Posted in Press Releases

rupertstroudforaruk.com
www.alzheimersresearchuk.org

Singer-songwriter Rupert Stroud, from Leeds, releases a charity single entitled Always today to boost funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Always is a tribute to Rupert’s grandma Eileen who died two years, aged 87, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. The single will be available globally as a download here rupertstroudforaruk.com and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

An official video has been filmed for the single, which will be available to view on YouTube –

Rupert’s music is a mix of indie, rock and pop and produced by Will Jackson (The Kaiser Chiefs, Embrace, The Cribs and The Music) at the Soundworks Studios in Leeds...

Posted in Press Releases

Featuring Paul Heaton, The Wire’s Reg E Cathey, Cherry Ghost, Gareth Paisey from Los Campesinos! Ex Beautiful South singer Jacqui Abbott, and many more

www.paulheatonmusic.co.uk

Former Housemartin and Beautiful South main man Paul Heaton will celebrate his 50th birthday by taking his acclaimed soul opera The 8th onto the road this July...

Posted in Press Releases

Across four CDS and 121 tracks, this box set is the first complete career retrospective of The Searchers who between 1963 and 1967 notched up hit after hit on Pye Records, rivalling The Beatles and, unlike most of the other Merseybeat groups, having an enduring influence with their inventive jangling guitar sound and strong harmonies. American groups from The Byrds through to Tom Petty and beyond are indebted to The Searchers. Their classic treatment of Jackie de Shannon‘s Needles And Pins (the second of three UK No 1’s) which earned them their first US Top Twenty single in March 1964 clearly anticipated folk rock. And uniquely among British beat groups, they also recorded gentle folk protest songs Where Have All The Flowers Gone? and What Have They Done to The Rain?

Originally forme...

Posted in Press Releases

Following on from their hugely successful US bike ride in 2011 Thunder members Danny Bowes and Ben Matthews, together with Luke Morley (Thunder & The Union) and Peter Shoulder (The Union) will return to the USA in July, with a load of fellow bikers for the second USA charity motorcycle ride – The Great British Invasion. Proceeds will go Childline Rocks, part of Childline and the NSPCC.

Thunder & The Union will probably play some acoustic performances for fun along the way, but they won’t do a ‘headline show’ as they did in 2011.

As times are hard and everyone is tightening their budgets, Thunder and Union fans will not be asked for donations to sponsor the ride this year, although you can donate to Childline at any time. 



There are some places on the ride still available for those...

Posted in Press Releases

DVD/CD & FESTIVAL NEWS ****DVD/CD & FESTIVAL NEWS**

Limited Edition DVD pack already SOLD OUT
MAIN STAGE slot at DOWNLOAD coming up

Freshly released, the Limited Edition (1000 copies only) format of the Saxon box set Heavy Metal Thunder – Live – Eagles Over Wacken has already SOLD OUT. Hot on the heels of the release’ success, the band is now looking forward to a Main Stage slot at this year’s Download.

Heavy Metal Thunder – Live – Eagles over Wacken is available in several other formats, including vinyl. The release features DVD highlights from Saxon‘s Wacken shows in 2004, 2007 and 2009 comprising 30 songs, plus a live CD from Glasgow in 2011...

Posted in Cd Reviews

SPV/Playground

RUNNING WILD was formed in 1976, and have achieved a unique status. They are still attracting new fans, heralded by the ubiquitous Rock´n´Rolf Kasparek, in spite of soon being a 40 year old band. From the highly acclaimed “Under Jolly Roger” in 1983 onwards the band adopted a highly fashionable pirate image, starting out in more leather and seventies style. Being an essential part of the German metal scene in the eighties they managed to stay on top of their game for ten albums, or until 2002. The many lineup changes must have had some effect on the band, that had boosted members like drummers Jörg Michael (ex. GRAVE DIGGER, ex. RAGE, STRATOVARIUS) and Stefan Schwarzmann (ex. UDO, ACCEPT)...

Posted in Cd Reviews

SPV/Playground

In the late eighties I first heard a young German band called MAD MAX. The album “Night of Passion” soon became a favorite with me and the guys I hung out with, not least since of the others had a girlfriend who was seventeen… Max Norman had produced and sales must have been healthy. But the 80´s were soon over, and so was the band. Vocalist Michael Voss has kept a healthy profile in the music business, and so has drummer Axel Kruse. Bass player Jurgen Breforth and Michael reunited in the late nineties, resulting in the full-length “Never Say Never”. But it was around the mid 2000´s that the return was stable. From 2006 onwards the band has released six outings of various lengths. This is their latest opus, I say opus since the revival seems to be a fact...

Posted in Interviews

I recently spoke to Nic Maeder and Marc Lynn from Gotthard to talk to them about their forthcoming album, Firebirth.

Festivalphoto: Your new album, Firebirth will be released on 1st June. First of all, where did the name come from?

Marc: It is a little bit with the story over the last one and a half years, you know since we found Nic after everything. After the accident with Steve of course we were down on the floor and you don’t know what to do, and then you see you want to make music together and you decide to go ahead if you find the right person, and then Nic showed up and you felt, ”wow this is the guy, fits perfectly, not only the voice but also personally”, and then the band caught fire...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Pandoras Pinata is the third album from Swedish band Diablo Swing Orchestra. Diablo Swing Orchestra are one of those bands that can’t be descibed easily (if at all) as they really don’t fit into any normal musical genre or category. I can imagine if you taught the inmates of a lunatic asylum to play and sing the results would be more normal than this – DSO really is quite utterly crazy music, but its also absolutely brilliant. The old saying says that there is a fine line between genius and insanity, and Diablo Swing Orchestra are proof of that – what they produce would sound insane if you descrbe it, but when you hear it then it becomes clear that its a work of genius.

Lets start with a quick look at the instruments used on the album – electric guitar, synthesiser, drums, bass (sounds ...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Formed in the North East of England in 2009, symphonic metal band Winter in Eden have already released an EP (At the edge of the world) in 2009 and an album (Awakening) in 2010, and are now releasing their second album, ”Echoes of betrayal”.

The band have a rich symphonic sound with nice warm vocals from singer Vicky Johnson.

The album has an impressive 55 minute running time – sadly some bands still persist in releasing albums that are barely over half an hour, and with 40-45 minutes being a typical album length then this album is certainly good value. It’s well packaged (something some smaller bands overlook) with the CD booklet including the song lyrics as well as artwork and a photo.

Brief comments on a few of the songs.

Opening track ”For the few” is a great track – opening with a ge...