Category Archives: GIG REVIEWS

Gig review: 10cc – Bristol Beacon, 7 March 2024

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David Randall chatted to Graham Gouldman about his career.  First broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, 12 August 2018. I worked out it’s nearly fifty years since I last saw 10cc live, and this was at the height of … Continue reading

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Gig review: GUN – 100 Club, London, 29 February 2024

GUN- 100 Club, London, 29 February 2024

Gun’s profile is set to be higher in 2024 than at any time since they reformed, with songs being used in a Samuel L Jackson movie, festival dates already announced and most importantly a new album in ‘Hombres’, their first … Continue reading

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Gig review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR- Indigo2, London, 22 February 2024

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR- Indigo2, London, 22 February 2024

2024 is a big year for Joanne Shaw Taylor with a new album ‘Heavy Soul’ on the way, and already a single release, and a UK tour including this, her biggest London headline show to date, albeit in the Indigo’s … Continue reading

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Gig review: FRASER ANDERSON/EMILY FRASER – Junction 3, Cambridge, 24 February 2024

Fraser

Continuing my February foray to Cambridge’s acoustic gig offerings, the intimate club surroundings of Junction 3 – where the popular New Routes event has its home – hosts some of the very best acoustic and electric talent in the folk … Continue reading

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Gig review: CONSTANT FOLLOWER – Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, 22 February 2024

CONSTANT FOLLOWER - Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, 22 February 2024

For those seeking refuge from a harsh world outside, there was no better place than Cambridge, its gleaming spires, ancient waterway, historic places of learning and the constant ring of bicycle bells in the town centre suddenly the epicentre of … Continue reading

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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines,18 February 2024

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One of my biggest discoveries of 2023 was Brave Rival (a belated one, I know, as this website first marked them as a band to watch in 2019). I saw them three times during the year but the one that … Continue reading

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Gig review: SWEET CRISIS- The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 17 February 2024

SWEET CRISIS- The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 17 February 2024

Cambridge based Sweet Crisis have been on the scene for quite a few years, peddling a classic rock imbued with large dollops of blues and soul. I’d only seen them before on a couple of impressive and well received support … Continue reading

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Gig review: ROBBIE MCINTOSH – The Sound Lounge, Sutton, Surrey 17 February 2024

Robbie McIntosh - Sound Lounge, Sutton

In a world of over-hyped musicians and guitarists, Robbie McIntosh is a timely reminder of the virtues of taste, tone, lyrical ability and humility. Here’s a guitarist with a musical CV that many could only dream of (Paul McCartney, The … Continue reading

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Gig review: ANDY SHARROCKS &The Incurable Romantics – 100 Club, London, 14 February 2024

Andy Sharrocks & The Incurable Romantics - 100 Club

If you invited your better half to spend St. Valentine’s night at London’s 100 Club, the chances are your relationship could soon be in trouble. Imagine my surprise then to discover a fair sprinkling of women as part of an … Continue reading

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Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, Tuesday 13 February 2024

Fairport Convention, Cropredy - 9 August 2014

“We became big fish in a very small pond” Simon Nicol says with usual modesty about Fairport Convention’s leap from the nascent folk band to suddenly becoming the poster children of the flourishing folk rock movement, brought about by a … Continue reading

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Gig review: JACK J. HUTCHINSON – 02 Academy 2, Islington, London, 8 February 2024

JACK J. HUTCHINSON- 02 Academy 2, Islington, London, 8 February 2024

Going somewhat under the radar, except for those in the know, Jack J Hutchinson has just put out his fourth album in the last few years, ‘Battles’, receiving a rave review from Jason Ritchie in the pages of GRTR! For … Continue reading

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Gig review: SOUTH OF SALEM – The Tivoli, Buckley, North Wales, 9 February 2024

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South Of Salem could be construed as “old school” in 2024. Admittedly there’s nothing cutting edge in their Goth-inspired metal delivery but – by goodness – they deliver. We’ve been exposed to a series of singles from the band in … Continue reading

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Gig review: FLORENCE BLACK – Manchester Academy 3, 3 February 2024

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As I entered the venue for the sold out show saw a diverse crowd with a nice mix of ages. The atmosphere was already rocking and they hadn’t even hit the stage yet. I managed to catch the last few … Continue reading

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Gig review: LUKE MORLEY- Islington Academy, London, 31 January 2024

LUKE MORLEY- Islington Academy, London, 31 January 2024

With Thunder off the road for the foreseeable future, Luke Morley has been able to devote more significant time to his solo work. Last year’s ‘Songs from the Blue Room’,  a mellow collection of songs sounding nothing like his main … Continue reading

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Gig review: LEAFHOUND- Camden Underworld, London, 26 January 2024

LEAFHOUND- Camden Underworld, London, 26 January 2024

Many of us would like to attend a gig by our favourite artists to mark a milestone birthday. Only a select few though have the contacts to actually put on a special concert, but Darius Drewe is one such. He’s … Continue reading

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Gig review: JANUARY BLUES FESTIVAL (Laurence Jones, Ben Poole) – The Forge, Camden, London, 23 and 24 January 2024

January Blues Festival, blues rock, Laurence Jones, Ben Poole, Guy Smeets, gig, festival

For many years now the January Blues Festival has given the traditionally quiet gig calendar a welcome boost in that most depressing of months and showcased a variety of artists old and new. The 100 Club was its traditional habitat … Continue reading

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Gig review: OCEAN COLOUR SCENE – Eventim Apollo, 16 December 2023

Ocean Colour Scheme Tour 2023

There’s always been a sense that, despite their success, Ocean Colour Scene have been one of the most under rated bands to emerge during those heady, somewhat hedonistic days of the Britpop era. Certainly, whilst the constant inclusion of one … Continue reading

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Gig review: GEDDY LEE – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow – 14th December 2023

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Tonight, we had something a bit different, Geddy Lee in conversation to promote his autobiography, ‘My Effin’ Life’, which has just been released. With Rush in hiatus following the sad passing of Neil Peart, for fans of the band this … Continue reading

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Gig review: HALESTORM – Wembley Arena, London, 9 December 2023

HALESTORM- Wembley Arena, London, 9 December 2023

Halestorm have maintained a continuous but steady upward trend in popularity on the UK. Nearly 14 years after I first saw them open up for Theory of a Deadman and Heaven’s Basement at the Electric Ballroom, came a career highlight, … Continue reading

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Gig review: FM – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, 1 December 2023

FM- The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, 1 December 2023

Yet another busy gigging year in FM’s ever hard working calendar ended in the unlikely surroundings of Tunbridge Wells, the genteel Kent town famous for its spa and the mythical disgusted letter-writing retired colonel. Its commutable from both the South … Continue reading

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Gig review: ULI JON ROTH- The Garage, London, 28 November 2023

ULI JON ROTH- The Garage, London, 28 November 2023

A regular on the gig circuit before the pandemic, this was Uli Jon Roth’s first UK tour since, and a particularly welcome return to the stage as he has recovered from major surgery earlier this year. Coming on relatively late … Continue reading

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Gig review: MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, 30 November 2023

Gig review: MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 30 November 2023

After various ‘Fest’ and ‘Temple of Rock’ incarnations, Schenker revived the original MSG monicker for a couple of recent albums and has been on a 50th anniversary tour for over two years now. It is something of a divine resurrection. … Continue reading

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Gig review: THE NEW ROSES- Downstairs at the Dome, London, 26 November 2023

THE NEW ROSES- Downstairs at the Dome, London, 26 November 2023

Despite rave reviews, German rockers The New Roses have yet to achieve the success they deserve in the UK. We can speculate about the reason for this- one being that though they defy pigeonholing, their sound is totally un-German! Hopefully … Continue reading

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Gig review: DEAD WRITERS – The Camden Assembly, Tuesday 21 November 2023

Dead Writers

Warming up a cold November night in the twilight zone between the edge of Camden and Chalk Farm, Dead Writers are lighting up the stage on the first night of a short tour opening for South Carolina guitar-slinging sensation Hannah … Continue reading

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Gig review: THE ANSWER – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 16 November 2023

THE ANSWER- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 16 November 2023

It’s been quite a year for The Answer after breaking their five year hiatus to regroup and record a new album ‘Sundowners’. At a 100 Club gig in the Spring that largely showcased the new album I was initially unimpressed, … Continue reading

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