-
Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
-
Gig review: BLACK EYED SONS- The Lexington, London, 16 December 2024
-
Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines, 8 December 2024
-
Gig review: STRAY – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 7 December 2024
-
Gig review: THE SHEEPDOGS, THE COMMONERS – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 5 December 2024
-
Gig review: GUN – Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 December 2024
-
Gig review: THE DAMN TRUTH – The Grace, London, 26 November 2024
-
Featured Album Reviews
Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Monthly Archives: May 2017
Gig review: SNAKECHARMER – Islington Academy, London,14 May 2017
Progressively Snakecharmer are leaving behind their origins, celebrating old-school Whitesnake, in the same way Black Star Riders are laying aside the ghost of Thin Lizzy. Four years after the release of their excellent self-titled and self-penned album, this was my … Continue reading
Gig review: STEVE HACKETT – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 16 May 2017
Over the last few years Steve Hackett’s profile has risen significantly with his Genesis Revisited tours. The lure of hearing the early Genesis classics played as they should be has proven to be a big success. Again on this current … Continue reading
Album review: COCO MONTOYA – Hard Truth
Alligator Records [Release date 24.03.17] Coco Montoya’s ‘Hard Truth’ is a career highlight for Coco Montoya. It’s an object lesson in old school dynamics and an album glued together by an essential flow. It’s given a contemporary sheen by drummer … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged Albert Collins, album, Alligator Records, Allman Brothers, Billy Watts, blues, Bob Glaub, Coco Montoya, Dave Steen, Deb Ryder, funk, Hard Truth, John Porter, Johnny Lee Schell, Lee Roy Parnell, Mike Finnigan, review, rock, Ronnie Earl, soul, Teresa James, Terry Wilson, Tony Braunagel, Warren Haynes
Leave a comment
Album review: MIKE ANDERSEN – Devil Is Back
Nordic Music Society [Release date 02.06.17] With six self-produced albums under his belt, Danish singer songwriter Mike Andersen’s latest release Devil Is Back sees him bring in an external producer – drummer Mads Michelsen from Danish band Gnags – and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Leave a comment
Album review: DEEP PURPLE – inFinite
earMUSIC [Release date 07.04.17] 2013′s ‘Now What?!’ found Deep Purple in rude good form and backed up by a well received UK tour. With more UK dates in November 2017, inFinite doesn’t quite match the sheer audacity of that album … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, Deep Purple, Don Airey, hard rock, heavy rock, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, inFinite, progressive, review, Roger Glover, Steve Morse
Leave a comment
Quick plays: LOVED ONES, DAVEY DODDS
LOVED ONES Harness Blood Records [Release date 05.05.17] Loved Ones are on ‘that difficult second album’, or so the theory goes, however this band have no qualms on that score as they have a plethora of musical ideas to share … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged albums, alt rock, Davey Dodds, DC Cooper, Fire In The Radio, folk, Last Giant, Loved Ones, New Air, pop punk, prog, prog metal, Quick Play, Red Jasper, reviews, rock, Royal Hunt, symphonic metal
Leave a comment
Album review: HUNTER & THE BEAR – Paper Heart
[Release date 12.05.17] Hunter & the Bear I first heard via Spotify, which may not be overly loved by some musicians, however it did its job as Hunter & the Bear were recommended as I liked Tax The Heat and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, anthems, Hunter & the Bear, Paper Heart, pop rock, review, rock
Leave a comment
Quick plays: UNDERHILL ROSE, STEVE MAYONE
UNDERHILL ROSE Live [Release date 30.06.17] Recorded in North Carolina in September 2016, Live finds Underhill Rose Eleanor Underhill (vocals/banjo/harmonica), Molly Rose Reed (vocals/guitar) and Salley Williamson (vocals and upright bass) delivering a stripped back ‘best of’ set culled from … Continue reading
Gig review: ELEANOR McEVOY – Alexander’s, Chester, 14 May 2017
In this hour long interview/feature David Randall chats to Eleanor McEvoy about her career. Part of The GRTR! Archive series and recorded in June 2008. (57:23) Eleanor McEvoy wowed an attentive audience on her continuing Naked Music tour – not … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 14 May 2017, acoustic, Alexanders, Chester, Eleanor McEvoy, gig, pop, review, rock, singer, songwriter
Leave a comment
Album review: THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Amber Galactic
Nuclear Blast [Release date 19.05.17] There are a good number of bands paying homage to the classic 70′s and 80′s hard rock/AOR/pop sound, with Brother Firetribe (another band who’s members are drawn from heavier sounding bands) and Cats In Space being … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Amber Galactic, AOR, Arch Enemy, disco, Night Flight Orchestra, pop, review, rock, Soilwork, Survivor
Leave a comment
Album review: TYGERS OF PAN TANG – The MCA Years
Caroline International [Release date 19.12.16] 5-CD box set Formed in the north east of England in the late-70s, Tygers Of Pan Tang were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and achieved moderate success, including the minor hit … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, box set, John Sykes, metal, NWOBHM, reissue, review, Rob Weir, rock, the MCA Years, Tygers Of Pan Tang
Leave a comment
Gig review: MAGENTA – The Citadel Arts Centre, St. Helens, 13 May 2017
With the band celebrating fifteen years together and with a fabulous new album to promote, Rob Reed’s Magenta completed their (all too) short Spring tour in front of a suitably appreciative audience at The Citadel in St. Helens – a … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 13 May 2017, Chris Fry, Christina Booth, gig, Magenta, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Reed, St Helens, The Citadel Arts Centre, Vulture Cult
Leave a comment
Album review: RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Legendary Years
AFM Records [Release date 26.05.17] After a lot of turmoil, and a number of recent line-up changes, the new look Rhapsody Of Fire lay their cards on the table with their new album, which sees the new line-up rerecord a … Continue reading
Album review: DANZIG – Black Laden Crown
AFM Records [Release date 26.05.17] My history with Glenn Danzig as a solo artist has been kinda iffy. I loved his stuff with The Misfits and Samhain, and the first three solo Danzig albums are stunningly brilliant. The fourth had … Continue reading
Gig review: JOHN MAYER – 02 Greenwich, London, 12 May 2017
So there I was nursing my £10 gin and tonic (ice not an option) in an executive suite at the Greenwich 02, pondering the mysteries of how 20,000 people can go crazy over a perfunctory blast of John Mayer’s harmonica … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 02 Greenwich, 12 May 2017, blues, funk, gig, guitar, John Mayer, London, Pino Palladino, review, rock, soul, Steve Jordan
3 Comments
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
1 Comment
