Author Archives: GRTR! HQ

Album review: ROCK CANDY FUNK PARTY – Takes New York, Live At The Iridium

Posted on February 27, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Provogue [Release date 24.02.14] A few years ago a few stellar musicians got together to explore some funky vibes. This stellar cast included, latterly, none other than Joe Bonamassa and this side-project was to some extent overlooked as Joe wore … Continue reading →

Gig review: SKINDRED/SOiL – Manchester Academy, 2 February 2014

Posted on February 24, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Skindred - Manchester Academy, 2 February 2014

3 bands, 3 music styles and 1 outcome, one awesome night of entertainment. It’s the last night of the UK leg of Skindred’s ‘Kill The Power’ tour before they head off to Europe and beyond for the next few months … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 2 February 2014, gig, Manchester Academy, metal, reggae, review, rock, Skindred, Soil, Viza | Leave a comment

Gig review: THE TREATMENT/Cage Of Gods – Sugarmill, Stoke, 5 February 2014

Posted on February 24, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

The Treatment - Sugarmill, Stoke - 5 February 2014

If the quality of tonight’s bands is anything to go by then the future of Rock music is in good hands as both The Treatment and Cage The Gods are both young in age and full of the attitude and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 5 February 2014, Cage Of Gods, gig, review, rock, Stoke, Sugarmill, The Treatment | Leave a comment

Gig review: THE QUIREBOYS – Live Rooms, Chester, 6 February 2014

Posted on February 24, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

What better way to spend my birthday that at a live gig and tonight we are at The Quireboys acoustic show in The Live Rooms, Chester. A new venue that is ideally situated across from the train station and has … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 6 February 2014, Chester, gig, Live Rooms, Mark Curran, Matt Pearce, Quireboys, review, rock, Spike | Leave a comment

Album review: WITHIN TEMPTATION – Hydra

Posted on February 24, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Dramatico [Release date 03.02.14] With their last studio album The Unforgiving (2011), Dutch symphonic rockers Within Temptation looked as if they were about to step into the American mainstream and take it by storm with a set that included radio … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Dave Pirner, Howard Jones, Hydra, Killswitch Engage, Nightwish, review, rock, Soul Asylum, symphonic metal, Tarja Turunen, Within Temptation | Leave a comment

Album review: ANETTE OLZON – Shine

Posted on February 23, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Interview edit: Anette Olzon, 26 February 2014 The full interview is featured in ‘Assume The Position’ Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sunday 9 March, 22:00 GMT More information earMUSIC [Release date 31.03.14] For those who don’t pick their fruit from … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alyson Avenue, Anette Olzon, Nightwish, pop, progressive, review, rock, Shine, Sweden, Swedish, symphonic metal | 1 Comment

News: Camel’s Andy Latimer is featured in The Guitarists series on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio

Posted on February 22, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

One of the highlights of 2013 was the return to live shows for seminal progsters Camel, and not least the return of frontman and founder Andy Latimer. The band take to the road again in early March for more UK … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, NEWS | Tagged Andy Latimer, Camel, feature, February 2014, guitar, guitarist, interview, prog, progressive, radio, Snow Goose | Leave a comment

Album review: MAGNUM – Escape From The Shadow Garden

Posted on February 14, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Interview with Tony Clarkin of Magnum, first broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, 2 March 2014 (12:31) SPV [Release date 24.03.14] It is fair to say that with Magnum you will probably never get a naff album. Tony Clarkin’s … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Radio interview, The Best Of 2014 | Tagged Al Barrow, album, Bob Catley, Escape From The Shadow Garden, Harry James, interview, Magnum, Mark Stanway, review, rock, Tony Clarkin | Leave a comment

Gig review: DREAM THEATER – Manchester O2 Apollo, 13 February 2014

Posted on February 14, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

With the ‘Along For The Ride’ tour announced as a three-hour event, I couldn’t help wondering if the merch stall would be pushing Majesty symbol-branded thermos flasks, travel rugs and even smelling salts. Having witnessed Dream Theater on previous tours, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 13 february 2014, Dream Theater, gig, James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Manchester O2 Apollo, progressive metal, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: SAXON – Tivoli, Buckley, 11 February 2014

Posted on February 12, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

35 years on since their album debut and the mighty Saxon return to their roots. The “Tiv” was a regular watering hole for bands in the eighties and it seems that life has come full circle. A series of club … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 11 February 2014, Biff Byford, Buckley, gig review, heavy rock, Saxon, Stormzone, Tivoli | Leave a comment

Single & EP reviews: WAKING UGLY, CHRIS ADAMS, VANITY RIOTS

Posted on February 10, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

WAKING UGLY Say Something Sweet EP www.wakingugly.com If Kylie was going to make a ‘heavy metal’ album it would probably sound like this. Girlie vocals, some decent rock guitar, but ultimately fairly shiny ‘pop’. And that’s just what Waking Ugly, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Ambulance, Australia, Chris Adams, EP, guitar, guitarist, review, Say Something Sweet, single, Transformed, Vanity Riots, Waking Ugly | Leave a comment

DVD review: U.S. Festival 1983 Days 1-3

Posted on February 10, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Wienerworld [Release date 27.01.14] It’s weird how when you look back at this footage, just how young everyone looks, yet when you look in the mirror that same youthful young man looks back at you (well, maybe not). The U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged DVD, INXS, Judas Priest, Men At Work, Missing Persons, Quarterflash, review, Scorpions, Stevie Nicks, The Clash, Triumphy, U.S. Festivals 1983 Days 1-3, U2 | Leave a comment

Quick plays: ROBBY HECHT, DAVID BERKELEY, PETER MULVEY, DAMIEN DEMPSEY

Posted on February 10, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

ROBBY HECHT Robby Hecht (Old Man Henry Records) [Release date 24.03.14] DAVID BERKELEY The Fire In My Head (Straw Man Music) [Release date 17.03.14] I’ve brigaded these two singer songwriter’s releases together, not just because they’ll be touring the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Animal Heart, best of, Damien Dempsey, David Berkeley, It's All Good, Nina Persson, Peter Mulvey, review, Robby Hecht, Silver Ladder, singer, songwriter, The Fire In My Head | Leave a comment

Album review: WICKED FAITH – Under No Illusion

Posted on February 10, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Self-released [Release date 18.11.13] It’s always good to hear a young band giving it their all but referencing – perhaps subconsciously – some of those female-fronted bands that you grew up with. Wicked Faith formed in Norwich in late-2011 and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, female fronted, hard rock, Norwich, review, Under No Illusion, Wicked Faith | Leave a comment

Album review: BRAM STOKER – Cold Reading

Posted on February 8, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

sunn creative [Release date 27.01.14] The band, taking their name from one of the great horror stylists, might well conjure up dark and nefarious activity akin to their early contemporaries Black Widow. Forget all that. 40 years after their debut … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Bram Stoker, Camel, Cold Reading, Genesis, prog, progressive, review, rock, Tony Bronsdon | 1 Comment

Gig review: URIAH HEEP – Tivoli, Buckley, 6 February 2014

Posted on February 7, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Chatting at length to Bernie Shaw I suddenly realised that vocalists usually need to rest their voice before a gig. He agreed. But his real complaint was the woeful heating in the semi-legendary ‘Tiv’ and a lack of TLC for … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 6 February 2014, Bernie Shaw, Buckley, gig, heavy rock, Mick Box, Phil Lanzon, review, Tivoli, Uriah Heep | Leave a comment

Album review: MISSING PERSONS feat. Dale Bozzio – Missing In Action

Posted on February 5, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Cleopatra Records [Release date 04.03.14] The digipak at the top of the stack didn’t look that inviting. Could it have been Dee Snider’s half-brother on the cover? There’s an awful lot of ivory around that lady’s neck. The name Dale … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Billy Sherwood, Dale Bozzio, eighties, Missing In Action, Missing Persons, pop, review, synth | Leave a comment

Album review: STATUS QUO – Piledriver Deluxe Edition

Posted on February 3, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Universal [Release date 24.03.14] Status Quo are preparing for the second round of their ‘Frantic Four’ reincarnation and – hey – here comes an extended reissue of their 1972 album. ‘Piledriver’ is important because it continued their journey from the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Alan Lancaster, album, deluxe edition, Francis Rossi, John Coghlan, Piledriver, reissue, review, Rick Parfitt, rock, Status Quo | Leave a comment

Album review: DEREK SHERINIAN – Reissues (Inertia,Black Utopia,Mythology,Blood Of The Snake,Molecular Heinosity)

Posted on February 3, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Armoury Records (re-issues) [Release date 10.02.14] Sherinian came to wider attention with Dream Theater in 1994 and since he left that band in 1999 the volume of his session work has grown along with stints in Black Country Communion and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Allan Holdsworth, Black Utopia, Blood Of The Snake and Molecular Heinosity, Derek Sherinian, Dream Theater, Inertia, John Petrucci, John Sykes, keyboards, metal, Mythology, Planet X, progressive, reissue, rock, Simon Phillips, Slash, Steve Lukather, Tony Franklin, Virgil Donati, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde | Leave a comment

Album review: FALLING RED – Empire Of The Damned

Posted on February 1, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Outcast Records [27.01.14] www.falling-red.com When Kiss’ Gene Simmons recently described rock music as dead, what he failed to take into account was a the likes of Falling Red who are part of a new breed of bands that are making … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Empire Of The Damned, Falling Red, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: DUCKS DELUXE – Half Moon, Putney, London, 22 December 2013

Posted on January 29, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Let me make myself abundantly clear: matinee gigs are not, have never been, and never will be, one of my favourite pastimes. Especially at Christmas, after two days spent reviewing other shows (at night as per usual), with all the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 22 December 2013, Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, gig, Half Moon, London, Martin Belmont, pub rock, Putney, review, Sean Tyla | Leave a comment

Album review: DRIVING MRS SATAN – Popscotch

Posted on January 27, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

www.drivingmrssatan.com Does the world need an album of metal covers by acts like Helloween, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Slayer and Faith No More? You might not think so, but when it’s something as unique as Popscotch, by … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, Black Sabbath, Driving Mrs Satan, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, metal, Metallica, pop, Popscotch, review, rock | Leave a comment

Quick plays: AMELIA WHITE, EDDI READER, THE O’s, THE SWEET LOWDOWN

Posted on January 27, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

AMELIA WHITE Old Postard [Release date 10.03.14] East Nashville-based singer and songwriter Amelia White wasn’t encouraged by her parents to pursue her musical dream. But their disapproval lit a fire as she listened to Neil Young, Beatles, Stones, and Muddy … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged acoustic, Amelia White, Americana, Eddi Reader, folk, May, Old Postcard, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, The O's, The Sweet Lowdown, Thunderdog, Vagabond | Leave a comment

Album review: ABI MOORE – Amoeba & Stone

Posted on January 27, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Honest Records [Release date 03.02.14] The third album from independent Lincolnshire songstress Abi Moore is a rather pleasant affair. Switching effortlessly between folk and Americana it should cement the growing reputation of a singer songwriter who’s had support slots for … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Abi Moore, album, Amoeba & Stone, Lincolnshire, review, rock, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: ALICE COOPER – Reissues (Trash/Hey Stoopid)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Hear No Evil [Release date 23.09.13 and 27.01.14] Alice Cooper is not an artist whose back catalogue has seen much by way of remastering and re-issues and I’ve longed for Bob Ezrin to dig out the original recordings of Love … Continue reading →