BENJAMIN CROFT | FM | LOZ CAMPBELL | P.O.D. | SONIC UNIVERSE | THE COMMONERS | BILLY MORRISON
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION | HAWKWIND | LEAVE EYES | SEBASTIAN BACH | TOM KILLNER | DANA GILLESPIE
04 Wednesday 13
06 Sebastian Bach
08 Viki’s Gates of Hell
- 08. Brave Rival - 10. DeadAudioSaints
- 11. Thrxnes
- 12. Godeth
- 14. Preacher Stone
16 Benjamin Croft
18 The Commoners
20 Sonic Universe
22 Billy Morrison
26 HRH AOR X Photo Gallery
30 Dana Gillespie
32 FM
34 Tom Killner
36 Leaves Eyes
38 Black Country Communion
42 HRH Goth 2 Photo Gallery
44 Live Reviews
- 44. Judas Priest
- 47. Slash ft Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
- 50. Kris Barras Band
- 52. The Hives - 54. Ugly Kid Joe & The Virginmarys - 56. The Warning - 58. Elvana
- 60. Amarathe / Dragonforce / Infected Rain 62 Hawkwind 64 Album Reviews Hawkwind | Kerry King | Collateral | Eagles | Troy Redfern | Robert Jon and The Wreck | Benjamin Croft | The Mercury Riots | Procol Harum | Sebastian
| FM | Back Country Communion | Slash | YES | Tom Killner | Manic Eden | The Commoners
74 HRH Blues 8 Photo Gallery
76 Loz Campbell
78 P.O.D.
79 Dark Circle Interview
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So, the demand in the UK has always been there. And in the US revisiting these Murderdoll songs has definitely sparked a bit of interest for people.”
Wednesday 13 will be bringing somewhat of a special show to HRH in Great Yarmouth in November, with a full Murderdolls set. The artist’s forthcoming UK dates will see the Ghoulish frontman mark 20 years of his iconic former band with Joey Jordison.
The UK has always been a key destination for the US-based artist. “I’d say the UK has always been very receptive to anything I do in every capacity from me doing my acoustic shows, to me testing out my side project Gunfire 76 there, everything has always been cool. So, I always know that I can go there and tour and have an audience waiting,” he said. “Last tour, I think half the tour was sold out and the upcoming tour for this fall is well on its way as well. We’ve already got sellouts on that, we’ve added shows and upgraded venues.
The show will feature a full set of Murderdolls songs, with the band revisiting their celebrated 2002 debut album, ‘Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls’ and their triumphant 2010 return, ‘Women And Children Last’. But how does it feel to be performing these songs after all this time? “It’s great. I mean, just being able to share these songs again with an audience live and see people’s reactions is great because Murderdolls really came and went with both albums. It was really quick and there wasn’t a lot of touring in many areas. And if you saw us once, you maybe didn’t see us again in the same area. And it only went on for two years, even though we’re
celebrating 20 years at the band. The band was only active for two years and two albums. So, to go out and play the songs and meet people that never got the chance to see Murderdolls or hear the songs live and just to see the reaction on their face live is so overwhelming,” explains Wednesday 13.
The current tour has provided the opportunity for a new generation of fans to hear the Murderdolls’ repertoire performed live. “I’ve been able to take this all over the world and by the end of this year I will have completed that. The one thing I didn’t really expect was the younger audience coming out to see us where it’s basically the audience that was there 20 years ago have brought their k ids. And right now, their kids are super fans. So that was something I’d never expected,”
he reflects.
Joining Wednesday 13 on the road are Murderdolls alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley, who each have their own experiences from that period in their career. “Everybody’s got their memories of what it was like when it was actually happening back in 2010 on the last record. So, we get to sort of relive that. And whenever I’m talking about the band, I don’t feel so alone on stage when I’m talking about it, because a lot of these stories I tell from that era, those guys were there and know what I’m talking about. And so, it’s like, I’m not just telling the story one-sided, they’re kind of sharing that too. So, it’s been a lot of fun.”
dio doing something and I’ll go what would Joey do? Joey would redo that part? So yeah, he was a lot of fun to work with, it was easy to work with him for me. Just because we could instantly write songs together. And I would make him laugh and impress him with a fun song. A lot of those songs were songs that made us giggle because they were so snotty. And so, punk rock, and so in your face and he just liked that we could just spin off songs like that.”
He adds: “When it came to the live show and going out on stage, he was very much a drill sergeant. Like, you need to go out there and go for it, and there’s no staring at your shoes. And you felt kind of like if you didn’t go out there and do that you were going to get yelled at when he got off stage. And so, it was an experience playing with him. It wasn’t just this is just another guy in a band. I mean, it was a job. I was really lucky to get to spend the time I did with him and create what we did.”
setlist,” explains Wednesday 13. “If I were to do a round two of this going back to the same areas, it would be fun to play the songs that we didn’t play. But yeah, it was hard picking. And the very beginning several of them were picked off the fact that I was like, oh, these will be easier to sing. Because my range back then was very high. And when I first started rehearsing the songs, I don’t know why it was like almost I had to relearn how to sing a lot of this stuff. And so, I had in my mind, I gave myself I think a lot of anxiety. So, I sort of picked the easiest ones for me. But now that I’ve been doing this for over six months and fifty-some shows doing the songs again, I feel I can play any song off any of the records now and sing them perfectly.”
The band’s talisman Joey Jordison sadly passed away in 2021. But his life and musical legacy are celebrated by his former bandmates. “Being able to celebrate him with the audience every night and having the audience start Joey chants almost every night is a very cool thing. It’s a healing thing I think for us and the fans too,” he said. “ When we do that little section of the show, and we talk about him, there’s a celebration, there’s a little bit of closure, there’s something there, and you see it every night, you feel it. So that’s been cool to share that.”
But what does Wednesday 13 remember most about the legendary drummer? “I was constantly learning from him. I think I learned everything I pretty much know in the studio, and the stuff I still use to this day is what I learned by watching him and some of his habits in the studio working on stuff. Sometimes I will catch myself in the stu-
Having toured the Murderdolls set around the world, does the artist have an idea of how the UK dates might look? “What ended up being the setlist I took to the US and through all the shows in Australia were the songs that we learned back in October, and we’ve just gotten better at playing them. Not that we weren’t good in the beginning, but a lot of those songs that I picked, I think there are thirteen off the first album and seven off the second one. And there’s more than a handful of songs that I wish that we had time to play, but that’s already an hour and a half not including me talking to the audience and telling stories and all that stuff. So, it’s hard to pick a
Wednesday 13 is looking forward to what comes next. “I’m excited for the rest of this year because I’m going to play some songs that we haven’t played that haven’t been on the setlist throughout the rest of the year because the rest of 2024 is all Murderdoll songs live. And next year I’ll be back with Wednesday 13 stuff doing a new album and the shows will go back to those songs,” he concludes.
Wednesday 13 will be playing a Murderdolls set at HRH in Great Yarmouth. The festival takes place between 7th – 10th November. For further information please visit: https://hardrockhell. com/.
Singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star, and actor Sebastian Bach is getting ready to release his eagerly anticipated forthcoming album Child Within The Man on May 10th via Reigning Phoenix Music. The album marks the artist’s first new music in ten years.
Speaking about the release Sebastian said: “The whole focus is on my album in 2024. That’s all I’ve been concentrating on. And it comes out on May 10th, and it’s called Child Within The Man. And we have already put out two videos. And we’re about to shoot two more videos this next week. We put out the first video last November. And now here we are in April, and it’s still climbing the charts and radio here in America, which is mind-blowing to me. I didn’t know that was still possible, yet, but it is. I’m very happy about that.”
The message behind the album title is twofold. “Well, to me, the title is about two things. Number one, it’s the whole myth or reality, that rock and roll keeps you young and for me
being a rock and roll fan, and a rock and roll collector, there’s no doubt it has kept me like a permanent 14-year-old. Because rock and roll, just the energy of it, I don’t know what it is, but it just makes me feel like a little kid when it’s really good rock and roll. And it makes me feel like the first time I ever heard it. And there’s no other art form I can think of that does that,” explains Sebastian. “If I watch an old movie, I enjoy it. And I really appreciate it, but it doesn’t make me feel the way an old song makes me feel, it transports me right back to where I was the first time, I ever heard it. So that’s what child within the man refers to when I hear a kick-ass rock and roll song, it makes me feel like a child. And then another thing is also the artwork goes along with that theme. And then also, I didn’t even realise that Jesus is on the cover going up into heaven. And he is also a child within the man. So, a lot is going on, on that cover.”
The artwork on the cover of the album was created by Sebastian’s father, noted visual artist David Bierk. His previous paintings graced the covers of Skid Row’s Slave To The Grind, Subhuman Race and Sebastian’s Angel Down
album. The sentimental cover gives the artist continuity throughout his body of work. “Iron Maiden having Eddie on the front of all their album covers ties in all their catalogue visually. And my dad was a very prolific artist. And he died in 2002. So, to bring back artwork that he did, and he’s no longer around is very emotional for me as a father and a son,” he says. “And the cover was started in 1978. And that’s me running in the field in Canada next to that Cadillac. And then the other picture is from 1990, where he did a painting of me on stage at Giant Stadium when Skid Row opened for Bon Jovi. It was a centrefold in a magazine called Circus Magazine. And my dad couldn’t believe that I was in a centrefold of a magazine. So, he painted that. Then my song Everybody Bleeds, has this line in it, child within the man, that kept sticking in my head. And I looked at these two paintings, and one is a child, and one is a young man. And I said, just like peanut butter and chocolate; I put them together.”
Seb’s latest offering features a whole raft of guest collaborators including John 5, Steve Stevens and Orianthi to name but a few. “I collaborated with John 5, who’s now in Motley Crue. This is our third album in a row collaborating together.
And he’s one of the ultimate guitar players in the world. So, he’s always sending me riff ideas. And this song we have here called Freedom is kick-ass rock’n’roll,” said Bach. “Steve Stevens, this is our second album in a row collaborating. He has three songs on my last record, Give ‘Em Hell. So, me and Steve have been working together for a long time. And I’ve been a fan of Steve Stevens, since Billy Idol videos when I was 12 years old, and he would shoot that space gun lead guitar.”
For his latest offering, Sebastian co-wrote the song What Do I Got To Lose with Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy. But how did this collaboration come to fruition?
“The producer of the record Michael Elvis Baskette produces Alter Bridge and Myles’ solo records, Slash records and Wolfgang Van Halen records. And he really had the vision for my record. And for him to put me in the category with all these unbelievable musicians is really incredible. And Myles Kennedy paid me back in the most incredible way. I can only imagine that Myles Kennedy was a young teenager rocking out to Youth Gone Wild, 18 And Life, and Monkey Business. And for him to say to Elvis - Hey, would
Sebastian want to hear some of my ideas and work on them with me? I go, of course, I would love that. And for him to do that is the ultimate payback. There are a lot of musicians who will tell you oh, I grew up listening to Skid Row, and Sebastian that was one of my favourite bands as a kid, but they don’t write songs with me on my album. That’s taking it to another level.”
Sebastian recently appeared on the hit US TV show The Masked Singer. Speaking about the experience, Seb said: “Singing in the Masked Singer wearing that costume is like singing in bondage. It’s like singing if you’re tied up, that’s the way it feels. Because I don’t know about the other costumes, but my costume was massive. I’m six foot four. And when I put on that Tiki costume, that’s seven feet, it’s a foot taller than me. And then they put on the little palm tree leaf coming out of my head, that’s another foot.
I was like a giant. Inside the costume, there are seat belts. And you’re strapped in, and all I could move was my hands coming out of the sides of the costume like Tyrannosaurus Rex. I couldn’t move anything else other than my hands. So, it
was very claustrophobic, and you’re isolated in there the whole time. So, it was very strange at first, but I got used to it. It’s also very hot.”
With a new album under his belt, are there any plans for UK tour dates on the horizon? “I’m happy to say that we’re playing the Wacken Festival in Germany in August. And I have never played Germany without playing the UK. So, if we fly over to play Germany and then fly home, that will be the first time I’ve ever done that.
So, I am assuming that whoever booked me in Germany is going to book us in the UK, because that’s usually how it works. So, I’m assuming that will be there in August, I’m assuming, but maybe not. But I think so,” concludes Sebastian.
Child Within The Man, the new album from Sebastian Bach will be released on May 10th via Reigning Phoenix Music.
Words by Adam Kennedy Photo Credit: Jim Louvau
Who are you?
Chloe - “We are Brave Rival. A 5 piece rock band from Portsmouth. We are unique in that we feature two strong front women, a queen on the drum throne, a rip roaring shredder on lead guitar and a hairy beast on the bass. Together we make loud powerful blues infused rock music with epic harmonies and huge riffs!”
Roll Call?
Lindsey - “We have three women and two men. Chloe is our sassy soul sister with pipes like Aretha. She is the ying to my yang as I also sing and front the band alongside her. We have been singing together for 11 years now and we just love it. It feels like magic every time we sing together. Donna plays the drums with passion and precision like no other and the first person to really spark my song-writing passion.
Ed ‘The Shred’ Clarke handles lead guitar duties with ferocity and finesse. And finally, holding it all together, our Billy Dedman grooves like a bad-ass on the bass guitar filling in that bottom end.”
Hailing from?
Billy - “We’re from Portsmouth on the south coast of England. Historically a sailors town and once considered the world’s greatest naval port. We’re proud to be part of a vibrant live music scene here, having taken part in the annual Icebreaker festival and Victorious, with Chloe being born and raised in Portsmouth too. Being on the south coast doesn’t stop us getting about though, even if Aberdeen is basically the furthest we can go in this United Kingdom of ours, we will travel it! No distance is too great or small.”
Journey so far?
Donna - “The band originally started as an acoustic folk trio with myself on guitar and Chloe and Lindsey singing. After writing and playing at open mics around Portsmouth, it became obvious that the songs deserved a bigger sound, and so the Brave Rival journey began. It really boosted my confidence as a writer to give this band a proper go and to start it as a guitarist was something I never thought I’d be able to do. I love playing guitar but I had to get back behind my drum throne - it’s my happy place. Our original band line up featured Billy on bass, a keyboardist, a slide guitar player and a saxophonist all based in Portsmouth. All great players but we just hadn’t got the right recipe yet. Eventually the line up settled when Ed joined us in the summer of 2019 playing his first gig with us at Victorious Festival.”
Chloe - “The perfect line up was found and we have not looked back since. In 2020 & 2021 we navigated through the pandemic to write and record our debut album which we then toured up
and down the country when the world opened back up again. We performed numerous headline shows as well as supporting some amazing artists like Elles Bailey, Dan Patlansky, Kingfish, Cardinal Black and FM. Not to mention numerous festivals and most recently our first European Tour in March 2024. What a fun and busy time it’s been!”
Influences/sound?
Ed - “So many to draw from. We are influenced and referenced by 70s rock titans like Zeppelin, Heart and Fleetwood Mac but diving deeper, we each bring our own flavour. Chloe loves soul music channelling Aretha in her vocal style with Carole King’s song-writing flair. Lindsey draws vocal influence from Karen Carpenter and Susan Tedeschi but also worships Bon Jovi and metal. I grew up at the altar of Slash and Guns and Roses but I also love artists like John Mayer and Chris Buck of Cardinal Black. I really enjoy melodic solos that have light and shade, which these artists inspire me with. Billy is a huge Zeppelin nerd but will also be found blasting punk like Amyl and the Sniffers. Donna loves the 80s and her musical taste is very vast including Gary Moore, Heart, Bon Jovi and Sheryl Crow. These are all bands and artists that you wouldn’t necessarily put together but their DNA flows through everything we do, giving us the unique sound we have.”
Biggest gig/proudest moment to date?
Lindsey - “Our biggest headline show to date was our end of year Christmas show at the Wedgewood rooms in our hometown of Portsmouth last year. It was the culmination of a year of non-stop gigging so it felt special. It was a really proud moment for us to look out at a room full of people there to see us. We had to pinch ourselves multiple times. We built this!”
Chloe - “We also played some amazing festivals last year with Maid of Stone being a particularly amazing highlight. We took our first steps abroad with a festival in Norway which was an incredible experience. Looking out of the balcony overlooking the sea after our set was something I’ll never forget. The inner child in me felt in awe of what we had achieved. Some of the proudest moments aren’t necessarily the gigs, it can just be seeing the connection between our wonderful fans
at shows or online that we lovingly call Bravians. We now have over 100 patrons which we are really proud of because it means that all of these Bravians believe in us as much as we do. We are getting closer and closer to becoming full time and it’s down to this growing loyal fanbase that it is achievable. Huge pride right there.”
What does the future hold for you?
Billy - “WEMBLEY! Haha you gotta dream big right? In the near future however, we will be releasing our second studio album, Fight of Flight on 16th August 2024. We spent most of last year writing songs for this album and we cannot wait to take this album on the road this autumn. We are planning a big UK tour to promote it. It feels like we have an army of Bravians behind us on this album because we ran a fundraiser to make this album and we had a basic album goal and a dream album goal and our fans helped us raise enough funds to create our dream album. We recorded 15 songs (3 will be bonus songs released later down the line) and we had the chance to put strings on some songs which I’m not ashamed to admit, reduced me to tears on first listen.”
Lindsey - “Be sure to keep an eye on our website and socials for more details! We’ll also be releasing music videos and brand-new merchandise designed by the brilliant Alice Armstrong and myself. In between gigs, we’ve already started writing material for album three because we feel closer than ever as a team. We’re in full creative flow and we’re ready to give this year all we have got! I bloody love this band.”
Brave Rivals latest single ‘Five Years On’ (released May 3rd) is first track to be released from the new album; a riff-tastic country/blues rock jam about feeling on top of the world.
Celebrating the 5-year anniversary of the band, this driving rock classic encompasses their name - brave and we are ready to take on the next 5 years! The single will be accompanied by a music video filmed at the band’s biggest headline show to date, the Wedgewood Rooms last Christmas!
Who are you?
We are Deadaudiosaints.An Alternative Rock Band based in Yorkshire.
Roll Call?
Deadaudiosaints consists of brothers Danny (vocals) and Corey Jones (guitars/ bass) along with childhood friend Damon Head (drums). We also have our ‘silent member’ Luke Johnston who is hugely involved with the production and behind the scenes elements.
Hailing from?
We have all at some point lived in/ around Goole. Goole facts: The town is the UK’s furthest inland port. It had the title of the highest number of heroin related deaths per head of population in Britain. Delightful!!!
Journey so far?
Deadaudiosaints started after our previous bands had run their course. Danny and Corey were in a band that were labelled punk/‘sleaze’ and Damon and T (original guitarist) were in a metalcore band. The previous bands were kind of pigeonholed in certain genres that weren’t necessarily what we were truly passionate about and didn’t really allow us to expand outside of those styles. DJ and CJ had ‘The Purge EP’ pretty much ready to go from the inception of the band; leaning more towards the genres we enjoyed playing with an electronic edge. We went out and played shows supporting that straight away, one of the first being
for ‘Highway to Hell’ at Classic Grand in Glasgow. We covered the Lady Gaga track ‘Paparazzi’ which seemed to be the talk of the weekend. As well DJ and DH were the last 2 standing at the whole event. It was quite amusing seeing them walk back into the hotel as everyone was getting up for/ eating breakfast. One late check out please!!! We’ve been up and down the country playing shows ever since really. We’ve had some really great moments in this band, played some really good shows and we’ve got to meet and even work with some really cool and incredible people, but like with most bands we’ve had opportunities that just haven’t quite worked out, but we’ve persevered. Again, like most bands we hit a bit of a rough spot during the pandemic and with some weird stop start attempts across the pond, not really sure what was going on so for us to come out the other side with new music is amazing and we’re looking forward to getting out and playing these songs live!
Influences/sound?
In terms of influences we’ve all got common ground, bands like Placebo, NIN, Innerpartysystem, Papa Roach, Deftones, but then we all branch off from there as well. Corey’s big into Michael Jackson & Metallica, Danny’s into Placebo & Marilyn Manson and Damon’s stuck in 2002 and still in to Nu-metal bands (he has the oversized 3 striped german sports brand hoodies as proof)
Biggest gig/proudest moment to date?
It perhaps wasn’t our biggest show but a favourite would have to be when we played Nambucca, London in 2019 with Diamond Black and Esprit D’Air. We opened the show and it was such a good night with some cool bands and people. Roi Robertson was DJing the night and Rebecca Crow did her stage show. It was just a great night. It had to be the hottest stage we have ever played on. Very hot & sweaty. Proudest moment has got to be finally releasing this EP. It’s been a long time coming and there were definitely moments where we weren’t sure if the band would survive, never mind release new music. We are all really proud of this release and the personal nature of the themes make it quite immersive for people to connect with.
What does the future hold for…
We’re working on being busy, playing as many shows in support of ‘To Whom It May Concern…’. We’ve got music ready to go as well to follow this release up so we’re in a really good place at the moment. The future looks positive! This release definitely has a real feel of catharsis for us, due the nature of the journey we have been on to get to this point. It almost feels like a complete new lease of life.
Who are you?
We are THRXNES (pronounced Thrones) - a hard rock band taking influences from Nu Metal and Alternative Rock, sharing a vision to write hook filled guitar solo laden anthems.
Roll Call?
We have two ex-Inglorious members, Danny Dela Cruz and Dan Stevens. Danny - vocals and guitar
Dan Stevens - guitar
Josiah J Manning (from the Kris Barras Band) - multi-instrumentalist and producer
Will Richards - Drums
Hailing from?
Originally Danny is from the Derbyshire area but is currently based in St Albans, Dan is just down the road in south Cambridge, Josiah lives in Plymouth - where his studio Momentum Studios resides and Will, originally from Essex, now lives in Barcelona!
Journey so far?
Behind the scenes the band has been bubbling away for a couple of years
already. Dan and Josiah started the project after working on two Inglorious albums together. Danny was brought in after the tracking of our debut single Atom Bomb had been recorded. Dan and Josiah half-jokingly sent Danny a message asking if he wanted to sing on the project, to which Danny replied he’d give it a go…a few hours later and a couple ideas sent back and forth the first verse and chorus of Atom Bomb were written and the band had a frontman! Dan and Will have been friends since they attended the ACM in Guildford in 2006 where they played in a college band together and have since played in covers bands together, so Will was an obvious choice and completed the line up perfectly.
Influences/sound?
We take influence from a wide range of music, from modern bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Omens, and others undeniably going back to our roots such as Guns n’ Roses, Van Halen, Extreme, Velvet Revolver etc. Our
sound is driven by aggressive guitars and big hooks, but with modern synth and production work sprinkled over!
Proudest moment to date?
Definitely the reception we’ve had so far for Atom Bomb, it was written with no brief in mind, just where we were musically at the time. To see people enjoying it and getting behind us off the bat is seriously cool. We’ve just gone over 15,000 streams on Spotify alone in over 105 countries, from Kazakhstan to Zambia! We got on some great playlists and radio play including the BBC, in all not bad for a debut single!
What does the future hold for you?
We plan to release singles for the rest of the year, and our latest - Circles, was released at the end of April. A full album and tour dates will follow in 2025 and we have plans underway for a debut live performance for later this year.
Photo Credit: John Deed
Who are you?
We are Godeth. (Pronounced; Godeth)
An outfit of 5 individuals, with one aim. To blend groove, death and hardcore into one sound giving our listeners a little bit of everything that they could want in our sound.
Roll Call?
Vocals - Miles Case-Watson
Joining the band only a year ago, Miles has made a huge impact on the progression and tenacity of us and our fans. The delivery of his vocals are heartfelt, impactful and will leave an overwhelming sense of longing.
Dylan Walters - Rhythm Guitar
Dylan is one of the 3 founding members of the band and essentially began the journey for us with a drive to progress and improve. With a huge background in goth, metal and rock, he has assembled a sound in the band which we all resonate with, as do our fans.
Danny Campey - Drums
Another founding member of the band. With a strong education in music, Danny is a powerhouse behind the kit, establishing a huge sound with any track put in front of him. Growing up on punk and metal, he has found a ferocious attack that brings the band together.
Luke Dyde - Lead Guitar
The final founding member of the band, Luke Dyde creates the front and signature leads that come with our tracks. By way of his apparent influence from the metalcore genre, this style adds to the bands cacophony of sounds in a dark and threatening manner.
Jimmy Johnstone
Last but not least, Jimmy joined the band 2 years ago and immediately provided a bite in both the writing and recording process with his style of playing. Alongside this, he also craves making our life performances as manic and as big as possible, involving
himself with the crowd in mosh pits/ circle pits etc
Hailing from?
We all grew up in Leeds, West Yorkshire with the exception of Miles who is a southerner living in Knaresborough, we always joke with him about the fact that he’s a fake Yorkshireman, but he is one of our own! Danny and Dylan both went to the same high school growing up, which soon led to the start of the band after Danny posted a Facebook post about wanting to start a band. We met Luke from an advert on Joinmyband, and Jimmy was a fan of the band before joining. We had met him on nights out in Leeds and became friends that way. There’s a really cool photograph of him crowd surfing at one of our early gigs, which is really cool to look back at now he is a member of the band! Finally, Miles joined us as he and Danny went to the same music college so when we were after a new vocalist he auditioned and absolutely blew us away
Journey so far:
Godeth was created in 2018 and we started playing shows in 2019. We didn’t really know what we were doing back then but we were initiating the chemistry and desire that we have today. We began building some a lot of traction in our local scene, headlining shows at The Key club, and performing at the O2 Academy Leeds but was met with a brick wall in the form of COVID which put the breaks on hard for us, when COVID ended we struggled to find out feet a little bit, this lead to our old vocalist and bassist leaving the band. We then found Jimmy and Miles and since then we’ve gone from strength to strength by playing the likes of Bloodstock Open Air Festival as well as a bag full of shows across the UK, as well as recording our best material yet.
Influences
We’ve all got a variety of influences, Danny draws a lot of inspiration from punk bands. Jimmy runs with hard -
core and classic metal. Luke from Nu metal/Metalcore. Dylan with death metal and black metal. Miles by way of hardcore and slam. So we cover a lot of ground which is what makes our sound very enigmatic.
For us so far, it’s got to have been Bloodstock 2023. We were all so nervous the day of the show, having spent the weekend watching bands we idolise. As soon as we were on stage we were right at home and had the crowd eating from our hands.
To stand on a stage with that capacity, looking out to a mostly new audience, people getting involved and partying to our music it felt amazing and since then has cemented the direction and the passion of the band. It felt like 5 years of hard work is just starting to pay off.
The future:
We’ll be releasing our EP titled “The Path of Destruction” on April 26th and we look forward to touring it as wide as we can. Thanks to Slam Dunk, we will be hosting our EP release show at The Key Club in Leeds on the 11th of May. We have worked incredibly hard on this and know it’s going to be an amazing night. In addition to this we are already on our way with planning our next release so be prepared.
We are looking forward to what the rest of this year should bring and if it doesn’t, we will take it.
Who are you?
We’re Preacher Stone, playing high-octane, 200 proof, rock-n-roll guitar-driven songs about the common man with heart-wrenching smoky bar frequenting tales. We’re here to give one and all a good time listening to our records or watching us live, there is no BS about us and our accents are real so roll on up!
Roll Call?
Myself Ronnie Riddle (frontman), founding member Marty Hill (lead guitar), we’re brothers are steeped in musical heritage with Ben Robinson (guitar), Jim Bolt (bass) and Wyatt (drums). Our brother Johnny Webb (B3 & piano) sadly passed away before our new album ‘V’ was released in March, we’ve honoured him with his signature on the album cover.
Hailing from?
We’re kicking boots out of North Carolina USA in a van rolling down the highway full throttle on the way to a gig, playing to an ever growing legion of faithful fans known as “The Congregation”. They ain’t our fans, they’re our family and friends, come and join the fun!
Journey so far?
The journey has been a wild ride. My
musical career began at the very back of the children’s church choir as far away from the microphone as the choir director could place me. I was not only bad, but I was loud! I knew all the words, though and I just wanted to be a singer! Fast forward through playing VFW halls, high school dances and countless miles on the road playing “God knows where” to sharing the stage with my idols. As a band it’s been a lot of hard work for a long time that is beginning to pay off. Every experience gives us a story and we’re proud of our accomplishments and our latest release.
Influences/sound?
Our varied influences and life experiences make the Preacher Stone sound. As for me I have a ton of influences. Phil Lynott, Paul Rodgers, Ronnie Van Zant, Dan McCafferty to name a few. The other guys would say Bad Company, Nazareth, ZZ Top, Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy and a heap of others.
Biggest gig/proudest moment to date?
Hard to pick, but Jim would say the first Skynyrd “Simple Man Cruise”. He’d just joined not long before and the Congregation couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were playing with bands like Blackberry Smoke, The
Outlaws and Skynyrd, of course, on the ship it was amazing. Being welcomed as peers by some of our heroes was quite humbling. We just walked around the “Artist Only” areas like kids that snuck into the party through the back door! Having one of our songs ‘Not Today’ on two episodes of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ was also very cool.
What does the future hold for Preacher Stone?
We’ve come a long way since the band was formed in 2008. With the current line-up having been solidified eight or nine years ago when we added Wyatt, the music has grown. Having just released our new album ‘V’ 2024 is our busiest year to date. Tours and festivals here in the US and we’re coming to the UK in July for a co-headline tour which has shows with Tom Killner and Sons of Liberty, we also play the main stage at Maid of Stone festival. Ultimately, even through life’s hardships that we’ve experienced, we’ve grown tighter as a family and are going to keep writing, touring and recording until the train jumps the track!
The title of Benjamin Croft’s third solo album, We Are Here To Help, can be readily applied to the stellar cast of musicians, and technicians, who answered Croft‘s call to participate in this topgrade fusion of prog jazz. It’s a roll call of major talent that will be the envy of many. However, Croft offers up his explanations: “Well, it’s good and bad. It’s my take on the music industry. When I hear that phrase, it’s usually motivated by money and greed but it’s also about music being a healing process as well.” Recorded between March and December 2022, at four studios, the eight finished compositions encapsulate Croft’s passion for progressive music which grew from a chance mid-teenage moment: “I was about 16
or 17 and it was a Friday night when I used to try to sneak into pubs and get served and often get refused,” he smirks recalling a circumstance most have experienced. “There was one Friday night where I came back home, with my tail between my legs from not being served, and there was a TV show called Home Truths, presented by Steve Wright, and on that show was Rick Wakeman.” he beams at the memory. “This is the 90s when we didn’t hear a lot of progressive rock as it was pre-internet. I said to my mum, ‘Who is this person?’, he was really interesting as there were clips of him surrounded by the keyboards. She said, ‘He used to play in a band called Yes’ and she gave me a copy of Close To The Edge and
that was it for me. That was the eye opener that changed my life, the title track especially. Of course, that led me to other bands like ELP, King Crimson and Genesis and so forth...”
With stellar contributions by luminary musicians such as Marco Minneman, Jeff Scott Soto - “I was quite upset when I found out that Sons Of Apollo is no more” - Billy Sheehan, Mike Stern“I’d worked with Randy Brecker and Randy and Mike worked together a lot” - Simon Phillips, Dave Marks, Frank Gambale and more...it’s mind boggling as to how this Crouch End, London based musician wrangled in all of these in demand international players to contribute their
special gifts to these eight sumptuous tracks. Croft ponders for a few seconds...: “I was very much writing for the musicians that I was playing with, and I was making a lot of compromises because they were mostly jazz musicians. So, during the lockdown, I was basically listening to Rock, Metal and Prog and I decided I wanted to do that which originally influenced me. I needed to write in this style and approach the musicians that inspired me initially,” he affirms. “I basically asked for numbers, asked for contacts or tried to find emails. I find if you’ve got one player, the other player then says, ‘Oh, I really liked that player and I loved playing with that’. So, I started to pair people and then you can build the roster of musicians from there.” He adds: “Also, as a fan of the UK and Bruford albums, when it came to the mixing, the person who mixed this album, and my last two albums is Stephen W. Taylor who worked on the UK and Bruford albums. I needed someone on board that really understood where I was coming from.”
Recorded in a choice of London and Brighton
studios, one of which is the famous Church Studios in Crouch End: “It’s about 10 minutes’ walk from my house. I’ve recorded two albums there now and it houses my favourite piano. The Steinway there is just unbelievable, and I love the natural ambience of the room,” he tells me. “Plus, it’s got a huge selection of analogue keyboards.”
Analogue seems to be a particular passion of this back to the future artist as he reveals more: “I don’t use any plugins for the keyboards. Every keyboard instrument you hear, and it’s about 15 or 16, including the original mini moogs...I don’t just want it to sound like a 70’s recording as it’s a bit of both. However, I’ve played the reissues of these instruments in a set up and compared them back-to-back and the reissues still don’t have the same sonic qualities and quirky edge.”
When not ensconced in a studio with his wizardly array of vintage and modern instrumentation, Benjamin can be found gigging in various jazz set-ups and is a member of the Progressive Rock outfit The Gift who are currently recording an album. Furthermore, his love of Kate Bush’s music and voice led him to a gifted lady vocalist
Lynsey Ward, who he found on the internet, who delivers her ethereal vocals on Caught In The Flypaper and Wrestling With Plato tracks. It’s a ripe mixture of happenstance and being in the know that created this extra fine artistic vision into sound. The cover and interior artwork by Hugh Syme also have a special significance for Croft: “I’m a huge fan of Rush…”
As much an instruction manual for budding progressive jazz/fusion musicians as it is a huge reward upon repeat playing, We Are Here To Help is a Croft original worth savouring.
The Commoners are on track for another banner year with the release of their highly anticipated third album, Restless. Released by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday 5th July 2024, the band’s new album features ten tracks that grip your senses and make you groove.
Speaking from their studio space in Canada, frontman Chris Medhurst is overjoyed with how the year has been progressing so far. “2024 has been good, and in a lot of ways, it’s been a mad dash, it’s been hard work. But from that, we’ve got what I think is a really good album coming out,” he says. “We’ve got a tonne of plans for the future. It’s hard work and lots of grind, but we are starting to see the fruits of that labour.”
Perhaps you caught The Commoners on tour in the UK last year when the group shared the stage with the dynamite partnership of Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton. Reflecting on the tour, Chris said: “It was an incredible experience. It’s always daunting when you’re meeting new people, especially overseas, that you’re going to be touring with for quite some time. But their camp, and then personally, were both great to us. I remember them coming in introducing themselves and saying hi to us pretty much right out the gate and being very hospitable. And I mean, getting to play in those venues was a great experience, it felt like those were the kinds of venues that suit our live show, and the kind of music that we play really well. That was an excellent experience and a great learning experience.”
He adds: “We had done a lot of preparing to be on those bigger stages and put our set together with the time allotment that we had and took all of those things into consideration. And I think it ended up going really well. And then also just having the opportunity after our own sets to
watch Sam and Jesse play and seeing how they paced their set through that longer time and seeing where the peaks and the valleys were and how they sort of put everything together as a live show. Getting to watch that every night on tour was really a masterclass in how to curate things. I think we’re going to take a lot of that knowledge now into these headlining shows that we’ve got coming up in the UK.”
With their new album Restless in the bag, the group can’t wait to get the record out to their fans. “We are honestly really positive and excited about it. We wrote the album in about two weeks shortly after our first tour in the UK with Troy Redfern. We had to sort of take a break during the recording process to then do that second tour with Sam and Jesse Dayton. And when we got back, we really got to have toured some of those songs at that point, played them in a live setting, lived with them, and then carried on with that recording process. So, it really felt like a natural progression as a band. And I think it fills a lot of the spaces where there may be songs that do things that we haven’t done as a band,” explains Chris. “We really listened to our previous album, and the sets that we had been playing previously, with the songs off that record, and tried to figure out where the holes were in our live performances.” He adds: “Going forward into this record, we really went in with the intention to fill in a lot of those gaps. And I think the results made it a unique record, while still being very much a Commoners sound, but not being repetitive. We still got to progress as a band and explore new ideas, while maintaining the integrity, we are musically.”
So far, the band have released several tracks from their latest offering, each of which has garnered a strong response from radio here in the UK.
“Both with Devil Teasin’ Me and our new singles that we’ve put out, we’ve gotten a great reception from Planet Rock fans over in the UK, and with different publications. So, it’s been exciting to see the amount of love that we have received. And we haven’t even released the record yet. I think based on that, there’s going to be a lot of
songs on this record that people are going to be really into. And it’s going to really resonate with them. So, I’m looking forward to that, because it’s one of, if not, the best part about making music is getting to see how it impacts other people. And it still blows my mind that there are people across the ocean who are into what we’re doing and listening to the things that I write down. So it’s really cool.”
With such a strong response to the band’s new music, The Commoners are going to have to make some difficult decisions regarding their setlist on their forthcoming UK run. “We’ve actually just started that process of getting everything ready for some of the upcoming shows we have in May. And we’re going to be working out our set through those shows and then the shows that we have in June, and we should really solidify the concept of what we want to do in a live setting by the time we get to the UK,” explains Chris. “It’s going to be fun playing a whole lot of songs that we haven’t gotten to tour yet.” He adds: “There’s going to be a lot of emphasis put on making the live show a really unique and memorable experience for people.” With their new album set for release in July, the band have got their sights set on what comes next. “We’ve got a lot of stuff lined up that’s not 100% yet. We’ve got a lot of fun stuff coming up like Planet Rockstock. And we definitely are going to have some big plans for the Fall. They’re not solidified yet, so I can’t really give too much information. But hopefully, there will be some big things for the Fall. We’ve got plans for the Spring and the Summer now. And we’re just going to keep on keeping on, making music, playing, and having a good time,” concludes Chris.
The Commoners new album “Restless” is released on July 5th by Gypsy Soul Records via www. thecommoners.ca. The band tour the UK from July 19th until July 28th including festival performances at Maid Of Stone and Steelhouse.
Words by Adam KennedyLiving Colour’s Corey Glover continues to push his own artistic and creative boundaries with his new project Sonic Universe. The band featuring Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob), Booker King and Taykwuan Jackson are an exciting new quartet. Sonic Universe will release their debut album “It Is What It Is” on the 10th of May via earMUSIC.
We caught up with Corey Glover via Zoom whilst on Living Colour’s US run. Recent times have seen the funk/rock legends spending a lot of time on the road. Reflecting on last year, Glover said: “2023 was actually pretty good. Living Colour was working a lot. We’ve been out recently with Extreme. We did part of North America with them, and then we went to England with them. And then we’re doing more of North America. Now we’re in Oklahoma City on a tour of our own that is not connected with Extreme. But next week, we go back out with them for another week and a half, and then we go home. And
we’ve been out with them at this point, almost two months.”
Being on the road with Extreme is something that the Living Colour frontman has enjoyed. “Those guys are really good to us. And we’ve been having a really good time. Not for nothing. Nuno Bettencourt is a really, really good guitar player, but so is Vernon Reid. And I cannot stress enough that I think it’s our time. I think people are recognizing what we do. And Vernon’s particular style of playing and Living Colour’s whole k ind of ethos and how we play,” explains Corey.
With Living Colour firing on all cylinders, Corey has managed to squeeze some time into his schedule to get things moving with his new project Sonic Universe. The band came to fruition when the frontman met with his new bandmate Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob). “I’d say about four years ago, I was on one of those rock cruises, Shiprocked as what they call a stowaway, which is basically an artist at large. And I saw Mike Orlando doing something and I was blown away by his playing. I’ve worked with a bunch of guitar players. And I was very impressed by his
guitar playing. I had to say that this was the most outstanding thing I’d seen in a very long time. And it was like, we struck up a friendship and he was like, we need to work on something and see if we can get something going. And I went to his house, and he had grooves, and we would write to these grooves. And basically, it turned into what you hear now I Am.”
Perhaps Sonic Universe has given Corey a platform to write music which doesn’t necessarily fit into the Living Colour mould. “I brought to this particular project the quarter of what I bring to Living Colour, and now it’s a half of what Sonic Universe is. I think this is a lot funkier than Mike is maybe used to with Adrenaline Mob, but he still brings his whole thing to it. I think it has a little bit more of a soulful edge to it than what he’s used to. And, quite frankly, for me, it was a lot more personal. So, my personal musing as opposed to social musing, which is what I think Living Colour is more about,” confirms Corey. The band’s debut album has somewhat of a thought-provoking title – It Is What It Is. Perhaps a phrase we find ourselves saying more and more often in daily life. Reflecting on the title
Corey said: “You know that there’s so much information that you can get at any given point. Some of it is revelatory, and some of it is sort of mundane and has no bearing on anything. And it doesn’t stop you from paying your rent, it doesn’t stop you from going out grocery shopping, it doesn’t stop you from doing whatever you want to do. It is what it is. These things exist, these things are out here. These things exist in their own way. Okay, it is what it is. And for us, I think the statement of yeah, there’s a lot of things going on, but we’re here too, that is what it is. It’s sort of like where we’re at.”
Sonic Universe’s debut record It Is What It Is came together over a few years. “Most of this record was done in 2021, 2022 and 2023. We finished up the last of it, this time last year, and we were just putting the finishing touches on it. So, the fact that we got a deal and everything sort of came about as we are finishing up what this is was really astounding. Because I’ve been in a bunch of projects, that languish in some kind of hellscape where the songs are finished, the songs are mastered, the songs are ready to go. But thank God for our manager, Larry - he heard
it, and he was on board from the very beginning and made sure that it got heard. And we want to thank him for that,” explains Corey.
With such a busy touring schedule with Living Colour are there any plans to take Sonic Universe out on the road? “We’ll probably try to do some shows and see what that looks like. And then go from there. But Living Colour has not really done this kind of touring in about 20 years. And we are in the midst of trying to make another record as well. I’m trying to prioritise what’s necessary for both at this point,” said Corey.
Speaking about the new Living Colour album Corey said: “It’s a work in progress, and we’re working on songs at this point. We’re going to go back in the studio next month for a couple of days and see how that goes. We’re also working on a documentary about the band. I think it’s safe to say it’s becoming our time again to be great.”
Billboard Magazine recently listed Corey Glover in their Top Greatest Rock Singers of All Time 2023 list. And deservedly so. Speaking about
the acknowledgement Corey said: “I was very flattered by it. I was flattered and taken aback that it actually existed. That there was somebody actually listening. I felt like people were not really listening to my particular contribution as a singer, as a frontman, and to have that acknowledged is really, really cool. I thank those who thought of me,” he said.
Living Colour will be back in the UK this summer, with an itinerary that features festival dates like Maid of Stone amongst others. “We are going back to Europe in June and July. The rest of the year is not particularly planned out. I know we’re going to spend some time working on this new album. The process is always slow with us. We take our time making records - five years or six years between records is all you can count on with us. But we have to buckle down and really get to some songwriting done for sure.”
It Is What It Is, the new album from Sonic Universe will be released by earMUSIC on the 10th of May.
Guitar legend Billy Morrison talks about his new album ‘The Morrison Project’ and his career in music to date.
Perhaps best known for being the guitar player in Billy Idol’s band, there is a lot more to Billy Morrison than you might expect. From starting out in early punk bands to making a game changing move from the streets of Kings Cross to the sunshine of Los Angeles and joining up with The Cult, Morrison’s career has been lengthy, diverse and above all an emotional and spiritual journey. A period of heroin addiction stunted the early years of his promising musicianship, before a near death experience switched the lightbulb on and he realised it was time to get clean and get out. Now 28 years clean and sober, Billy reflects philosophically on that time of his life.
‘I was homeless, shooting heroin into my neck, I’d been shot, stabbed and done time in prison. If you’d seen me back then you’d have crossed the street and called the police. I’m here now to tell my story to the people that are going to ask – how did that guy go from being in a state like that to driving around Beverley Hills wearing jewellery? I think we’re all here to better ourselves and help other people. I’m an open book, and I think it’s my responsibility, above and beyond music and art, to tell people that anyone can better their lives.
‘I signed a record deal with Geffen, threw caution to the wind and came out here (LA) to make the record, and I fell in love. I realised that even if the music didn’t work out, I’d still be happier working in the local 7-11 than I would being back in Brixton. But, as luck would have it, I got the call from Billy Duffy asking me to audition for The Cult on bass. I’m not a bass player but Billy convinced me I could do it, and the next thing I’m a serious musician, playing stadiums and earning a wage from it. I was only in that band for just over two years. I’ve been Billy Idol’s guitar player for fifteen years, that’s my career. Yet every headline I read about me says ‘Billy Morrison, ex bass player for The Cult!’
It’s very clear that Morrison adores his role in Billy Idol’s band, he talks about it in such a way that he can still hardly believe it himself. As an original Generation X fan, it would have been the stuff of dreams for him. ‘I used to skip school and go to see bands like the Sex Pistols, and Adam and the Ants, and Generation X were my absolute favourite punk band at that time. I’m the only member of Billy Idol’s band that actually saw Generation X play live and know what it was all about. So to join forces with Billy, and Steve Stevens, and have a fifteen year career with them so far is just mind boggling! Talk to the twelve year old me, standing in the Lyceum watching Generation X play Valley Of The Dolls, and tell him, one day you’re going to be in that band. You can’t make that up!’
‘I’ll never forget that I came from punk rock, and I was a fan of Billy Idol, and I’ll always remain grateful and in touch with the wildness of what I’m doing now. I think that’s the key thing.’
One of the more interesting projects Billy has, and still is, heavily involved with is the notorious ‘supergroup’ Camp Freddy. Camp Freddy still exist, now under the new name of ‘Royal Machines’. They are essentially a covers band, and Billy describes it as the antithesis of every band member’s day job. ‘We’re all in bands where it’s all about how many records you’re selling, markets, units, finance. Royal Machines is purely for fun. We play at underground, corporate gig and we invite all our bigshot friends to get up and sing with us. I don’t think it would be egotistical to say we’re the world’s biggest covers band you’ve never heard of!’ With the line-up currently including Billy, Dave Navarro, Josh Freese, Mark McGrath and Chris Chaney most of us would be inclined to agree. Originally featuring Matt Sorum on drums, Camp Freddy / Royal Machines have been going for almost 25 years. ‘We were all in danger of losing sight of what we love about playing music until we got together’ Billy explains, ‘That doesn’t happen when you’re onstage with Steven Tyler playing ‘Sweet Emotion’ with Dave Navarro and Fred Durst!’
Billy’s love of collaborating with other musicians is evident on ‘The Morrison Project’ where he shares writing and music detail with rock icons such as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, DMC, Al Jourgensen, Steve Vai, Steve Stevens, Linda Perry, Tommy Clufetos and John5. ‘I truly believe that making music without any preconceptions or goals yields the most creative and enjoyable results,’ Billy confirms. ‘That is exactly how this record came to life. Making music with Erik (Eldenius) and Jeordie (White) during Covid, and mixing different musical styles started my journey towards this collection of songs that ended up featuring a lot of my friends. The record is disparate in its genres, but I believe it’s also cohesive. If you know me, I am a huge fan of punk. I’m a huge hip hop fan. Ozzy’s my best mate, I’m in Billy Idol’s band and I love David Bowie. If you put all that together, you’re going to get the piano ballad, the metal song, the hip hop song, and because I didn’t care at the time - I didn’t have a record label, I wasn’t making an album, I was just having fun and getting through the lockdown in my home studio. I did it purely for the love of it.’
‘I think the lesson that everyone can learn from that is to write from your heart. Don’t write for anyone else. Write from your heart. Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to fit. If it’s from your heart, people will gravitate to it.’
Words by Victoria Llewelyn Photo Credit: Jane Stuart
THURSDAY
Legendary singer-songwriter Dana Gillespie has a storied career spanning over six decades and a discography of more than seventy albums to her name.
During the sixties Dana with friends and musical companions with many of the era’s most iconic characters including the likes of David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Jimmy Page, to name but a few. With her new album, the esteemed artist has recorded a collection of cover songs that highlight the names with which she has been associated throughout her career.
Following last year’s appearance at the prestigious SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas alongside the industr y’s current crop of buzz bands, and peers like The Zombies, Dana is getting ready to release her new album in May. “It’s actually been a very good and interesting year,” said Dana. “This new album, although I co-wrote the title track First Love, Last Love. I mean, it’s not the title, the title of the album First Love. Everything else is, I suppose one could call it cover songs.”
The artist’s work ethic has been prolific throughout her career. “I always do gigs. I’m 75 now and I’ve been working since I was 15 professionally. So, this is now my 60th year in the music business. And this is my 74th album. Most people can’t believe I’ve made so many albums, but they don’t know where some of them are,” explains Dana. “For example, when I ran the Mustique Blues Festival. It’s been running for 30 years, but for the first 20 years when I founded it with another guy, I made albums of every year which were sold as a charity thing. And I made 10 albums in Sanskrit, it’s a type of music called Bhajans. And because, since the 60s, all of us musicians in the 60s, like Jimmy Page and everything, we used to go and listen to Indian gigs. Getting a stick of incense was almost a red-letter day because you couldn’t find it in those days. So, my life has been recording since 1973 when Weren’t Born A Man the album came out - which is also the title of my memoirs.”
Dana is keen to correct a misconception about the aforementioned album release. “Most people assume that Bowie and Mick Ronson produced it, but they are wrong. I produced it with a guy called Robin Cable, although Bowie was very involved in the Andy Warhol track because he wrote it for me. And if you listen carefully, you can hear him singing as my backing singer, which is why I reciprocated to sing on the Ziggy Stardust album. So, I’ve always produced myself and written most of my material, and especially if it’s blues stuff, because, I’m now known as a blues singer,” she says. “After the Bowie breakup with our manager, the company was called Main Man, I knew that I couldn’t spend the rest of my life looking glamorous with necklines plunging to here, and high heels up to here and skirts
around the neck. So that’s why I went to Blues. So that’s what I’d always did.”
The artist’s new album was catalysed by a couple of Dana’s esteemed friends. “Marc Almond and Tris Penna are old mates of mine. And they said last year, why don’t we produce an album for you and let us choose the songs? Well, I’ve got to ok the songs, but they choose the songs. And I thought, well, these are two old hands in the business. I mean, they know the business, I could say as well as me, but I’ve been around for longer so probably I could say I know it even better,” said Dana. “So, I said, yeah, okay. We rehearsed in this place called the Temple of Art and Music, where I play quite often in London. And my musicians are actually part of my group called the London Blues Band. But not a blues note is actually on this album.”
The album may not feature blues songs per se, but the title of one of the tracks implies that beloved style of music. “Marc Almond wrote one song for it called Brewer Street Blues, but it’s not technically a blues. It’s blues not as a style of music but blues as an emotion. Because both of us are sad at the way that Soho is now modernised, and everything is being ripped down. And all the old days where I spent in the 60s sitting with Bowie in the famous Cafe Gioconda, which doesn’t exist anymore, waiting for people who wanted singers or bass players or anything. This was in 1963. He was still Jones then,” said Dana. “When I was young in 63, the red-light district was happening. Guys in the doorways were trying to reel you in. But it was a fun place. And what’s more, it was a safe place. There were no stabbings. Nobody cared that I was so young because, in those days, nobody had passports.”
Collectively they got to work on a list of songs for the album. “We sat down – Marc, Tris, and I to discuss what songs we should do. So, for example, Boulevard of Broken Dreams is one I suggested, because I didn’t realise that Green Day was so famous in England, but it turns out they were. But we’ve taken the song and I like to make music a little bit different. There’s no point in copying something because that’s just boring,” explains Dana. “The second song is Spent The Day In Bed, which of course is the single. And the moment I heard these lyrics - I thought, this is me. Because first of all, when I was younger, I did used to spend quite a few days in bed. When I’m 75, I’m just happy to get up and out swimming every morning and have done for 40 years. That’s my routine. And the fact that the chorus is stop watching the news. Well, the news is so awful. I mean, why should anyone want to put on the news? It’s been appalling for three or four years; before the Covid madness it was ok. But now it’s just gone to wars and sickness, it’s just horrible. So, I like Morrissey’s song. And Tris is a good friend of Morrissey. So, he said yeah, I think Mor-
rissey would like this. And Morrissey has actually said he finds this version better than his - thank you, Morrissey. And he designed the single cover because he likes to do things like that.”
The album also allowed Dana to do something which she doesn’t do too often. “Marc and I sing a duet on a Leonard Cohen song that Mark chose - Dance Me to The End of Love, which is nice to do a duet with him. I’ve not done enough duets in my life. I’d like to do more because they’re kind of fun.” She adds: “The whole album was basically based on men or people I have known in my life.”
On the album, Dana delivers a wonderful rendition of Bob Dylan’s Not Dark Yet. “The Dylan song was chosen because of course I had toured with him, and I did meet him in 1965,” she says. “So, I thought it was nice to put a Dylan song in and I’ve always liked It’s Not Dark Yet, but it’s getting there.” She adds: “I do a Bowie song called Can You Hear Me? It’s from the original demo that he did. It’s very simple because he did it in a much fancier version on his Young Americans album. And so, every song has a reason why it’s there.”
Dana’s storied career and the tales of her life in the music industry have been captured in her memoir Weren’t Born A Man. “It came out during the pandemic and bookshops weren’t open. I mean, nobody knew how long this lockdown was going to be. So, the publishers thought, we’ll just put it out. And people might like to read, or in my case, I read the thing for Audible, so they get to hear me reading it. And I’ve got loads of stories,” she says. “I deposited 500 pages on the poor publisher, and he said that people are going to lose the will to live. So, he cut out 150 pages. I’ll have to do Volume Two,” concludes Dana.
Following their recent headline appearance at HRH AOR and a run of dates in South America, melodic rock legends FM are back with a brandnew album namely Old Habits Die Hard.
The group are presently celebrating their milestone 40th anniversary. Few bands these days reach ten years let alone forty. “It’s fantastic. I mean, we did have a bit of time off. We took a break for a fair time back in the mid-90s and got back together again. We’ve done about, I think, eight albums since then. But it’s a fantastic achievement,” explains Steve. “Although we have the legacy of the 40 years, people know our stuff. And we’ve had a great following all those years.” In recent times, the band have set their sights on faraway territories such as South America and Australia are also on their agenda. “This is our first time in South America, but apparently, we sell records out there and do well, but we just never knew. The same with Australia. We’re talking about going over there.
We’ve got six shows there this year. And it’s just great,” explains Steve.
The band can’t wait to get their new album out to their fans. “We are very excited. We took a bit longer over it because we had a few setbacks last year. But now that it’s done, I’m really happy with it and the response to it,” he says. “When you are working on an album, you are so close to it, you write it, you record it, you do everything, but it’s not until you put it out there to people like yourself and the media people and stuff like that, to get the feedback. And it’s been amazing. So, I’m really excited about getting out there and playing some of the songs from it. And starting the long process of taking it out on the road and promoting it.”
future. We still love doing it as much as we always did. So, the title is linked with the fact we’ve been together for 40 years,” confirms Steve.
With their latest offering, perhaps you could say that FM have gone back to their roots. “It was an album where we kind of thought, right, we need to not go back, because we never do, but just maybe look at what FM have created, I guess over the years. Each album we do can be slightly different. We’ve done bluesy rock albums, we’ve done albums that are more commercial, but this particular album deliberately has elements of everything that FM have been over the 40 years,
We do seem to do well out there. But we find out after all these years. I mean, it took us a while to find out that we had Top 20 albums in Spain, and then we went over there, and all the gigs were sold out. So, we do a run in Spain every year now.
With the band celebrating their milestone anniversary, the title of their latest offering seems per tinent. “Well, we had done 40 years. We were trying to come up with a saying or something that was very apt. And there was a line in one of the songs on the new album that says Old Habits Die Hard. And because we’re still here after all this time I think the title is very much keyed into the fact that it’s the 40th anniversary of FM, and we don’t intend for this habit to die in the near
which is why we’re really pleased with it. I think it’s going to appeal across the board with the fans because they’ll be able to reach back and find something that maybe got them into the band to begin with. So, it’s kind of reflective, it’s not going back, but it definitely now has all the elements of what FM are really,” explains Steve. The band’s recent single Out of the Blue showcases the quality of the material on the group’s forthcoming album. “During lockdown, Jem our keyboard player bought this house in the country with a fantastic studio and the grounds. So, he started writing, and he has never written a song in all the years we’ve been together, and
he wrote some fantastic songs,” explains Steve. “And so, for this album, we sort of said, look Jem, just keep throwing the songs into the mix. And he came up with the idea for Out of the Blue on holiday in Lanzarote. It’s a really cool song with a great feel and a kind of Toto-esque groove to it, but he’s really coming into his own with his writing.”
FM will shortly be taking to the road across the UK in support of their new album. “We’re going to do something special with this tour. Because, it’s the 40th anniversary, we’re going to completely rehash the whole set, and play some of the real old classic songs,” explains Steve. “I’m not going to completely rejig it, we will bring the new stuff in. Those old songs are always there. People give us a load of stick and hammer us about not playing certain songs and we can bring any of them back at any time. So, we’re just going to try and jiggle everything around a bit and make it a totally new set. There will be some surprises for people with songs we’ve never played live. And some we haven’t played for a lot of years and also a fair whack of the new album.”
the videos for the singles next week. It tends to take all the time, but we never know. I do lots of other projects as well producing and stuff like that. But when you’ve got a year like this, it’s really tough to put your other things in, because you really don’t have any blocks of time where you can go off and work on other things,” said Steve. “So, it’s going to be an FM year this year. I think I’m going to have to try and fit everything else in around the touring schedule. And as you say, it’s fairly intense. But it’s going to be a great year for us, as I say, after last year, which was a bit of a downer year for the band as far as bad luck really, with circumstances. Now I’m in a position where we’re raring to go in 2024.”
FM celebrate their 40th Anniversary (1984 –2024) with their 14th album “Old Habits Die Hard” released by Frontiers Records on Friday, May 3, 2024. The album is available to pre-order from www.fmofficial.com. FM tour the UK from March 30 until Jun 1. Tickets available from www. thegigcartel.com
2024 will be a year of touring for FM. “It’s a fairly packed year of touring. We are going to shoot
here at HRH Mag.
You have just played your show to launch the new album Borrowed Time and you are about to start a run of shows and festival dates across the UK, do you enjoy life on the road? Yeah! Absolutely, I love being out on the road. It’s where you can have the best times with band mates and get to meet new people while you’re out there. Don’t get me wrong sometimes there can be some stressful bits but for the majority it’s a blast.
As a boy growing up in Yorkshire, were you always surrounded by music and the arts?
Pretty much from when I can remember I’ve been surrounded by music. My dad’s always played and had guitars around the house so guitars have been ingrained in me for a long time. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my mum going to raid the charity shops for 7” singles and records, so much fun!
What drove you to becoming a musician and songwriter and, which came first?
I’ve always loved playing guitar and it was more or less instantly I knew being a musician was what I wanted to do. Songwriting also came very early on, I would write songs albeit pretty bad to start with from more or less when I learnt my first few chords, I guess that it would be a pretty equal quantity of being a musician/songwriter and I’ve spent a lot of time developing both. I’ve always had a big interest in songcraft and writing and hopefully people get something out of the songs I write and that are on my new album ‘Borrowed Time’ as a lot of work went into it.
Your sound is firmly rooted in americana, country and blues, as is your aesthetic. You live and breathe it, who was, or is, your muse, that gave you the love of the sound?
My first hero was Rory Gallagher and he firmly
But there’s a massive list of influences from; J.J. Cale, The Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, Waylon Jennings, Warren Haynes, Delaney and Bonnie, Tedeschi Trucks Band. These are just some of the artists I love and pull influence from. The love of the sound is that its real people singing and playing real instruments and it’s just magical how they can move you even just with one note.
Borrowed Time, is the perfect soundtrack to summer days and warm nights, plenty of guitar, harmonica and Hammond organ, if I’m not mistaken. Tell the HRH Mag readers about the album?
Well It’s been a long time coming! The first versions were recorded about 4 years ago but I sat on them for a bit and decided that they needed re-recording and I’m pleased that we did because I’m so proud of the result and of the re-imagining of some of the tracks. For the first time I’m playing different instruments on a record along with new sounds that I’ve not had before. It’s my best work to date, it captures everything I am as a writer. It’s got good time rock n’ roll, storytelling, songs about real life and with all that I think it really takes the listener on a sonic trip. There’s a real mix and curveballs on there that keeps things interesting.
What is your songwriting process, when are you at your most prolific?
That really depends as sometimes I can come up with lyrics really easily, sometimes there’s some real dry spots and generally I write songs in pairs as one tends to come along with another when it seems to flow quite quickly. Ideas can just happen in the middle of the night, I always have a pen and paper knocking about to jot ideas down. But, sometimes lyrics can come at totally inconvenient times like in the shower or at the supermarket where you tend not to have anything to get ideas down.
previous releases? What have you changed, or gained since your first release?
For a start there’s new people on the record, a different style of production and instrumentation. We recorded and produced ourselves, then went to Wayne Proctor at his House of Tone studio to record vocals and some other bits and pieces and he added some production elements too, it was great working with him. There’s more of a development in my abilities as a player and songwriter. I think it’s just the natural continuation from where I’ve come from to where I’m heading as it ’s a case of constantly evolving the sounds and improving along the way.
If you could write and create, or perform, with anyone, past or present, who would this be and can you explain why?
I would love to write with Jason Isbell, he’s one of my favourite writers out there. His songs are just real and done in a way that just connects to me, I absolutely love this artist.
Borrowed Time has a message that is very much about life, finding yourself, living for the moment, there’s a few lessons in there. If you could go back in time and give 18 year old Tom some advice about what is to come, what would you tell him?
Read the contract properly and don’t jump in. A record deal maybe not all what it pertains or turns out to be. Be prepared to sacrifice some everyday things that a ‘proper job’ lets you do and be prepared to work your ass off to make little steps forward. And most of all just keep doing what you believe in even if sometimes it feels hopeless, just keep going!
Thank You Tom!
Words by Viki RidleySymphonic metal outfit Leaves Eyes recently unleashed their new studio album Myths Of Fate via AFM Records.
With Myths Of Fate, the group set sails for new winds that blow from the harsh shallows of the symphonic metal genre. The fantastic world of legends from Norse and Eastern European mythology is the setting for monumental entertainment as the group unleashes a world of magical places, spellbound weapons, or supernatural creatures.
more symphonic maybe. But there’s also variety. There are some more rocky songs, I would say. And then, of course, I wrote a song for the album - In Eternity. And I love how it turned out with the band arrangement and everything. So yeah, it’s just really exciting.”
The group’s latest release marks their ninth studio album and their 20th year of existence.
the weavers of fate – past, present, and future. It goes all over, from mythical creatures to objects, people, and goddesses. It’s a mix of fate and it covers all kinds of interesting topics. So, it’s not a concept album. But it is a good representation of what’s in the album.”
Speaking about their latest offering vocalist Elina Siirala said: “I feel like this is the best album vocally for me. I’m really satisfied with the result and so far, all the feedback to our singles has been great. And I think people can also hear there’s a difference with my vocal and also with the music.” She adds: “With the topics of this album, we wanted to go a little bit more into this mystical magical side of the lyrical context. So, it’s not so much about these battles and historical things now. And then we had Jonah making these orchestrations for us. Making the sound is very cinematic I would say, it’s a little bit
Speaking about their musical milestones, Elina said: “I joined the band in 2016. So, it’s been almost eight years now for me as well. And when I’m looking at the band and its history, it’s very admirable I would say. All the achievements that have been made and all the albums, the great music, all the tours. And the part that I have been in, I can only be grateful for it. I mean, I’ve got to tour the world making lots of new music, and meeting so many people. And of course, this album is now the right way to celebrate this milestone for the band and also going back on the road finally and playing live again.”
The artwork on the band’s new album illustrates perfectly the title Myths of Fate. “If you look at the album cover, it has these three Norns that are
Elina wrote the song In Eternity for the band’s new album. “It’s a special song that goes back to 2022. It was January, and I came back from Alex’s mom’s funeral, unfortunately. So, it wasn’t a very happy occasion. Often when I write music, it comes out of something strong happening in my life. And yeah, this was no exception. And I sat on the piano, and I was really thinking of various things. For me, the song is basically a kind of dialogue between her and the people who are left behind. So basically, the people who are always left behind and the person who left,” explains Elina. “And it’s the feeling of peace and understanding, going through all the emotions of when we lose someone. It can be, I don’t know, fury or anger, it can be sadness, of course, and all these kinds of things. And the lyrics if you listen to it, it goes through these things kind of going into her world and our world. And
then it’s this tribute to our ancestors. And also, this in eternity what happens actually when we leave? Then I made this synth vocal demo of the song and then the band arranged a whole band version of it, and I love how it turned out.”
seen it of course, through the Viking scene, as well, we’ve filmed now also a couple of videos, they help us always and it’s really nice to work and see the passion that goes into it all and how it’s really authentic, it’s not like some role-playing. It’s really authentic stuff that they do and very skilled.”
be where I am now. So, I’m very grateful for that. And it’s where I get to pour my musical craziness out. So yeah, of course, it’s close to my heart.”
With the lyrical context of the band’s songs revolving around subjects such as Norse and Eastern mythology, how much do the band find those topics of interest outside of their musical world? “I can only speak for myself. And I know also, of course, I can speak for Alex a little bit, because I know that he’s very immersed in this whole Viking area, also the reenactment scene, he’s very interested in history. And of course, this topic in particular. Also, his family roots go into this direction and everything so he’s like the expert,” explains Elina. “But of course, he also reads, and he researches a lot of these lyrics and topics. And for me, it’s fascinating to learn all the stories that I’ve probably never heard about most of them and then getting to sing them and getting musically into this world as well. And I’ve
Aside from Leaves Eyes, Elina also has her band, Angel Nation. Speaking about the current state of play with the group, she said: “It’s already two years since Antares was released, our third album - time goes so quickly. Of course, we were playing after the album came out. We played in the UK; we played in Europe as well. And I don’t live in the UK anymore. And then Brexit didn’t help so much. I have to say, it’s just really difficult in general to be a touring band at this time, I’m not going to lie. And then of course, last year I had to focus on Leaves Eyes, finishing the album. And now we are here. So of course, I’m hoping to have the time and energy also to push Angel Nation again. And we will all, of course, love to play again. And it’s the project for me that started everything. So, all the people who helped me on the way with that band have helped me to
But with their new album in the bag, all signs for Leaves Eyes point to the road. “The whole band is concentrated now on this tour,” she says. “Of course, we all hope that great things will happen. Plans were there already years ago and got kind of postponed and postponed and postponed. So hopefully now is the time that all the plans are finally coming to reality. And we get to play in the summer and the rest of the year more.”
Myths of Fate, the new album from Leaves Eyes is out now via AFM Records.
Like a phoenix rising from the flames, Black Country Communion return with their fifth studio album V, which will be released via J&R Adventures on June 14th.
The album sees Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian return under the auspices of producer extraordinaire Kevin Shirley.
In recent times drummer Jason Bonham has been working on a multitude of projects including work with his Led Zeppelin Evening and also former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar. “I’ve been keeping really busy since 2014, which is now 10 years ago. And it all came about as I bumped into Sammy Hagar in a hotel in Denver. And I tried to avoid him. The reason being was that I went and jammed with them when Chad left Chickenfoot,” explains Jason. “Not many people know this. I went and jammed with them, and I didn’t get the gig. So, I was kind of a little bit upset. And they went with Kenny Aronoff. So, you shrug it off as you do as a drummer. I always say it’s not that you couldn’t play well enough, it’s that you weren’t the right fit.”
This came at a time post Bonham’s participation in the legendary Led Zeppelin reunion at the O2 in London in 2007. “I was feeling pretty confident at the time because I had just played with Zeppelin. I’m like who are you to say I can’t play with you,” says Jason. “So, I was kind of avoiding him [Sammy]. I was walking into the hotel; he was coming out of the bathroom. And he goes, Jason. And my wife said - he was trying to avoid you. He said – hey, you live in Florida, right? Yeah, I’m playing there. So long story, I went to see him play. He got me up on stage. And then I was in the band from 2014.”
Despite his involvement with Sammy Hagar, the Red Rocker as he is known, has given Jason a certain degree of flexibility to explore other projects. “In between, because he didn’t like to work too hard. He allows me to do my other projects within reason. And with my other projects, like JBLZE - Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, I never like to overwork that because it’s such a fun thing for me to do, to go out and play those songs. And here we are 14 years later, the little project that we started is still going.” He adds: “I’m sorry if we haven’t been to England yet, but we promise we will be there next year before we are all too old to play.”
In between working with Sammy Hagar and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, the artist got the call that the engines had been started for a potential new Black Country Communion
album. “We still get together. Kevin [Shirley] makes the call and says come on, stop being such a stick in the mud. Let bygones be bygones. We do our usual thing of going in there with no preconceived ideas and start,” explains Jason. “It’s like a whirlwind because nobody gets any ideas before you go in there. I think Joe had been together with Glenn twice. So, we’re listening to the ideas through an iPhone. And it’s just an acoustic guitar and somebody humming. Then Kevin goes, let’s go and track it. I’m like, hold on a minute. And that’s the way it’s always been.”
This organic approach to creating a new album in the studio can be somewhat of a whirlwind. “This time, it was just acoustics and that and then you’re gone. Seven days later, you haven’t even had a chance to comprehend what you just did. And then the next thing you know we got together, and we played a quick one-off show before we went on to the cruise. And that was one of the more nail-biting things that I’ve done in a long time. Because we’d had three rehearsals in January, this was March. What do we remember? I’ve done three other things since then. So yeah, as normal, but it was really nice to be around the guys again, we’re laughing and joking,” explains Jason. “I had another one of those gizmos that made them laugh. So, when Kevin would start talking about the composition of production, what his values were and everything, I would press the snoring app on my phone, and everyone just started laughing. That camaraderie - everyone’s place in the band was back to normal. Me for taking the p*ss and whatnot.”
Getting the supergroup into the studio can be somewhat logistically challenging in terms of scheduling. “It was 15 months to say yes, to get the studio time. First of all, it was going to be January. We planned to record in January, and then something came up for Glenn. So, we pushed it to June. So yeah, originally the album probably would have been out at the end of last year, like we’ve normally done. It’s usually been around an October/November release. And then we’d usually plan to come and play in England.”
Aside from BCC’s recent appearances on the Cruise and in the US. How much of an appetite is there within the band to take their new album on the road? “We have a group text between us all. And I think it’s better that way. Because then if any of us aren’t responding, or wherever we can go, hey, listen, look guys, you can see that one person’s not responding. They know if I don’t respond, it’s because I’m being the hard ass that’s holding out. I don’t want to be the one that says yes. And everyone else holds out. I always like to go as long as everybody’s into it. Because I enjoy playing. I mean, I’ve got to a point in my life now. I’m 58 this year. I don’t know how much longer I can play to the ability I want to play. I’m a very
physical player, I don’t want to go, and tip tap and look frail,” says Jason. “I’ve had injuries. I tore my bicep off my forearm. There was a table in the middle of the dressing room, and I thought I’m going to trip over that, and I’ll move it. Of course, it was bolted to the ground. And when I originally grabbed it, I thought I’d ripped my jeans. But it wasn’t that, this was now completely detached from my bicep. And now my arms are a mess and I’ve got a gig in the next two hours.”
The legendary drummer planted the seed within the band for potential Black Country Communion tour dates. “I sent a text. I just said, hey Joe, on the group text. For what it’s worth, if you ever want to do it again, let’s just do more shows. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with the stuff because it ’s my own drums. It’s my parts. It’s one of the very rare things when it’s your creative baby. Not playing anybody else’s parts. These are mine, whether they’re lame or whether I like them or not. Sometimes I like to have a chance to play them live because I wasn’t happy with the way I played it. Because of the short time, we had to do the albums,” explains Jason. “He was like, hey, if everybody else is in, I really had a good time. And I really want to do more. And I don’t mean just more recording, more shows. And everybody else responded immediately. So, I went if you are serious. So, that was literally just within about three weeks after we did it. So, who knows? And that is really positive. We haven’t had that before.”
Perhaps now is the right time for the group to return to touring. “I think Joe gets it. Glenn being the elder of the band and still being able to wail the way he can - but for how much longer? So let’s do it while we are all in that way, and it can only get better. Two shows, I would say is the tip of the iceberg. It was like the O2 when we did the Zeppelin thing. I always go, imagine if it was good, then imagine how good we would have been on the second week. Imagine how good it would have been in three months. Imagine how good it would have been on the fifteenth show. Oh, my God, how good it could have got.”
Perhaps only time will tell if more touring from Black Country Communion will come to fruition. But for now, there is always the band’s excellent new album.
V, the latest release from Black Country Communion will be released via J&R Adventures on June 14th.
A trio of hard rock and heavy metal titans arrived in Leeds for what promised to be an unforgettable evening of music at the First Direct Arena.
It’s been a long time since headliners Judas Priest have delivered such an extensive tour in the UK, so anticipation for the band’s return was high. But with a critically acclaimed new album under their belt, the Brummie legends are back on the road again in support of their latest offering Invincible Shield. The band’s date in Leeds marked the second night of their current tour having performed in Glasgow the night prior.
This time around, Priest brought with them in tow an incredible touring package featuring peers and rock legends by way of Uriah Heep and Saxon. And with an action-packed evening ahead, Heep opened the proceedings at 6.40 pm. And despite the early start, the arena was packed out. Frontman Bernie Shaw joked that the fans must have caught the early bus. And with just a 35-minute opening spot, the band’s carefully chosen seven-song setlist gave the fans a taste of what the band are all about. Staple tracks from the group’s seventies repertoire, such as Easy Livin’ and Gypsy, were highlights of Uriah Heep’s short but sweet set.
Originating from Barnsley, NWOBHM legends Saxon were on familiar ground inside Yorkshire’s prestigious arena. And with a wall of Marshall amps adorning the band’s backline and a huge drum kit perched upon a riser, the fans were under no illusion that the group meant business. Saxon delivered a set that reflected on their past glories whilst giving a healthy nod to the future. Tracks from the band’s latest album Hell, Fire and Damnation, like There’s Something in Roswell, and the title track see the band in classic form. Saxon’s latest material sat perfectly in the setlist alongside anthems such as 747 (Strangers in the Night) and Wheels of Steel. For the Saxon fans, there was the bonus of a guest appearance from guitarist Paul Quinn, who retired from the band’s touring line-up in March 2023. In recent times Brian Tatler from Diamond Head has filled the position in the group’s live shows. However, at the end of the set, Quinn received a hero’s welcome from the Yorkshire faithful as he took to the
stage as part of a three-pronged guitar attack during final numbers Denim and Leather along with Princess of the Night.
Judas Priest are ranked as one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. The band are now celebrating 50 years since the release of their debut album, Rocka Rolla. And with nineteen studio albums under their belt, the band had a lot of ground to cover. The group took to the stage following an intro tape of War Pigs by fellow Birminghambased legends Black Sabbath before belting through new song Panic Attack and the unmistakable You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. The big surprise was the inclusion of Breaking the Law as the third song in the set. It’s rare for groups to perform songs of such magnitude so early in the show, but when you’ve got a back catalogue as rich in anthems as Judas Priest, you can do as you please.
Bedecked in black leather and with occasional changes, Rob Halford commanded the stage. His voice sounded incredible throughout. Whilst guitarist Richie Faulkner was a joy to watch. His skill and flare lit up the stage all night long. Original bass player Ian Hill featured prominently at the rear of the stage.
With the band’s latest album less than ten days old, the headliners didn’t include too much from their new record, but the songs they featured such as Trial by Fire and the title track itself certainly hit the spot. These songs will inevitably become future classics. Key cuts from the band’s extensive back catalogue, such as Turbo Lover, Metal Gods and main set closer Painkiller, had the West Yorkshire crowd singing wholeheartedly at the tops of their voices. A three-song encore got underway with fan favourite Electric Eye before Halford took to the stage on the back of a motorcycle in true Judas Priest style. And whilst Saxon may have performed their classic Denim and Leather earlier in the evening, it was time for the headliners to unveil their anthem Hell Bent For Leather. A recurring theme was running throughout the evening; perhaps you will agree. The band brought their set and the night to a close with a crowd-pleasing rendition of Living After Midnight.
Fifty years since the release of their debut album, Judas Priest are still our Metal Gods.
O2 CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE
The world legend is often overused, but when it comes to Guns N Roses guitarist Slash it is entirely justified.
The guitarist extraordinaire recently returned to the UK for a whirlwind tour alongside his band featuring Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.
Slash’s show on Tyneside was the most intimate date on the tour, with the rest of the dates being in arenas. A theatre setting promised to be an up close and personal affair with the guitar great. Of course, it was of no surprise that the concert was a complete sell-out.
Ironically, the guitarist played on this very same stage with Guns N Roses back in 1987. A fact which the artist recollected during the show. Although Slash has played in the region since then with Axl and company in 1992 at Gateshead Stadium, with Velvet Revolver in 2005 and 2008, but his last visit was back in 2012. You could say the artist’s return has been a long time in the making.
This time around Slash is touring in support of his latest album 4 which was released in 2022 and produced in Nashville by Dave Cobb. The guitarist’s new blues-tinged album Orgy of the Damned will be released on May 17th. However, on this occasion, there were no songs from his upcoming record featured in the set.
Opening the evening was Mammoth WVH featuring Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the late great Eddie Van Halen. It was the band’s first time in Newcastle, and subsequently a full house was in attendance from the off.
The band’s six-song setlist highlighted not only the quality of their songbook but also Wolfgang’s blistering fretwork. Van Halen sunk his heart and soul into his passionate performance proving that as the old saying goes talent doesn’t fall far from the tree. And just like his father, he is destined for great things. Mammoth WVH’s 30-minute set, was short but sweet, and the crowd could have gladly listened to much more from the group.
It was Easter Sunday in Newcastle, and British-born Slash was back on home turf so to speak. Taking to the stage to a hero’s welcome, the guitar great showcased a set that illustrated the various key points in his career. Bedecked in a classic Aerosmith shirt, shades and as has become customary his top hat, the guitarist looked the epitome of cool.
A wonderful airing of Back to Cali early in the set highlighted the wonderful partnership Slash has with Myles Kennedy as the pair stood side by side centre stage.
This time around, and now on his fourth album, there was a little less of the Guns N Roses era material in the set with only Don’t Damn Me featuring. The latter allowed bass player extraordinaire Todd Kearns to step up on lead vocals. One of a few times that Kearns would take the centre spot, the other being Doctor Alibi. The song featured Lemmy on the studio version, and Kearns did a great job on the vocal delivery of that track.
Slash delivered an amazing rendition of Always On The Run. A track which he wrote with the great Lenny Kravitz, and it certainly hit the spot. The song’s unmistakable guitar riff had the crowd clapping along from the off.
Starlight was one of the many highlights of the set. Slash made his Les Paul sing like a bird. Whilst Kennedy’s vocals were simply flawless. The pair complement one another so well. Slash truly shone during Wicked Stone with a transcendent solo that had the guitarists in the audience transfixed. The anthemic You’re A Lie ushered the band towards the end of the main set.
The band switched things up during the encore, with Slash performing on pedal steel during a spellbinding airing of Rocket Man by Elton John. Kennedy’s soaring vocals filled the room. The night was brought to a close with Anastasia.
It may well have been 12 years since Slash’s last show in the North East, but it was most certainly worth the wait and the perfect way to spend an Easter Sunday.
Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
There was a degree of anticipation in the air as Kris Barras arrived on Tyneside for his show at the Boiler Shop in Newcastle. News had come out that the artist’s latest album Halo Effect was sitting at an impressive Number 4 in the mid-week Official UK Charts. And with just a few hours left for albums to be recorded in the chart figures for the week, the former MMA man intended to not go down without a fight.
Barras is familiar with Newcastle’s famous former industrial warehouse, having played on the very same stage just a couple of years back. And the Geordie fans were back out in force to welcome Kris on his return.
The headliner opened the show with Who Needs Enemies, Unbreakable and Dead Horses, each of which packed a punch. One point of note was Barras stepping up with just a microphone during Savages, allowing the artist to move around more, and take on more of the role of a frontman without the constraints of being tied to his guitar. The addition of pyrotechnics at the front of the stage, and plentiful stage lighting also made the gig more of a show.
Barras’ sound has evolved somewhat over the years, shaking off the blues rock image of his early days, and
moving more into the contemporary hard rock/metal space. His move to Earache records, and the material on the artist’s new album are a further indication of this.
Tracks such as These Voices, Hourglass, Secrets and Devil You Know further upped the ante, and showcased the harder edges of Barras’s sound to great effect.
There was also a moment for reflection, as Kris stripped things back during two of the most personal songs from his repertoire via Wake Me When It’s Over and the heartfelt Watching Over Me. This segment of the show also highlighted Kris’ incredible guitar playing and also the spellbinding keyboard work of Josiah J Manning.
The end of the evening was all about the hits and anthems with Light It Up, My Parade and Hail Mary concluding a very well structured show from Kris Barras.
Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
Scandinavian rockers The Hives ushered in the Easter weekend with a high-energy show on Tyneside. The group had not played in Newcastle since 2008, so their return was most welcome. And bedecked in black and white suits, the group’s choice of attire was most fitting for an evening in Newcastle.
As the band took to the stage, balaclava-clad guitar techs handed the band their instruments adding a theatrical touch to the proceedings.
Frontman Pelle Almqvist is the consummate showman. The singer frequently lept from stage monitors and drum risers, on other occasions it was high kicks or swinging the microphone aloft to the best of his ability. The frontman prowled the edge of the stage and even sometimes ventured into the pit whilst firing up the fans on the security fence up front. Pelle is a real live wire and a true entertainer.
The Hives delivered a set that was packed full of highoctane anthems such as Bogus Operandi, Main Offender and Take Back the Toys. Each of these fired up the audience. Almqvist quipped: “I feel like this is going particularly well don’t you.” Of course, the fans couldn’t have agreed more.
Pelle declared that the group were playing the longest set they’d ever played. Because they play so fast, it’s the
equivalent of 3 hours of a normal band. 6 hours if you are Coldplay, he joked.
The audience braced themselves as the group turbocharged their way through Go Right Ahead, Stick Up and the euphoric Hate to Say I Told You So.
Pelle knew just how to charm the O2 City Hall audience. He declared that: “Newcastle had sophistication and energy all wrapped in one, kind of like the Hives.”
There were many tracks from the group’s excellent new album The Death of Fitzsimmons including the frantic Trapdoor Solution and main set closer Countdown to Shutdown.
A three-song encore featured a raft of the group’s hits including Come On!, Smoke and Mirrors and Tick Tick Boom. The latter being a rather apt title for the group’s explosive conclusion.
As the Easter weekend approached, Good Friday may have been just a few hours away, but the Hives made it an even better Thursday. Their set list was as sweet as an Easter chocolate egg. Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
Following their headline appearance at HRH in Great Yarmouth back in 2022, Ugly Kid Joe returned to the UK whilst touring in support of their latest album Rad Wings of Destiny.
The US-based outfit arrived on Tyneside for the penultimate date of their current UK run. Of course, the band have been coming to the North East since the 90s, with dates at the sadly missed Mayfair Ballroom, and even as support to Bon Jovi at Gateshead Stadium in 1995.
The bonus for the evening was opening act The Virginmarys. The dynamic duo delivered a heart and soul performance showcasing their distinctive hard-hitting drum and guitar-based sound. Ally and Danny came together like a huge wall of sound as they belted their way through anthems like Just A Ride, Look Out For My Brother and Bang Bang Bang.
When there are only two members in a band, there’s no hiding, each person in the band must give 100 percent, and The Virginmarys did exactly that. It was exhausting at times watching Danny Dolan behind the drums, shards of his sticks would fly off into the air due to the force of his playing. He would often take to his feet whilst pummelling his drum kit. As always, The Virginmarys did not disappoint.
Ugly Kid Joe took to the stage to the sounds of V.I.P, Neighbour and Jesus Rode a Harley, which in turn set the tone for the night ahead.
Whitfield Crane was sporting a baseball cap, cargo shorts and a Motorhead t-shirt. The singer prowled back and
forth whilst frequently swinging from his microphone stand.
Ugly Kid Joe have a new album to promote. The band included two tracks from the release in the show via Kill the Pain and Failure. On this occasion, the band didn’t seem to want to go to over the top with the new material, instead the setlist was very much a classic affair.
The show progressed with a barrage of nostalgia. Highlights included So Damn Cool, Cat’s in The Cradle and Milkman’s Son. Whilst deeper cuts from the band’s repertoire such as No One Survives, and Devil’s Paradise also featured.
Guitarist Chris Catalyst took the spotlight during a regionally apt airing of Joe Fagin’s That’s Livin’ Alright. The latter being the theme tune to the TV show Auf Weirdersehen Pet, which had obvious ties to the North East in particular.
Klaus Eichstadt stepped up on vocal duty during a crowdpleasing rendition of Mr Recordman, before the band brought the main set to a close with Goddamn Devil.
Of course, there was always going to be an encore. Whitfield Crane wears his heart on his sleeve, or on this occasion on his chest by way of his Motorhead t-shirt. Subsequently, the band put their stamp on the classic Ace of Spades before bringing the night to a close with their unmistakable anthem Everything About You.
Ugly Kid Joe’s latest date was nostalgic for sure, but most importantly it was incredibly enjoyable. After all these years, in the eyes of their Tyneside crowd, the band are still So Damn Cool.
Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
Rising Mexican rock group, The Warning have toured with rock luminaries such as Guns N Roses, Foo Fighters, Muse, Royal Blood and Halestorm to name but a few. Rock icon Lzzy Hale was so taken aback by the group that she even gifted vocalist Daniela with her Gibson Explorer guitar.
Following their appearance at Download Festival last year anticipation for the arrival of the Mexican rock band has been high. So, when the time finally came for The Warning to embark on a headline tour of the UK, it was no surprise that all of their dates were completely sold-out.
The band comprising three sisters hailing from Monterey in Mexico has caused quite a stir on the international rock scene. And with an impending new album under their belt by way of Keep Us Fed, the talented trio made their debut in Leeds on Monday night.
Of course, Leeds University is no stranger to rock legends. The famous refectory housed within the University Student’s Union building was the location for the seminal Live at Leeds album by The Who. And with the same degree of anticipation, the rock world is watching The Warning, who may well follow in the footsteps of the greats who came before them.
But what is most important for a group like The Warning is that the band are paving the way for other acts from Mexico to follow. And the band are deeply proud of their culture and heritage. So much so that several songs in the setlist from Monday night’s show were sung in their native tongue. And the West Yorkshire fans tried, albeit their hardest to sing along in Spanish to the best of their abilities on these songs. This was the case with tracks such as recent single Qué Más Quieres, Martirio and Narcisista.
The largest part of the group’s sixteen-song setlist was taken from The Warning’s last album Error. The crowd hung on every word of tracks such as Money and Disciple. In places, the audience resembled a match day crowd at the nearby Elland Road.
Despite their young age, The Warning has been on the go for more than ten years. Having formed in 2013, the Villarreal Vélez sisters released their first album XXI Century Blood in 2017 and their sophomore follow-up Queen of the Murder Scene a year later in 2018. Subsequently, the inclusion of tracks from those early releases such as Survive, Dull Knives (Cut Better) and Dust to Dust were most welcome by the band’s old-school fans.
Whilst The Warning’s new album Keep Me Fed is due for release on June 28th. The band gave their fans a taste of what is to come with the inclusion of several tracks from their forthcoming release such as recent singles Automatic Sun, SICK and Hell You Call a Dream. And on the strength of these songs alone, The Warning’s new album is going to be one to watch out for upon its release.
But like all good things, they come to an end. The night was brought to a close in the best way possible with an epic rendition of Evolve and a well-deserved bow in front of the capacity Leeds audience.
It may well have been The Warning’s first concert in Leeds, but based on the response they garnered, the three-piece won’t be playing venues of this size for much longer.
Judging by the wall-to-wall crowd present and the legions of fans at the front who were following every date of the tour, perhaps it’s just a matter of time before the sisters will be headlining arenas in their own right.
Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
From the depths of Disgraceland, Elvana concluded their 33-date headline UK tour at the O2 City Hall in Newcastle.
Elvana have become firm favourites on the festival circuit in recent years, with appearances at high-profile events such as Download Festival amongst others. The group were even endorsed online by Nirvana themselves. And having witnessed the band live it’s easy to understand why – it’s simple, they are just so much fun.
Of course, the band have ties to Tyneside, and throughout their careers, they have performed pretty much on every stage in the region. The band’s frontman “The King” recounted playing everywhere from Blyth, to the Central Bar in Gateshead in the early days through to the O2 Academy, and now the stage of Newcastle’s most prestigious theatre - the O2 City Hall.
Gold statues and a backdrop similar to Nirvana’s In Utero album cover featured on stage, as the band kicked off the proceedings. The King was sporting an Elvis-style jumpsuit and shades as Elvana launched into their mashup of Dive and Devil In Disguise.
All of the classics from the Nirvana repertoire were covered throughout the band’s extensive setlist. Only they came with a twist including “Scentless Hound Dog”, “Breed Las
Vegas”, “About A Girl Or Never” and “Little Less Teen Spirit”.
To see Elvana live is quite like nothing you’ve seen before. The audience is fully engaged in the evening, many arriving at the venue bedecked in costumes resembling either Elvis Presley or Kurt Cobain.
Frequently throughout the show, The King ventured into the pit in front of the stage to fire up the audience, and on a couple of occasions made his way into the crowd. Whether serenading the audience from the balcony, forming mosh pits in the middle of the room or even a spot of crowd surfing - just like the legends he emulates, The King is a true entertainer.
Now you may think – how on earth can you fuse tracks from artists from different eras like that, each with such polarising sounds? But trust me it works. And the almost capacity crowd at the venue were invested in the show from the off. You would expect nothing less from a Saturday night in Newcastle, especially when the local football team had been playing at home that afternoon.
A night with Elvana is like no other, you’ve got to see them to believe it. In the words of Elvis Presley, the band left their Newcastle all shook up. In the words of Elvis Presley, the band left Newcastle all shook up.
Words & Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy
A trio of metal titans arrived in Manchester for the penultimate date of Amaranthe and Dragonforce’s co-headline tour. Such was the demand for the show at Manchester Academy that it had long sold out
Moldovan metalcore masters Infected Rain got the show underway early in the evening. The band are rare visitors to the UK but based upon the response they received they would be welcome any time. The band’s current dates mark their first shows in the UK in 5 years.
Infected Rain made some line-up changes recently and with a now truncated formation down to four, the group are showing a new level of power. The band’s new bass player Alice Lane is a force of nature. Whilst lead vocalist Lena Scissorhands whipped the crowd and her dreads into a frenzy. By the second song of the set, the group had the whole room open a huge circle pit.
The majority of the tracks featured in their high-energy set were taken from the band’s new album Time, which was released via Napalm Records in February. The band’s latest album showcases some of their heaviest material to date, and with five songs from the album featuring in the set, the band’s opening performance was relentless, to say the least.
Lena commanded the audience and even at one point she had the whole room sat on the floor. The way that Lena can switch between clean and screamo vocals at the drop of a hat is remarkable. By the end of the set, the singer was up on the security fence orchestrating the madness.
Infected Rain’s pummelling metal grooves when coupled with Lena’s passionate mix of clean and growling vocals was something else. Just like their latest album title illustrates, the Manchester fans had the best Time with Infected Rain.
Much like the opening band, Dragonforce were making their first appearance in the UK in 5 years and with the scale of their production, the band were certainly up for the occasion. The stage set featured video arcades on either side, risers, confetti cannons, an inflatable dragon and video screens. Very much the arena stage set rather than what you would usually expect from a club show like Manchester Academy.
With their new album released recently, the British outfit received a warm welcome from their Manchester crowd. The band opened their set with Revolution Deathsquad, Cry Thunder and Power of the Triforce.
Dualing guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman frequently went to task from the top of stage risers, whilst frontman Marcus Hudson led the charge. Furthermore, it was the first UK run to feature the band’s US-based bass player Alicia Vigil.
Confetti propelled through the air frequently throughout the set, marking not only musical explosions on stage but pyrotechnics too. Thunderous double kick drums from Gee Anzalone propelled the band through Soldiers of Wasteland.
Dragonforce are influenced by video games and video game music, which was very apparent based on their stage production. The song The Last Dragonborn was inspired by
Hudson’s love of the game Skyrim. The track’s infectious melody had the crowd clapping throughout. A frantic airing of Fury of the Storm was a real crowd-pleaser. The track also showcased Marcus’ incredible voice.
The band decided to switch things up in the later stages of the set. Power metal was swapped for disco metal via the inclusion of Doomsday Party. Only would the fans be brave enough to dance for Dragonforce. The answer was a resounding yes.
Surrounded by inflatable dragon’s heads, the closing stages of the set featured a remarkable rendition of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, and the surprise inclusion of Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift. Perhaps, the Manchester audience didn’t expect either of the above, but surprisingly they worked so well. Hearing a metal crowd sing Celine Dion at the tops of their voices is a memory I will never forget.
The set was closed out with Through the Fire and Flames. Based on the setlist alone, it was apparent that despite their remarkable talent Dragonforce doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Their set was not only entertaining, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.
With each of the co-headliners bringing quite the stage set, the turnaround between the bands at the top of the bill was quite a logistical task for the stage crew. But it was almost time for the evening’s headliners Amaranthe to take the stage.
Amaranthe acknowledged their woes about their last time in Manchester when the band had to withdraw due to illness. But after a few moments onstage all was forgiven.
Amaranthe have a new album out by way of Catalyst. And with their three-pronged vocal attack, the Swedish outfit had the Manchester crowd eating out or the palms of their hand from the off.
The six-piece group’s distinctive brand of poppy symphonic metal cast a spell over the Manchester Academy audience. Each of the group’s three vocalists led the charge from atop of risers at the front of the stage.
Elize Reid captivated the crowd, as she headbanged furiously at the front of the stage, her ponytail flying through the air. Each singer grappled with the songs in their set in an almost roundrobin fashion.
Reid’s voice radiated throughout the room during a beautiful airing of Crystalline. The band turned things up with a ferocious performance of The Catalyst.
As the set ebbed and flowed, there were many highlights including Re-Vision, Boom!1 and thunderous main set closer Nexus. Amarnathe is a group with so much charisma and more catchy hooks than the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
Whilst touring packages seem to be the way forward in the present day. On this occasion, each band on the bill brought something different to the proceedings and an evening that featured a trio of the finest contemporary metal bands on the circuit. Words & Photo Credit: Adam
Legendary rock band Hawkwind released their brand-new studio album, Stories From Time And Space, on the 5th of April. The group’s 36th studio album was mastered at Abbey Road Studios and follows their critically acclaimed 2023 album, The Future Never Waits.
Last year, the legendary rockers performed a much-celebrated show at the Royal Albert Hall as well as completing the recording of their forthcoming release. The band’s latest offering was completed on familiar ground. “We engineered and recorded it ourselves because we’ve got our own studio. And also, Tim Lewis, our keyboard player, is a Rockfield engineer. He works at Rockfield Studios,” explains Dave Brock. “I’ve been doing it for over 15 years. And Magnus is really clever on studio stuff, as well. So, between the three of us, it took us about a year after the last one.”
With an album name like Stories From Time And Space, there are some interesting themes on the space rocker’s latest release. “We came up with sci-fi stories. The first track on the album is about being old basically. And the next one’s about escaping into a spaceship to another planet called heaven where everything’s wonderful. There’s also one about a guy who sits in a tracking station, analysing sounds from other star systems to see if there’s life out there and so on and eventually, they come into contact with noises that when you put it through your computer, there’s another race trying to get in touch with us,” explains Dave.
Now on their 36th studio album, how does a band with such a long and successful career in the music industry keep things fresh and interesting for themselves? “All of us have got quite a lot of synthesisers. And I’ve got a lot of old stuff, and so has Tim. Tim has got a barn full of old keyboards and old synthesisers. And the same, I’ve got loads of audio generators that are all linked up. So, I’ve got a whole bank of audio
generators,” confirms Dave. “You can switch maybe four different generators through two, as it were, and you can get these throbbing rhythms and all sorts of weird things going on, which it’s a bit like musique concrete, which came out in the 50s and 60s, quite Avant Garde electronics. So, we do things similar to that sometimes and use the machines to supply rhythms and then do weird stuff on top. So, that’s how we do it. We’re already on another album. Were on about the destruction of humans. I started going through human behaviour and the seven deadly sins.”
With such intricate sounds and equipment utilised in the band’s recordings, how do Hawkwind go about recreating these songs in the live environment? “Well, it’s very difficult. Were living under an age of computers. You could access vast amounts of sounds, like a whole orchestra. I mean, the day I found out I could plug my guitar into MIDI, and I can play drums, I can play a whole orchestra through my guitar it was like this fantastic door opened. And it changed everything,” said Dave.
Having produced and recorded the band’s new album themselves, did Hawkwind have a strong idea of how they wanted it to sound from the off? “Not really. We didn’t actually. It’s just like doing a painting except with sound,” says Dave. “It’s the same thing with music. Because you can do the same thing with sounds - you can change things. And if you add something else to it, it changes everything again. That’s how we work quite often like that. I went on the internet and bought some woodblocks - the old woodblocks that jazz drummers used to use in their 20s and 30s. And I bought them. And I said to Richard, why don’t you use these workbooks for a change? And he started playing, instead of bashing his drums, playing with woodblocks. And we could immediately make different sounds just by using a simple thing like woodblocks. And so, you can stick woodblocks through electronics, and so on. So, you see what I mean, you can change things. It’s good fun. As long as it’s fun as well, that’s what you’ve got to remember. We are supposed to be enjoying our life.”
One of the tracks from the Hawkwind repertoire which still receives airplay today is Silver Machine. But did the band know when they created the song that they were onto something special at the time? “Bob Calvert and I used to write a lot of stuff together. It was a basic rock and roll song, just going up from A to B and B to D, I think, and it was just one of those catchy things, and Bob wrote good lyrics to it. And Lemmy sang it, and that was it. We occasionally play it; we don’t always play it all the time. But occasionally,” said Dave.
With 36 studio albums behind them, choosing a setlist for the group’s forthcoming tour could prove a difficult task. “We’ve got a few new ones that we’re going to do. The fans like to hear a lot of the old stuff,” said Dave. “I’ve seen those bands who play a lot of their new stuff and people are kind of yearning and go, oh God, I wish they would play some of their old stuff. We do a mixture; you have to do a mixture. He adds: “We’ve got really good projections and lasers. So, it will be quite visual as well.”
Moving forward, Hawkwind will be promoting their new album out on the road. “We’re doing quite a few festivals. We are doing Northern Kin, and we’re doing one in France; we’re just carrying on. We try and do the things that we like to do, and if we can enjoy ourselves, that’s what we’re trying to do. I mean, we’re living in a time where it’s quite difficult because everything costs money. To hire a tour bus is so ridiculously expensive, and PA companies – I could go on. At the end of the day, it’s the musicians that get all this together. And people like the music, but then periphery around it all, it ends up with those people making money and the band being last to get paid.”
Stories From Time And Space by Hawkwind is out now. Words by
Adam Kennedy
If the universe is expanding then so is the musical range of these space rock progenitors in the possible latter days of their existence. This record’s starter for thirteen tracks, Can’t Last Forever, has a signature mellotron like misty backdrop
9 years after the final Slayer album and 5 years after their announced retirement and final tour (and 3 minutes after their announced comeback) the thrash world awaits what Kerry King has up his sleeve for us after teasing us he was going solo. And to his credit, not only has he assembled
seeping through a haze of fuzzed guitar over a doleful rhythmic click track. It’s reassuring musical motifs is also an early warning of the heady brew of dystopian and utopian themes cogitated upon in lyrical and musical form here. Lift off occurs with the launch of Starship (One Love One Life) in which Brock further intones his philosophical ruminations. They are also grounded in the musical fabric of trance, jazz and space-rock freak-out, re-emphasised on What Are We Going To Do While We’re Here, on this companion recording to last year’s outstanding, The Future Never Waits.
Stories…is an amalgam of all the above music stylings and The Tracker is a stonewall Hawkwind abstract groover: (‘I drive my car to the dump...all of this to hear a sound from a a galaxy we have found... is there a life trying to find us here...?’). It’s fertile Brock territory abetted by his compressed fuzzy string theory lead guitar technique weaving throughout it. The sublime Til I Found You treads along in the same deeply made musical footprints.
a thrash supergroup with certain Slayer alumni within its ranks, the actual music within his debut ‘solo’ record is rather quite decent too.
Obviously, the accusations will be flying around that ‘From Hell I Rise’ is just a lazy Slayer 2.0 - to be expected as King was responsible for much of Slayer’s output - but there are curveballs present that maybe would not have been suitable for the band he was a main part of for 38 years. There are fast songs (unmistakeably Slayer-esque), slower and groovier songs plus also some tracks have a hardcore punk feel to them, evoking memories of their punk cover’s album ‘Undisputed Attitude’.
After the short instrumental intro of ‘Diablo’, the album bursts into life with ‘Where I Reign’. What’s apparent is that he seems to be having fun with these tunes - a pummelling battery from Paul Bostaph, some of his best lead work in years and also that vocal delivery from Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda. And this is where the praise or criticism will be aimed at - it must be difficult not trying to sound like Tom Araya when the thrash is delivered like this, but he
With Magnus Martin, Richard Chadwick, Doug MacKinnon and Tim ‘Thighpaulsandra’ Lewis also orchestrating the soundscapes, song titles Underwater City, Traveller Of Time & Space (‘I’m just a traveller of time and space carrying a cargo of human waste’), The Black Sea, Frozen In Time and Stargazers could easily translate into Michael Moorcock fantasy book titles. However, these mystical titles contain ecological warnings for our over shared planet. They are delicately wrapped in otherworldly sonic abstractions that were originally birthed in the febrile hippie hotbed of late 60s early 70s Portobello Road and Ladbroke Grove.
Since then, Hawkwind has shape shifted line ups and time travelled through countless galaxies of recordings to this current era of remarkable high productivity. When once they were In Search Of Space, this regenerated iteration brings their universal legions of followers timely Stories…to enlighten, entertain and give hope to a planet seemingly spinning itself into oblivion.
Words by Paul Daviesdoes put his own stamp on the whole affair to give it some stamp of identity.
‘Residue’ is next, and it’s one of the slower songs on the album and displays melodies that have been missing from latter Slayer albums. It’s fair to say that Mr King has matured in his songwriting and approach and he’s curated an album that not only appeases older Slayer fans (‘Trophies Of The Tyrant’ could’ve come from Seasons In The Abyss), newer Slayer fans (‘Everything I Hate About You’) and even non-Slayer fans (‘Two Fists’ being a particular standout track complete with groove and attitude and sounding the most Death Angel track on the album).
The album is sure to be a polarising one with people expecting a bigger departure from KK and those who are still clamouring after Reign In Blood II. What he has created though is a very enjoyable thrash record with lots of replay value. Over 4 decades of aggression, Kerry King is still showing no mercy.
Words by Neil Not
Having built up a mass of followers over the last few years, NWOCR favourites Collateral are ready to release their second album ’Should’ve Known Better’ which has been produced by Dan Weller (Those Damn Crows, Kris Barras). After a number of changes to the line-up, the band are now a four piece with Angelo Tristan on Vocals and Guitar, Louis Malagodi on Guitar, Drummer Ben Atkinson and Bassist Jack Bentley-Smith.
These guys have matured so much since I saw them at their initial gigs. ‘Glass Sky’ is first on the menu and the recent single is a war cry that resists pressure, remaining a melodic and enchanting number with those outstanding vocals from Angelo. Guitarist Louis provides an opening riff that stopped the singer in his tracks when he first heard it, “That’s it… That’s the hit” he exclaimed. I like ‘Original Criminal’ it has bite and sultry charisma. The funk Rock attitude, being akin to ‘Extreme’, at their height. ‘Just One Of Those Days’ sees the band from Kent doing what they do best, big swelling harmonies and loads of striking guitar licks, with that unmistakable rhythm from Jack and Ben. ‘Teenage Dream’ has a ‘Bon Jovi’ feel and ‘On The Long Road’ is a caressing ballad, written with those recently lost in mind. It’s also Angelo’s favourite track and very emotional, get those tissues ready for the live performance.
Love can often hurt ‘No Place For Love’ tackles all the ups and downs relationships can bring. It’s another with a melody that stuns. The last track ‘Final Stand’ is heavier and looks at dark messages and inner demons that face you in the mirror. Angelo states it balances the album out and I agree, there is so much depth in ‘Should’ve Known Better’ and it’s such a captivating piece of work.
They may be on their (very) ‘Long Goodbye Tour’, but this Essential Collection of music is akin to a ‘welcome back old friend moment’ for long term fans, or a warm and friendly ‘hello’ to new visitors to the magic inside this venerable group’s music found in this 6LP/3CD box set. Inside are 51 songs covering the period 1972 - 2020; including a judicious selection of live tracks culled from 1976 to 2018 concerts. Produced by Don Henley, this heavyweight (especially the 180g vinyl) release is a career spanning document that will be a cherished artefact in the collection of any Eagle’s fan.
This assembly of songs goes right back to this country-rock institutions roots with the staples Takin’ It Easy, Witchy Woman, Tequila Sunrise etc. in the fine company of lesser featured tracks over the years: Doolin’Dalton, Outlaw Man, Saturday Night, Train Leaves Here in The Morning...Including these, and more, tunes showcases the important contributions that Randy Meisner (RIP) and Bernie Leadon delivered to the Eagles signature sound following their formation following their stint in Linda Ronstadt’s band with Glenn Frey.
Labelled as the definitive collection, it succeeds in detailing their long career arc. The live tracks also trace the group’s arc as a live band through a fine selection of in concert tracks; that appear to have been ‘fine-tuned’. In essence, it’s a compendium of highlights and deep cuts with nothing new just an overabundance of eternal peaceful easy feeling music.
It’s lucky number six for guitar wizard Troy Redfern as he releases his sixth studio album Innovation via RED 7 Records on May 17th, 2024. Opening track ‘The Strange’ has a marching drumbeat, propelling this rock steady rebel along towards a brief, bouncy midsection then obliterated by a molten metal guitar solo.
I was getting touches of T Rex in ‘Getaway’ which is no bad thing for a bit of ‘Hot Love’. It gathers speed for stadium filling choruses until all hell breaks loose for a snare drum driven outro. ‘Van Helsing’ is one for the headbangers and air guitarists as stabbing guitar lines in the verses get denser in the turbocharged choruses. Psychedelic vibes meander through ‘The Calling’ that envelop this mood swinged tune until it closes on a put up or shut up guitar solo.
‘Native’ lives up to its title as if the band are heading over the prairies as ethereal doomladen grooves, and a gritty lead vocal sit back for a guitar solo to rip your scalp off! ‘The Fever’ took a few spins to get my head around but its infectious grooves soon grabbed me, even more so when nirvana was reached by the arrival of razor-sharp guitar prowess. ‘All Night Long’ (not the Rainbow song of course) sees Troy really let rip here, putting the pedal to the metal for a hot rails to hell heavy hoedown.
‘Blind Me’ is a ballad but with added balls as this shimmering song eases along on a pleading vocal and sedate rhythms. We’re back to the rock as ‘Voodoo Priestess’ casts her spell for this feisty, but also feelgood headbanger.
This stunning album closes on ‘The Last Stand’ that resonated around my headphones like an angry bee, muscling up for a powerful midsection and a freaky outro.
Words by Diane Davies Words by Paul Davies Words by Dennis Jarman
Formed in Orange County, California, 2011, Robert Jon & The Wreck go from strength to strength as they release their ninth studio album Red Moon Rising on June 28th, 2024, via Joe Bonamassas Journeyman Records. Their music is a captivating combination of blues and Southern rock, point proven by album opener ‘Stone Cold Killer’. A raw opening riff runs alongside an eerie lead vocal from Robert Jon Burrison, firing up shout ‘em out loud and proud choruses. ‘Trouble’ is a party starting and finishing stomper from hefty drum patterns, slinky guitar lines and an infectious chorus, given an extra edge from keyboard bombast.
‘Red Moon Rising’ is a mean and moody blues shuffle that gets sassy and classy throughout the slide guitar driven choruses. Latest single ‘Dragging Me Down’ is a bass heavy bruiser for four fiery blues ridden minutes, bursting into life midway for fiery fretboard fury from lead guitarist Henry James Schneekluth. ‘Help Yourself’ is one of many highlights as they go down the gears for a motivational song, showing that you can overcome any obstacle. Deft piano touches add subtle nuances towards a sumptuous guitar solo.
‘Worried Mind’ is a short but beautifully sweet ballad to melt the coldest heart. Time seems to stand still for this ethereal song to make all your troubles disappear briefly as acoustic guitar gently picked notes are perfection! The album closes on two bonus tracks. ‘Rager’ has them rocking out to volume eleven throughout this greasy groover, with the spotlight stolen from driving drum prowess, pinning everything down by some innovative patterns.
‘Hate To See You Go’ is one for the headbangers out there to rock until they drop, courtesy of another finger blistering axe attack outro solo!
Words by Dennis JarmanBenjamin Croft’s third solo release will tip your mind upside down and turn it inside out. Such is the mental and aural exercise that Croft puts the listener through. His complex and adventurous music is like Pilates for the ears. We Are Here To Help is a superlative recording in which Croft has gathered a basket of superb musicians who check in with their astounding contributions to Croft’s labyrinthine compositions. This Progressive/Jazz Fusion musical workout par excellence is detonated by the sonically supercharged The Age Of Magrathea. It’s powered by the incendiary percussion of Marco Minneman and bassist Stuart Hamm, plus guitars by Greg Howe and Carter Arrington with Croft as ever on keyboards.
The magic here is in the assorted top-grade players that Croft has wrangled together. On the title track, there’s former Sons Of Apollo singer Jeff Scott Soto and Aristocrat Billy Sheehan. Furthermore, You Made Me Miss has guitar legend extraordinaire Mike Stern in harness with the one and only Simon Phillips, who, with Minneman, has split the percussive duties on these eight tracks.
Being a huge Kate Bush fan, Croft also discovered Lynsey Ward whose ethereal vocal talent fronts the sonically seductive Caught In The Flypaper and musical muscle work-out Wrestling With Plato, that features Dave Marks and Per Nilsson joining in on the sessions. There’s also room for a sublime soft and hard jazz fusion instrumental as Lower Moat Manor reveals guitarist Frank Gambale and bassist Flo Moore supremely interacting across its soundstage.
To summarise, this is a remarkable recording in which all the musicians involved fully deserve a mention. They bring their skillset to Benjamin Croft’s unique, musically immersive and melodious compositions and make them appear to sound deceptively effortless. We Are Here To Help is a Progressive Jazz/Fusion classic.
Words by Paul DaviesAt last! About time these fantastic songs were released on an album. Anyone who has seen ‘The Mercury Riots’ will be looking skyward and thanking the heavens for this debut. They were a sensation when they toured here in the UK. Remember the ‘Call Of The Wild’ festival in 2022 when they were added to the bill at the last minute and filled that marquee, that was awesome.
Back in February 2023 the band had some recording sessions with legendary producer/ engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith) at The Warehouse Studio and Armoury Studios in Vancouver, Canada. This was the making of ‘In Solstice’. You will be familiar with most of the songs if you do follow them, however there are a couple of surprises.
‘Make It’ with its gentle chords is the first track, although after the intro, the song rises sharply, as the vocals take hold and Felipe adds spicy guitar riffs. Easy on the ear, catchy, but full-on undulating rock. ‘Be Yours’ (single released 23/4/24) hits the same vibe, flowing with force and that guitar solo just screams, astonishing stuff. The bass of Joey Paul announces the beginning of ‘L.A Girls’, strong and gutsy play on this track, but it’s another that cruises and probably one of their best. ‘Sweet Melody’, ’Take Me When You Go’ and ‘Light It Up’ follow, all memorable, the latter having waves of storming riffs. ’Save Me A Drink’ is next and I’m back in that Marquee, brilliant fun song that you have to bounce along with. ’Scream It Out’ and the blistering ’99 Degrees’ precede ‘Nobody Knows’ which can only be described as the bands ‘Kashmir’ moment.
Note - The present line up is Jonny and Felipe with Justin Paul Walker on vocals and Fede Delfino on bass.
Words by Diane Davies
This finely curated heavyweight vinyl gatefold reissue is a timely reminder of a revered late sixties psychedelic infused rock album from when the idea of concept albums was in its infancy. Side 2’s five-part suite In Held Twas In I demonstrates such. This bold second PH long player release had the dubious feat of following universal smash hit A Whiter Shade Pale. Impressively, opening tune, Quite Rightly So, reveals Gary Brooker’s fine voice stretched out to his fullest range. The title song is a jaunty organ driven tune with (future guitar hero) Robin Trower’s keening lead guitar adding a touch of psych power.
In keeping with its era, the far-out titled Skip Softly My Moonbeams is a psychodrama of experimental musical exploration. Brooker’s down to earth rolling piano intro and soulful tracked vocals on Wish Me Well and Rambling On, being a musical curio of no little heaviness, is replete with a, then new technique, slight return. Then the oddly titled Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) heralds in the trippy In Held Twas In I. Its spoken word oft repeated Dalai Lama parable introduction develops into the questing mystical music of its era. There are further spoken ruminations on the inner life and nonsensical musical passages like Twas Tea Time At The Circus continue to hold their charm.
Smartly produced by Denny Cordell, assisted by future Bowie collaborator/producer Tony Visconti, Shine On Brightly stands the test time as a charming artefact of this febrile period in popular music that produced The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper…The Pretty Things’ SF Sorrow etc. This new vinyl edition cut at Abbey Road Studios is released with the gatefold sleeve design of the September 1968 US release.
Whatever your feelings are towards Sebastian Bach, you can’t deny he’s a force to be reckoned with. Most of us would love to see him reunited with Skid Row, although that’s probably never going to happen, too much whiskey has flowed under that bridge. However, Sebastian has been busy over the years, apart from his musical career, he’s appeared on Broadway, loads of TV programmes including ‘The Masked Singer’ in the US and had a role in ‘Gilmore Girls’. Unbelievably, this album has been 10 years in the making and make no mistake it’s a humdinger.
The Eleven tracks are all standout numbers starting with ‘Everybody Bleeds’, already out as a single. Raunchy, growling, and supreme stomping is the theme and Seb is completely in his element, his vocals are still extraordinary. The solo on ‘Freedom’ by Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5, is exceptional’. ‘(Hold On) To The Dream’ has a calm intro before reaching boiling point with thunderous levels. Aussie guitarist Orianthi (Ex Alice Cooper) joins on ‘Future Of Youth’ providing more classic chords and ‘F.U’ has Steve Stevens on board. ‘Crucify Me’ is dark, menacing and extremely powerful, while the ballad ‘To Live Again’ brings the album to a close with more mellow notes. Apart from the guest artists co-writing their featured songs, two tracks ‘What Do I Got to Lose?’ and ‘To Live Again’ were co-written by Myles Kennedy. Devin Bronson on (guitars), Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) are the other musicians appearing on Child Within A Man’. Incredibly the Album artwork was started in 1978 by Seb’s father David Bierk!
Hot off the back of their recent headline appearance at HRH AOR in Great Yarmouth, FM are back with a new album that is set to knock your socks off. The group’s latest offering marks their milestone 40th anniversary, which is rather aptly tied into the title Old Habits Die Hard. The record gets underway with the recent single Out Of The Blue, which is a true earworm. One listen and you can’t get it out of your head. You can’t help yourself but sing along with Steve Overland on the song’s infectious chorus. The album continues with the smooth sounds of Don’t Need Another Heartache. It’s another slice of classic FM and the type of song which will work so well in the live environment on the band’s forthcoming UK tour.
No Easy Way Out starts with some atmospheric fretwork and twin-part guitar harmonies from Kirkpatrick and Overland. The track is a heartfelt mid-tempo number, with a chorus as big as the band’s back catalogue. Lost switches things up with a slightly rockier groove and some fuzzy guitar riffs from Kirkpatrick. The song ebbs and flows and is underpinned by quite a moody aesthetic that works incredibly well. Black Water as the title indicates is quite an atmospheric number which sits more on the bluesy side of the band’s repertoire. Overland gives a real heart and soul delivery throughout the song. The track sits nicely in the middle of the album. The harmonious sounds of Leap of Faith are most welcome. Kirkpatrick’s blistering solo in the latter stages of the song really stands out on the number.
Words by Paul DaviesThe album was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Elvis Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig/Gateway Mastering. The album will be available on jewelcase CD, cassette, and double LP in a variety of colour options.
Words by Diane Davies
The album receives a splash of sunshine, and the thoughts of warmer climes via California. The release comes to a close via contemporary rock number Another Day In My World and the rather intricate Blue Sky Mind. The group’s new album finds FM in classic form, with an album which features the fundamental elements of the band’s tried and tested sound.
Words by Adam Kennedy
On a recent edition of his popular Sunday morning radio show, Danny Bowes revealed he had serious reservations when songwriter Luke Morley unveiled what the guitarist hoped would become the first single on Thunder’s seventh album.
The track was a rough version of I Love You More Than Rock N Roll.
And while Bowes liked the groove he wasn’t sold on the lyrics — describing the chorus
ROBERT JOHNSON’S TOMBSTONE
More Thunder released on vinyl for the first time but, for genuine completists, the true treat lies buried away on side D.
Having previously favoured draining the well for live rarities to supplement a sumptuous reissue series, this double disc version of Robert Johnson’s Tombstone features a brace of — wait for it — album session tracks.
And there’s much to be gleaned from Don’t
as brave, bordering on the foolhardy. But Danny should have known better.
Morley is right, more often than not, and the cheeky title, allied to an addictive riff, made for a modern-day (at the time) Thunder classic that’s still a staple of the band’s live set today.
Oh, and don’t forget, I Love You More Than Rock N Roll features the best cowbell cameo of the noughties.
Thunder’s first Top 30 single in eight years proved to be the perfect teaser for this 2005 return to form.
But it was far from the only banger on an album that sought to span genres and laugh in the face of blues rock convention.
The funny, funky Monkey See, Monkey Do is so deeply rooted in biting criticism of the record industry that Bowes and Morley might as well have resigned from public life on the spot.
But they’d been there, done that and still made seven records.
And an on-the-button deep dive into greed, chasing trends and playing it safe serves as the very antithesis of Thunder’s longevity.
Worry About Forever and I’m In Heaven. For most bands both tunes would be good enough to make the cut first time around. Secondly, the bonus material reinforces the belief that Luke Morley never writes a bad song.
And then there’s Danny Bowes. On the upbeat, driving I’m In Heaven he delivers one of the performances of his life. Who knows why this punchy track was only deemed suitable for the expanded Japanese edition of Thunder’s eighth album? But at least that wrong has finally been righted.
Interestingly, prior to its original release, Bowes described Robert Johnson’s Tombstone as ‘a natural continuation of [The Magnificent Seventh]’.
In truth, it doesn’t quite match its predecessor’s liberating sense of freedom and ambition. Sonically, it’s a definite diversion.
But the storytelling — intermittently based around Johnson’s colourful life — is compelling.
It’s a rootsier, bluesier Thunder record that benefits from a meatier Morley production job.
And the authentic title track sets a suitably
Morley is magnificent throughout as he experiments with his strings like never before.
But the talented Londoner reaches his dizzying peak on The Pride with its twopaced, rip-roaring solo.
Ballads I’m Dreaming Again and Together Or Apart are no Love Walked In but then what is?
Nevertheless, Bowes comfortably manages to elevate both into the upper echelons of the Thunder canon — the latter’s a typical slow burner that explodes with emotion when the time is right.
Kicking off the latest batch of the band’s reissues, this is Thunder like you’ve never listened to them before: The Magnificent Seventh didn’t get a vinyl release back in the day and here it benefits from a long overdue move to transparent orange and opaque blue discs. Just beautiful.
Live tracks from the band’s 2005 set at Shepherd’s Bush Empire capture the mood of the era and the true essence of a band in its element.
Words by Simon Rushworthreverential tone with Bowes respectfully introducing the rock and roll story of a bluesman mixed up with poison, liquor and prostitution.
The Devil Made Me Do It was the perfect pick as a single choice and yet a terrific track only just sneaked inside the UK Top 40 at a time when rock singles were about as popular as Rishi Sunak.
But then Thunder weren’t necessarily in the business of bothering the charts 16 years after bursting onto the scene with bullish debut Backstreet Symphony.
And Robert Johnson’s Tombstone is a record for the purist as Bowes and Morley power their way through a creatively rich body of work that never attempts to make a play for commercial success.
Who knows… A Million Faces might have kickstarted the band’s chart career. And in the hands of James Blunt, for instance, the outstanding song here just might have had a shot at going all the way.
But 18 years down the line Robert Johnson’s Tombstone is still a record best enjoyed in its entirety, in one sitting. Better still on translucent pink and cherry red vinyl.
Words by Simon Rushworth
Bringing BMG’s Thunder vinyl reissue series to a conclusion (for now), the band’s last album before 2015’s ‘comeback’, Wonder Days, represents another marked shift in emphasis.
Poppier than its predecessor and lacking the diversity so prevalent on The Magnificent Seventh, it’s a strangely safe affair. Perhaps the band was due a break. Maybe Morley’s creative well was finally running dry.
But for a while it looked like this strangely patchy record might be the last time we’d
V
V is an outstanding 51 minutes of refreshing Hard Rock music by the returning Black Country Communion. It’s the album many hoped they would make, and these paragons of rock have over delivered on these wishes. Far from their heavy feet sinking in sludgy mud whilst their eyes are locked on an impossible horizon, V is an album in which every element flies and falls
hear from Thunder.
And that would have been a crying shame. Just a couple of months after Bang!’s November 2008 release date Thunder announced they were calling it a day. The album hit 62 in the UK charts but there was no lead single to push it any higher. And even the eight-day tour in support of its release failed to spark much momentum. But don’t despair. This is Thunder and there’s still plenty of Bang! for your buck on this double disc expanded edition.
Promotional track On The Radio’s another catchy, feisty, anti-industry party starter with Bowes taking fresh aim at music industry baddies.
Monkey See, Monkey Do’s companion piece? Could well be.
“Twenty years I’ve made a living at this/ No thanks to you and the TV too/Fuck you,” thunders the band’s furious frontman. Bowes didn’t sound like a singer with another five studio albums in his locker… at least not then.
But he did sound like a man on a mission. Even if that mission was career suicide! There’s a meandering Motorcycle Emptiness vibe underpinning Watching Over You — one of the highlights here.
The band’s former producer Andy Taylor pops up with a co-write on track seven and there’s a definite throwback feel to a fine song paced by vintage Morley.
Ultimately it’s a toss-up between Watching Over You and the bluesy, rootsy Stormwater for standout track.
And the latter hints at where Morley was headed with Pete Shoulder-fronted rockers The Union. Shoulder, by the way, puts the banjo into Bang!.
So what about the bonus tracks?
On The Radio gets its second airing — this time culled from Thunder’s 2008 live set at Nottingham’s Rock City — and yet again Bowes gives it both barrels.
A cover of Tom Jones’ Delilah from the same venue, albeit the previous year, offers the band’s irrepressible singer a perfect opportunity to push his vocal range.
Studio tracks See My Baby Walking and I Believe (originally available on the Japanese version of Bang!) close out a key chapter in Thunder’s colourful history.
Who knew this was only the end of the beginning?
Words by Simon Rushworthbeautifully into place. Each song demands inclusion. The compositional excellence is backed up by the virtuoso musicianship that serves each track and, rest assured, Glenn Hughes interprets them all in his still remarkably fine-tuned voice.
The breadth of rock stylings from the early warning of momentous opener Enlighten, and first single funky keyboard rock stomper Stay Free, detail a sharp alert for the sonic treasures to come. The astutely conceived sublime rock epic Red Sun could be this album’s standout track, then again… nevertheless, it sets up the barnstorming blues rock of Restless in which Bonamassa plays some of his finest blues guitar licks, whilst Hughes emotively displays his range of moans.
There are also gritty riffs aplenty as evidenced on the tight but loose Letting Go with its contrasting melodic verse. Skyway equally pursues bringing together similar sonic molecules where Bonham and Hughes lock in step and Bonamassa and Sherinian double riff. Satisfyingly, there are also deep and dirty rock motifs where Love And Trust hits a sweet spot like a classic rock juggernaut in which all players have individual cameos within its glorious whole. Wearing their influences on their re-fashioned sleeves, the deceptive
gospel-tinged Hammond Organ intro to You’re Not Alone is overwhelmed by a heavyweight guitar/keyboard riff. Again, it heralds in Hughes’ voice of rock credentials. Put together, and like the entire album, it covers familiar songwriting territory, but the music possesses an extraordinary different and stimulating aspect to it redefining what Hard Rock means.
Not confined to one rock styling, the AOR melodic soundscape on the intro to Too Far Gone, mashed up with another gritty verse driven riff and middle eight breakdown with solos, is a reminder of the fertile compositional approach these four musical missionaries convert into ready-made Hard Rock classics. Furthermore, the infectious funky blues motif on final track The Open Road, (in which Bonamassa channels a devout homage to Kossoff) with its Free inspired Mr Big breakdown, is pure class. To summarise, aided by Kevin Shirley’s lean production, virtuoso foursome Bonamassa, Bonham, Hughes and Sherinian have delivered a near perfect album of Hard Rock. V dispenses with the overcooked cliches and bear-trap tropes that dog many an album attempting to achieve the status of this artfully powerful and engrossing recording.
Words by Paul Davies
Truly one of the icons of music in our lifetime, Slash is instantly recognisable aurally and visually.
His shredding riffs, so sharp they could cut your soul in two, low slung Gibson and trademark ‘narrow view of the world’ top hatted jet hued curls framing a face that belies the years he has spent on this mortal soil.
A legend though he may be, Orgy Of The Damned is an album of 11 blues cover
Of the three Trevor Rabin involved Yes studio album releases, the third, Talk, is an album in which all parties involved appear to feel was unfairly overlooked compared to the 90125 monster and its successful follow up Big Generator. As the 14th studio album released by this Progressive colossus, it’s often referred to as the ‘great lost Yes album’ and there’s much to discuss on the Talk topic. Sound wise, like the previous two, it possesses the creative imprimatur of Trevor Rabin in its bright and uplifting
tracks, guest starring, a cast of cohorts and mischief makers, that seem to be appearing purely for the joy of being invited to the party. Is this an orgy of self-indulgence or, the work of a life-long blues fanatic taking the opportunity to fulfil a dream in what small space of downtime he has away from the big machine that is Guns N Roses and side project The Conspirators?
Perhaps more well known for being the writer of Joy To The World or, being the misguided inventor father who brings his son a Mogwai for Christmas, Wayne Hoyt Axton’s lyrics would be hard pressed to find a better home than in that of Black Crowes, Chris Robinson’s vocal on The Pusher. His delivery, tone and emotion are sheer class, and he offers a fitting, lived truth with every word.
Chester ‘Howlin Wolf’ Burnett’s Killing Floor, featuring Geordie/AC/DC powerhouse, Brian Johnson on vocal and Mr Steven Tyler on Harmonica, is rammed with groove and hooks, Slash has given this washboard masterpiece an upbeat transformation that loses none of the grit but gives it all of the gumption in the delivery from Johnson. Peter Green’s Oh Well, gets a guest vocal from CMT award winner Chris Stapleton and, as any Slash fan can imagine, the guitar on this track, alongside Stapleton’s
guttural, drawl of a vocal, is a heady, heavy, undulating and definitely unforgettable journey. Some partnerships are made in heaven, this one not so much, its rolled in smoke and rocked in bourbon and the result, is some kind of wonderful.
Iggy Pop, Paul Rogers, Beth Hart, Demi Lovato, Billy Gibbons, and Dorothy each take a turn. Every interpretation is interesting, different, a reimagined classic if you will. However, a special mention must come in the guise of Tash Neal and the iconic Stevie Wonder track, Living For The City. Gritty guitar introduces a harmony laden vocal, with a very slightly lower tone to Wonder’s, Neal and Slash come together in what can only be described as a downright dirty, pulsing, rated R version of this Motown classic and a poignant rear-view vision, so evident in the modern world.
Slash closes the show with an instrumental track, simple, beautiful, filled with the signature shredding and clean as a whistle, soaring tones he is so famous for. Metal Chestnut, yes indeed, we enjoy the pun Slash, your Orgy Of The Damned has now become ours and, we thank you for the invitation to indulge.
Words by Viki Ridleypositivity. Also, in the compositional and production sense it appears to be pretty much Rabin’s musical progeny. Furthermore, his guitar excellence on Talk is an aural adventure. This 30th anniversary release is available as a 2-LP ltd edition white vinyl, an expansive 4CD Deluxe and 1 CD version, opens the conversation and more on Talk’s significance.
Originally released seven years after its predecessor, Big Generator, its seven tracks find Rabin and Anderson’s musical positivity melding into a huge sonic voice. Even though other singers, Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson (whose co-write with Rabin on Walls found its place on Talk) and Kansas’ Steve Walsh were mooted to fill the frontman role when Yes fractured after Big Generator, the makeweight behemoth that became 1991’s Union album and tour reunited this line up once more found together on Talk. The opening four-play of songs The Calling, I Am Waiting, Real Love and State Of Play set out the magnificent melodic soundscape. Walls is an effervescent hybrid of Rabin/Anderson vocals and Where Will You Be’s sonic subtext of African rhythms is a dreamscape of delights. The epic final track, Endless Dream, is a contemplative and joyous movement that reveals the musical harmony of the talents of all the players involved. The joining together of all these musical parts
also offers an insight into Rabin’s movie soundtrack career.
As with any recording aiming for all round excellence, the quality of compositions magically competes to raise the standard of the whole rendered by superlative individual musicianship. Ultimately, what the 4CD Deluxe does is unite demos, instrumentals, radio edits plus a superb special version of Talk’s outstanding track, The Calling. Further 4CD audio surprises include an excellent soundboard recording from the New York concert during this Yes iteration’s 77 date world tour. Talk’s selection of live tracks fit harmoniously in a setlist of 90125 and Big Generator songs and cherished older tracks. This concert magically showcases the onstage chemistry of Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire and White as a musical force who successfully changed the sonic direction of this musical entity through its many and continuing line-up changes.
Words by Paul Davies
Not since the emergency of rap and rock with the huge hit from Run DMC and Aerosmith has there been a crossover as successful as that of country and rock. UK born and bred, Mr Tom Killner is a prime
MANIC EDEN
Having bestrode the world’s rock arenas surfing the success of 1987 and Slip Of The Tongue, pledging their rock credentials to a new endeavour, whilst David Coverdale worked with Jimmy Page, current (1993) Whitesnake members Adrian Vandenburg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge recruited
example of that old time, down home, rock n roll, and he is currently causing a sensation with this new release.
Opening track, Cosmic Sounds sets the tone of the album. Starting strong with a finger picking melody, lyrics that instruct us to believe in our heart song, believe in tomorrow, the Cosmic Sounds within you, will show you the way.
Devil’s Gate picks up the pace with an extremely catchy tale of greed, full of hooks wrapped in a life lesson of one man’s path to the devil, seeking the easy road in a misguided life.
The tracks to follow are each on brand, effortlessly oozing emotion with heartfelt guidance from Tom’s prose. One Day At A Time is a real high point in the album. Harmonica intros then punctuates throughout this ballad, accompanied by keys and beautiful soulful vocals, all embracing a message of enduring friendship, of hope and of love, truly mesmerising in its entirety.
Title track Borrowed Time, provides the ethos of the album. Hard hitting drums and
Little Caesar singer Ron Young and purposefully headed to the studio.
Possibly as a riposte to their superstar distracted band leader, the Zep like Can You Feel It, with Vandenburg channelling Jimmy Page, sizzles like a battery of isotopes as does second song Gimme A Shot on which Vandenburg’s fretboard goes nuclear. Both songs reveal their modus operandi on this bailed out from the vaults recording. There’s further twists on former sounds as the funky Hendrix rock stomp to Fire In My Soul is underpinned by a snaking hard rock riff. Vandenburg’s Little Wing Hendrix homage on Do Angels Die follows and is derivatively very good.
As with all albums of the hard rock ilk, there’s a brace of obligatory ballads. Dark Shade Of Grey and Ride The Storm acquit themselves with honours on which Young gives a nod and a wink to Rod Stewart in his throaty delivery. Chiselled into this record’s rock edifice are big and bouncy riffs in which the three principal ‘Snake players push themselves to the limit. Right in the pocket, Keep It Coming, featuring loads of cowbell, and the musical melodrama
Hammond underpin a heavy riff of blues, whilst the husky, melodic vocal offers the ultimate life lesson. Don’t waste a day, borrowed time is all you’ve got. Second single release, Light It Up is a delicious, fun, rollick, plenty of bar room piano and hooky guitar. Light it up a little brighter, turn it up louder and let the stars take you where you’re meant to be. Again, a message, positivity, a life worth living, give it your all, until you reach your destination.
Borrowed Time is a journey, Tom Killner has weaved together 10 tracks of greatness, each one with hidden depths, retrospective, contemplative, clever. Southern rock, Americana, and Blues, filled with melody and vocal harmonies, hooky Hammond and piano, guitars and drums feature hard but never interrupt the focus, adding to the overall bonhomie to create a pleasing aural trip from start to finish. Borrowed Time may just be the perfect soundtrack to summer days ahead, so grab two fingers of bourbon, sit in the sunshine, and drink it all in.
of When The Hammer Comes Down finds Johnson busting his lungs over this supreme hard rock trio’s bedrock of noise. Yet another big banger, Can’t Hold It, revs up and explodes with high octane power to close out an album that teases Zep, Hendrix and Whitesnake influences and is a very good recording.
It’s worth noting, recorded swiftly over a two-week period, the band had already taped the instrumental backing tracks whilst searching for an available frontman to fit the bill. Although Young performs an admirable job, a vocalist with more powerful lung power would have been better suited to the big music presented here. It would have been very interesting to hear what Coverdale would have done with these songs…
Manic Eden is a more than worthy long-lost gem re-discovered, dusted down and finally put on public display for hard rock fans to enjoy.
Words by Viki Ridley
Following their recent tour with the dynamic duo of Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, Canadian outfit The Commoners return to the fold with their new album Restless.
Even before the album has been released The Commoners have already received strong indications that their new album is
going to do well, with several of the tracks receiving radio airplay and playlisting from the likes of Planet Rock.
The album gets underway with the infectious sounds of Devil Teasin’ Me. The latter received over 100 plays from Planet Rock, and upon first listen it’s easy to understand why. The song oozes soul and is dripping with vintage guitar riffs.
The opening guitar licks of Shake You Off immediately grabs your attention. In places it reminds you of classic tracks from bands like The Black Crowes. It’s no wonder why it was chosen as a single, it certainly hits the spot.
The rather harmonious second single The Way I Am, sits in third position on the record, and continues a very strong opening to the release.
The title track itself is a slightly mellower slide-fuelled number, with all the hallmarks of a southern/roots rock classic in the making.
Gone Without Warning and Who Are You are barnstorming honky tonk rock and
roll numbers that are sure to be crowd favourites when performed live.
Body and Soul showcases a slightly slower side to the album. Emotive guitar riffs resonate throughout the opening stages of this slow burner with perhaps undertones of Zeppelin.
The acoustic intro to See You Again changes the pace, as the album ebbs and flows. And after all that rocking and rolling up to this point in the record, it’s a nice change of pace and a beautiful ballad.
The album concludes with Too Soon To Know and the spellbinding All That We Have.
What can I say. Restless is an album which is all killer and no filler. After listening to this album, the only decision left is to buy a ticket for the band’s upcoming UK tour. On the strength of this album, the thought of missing out on the band’s forthcoming shows makes me feel Restless.
Words by Adam Kennedy
Brit rocker Loz Campbell is getting ready to release the first of two new singles in 2024. The track namely Can’t Get Enough was recorded at Monochrome Productions and produced/mixed/ mastered by Tom Gittings. This is now the 5th single Loz and Gittins have work together on.
You are getting ready to release your new single Can’t Get Enough on the 5th of May. Tell us a little bit about the track and the inspiration behind it. This track encapsulates the feeling of lust and the whirlwind of love, if you’ve ever been lucky enough to experience this you will be able to relate.
Adam Kennedy caught up with Loz to get the lowdown on the new release and beyond.
We are hurtling through 2024, it’s almost May already. How has this year been treating you so far?
It is flying! It has been a great year so far for us, we kicked things off at Planet Rock’s Winter’s End Festival and returned to York to support Erja Lyytinen.
slightly heavier place with your new material. I think the previous singles were building blocks for CGE. However, we didn’t go into the studio with the intention of it being heavier, it just naturally laid down quite meaty.
I understand the song is the first of two new singles to be released this year. Can you give us any teasers about the second track, or is that all under wraps for now?
Yes that is correct, the 2nd single is more of a bluesy vibe compared to this next single Can’t Get Enough which is more of the alternative rock sound that we have been crafting for the past few years.
The sound on Can’t Get Enough seems to be a little bit heavier than your previous releases.
You worked with Tom Gittins at Monochrome Productions on Can’t Get Enough. You’ve worked with Tom in the past, this is now your 5th single working together. What was it like working with Tom again on this release, and what did he bring to the table.
Gittins always pushes the bar higher with every track, we always start the sessions off by saying “it has to be better than whatever we’ve done previously”. He brought the “Wahs” to the table which are mega catchy and a different effect we haven’t played with before on any other track. He as always pushes us to really think about what we are laying down, he has lots of cool ideas
how lyrics can be put across/harmonies, he is a wizard.
Have you had the opportunity to play any of the new singles live yet, and if so, what’s the response been like from your fans?
We’ve played them at both gigs I mentioned above, and we’ve had some instant head nods which is always a good sign!
being brought back, it will be a journey of the years. I’m organising some special guests as we speak, expect to see an old band member or two, I think it is super important to celebrate everyone who has been a part of this journey Loz Campbell has never been just me there are a lot of people who have kept this gravy train running.
you have the rest of the year mapped out?
Pretty much, once the summer is over we hope to get back into the studio. Whitby Rocks Festival is also booked in for November. Who knows what else is round the corner.
You’ve got your 10th anniversary gig coming up at the Key Club in Leeds on the 18th of May. How much are you looking forward to marking this musical milestone, and do you have anything special instore for the big night?
Majorly looking forward to headlining this venue and as for the 10 years I have to say I am super proud and can’t believe how fast it has gone! We have quite a set list planned with old songs
You’ve got quite a run of summer festivals coming up. Do you enjoy performing on the festival circuit. And is there any festival in particular that you are looking forward to playing this time around?
Yes I love festivals, it is a great chance to catch up with band friends that usually pass us like ships in the night, great vibes. Really looking forward to Call Of The Wild, Just Push Play & Firevolt.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024. Do
Can’t Get Enough the new single from Loz Campbell will be available from 5th of May. This summer the band will launch back onto the road with a massive 10th anniversary gig at Key Club Leeds (18th May), two headline shows will follow in Glasgow (29th June) and Camden (31st August). The band will also join Marco Mendoza on his UK tour this June and appear at a number of UK festivals this summer including Call Of The Wild & Firevolt.
Words by Adam Kennedy
P.O.D. (Payable On Death, for those who didn’t know) are a San Diego three piece known for fusing together Nu Metal with alternative styles including reggae, rap and occasionally Latino and modern metal should the mood take them. With influences ranging from Suicidal Tendencies and Primus to U2 and The Police, Run-DMC and Bob Marley, they’ve a vast range of genres to blend and have fun with when they’re making music. Having earned their stripes in the 90s Nu Metal prime time and being driven to keep creating and performing eclectic and diverse music, P.O.D. are now one of the most significant and unmistakable bands of their time. With their latest album, ‘Veritas’, they are showing no sign of slowing down or losing their edge.
‘We’re always looking for what’s right and for what’s true, what’s honest,’ explains Sonny. ‘Especially in this day and age; we wrote the record during the whole COVID period and a lot of the internal struggles that we’ve gone through as a band are in there. We started this band as young kids with the same hearts and mindset, and we’ve experienced life together. We agree to disagree on a lot of things, which makes us human and which makes us brothers. Especially now, we live in such a political world and a religious world. It’s just us looking for our truth. There are certain truths that we can’t deny or argue about, but everybody has their own version of truth.’ It’s a different sounding album again from most of P.O.D.’s previous offerings, which have ranged from pop-punk to hip hop, reggae and hardcore. A lot heavier, ‘meat and potatoes’ as Sonny describes it, ‘Veritas’ is gritty, raw, at times angst ridden and emotional, but above all, a powerful rock album that sticks two fingers up to adversity and leaves the listener feeling empowered and adrenalized. ‘There was a lot of flavour in ‘Circles’,
the previous album,’ says Sonny. ‘What P.O.D. are best known for is experimenting with that whole kitchen rack of spices and mixing it all up. For ‘Veritas’ we stuck to the meat and potatoes with a little salt and pepper instead. It’s an album for those who simply want to rock out!’
P.O.D. worked independently for the first seven years of the band’s career, before signing to Atlantic Records when they decided to take the band to the next level. As teenagers, growing up in San Diego, life wasn’t always easy, and playing music, jamming out at backyard parties, was something that allowed some respite and positivity into life. ‘I lost my mother when I was just 19 years old,’ Sony explains, ‘and the band was something fun to do at that time to keep my mind from going crazy, I was going through so much stuff. We never thought we’d get out of San Diego – it wasn’t like we quit our jobs and thought ok, we’re going to make it! I had not planned any of this, but so many things happened to send me in that direction I thought that, spiritually, this must be what I was supposed to do. I had something to say, and this was the way to say it. I never considered myself a singer, I still don’t! But we were the perfect band for that time, in the hardcore scene, and the fact that we did all this independently gave us the foundation we needed. We’re just a bunch of kids from the ghetto, we come from struggle and trials, none of us are really built for all that Hollywood nonsense! We never rode the elevator to success; we took the broken staircase!’
Despite the levels of success P.O.D. have achieved, Sonny still refers to the band as ‘blue collar’ – in that they are a hard-working band, they don’t earn megabucks, and they don’t expect anything to be handed to them on a
plate. Sonny has genuine reasons, aside from the love of it, for taking the band forward that are far from materialistic. ‘All these years later, with all those millions of records sold, you’d think we’d be at a time where we’d say let’s just coast for a bit. I could have quit a long time ago,’ he reflects, ‘there’s a cost to all this, time away from your family, your loved ones. Every time I’d say – this is the last tour, the last album, I’d find myself walking from a venue to the bus, and there’s people there wanting to tell me their story, about how much our music means to them. There are kids talking about quitting heroin, coming back from thoughts of suicide, cutting themselves, all saying how the music helped them change their lives around. And we relate to that, we were on that side of the world once. I wouldn’t still be here, thirty-two years later, if I hadn’t seen the impact this band and this music has on just one person. I have far more of an investment in humanity, in goodwill and the love of God, than I do economically in a bank account.’
‘Being a man of faith, to me, there’s so much more to this than just entertainment, rock and roll. I see it as a responsibility, to help people, the betterment of your neighbour, and this is the means to do it. I’m not a poster child for the Institution of Christianity, my faith is about helping people. It brings me joy to be able to give back, to pay attention, to serve. It makes us appreciate how lucky we are to still go around the world, at our age, and still play these shows. We take nothing for granted. Every time we get off stage, we look at each other and go – what an honour, what a privilege it is to do this. I hope we go on as long as we can!’
Words by Victoria Llewelyn Photo Credit: Alicia Hauff
Hi! Please introduce yourself to the HRH Mag readers. What’s your name and where do you come from? Did you have a forum Nickname?
My name is Philip Usher, and I live in Bristol. My forum nickname was compostcorner.
Have you always been a fan of rock music, or was it one band that drew you into the genre?
I grew up with 70s glam rock, so it was a natural progression to heavy metal music. When I heard my first Judas Priest record in 1976 there was no turning back.
Philip, can you remember your first gig, and your first festival?
My first gig was Showaddywaddy, and my first festival was Glastonbury in 1977.
To date, what has been your favourite show to attend?
I was fortunate to see all the classic line-ups of bands in the 70s, like Black Sabbath, Rush, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Queen. It’s difficult to choose just one, but ill go for AC/DC on the powerage tour in 1978.
What comes next for you, is there a gig you’re looking forward too?
Stonedead is my next festival, but I have a couple of smaller gigs that I’m really looking forward to, Tailgunner who are a new British heavy metal band, and Quartz, who are doing their 50th anniversary show.
Who is still on your Bucket List Philip?
I’ve never seen Accept, and there are a few NWOBHM bands I have not yet seen like Battleaxe.
Which of the HRH events is your favourite in the Calendar and why?
It always used to be HRH in November, but Spring Break has taken over for me now, it
just seems to have the better bands.
And, what has been your most memorable HRH event to date and why? Was it the line-up, a particular set?
The first HRH in Minehead was the best one, the venue and bands were brilliant, especially Twisted Sister
You’re a long-standing DC member Philip, you get to see the work behind the scenes and to hear about future plans and events, what does that mean to you? It used to mean a lot in the early days, with the old forum you could ask questions and get good answers, but I don’t think the DC has as much influence now as it used to have.
What is it about HRH Events that keeps you coming back for more?
It’s all about the bands for me, and even if most of the bands are not to my taste, there’s always a hidden gem in there somewhere, and best of all, it’s a good weekend away.
Interview by Viki Ridley
