Bassist Rocky Newton has been a member of Lionheart and MSG amongst others and now he is part of X-UFO who are back in the UK next month…
1. What are you currently up to?
We're currently in the middle
of a run of club gigs in the UK which we're using to fine tune the set and get
some gig time under our belts as a band. We're planning to do some higher
profile gigs and Festivals throughout Europe and the USA later in the year. We
also have our first album due out by the end of the month (January).
2. How did the idea for X-UFO come about? Any plans to
invite other fellow UFO members on stage in the future?
About 3 years ago I got back in touch with
Clive through Facebook having not seen him for nearly 20 years only to find
that he lives about 5 mins from my girlfriend's house.
We started hanging out together again and Clive kept asking
me to get up and jam with his blues band he was playing in with Laurence. I
wasn't very keen as I hadn't touched a Bass for 10 years but said that if I was
to do something again it should be along the lines of UFO/MSG as those are the
bands that we are inextricably linked with and will be always associated with.
Unbeknownst to me Danny was harbouring similar ambitions and when he got in
touch with Clive to tell him of his idea it all just fell into place. Danny had
played with Laurence in Tarzen, I had played with Clive in Lionheart, and of
course Clive had played with Laurence in UFO. Even though I'd never actually
played with Laurence before I'd known and respected him as a musician since the
early 80's and was on my list of people I'd like to play with so it was a no brainer
when this opportunity came along. Similarly I'd never played with Danny before
but knew him by reputation and a brief encounter in 1986 in Madrid when I
played there with MSG.
Our stage door is always open to our UFO and MSG bretheren
to come up on stage with us, the only rule is they must enjoy themselves. We
keep an Amp warm for the unknown warrior……
3. How did the recent UK live dates go?
Most of the
recent gigs have been great, we've had some packed out audiences but even when
the turn out has been less than we'd hoped for the people that were there
really enjoyed and “got” what we are doing. We still give it our all
whether we're playing to 100 or 10,000 people.
4. Which eras of UFO do the band cover and which songs the
band especially look forward to playing live?
We cover from Phenomenon
right through to the High Stakes and Lights Out in Tokyo Albums focussing on
the No Heavy Petting album which Danny wrote much of and the High Stakes album
songs that Laurence wrote. We throw in a handful of other UFO classics and even
an MSG song for good measure.
5. Is there any chance the band will record new music
together?
We are writing songs at the moment for our second album which
will be a blend of brand new material and some re-workings of more obscure UFO
songs from the back catalogue that we've had a hand in writing.
6. Has the internet helped you get your music out there or
has it in some ways hindered it by websites offering free downloads? Do you
still rely heavily on CD sales as opposed to downloads?
We embrace
all technology old and new. It's still early days for us yet as our first album
is about to be released and the internet provides a wonderful opportunity to
get our music and message across quickly and efficiently but for me there is
nothing better than holding an actual album cover in your hands as you're listening
to the music so we will make sure that it's available in all mediums.
7. What have been the live highlights so far and why?
The Hard Rock Hell Festival in Ibiza in June was a great gig for us especially
so as it was our first “proper” gig as a band. Another highlight was
the Aero Rock Starz Festival in Bulgaria in July as it was great to get back on
a big stage again and really spread our wings. There was a great atmosphere at
the festival, all the bands got on well with no egos and we had a fantastic
party at the end.
8. Any good rock 'n' roll tales to tell….
Off the record
- how much time have you got! I couldn't possibly repeat some of them here -
I'd have to change the names to protect the innocent and then they'd lose their
point. Suffice to say the Rock 'n' Roll legend is alive and well………..
9. What do you enjoy doing in your time away from music?
Family stuff mainly looking after my 9 year old son and seeing him discover
music for the first time is fantastic.
10. Anything else to add and a message for your fans…
I look
forward to meeting as many UFO/MSG fans as possible and hope they will become
X-UFO fans. Come and see us with an open mind and I promise we'll give it our
all and you'll hear some classic songs given a new twist and soon some new
songs that hopefully will become classics in their own right.
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 14 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 9 April 2024.
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Power Plays w/c 29 April 2024
BRIGITTE PURDY Sugar Fried Candy (Dirtshack Records)
ATTIC THEORY The Legacy (indie)
THE HOWLERS I Need Your Love (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Bad Reputation (indie)
WILLS AND THE WILLING Scuffed Knees (Smash & Grab Music Ltd)
READY THE PRINCE Still Believe (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 29 April 2024
09:00-12:00 PRAYING MANTIS Defiance (Frontiers)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023
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