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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – The Stables, Milton Keynes, 14 March 2026
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Gig review: A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF MOTT THE HOOPLE – Riverside Studios, London, 27 February 2026
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Author Archives: andynathan
Album review: FORTUNE – II

Frontiers [Release Date 26.04.19] Fortune’s 1985 self-titled albums is one that always featured highly in the list of obscure but brilliant melodic/AOR classics. While singer Larry (LA) Greene and keyboard player Roger Scott Craig went on to another cult AOR … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Fortune, Larry Greene, melodic rock, Mick Fortune, Richard Fortune
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Gig review: DAXX AND ROXANE/ COLLATERAL – Borderline, London, 18 May 2019

In the run up to this Borderline show came the sad news that this long-established venue is closing, leaving Central London with almost no rock venues. This reflects a wider trend of losing places that host live music, which is … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Angelo Tristan, Cedric Pfister, Colin Parkinson, Collateral, Daxx and Roxane, Drew Lowe, gig, review, Temple of One, The Borderline, Todd Winger
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Album review: BURNING RAIN – Face the Music

Release Date 22.03.19 Burning Rain have had a rather stop start career, this being their fourth release but only the second since 2001. In that time guitarist Doug Aldrich has raised his profile with stints with Dio, Whitesnake and latterly … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, blues rock, Burning Rain, Doug Aldrich, Face the music, Keith St John, melodic rock
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Gig review: MOTT THE HOOPLE 74 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 26 April 2019

A Mott the Hoople reunion, which some said would never happen, has now done so three times. A decade ago the five members of their classic early seventies line-up reformed for a series of shows at Hammersmith which were emotional … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Ariel Bender, Brian May, gig, Ian Hunter, Joe Elliott, Morgan Fisher, Mott the Hoople, Rant Band, review
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Gig review: JOE BONAMASSA – Royal Albert Hall, London, 25 April 2019

It was ten years ago to the very week that Joe Bonamassa took the biggest chance yet of a promising career and played the Royal Albert Hall. As he recounted from the stage on this evening, it proved to be … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Anton Fig, blues, blues rock, gig, Joe Bonamassa, Michael Rhodes, Reese Wynans, review, Royal Albert Hall
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Gig review: AIRRACE – London Borderline, 19 April 2019

Airrace’s stop-start career seems to have been characterised by support slots, whether with Queen back in 1984, or since they reformed a decade ago, a periodic set of shows consisting mainly of high profile support slots to the likes of … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 19 April 2019, Adam Payne, Airrace, AOR, Borderline, Dhani Mansworth, gig, Laurie Mansworth, Linda Kelsey Foster, London, melodic rock, review, Rocky Newton
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Album review: FM – The Italian Job (CD/DVD)

Frontiers [Release Date 22.02.19] FM have delivered consistently excellent live performances since the second phase of the band effectively kicked off a decade ago with guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick’s arrival. However this era of their history has gone undocumented so far, … Continue reading
Album review: FIND ME- Angels In Blue

Release Date 22.02.19 For those in the know, Find Me has been one of the best melodic rock projects in recent years. A partnership between producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Flores and Blanc Faces singer Robbie Le Blanc, a stunning performance … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Daniel Flores, Find Me, melodic rock, review, Robbie Le Blanc, Survivor
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Gig review: BURNING RAIN – Camden Underworld, London, 6 April 2019

And now for something slightly different. While many of their contemporaries seem to constantly tour, Burning Rain have a rather chequered career with a low profile in the UK. They have only released four albums over a 20 year period, … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 6 April 2019, acoustic, Burning Rain, Camden Underworld, Dead daisies, Doug Aldrich, gig, Keith St John, melodic rock, review, Whitesnake
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Gig review: THE RADIO SUN – Water Rats, London,19 March 2019

Melbourne-based melodic rockers The Radio Sun have over the past four years become regulars at the HRH AOR Festival in North Wales, winning friends both for their music and their sociable nature, entering into the spirit of the occasion. Though … Continue reading
Posted in GIG REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, gig, Jason Old, melodic rock, review, Steve Janevski, THE RADIO SUN
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Gig review: CATS IN SPACE – Highbury Garage, London, 16 March 2019

After a relatively quiet touring 2018 as they recorded their third album in a short space of time in ‘Daytrip to Narnia’, it was great to see Cats In Space, one of my favourite ‘new’ bands back and gigging, and … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Cats In Space, Daytrip to Narnia, Dean Howard, gig, Greg Hart, Jeff Brown, Paul Manzi, pop rock, review
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Gig review: TYKETTO – Islington Academy, London, 12 March 2019

25 years ago this spring, Tyketto’s sophomore album ‘Strength In Numbers’ got a belated release after they were dropped by Geffen Records in the wake of the maelstrom that was the rise of grunge. Out of this difficult birth however … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Chris Green, Danny Vaughn, Ged Rylands, gig, Greg Smith, Kane'd, melodic rock, Michael Clayton Arbeeny, review, Strength in Numbers, Tyketto
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Gig review: DAVE BICKLER/Chrome Molly – Highbury Garage, London, 11 March 2019

Sadly Survivor never made it to UK shores, the sad death of Jimi Jamison scuppering a scheduled show in 2014. However original singer Dave Bickler, who by that stage was back and sharing vocal duties, did play Rockingham Festival 18 … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, Chrome Molly, Dave Bickler, gig, Glenn Quinn, Jim Kirkpatrick, John Footitt, Nic Wastell, review, Steve Hawkins, Survivor
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Gig review: BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND – Tingley Coliseum, New Mexico, USA, 5 March 2019

Few artists embody the spirit of the American heartland quite as much as Bob Seger. While others- John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty- can lay equal claim to creating that distinctively American take on classic rock, only the Ann Arbor, … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Alto Reed, Bob Seger, Craig Frost, gig, heartland rock, Jim 'Moose' Brown, Rob McNeeley, SIlver Bullet Band, USA
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Album review: TOBY HITCHCOCK – Reckoning

Frontiers [Release Date 25.01.19] Best known as the man who brings Jim Peterik’s songs to life in Pride of Lions, this is Toby Hitchcock’s second solo album. His first way back in 2013 was written by the prolific Erik Martensson … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, melodic rock, Pride of Lions, review, Toby Hitchcock
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Gig review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, 22 February 2019

After a lull of a decade or so, Blue Oyster Cult have resumed their love affair with the UK in a big way in the past four years. Show stealing supporting appearances at Ramblin’ Man and Stone Free were sandwiched … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma, classic rock, Eric Bloom, gig, hard rock, review, Richie Castellano, Temperance Movement
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Gig review: KING KING – Koko, London, 7 February 2019

King King’s steady rise to prominence over the past decade has now taken on a new chapter with the band signed to a stateside management agency. However there are always casualties in the process of change and in this case, … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 7 February 2019, Alan Nimmo, Ash Wilson, blues rock, classic rock, gig, Jonny Dyke, King King, Koko, Lindsay Coulson, London, review, Sari Schorr
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Gig review: INGLORIOUS – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 1 February 2019

What seemed the inevitable rise to superstardom of classic rock hopefuls Inglorious has hit something of a rocky road in the last year or two. While they were touring bigger venues, initially well received ‘Inglorious 2’ album in hindsight found … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged blues rock, City Of Thieves, Dan Stevens, Danny Dela Cruz, gig, hard rock, Inglorious, Nathan James, Phil Beaver, review
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Album review: STATE OF SALAZAR- Superhero

Release Date 07.12.18 Its four years since State of Salazar released their debut album, and also became the opening band at the very first Frontiers Rock Festival in Italy (to my frustration I was stuck en route waiting for non-existent … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Kevin Hosford, Marcus Nygren, melodic rock, State of Salazar
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Album review: PALACE – Binary Music

Frontiers [Release Date 07.12.18] Alongside a fast rising reputation as contributing songwriter and guitarist to a number of melodic rock releases, Michael Palace has a career of his own. 2016’s ‘Master of the Universe’ was an impressive debut but for … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Daniel Flores, melodic rock, Michael Palace, Palace, pop rock
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Gig review: SARI SCHORR – 100 Club, London, 18 January 2019

The January blues are a concept many of us are familiar with. Days are grey and nights are cold, noses are pressed to the grindstone with Christmas festivities over, and to cap it all virtue signalling campaigns encourage us to … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Ash Wilson, blues, blues rock, Bob Fridzema, gig, London Blues Week, review, Sari Schorr, Sharrie Williams
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Album review: NORDIC UNION- Second Coming

Release Date 9.11.18 Erik Martensson has maintained a work rate in 2018 that would put the Stalinist-era miner Stakhanov to shame. His own band Eclipse had a quieter year but on top of his significant participation in the W.E.T. and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Eclipse, Erik Martensson, melodic rock, Nordic Union, Pretty Maids, Ronnie Atkins
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Album review: TEN- Illuminati

Release Date 9.11.18 Ten were standard bearers of the then underground melodic rock scene in the nineties and have recovered after a lean spell to resume a prolific recording schedule- this being their sixth album in this decade alone. Singer … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Gary Hughes, melodic rock, TEN
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Album review: ACE – Five-a-Side/Time For Another/No Strings

BGO Records [Release Date 12.10.18] In most people’s eyes, Ace are a curiosity remembered only for an admittedly classic transatlantic hit single in ‘How Long’ and for giving a first break to one of the UK’s most respected blue eyed … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Ace, album, Five-a-Side, Jon Woodhead, No Strings, Paul Carrack, reissue, review, Time For Another
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Album review: CREYE – s/t

Release Date 12.10.18 It is a sign of the march of time that former new kids on the of Scandinavian melodic rock block are now being succeeded by a third wave of impossibly young bands, and alongside the likes of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Andreas Gullstrand, AOR, Creye, melodic rock, Robin Jidhed
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