in the Spring, Autumn has brought this headline … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged gig, James Martin, Marcus Thurston, melodic rock, Nick Workman, review, Vega | Leave a comment

Gig review: UFO – Dorking Halls, 14 September 2017

Posted on September 21, 2017 by andynathan

UFO’s long career has in recent times been taking them down the road less travelled. It’s nearly three years now since a Central London date, but after last year’s show in St Albans, capital based fans like me now made … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged Andy Parker, gig, heavy rock, Paul Raymond, Phil Mogg, review, Rob DeLuca, Toby Jepson, UFO, Vinnie Moore, Wayward Sons | Leave a comment

Gig review: HAIR METAL HEAVEN – Welly Club and City Hall, Hull, 25-27 August 2017

Posted on September 12, 2017 by andynathan

Sebastian Bach - HAIR METAL HEAVEN - Hull, 25-27 August 2017

If eyebrows were raised at Hull’s designation as European City of Culture 2017, the news that a major rock festival in Hair Metal Heaven was taking place there was an even more unexpected story. The Humberside port city may have … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Babylon AD, Bigfoot, Black Cat Bones, Crazy Lixx, D A D, Danger Danger, Diemonds, Eclipse, festival, George Lynch, gig, glam rock, Hair Metal Heaven, Hardline, Junkyard, Leatherwolf, Loudness, Mason Hill, melodic rock, Nite Rain, Princess Pang, Reckless Love, Rock n Hull AllStars, Sebastain Bach, Shark Island, Shiraz Lane, sleaze rock, Spread Eagle, The Poodles, TNT, Treat, Vain, Vinnie Appice | Leave a comment

Album review: MR BIG – Defying Gravity

Posted on August 31, 2017 by andynathan

Frontiers [Release Date 21.07.17] Mr Big occupy something of a unique space in rock with concise, melodic songs yet delivered by some of the rock world’s most revered musos in Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert and Pat Torpey, who in spite … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Billy Sheehan, Defying Gravity, Eric Martin, Matt Starr, melodic rock, Mr Big, Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert, review | Leave a comment

Album review: H.E.A.T – Into The Great Unknown

Posted on August 17, 2017 by andynathan

earMUSIC Release Date 22.09.17 Back in 2014, with their fourth album ‘Tearing Down the Walls’, and high energy live shows, H.E.A.T seemed on the verge of a major commercial breakthrough as standard bearers for a new breed of melodic rockers. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged album, Dave Dalone, Erik Gronwall, H.E.A.T., Into The Great Unknown, melodic hard rock, melodic rock, review, Sky Davis | Leave a comment

Gig review: SUMMERFEST – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 28 June-9 July 2017

Posted on July 25, 2017 by andynathan

In a world of constant change in popular music, for a festival to celebrate its 50th year, as Milwaukee’s Summerfest did this year, represents a lifetime. I’d been to the festival certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s biggest … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged AOR, Bad Boy, Blackberry Smoke, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dennis De Young, festival, Foghat, gig, Greta Van Fleet, Huey Lewis and the News, Jason Isbell, John Waite, July 2017, June 2017, melodic rock, Milwaukee, Paul Simon, Peter Frampton, progressive, REO Speedwagon, review, rock, Sheryl Crow, Shinedown, Soul Asylum, Summerfest, Tesla, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Toto, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Gig review: LEE AARON – Camden Underworld, London, 16 July 2017

Posted on July 20, 2017 by andynathan

In the testosterone-heavy rock climate of the 1980’s, women performers who held sex appeal for metal-loving youngsters were few on the ground. It was therefore unsurprising that the petite Canadian rocker Lee Aaron’s picture in Kerrang’s ‘Ladykillers’ feature must have … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged blues rock, gig, Lee Aaron, melodic rock, Neuronspoiler, review, Sean Kelly | Leave a comment

Gig review: CHEAP TRICK – The Forum, London, 27 June 2017

Posted on July 15, 2017 by andynathan

The term ‘cult act’ is widely used, but applies more than most to Cheap Trick, at least in the UK. In a distinguished career of over 40 years they only once troubled the top 40 singles charts, and yet their … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Cheap Trick, gig, review, Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Stone Broken, Tom Petersson | Leave a comment

Album review: TREAT – The Road More or Less Traveled

Posted on June 25, 2017 by andynathan

Release Date 21.04.17 On paper the release of Treat’s live set at the 2016 Frontiers Rock Festival in Italy is was a release I was looking forward to. Not only were Treat- alongside bands like Fate and Skagarack- one of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Anders Wikstrom, Frontiers Rock Festival, live album, melodic rock, Robert Ernlund, Treat.album | Leave a comment

Gig review: SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES- The Forum, London, 22 June 2017

Posted on June 25, 2017 by andynathan

If Bruce Springsteen and later Jon Bon Jovi took the sound of New Jersey into the stadium-filling mainstream, both worshipped at the altar of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, who may never have reached the same commercial heights, but … Continue reading →

Posted in GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 22 June 2017, gig, Hardwicke Circus, Jersey shore, London, review, Southside Johnny, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, The Forum | Leave a comment

Album review: SNAKECHARMER – Second Skin

Posted on June 5, 2017 by andynathan

Frontiers Records [Release Date 12.05.17] If their 2013 debut album of original compositions was an unexpected twist for a band that started out paying homage to vintage Whitesnake with two former members, Snakecharmer’s follow up is perhaps even more of … Continue reading →