I went through a divorce quite a few years ago, which was an emotionally turbulent time, and all of the emotion has fed into this new album. For Amy Birks, music has been all about a journey. In fact, it’s been a physical, creative and emotional one which has taken her from her home town..
MS AMY BIRKS – All That I Am And All That I Was (Ms Amy Birks)
When someone with a sweet, almost divine, voice sings lyrics which fairly tug at the heartstrings, but does so because the topic being sung about is based on a true situation, and not a pleasant one either, the emotions go into overdrive. Amy Birks was previously one third of the Beatrix Players, who won the..
GOLDRAY … Emerging from the Rabbit Hole again?
There’s nothing wrong with jeans and a T-shirt, and I don’t walk around in a Rick Wakeman cape all the time - but it can be a bit dull when nothing’s added to the visual" - Kenwyn House Ramblin’ Man festival 2018 .. For the first time the ‘Prog in the Park’ stage is now..
SOLSTICE – Andy Glass on band’s return
My intention is to work hard and try to get some ‘live’ shows for next year. I really think this new album’s gonna be a killer and it’s definitely gonna be our best album yet ... Solstice is nominally a prog band, but one with a considerable influx of New Age and Folk influences. Formed..
ALAN WHITE – Relaying time again…
For me, Relayer’s up there in the top three albums the band’s ever made - Alan White May 2020 will see Prog legends Yes touring Europe, which will take in a series of eight dates in the UK, including one at London’s Albert Hall where, as part of its album series, fans will be treated..
Resonate 2 Festival announced for June 2020
Resonate 2 is the anticipated sequel to 2018's successful Resonate Festival. Resonate was a classic and progressive rock event which took place at the O2 Islington Academy, was a fundraiser for MacMillan Cancer Support and raised healthy funds for the cause. Resonate embraced a broad musical palette, but was mainly about ‘music without boundaries’. Conceived..
MARIANA SEMKINA – Sleepwalking (Kscope)
Mariana Semkina is one half of Russian duo Iamthemorning, alongside virtuoso keyboard man Gleb Kolyakin. They’ve been variously described as being either Neo-Folk or Chamber Prog. You pays your money, etc etc .. but whilst they’re still a relatively unknown quantity in the UK with many Prog fans, nonetheless several publications have given their music..
SAMANTHA MARTIN & DELTA SUGAR – Run To Me (Delta Soul)
Run to Me is the follow-up album to Send the Nightingale, the debut album from Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar, who are an eleven piece Blues / Soul band from Canada. For a woman marketed as a blues vocalist, and who’s been nominated for awards in various blues categories, she has a voice ideally suited..
IAN ANDERSON
I think you can look at many, if not most of the Jethro Tull albums, as containing elements of progressive rock - not necessarily prog, which is a bit more fanciful, but progressive rock. In November 2019, Ian Anderson announced that in September and October 2020, he’d be playing a series of eleven dates across..
Nightwish – Decades – Live In Buenos Airies (Nuclear Blast)
Nightwish can loosely be described as a symphonic rock band, and they’re among the market leaders in the genre. They’ve come a long way since their beginnings as an acoustic band in mid-9'0s Finland and, alongside the Von Hertzen Brothers, are the most successful musical export from the country. Their ability to blend coruscating blasts..