Tag Archives: Vega

Album review: VEGA – Battlelines

VEGA-Battlelines

Frontiers Records [Release Date 08.09.23] First of all an apology –  Vega’s seventh album was released in Autumn 2023 but dropped under my reviewing radar at the time! It is the first since the departure of the Martin Brothers  who … Continue reading

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Album review : NITRATE – Feel The Heat

nitrate feel the heat 150

Frontiers [Release date : 23.09.23] Nitrate’s founding member and bassist, Nick Hogg has again opted for vocalist Alexander Strandell and the Martin (Vega) brothers (who also produce) to round out the band on his latest, (and fourth) album, Feel The … Continue reading

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Gig review: FIREVOLT FESTIVAL- Whitebottom Farm, Stockport, 11-13 August 2023

P1070267 - Copy

Last year’s inaugural Firestorm festival defied the naysayers to be a roaring success. Indeed the combination of the friendly atmosphere, beautiful setting on a farm at the end of a country park and wall to wall music made it instantly … Continue reading

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Album review: ISSA – Lights Of Japan

issa lights

Frontiers [Release date: 20.01.23] Issa Oversveen is married to James Martin, ex of Vega. With his brother Tom, he’s written the bulk of the material here. And you can tell. Even with the best efforts of guitarist Simone Mularoni and … Continue reading

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Gig review: VEGA – Camden Underworld, London, 9 October 2021

P1200808 - Copy

Vega are one of those bands with a lot of lost time to make up as live music resumes. Since the beginning of the pandemic one of the UK’s premier melodic rockers have recorded not one but two albums, with … Continue reading

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Album review: VEGA – Anarchy and Unity

VEGA- Anarchy and Unity

Frontiers Records (Release date 17.09.21) Vega’s seventh album ‘Anarchy and Unity’ breaks their cycle of a new release every two years, coming  less than 18 months after ‘Grit Your Teeth’. That not entirely successful predecessor took the UK melodic rockers … Continue reading

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Album review: NITRATE – Renegade

NITRATE - Renegade

AOR Heaven [Release date 30.07.21] Nitrate are back with album number three and it is all change in the line-up. Nick Hogg remains joined by a new vocalist, Art Nation’s Alexander Strandell, Alessandro Del Vecchio (keys, backing vocals) and lead … Continue reading

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EP review: ICONIC EYE – Back From Beyond The Sun

ICONIC EYE – Back From Beyond The Sun

www.iconiceyemusic.com [Release date 04.12.20] Iconic Eye formed back in 2016, although this latest line-up only includes one member from the start, guitarist/keyboards/songwriter Greg Dean. The rest of the line-up is Neil Hackett (lead guitar), Mike Dagnall (bass, backing vocals) and … Continue reading

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Album review: VEGA – Grit Your Teeth

VEGA- Grit Your Teeth

Frontiers [Release date 12.06.20] Vega have made a series of quality albums in the 2010’s, deserving full credit for perseverance as,  despite dynamic live shows,  they have yet to break into the big time for reasons unknown. Their sixth album … Continue reading

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Single reviews: BAD TOUCH, DEEP PURPLE, VEGA

BAD TOUCH - Strut

BAD TOUCH – Strut Norfolk’s favourite retro rockers are back with this delicious little slab of bluesy classic rock. Perfectly titled, the track rolls along, boasting some really great little classic 70’s and 80’s touches and is the most mature … Continue reading

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Gig review: HEAT FESTIVAL – Ludwigsburg, Germany, 30 November- 1 December 2019

HEAT FESTIVAL- Ludwigsburg, Germany, 30 November- 1 December 2019

Having grown steadily since its inception in 2008, the HEAT Festival in Ludwigsburg, just outside Stuttgart, can lay claim to being one of the longest continuously running melodic rock festivals in Europe.  For most of the last few years their … Continue reading

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Gig review: GIANTS OF ROCK – Butlins, Minehead, 25-27 January 2019

Zal Cleminson - GIANTS OF ROCK, Butlins, Minehead, 25-27 January 2019

Three more days of rock, roll and roast pork and “last man standing” is becoming an ever more recurring theme. “Last man” might mean, literally, the last remaining member of a particular touring band or maybe a sole representative plying … Continue reading

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Gig review: VEGA – Camden Underworld, London, 7 July 2018

VEGA - Camden Underworld, London, 7 July 2018

Vega are certainly putting in the hard yards to capitalise on their excellent new album ‘Only Human’ with arguably the UK’s leading contemporary melodic rock band playing an extensive tour, culminating in this London date. While they have yet to … Continue reading

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Album review: VEGA – Only Human

Release Date 11.05.18 British melodic rock standard bearers Vega are not ones to let the grass grow under their feet, this being their fifth album since 2010. Its predecessor ‘Who We Are’ was their most consistently convincing yet and indeed … Continue reading

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

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

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

VEGA - University of London Union, 23 September 2017

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

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Gig review: HARD ROCK HELL AOR – Pwllheli, 9-12 March 2017

Lita Ford - HARD ROCK HELL AOR - Pwllheli, 9-12 March 2017

The HRH franchise is probably the most successful of these three day indoor events and rightly so, they found a spot in the market and have developed a fluid, tightly run operation that always delivers. The AOR weekend was slightly … Continue reading

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Gig review: DAN REED NETWORK / Vega – Live Rooms, Chester, 4 March 2017

DAN REED NETWORK - Live Rooms, Chester, 4 March 2017

Chatting to two excellent songsmiths recently – Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld and Dan Reed – I suggested to them that modern songcraft isn’t what it used to be and that we were unlikely to be whistling many contemporary tunes in … Continue reading

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Gig review: JUST SAY YES/ARFM MELODIC ROCK FUNDRAISER – The Spot, Derby, 28 January 2017

VEGA - Melodic Rock Fundraiser - The Spot, Derby, 28 January 2017

From initially modest ambitions,  the ‘Just Say Yes’ fundraiser is rapidly establishing itself as a must on the festival calendar for melodic rock fans, sandwiched between Autumn’s Firefest and latterly Rockingham, and Spring’s HRH. I hugely enjoyed my first festival … Continue reading

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Gig review: WINTERSTORM FESTIVAL – Concert Hall, Troon, 25/26 November 2016

Troon

The town of Troon is better known for its championship links golf course rather than as a hub for all things rock, but one man with a vision, Iain McCaig, is set to change all that. Going by the old … Continue reading

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News: Melodic rockers VEGA and classic rockers BAD COMPANY named in Best of 2016 poll

VEGA - Islington Academy, London, 30 May 2016

Melodic rockers Vega (Top Album) and classic rockers Bad Company (Top Live Act) have been named in Get Ready to ROCK!’s end of year reviewer poll. Vega, who play a series of headlining dates in the UK from 30 November … Continue reading

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News: WINTERSTORM – Troon rocks in November with FM, Ricky Warwick, Last In Line and more

Winterstorm - Troon, Scotland, November 2016

On Sunday 21 August, in his weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, David Randall previewed the Winterstorm event playing tracks by some of the artists appearing including Tygers of Pan Tang and FM.  (20:09) Troon’s only real rock … Continue reading

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Gig review: STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL – Ebbw Vale, South Wales, 23 July 2016 (Day 1)

STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL - Ebbw Vale, South Wales, 23 July 2016

As a founding fan from the very first event where a couple of hundred people showed, I have been fortunate to see Steelhouse grow year on year.  Along with many others I heard the rumours almost every year that Thunder … Continue reading

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Gig review: VEGA – Islington Academy, London, 30 May 2016

VEGA - Islington Academy, London, 30 May 2016

Midway through a successful tour supporting Magnum, UK melodic rock hopefuls Vega slipped in a headline show of their own at the smaller of Islington Academy’s two halls. Judging from easily the biggest crowd for a headline London show yet, … Continue reading

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Album review: VEGA – Who We Are

VEGA - Who We Are

Frontiers [Release Date 13.05.16] Standard bearers for a new breed of melodic rock that marries the big hooks of the genre’s heyday with more contemporary arrangements and production, Vega have stood the test of time, this being their fourth album … Continue reading

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