I first saw Rebel Dean perform in 2002, at the annual `Eddie Cochran Memorial Weekend` in Chippenham, UK, from where I would regularly broadcast my radio show live. Given the event, Rebel was obviously doing a mostly Eddie set, but I could see this young guy was more than just a `tribute` artiste. So I was pleased to see him there...
read more
By Martin Hutchinson Back in the sixties, Manfred Mann was a big hit-making machine, and from 1964 to 1969, they were almost ever-present in the charts due to such classic hits as ‘5-4-3-2-1’, ‘Doo Wah Diddy Diddy’, ‘Pretty Flamingo’ and ‘Come Tomorrow’ to name but four. Their music was so good that they survived a change of...
read more
I caught up with the 2015 Solid Silver Sixties Tour in The Pavilion, Bournemouth last month. I was greeted at the stage door by the highly-professional tour manager Bob Balchin, who was obviously pleased to see me – I don’t know why! He gave me the layout of the dressing rooms so I went for a walk round to see who had...
read more
John Lodge releases his second solo album ‘10,000 LIGHT YEARS AGO’ ahead of the Moody’s UK tour in June.
read more
Don Mclean: from aspiring young songwriter to internationally acclaimed artist.
read more
By Jim Stewart ‘The Voice’ was one of The Moody Blues biggest hits and to their legion of fans worldwide JUSTIN HAYWARD is The Voice. Since joining the band late 1966, he has enjoyed incredible success both as a band member and a solo artist. In 2015 he is touring the UK in both guises, with promoting a new eight-disc box set ‘THE...
read more
By Jim Stewart Ray Thomas, The Moody Blues, ‘The Magnificent Moodies’ 50th Anniversary Deluxe 2CD Edition, Esoteric Recordings: ECLEC 22473 As the sixties turned the page for 1965 the future looked good for THE MOODY BLUES, their UK No.1 ‘Go Now’ was now repeating its success worldwide, and their follow-up had also...
read more
Originally scheduled as the second leg of 10cc’s 2014-15 Nationwide Tour the dates now have a greater significance to their fans as the band will feature the complete ‘Sheet Music’ album onstage for the very first time. They begin at Reading Hexagon on February 5th, followed by The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury on Saturday 7th...
read more
Singer Jimmy Somerville is releasing his sixth solo album, Homage, on March 9. The record, a collection of 12 original disco tracks, is a tribute to the genre that inspired Jimmy so much during his teenage years. “A homage to disco is something I always wanted to do. I never really thought I could pull it off but I did, and it’s a...
read more
Martin Hutchinson They say the New Year is a time for new beginnings, and so it was exactly 40 years ago for Fleetwood Mac. After a number of hits between 1968 and 1970, blues-based, times were hard for the band. ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Albatross’, ‘Oh Well’ and ‘The Green Manalishi’ had all been successful, but they had not had a...
read more
By Katie Davis The Rag dolls, one of the top European Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tribute acts, take you back through the Jersey Boy’s career and before their fame, playing songs such as Oh! Carol and Teenager in Love that Frankie, Tommy, Bobby and Nick would have covered in the early days. I had the pleasure of seeing them...
read more
The Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, New Jersey, September 12
read more
Orchard Theatre, Dartford, September 22, 2014 When Danny And The Juniors sang ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here To Stay, It Will Never Die’ it was as much in hope as belief, music experts gave it a year, let alone seeing the 50s out, and now as the 60th Anniversary approaches it remains the most popular form of...
read more
Orchard Theatre, Dartford, September 16 Throughout the ‘70s Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn reigned supreme, writing huge chart hits for every year of the decade, including 5 number one’s, mainly short, catchy, infectious tunes that got inside your head and within 90 seconds you’d be singing along to them. Transferring...
read more
By Martin Hutchinson AFTER 42 years of touring, Joan Armatrading is undertaking her first solo world tour, and it’ll be her last major tour. “I’ve always toured with a band before, but as this will be the last major tour that I’ll be doing, I’ve decided to do it on my own.” It will be a chance for her to pay the...
read more
GODSPELL THE 70s MUSICAL at the QUEENS THEATRE, HORNCHURCH By Leslie Dunn I first saw Godspell in the early 70s when a 23-year-old actor called David Essex played the part of Jesus and I loved it. I wasn’t sure if putting it on in 2014 would work but how wrong I was. It was truly amazing. Coming from the...
read more
Orchard Theatre, Dartford, August 4 As we entered the auditorium of The ORCHARD THEATRE, DARTFORD for the opening night of ‘ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS’, we were surprised to find we were midway through a Skiffle session: new songs, authentically played and delivered in true ‘Lonnie’ style, intended to set the mood for an...
read more
CHURCHILL THEATRE, BROMLEY 17 June 2014 A Broadway and West End smash hit, a hugely successful movie, which I viewed with caution as the music featured is so precious to me but I thoroughly enjoyed, and now the nationwide tour of ‘ROCK OF AGES’ hits the CHURCHILL THEATRE, BROMLEY with a huge bang. The simplest of...
read more
The Rolling Stones Gear by Andy Babiuk & Greg Provost. Backbeat Books: isbn: 9781617130922 If you are to devote 10 years of your life to researching and preparing a book, you need to know the final presentation is going to warrant the effort. Rolling Stones Gear by Andy Babiuk & Greg Provost with Backbeat has done...
read more
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS STUDIO CANAL: Blu-ray OPTBD 2542 DVD OPTD2542 The Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 60s was an extremely influential period, but it has virtually been ignored by movie makers until now. The Coen Brothers ‘INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS’ corrects that with authentically atmospheric brilliance that...
read more
Page 2 of 6«12345...»Last »
