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Over two decades Get Ready to ROCK! has demonstrated that it is a broad church and not just featuring the usual classic rock and metal.
The website content reflects the very wide tastes of the review team and so folk, pop and indie can sit happily next to singer songwriter, jazz fusion, and – oh yes – heavy metal.
Here News and Reviews Editor Jason Ritchie surveys our more eclectic tastes…
In the past twenty years we’ve gone from CD and downloads being market leaders, via iPods and iTunes, to streaming which is now the preferred listening choice of many. Now, more than ever, the song is key, along with getting onto those all important playlists and TikTok.
Melody is always the key in the pop world, which looks forwards as well as backwards. Indeed, nostalgia sells as the success of the Rewind festivals, arena sized tours from a mixed bill of 80s acts and magazines like Classic Pop and Retro Pop highlight.
There is also a wealth of generic radio stations that pump out the familiar hits from the 70s to 00′s. But what of those artists in the pop world trying to gain a foothold?
Always a tough one with the dominance of Spotify, however, some artists have embraced the streaming age and tailored their output to suit i.e. focussing on song releases and EPs (which has become a popular way to release new music again) as opposed to albums.
We’ve long championed the likes of Josh Taerk, who toured the UK early on in his career and has built a loyal following via social media and the live shows here at GRTR! Country pop is a growing genre with the likes of Jessica Lynn and The Rising gaining traction with a series of songs released over the past few years.
At GRTR! we have followed the development of artists like Chris Singleton who started solo before forming Five Grand Stereo, one of the finest pop rock bands around now. That is along with The Dowling Poole, who have been releasing many a fine song since they formed back in 2013.
There has even been two cricket themed quirky pop albums from The Duckworth Lewis Method. Both are ‘must have’ for any lover of melodic songs. All three may not be household names, however, all three have their own sound and style, which shows that pop music is not all about sampled vocals and cheesy beats.
Sparks (pictured) are currently enjoying more popularity now than their 70s hits heyday with several enjoyable albums released in the past decade, including a collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, themselves no strangers to the singles and albums charts.
Pop music may have fads and fashion, yet the classic tunes live on and we even have some of the greats back in action like The Feeling, Lightning Seeds and Tears For Fears.
Indie music is a movable feast and as XTC said ‘Is This Pop?’ as bands like Maximo Park, The Amazons, Swim Deep, The Vaccines and The Fratellis have all made headway in the past few years. Then there are artists like Wet Leg who seemingly come from nowhere and top the album charts.
Didcot’s own Tom Webber is proof good tunes can still help you launch a career as in less than a year he has supported the likes of Nick Lowe, John Otway and Deacon Blue, appeared at festivals including the final Cornbury and now headlines his own gig in Henley. His retro look and sound seem to be working their musical magic.
Going way outside of GRTR! Comfort Zone are the likes of grandad rappers Pete & Bas who are very clever with their lyrics and beats. Or Hamish Hawk who pens catchy melodies, one of which ‘The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion 1973′ does feature said line in the chorus!
Folk music is in good shape as the established acts like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span continue to tour and record on a regular basis, with Fairport’s own Cropredy festival still going strong. We’ve also covered the popular Bearded Theory festival in successive years.
Since 2004 we’ve seen the rise of Bellowhead, a band easily capable of filling the Royal Albert Hall. They embark on a near sold out UK tour this November after calling it a day in 2016. They have cracked that secret of appealing to all ages and are one of the most entertaining live acts across any musical genre.
Folk at the local level was doing well until the Covid pandemic struck. Since then there have been noticeable falls in attendances at live shows, despite the wealth of talent currently recording and touring. Artists such as The Magpies, Dom Prag, Sam Carter, Forty Elephant Gang, Mike Vass, Kirsty MacFarlane, Trials Of Cato and Hannah Rarity are just some of the wonderfully talented artists currently out there and worthy of your time.
The folk duo Ninebarrow have built their own cottage industry based upon their beguiling folk tunes; they run their own walking folk tours, host special shows for fans and plant trees for each copy of an album sold. The past twenty years have all been about music being used in new ways and if one artist encapsulate this it is Ninebarrow.
All this and we haven’t even mentioned the biggest event in the world of pop in the past twenty years, the return of ABBA! New album, hologram show – it is like they never went away – and that, folks, shows the timeless appeal of good music.
For me it has always been about getting the music out there. Listen and explore outside of what you usually listen to as there is a wealth of great music just waiting for you to hear and appreciate.
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Album highlights: 2007 FARRAH Cut Out And Keep Saturdays 18:00-23:59 GMT on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio there is a dedicated sequence – ‘The Rock Diner’ – for eclectic music (pop, folk, indie, rock). |
More to explore:
The Primer
Still Rocking by David Randall
Melodic Rock by Andy Nathan
Singer Songwriter by Pete Whalley
Metal by Brian McGowan
Progressive Rock by Alan Jones
Blues/Blues Rock by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
Next session: Sunday 19 January
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
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 1 December 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 3 December 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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