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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: PAUL McCARTNEY- 02 Arena, London, 18 December 2024
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Gig review: BLACK EYED SONS- The Lexington, London, 16 December 2024
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines, 8 December 2024
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Gig review: STRAY – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 7 December 2024
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Gig review: THE SHEEPDOGS, THE COMMONERS – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 5 December 2024
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Gig review: GUN – Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 December 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: AYREON – The Theory Of Everything
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Album review: JOE BONAMASSA – Live at The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra
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Album review: ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION – The Blues And I Should Have A Party
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Album review: SAXON – Denim And Leather, Power And The Glory, Crusader (reissues)
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Album review: GRAND SLAM – A New Dawn
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Album review: SMOKING MARTHA – In Deep
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Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Author Archives: andynathan
Gig review: REBECCA DOWNES – 100 Club, London, 19 October 2021
Just before the pandemic struck, one of the artists I was looking forward to seeing more of was Rebecca Downes, a very enjoyable support slot to Brian Downey’s Live and Dangerous at the Underworld proof that she was successfully diversifying … Continue reading
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Tagged blues, blues rock, gig, Nigel Darvill, Rebecca Downes, Steve Birkett, The 251's, The Mojo Preachers
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Album review: HEARTLAND – Into The Future
Escape Music [Release date 15.10.21] I assumed Chris Ousey had kicked the long career of Heartland on the head with their last album of new material coming back in 2007. However, after his time with Snakecharmer and also fronting Kingdom … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Chris Ousey, Heartland, Into The Future, melodic rock, Mike Slamer, review
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Book review: ERUPTION – CONVERSATIONS WITH EDDIE VAN HALEN by Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill
Hachette Publishing [Publication date 28.10.21] When Eddie Van Halen lost his prolonged struggles with cancer last autumn the rock world mourned – the number of Facebook friends who put his ‘Frankenstein’ guitar patterned design as their cover photo in memoriam … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged book, Brad Tolinski, Chris Gill, Eddie Van Halen, review, Van Halen
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Album review: ECLIPSE – Wired
Frontiers Records [Release date 08.10.21] Eclipse have been on one the hottest streaks in melodic rock of recent years- even last year’s stop-gap live album ‘Viva la Victouria’ being a reminder of quite how many anthems they have written. And … Continue reading
Gig review: ROBERT HART AND DAVE ‘BUCKET’ COLWELL – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 14 October 2021
There have been some enjoyable ‘evening with’ nights of songs and stories at the Cavern this year – including Spike, who opened his show in July bantering with Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell who was seated near him. In a neat piece … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Bad Company, Dave 'Bucket' Colwell, gig, Humble Pie, Robert Hart, the Jones Gang
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Gig review: VEGA – Camden Underworld, London, 9 October 2021
Vega are one of those bands with a lot of lost time to make up as live music resumes. Since the beginning of the pandemic one of the UK’s premier melodic rockers have recorded not one but two albums, with … Continue reading
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Tagged Billy Taylor, Dan Byrne, gig, Hazel Jade Rogers, James Martin, Joanovarc, melodic rock, Nick Workman, Pete Newdeck, Revival Black, Shelley Walker, Tom Martin, Vega
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Gig review: MUSIC FOR THE MIND- Hammersmith Club, London, 8 October 2021
As the old BT advert once said, it’s good to talk. Of mental health in particular. Despite growing awareness of its importance, not least with the struggles nearly all of us have faced in some way or other during the … Continue reading
Gig review: CATS IN SPACE – The Garage, Highbury, London, 2 October 2021
I will freely admit that Cats in Space are one of my very favourite bands to have emerged in the past few years. Their sound is unashamedly inspired by the second half of the seventies but the combination of lush … Continue reading
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Tagged Andy Stewart, Cats In Space, Damien Edwards, Dean Howard, gig, Greg Hart, Jack Stiles, Jeff Brown, melodic rock, Pete Lance, soft rock, Vambo
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Gig review: THE QUIREBOYS- Boileroom, Guildford, 1 October 2021
Quireboys gigs come in all shapes and sizes- including those rescheduled orchestral shows next year- but some of my most enjoyable have been their acoustic shows. Lead singer Spike also made the format work when I saw him on his … Continue reading
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Tagged acoustic, gig, Keith Weir, Matt Mitchell, Quireboys, Spike
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Album review: VEGA – Anarchy and Unity
Frontiers Records (Release date 17.09.21) Vega’s seventh album ‘Anarchy and Unity’ breaks their cycle of a new release every two years, coming less than 18 months after ‘Grit Your Teeth’. That not entirely successful predecessor took the UK melodic rockers … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Billy Taylor, Marcus Thurston, melodic rock, Nick Workman, Pete Newdeck, Vega
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Gig review: BLACK STONE CHERRY – Royal Albert Hall, London, 29 September 2021
Black Stone Cherry have a unique relationship with the UK. The Kentucky rockers broke big over here while still young and their home country to this day has struggled to catch up. Their popularity has continued through hard work and … Continue reading
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Tagged Ben Wells, Black Stone Cherry, Chris Robertson, gig, hard rock, John Fred Young, Kris Barras, Kris Barras Band, southern rock
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Gig review: MASON HILL- Camden Underworld, London, 24 September 2021
Mason Hill have been making up for lost time in more ways than one. The young Scots full-length album seemed to have been ages in the making not least with record company politics, and then just as they were building … Continue reading
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Tagged Empyre, gig, Hollowstar, Jack Bonson, James Bird, Joe Bonson, Mason Hill, New Wave of Classic Rock, NWOCR, Phil Haines, Scott Taylor
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Gig review: THE CINELLI BROTHERS- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 16 September 2021
One of the advantages of being an active gig goer is picking up recommendations from like minded ‘gig buddies’ of new acts to discover. One such that were being raved about prior to the pandemic were blues band The Cinelli … Continue reading
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Tagged Alessandro Cinelli, blues, blues rock, Cabbage Patch, Cinelli Brothers, Eel Pie Club, gig, Marco Cinelli, Tom Julian-Jones
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Gig review: LEAFHOUND- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 9 September 2021
The long and intriguing history of Leafhound is now entering a new chapter. Their sole 1971 album, released after the band had already split, has subsequently become a cult classic especially among the stoner rock community, with original vinyl copies … Continue reading
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Tagged classic rock, Dominic French, gig, Leafhound, Peter French, Peter Herbert, Tom Smith
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Album review: INGLORIOUS- Heroine
Frontiers Records (Release Date 10.09.21) In the seventies it was not uncommon for bands to release two albums a year but it is virtually unheard of these days. So I was surprised when I learned that a little over six … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Covers, Inglorious, melodic rock, Nathan James
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Album review: NEWMAN – Into The Monsters’ Playground
AOR Heaven (Release date 10.09.21) For a remarkable near quarter of a century Steve Newman has turned out a series of finely crafted albums. He never remotely hinted at the big time, but as compensation his name enjoys almost universal … Continue reading
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Tagged album, AOR, melodic rock, NEWMAN, Steve Newman
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Gig review: CONNOR SELBY BAND- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 26 August 2021
Essex-based Connor Selby is a name to watch in the blues world: he was awarded young artist of the year two years running in the UK blues awards, and even came to the attention of the Who’s management and opened … Continue reading
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Tagged blues, blues rock, Connor Selby, gig, guitarist, Joe Anderton, Steve Watts
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Album review: BLOOD RED SAINTS- Undisputed
Frontiers Records (Release Date 06.08.21) Blood Red Saints’ fourth album sees them come full circle, not only with a return to Frontiers Records, but to the style of their impressive debut album before exploring a more guitar dominated and modern … Continue reading
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Tagged album, AOR, Blood Red Saints, Lee Revill, melodic rock, Pete Godfrey
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Album review: NIGHT RANGER- ATBPO
Frontiers Records (Release Date 06.08.21) Night Ranger’s first album in four years, the title ‘And the Band Played On’ is a nod to the challenges of making music during the pandemic, though to reduce the album title to its less … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Brad Gillis, Erik Levy, Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy, Kerri Kelli, melodic rock, Night Ranger
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Book review: On Track…TOM PETTY (Every album, every song) by Richard James
SonicBond Publishing (Release Date 30.07.21) The posthumous Tom Petty box set was titled ‘An American Treasure’, a fitting description of a legend of rock who did things on his own terms and has perhaps only been fully appreciated since his … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged book, On Track, Richard James, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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Gig review: COLLATERAL – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 19 August 2021
Back at the start of 2020, I began what I hoped would be a big gigging year with Collateral at a packed Cavern. It was also promising to be a breakthrough year for the Kent rockers whose first full-length album … Continue reading
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Tagged Angelo Tristan, Collateral, gig, melodic rock, Rob Fenning, Todd Winger
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Gig review: NOZFEST – The 1865, Southampton, 14 August 2021
Oh, how we have missed rock festivals during the pandemic. 2020 proved to be a write-off as Coronavirus proved more stubborn than originally imagined, and with depressing predictability, as spring turned into summer most organisers gave up the unequal struggle … Continue reading
Gig review: ATOMIC ROOSTER- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 5 August 2021
For the past 20 years or so the Eel Pie Club have been keeping alive the spirit of the sixties music scene that was so influential in this part of South-West London. As that decade gave way to the seventies, … Continue reading
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Tagged Adrian Gautrey, Atomic Rooster, Eel Pie Club, gig, Pete French, Steve Bolton
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Album review: TOBY HITCHCOCK- Changes
Frontiers Records (Release Date 09.07.21) Less than a year after the latest Pride of Lions album and only two after his ‘Reckoning’ release, powerhouse singer Toby Hitchcock is back in fairly short order with his third solo album. After using … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Alessandro Del Vecchio, AOR, melodic rock, Pride of Lions, Toby Hitchcock
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Album review: MR BIG- Lean Into It (30th anniversary reissue)
EvoXS (Release Date 23.07.21) While their debut appeared a couple of years earlier, it was their sophomore effort, ‘Lean Into It’ in 1991 that marked melodic rock supergroup Mr Big’s finest hour. It is of course remembered for their worldwide … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin, Lean Into It, Mr Big, Paul Gilbert, reissue
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