On this week’s show we’ll be setting alight the New Year with a bang: ZZ Top, Status Quo, Shinedown, Def Leppard, UFO, Marillion, Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Coheed and Cambria, Cage The Gods, Slaughter for starters.
We’ll also be kicking out the jams from groups appearing on our ‘Top 10 Albums of 2014‘ – Bloody Hammers, Magnum, Uriah Heep, Nothing More, Kyng, Lionize, Massive, Hellyeah, Rival Sons and Blues Pills.
Top 10s of this, Top 10s of that spring up all over the place at this time of year and well, what the heck, we thought we’d get in on the action and share with you our Top 10 Albums of 2014.
Here’s what floated our boat this year.
10. Bloody Hammers – Under Satan’s Sun:
Dark Transylvanian fuzz.
9. Magnum – Escape From The Shadow Garden:
Stories and soundscapes that keep drawing you in.
8. Uriah Heep – Outsider:
45 years of ‘Classic Rock’ experience put onto one album.
7. Nothing More – Nothing More:
Tension-filled, attention grabbing.
6. Kyng – Burn The Serum:
Monster riffage leads to profuse headbanging.
5. Lionize – Jetpack Soundtrack:
Phat grooves and hooks.
4. Massive – Full Throttle:
‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ with more than one schooner of beer added.
3. Hellyeah – Blood For Blood:
A full cartridge of amour-piercing metal.
2. Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie:
Hit their stride with ease and grace, pace and talent.
1. Blues Pills – Blues Pills:
All shades of blues, delivered with appeal and aplomb.
The albums that made it onto here, reflect well (we think) on what a thoroughly diverse and generally inspiring year for Rock Music 2014 has been; new kids on the block along with those out earning their stripes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some old-stagers.
Tonight will be our last show before Christmas and looking down the playlist, it’s one not to be missed.
The requests that have been sent in this week are straight out of the top drawer: NIN, UFO (x2), Tyketto, Great White, Robin Trower, Blues Pills, Pantera, Cancer Bats, W.A.S.P., Steel Panther, Michael Schenker, Gotthard, Magnum, Queensryche and Metallica. I shall do my best to match them with some choice cuts of my own: Stephen Stills’ Manassas, Mike Oldfield, Steve Hackett to name but a few, one or two Christmassy tunes, plus the new singles from Slam Cartel and Thunder.
Beginning tonight at 7pm GMT…it’s sure to be a cracker! (Did you see what I did there?)
Among the world’s most influential, ground-breaking, and respected progressive rock bands, Grammy Award winning, Yes, has a new live album, ‘Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome’.
In Spring 2014, Yes performed in their Canada, UK and European tour a true classic rock header by performing two of their most popular albums in their entirety, all in one concert: 1971’s ‘The Yes Album, and 1977’s ‘Going For The One’.
Music audiences across the world experienced the albums – each representing an important milestone in Yes’ career which encompasses sales of close to 50 million albums worldwide – performed from beginning to end.
Yes are:
Jon Davison – Vocals
Chris Squire – Bass
Steve Howe – Guitars
Alan White – Drums
Geoff Downes – Keyboards
Tracklisting:
Cd1: Going For The One; Turn Of The Century; Parallels; Wonderous Stories; Awaken.
Cd2: Yours Is No Disgrace; Clap; Starship Trooper; I’ve Seen All Good People; A Venture; Perpetual Change.
Dvd / Blu Ray: Going For The One; Turn Of The Century; Parallels; Wonderous Stories; Awaken; Yours Is No Disgrace; Clap; Starship Trooper; I’ve Seen All Good People; A Venture; Perpetual Change.
The album is available through Frontiers Music here.
Following on from their hugely successful debut album ‘Tear Me Down’, young UK four piece Skarlett Riot return with the riff-packed, hook laden ‘We Are The Brave’. Due for release February 16th, 2015, ‘We Are The Brave’ is a hard hitting, collection of songs; still packed with the memorable choruses and outstanding vocals the fans have come to expect.
Prior to ‘We Are The Brave’ the band release the powerful single ‘Rising’ on January 19th. The band have filmed a video clip accompany the release which will be hitting the screens via Scuzz and Kerrang TV in the New Year. The band released a lyric video for the stand-alone single ‘House Of Cards’ (check it out below).
The band, Skarlett, Danny, Martin & Luke, will be hitting the road in 2015 in support of ‘We Are The Brave’, and have recently confirmed they will be touring with Ozzy Osbourne/Firewind guitarist Gus G and will be opening for the legendary Kamelot at their special ‘one night only’ show in London.
‘The Classic Rock Show’ will be hooking up with the Skarlett Riot in the New Year.
Pennsylvanian firecrackers Halestorm are excited to announce a string of headline shows in March 2015. Kicking off the UK leg in Norwich on 2nd March, the four piece will rampage through ten venues, rolling into Europe after a show in Manchester on 14th March.
You can expect to hear some new tunes too, as Halestorm have been busy in the studio working on their next album release, due out Spring 2015. More album details will be revealed shortly but meanwhile, fans can get a taste via some special in-studio clips at: https://www.youtube.com/user/HalestormRocks.
Feisty frontwoman Lzzy Hale enthuses, “We are so stoked to get back to our European Freaks in March! Thank you for all the love over the ‘net…but now we want to see your faces!!! And we have some killer friends we’re bringing along with us: NOTHING MORE and WILSON. Don’t hesitate! This is not a tour you can afford to miss!”
Joining them as special guests are uncompromising Texans, Nothing More. The band unleashed their self-titled major label debut this past June and quickly turned heads in the US with their single “This Is The Time (Ballast)” sitting #1 on the US active rock charts for 3 weeks as well as impressing crowds in the UK earlier this month while supporting The Pretty Reckless. Vocalist Jonny Hawkins states, “We just wrapped up an amazing tour of the UK and are itching to get back, so we are stoked to return to the UK and Europe with the amazing Halestorm. We first met Lzzy and Joe a few months back at one of our shows in Nashville. We felt an instant connection with them and had a feeling we’d find a way to join them on the the road at some point. Here we come!”
Set to get the party started are Detroit party monsters, Wilson. With critically acclaimed debut, ‘Full Blast Fuckery’ on the racks, the five lads are excited to finally bring their brand of Detroit mayhem to these shores. Wilson’s frontman Chad Nicefield adds, “We are humbly honoured to be a part of Halestorm’s European tour. You can fully expect Wilson to bring the heat! This is our first time delivering our freshly baked Fuckery goods across the pond and we cannot wait to bring it worldwide!”
Get rocked at:
Mon 2nd March – NORWICH UEA
Tue 3rd March – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Thu 5th March – LEEDS O2 Academy
Fri 6th March – GLASGOW Barrowlands
Sat 7th March – INVERNESS Ironworks
Mon 9th March – WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall
Tue 10th March – LONDON The Roundhouse
Thu 12th March – SOUTHAMPTON O2 Guildhall
Fri 13th March – CARDIFF University Great Hall
Sat 14th March – MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Pre-sale tickets will be available from 10am, Tuesday 2nd December. General sale begins at 10am, Friday 5th December, with tickets priced between £15 – £17.50 (plus booking fees). They’re available from the venues direct, all good box offices, and online from www.livenation.co.uk and www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Limited VIP packages can also be bought.
A band reunion, Brofest, Vigilante album release, Hard Rock Hell…it’s been quite a year for the no-nonsense rockers Vardis. We contacted drummer Gary Pearson and reviewed the year (18 months in truth) that was and what lies ahead.
The long awaited homecoming gig of one of the finest and best loved bands of The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 70s and early 80s, Vardis will be playing the Unity Works in Wakefield on December 13th for an extra special gig – a gig which will be recorded for a future ‘live’ album release.
On this week’s show we’ll be setting alight the New Year with a bang: ZZ Top, Status Quo, Shinedown, Def Leppard, UFO, Marillion, Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Coheed and Cambria, Cage The Gods, Slaughter for starters.
