Monthly Archives: June 2013

EP review : FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS – We’re Not Losing, We’re Just Not Winning

      Self Release ( Release date – 26th August 2013) These pop punksters from Lincoln have only been together since the beginning of 2013, so they could be forgiven for producing substandard, badly written tracks. No such concessions … Continue reading

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EP Review: CIRCADIAN PULSE – In The Blink Of An Eye

      Self Release ( Release date – out now) This 5 track affair is the debut release from Melbourne prog metallers Circadian Pulse. Citing Dream Theater and Symphony X as influences gives you some idea of where the … Continue reading

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Album review: NIGHTGLOW – We Rise

      Logic(il)logic records (Release date – Out now) Nightglow formed back in 2003 in Italy and have been rocking hard ever since. The band are unashamedly metal to the core and at one point were the official Manowar … Continue reading

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Album review: STONE ORANGE – The Dreamcatcher

      Street Symphonies Records (Release date – out now) Stone Orange are the first band I have encountered from Slovenia and if this is the standard of rock in Ljubljana it may be worth further exploration. The four … Continue reading

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Album review: THE SUPER HAPPY FUN CLUB – All Funned Up

Throop Records (released August 5th) www.thesuperhappyfunclub.com This is the band’s second album and made after some difficult personal times for the band members. The album is full of mostly upbeat guitars and seriously addictive choruses and harmony vocals. ‘Move On’ … Continue reading

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Quick plays: VALENTIINE, NEVERSTAR, WHITE CLOUDS & GUNFIRE

NEVERSTAR I

VALENTIINE Valentiine Valentiine – Vanessa (guitars / vocals), Erica (bass/vocals) and Shelly (drums/vocals) – are a 3-piece all girl garage rock outfit from Melbourne, Australia.  And they come with attitude in abundance. Their laid back, almost nonchalant approach leans on … Continue reading

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Album review: LUNA ROSSA – Sleeping Pills & Lullabies

LUNA ROSSA - Sleeping Pills & Lullabies

Firefly Music [Release date 10.06.13] www.lunarossa.co.uk Panic Room have been one of my favourite bands to emerge over recent years, and Anne-Marie Helder one of the finest vocalists on the circuit.  So I was looking forward to this ‘side project’ … Continue reading

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EP review: JULIA KOSTEROVA – Springs Of Time EP

JULIA KOSTEROVA - Springs Of Time EP

[Release date 22.04.13] www.juliakosterova.com Heavyweight assistance in the form of Derek Sherinian and Brian Tichy doesn’t always translate to ‘stellar’ product. The only novelty here is that Russian-born guitarist Julia Kosterova looks very nice and there aren’t that many female … Continue reading

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Album review: GROUNDHOGS – United Artists Years 1972-1976

GROUNDHOGS - United Artists Years 1972-1976

EMI [Release date 20.05.13] ‘Split’ with its black and white glossy gatefold sleeve was a staple in the knowing rock fan’s early-1970s collection.  The Groundhogs, led by one-time John Lee Hooker sideman Tony ‘TS’ McPhee, were also a staple on … Continue reading

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Album review: MARILLION – The Singles Vol.2, 89-95

MARILLION - The Singles Vol.2, 89-95

EMI [Release date 22.04.13] This collection is a reissue of the now deleted 12-CD box set (2002) when all the singles had a nice repro card sleeve. The album charts the band’s more commercial Hogarth era from 1989 (and ‘Season’s … Continue reading

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Album Review: SPLIT SOFA – Coloured Dream

        Self-released – 3rd April 2013 Good news folks – dig out the kaftans, it’s 1967 all over again. If the so-called ‘Summer Of Love’ did it for you way back in the day when The Fabs, … Continue reading

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Album review: AVANTASIA – The Mystery Of Time

Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Some may find this pretty hard to believe but it has been two whole decades since the German vocalist/songwriter Tobias Sammet released his first documented musical contribution, specifically to Edguy’s 1994 demo release “Evil Minded”. … Continue reading

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News: Wayne Kramer plays Glastonbury warm-up show on 28th June

The incendiary guitarist from MC5, affectionately known as Brother Wayne Kramer, will play a Glastonbury warm-up show with Danish psych-surfmongers The Good The Bad at London’s Blues Kitchen on Friday 28th June. It’s the first duel between the two artists … Continue reading

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NEWS: Cherry Pickin’ – win six featured albums in our label showcase!

Cherry Red Records

Thursday 5 September, 21:00 (GMT) The latest of our Cherry Red Records showcases is broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio This hour long sequence signposts latest releases (June/July) from the Cherry Red group of labels including Esoteric, Big Break … Continue reading

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Gig Review: MARCUS BONFANTI – Borderline, London, 21 June 2013

Marcus Bonfanti seems to have come of age with his powerful third album ‘Shake The Walls’. Clearly I was not the only one to notice. There was a really good crowd in at the Borderline. And when Bonfanti peered out … Continue reading

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Album review: TICKET TO THE MOON – Dilemma On Earth

      Brennus Music – Released November 2012 The tidal wave of superlative progressive rock emanating from continental Europe shows no sign of dissipating anytime soon and, for all aficionados of the genre, surfboards should be waxed-up and this … Continue reading

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Album review: MOCKINGBIRD – Live Cuts! Wizzfest, Belgium 2013

      Self Release (Release date – 20th July 2013) All too often new bands try too hard to conform to the latest trends and jump on whatever bandwagon is doing the rounds at that point. It’s refreshing then … Continue reading

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Album review: OLIVA – Raise the Curtain

AFM Records Oliva is of course Jon Oliva of Jon Oliva’s Pain, Savatage and Trans Siberian-Orchestra (TSO) fame and this is his solo album. It differs from his JO Pain albums in that he handles most of the instruments himself, … Continue reading

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Album review: MAT SINNER – Back To The Bullet

Re-issue AFM Records Mat Sinner released this long lost solo album back in 1990 in between releases from his own band Sinner and long before the formation of his current band, Primal Fear. AFM have seen fit to re-release Back … Continue reading

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Gig review: STEVE WINWOOD, The Lowry, Salford, 24 June 2013

STEVE WINWOOD, The Lowry, Salford, 24 June 2013

If Steve Winwood’s only banter tonight included playful reference to both the ‘vintage’ crowd and the vintage music,  we didn’t need to worry.  The sheer historical potency – and nostalgia – was what the vintage crowd expected and what Winwood … Continue reading

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Gig Review : STATUS QUO – Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk, 23 June 2013

This gig was part of a weekend billed as ‘Rockin’ The Stadium’ which saw the home ground of the mighty Falkirk FC being taken over for a musical extravaganza. Days one and two were of little interest and didn’t exactly … Continue reading

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Album review: EMILY MAGUIRE – Bird Inside A Cage

Emily Maguire - Bird Inside A Cage

GRTR! only ‘discovered’ British born singer songwriter Emily Maguire with the release of her third album – ‘Believer’ – in 2009.  As a calling card it was a sufficiently strong hand to make me browse her back catalogue and the … Continue reading

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Gig review: TRACER, The Plug, Sheffield, 8 June 2013

Tracer - Sheffield, The Plug, 8 June 2013

As normal with gigs at The Plug they are preceded with an afternoon session at Nelsons Rock bar which also usually hosts any aftershow meet and greets that are happening. This works very well as the bar is just round … Continue reading

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Album review: THE DOOBIE BROTHERS – Live At Wolf Trap

Eagle Records/ Eagle Vision [Release date 25.05. 12] Somebody once said that despite having sold over 40 million records The Doobie Brothers could probably walk into your local pub and nobody would recognise them. And while that is stretching a point … Continue reading

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News: ASIA announce new studio album and August festival appearance

ASIA Begins recording album tomorrow, new line-up live shows ‘amazing’ John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer and new recruit guitarist Sam Coulson have certainly hit the ground running.  Following Sam’s debut at a fully sold-out warm up show at … Continue reading

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