This is a little slice of NWOBHM history being re-released on May 1st, from a band that first started life in 1974, with one Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) as a founder member of the band along with David Smith who is back fronting the band today after finally reforming the band in 2018 under pressure from many areas, for a charity festival.
British rock band VEGA will release their new album Grit Your Teeth on Friday 12th June 2020 via Frontier Records. Band members Nick Workman, Tom Martin, James Martin, Marcus Thurston, Hutch and Mikey Kew have a rich history; including stints with UK rock bands Kick, Sugartown and Paul Dianno, but it was their meeting of musical minds back in 2009 that gave the rock-genre one of the finest releases of that year in the form of their debut album, Kiss Of Life.
South Carolina-born Hannah Wicklund releases The Inbetween a very special 10” inch vinyl EP of four stripped back solo performances on Friday 17th April 2020. The EP is available via the webstore (https://www.hannahwicklund.com), and if you order the vinyl edition of the EP you will automatically receive the EP digitally.
Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut EP, Dancing for Money (2018), this Oxfordshire (UK) based three-piece band have toured their contagiously hook-filled, fist pumping sound to packed venues around the country, as one of many rock bands in the NWOCR universe.
Wille and the Bandits are a British-based band who play a variety of different genres spanning across the Blues, Rock, Latin and Folk styles. The band currently consists of Wille Edwards, Matthew Gallagher, Harry Mackaill and Finn McAuley, and this album, Paths, was released in early 2019 in the UK.
An Australian modern rock three-piece who released this, their first full-length album in October 2019, having previously issued two EPs, WARBIRDS have been around for a while with Anth Nekich as the front-man on lead guitars and vocals, and Lee Strapp behind the kit – Lee’s brother Ben is currently the live bass player, although does not appear on the record, with the bass lines provided by Anth, producer Mat Robins, previous bassist Jared Piatkowski and Jason Meracis.
BEAU BOWEN — THE GREAT ANTICLIMAX Release Date – April 10th 2020
Back in the good old days of 2018, a young singer / guitarist / multi-instrumentalist called Kaleb McKane released an EP titled Universe in Reverse with three tracks channelling Muse, Roxy Music, David Bowie and Hendrix with a modern twist on psychedelic glam rock – featuring a cracking voice and some very tasty guitar work.
A blast of classic AOR rock from a hard-working bunch of lads from Kent.
Over here in Australia I keep a jealous watch on the stream of quality rock bands emerging from all corners of the UK, covering classic rock, southern rock, , blues rock and all combinations of the above, playing at countless gigs and festivals throughout the country, and being encouraged by the continuing influence of bands who were their idols and heroes from the 1980s and 1990s, many of whom are still ripping it up around the pub, club and theatre circuit – Thunder; Tyketto; Gun; FM and the rest.
These guys may just be the pick of the current crop!
Collateral released their 4 Shots EP at the end of 2018 which was a taster of some quality melodic rock, delivered with a touch of swagger and some killer riffs that combined classic stadium AOR anthems of US and Scandinavian monsters, with a modern and slightly edgier British rock feel. When you hear the varied influences behind each of the band members, it sort of all makes sense.
Front man Angelo Tristan has a heavy country music side, and guitarist Todd Winger enjoys the ballsier southern rock of Black Stone Cherry and The Cadillac 3, while Jack Bentley-Smith flies the 80s big-rock flag, and drummer Ben Atkinson is from the darker, heavier end of the metal spectrum.
2019 saw the band head out on a number of support tours, playing the UK’s Camden Rocks and Ramblin’ Man Fair festivals, and also got selected from 200,000 entrants to support Jon Bon Jovi on his Runway to Paradise cruise, and they are just heading out around the UK with the mighty bluespower guitarist Jared James Nichols (here in Australia shortly with John 5) to give them yet more exposure, and then with Phil X & The Drills (Bon Jovi guitarist), before crossing the Channel to go round Europe opening for Skid Row before they are back in the UK with Scandinavian melodic rockers H.E.A.T. So the next few months are going to be flat out for the boys.
Mr Big Shot kicks off the record with a crunching riff which breaks down for the chorus to a kicking bass and drum line and leaps into the catchiest pre-chorus and the enormous crowd-vocals of the “Big Shot” chorus – call it derivative if you will…..but the band describes it as a slightly mocking self-parody of themselves and found the song developed a strength that meant it was perfect to open the album.
Another killer riff opens up Promiseland which features some guitar chops over a solid kick-drum through the verse, some soaring harmonies, and a ripper solo for Todd and a whole heap of epic harmony vocals and keyboards. Classic 80’s rock with a modern grittier southern edge comes to the fore with Merry-Go-Round which sees Angelo deliver a really strong vocal, with some subtle harmonies, and a sensational middle-eight and solo with crushing guitars before the stripped-back final verse.
Angelo originally wrote In It For Love over 10 years ago and the band re-visited it and changed the tempo, so it is a driving melodic rocker with some pounding drums and an odd time-change in the song that sort of works, but gives the track two distinct vibes which while both great in their own right, don’t entirely gel as the one song.
An absolute stormer of a track come out next with Lullaby which is a moodier riff-driven track with some immense drumming and a tasty solo, and the lyrics delivered with a bit of venom – this one will be immense live with the crowd-chorus, and was released as the first single from the album back in May 2019.
The opening guitars of Midnight Queen, the only track from the EP that is on the new record, are melodic and semi-acoustic rather than brutal riffs, and immediately bring to mind some of the classic AOR anthems from Nightranger, Honeymoon Suite, Loverboy, Foreigner and REO Speedwagon, with driving bass and drums, and a tasty line in guitar licks from Todd.
A rock ballad was always going to find it’s way onto the record, and Get Back To You has got it all – the breathy vocals over acoustic guitar before the band kicks in for the next verse, the soaring vocals of the chorus, and the melodic guitar soloing over huge keyboards – you can see the lighters in the air already. The solo leads into the power-ballad chorus and there is a second solo in the delightfully overblown outro which works so well. If it sounds as though I am critical, that is certainly not the case…….it is impossible to hear this and not be picked up emotionally at least a little.
Won’t Stop Me Dreaming opens up with a pile-driving riff that has more hook-lines than a trawler, as it races into catchy pre-chorus and even catchier chorus. The harmonies are seamless and the beat just forces the head to nod and feet to stamp – this will be a killer track live. Album-closer About This Boy has some of the country music influences, and ends up as a what could be a huge radio-friendly west coast rock song with a feel of The Eagles or their modern incarnation, Midland.
Angelo has the hair and the voice to go with it, with some wonderful harmonies in many of the choruses, with some quality lead guitar and riffing from Todd, and an absolutely solid rhythm-section in Jack and Ben, with the whole package supported by a huge production from Sean Kenny – this is stadium melodic rock of the quality of the likes of Bad English, with the commercial power of Bon Jovi and Europe, and the balls of Skid Row, tinged with the modern Scandinavian power and harmony of Eclipse or Degreed, delivered with a modern British edge as with the likes of New Device, Vega or Night By Night.The album is released on February 21st and is available on all normal formats and from the band website.
Red Hot Summer Tour at Old Mount Gambier Gaol – 5th January 2020
Photographer: David Jackson
With a stellar lineup comprising Hunters & Collectors, James Reyne, The Living End, The Angels, The Baby Animals, Killing Heidi and Boom Crash Opera the Red Hot Summer tour hit South Australian shores on Sunday. Playing to yet another sell out crowd off around 3,000 people. The audience demographic was mixed with a heavy focus on the 50 plus bracket who enjoyed a drink and settled in for an afternoon of fine music and memories. With the rest of the country sweltering in 40 plus heat the temperature dropped rapidly to a chilly 18 degrees by late afternoon. With old brick work and rusty razor wire from the days gone by as a backdrop the crowd was waiting for the fun to begin.
Keith Urban with Amy Shark and John Butler at Sydney Coliseum 21/12/19
On December 21st, while Western Sydney sweltered on a 44 degree Summer day, the local brand new events venue began it’s official Opening Day celebrations. West HQ (formerly Rooty Hill RSL) unveiled The Coliseum, a beautiful new concert and entertainment precinct, featuring a state of the art 2000 seat auditorium.
Ian Moss at Palais Theatre, Melbourne – 16 November 2019
Photographer: David Jackson
For those of us lucky enough to have lived it the first time around it’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since the release of the ‘Matchbook’ album. On Saturday night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne the near full house got a chance to relive the memories live again. We may all be a little older but Ian Moss has lost nothing in momentum or ability to engage and play an electric guitar like an extension of his own anatomy.
EYEHATEGOD at The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle – 13 November 2019
Photographer: Ben Hosking
Mid-week gigs are always a mixed back for international acts. They really need to be pretty big names to ensure a full house. Some, even after some 30 years, can end up with a small room only half full and that is what New Orleans sludge veterans Eyehategod were faced with at the Cambridge Hotel’s smaller Warehouse room.
Mirusia & The Original Seekers At Melbourne Recital Centre – 2nd November 2019
Photographer: David Jackson
It’s hard to believe the act I was witnessing in 2019 originally formed way back in the early 60’s. The Seekers have been a part of Australian music culture for close to 60 years. Formed as a folk quartet in Melbourne in 1962 the band has travelled the work and left its mark alongside some of the biggest bands of the 60’s. To put The Seekers popularity into perspective at the height of their career the seekers shared the same bill with The Rolling Stones and the Beatles whilst drawing an estimated crowd of 200,000 to the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. The original lead singer Judith Durham has left the quartet however the remaining three original members Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley continue to delight fans both within Australia and abroad.
Grinspoon at Newcastle Entertainment Centre – 1st November 2019
Photographer: Meghan Player
Hot on the heels of a sell-out show in Wollongong the night before, it was bound to be all guns blazing for the Newcastle leg of the ‘Chemical Hearts’ tour.
