Annie is a revelation throughout ... the standard that she continues to reach four decades on from the first release of these albums is quite astonishing. In 2011 Renaissance undertook a US tour which consisted of them performing their classic albums Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade & Other Stories in their entirety. Here in..
THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA – MESMERANTO (Esoteric)
A very strong work which succeeds on its own terms in its aim to set out this emotional, sensory world ... You feel as if you have stepped into someone’s soul and are living their life and feeling what they feel, without always knowing exactly why. For those new to the Blackheart Orchestra, it needs..
4TH LABYRINTH – BETTER
It’s been four years now since Cambridge-based band 4th Labyrinth released their debut album Quattro Stagioni, and the release of this long-awaited follow-up is very much what it says on the tin, or in this case, in the title. This is Better. Even main man Marcel Kunkel - a larger than life personality who has..
LITTLE FEAT – AIN’T HAD ENOUGH FUN (Floating World)
Now this is a very interesting reissue, and one which is in some ways a contradiction in terms. Little Feat, as everyone surely knows, originally split at the end of the 1970s when their leader, founder and general talisman Lowell George died unexpectedly. They reconvened a few days later with reasonable if not spectacular success,..
JOHN LODGE
Photo: Brian Aris At the end of the day, it’s just nice to get out there with the old bass and take a few of the old songs with me and sort of say to them “See, I haven’t forgotten you”. Throughout the long career of the Moody Blues, although all of the members have..
NOVA CASCADE – A Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows
You might not know the name Nova Cascade, but gather round and listen... Perhaps best described as a collective around the hub of Dave Hilborne (vocals and keys), the band known as Nova Cascade released their debut album Above All Else around a year ago, and it had much to recommend it. Fast Forward to..
SAMSON – BRIGHT LIGHTS: THE ALBUMS 1979-81 (HNE)
You remember Samson, right? Sure you do, the band which Bruce Dickinson was in before he left to join Iron Maiden and make history. If that describes your first thoughts about the band, and maybe your only ones, then you’ve got a lot in common with a whole lot of listeners, rock fans or no,..
JOE BONAMASSA ANNOUNCES ‘KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE’ CRUISE
JOE BONAMASSA ANNOUNCES JONNY LANG, WALTER TROUT, ANA POPOVIC, AND THE JAMES HUNTER SIX FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AT SEA MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE MUSIC FESTIVAL CRUISE TO SET SAIL AUGUST 14-19, 2020 FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN TO CANNES, FRANCE AND GENOA, ITALY TO BOOK YOUR CABIN SIGN UP FOR THE OFFICIAL PRE-SALE AT..
MOSTLY AUTUMN – CITADEL ST HELENS 28/6/19
Tonight was an occasion. A life-affirming, shared occasion between band and audience. And it will not be easily forgotten. Over the past few years, since first playing at the Citadel with the Classic Rock Society, it’s fair to say that Mostly Autumn have fallen in love with the venue, immediately including it as a ‘must-play’..
HAYLEY GRIFFITHS BAND / WINTER IN EDEN – St Helens Citadel, 8 June 2019
With the demise of the Classic Rock Society having been announced only a couple of months earlier, June brought with it the closure of both the wonderful old Citadel venue and also the last ever CRS shows. This one was the first of those gigs, and if ever the time was ripe for a good..