Author Archives: GRTR! HQ

EP review: THE ANN WILSON THING – Focus

Posted on August 3, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Rounder Records [Release date 12.08.16] Essentially Heart minus Nancy Wilson, The Ann Wilson Thing is a vehicle for Ann to ‘give it large’ without her younger sibling by her side. The band’s second EP features two cover live covers – … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Ann Wilson Thing, AOR, Craig Bartock, EP, Focus, hard rock, Heart, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: CHRIS WHILE & JULIE MATTHEWS – Shoulder To Shoulder

Posted on August 3, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Fat City Records [Release date 16.09.16] The one thing you’re assured of with a Chris While and Julie Matthews release – Shoulder To Shoulder is their tenth studio album – is some of the finest folk music and female singing … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, Albion Band, album, Americana, Chris While, folk, Julie Matthews, review, Shoulder To Shoulder, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: PAVLOV’S DOG – House Broken

Posted on August 3, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Rockville Music [Release date 19.08.16] A rarely seen and heard prog phenomena. So, Pavlov’s Dog 40 years on, pedigree, mongrel or pup? Formed in St Louis, Missouri, in 1972 Pavlov’s Dog were a brief starburst in the 1970′s prog constellation, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | 1 Comment

Album review: RUN LIBERTY RUN – We Are

Posted on August 1, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

earMUSIC [Release date 22.07.16] There’s something in the ether. Having just reviewed goth/metal revivalists Sinnergod I’ve also been privy to a new German band and their debut album. The read across – albeit with less heavy guitars – is quite … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, eighties, electronica, pop, review, rock, Run Liberty Run, We Are | Leave a comment

Album review: MAVERICK – Big Red

Posted on August 1, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Metalapolis Records [Release date 26.08.16] Maverick, from Northern Ireland, have been building their fanbase since 2012 and four years later their second album may well propel them further forward. Whether or not they need the assistance of Alice Cooper guitarist … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Leave a comment

Gig review: STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL – Ebbw Vale, South Wales, 24 July 2016 (Day 2)

Posted on August 1, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

The Darkness - STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL - Ebbw Vale, South Wales, 24 July 2016

After the success of the previous day and coupled with great weather, arriving on site on the Sunday morning to damp and drizzly conditions soon brought us back down to earth with a bump. Sunday’s line up for myself was … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 24 July 2016, Brian Tichy, Doug Aldrich, Ebbw Vale, festival, gig, hard rock, Marco Mendoza, review, rock, South Wales, Steelhouse Festival, Terrorvision, The Darkness, The Dead Daisies, Toseland | Leave a comment

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

Posted on July 29, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

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 →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 23 July 2016, Blues Pills, Ebbw Vale, gig, review, South Wales, Steelhouse Festival, Tax The Heat, THE ANSWER, Thunder, Vega, Von Hertzen Brothers | Leave a comment

News: Curiouser and Curiouser – The Return of Medieval Prog Rockers Gryphon (August 2016) and Radio Interview

Posted on July 27, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

This interview was first broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sunday 31 July. Co-founder and guitarist Graeme Taylor chats about the band and selects some of his favourite tracks – both from Gryphon and from those artists who have … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, INTERVIEWS, NEWS, Radio interview | Tagged August 2016, Brian Gulland, Cropredy, Dave Oberle, folk, fusion, Graeme Taylor, Gryphon, Home Service, interview, medieval, Renaissance, rock, Tour, uk | Leave a comment

Album review: SINNERGOD – Sinnergod

Posted on July 27, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 09.09.16] www.sinnergod.com Described as “Goth Metallers” this is the Wigan/Manchester quintet’s sophomore album release. There’s a confidence at play, the more so when you realise it has been conceived and produced locally and by the band’s twin brothers … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt rock, electronica, goth, metal, pop, review, rock, Sinnergod | Leave a comment

Album review: CORNERSTONE – Reflections

Posted on July 27, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Atom Records [Release date 29.07.16] One of the most extensive PR packs that I’ve seen accompanies this release – it looks more like an upmarket property purchase pack than a band/album synopsis. Although listings for the last three years of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, AOR, Austria, Cornerstone, melodic rock, MOR, Reflections, review | Leave a comment

News: The Great British R&B Festival, Colne, Lancashire 26-29 August 2016 – win tickets!

Posted on July 26, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Willie And The Bandits - GREAT BRITISH ROCK & BLUES FESTIVAL - Skegness 22-24 January 2016

In his weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio on Sunday 24 July, David Randall previewed some of the acts appearing at this year’s Great British R&B Festival. (10:39) The 27th Great British R&B Festival takes place Bank Holiday … Continue reading →

Posted in Competitions, Festivals & Large Events, NEWS | Tagged 26-29 August 2016, Bernie Marsden, blues, blues rock, Colne, competition, Connie Lush, Dave Edmunds, Devon Allman, Great British R&B Festival, Lancashire, NINE BELOW ZERO, Rebecca Downes, Roadhouse, roots, Wilko Johnson, WILLIE & THE BANDITS | Leave a comment

Album review: TUCKY BUZZARD – The Complete Tucky Buzzard (Box set)

Posted on July 25, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Edsel [Release date 15.07.16] Tucky Buzzard. You might vaguely recall the name if not the music. You could be forgiven in thinking that they were long haired southern rockers. Truth is, they morphed out of UK psychedelic rockers The End, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, All Right On The Night, Bill Wyman, box set, Buzzard, Coming On Again, reissue, review, rock, The Complete Tucky Buzzard, Tucky Buzzard, Warm Slash | Leave a comment

Album review: GRAHAM BONNET – Reissues

Posted on July 23, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Hear No Evil Recordings/Cherry Red [Release dates March-May 2016] The Graham Bonnet “backstory” before his tenure with Rainbow is highlighted by these reissues. It was clearly evident in 1979 that Bonnet came from the pop mainstream – coming to wider … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Alcatrazz, Back Row In The Stalls, Graham Bonnet, line-up, Michael Schenker, Micky Moody, MSG, No Bad Habits, pop, Rainbow, reissue, review, rock, soul | Leave a comment

Gig review: SOS FESTIVAL, Manchester, 15-17 July 2016

Posted on July 22, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Absolva - SOS FESTIVAL, Manchester, 15-17 July 2016

With suitable tunes on the car stereo we headed over to Prestwich, Manchester for the Rocksector Records annual get-together, ‘SOS Festival’. Now in its ninth year it has a new home and has moved out of the now demolished Civic … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 15-17 July 2016, Absolva, acoustic, Attica Rage, Beyond Salvation, Bigfoot, Diggeth, Knock Out Kaine, Longfield Suite, Manchester, Massive Wagons, metal, rock, SOS Festival, The Idol Dead | Leave a comment

Gig review: Festival D’ete De Quebec, 7-17 July 2016

Posted on July 21, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

If I was to ask you if you had ever heard of Festival D’ete De Quebec I am betting the answer would be NO … me neither so when I was handed the opportunity to experience this event I jumped … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 7-17 July 2016, Duran Duran, Festival D'ete De Quebec, GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS, gig, Peter Gabriel, pop, Red Hot Chili Peppers, review, rock, Sting, The Cult | Leave a comment

News: LEVEL 42 – October 2016 UK tour and interview/feature (Sunday 24 July)

Posted on July 21, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

LEVEL 42 - The Lowry, Salford, 4 October 2016

David Randall chatted to Mark King for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio in July 2016. This hour long special traces the rise of Level 42 in the 1980s and their subsequent reformation. Part 2 of this feature showcases some of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, INTERVIEWS, NEWS, Radio interview | Leave a comment

Album review: GUNHILL – Nightheat/One Over The Eight (John Lawton)

Posted on July 21, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

In 2012 David Randall interviewed John Lawton for an hour-long special on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. In this exclusive edit he chats about the band Gunhill. (2:36) JLB Media/Gunhill [Release date 08.07.16] Gunhill is the missing link in the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, AOR, Gunhill, hard rock, John Lawton, Lucifer's Friend, melodic rock, Nightheat, One Over The Eight, reissue, review, Uriah Heep | Leave a comment

Album review: CURVED AIR – The Curved Air Rarities Series Volume 1 – Tapestry Of Propositions

Posted on July 21, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Curved Air Records [Release date 05.08.16] We live in age when every album, every gig, seems to be heavily choreographed. With albums pieced together and artists not necessarily sharing the same studio, or even continent, and gigs fixed to a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Curved Air, fusion, improvisation, jazz fusion, prog, Progressive Rock, review, rock, Sonja Kristina, Tapestry Of Propositions, The Curved Air Rarities Series Volume 1 | Leave a comment

Album review: SEVI – The Battle Never Ends

Posted on July 20, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Will Brexit mean there’s no freedom of movement of rock within the Europe? Bulgarian rock is a new one on me, but while there’s the faintest whiff of the European mainland about the vocals, you’d be hard pushed to identify … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Bulgaria, hard rock, review, Sevi, The Battle Never Ends | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVID FOSTER – Dreamless

Posted on July 20, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 27.05.16] The second solo album from Panic Room and Steve Rothery Band guitarist Dave Foster is a remarkably different beast from his excellent debut (Gravity, 2011). While the former was a showcase for his ability to deliver a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Anne-Marie Helder, David Foster, Dreamless, guitar, guitarist, Jonathan Edwards, Panic Room, prog, progressive, rock, Steve Rothery | Leave a comment

Album review: MARC BOLAN & T.REX – Born To Boogie The Concerts

Posted on July 12, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Edsel [Release date 17.06.16] Filmed at the height of T.Rextasy, and directed by Ringo Starr, the Born To Boogie film – centring around Wembley Empire Pool concert footage, a studio jam session with Ringo and Elton John, a four-song acoustic … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS, Reissues | Tagged album, Born To Boogie - The Concerts, documentary, DVD, Empire Pool, glam, live, Marc Bolan, March 1972, pop, review, Ringo Starr, rock, T.Rex, Wembley | Leave a comment

Quick plays: THE ESKIES, CIRCULINE, THE DEEP HOLLOW

Posted on July 12, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

THE ESKIES After The Sherry Went Round Parochial Dancehall Records [Release date 26.08.16] The debut from this Dublin based quintet is a rip-roaring unhinged concoction of sea soaked gypsy folk. They’re like The Coral and the Mumfords rolled into one … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged A Blue Flame, acoustic, After The Sherry Went Round, album, Americana, Circuline, Counterpoint, folk, progressive, review, rock, singer, songwrite, The Deep Hollow, The Eskies, What We've Become Is All That Now Remains | Leave a comment

Album review: LARKIN POE – Reskinned

Posted on July 12, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

RH Music [Release date 08.07.16] We rather liked Larkin Poe’s last release – Kin (2014), a move by sisters Rebecca and Megan Poe towards a more pop/mainstream orientated style, albeit laced with their blues, rock and folk/country influences. Two years … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Larkin Poe, pop, Reskinned, review, rock, roots | Leave a comment

Album review: HEART – Beautiful Broken

Posted on July 12, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

UMC [Release date 08.07.16] Heart’s sixteenth studio album is their first since Fanatic (2012) and finds the Wilson sisters serving up a mix of old, new, and borrowed material with Metallica’s James Hetfield duetting with Ann Wilson on the title … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Ann Wilson, AOR, Beautiful Broken, hard rock, Heart, melodic rock, Nancy Wilson, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: LEVEL 42 – Sirens Tour Live

Posted on July 12, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

David Randall chatted to Mark King about Level 42 for an hour special to be broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio on Sunday 24 July at 18:00 GMT. In this exclusive edit, Mark talks about setlists and a band … Continue reading →