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Rock & Blues Festival, Jan 29-31 - Photo: Noel Buckley
FM Launch Party with Mick Ralphs (Photo: Noel Buckley)
THE RETURN OF THE HOAX! Pete Feenstra reports
JOE BONAMASSA 'Black Rock' Review!!
ROBERT PLANT CONFIRMED FOR UNIQUE CHARITY GIG AT ABBEY ROAD
Rock fans have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to see the legendary star Robert Plant play a unique and intimate gig in aid of Cancer Research UK. Sound & Vision, sponsored by Shepperton, takes place at Abbey Road Studios on 25 February 2010.
The event, which is now in its fifth year, has raised over £700,000 for Cancer Research UK's lifesaving work since it started in 2006.
Robert's set will include support from American singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman and the London Oriana Choir, in what promises to be a completely unique, one-off performance.
The event will once again be hosted by BBC Radio 2 DJ 'Whispering' Bob Harris, who is patron alongside 'the fifth Beatle' Sir George Martin.
In addition to Robert Plant's set, David Gray and Newton Faulkner are also performing on the night.
Robert Plant fans can bid for a chance to attend the sold out event via the Sound & Vision eBay site, www.soundandvisionebay.com, from 1 February 2010.
As well as VIP tickets, which all involve a meet and greet with the performers, a range of heritage music memorabilia is also available to bid for, including: A Gibson guitar signed by all members of The Prodigy, A drumskin with the words to 'I Predict a Riot' written by Ricky from the Kaiser Chiefs and signed by the whole band and Handwritten lyrics from the likes of Robert Gillespie, Tori Amos, The Doves and Mumford and Sons, from Absolute Radio Sessions.
On the night there will be an opportunity to bid for a Robert Plant memorabilia package, including amazing images from his time with Led Zeppelin and a platinum disc celebrating sales of 'Raising Sand', his grammy award winning collaboration with Alison Krauss.
Robert Plant said: "Performing at Sound & Vision is something I'm really excited about. Cancer Research UK is a very worthwhile cause, and when Bob (Harris) asked me to get involved I didn't hesitate. My set is quite different from anything I've ever done before, as I'll be performing with Beth and a full choir on stage.
Cancer is a disease that affects so many people and Sound & Vision is a great way to raise money to fight it."
EUROPE UK TOUR IN FEBRUARY
Sweden's biggest hard rock band Europe have just confirmed a nationwide 9-date tour of the UK in February 2010. Tickets go on sale Friday 18th September at 9am. All tickets are £17, with the exception of London (£18). Very special guest on all UK dates is Diamond Head.
Ticket hotline number for all shows excluding Manchester is 0844 477 2000. Manchester box office number is 0161 832 1111. Tickets can be booked online from www.ticketweb.co.uk. Manchester Academy 2 show can be booked via www.ticketline.co.uk and www.manchestercademy.net.
Dates include - Leeds O2 Academy (Feb 18), Birmingham O2 Academy (Feb 19), London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (Feb 20), Oxford O2 Academy (Feb 22), Bournemouth O2 Academy (Feb 23), Bristol O2 Academy (Feb 24), Manchester Academy (Feb 26), Newcastle O2 Academy (Feb 27), Glasgow O2 ABC (Feb 28).
The tour follows the 14th September release of Europe's critically acclaimed new studio album Last Look At Eden (the band's eighth) which features the singles 'New Love In Town' and the title track.
The band's forthcoming single, 'New Love In Town', released as a digital download on Monday February 8th, is currently playlisted on BBC Radio 2.
Best known for their 1986 smash anthem 'The Final Countdown', the Swedish rockers have returned with a heavier bluesy, hip-shaking metal sound, and recently headlined the UK's Bloodstock Festival to rave reviews.
'Last Look At Eden' is the band's first studio album since 2006's critically acclaimed "Secret Society". The album will be released by Edel Germany's international rock music label earMUSIC.
(Photo: Ian Pollard)
August 10 saw the release of an EP; the Last Look at Eden mini album is available as a CD deluxe digi-pack and digital download.
The mini album features two new songs from the forthcoming full-length album of the same name. These include the title track and first single 'Last Look At Eden', plus 'U Devil U', as well as three never-before-released live tracks including a cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Since I've Been Loving You'. The mini album also includes the promo video for 'Last Look At Eden', and is available to pre-order from townsend-records.co.uk and amazon.co.uk.
John Norum from Europe was the featured artist on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio in August. More information and podcast link
Album review
EP review
Bloodstock review
Garage gig review
AC/DC CONFIRMED AS HEADLINER FOR DOWNLOAD 2010
DOWNLOAD CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF DONINGTON WITH THEM CROOKED VULTURES, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, DEFTONES, MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD
After many rumours, gossip and speculation DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL organisers have today confirmed that the world's greatest rock band AC/DC will be one of the headliners for this year's festival, taking place at Donington Park 11-13 June.
There is no better band to help celebrate 30 years at Donington than AC/DC, who with all guns blazing (not to mention bells!) will be appearing at Donington for the fourth time. AC/DC first appeared at the second Monsters of Rock concert in 1981, and then 1984 and 1991. 2010 will mark three decades of AC/DC at Donington Park - and their debut Download performance.
Festival organisers have also announced that they are increasing the arena capacity this year to accommodate even more fans keen to experience Download at Donington Park and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Monsters of Rock. Last year's event sold out at 85,000 per day - the increased arena size this year will make Download the biggest UK music festival after Glastonbury. Established in 1980 by promoter Paul Loasby and the late Maurice Jones who died last year, the event was originally created as a day-long Summer festival dedicated to rock and heavy metal bands. Over the years it was quickly established as the annual event for the UK hard rock fraternity. It was destined to become a British music tradition - 30 years on and Download Festival has become the premiere rock festival.
Andy Copping, Download festival Promoter, commented, "Download 2010 will be one for the history books. It will see the return of the world's greatest rock band to the most legendary and spiritual home of rock. We have been pushing for this moment for many years, but for this to become reality alongside the likes of Them Crooked Vultures, Motörhead and Megadeth is the best 30th Anniversary of the site we could have dreamed of, it's also going to be a fantastic tribute to Maurice Jones who started this all off back in 1980."
John Probyn, COO Live Nation explained, "The Donington site and its continuing flexibility should take some of the credit for the longevity and success of both Monsters of Rock and Download Festival. We are thrilled that our 30-year association with the site will be marked not only with a superb line-up, but also by the expansion of Download 2010 to accommodate more festival-goers than ever."
Joining AC/DC and following two incredible shows at Hammersmith Apollo before Christmas are rock supergroup de jour THEM CROOKED VULTURES, which features rock legends Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones. Incredibly none of the band have ever played at Donington before either - making this Download performance even more exclusive.
Also confirmed will be reformed grunge-rock heroes STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, for their first UK show since getting back together for a massive North American tour in 2008. The band have NEVER played at Donington or Download before, although striking frontman Scott Weiland has of course performed twice, with previous band Velvet Revolver.
One of the 'Big Four' bands of thrash metal, MEGADETH, will be back at Donington for the fourth time, having played Monsters of Rock in 1988, and then two Download Festivals (2005 and 2007), alongside metal behemoths MOTÖRHEAD, also making their fourth appearance with one Monsters of Rock (1986) and two Download's under their studded belts (2005 and 2008).
Returning for the third time will be Sacremento heavy rockers DEFTONES, with a new album slated for April. With an incredible four Download performances already - and with each year moving further and further up the bill - Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE return in 2010 bringing circle pits-a-plenty - lock up your daughters. WOLFMOTHER - also confirmed for London's Hard Rock Calling - will be bringing their Australian rock to the Download stage for the second time and finally, making their second Download appearance will be Danish rockabillies VOLBEAT.
Weekend tickets for Download 2010 go on sale 9am Friday 29 January via www.downloadfestival.co.uk. V.I.P packages also available.
FIFESTOCK 2010 - Legendary artists to perform at the UK's most intimate music festival
The second annual Fifestock 2010 will again be hosted at The Inn at Lathones, home to the R.A.T.S. (Rocking at The Stables), one of the UK's most intimate music venues with a capacity of just 50.
The music festival kicks off on Thursday 18 February and will see over 20 world-renowned acts perform over 26 days.
Hailed as Britain's smallest rock festival, the notoriety of the performers is huge. Headlining acts include Mick Taylor (formerly of The Rolling Stones), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's guitarist for 3 world tours/Jeff Beck's for 2 world tours), Henry McCullough (Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney & Wings), Graham Gouldman and Mick Wilson (10cc), Carlene Carter (daughter of June Carter/step-daughter of Johnny Cash) and Deborah Bonham (sister of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, who recently duetted with Paul Rogers) to name a few.
Fifestock organiser, David Mundell, commented: "I decided to set up an annual music festival to inject some much-needed enjoyment in to a very dreich time of the year. Last year's event was a roaring success and feedback was extremely positive. By encompassing many genres, and attracting big names such as Mick Taylor, Jennifer Batten and Carlene Carter we hope to appeal to a broad range of music lovers again this year and to become a permanent fixture on the national music scene for years to come."
Forming part of the Inn at Lathones, Scotland's oldest coaching inn, Rocking at the Stables is a unique venue steeped in history. With a capacity limited to 50, music lovers are never crushed in a crowd, nor do they struggle to see the stage. The venue's intimacy has been described as the 'ultimate living-room gig', with many acts staying behind for a drink and a chat with fans after the gig.
The Stables also houses music promoter David Mundell's huge memorabilia collection including Fender guitar scratch plates, drum skins, posters, photos, and lots of other interesting items signed by the world's most famous musicians.
Fifestock 2010 is supported by the Celebrating Fife 2010 Flagship Fund.
Fifestock takes place from Thursday 18 February until Saturday 13 March at Rocking at the Stables, The Inn at Lathones, Largoward, St Andrews, Fife KY9 1JE.
HEAVEN'S BASEMENT HIT THE ROAD
Rising rockers and GRTR! "Ten for 10" nominees HEAVEN'S BASEMENT hit the road next month with Manchester sleaze merchants DEAR SUPERSTAR, picking up where they left off in December of last year.
"On this tour we are hitting all the places we missed on the December 09 UK tour which was an absolute riot for us!! We are really looking forward to round 2, it makes 2010 start great for us. We are hoping on having a few new songs in the set again just like on the December tour"
Catch Heaven's Basement and Dear Superstar at the following shows:
Feb 2010
24th Peterborough, Club Revolution
25th Wakefield, The Hop
26th Bolton, Kico Club
27th Edinburgh, Studio 24
28th Inverness, Madhatters
March 2010
02nd Bristol, 02 Academy
05th Nottingham, Rock City
06th Cheltenham, Night Owl
07th Wolverhampton, Loose Lucee's (Formerly Little Civic)
09th Leicester, The Musician
10th Birmingham, 02 Academy
11th Brighton, Engine Room
12th Hatfield Forum @Uni of Hertfordshire
13th Oxford, 02 Academy
Tickets from available from seetickets.com 0845 230 5595
www.myspace.com/heavensbasementofficial
Gig review 
KISS ADD EXTRA SHOWS
Rock legends KISS have added shows in Sheffield, Newcastle and Liverpool and a 2nd show at London's Wembley Arena to their new 'Sonic Boom Over Europe: From the Beginning To the Boom' tour to Europe in Summer 2010.
With multiple dates across Europe, the 'Sonic Boom Over Europe: From The Beginning To The Boom' is set to be THE rock event of 2010, building on the incredible success of the 2009 'Sonic Boom' album.
'Sonic Boom Over Europe: From The Beginning To The Boom' will see dates in Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Demark, Holland, France, Spain, Belgium and, not only will the tour feature KISS's first UK arena shows in 11 years, but it will see the band breaking new ground completely with their first ever shows in Slovakia.
Whilst utilizing elements of 'KISS Alive 35', 'Sonic Boom Over Europe: From The Beginning To The Boom' will be a fresh, new show tailored to the bands European fans and showcasing the brand new 'Sonic Boom' album.
2010 UK Dates
Sat 1st May Sheffield Arena (UK)
Sun 2nd May Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (UK)
Tues 4th May Liverpool Arena (UK)
Wed 5th May Birmingham LG Arena (original date 11th)
Fri 7th May Dublin, O2 Arena (Eire)
Sun 9th May Glasgow, SECC (UK) SOLD OUT
Mon 10th May Manchester MEN Arena (UK)
Wed 12th May London, Wembley Arena (UK)
Thu 13th May London, Wembley Arena (UK) SOLD OUT
IRON MAIDEN AND RAMMSTEIN ADDED TO THREE DAY SONISPHERE FESTIVAL
Having established itself as the 'Best New Festival' at the 2009 UK Festival Awards, Sonisphere Festival moves from strength to strength with the announcement of our phenomenal 2010 headliners, as well as the first of many great bands for the three day event over July 30, 31 and Aug 1.
With the power to rock the very foundations of Knebworth Hall itself, the weekend headliners, both renowned for sensational live shows, are British Metal titans Iron Maiden - for whom Sonisphere will be their only UK appearance of 2010 - and German industrial rock monsters Rammstein, who make their first - and only 2010 - UK Festival appearance.
Already confirmed for the event are Alice Cooper, Anthrax, The Cult, Iggy & The Stooges, Slayer and Motley Crue (also making their only UK appearance in 2010).
TOUCHSTONE OPEN PROG STAGE AT HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL
Prog/melodic rockers Touchstone will be opening the Prog stage at the High Voltage Festival on July 24. The festival is being staged at Victoria Park, London and features a reunited ELP, ZZ Top, Asia and Marillion amongst others.
The band recently reissued their 'Mad Hatters' EP. Originally released in 2006 as a limited edition, the four original songs have been remastered with the addition of three live tracks.
Review
Win the EP!!
HEAVEN AND HELL HEADLINE BLOODSTOCK
Heavy Metal Legends HEAVEN & HELL have been confirmed as headline act for BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2010.
The metal masters have chosen to headline the 10th anniversary of the festival, crowning an already incredible line up, befitting such an important milestone.
Living legend/guitarist TONY IOMMI commented: "Great for Geezer and me to play somewhere near to home, even better to headline a legendary festival. Thanks for the opportunity!"
BLOODSTOCK more than welcomes their appearance. Says founder Paul Gregory: "10 years of bringing the UK a METAL festival that metalheads can be proud of has just been made better with the announcement of Heaven and Hell.
As a fan to say I'm made up with the announcement would be the understatement of the millennium. This year Bloodstock has come of age".
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR is undoubtedly the UK’s most loyal festival to the metal genre. A performance featuring members of BLACK SABBATH - the true pioneers of the genre - at this special 10 year anniversary is an occasion for any metal fan to celebrate, and one the BLOODSTOCK attendees will welcome.
Photo: Ian Pollard/GRTR!
The promise of RONNIE JAMES DIO, TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and VINNY APICE performing classic SABBATH songs such as 'The Mob Rules', 'Lady Evil', 'Die Young' and 'Neon Knights' will surely be one of the stand out moments in the 10 year history of BLOODSTOCK, and is not to be missed.
The BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR METAL FESTIVAL 2010 will take place at Catton Hall, Derbyshire from 13th - 15th August.
Weekend tickets are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com
Line up to date: Heaven & Hell/ Children of Bodom/ Fear Factory/ Obituary/ Ross The Boss/ Rage/ Andromeda/ Behemoth/ Devin Townsend/ Doro/ Leaves Eyes/ Suffocation/ Dream Evil/ Cannibal Corpse/ Korpiklaani/ Gwar/ Amorphis/ Gojira/ Sonata Arctica.
Official website
JETHRO TULL ANNOUNCE TOUR IN 2010
Jethro Tull will hit the road in the UK in March for a 23 date tour. These shows will feature an assortment of 'Best of Tull' repertoire with some rare gems thrown in for good measure. Support to be announced.
Ian Anderson says about this tour "Of all the music recorded by Jethro Tull over the years, there are several songs which have rarely, if ever, been performed in public. We look forward to introducing some of this material to the setlist in 2010 along with some of the tried and trusty favourites."
"Martin Barre and I, along with long-standing drummer Doane Perry and old friends David Goodier and John O'Hara will bring variety and depth to the concerts with the aid of a few forgotten musical instruments currently being dug out of the rusty skip and dusted down for action. (I know I put that Sousaphone somewhere safe....)"
Tour dates
Ian Anderson Interview Podcast
Ian Anderson is featured artist on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio in February. More information
Check out latest and breaking news!!
KATATONIA ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES FOR MARCH 2010
Following the release of their critically acclaimed album 'Night Is the New Day' in November 2009, Katatonia are set to tour the UK in 2010.
Full dates are as follows -
Tues 9th March Manchester - Academy 3
Wed 10th March Nottingham - Basement
Thu 11th March London - Garage
Fri 12th March Hammerfest II - Prestatyn
Sat 13th March Cardiff - Barfly
Sun 14th March Wolverhampton - Little Civic
Formed in 1991 by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse, their debut album, 'Dance of December Souls', was released in 1993, gaining the band recognition for their eclectic brand of gothic doom/death metal & joining acts such as Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride to become one of the genre's defining bands.
On future albums a newer, sleeker Katatonia sound came to the fore, starting with a streamlined & structured collection of melodic dark rock songs that became the third album 'Discouraged Ones'; the main evolution point for modern day Katatonia.
The band's eighth album 'Night Is The New Day' sees a band at the height of their powers, a continuation of the heaviness, depth and atmosphere of their previous album, 'The Great Cold Distance'. 'Night Is the New Day' is also a more multi-dimensional effort - waltzing between prog moments, doom, folk and the classic melodic anthems that are staple to Katatonia's uncompromising sound. K
Katatonia are completed by the haunting tones of Jonas Renkse's journeys of urban & emotional decay, & now joined by Frank Default on keyboards, notable for his work on the track 'Unfurl' from the 'July' EP - utilising his expertise to the fullest to texture the soundscapes.
The album was recorded throughout July 2009 and was co-produced, engineered and mixed by David Castillo (Opeth, InMe). Recording was divided between Studio Mega (for drums) and Ghost Ward Studios, where most recording took place; this provided a dose of inspiration from the darker corners of life with its choice of location. Mastering was completed at Fascination Street Studios (where 'The Great Cold Distance' was recorded) with Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth and Paradise Lost)
Consummate live performers, Katatonia have just supported Paradise Lost across the UK and performed at the Hellfire festival. The bands have announced a series of headline UK gigs across the UK in March 2010 in addition to performing at Hammerfest II.
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