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Album review: SELWYN BIRCHWOOD – Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – The Stables, Milton Keynes, 14 March 2026
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Gig review: A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF MOTT THE HOOPLE – Riverside Studios, London, 27 February 2026
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Gig review: EMERALD MOON – Le Marquee, Peyrignac, Dordogne, SW France, 7 March 2026
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Gig review: MILKFEST, Indigo2, London, 1 March 2026
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Category Archives: GIG REVIEWS
Gig review: AIRRACE – London Borderline, 19 April 2019

Airrace’s stop-start career seems to have been characterised by support slots, whether with Queen back in 1984, or since they reformed a decade ago, a periodic set of shows consisting mainly of high profile support slots to the likes of … Continue reading
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Tagged 19 April 2019, Adam Payne, Airrace, AOR, Borderline, Dhani Mansworth, gig, Laurie Mansworth, Linda Kelsey Foster, London, melodic rock, review, Rocky Newton
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Gig review: LED ZEPPELIN MASTERS – Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 13 April 2019

The Led Zeppelin Masters (also known as the Zep Boys in their native Australia) – vocalist Vince Contarino, guitarist Tzan Niko, bassist Warwick Cheatle and drummer Bradley Polain – were back for their second UK tour with the 35-piece Black … Continue reading
Gig review: BURNING RAIN – Camden Underworld, London, 6 April 2019

And now for something slightly different. While many of their contemporaries seem to constantly tour, Burning Rain have a rather chequered career with a low profile in the UK. They have only released four albums over a 20 year period, … Continue reading
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Tagged 6 April 2019, acoustic, Burning Rain, Camden Underworld, Dead daisies, Doug Aldrich, gig, Keith St John, melodic rock, review, Whitesnake
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Gig review: UFO – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 4 April 2019

Can this really be the end? Whilst part of me dearly hopes not, there is something of a delicious irony about ever-present vocalist Phil Mogg choosing to fold the band on his own terms. During a ride that for about … Continue reading
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Tagged 4 April 2019, gig, Last Orders, live, Michael Schenker, Paul Raymond, Phil Mogg, review, Shepherd's Bush Empire, UFO
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Gig review: BIG COUNTRY – Town House, Hamilton, 30 March 2019

Big Country have been racking up the miles in recent years as they are constantly on tour somewhere in the world. The fact that the guys can still fill halls across the UK and beyond is testament to the quality … Continue reading
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Tagged 30th March 2019, Big Country, Brue Watson Simon Haugh, Celtic, Fields Of Fire, gig, Hamilton, live, review, Rianne Downey, rock, Steeltown, Town House
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Gig review: ERJA LYYTINEN – The Bullingdon, Oxford, 27 March 2019

Like Joanne Shaw Taylor, who we reviewed recently, we’ve followed Erja Lyytinen since at least her major label album debut in 2006. Pete Feenstra is of course a great advocate: promoting her gigs, playing and reviewing her albums. And like … Continue reading
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Gig review: THE RADIO SUN – Water Rats, London,19 March 2019

Melbourne-based melodic rockers The Radio Sun have over the past four years become regulars at the HRH AOR Festival in North Wales, winning friends both for their music and their sociable nature, entering into the spirit of the occasion. Though … Continue reading
Posted in GIG REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, gig, Jason Old, melodic rock, review, Steve Janevski, THE RADIO SUN
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Gig review: CATS IN SPACE – Highbury Garage, London, 16 March 2019

After a relatively quiet touring 2018 as they recorded their third album in a short space of time in ‘Daytrip to Narnia’, it was great to see Cats In Space, one of my favourite ‘new’ bands back and gigging, and … Continue reading
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Tagged Cats In Space, Daytrip to Narnia, Dean Howard, gig, Greg Hart, Jeff Brown, Paul Manzi, pop rock, review
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Gig review: TYKETTO – Islington Academy, London, 12 March 2019

25 years ago this spring, Tyketto’s sophomore album ‘Strength In Numbers’ got a belated release after they were dropped by Geffen Records in the wake of the maelstrom that was the rise of grunge. Out of this difficult birth however … Continue reading
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Tagged Chris Green, Danny Vaughn, Ged Rylands, gig, Greg Smith, Kane'd, melodic rock, Michael Clayton Arbeeny, review, Strength in Numbers, Tyketto
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Gig review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – O2 Ritz, Manchester, 17 March 2019

Releasing your sixth studio album right at the start of a UK tour may seem a little cavalier, especially given the inevitable lack of audience familiarity with new material, even though Sony have kindly uploaded most tracks via YouTube. ‘Reckless … Continue reading
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Tagged 17 March 2019. gig, Blackwater Conspiracy, blues rock, guitar, guitarist, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Manchester, O2 Ritz, review, southern rock
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Gig review: DAVE BICKLER/Chrome Molly – Highbury Garage, London, 11 March 2019

Sadly Survivor never made it to UK shores, the sad death of Jimi Jamison scuppering a scheduled show in 2014. However original singer Dave Bickler, who by that stage was back and sharing vocal duties, did play Rockingham Festival 18 … Continue reading
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Tagged AOR, Chrome Molly, Dave Bickler, gig, Glenn Quinn, Jim Kirkpatrick, John Footitt, Nic Wastell, review, Steve Hawkins, Survivor
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Gig review: BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND – Tingley Coliseum, New Mexico, USA, 5 March 2019

Few artists embody the spirit of the American heartland quite as much as Bob Seger. While others- John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty- can lay equal claim to creating that distinctively American take on classic rock, only the Ann Arbor, … Continue reading
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Tagged Alto Reed, Bob Seger, Craig Frost, gig, heartland rock, Jim 'Moose' Brown, Rob McNeeley, SIlver Bullet Band, USA
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Gig review: FM/DARE – Sub 89, Reading, 1 March 2019

FM and Dare were back in the UK for a couple more co-headliner shows following an eventful trip to Spain where FM had their equipment and merchandise stolen and in the FM set vocalist Steve Overland made it clear how … Continue reading
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Tagged AOR, classic rock, Dare, Darren Wharton, FM, gig, Indiscreet, melodic, melodic rock, Pete Jupp, reading, review, Steve Overland, Sub 89
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Gig review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, 22 February 2019

After a lull of a decade or so, Blue Oyster Cult have resumed their love affair with the UK in a big way in the past four years. Show stealing supporting appearances at Ramblin’ Man and Stone Free were sandwiched … Continue reading
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Tagged Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma, classic rock, Eric Bloom, gig, hard rock, review, Richie Castellano, Temperance Movement
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Gig review: THE SHARPEEZ/Deep Blue Sea/Spinout UK – Boom Boom Club, Sutton, 22 February 2019

The 3rd Boom Boom Rocking R&B Festival might not win many prizes for it’s strap line, but The Sharpeez, Deep Blue Sea and Spinout UK more than make up for that with three engagingly varied and well received sets. All … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 3rd Boom Boom Rocking R&B, Bruce Spingsteen, Deep Blue Sea, Dregas, funk, Gary Roberts, Graeme Wheatley, Hawkwind, Iago Banet, Jack Casady, Len Surtees, Loz Netto, psychedelia, R&B, rock, Spinout Uk, Stereophonics, stoner rock, The Edge, The Sharpeez, U2, Will Pike, William Mead
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Gig review: STEELY DAN/Steve Winwood – Manchester Arena, 21 February 2019

Could it be that for the past six years, Steve Winwood has been resting on laurels? When we last reviewed him – in June 2013 – he was playing pretty much the same set. With no new album since 2008, … Continue reading
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Tagged 21 February 2019, classic rock, Donald Fagen, funk, gig, Jazz rock, Manchester Arena, review, Steely Dan, Steve Winwood
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Gig review: KING KING/Sari Schorr – Manchester Academy, 15 February 2019

Is it really 10 years? King King’s progress over the last decade has been fully chronicled by Get Ready to ROCK! from their tentative blues rock debut album in 2011 to the more mainstream rocking ‘Exile & Grace’. And, in … Continue reading
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Tagged 15 February 2019, Alan Nimmo, Ash Wilson, blues rock, classic rock, gig, King King, Manchester Academy, melodic rock, review, Sari Schorr, Wayne Proctor
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Gig review: KING KING – Koko, London, 7 February 2019

King King’s steady rise to prominence over the past decade has now taken on a new chapter with the band signed to a stateside management agency. However there are always casualties in the process of change and in this case, … Continue reading
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Tagged 7 February 2019, Alan Nimmo, Ash Wilson, blues rock, classic rock, gig, Jonny Dyke, King King, Koko, Lindsay Coulson, London, review, Sari Schorr
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Gig review: INGLORIOUS – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 1 February 2019

What seemed the inevitable rise to superstardom of classic rock hopefuls Inglorious has hit something of a rocky road in the last year or two. While they were touring bigger venues, initially well received ‘Inglorious 2’ album in hindsight found … Continue reading
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Tagged blues rock, City Of Thieves, Dan Stevens, Danny Dela Cruz, gig, hard rock, Inglorious, Nathan James, Phil Beaver, review
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Gig review: THUNDER – St.David’s Hall, Cardiff, 1 February 2019

When the Please Remain Seated album and tour was announced, it brought a mixed response from myself: on the one hand, it was interesting to see Thunder doing something different from their usual electric shows. What I was fearful of: … Continue reading
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Tagged 1 February 2019, acoustic, Cardiff, Danny Bowes, gig, Luke Morley, Please Remain Seated, review, rock, St.David's Hall, Thunder
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