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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
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Album review: TIGER MOTH TALES – A Visit To Trading Boundaries
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Album review: BEYOND THE BLACK – Break The Silence
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News: Albums of the Month (October-December 2025)
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Album review: MIDNITE CITY- Bite The Bullet
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Album review: CHARLOTTE SMITH & DAVID CLIFTON – The Tree In The Wood
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Album review: JUDIE TZUKE – Now Or Never
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: PUNCHDRUNK SAINTS – Fairycroft House, Saffron Walden, December 27 2025
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Gig review: STEVE OVERLAND AND JIM KIRKPATRICK- The Weir, Brentford, Middlesex, 9 December 2025
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Gig review: JOHN OTWAY – Face Bar, Reading, Thursday 11 December 2025
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Gig review: CURVED AIR – The Sub Rooms, Stroud, 20 November 2025
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GRTR! Greats
Featured Album Reviews
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Category Archives: ALL POSTS
Gig review: MIKE VERNON & THE MIGHTY COMBO – Boom Boom Club, Sutton, 8 May 2017
In this age of instant downloads and 15 second celebrities, it’s refreshing to catch a legend worthy of the term. Step right up Mike Vernon in his new found career as lead vocalist and song writer with his excellent band … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Americana, blues, boogie, Dave Bartholomew, fats Domino, Freddie King, funk, Gatemouth Brown, gig, Ian Jennings, Junior Parker, Keb Mo, Kid Carlos Moreno, Leiber & Stoller, Matt Little, Mike Hellier, Mike Vernon, Nick Hyde, Paul Tasker, Peter Miles, Quique Bonal, review, Russ Brown, soul, swing, The Mighty Combo, Uncle Buck
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Album review: DANNY BRYANT – BIG, Live in Europe
Jazzhaus Records [Release date 21.04.17] There’s huge vacuum to be filled when you leap from a power trio to a nine piece big band. Apart from the statistical logistics, there’s the intricacy of the arrangements, the need for a big … Continue reading
Album review: LABYRINTH – Architecture of a God
Frontiers [Release date 21.04.17] Labyrinth seemed to have disappeared off the scene follwoing 2010′s ‘Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: A Midnight’, however they added vocalist Mark Boals to the line-up in 2014. Then last year a reunion of founding members Olaf … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Architecture of a God, Labyrinth, metal, power metal, progressive, review
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Album review: HANOI ROCKS – Reissues
HANOI ROCKS Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks/Oriental Beat/All Those Wasted Years (Dissonance Productions) Finish band Hanoi Rocks are a glam sleaze metal band largely responsible for an influence that directed the 80s metal scene. Formed in 1979 and recording … Continue reading
Quick plays: JAGUAR, GIRLSCHOOL, SAMSON
JAGUAR Power Games (Dissonance Productions) Jaguar were one of the fastest and most underrated bands in the NWoBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) movement, and along with Raven would have a huge impact on the forthcoming speed metal and … Continue reading
Album review: NAD SYLVAN – The Bride Said No
Inside Out [Release date 26.05.17] ‘Bride Said No’ is the second part of Nad Sylvan’s ‘vampirate’ trilogy and a follow-up to 2015′s ‘Courting The Widow’. Nad Sylvan is best known for fronting Steve Hackett’s band, who guests on this album, along with … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions
Tagged album, Guthrie Govan, Inside Out, interview, Jonas Reingold, melodic, Nad Sylvan, Nick D’Virgilio, prog rock, review, rock, Roine Stolt, Steve Hackett, The Bride Said No, Tony Levin
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Album review: JOE BONAMASSA – Live At The Carnegie Hall, An Acoustic Evening
Provogue [Release date 23.06.17] Joe Bonamassa’s ‘Live at Carnegie Hall – An Acoustic Evening’ is a successful mid-career sleight of hand. It’s a live acoustic album that recycles mostly familiar material while keeping the career juggernaut moving forward. Being Bonamassa, … Continue reading
EP reviews: THE LOFT CLUB, DIG DEEPER, GOODWOOD ATOMS
THE LOFT CLUB Heart’s Desire www.facebook.com/theloftclubband The Loft Club released this EP back in October 2016 and have had big success on Spotify with a Niklas Ibach dance remix of the EP’s title track. Their sound recalls greats like the … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged alternative, Bandcamp, Dig Deeper, EP, Goodwood Atoms, indie, melodic, pop, review, rock, the Loft Club
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Gig review: PAUL RODGERS/Deborah Bonham – Manchester Apollo, 8 May 2017
We last saw Paul Rodgers and his band in 2011 when he performed a selection of his “greatest hits” spanning Free, Bad Company and solo. And of course in October last year he fronted Bad Company in what was an … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
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Interview: DIGGETH
Some bands, regardless of how big they are, what size venue they are playing or how many albums they have released just manage to grab you straight away with hard, punchy, instantly memorable rock tunes. When I wandered into Hastings’ … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/Rising Stars
Tagged AC/DC, Alco Emaus, Casper Bongers, Diggeth, Harald te Grotenhuis, interview, metal, Metallica, rock
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Album review: HONEYJACK – 8 Track
www.honeyjackband.com Honeyjack are a duo of Mark Summerlin (vocals/guitars) and T.J. Scarlett (guitars). Mark Summerlin has been the guitarist and musical director for Seal and he was planning this to be a solo album, that was until he hooked up … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/Rising Stars
Tagged .38 Special, 8 Track, album, AOR, Honeyjack, interview, Mark Summerlin, melodic, review, Rising Stars, rock, Seal, southern rock, TJ Scarlett
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Album review: URIAH HEEP Reissues (Look At Yourself, Demons And Wizards, The Magician’s Birthday)
BMG [Release date 31.03.17] As we opined when reviewing the first tranche of Heep reissues, we would question the merits of adding a second disc with the “alternative” album version as reimagined by Heep fan and collector Robert Corich under … Continue reading
Album review: EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER – Reissues (Works Vol.1 & 2, Love Beach)
BMG [Release date 26.05/17] Formed in 1970, Emerson, Lake & Palmer were one of the first progressive rock supergroups, and certainly one of the most successful. Keyboard player, pianist and keen advocate of the Moog Keith Emerson had previously played with … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Carl Palmer, classical, Emerson, expanded, Greg Lake, Keith Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Love Beach, prog, progressive, reissue, rock, Works Live, Works Volume 1, Works Volume 2
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Album review: KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT – Fate Outsmarts Desire
Uranium Club [Release date 12.03.17] Kaprekar’s Constant is the brainchild of a couple of old duffers, and childhood friends, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Al Nicholson and Nick Jefferson who, like many of us lived through prog’s golden years. Bringing together like … Continue reading
Album review: PORTER NICKERSON – Bonfire To Ash
Weasel Records [Release date 05.05.17] When Midwest based guitarist / singer-songwriter Willy Porter started out, the success of the single ‘Angry Words’ (from his 1994 album Dog-Eared Dream) led to touring slots with the like of Tori Amos, Rickie Lee … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged acoustic, album, Bonfire To Ash, Carmen Nickerson, Porter Nickerson, review, singer, songwriter, Willy Porter
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Album review: RICH HOPKINS AND LUMINARIOS – My Way Or The Highway
Blue Rose [Release date 27.01.17] You can tell a ‘serious’ musician when their album credits lists both the guitars and amplifiers they use, but Tuscon guitar slinger and songwriter Rich Hopkins comes across as one laid back dude. He might … Continue reading
Album review: HUDSON FORD – The A&M Albums
Caroline Records [Release date 05.05.17] Vocalist, guitarist and bassist John Ford and drummer Richard Hudson were originally members of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera in the 60s, before famously joining The Strawbs (a band that at one point featured Rick Wakeman). In … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged A&M Albums, album, Hudson Ford, reissue, review, Rick Wakeman, the Monks, The Strawbs
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Album review: MARSHALL LAW – Marshall Law
Dissonance [Release date 28.04.17] If you don’t know the name, you should. Part of a second new wave of British Heavy Metal, Marshall Law formed in the West Midlands in the late 80s and had much acclaim at the time. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, classic rock, Judas Priest, Marshall Law, metal, NWOBHM, review, rock
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Album review: NITROGODS – Roadkill BBQ
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 26.05.17] If Rush play thinking man’s music, then Hannover/Stuttgart’s very own Nitrogods require only that you have one functioning brain cell which has been pickled for weeks and then slapped stupid with a baseball bat. Looking a … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, hard rock, Motorhead, NITROGODS, review, Roadkill BBQ, rock, rock 'n' roll
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Quick plays: ADRENALINE RUSH, BLOOD COMMAND, LIGHT FREEDOM REVIVAL
ADRENALINE RUSH Soul Survivor Frontiers [Release date 21.04.17] Album number two from Adrenaline Rush, the band built around former pop singer Tave Wanning. The band have undergone a couple of line-up changes with Sam Soderlindh (lead guitar) and Joel Fox (bass) … Continue reading
Album review: BAI BANG – Rock Of Life
AOR Heaven [Release date 28.04.17] Bai Bang have been around since the late 80′s, weathering the grunge storm that saw off a lot of glam metal/hard rock bands and the one constant has been vocalist Diddi Kastenholt. On this album there … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bai Bang, hard rock, melodic, review, rock, Rock Of Life
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Album review: DRAGONFORCE – Reaching Into Infinity
earMusic [Release date 19.05.17] This is the seventh studio album from Dragonforce and a bit like AC/DC or Status Quo you should know what to expect from a DF album by now. This release however does throw a few curved … Continue reading
Album review: LIV SIN – Follow Me
Despotz Records [Release date 28.04.17] Formed in Gothenberg in 2002 with a musical agenda promising and delivering “old-school metal” Swedish band, Sister Sin, made six well-received albums before calling it a day in 2015. However, two years on, lead singer … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, Destruction, Follow Me, Liv Jagrell, Liv Sin, metal, review, rock, Schmeir, Sister Sin, Stefan Kaufmann, UDO
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Gig review: LONELY ROBOT – Sub89, Reading, 27 April 2017
Sub89 is a decent sized venue in a less than salubrious part of Reading, McD’s and Nandos being the classier places in the street! It has a decent sized stage and the only downside was the sound which wasn’t great … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged 27 April 2017, Craig Blundell, gig, John Mitchell, Lonely Robot, Louder Still, progressive, reading, review, rock, Sub89, the Big Dream
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Gig review: THE QUIREBOYS – Islington Academy, London, 23 April 2017
There is a danger we can become blasé about the Quireboys, and it is easy to form a stereotype around the lovable, shambolic rogues with the singer in a gypsy headscarf and glass in hand, who turn every gig into … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Dave McCluskey, gig, Guy Griffin, Keith Weir, Last Great Dreamers, Nick Mailing, Paul Guerin, Quireboys, review, rock, Spike, Twisted Love
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