It felt like a cathartic goodbye to both the band members for at least another year and to the much loved venue, sadly, forever. A truly unique and emotional night was in store for all attendees of The Citadel in St Helens on June 14th 2019. This gig was special for a number of reasons...
Voyager/Coldbones/Shattered Skies – 229 The Venue, London, 22/9/19
Complex arrangements and heavy beats make it prog-metal indeed, but front man Danny Estrin’s one-sided hairy mane and bright white jacket give it a decidedly 1980s glam-pop edge... Shattered Skies A three-band evening in Great Portland Street was kicked off by Shattered Skies, a hard-hitting Anglo-Irish combo whose power rock is difficult to pigeonhole –..
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’..
BAD TOUCH / COLLATERAL / GORILLA RIOT – Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend 26/4/19
The quality of tonight’s three-band lineup can be judged by the fact that popular up-and-coming metal rockers Gorilla Riot, with their penchant for complex, driving, backing riffs, were bottom of the bill. The Red Lion in my home town has been a hard rock venue for as long as I can remember, but as the..
Skunk Anansie – Nottingham Rock City
3 September 2019 There is something to be said about a sold out Rock City show. Tonight, the crowd is as diverse as a fun fair and there is a hint of excitement in the air - it appears that celebrating 25 years of Skunk Anansie is definitely worth dusting off the dancing shoes for...
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..
KING CRIMSON – Royal Albert Hall, June 2019
Nostalgia isn’t what it might have been – King Crimson at 50 at the Royal Albert Hall It’s something of an indication of the longevity of progressive, post-psychedelic music, that we’re currently witnessing a slew of 50th anniversaries – last year it was Yes, this year it’s King Crimson. By some distance the most volatile..
Rick Wakeman – 13/7/19, Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall, London (13/7/2019) Photos: Graeme Stroud In truth I have genuinely never seen or heard a standing ovation as long... Having missed Wakeman’s previous full performance of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth at the Albert Hall in 2014, I was highly pleased to be given the opportunity to attend this, his..