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Latest Album Reviews
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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Gig review: ELLES BAILEY- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Book review: On Track…PEARL JAM – every album, every song (Ben L Connor)
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Album review: THE DAVEY JOHNSTONE BAND – Deeper Than My Roots
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Album review: JIM STAPLEY – Long Time Coming
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Album review: XENTRIX – Bury The Pain
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Album review : STATUS QUO – The Early Years 1966-69 (5 CD boxset)
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Album review: STEVE HACKETT – The Night Siren
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Category Archives: GIG REVIEWS
Gig review: ELTON JOHN- The 02 London, 9 April 2023
When Elton John announced he was retiring from live shows with a “Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, it was time to cross one of the very few remaining living artists off my bucket list. I hung the expense and bought … Continue reading
Gig review: HARDWICKE CIRCUS- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 6 April 2023
Hardwicke Circus, from the unlikely rock’ n’.roll hotbed of Carlisle are building a name for themselves. This is no overnight sensation as I actually saw an earlier line-up as long ago as 2017 supporting Southside Johnny (and am vaguely flattered … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Dave Robinson, Eel Pie Club, gig, Hardwicke Circus, Jonny Foster
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Gig review: TED POLEY – The Black Heart, London, 29 March 2023
The irrepressible, infectious figure of singer Ted Poley has been a welcome visitor to these shores regularly over the years, both with Danger Danger and also in a variety of other projects such as Bone Machine and Melodica. However he … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged acoustic, AOR, Danger Danger, Declan McKerr, gig, melodic rock, Midnite City, Rob Wylde, Ted Poley
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Gig review: PIXIES – Roundhouse, London, 21 March 2023
The last time I saw Pixies live, they played the Forum in Kentish Town which was still called the Town & Country Club, and when the band’s brand of punky, indie, noisy alternative rock was still in its first flush. … Continue reading
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Tagged 21 March 2023, alt rock, Black Francis, Doolittle, gig, indie, live, Pixies, review, Roundhouse, Surfer Rosa
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Gig review: LAURENCE JONES, Boom Boom Club, Sutton – 10 March 2023
The 21st century has seen a huge number of young blues guitar prodigies emerge from the UK and then establish themselves to a greater or lesser degree- Joanne Shaw Taylor, Oli Brown, Virgil McMahon and Aynsley Lister to name but … Continue reading
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Tagged Ash Sheehan, Blue Nation, blues rock, Boom Boom Club, gig, Laurence Jones, Pete Feenstra
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Gig review: LUST FOR LIFE – The Lexington, London, 12 March 2023
This was a proper throwback gig melding pioneering punk, art rock, new wave and all points in-between, battered out by a scratch band pulled together specifically to celebrate the forty-fifth anniversary of Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust For Life’ album. Tony Fox … Continue reading
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Tagged art rock, Blondie, Clem Burke, David Bowie, gig, Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop, Katie Puckrik, live, Lust For Life, New Wave, punk, review, The Stooges
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Gig review: ANA POPOVIC – Islington O2 Academy, London, 10 March 2023
The last vestiges of winter still had its cold tendrils curling around the country, falls of snow and a chill wind was everywhere, even in the midst of London town. Things though in Islington had rapidly heated up, the arrival … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 10 March 2023, Ana Popovic, blues, blues rock, funk, gig, guitarist, Islington O2 Academy, jazz, London, review, soul, Stax, Toby Lee
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Gig review: KING KING – Electric Ballroom, London, 9 March 2023
King King are a reliably regular touring act and this spring tour comes exactly a year after the last. If there was a sense of curiosity last year about the new line up with Alan Nimmo joined by big brother … Continue reading
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Tagged Alan Nimmo, blues rock, gig, Glenn Tilbrook, Jonny Dyke, King King, melodic rock, Squeeze, Stevie Nimmo
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Tropic at Ruislip, London, 5 March 2023
In an ever more crowded field of new acts, particularly in the world of blues rock, it is hard to sort out the exceptional talent from the merely good. As a shortcut through this minefield, I tend to rely on … Continue reading
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Tagged Billy Dedman, blues rock, Brave Rival, Chloe Josephine, Donna Peters, Ed Clarke, gig, Lindsey Bonnick, Tropic at Ruislip
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Album review: BLACK BEAR KISS – Black Bear Kiss (and album launch – 3 March 2023)
[Release date 03.03.23] Black Bear Kiss are a 4 piece upbeat rock band, who formed in 2016 by long term collaborators and good friends Rob Jones (guitar) and Chris Leech (vocals), with drummer Chris Bagnall and bassist Rich Sach coming … Continue reading
Gig review: BLACK STAR RIDERS – Shepherds Bush Empire, 26 February 2023
Prior to the pandemic Black Star Riders were one of the hardest working acts, seemingly constantly on tour or playing festivals. So it was something of a surprise that this was their first tour since Lockdown, though there have been … Continue reading
Gig review: MARTIN TURNER – Boom Boom Club, Sutton, 24 February 2023
For the last few years founder member Martin Turner has delighted his Wishbone Ash fans with a series of tours that have featured one of their classic albums in their entirety. As that particular list has progressed to the lower … Continue reading
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Tagged 24 February 2023, Boom Boom Club, Danny Willson, gig, Live Dates, Martin Turner, Misha Nikolic, review, Sonny Flint, Sutton, Wishbone Ash
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Gig review: ELEANOR McEVOY – Alexanders, Chester, 2 March 2023
Halfway through her UK tour, and a day after our major feature was published, Alexanders in Chester could well be the Grotto to Eleanor McEvoy’s Greatness. A favourite venue certainly since the early millennium. Catching up for a chat pre-gig … Continue reading
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Tagged 2 March 2023, acoustic, Alexanders, Chester, classic rock, Eleanor McEvoy, folk, gig, interview, jazz, radio, review, roots, singer songwriter
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Gig review: STONE BROKEN – 100 Club, London, 23 February 2023
After a fairly conventional tour schedule in 2022 (in which I caught their London show, rearranged for the Scala, and two festival appearances) Stone Broken decided on a new approach for a second leg of dates in support of most … Continue reading
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Tagged gig, melodic rock, New Wave of Classic Rock, Rich Moss, Scarlet Rebels, Stone Broken, Wayne Doyle
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Gig review: ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – Powerhaus, London, 11 February 2023
My first visit to the renamed Dingwalls since it changed name and ownership in 2020. The venue was near its 500-berth capacity for Robert Jon & The Wreck who have sold out a good few dates on this tour. First … Continue reading
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Tagged 11 February 2023, blues, Camden, gig, gospel, live, Powerhaus, review, Robert Jon & The Wreck, southern rock
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Gig review: BOTH SIDES NOW: Homage to the Songs of Joni Mitchell – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, Wednesday 8 February 2023
Without doubt one of the finest and most influential songwriters and performers of the past six decades, Joni Mitchell has a unique style that has seen countless music fans fall under her spell. Since her debut performing in local clubs … Continue reading
Gig review: BLACK STONE CHERRY AND THE DARKNESS – Wembley Arena, London, 4 February 2023
When this joint headline arena tour was announced, my first thoughts were that Black Stone Cherry and The Darkness were not natural bedfellows- the earnest blue collar southern rockers from Kentucky and the eccentric English band from East Anglia who … Continue reading
Gig review: DIRTY HONEY – The Garage, London, 24 January 2023
Many American bands are choosing to skip Europe and the UK with the rising cost of touring. And the cost of living crisis and the sheer volume of gigs as the industry tries to make up for the time lost … Continue reading
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Tagged classic rock, Dirty Honey, gig, Jaydon Bean, John Notto, Justin Smolian, Marc LaBelle, melodic rock
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Gig review: DEWOLFF – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Thursday 5 January 2023
New Album – Love, Death & In Between (Album Launch Party Gig) GRTR! has been trumpeting the extraordinarily versatile southern rock, psychedelic/blues uber-combo, DeWolff, for years now and they have really excelled themselves with their new album, “Love, Death & … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged Album Launch, Amsterdam, big band, blues, blues rock, DeWolff, gig, Paradiso, review, rock, Thursday 5 January 2023, van de Poel
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Gig review: SKERRYVORE AND MANRAN – Albert Hall, Stirling – 29th December 2022
This gig was another that felt a bit like being an extra in an episode of Dr Who, you know it’s 2022 but you are handing over a ticket for a show in 2020! Yup, this show has been hit … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 29th December 2022, Albert Hall, Alec Dalglish, Celtic, Craig Espie, Daniel Gillespie, Ewan Henderson, folk, Gary Innes, gig, Hoolie In The Hydro, Kim Carnie, live, Manran, Martin Gillespie, rock, Scott Wood, Skerryvore, Stirling, Take My Hand, The Angry Fiddler, Urar, You & I
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Gig review: THE DEAD DAISIES – 02 Forum, London, 6 December 2022
The constantly revolving lineups of travelling supergroup The Dead Daisies, the plaything of rhythm guitarist and businessman David Lowy, seem to have reached some belated stability, fronted by the equally mercurial Glenn Hughes. They were back in London to promote … Continue reading
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Tagged Brian Tichy, classic rock, Dead daisies, Doug Aldrich, FM, gig, Glenn Hughes, Graham Bonnet
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