Rock Gig Reviews

Chickenfoot - Brixton Academy, London 14th January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:13:00 +0000

The last time we saw Chickenfoot it was their first ever UK gig in 2009 - (reviewed here) - and that night was something pretty special. The band tore through tracks from their debut album and Sammy nearly got killed by Chad throwing his drums around. This time around (still only their 3rd ever UK gig) they have another album to add to the set list and Sammy's minders have bolted down the drum kit.

Last time around the support act was the newly reformed Skin, with Myke Gray on guitar. This time we had new band Red, White and Blues, who just happen to have Myke Gray on guitar, teaming up for the second time with Matti Alfonzetti (they were previously in Jagged Edge together). We already had the new CD "Shine" after hearing various soundbytes from it and after seeing nothing but positive reviews from their recent shows with The Quireboys and Whitesnake we were expecting great things.
Over the course of the 35 minute, 7 song set the response from the large crowd grew with every song. They played :

Shame Shame
Set My Sights On You
Rescue Me
Counts For Nothing
Let It Shine
Red White And Blues
Stand Up For Rock n'Roll

Up to a 4 piece for live work with Adam Wardle on second guitar and Daren Lamerton on drums the first couple of songs were a bit muddy but luckily by "Rescue Me" the sound had cleared giving us the chance to marvel at Matti's hearty bluesy soulful voice.

The following song "Counts For Nothing" was superb again with Matti's voice to the fore and as the song builds to a crescendo with Myke's melodic solo finishing the song on a high. Finishing with the AC/DC style riffing of "Stand Up For Rock N'Roll" with Myke again melodic soloing at the fore, they left the crowd wanting more. It will be interesting to watch this band develop and we suggest everyone heads over to www.theredwhiteandblues.com straight away to buy the CD.

Somehow I suspect that Chickenfoot never do a duff show. As Sammy Hagar said from the stage - they are not in this to be commercial, they make the music that they like to play and listen to. They don't need to do this - they do it because a) it's infectious fun - they have a good time, we have a good time and b) they are bloody good at it.

Every member of Chickenfoot knows how good they are - they could easily come on stage play a few tracks from the new album and then rely on their past glories by playing a collection of Satriani/Montrose/Hagar/Van Halen tracks - but they don't need to. Tonight, they decide to do a track that is not on one of their albums - what do they play? - Satch Boogie? nope - Why Can't This Be Love? - nope, Bad Motor..oh you get the picture - they play Foxy Lady by Hendrix. Why? because they can.

It's interesting to note that we have just had Van Halen announcing a tour and album - whilst it will be good to see them - the contribution that Michael Anthony makes on vocals cannot be underestimated. It's as much a foundation of the Chickenfoot sound as it was in Van Halen. ..and tonight Mr Anthony is in fine form. How the hell he hits some of those notes, no one knows. Satriani was on fire, unleashed and working his fretboard to sawdust by the end of the night and Sammy Hagar was simply astounding. Surely there's been a mix up with his birth certificate as the man I saw on stage with a voice as good as it was 20 years ago, leaping around and being the consummate rock star was not 64 years old. Although they were missing Chad's unique style of madness, Kenny Aronoff is the perfect, probably the only, possible replacement for Chad, with his hyperactive high arm technique, bashing the crap out of his kit. Thank God it was bolted down.

The new songs from 'Foot III all have a real groove to them with Satch riffing away like crazy and they seemed to be played at 90 mph with "Alright Alright" going past in a flash but then they can turn on a sixpence and slow it down for "Something Going Wrong" with Joe on his twin necked guitar and Michael on his wonderful back up vocals and really letting the bluesy flow of the song develop before Joe's wonderful solo at the end. Superb.

Sammy strapped his guitar on for the end of "Future In The Past" reminding us all that he's no slouch when it comes to guitar playing. Watching Smokin' Joe Satriani watching the Red Rocker solo was brilliant. It makes you wonder what they could do with dueling guitars, although Sammy is adamant that here is only one guitar player in the band.

Interesting to note that tonight Sammy introduced "My Kinda Girl" as his favourite track from Chickenfoot I, it's ours too so why didn't they play it at Shepherds Bush in 2009?

As we came out afterwards we heard people saying how brilliant the gig was, and we remember coming out from the gig 3 years ago saying the same thing with a huge grin on our faces. This time round it was a different kind of "Wow!!" and the grin was still there. As good as their 2009 UK debut, but with a bit more depth. It's interesting to think where they go from here - if this is the road test after only seven dates what could they do next ?

Set List :

Lighten Up
Alright Alright
Bigfoot
Sexy Little Thing
Soap On A Rope
Up Next
My Kinda Girl
Down The Drain
Three and a Half Letters
Something Going Wrong
Turnin; Left
Future's In The Past

Encore:

Different Devil
Oh Yeah
Foxy Lady

(Top photo credit to Jerry Tremaine, all rest credit to Steve Goudie)

NR and ME

Michael Schenker - "Temple of Rock"

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:44:00 +0000

MICHAEL SCHENKER "TEMPLE OF ROCK"
UK TOUR - MAY 2012

TICKETS ON SALE: FRIDAY 13th JANUARY at 10amPlanet Rock ticket pre-sale from 9am on Wednesday January 11th

24 HOUR BOX OFFICE: 0844 478 0898
BOOK ONLINE: www.thegigcartel.com

Legendary rock’n’roll guitarist Michael Schenker has announced that his brand new classic rock band "Temple of Rock" will embark on a 4-date UK tour in May 2012. The tour kicks-off at the Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall on Wednesday May 9th.

Tickets for all four “Temple of Rock” UK concerts go on general sale Friday January 13th at 10am. 24 hour ticket hotline: 0844 478 0898. Online: www.thegigcartel.com.

Planet Rock Radio listeners in the UK will be treated to a special 48 hour “Temple of Rock” UK tour ticket pre-sale from 9am onWednesday January 11th. Ents24 will run an additional 24 hour pre-sale fromThursday January 12th. For further info, please visit www.planetrock.com andwww.ents24.com.

Following his acclaimed 2009/10 world tour performing the “MSG 30th Anniversary Show”, where Michael was joined by (original MSG vocalist) Gary Barden, alongside a host of other classic rock legends including Carmine Appice, Simon Phillips, Chris Slade and Chris Glen, Schenker’s “Temple of Rock” is ready to conquer the UK with a brand new kick-ass, all-star line-up.

Boasting Ex-Scorpions stars Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz on drums and bass respectively, MSG stalwart Wayne Findlay on keyboards and the magnificent Doogie White (ex Rainbow / Yngwie Malmsteen) on vocals, these “Temple Of Rock” concerts will include a plethora of hits spanningMichael Schenker’s colourful career.

Songs to be performed by the “Temple of Rock” include UFO’s “Rock Bottom" and "Doctor Doctor", MSG’s "Armed and Ready" and "Into The Arena", and the Scorpions classics"Another Piece of Meat" and "Rock You like a Hurricane". In addition, Schenker will perform brand new songs from the recently released "Temple of Rock" album alongside other solo favourites such as "Before the Devil Knows You´re Dead", "Miss Claustrophobia" and"Hangin On".

In 2010, Michael Schenker received the Marshall '11' Award at the Classic Rock Magazine Roll Of Honour awards; in 2011 he rocked the High Voltage Festival, and also played some UK dates with Black Country Communion. Now he´s back in 2012 with the "Temple of Rock" world tour.

MICHAEL SCHENKER "TEMPLE OF ROCK"
UK TOUR - MAY 2012

TICKETS ON SALE: FRIDAY 13th JANUARY at 10amPlanet Rock ticket pre-sale from 9am on Wednesday January 11th

24 HOUR BOX OFFICE: 0844 478 0898
BOOK ONLINE: www.thegigcartel.com

Wolverhampton - Wulfrun Hall
Wednesday 9th May
Tickets: £22.50 / Doors: 7.00pm
North Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RQ
www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Manchester - HMV Ritz
Thursday 10th May
Tickets: £22.50 / Doors: 7.00pm
Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ
www.hmvritz.com

Glasgow - O₂ ABC
Friday 11th May
Tickets: £22.50 / Doors: 6.30pm
Online - www.o2abcglasgow.co.uk
300 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JA

London - O₂ Shepherds Bush Empire
Saturday 12th May
Tickets: £22.50 / Doors: 7.30pm
Shepherd's Bush Green, London, W12 8TT
www.o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk

Michael Schenker - Official Websitewww.michaelschenkerhimself.com

Flying Colors - Portnoy, LaRue, McPherson and a couple of Morses!

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:41:00 +0000

www.flyingcolorsmusic.com

Check out the "Making of the Album". Click here to watch the EPK.

Mascot Label Group is pleased to announce the release of the eponymous debut album from Flying Colors - the spectacular new virtuoso prog/pop/metal rock band formed by drummer Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) and guitarist Steve Morse (Deep Purple). The album is released by Music Theories Recordings in the UK on Monday March 26th, followed by a US release on Tuesday March 27th.

Flying Colors is Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse(keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (lead vocals, guitar), and Steve Morse (lead guitar). "This album has bits and pieces of what you'd expect from each of us,” says Portnoy. “The sum of all its parts led to brand new, unchartered territory for everyone involved."

The formation of Flying Colors began with a simple idea: virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joining together to make new-fashioned music the old fashioned way. Refreshing, classic, old and new, the recordings are saturated with the many styles, tones and hues of the players who in becoming a band have delivered a unique fusion of vintage craftsmanship and contemporary music.

In 2008, executive producer Bill Evans brought the idea to the world renowned musicians and producer Peter Collins. Intrigued by the idea and the prospect of working together, the four musicians signed on to form a band and record a first album.

Steve Morse and Dave LaRue have developed magical music chemistry over the years that began early in their careers as partners in Dixie Dregs. In 1995, Morse subsequently became a member of Deep Purple, while LaRue’s ongoing musical adventures include Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Steve Vai, and the aforementioned Portnoy.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Neal Morse is one of the leading figures in progressive rock, whose notoriety follows his co-founding of the seminal band, Spock’s Beard in 1995, recordings as a solo artist, and contributions to the super-group Transatlantic.

Mike Portnoy is one of the most popular and respected drummers in both metal and rock, and an accomplished writer and producer. He is the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including 26 Modern Drummerawards, Revolver Magazine’s Golden God award for “Best Drummer" and Drum Magazine's "Drummer of the Year". He rose to prominence as the leader, drummer, producer, and co-writer for metal/prog juggernaut Dream Theater, before moving on in 2010. That same year, he worked on Avenged Sevenfold’s #1 albumNightmare and their subsequent tour.

It was Portnoy who recommended Alpha Rev's emotive singer Casey McPherson as a contender to join Flying Colors. McPherson, who's 2010 Hollywood/Disney album New Morning debuted in the Top-5 on twoBillboard charts, enjoyed major success at radio with multiple hits. The track “New Morning” spent 17 weeks in the Top-10 on Triple A Radio, and enjoyed a run on Vh1’sTop-20 Countdown for months. Steve Morse offers, "Casey was a glorious find, because he could make anything sound fantastic, and is a multitalented like the others."

Flying Colors convened for just nine days in early 2011, and composed and recorded this album during a short and intense session.

"It was quite an experience,” recalls Dave LaRue. “The band moved at a fast pace, ideas flying around the room at all times. Sections of tunes were arranged, and then re-arranged. Ideas were tried every which way until we made them work, or, in some cases, discarded them altogether. Just keeping track of everything was a challenge!" The album is filled with trial and triumph. It's been an inspiring challenge melding folk, prog, pop, and metal all into one big recording."

Touring plans for Flying Colors will be announced in the coming months.

FLYING COLORS - ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS

Flying Colors: Official Website
www.flyingcolorsmusic.com

Flying Colors: "Making of The Album" EPK
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsYw_nGwlOM

Flying Colors: Facebook
www.facebook.com/flyingcolorsofficial

Flying Colors: Twitter
http://twitter.com/flyingcolors

Music Theories Recordings: Official Website
www.musictheoriesrecordings.com

Rockgig's Favourites of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:44:00 +0000

It's that time of year again, the Rockgig team have come up with their favourite albums and gigs of 2011...

First up is our man in the north - Nigel (NH)

I do feel like I've missed a few key CD's this year for one reason or another, and I'm sure if I hear them they will trouble my top 5, examples being CDs by The Union, Chickenfoot, The Answer, Joe Bonamassa, JB and Beth Hart etc.

1) Black Stone Cherry - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
2) Black Country Communion - 2
3) Saxon - Call to Arms
4) Chantel McGregor - Like No Other
5) The Answer - 412 Days of Rock n Roll (great value at 3.99 and DVD)

Live show, looking at full value for money.

1) Saxon/Wolfsbane/Fury UK Bristol o2 Academy
2) Black Country Communion/Michael Schenker Leeds o2 Academy
3) Iron Maiden/Airborne Sheffield arena
4) Black Stone Cherry/Sons of Icarus - Leeds Uni
5) The Quireboys/Liberty Slaves Tokyo's Huddersfield

Next in line is our Admin - Shazz

Albums

Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
Nickelback - Here & Now
Whitesnake - Forever More
Journey - Eclipse
Iron Maiden - From Fear to Eternity

Gigs

Nightranger - Islington O2 Academy
Within Temptation - Brixton O2 Academy
Iron Maiden - Cardiff CIA
Mr Big - Birmingham O2 Academy
Europe - Oxford O2 Academy

Our next list is from Nige (NR) our techie editor type..

Frankly I'm rubbish at choosing top 5 albums, or bands as I tend to like everything I listen to (otherwise I wouldn't listen to it) .. however based on the albums from 2011 that I played the most (in no particular order)....

Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea
Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
Joe Bonamassa/ Beth Hart - Don't Explain
3 Door Down - Time of my Life
Black Country Communion - 2

..but like I said I'm rubbish at lists so you should also include in there - Chickenfoot "3", Saint Jude - "Diary of a Soul Fiend", Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - "How I Go" and Philip Sayce "Ruby Electric"

As for gigs, that's easier...

Nightranger - Islington O2 Academy - Waited most of my adult life to see this and was not disappointed
Beth Hart - The Brook, Southampton - Frankly, a revelation.
Judas Priest/Queensryche/Rival Sons - Bournemouth BIC - Rival Sons were brilliant, Queensryche were fabulous and Judas Priest (a band I never really liked before) played a blinder!
Bowling For Soup - Oxford O2 Academy - Punk/Pop at it's finest.

Last but not least - it's Mark (ME) - the Admin's other half and our Southern Man about town

Cd's.

1 Dream Theater A Dramatic Turn Of Events (all we could hope for with the best track of the year Breaking All Illusions)

2 Chickenfoot 3 (so good they missed album 2)

3 Within Temptation The Unforgiving (wonderful vocals and what a sound)

4 Mr Big What If (as good as the debut)

5 Night Ranger Somewhere In California (Back to the old sound)

Bubbling under Toby Hitchcock ,Chris Ousey, BCC ,BSC, Megadeth, The Magnificent ,Joe Bonamassa ,JB and Beth Hart ,Red White and Blues, The Answer and Whitesnake,

Gigs.

1 Night Ranger Islington (legendary show worth the 26 year wait)

2 Vanden Plas Lydney (2 hours of musical heaven in a town hall)

3 Accept Relentless Garage (like the last 25 years had gone missing.Sweat on the walls,Flying V's)

4 Iron Maiden Cardiff (smallest arena show on the tour brilliant)

5 Within Temptation Brixton( 90 minutes of wonderful all encompassing music)

Bubbling under Journey, Saxon, Rush, Europe, Beth Hart, Jimi Jamison, Joe Bonamassa, Mr Big ,Judas Priest and Threshold.

Live dvd's /cd's.

1 AC/DC Live At River Plate

2 Rush Time Machine

3 BCC Live Over Europe

4 Europe Live at Shepherd's Bush

5 Jorn Live In Black

Reissues.

1 Survivor reissues on Rock Candy( Vital Signs,Too Hot To Sleep and When Seconds Count)

2 Rush Sector Boxsets.

3 Skin Self Titled

Book

Iron Maiden On Board Flight 666

Worst cd maybe of all time Lou Reed and Metallica Lulu.

2012

Looking forward to gigs by Chickenfoot, Dream Theater, FM, BSC and Threshold.

Hopefully by Accept, Rush, Beth Hart and Europe.

New cd's by Threshold, Accept ,Europe, Rush ,FM, Van Halen(!), Jeff Scott Soto ,H.E.A.T., Pride Of Lions and Furyon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT ROCKGIG !

Van Halen are back and on tour!

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:06:00 +0000

The worst kept secret of 2011 was finally made public yesterday - Van Halen are back!

Eddie and Alex are reunited with David Lee Roth and as Michael Anthony is now in Chickenfoot, Eddie's son Wolfgang is on bass.

The video below was posted on the band;s official website yesterday.

Biff Byford - Christmas Rambles

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:54:00 +0000

From Biff Byford – Frontman of Saxon:

"Did the last show of Call To Arms world tour on Tuesday. Last Night went to see Rock of Ages in London. Fantastic show. All the cast were on top form - singing was spot on and hats off to them all. Every night plus matinees is hard core. Went back stage to meet the cast and got to meet up with Justin Lee Collins. I didn't know he could sing and dance so well."

"Anyway a good night was had and you should go and see the show - it puts you right back in the eighties and I should know - I was there!"

Saxon - Koko London - 20/12/11

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:35:00 +0000

So a week after the Oxford show off to London for a new venue for me. London’s Koko in Camden was the setting for Saxon’s last show of the Call To Arms tour and with it being only a few days before Christmas that only added to the party feel.

To a packed out crowd Sweden’s Hammerfall hit hard for 45 minutes getting a response some headliners would like.

As last week their heavy riffing melodic power metal was a real joy to see and showed a band with real stagecraft thoroughly enjoying themselves.

I look forward to seeing them back as headliners shortly.

Over the course of 2 hours and 5 minutes Saxon nearly took the roof off with the crowd doing their bit too.

With it being the 30^th anniversary of the release of Denim And Leather the gig was a special occasion with a full run through of the album in 2 parts and as Biff said not in the right order.

Here’s the setlist for the night:

Hammer Of The Gods

Heavy Metal Thunder

When Doomsday Comes

Chasing The Bullet

Motorcycle Man

Back In 79

Solid Ball Of Rock

Never Surrender

Fire In The Sky

Midnight Rider

And The Bands Played On

To Hell And Back Again

Call To Arms

Rock The Nations including drum solo

Mists Of Avalon

Broken Heroes (got the vote over the Eagle Has Landed this time)

Play It Loud

Rough And Ready

Out Of Control

Denim And Leather

Princess Of The Night

Encores of

Crusader followed by Doug’s guitar solo

747 Strangers In The Night

Bass solo

Strong Arm Of The Law

Wheels Of Steel

A big thumbs up again for the soundman who again produced a loud but clear sound from my position up on the first balcony. It was also great to able to see this time Nigel Glockler at work who was quite superb and his double bass work on To Hell And Back Again rattled fillings!!

The band were all on fire (with assorted Christmas hats too including a fetching Lion hat for Nigel Glockler) and that should show when the show is released at some time as Biff told us the night was being recorded.

A fantastic night out that only confirms the band now in their 4^th decade still have the fire to produce the goods in the live domain.

12/10

Merry Christmas from all at Rockgig

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Saxon – Hammerfall – Sheffield Academy 20 Dec 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:57:00 +0000

Unfortunately I only caught one song from opening act Crime of Passion, but what I heard sounded OK. Next up were Hammerfall from Sweden. I have to say I know nothing about them but, I really enjoyed their show, and they got a great reception from the Sheffield crowd. One to the check out in the future I think.

Saxon kicked off their return to Yorkshire with Heavy Metal Thunder one of many classics in tonight’s set. The set also contained six songs from the latest (excellent) CD Call to Arms, this included the wonderful title track and my favorite Chasing the Bullet, which didn’t get an airing when I saw the band earlier in the year. Three classics, Power and the Glory, Denim and Leather and of course Wheels of Steel (including a sing along conducted by Biff) brought the main part of the evening to a close. The band return to encore with Crusader, 747 and a rousing version of Princess of the Night before the venue’s curfew brought proceedings to an end. Another great evening a Heavy Metal and long may the eagle fly. Just a note to say that at £18.50p a ticket the evening delivered great value, so well done to all involved for thinking of the fans. Let's hope that 2012 brings as much success for Saxon - and chance to see them live again.

Set list (I think this is right)

Heavy Metal Thunder
Hammer of the Gods
Never Surrender
When Doomsday Comes
Chasing the Bullet
Motorcycle Man
Back in 79
Dogs of War
To Hell and Back Again
Call to Arms
Broken Heroes
Mists of Avalon
And the Bands Played On
Power and the Glory
Denim and Leather
Wheels of Steel
Encore
Crusader
747 (Strangers in the Night)
Princess of the Night

NH

Blues Rock Review top 20 Albums of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Our friends over at Blues Rock Review have compiled a list of their top 20 albums of the year.. we'll do our usual end of year round-up shortly (when we've dried out from all the Christmas parties..) but until then check out their list (just here) - it looks like we have a lot in common - Merry Christmas to Pete & the team @ Blues Rock Review.

Free festive Black Stone Cherry Download

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Planet Rock and Black Stone Cherry have teamed up to give us all a free download of "Santa is Back". Just click here to download the track.

Merry Christmas!

Saxon - Oxford O2 Academy 13-12-11

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:17:00 +0000

First up were Hammerfall from Sweden who got the rapidly filling crowd off to a great start.

Playing power metal like a combination of Helloween, Priest, Saxon and Maiden with some Thin Lizzy duelling guitars their 45 minute 9 song set flew past with a more rabid response after every song.

Led by the very melodic voice of Joacim Cans and the twin lead guitars of Pontus Norgren and Oscar Dronjak with plenty of synchronized headbanging songs included B.Y.H. (Bang Your Head), Last Man Standing, Let The Hammer Fall and One More Time and left the crowd wanting more.

Perfect support.

Saxon were back in Oxford for the first time in over 20 years (my second ever gig way back in 1982 was Saxon at Oxford Apollo) with their second set of UK dates this year in support of their 19^th studio release the excellent “Call To Arms”.

Here’s what they played over the course of 2 hours

Hammer Of The Gods

Heavy Metal Thunder

When Doomsday Comes

Never Surrender

Chasing The Bullet

Motorcycle Man

Back In 79

Solid Ball Of Rock

To Hell And Back Again

I’ve Got To Rock To Stay Alive

Call To Arms

Demon Sweeney Todd

The Eagle Has Landed (the crowd had the choice of this or Broken Heroes. I lost!!)

Mists Of Avalon

Power And The Glory

Denim And Leather/guitar solo by Doug

Wheels Of Steel

Encore 1 Crusader and 747 Strangers In The Night)

Encore 2 Bass Solo/Strong Arm Of The Law

Princess Of The Night

A fantastic selection of hits, new songs and some long forgotten nuggets which the large crowd sang along to every note.

Special note of thanks to the sound man who gave us a loud but very clear sound and an impressive light show considering the size of the venue and the low roof!

Led by Biff who was in great voice and backed up by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars and the backline of Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums we were treated to a night of old school British Heavy Metal that left everyone with a smile on their face.

Job done!!

10/10

BIFF BYFORD JOINS METALLICA ON STAGE

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:16:00 +0000

Saxon lead singer Biff Byford flew from Helsinki to San Francisco this week to join Metallica on stage in one of the band’s 30th Anniversary shows. Byford couldn’t miss the chance to celebrate such a milestone in Metallica’s career, and took advantage of a two days gap in Saxon’s current tour to make the event. The iconic British metal vocalist performed the Saxon classic ‘Motorcycle Man’ at the Fillmore with Metallica on 5th December.

It’s not the first time Biff and Metallica have surprised their fans with a live rendition of the song: in 2009, Byford joined the cult band in Paris, at Palais Omnisport de Bercy. Fans footage can be seen below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcx3OjNMlu4

Metallica's second-ever gig was opening for Saxon, and Biff has been a long time friend of the San Francisco heavy metal giants; like many other seminal bands of the genre, Metallica always recognized Saxon as one of their main influences.
Biff Byford is the original frontman and main force in Saxon, who recently released their 19th studio album, the acclaimed ‘Call to Arms’; he continues leading the pack and mesmerizing audiences with his energetic performances, together with Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums.
Saxon will hit the UK for the second time this year in December, performing a mix of old unforgettable heavy metal classics and more recent material, except for the London show where they will perform ‘Denim and Leather’ in its entirety as a special treat for their fans.

Dates as follows, support from Hammerfall:
DECEMBER

Tues 13th Oxford 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - http://www.o2academyoxford.co.u/k
Wed 14th Leicester 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - http://www.o2academyleicester.co.uk/
Fri 16th Edinburgh Picturehouse 0844 847 1740 - http://www.meanfiddler.com/
Sat 17th Belfast Mandela Hall 0844 277 4455 - http://www.qubsu-ents.com/
Mon 19th Sheffield 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - http://www.o2academysheffield.co.uk/

Tues 20^th London Koko 0844 477 1000 - www.koko.uk.com/

Tickets are priced at £18.50 for all shows except London where they are £20.00 and are subject to booking fee. Doors open for all shows at 7.00pm except Edinburgh 6.30pm.

Tyketto - Camden Underworld 30-11-11

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:16:00 +0000

First up in front of a very respectable size crowd for a Wednesday night was Sondura. A 4 piece from London they hit hard for 30 minutes with a greater crowd response coming after every song.

Heavy yet melodic with a real great groove it left everybody wanting more and with their second cd due in 2012 one definitely to watch.

The same couldn’t be said of Fighting Wolves. On the wrong bill their shouty hardcore played with their backs to the audience turned everyone off.

Tyketto were back with their original line up for the first time in 15 years, and how London loved it. Over the course of 90 minutes we witnessed some real magic.

Led by the quite brilliant Danny Vaughn (vocals/guitar) who at the age of 50 just gets better with age. His comment about being 50 and his hair is all his own but the colour is by L’Oreal brought the house down.

Here’s what they played:

Lay Your Body Down

Strength In Numbers

Nothing But Love

End Of The Summer Days

Love To Love (new song but on the reissue of Strength In Numbers)

Rescue Me

Burning Down Inside

Wings

Meet Me In The Night

Sound Off (new song)

Seasons

Standing Alone

Catch My Fall

Sail Away

Encores of Last Sunset

Forever Young

How could they go wrong. Playing 8 songs off one of my favourite cd’s of all time and ending with Forever Young - Stunning.

With returning guitarist Brooke St James playing it very much like the cd’s, the purist’s who felt PJ on the last tour was a bit modern, everyone was happy.

With Michael Clayton (drums), Jimi Kennedy (bass) and Bobby Lynch on keys laying down a great groove at the back all eyes were on Danny who gave us his all for every note and letting us join in at every opportunity.

With a new cd called “Dig In Deep” due on Frontiers in April/May and a tour to follow the one very new song gave us all hope for the future.

As Danny and Brooke left the stage to rapturous applause Danny gave Brooke a kiss.

We are glad he is back too.

Stunning.

12/10.

Black Stone Cherry – Leeds Met University – 28 November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:03:00 +0000

This was a one off headlining show for Black Stone Cherry whilst out on the arena tour with Alter Bridge and what a show they delivered. Songs from all three of the bands studio CDs were lapped up by they crowd crammed into this sweat box of a venue. Highlights included Rain Wizard, Blind Man, Lonely Train, sing alongs in the form of Peace is Free and Things My Farther Said and from the latest CD the excellent White Trash Millionaire and Blame it on the Boom Boom, which was a cue for another great sing along.

The band are back doing a headline tour in March and judging by the response tonight I’d get your ticket ASAP.
P.S. I really enjoyed the support band as well, but unfortunately didn’t catch their name. Can anyone help with this?
Just been informed the support band were Sons of Icarus - many thanks for the update.
NH

Beth Hart - The Brook, Southampton 25th November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:11:00 +0000

With exactly one month to go until Christmas, we received a very welcome, early Christmas present in the form of the beautifully talented Beth Hart performing in the intimate surroundings of The Brook in Southampton. Beth has one of the best voices you will ever hear - one part Janice Joplin, one part Etta James, and a whole lot of soul drawn from a background that feeds both her emotionally fragile lyrics and her incredible vocal range. She was backed by a very impressive band consisting of Tom Lilly on bass, Todd Wolf on drums and Jon Nichols on guitar. For the latter it must have been daunting, knowing that Beth's most recent album is a collaboration with one of the best guitarists in the world today: Joe Bonamassa - but he put his own stamp on the songs tonight and did a magnificent job.

You cannot take your eyes off of Beth when she is on stage - whether seated behind the piano singing emotional songs like "Leave the Light On", rocking up front with the band playing "For my Friend", or telling raucous anecdotes between songs. She was totally mesmerising. We had a number of songs from the "Don't Explain" Bonamassa collaboration including - "Sinner's Prayer", "Chocolate Jesus" and "Well, Well", along with a host of others from her back catalogue including "L.A. Song" and "My California"(which was dedicated to her road manager husband, along with the story of how they met). The night flew by and Beth looked like she was enjoying it as much as we were.

I'm sure Beth get's fed up of reading reviews that mention her past, but it makes her performance even more astonishing when you know her background: alcohol addiction from the age of 11, drugs from 15, dropped by her record company after appearing on TV looking emaciated, a jail sentence for writing false prescriptions..any one of these would be devastating to most people. Thankfully she got into rehab and we now have one of the best blues/rock singers alive today.

If you've never heard her then do yourself a favour and go see her, buy the albums, go on YouTube, whatever it takes.. at the very least check out the footage below to see why I think that I may be a little bit in love with Mrs Hart.

SAXON TO PERFORM ‘DENIM AND LEATHER’ IN ITS ENTIRETY AT LONDON’S KOKO

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Due to hit the UK for a string of live shows in December, British metal greats Saxon announced a special treat for the fans attending their London date at Koko, where they will perform one of their most loved albums, Denim and Leather, in its entirety as well as Saxon classics and material from their current album Call To Arms. A mysterious special guest will also join the band on keyboards during the show.

Denim and Leather is Saxon’s fourth studio album and was released in 1981 to become a cherished classic of English heavy metal. The title track was a tribute from the band to their fans, while describing the history of the sub-culture and the rise of NWOBHM. Two of Saxon’s most successful singles, ‘Princess of the Night’ and ‘And the Bands Played on’, are featured on Denim and Leather.
Biff says “it’s the 30th Anniversary of the album and we played it at Sweden Rock and in Tokyo -it's about time we played the album once in UK before the year is over.”
Denim and Leather was the last album with the complete classic Saxon line up. These days, lead vocalist and main man Biff Byford keeps leading the pack and mesmerizing audiences with his energetic performances, joined by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums.
The rest of the UK dates see Saxon performing a mix of old unforgettable heavy metal classics and new material from their successful latest album Call to Arms, with support from Hammerfall on the entire tour.

December dates as follows:

Tues 13th Oxford 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - www.o2academyoxford.co.uk
Wed 14th Leicester 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - www.o2academyleicester.co.uk
Fri 16th Edinburgh Picturehouse 0844 847 1740 - www.meanfiddler.com
Sat 17th Belfast Mandela Hall 0844 277 4455 - www.qubsu-ents.com
Mon 19th Sheffield 02 Academy 0844 477 2000 - www.o2academysheffield.co.uk
Tues 20th London Koko 0844 477 1000 - www.koko.uk.com/

Tickets are priced at £18.50 for all shows except London where they are £20.00 and are subject to booking fee. Doors open for all shows at 7.00pm except Edinburgh 6.30pm

Nigel Glockler - Exclusive Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Rockgig have been blessed again with the opportunity to ask Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler a few questions.

RG. What does 2012 hold for the band?

NG. Firstly, we're taking a break!!! - it's been a very heavy year touring-wise so i'm going off the radar in January - beside i've got the Namm show to visit. Then i guess we'll be looking at some more touring - i think there's a possibility of some more South American shows in countries we missed last time - also, we'll start collating ideas for the next album during the year - then of course we hit 'Festival Season".

We'd really like to get on a package and go back to the US too. Everything's in the planning stage at the moment.

RG. How did the recent US tour go?

NG. We were extremely pleased with the reception over there - we usually just play Texas and New York so it was fantastic to test the waters in other areas and get such a positive reaction! As I said in the previous answer, we'd love to get on a big package and go back over there to play larger venues and visit more cities.

RG. Call To Arms has been critically acclaimed is that how you see success in 2011 as cd sales continue to dwindle?

NG. The album's selling very well - both in cd form and as a download - more and more people prefer downloads it seems - i guess they can load the songs straight onto their mp3 players.,Ipods etc. The album reviews have been brilliant generally - yep, we're very happy with the way it's been received, on both sides of the pond!

RG. Will you do the soundcheck experience for the Christmas shows after the success of the April dates?

NG. As far as I know, there aren't any plans to do this on these forthcoming shows. If there's any change I'll let you know.

RG. You played 4 songs from The Call to Arms CD on the April Tour Will we hear anymore songs from it on this tour? - www.Rockgig.co.uk particularly like Chasing the Bullet

NG. We were actually playing more stuff from the album on the US/South American tour so I think we'll probably keep them all in for this leg of the world tour - and we like playing Chasing The Bullet too!!

RG.. Who picks the setlist for each night and do you try to rotate it?

NG. We try to keep the setlist pretty constant every gig, although we might throw in the odd change here and there - generally, the new songs stay in because that's the reason a band tours - to showcase the new tracks - so some of the old favourites get chopped about.

RG. Do you prefer your music as a download or a cd?

NG. Personally i like to actually have the physical copy of the cd in my hand - I like to read the sleeve notes etc, know who's played what, and so on, but i know a lot of people prefer downloads and don't want the hassle of having to store a load of cds. I think the download thing is fine if you only want one or two tracks off an album - that's when I download songs but, as I said, if I want a whole album, I'll buy the cd- then I'll load it into my itunes and have it on my computer for loading into a personal player.

Rockgig would like to say a big thank you to Nigel for his time in answering the questions.

Saxon are on tour in December.

13 December Oxford O2 Academy
14 December Leicester O2 Academy
16 December Edinburgh Picturehouse
17 December Belfast Mandela Hall
19 December Sheffield O2 Academy
20 December London Koko

Rockgig hope to bring you reviews from both the Oxford and Sheffield shows.
NH

LIONSEX UK Tour December 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:28:00 +0000

After unleashing their wild no-boundaries rock’n’roll to press and industry in a successful London’s showcase, Milton Keynes sleazier beasts LIONSEX are ready to hit the UK with a string of live dates.

The tour, starting on December 1st, supports the release of their debut album ‘Get It’, in all record stores and digital outlets on Roar Power/Universal on 21st November; the album was recorded in Wales with producer/engineer Matthew Bond and mixed at Nott-in-Pill Studios in Newport by Jeff Rose and Martin ‘Ginge’ Ford (Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, Skindred).
Jef Leppard, JJ Lyons, Davy Lyonz, Matt Von Kouga and Jakk Vanity have been taking their decadent rock 'n' roll across the UK and beyond, building a growing fan base thanks to unforgettable live shows and a down-to-Earth, fun loving attitude. Unafraid to mesh their Seattle sound with Sunset Strip make-up and hairdos, Leppard & Co. are ready to be crowned Kings of the jungle by sticking to play what they like and being who they are.
Blending the sound and attitude of classics from Marilyn Manson and 69 Eyes to Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue, with more than a hint of Pearl Jam and a vibrant modern edge, Lionsex are a new reality to be reckoned with on the throbbing UK scene.
Catch them live roaring in a venue near you in December...

Thurs 1st Wakefield Snooty Fox FREE 01924 782 929 http://snootyfoxlive.com

Fri 2nd Crumlin Patriot FREE 07810563855 http://patriotpub.webs.com/whatsonfridays.htm
Sat 3rd Neath The Duke FREE 01639 643892 http://www.myspace.com/thedukeneath
Sun 4th London Purple Turtle £5.00 020 7383 4976 http://www.purpleturtlecamden.co.uk/
Mon 5th Sheffield Dove & Rainbow FREE 0114 272 1594http://www.doveandrainbow.com/
Wed 7th Manchester Retro Bar £3.00 0871 230 1101 http://www.retrobarmcr.co.uk/
Fri 9th Milton Keynes Crauford Arms TBC 01908 313 864
Sun 11th London Intrepid Fox TBC 020 7836 8956 http://www.myspace.com/intrepidfox
Mon 12th Braunton The Aggi £3.00 01271 817980 http://www.myspace.com/theaggi
Wed 14th Rhondda The Hotel £3.00 01443 682388 http://rhonddahotel.com/
Thurs 15th Birmingham Hare & Hound £3.00 0121 4442081http://hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/contact/

Fri 16th Coleford Magnums Night Club FREE 01594 833113
Sat 17th Wigan Fuzzbox FREE 01942 665415 http://www.myspace.com/thefuzzboxwigan
Sun 18th Durham Live Lounge £6.00 0191 383 1387 http://www.durhamlive.co.uk/
Mon 19th Brighton Hydrant £3.00 01273 608 313 http://thehydrantbrighton.co.uk/
Fri 23rd Bedford Esquires £5.00 01234 340120 http://www.bedfordesquires.com

LIONSEX – GET IT

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:17:00 +0000

This CD was recorded in 2009 but for some reason (or reasons) that I don’t know has only just been published. Hailing from Milton Keynes this band are certainly a colourful bunch.

So is there any substance behind all that glam? Well I think there is, the CD starts with three good standard rock songs Get It, MIA and Too Good before moving up a notch with Smoking Out the Neighbourhood. The quality remains, but there is a change of pace with Nobody Said it Would be Easy, a potential single if such things still exist. Next up is my stand out track Midnight. Track 7 takes us on an interesting trip to Rip Off Britain, I would imagine that it could be good live track and echoes a lot of what we are all feeling at the moment. In a similar vain Used to Be is another well structured song with a catchy chorus, before we board the Rocket 2ur Heart a song at a faster pace. Finally we have a real turn of pace as we slow down for Brining Back the Heartache which slowly builds into a great guitar finish.

At just under 37 minutes it’s not going to be the longest CD you’ll ever own, but you can be assured that Lionsex are a band who know how to rock and can deliver a catchy song that you’ll soon be singing along to.

I’m looking forward to seeing them deliver these songs in a live environment
NH

GMT – Idle Creep Bradford Rios 11 November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:56:00 +0000

First of all credit to the girl behind the bar for saying the lager was flat and letting us change our pint. Well done.

The night opened with young local band Idle Creep, I’ll be honest when they started I thought it wasn’t going to be much good, but in the end they put on an enjoyable show that went down well and we also had three cheers for the late and great Yorkshire legend Sir Jimmy Saville. Well done Idle Creep, all the best for the future.

GMT gave us a set with a large number of new songs, and they all seemed good material on the first time of hearing. Mixed into the set we had songs from the Evil Twin and Bitter and Twisted CDs including. Bullet in the Brain, Wheel of Fortune, Rocky Road, Can’t Beat Rock ‘n’ Roll and set closer Cannonball. For encores we had a couple of songs I’d not heard the band play live before The Humours of Mr McCoy from Evil Twin and Larry Williams’s Bony Maronie.

As always the band were on top form - guitar heroics by Bernie Tormé, driving bass from John McCoy and another entertaining display from Robin Guy on Drums. Hopefully 2012 will provide us with a new studio CD and more great live shows.
NH

Within Temptation - Brixton Academy - 11.11.11

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:45:00 +0000

New venue for us this one and the queue went way round the block for this show that had been sold out for months and delayed due to the new arrival in the WT family.

Sat upstairs in the circle we had a great view of the support artist Anneke van Giersbergen and her 4 piece group who played a 30 minute 6 song set.

Ex-vocalist of The Gathering she went down well to the large crowd. We had an old "Gathering" tune in the shape of "Satumine" and the new single "Feel Alive" and the ballad "You Want To Be Free" gave her a real chance to show off her vocal talents.

Guitars were a little jangly but the crowd lapped it up.

After having a ticket for 18 months the sold out crowd were more than ready and as the short film to "Mother Maiden" came up on the large screens at the back the place went mad.

In support of the quite monumental "The Unforgiven" cd tonight was a masterclass in the live show. Fantastic sound, superb screens showing videos and assorted effects and featuring the most incredible light show seen in a long while they really couldn't fail

Led by the angelic voice of Sharon den Adel through 8 songs from the aforementioned cd it was hit after hit.

This is what they played:

Mother Maiden (Short Movie)
Shot In The Dark
In The Middle Of The Night
Faster
Fire And Ice
Ice Queen
The Howling
Our Solemn Hour
Stand My Ground
Sinead (Short Movie)
Sinead
What Have You Done
Iron Angels
Where Is The Edge
Encores of
See Who I Am
Mother Earth
Stairway To The Skies

Interspersed with old favourites with the mass sing along of "What Have You Done", the Churchill led speech of "Our Solemn Hour" and the wonderful vocal led "Angels" the only down was only a 95 minute set that all concerned would have been happy to have gone on for way longer.

Ably backed by Martijn Spierenburg on keys, Jeroen van Veen on bass, new drummer Mike Coolen, Ruud Jolie on guitar and very new live guitarist Stefan Helleblad, Sharon led from the front with her vocals hitting the stratosphere and Ruud's always melodic solo's just adding to the all enveloping sound.

I really could go on forever. Most of the gig is on youtube so go on and have a look.

Expected back in the UK next summer their stay will only continue to soar and surely it is only a matter of time before they hit arena's like they do on the continent.

Wonderful evening!

ME & Shazz

12/10

Voodoo Six - UK Tour reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:05:00 +0000

The UK tour starts in just over 2 weeks time, the first date is 17th November. If you haven't got tickets yet please click here for more information and ticket links Tour

The single 'Falling Knives' will be released on 7th November. The full

EP will be released on 28th November entitled 'Falling Knives'.

It will feature three brand new tracks, 'Falling Knives', 'Sharp Sand', and 'Stop', as well as three re-worked and re-recorded versions of tracks from their debut album ‘First Hit For Free’, featuring the driving influence of Luke’s illustrious, raunchy vocals.
You can pre order the EP by clicking this link - iTunes

They are shooting a video for the title track this coming Sunday so it will be available to view before the tour begins.

www.voodoosix.com V6 Facebook

Fiona – Unbroken (Life on the Moon / Retrospect records)

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:38:00 +0000

It’s been a very long time since I have awaited an album’s arrival with such joyful anticipation – Rush’s Power Windows album (some of which I inadvertently heard being rehearsed) probably being the last occasion, back in ’85.

Coincidentally, 1985 was also the year that a certain young lady from New Jersey first came to my attention. The centrefold of Kerrang! #92 from April of that year introduced her as Fiona Flanagan – and on the strength of that article I purchased her debut album and instantly became a fan.

It’s still hard to believe that almost 20 years have passed since Fiona’s last release – the quite magnificent “Squeeze” from April 1992 – but Unbroken presents an almost seamless continuation. Its roots, to some extent, remain in the ‘80’s, but this is clearly feel-good, melodic rock that does not sound at all dated. Fiona’s collaboration with Robin Beck’s backroom team, as well as some other well-known writers and musicians, has proved to be a masterstroke in creating a wonderful comeback.

From its boisterous, radio-friendly opening number “Loved Along the Way” (which in old money would surely have been the lead single) through to the soaring power ballad “Everything You Are” that rounds things off, every song is an absolute winner. James Christian’s production is simply first class, the musicianship is fantastic and Fiona’s vocals are stronger than ever!

Other notable gems include the lively “Broken; a solid rendition of the Pat Benatar standard “Shadows of the Night”; a rousing anthem in “Badge of Love”; the good humoured “I Love You but Shut Up!” and the mighty fine Fiona / Robin Beck duet, “This Heart”.

I understand that fan power played a significant part in inspiring Fiona to record some new music. With product this good, I sincerely hope that Unbroken signals a new dawn, and that this talented and very endearing lady will continue to delight us with many more releases.

This review was slightly delayed until my signed and personally dedicated copy of the CD had arrived from the US, but it was absolutely worth waiting for. Unbroken totally exceeded my expectations and enabled me, after so many years, to rekindle my love affair with the girl from New Jersey.

Fiona is most definitely back – and better than ever! Let the good times roll!

20/10

Red Hound

GMT November Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Gigger) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:19:00 +0000

GMT LIVE ON TOUR!

Bernie Torme - John McCoy - Robin Guy

Thu 3 Nov Diamond Mansfield
Fri 4 Nov Railway Music Venue Bolton
Sat 5 Nov The West Park Hotel Harrogate
Thu 10 Nov Boston Music Rooms Boston Arms - Tufnell Pk-London
Fri 11 Nov Rio's Bradford
Sat 12 Nov Yardbirds Grimsby

Rock gig will be going to the Bradford show and a review will appear soon.
NH