As I cruise through my mid-40s and find that I’m now closer to 50 (albeit just!), I’m delighted to say that I’m still excited and enthralled to hear the crunch of power chords in heavy metal, the shredding guitar solos in hard rock and of course, the sentimental highs elicited from a worthy rock power ballad! Writing for Rockfiend, it would be worrying if I was straying from the genres that make up most of the soundtrack to my life! But there is definitely a mellower side to me in middle age and musically, I find that the soothing tones of country music is increasingly becoming my guilty pleasure. Perhaps it’s being brought up in a house full of Glen Campbell, John Denver and Bobby Goldsboro records. It could be that Mrs Griffiths loves the music and as a dutiful husband I have to indulge her likes and passions on occasion. Or maybe it’s because country really is the new rock n roll!  Judging by the almost sold-out crowd at Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo on a Monday night to see country star Carly Pearce on her Inside the Dream tour, Scotland continues its tradition as being a country mad…er… country! Hordes of ticket holder were truly into the spirit of the event with the venue awash with Stetsons, tassels and cowgirl boots. Even Mrs Griffiths wore her cowgirl boots whilst I dug out a denim jacket to keep up the western theme! This was the second time I had seen Carly Pearce live having seen her in Glasgow last year. I was back for more, this time in a bigger venue which can often take the edge away from an artist, so I was interested to see how the night of music next to the River Clyde would pan out. Before the main act, the support slot was filled by sister duo Tigirlily Gold (apparently pronounced Tie-Girl-Lilly), playing an acoustic set to the Glasgow audience. With an album already under their rhinestone adorned belts, as well as having previously played in the city at the nearby Hydro Arena at Country 2 Country in 2024, many in the crowd were already aware of their music and stood up clapping and singing along throughout. It was a half hour set of radio-friendly polished country-pop that brought a real feel-good vibe to proceedings and as well as their own songs, included an innovative part where the audience could help to pick a cover song from a choice of three by voting via the Set.Live website. I believe the winner was a song by The Chicks. I fear that may have been the only person who voted for ‘Hold On’ by Wilson Phillips! I’m sure this won’t be the last time that the sisters will appear in Glasgow and they’ll see a decent crowd if they ever tour here as a headliner. Plus… I now know who Leroy is and why he’s a bad, bad man! Kentucky-born Carly Pearce arrived on stage to a rapturous welcome that was akin to a homecoming! Well… there is a Glasgow in Kentucky, so it kind of is! With a minimalist stage set of seven large spotlight lamps and country fair-style bulb string lights above, she started the set with a brand-new song, ‘How Long’. With a sludgy, swampy guitar riff, you could almost smell the Cumberland River in country’s Tennessee heartland, with a driving-rock vibe that is perhaps a tad heavier than some of the singer’s more established songs. This hard rock and metal writer was immediately hooked and if the yet unreleased new album sounds anything like this, we’re in for a treat! The catchy ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ from the Hummingbird album and the wonderful ‘Next Girl’ followed and by that point, Pearce had the audience in the palm of hands. The laidback sound of ‘Should’ve Known Better’, the oh-so-wonderful yet heartbreakingly sad ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore’ (originally recorded with Chris Stapleton after Pearce messaged his wife on Instagram to persuade him!) and the melodic beauty of the chorus to ‘Never Wanted to be that Girl’ completed a trio of top country ballads that led to a surprise cover of the Fleetwood Mac song ‘Dreams’, with the Glasgow choir in full voice at the chorus. ‘Fault Line’ led to a… well… fault, when the sound died midway through. Unfazed, the Glasgow choir reassembled to help Pearce finish the song before a flurry of activity by the stage crew as they desperately tried to work out what had gone wrong. Being a consummate professional, the singer chose not to leave the stage, instead taking time to speak to some young fans from the edge of the stage. But of course, that turned into an impromptu meet and greet with half of Glasgow for around 15 minutes. Bravo, Carly! Bravo! It’s great to see someone who appreciates their fans. To loud applause, the show started again with a piano-led rendition of ‘Every Little Thing’ and another tearful country ballad, ‘If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay’, a recently released track with Riley Green. Before playing ‘Church Girl’, there was an immensely profound moment where Peace proclaimed her faith and expressed her thanks to God for her career, explaining that she genuinely believes that Jesus Christ is there for each and every one of us. I’ve never been a fan of mixing politics or religion with music or when artists virtue signal from the stage, even though I have my own faith. But when it is expressed in such a stark and honest manner, without preaching or forcing beliefs onto others, it can have a very strong impact. It was pleasing to hear a few claps of support and no moans or groans from those who don’t share her beliefs. It was a simple moment of sharing something intimate with fans, whilst pushing the point that some religious people (and non-religious people) can be incredibly judgemental and that it’s important to rise above the noise and be who you are. It’s pretty much the lyrical message of ‘Church Girl’ and an important life lesson, irrespective of beliefs. ‘Truck on Fire’ raised the tempo, with women of all ages on their feet dancing around whilst another new track, ‘Same Circus’, was a take on Pearce’s own past experiences of relationships. ‘You Can Have Him’ and another newbie, ‘Dream Come True’ led to main set closer ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’, with the whole venue standing and singing along. An encore of ‘Happy for Myself’ and the brilliant ‘What He Didn’t Do’ brought the evening to a close, with Pearce taking a well-deserved bow with her band of “four big brothers”. What an evening it was! Carly Pearce is a true talent in country music. Her faultless voice and undeniable songwriting skills have a knack of burrowing into the souls of her audience because she sings about real life and things people can relate to. Pearce herself noted that every time she returns to Glasgow, the venues get bigger, so perhaps she’ll be moving a few hundred yards to the Hydro Arena the next time she’s in town! It was special night of songs about breakups, heartbreak, shame, alcohol, trucks, fun times and God and Jesus thrown in for good measure! It’s what country music should be like and it was a privilege to witness such a special performance. Carly Pearce completes her UK Tour with dates in Belfast and Dublin (I know… it’s Ireland!) before heading back to United States for dates throughout the summer.

TORONTO, CANADA (May 15, 2026) -- Crimson Glory recently released their brand new album “Chasing The Hydra”, the first new album in over 26 years. For fans who demand the highest quality audio for their music, CHASING THE HYDRA is now available as a 24 bit hi res audio download on Bandcamp at https://bravewordsrecords.bandcamp.com Crimson Glory shared their thoughts on the response to the new album, “Greetings to Crimson Glory fans around the world, whom we affectionately refer to as, ‘The Crimson Militia.’ Right now we'd like to take a second to say just how floored we are at the reactions to our brand new record, Chasing the Hydra, our first in 2.5 decades. It should be known that one of the goals in making our comeback album was to bridge the gap, so-to-speak, between both our debut and the followup, Transcendence, and our new record. We've learned throughout the years that albums 1 & 2 were the top picks according to you guys, the fans. For this reason, along with a simmering yearning to go back to our roots, it was important for us to accomplish that goal. Just sayin', we are honored by all the very positive feedback, which of course will drive us to bring it even harder live! We will see YOU on tour! \m/“ “Chasing The Hydra” is currently charting at #3 on Sentinel Daily’s Top 30 Album Chart. 

OUT JUNE 12, 2026 VIA FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL

It's rather refreshing to see a group of Jethro Tull's magnitude in a provincial, seaside theatre. A fair few heritage acts are bypassing the Eastbourne's of the planet to merely focus on main cities. Even though it's a Saturday, the town itself if pretty quiet. I guess most of them were gearing up to this evening's show, as the venue is very nearly sold out. The gig starts with a pre-record of Ian Anderson very politely asking us to not take photos or videos until the last song. A Squirrel on the video presentation also echoes those thoughts. You can't argue with that..... "It's 1968!", Ian says, as he appears with Guitarist Jack Clark (who impresses very much this evening) to float into the opening song, "Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You". A lovely arrangement on this. Two more from their debut album, "This Was" come right on after. "Beggar's Farm", and "A Song For Jeffrey". The latter has a wonderful hook to it. It's also introduced on video by none other than Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, who the song was written for. It's only a few year's leap to the next song, though stylistically, it's a hop, skip and a jump into a truncated version of "Thick As A Brick". Originally straddling the full two sides of an LP, it must have been quite a task to edit it down and make it sound this effective. "Mother Goose" from "Aqualung" is hot on it's heels, from very much the same era. By the mid area of the first half of the first set, and the arrival of "Songs From The Wood", the versatility and variety of Tull has already been firmly on display. Progressive, Classical, Jazz, Rock, and the musical kitchen sink are all in the recipe. John O'Hara (Keyboards), and David Goodier (Bass), have been Tull members for 20 years apiece, next year. With Drummer Scott Hammond celebrating 10 years with the group next year, the longevity of the majority of the line-up is evident through the smooth and massively impressive performances. The last few years have seen a cavalcade of new music from the pen of Ian Anderson, with three new studio albums appearing in as many years:- "The Zealot Gene", "Rokflote" (sorry, I couldn't get the Umlauts to work on my keyboard!), and "Curious Ruminant", from last year. "The Navigators" from "Rokflote", shows that Ian has lost none of his spark, with wonderful melodies flowing. The title track of "Curious Ruminant" whacks the point home with regard to recent output, prior to whizzing back through the years for "Living In The Past" and "Bouree" Set Two fires off with "My God", another gem from "Aqualung", giving way immediately to the recent past with "The Zealot Gene". Whenever two separate phases of Tull's career follow each other this evening, they do so in a seamless fashion. "Progressive" is a word that suits them perfectly. "Budapest" is a scarce dip into the 1980's (as far as this evening is concerned, anyway). "Aqualung" closes out the show, with some wonderful improv. A short interlude, and then "Locomotive Breath" proves the perfect encore. I have no idea where Ian Anderson keeps finding his inspiration and song writing skills from, though they keep appearing, and in the finest of fashions. Many superlatives have been aimed at Tull over a period of many years, and this evening once more proves that they are all justified. An eccentric, much-loved, wonderfully unique and musically pre-eminent group. Here's to the 60th Anniversary in just over a year or so.

BOW DOWN. SAY "MOTHER". Forged in chaos and cemented in rage, MOTHER creates music for those who live loudly on the inside - the overthinkers, the romantics, the rage-filled softies, the neurodivergent, the ones who feel everything all at once and never quite fit the mould. Drawing from metalcore, industrial and electronic, MOTHER 's sound prioritises feeling over genre. For fans of Bad Omens, Spiritbox, and Evanescence, MOTHER 's debut single ' Unholy ' is now yours. With a music video dripping in sin and salvation, you're not just listening - you belong. On the conception of the track, MOTHER shares: "When I wrote 'Unholy', I was drowning quietly. Every part of my life felt as though it was rotting at the edges — relationships, mental health, identity, survival. I couldn’t tell whether the voice inside me wanted salvation or self-destruction anymore. I only knew some part of me wanted to disappear. The emptiness, the fractured sense of identity, the feeling of becoming a stranger inside your own body. There’s a grief within 'Unholy' that mourns a version of myself I’m not even sure ever truly existed. That’s the cruelty of BPD and dissociation — you begin to question your own memories, your own emotions, your own reflection." On the video, MOTHER continues: "The video embodies all of this emotionally, but it also represents transformation and the conjuring of inner strength. By the end, there is a shift from fragility into power — a dark power — the birth of Mother emerging from the wreckage of everything that came before. Not because the pain vanished, but because enduring it transformed me into something else entirely. If you hear your pain reflected within it, then the song fulfilled its purpose.”

SET FOR RELEASE JULY 31, 2026 VIA FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL

When guitarist and singer Andrew Knightley moved out of London and into the Chiltern Hills, he found inspiration in the birds that circled overhead. To him, the Red Kites represented freedom, a freedom that Knightley has endeavoured to carry into his music making. Sticking with the power trio format of his previous band (that’s Trident Waters, in case you were wondering), AK and the Red Kites serve up similarly grooving blues influenced riffs, but draw from a broader palette across the eleven tracks that make up debut album ‘Hotter Than The Sun’. Leaning into catchy melodies and memorable choruses, there’s an immediacy to the tracks here, a warmth indebted to Knightley’s voice which is at times reminiscent of Chris Cornell. But credit also to drummer Ash Sims and bassist Rob Hoey, who inject plenty of stomp and swagger throughout, ensuring that the likes of ‘Born to Lose’ and ‘Pearl’s Before Swine’ invite you to get up and move. ‘Karmic Rituals’ is dominated by a spectacular, juddering riff so addictive that you’ll find yourself going back for more. The title track is similarly hypnotic, a lust fuelled celebration of an enchanting woman that’s heavy on the wah pedal and heavier on desire, Knightley occasionally lowering his voice to almost a primal growl. It’s a technique he utilises again on ‘Trouble Again’, a song marked with attitude and slinky guitar prowess. ‘Sierra Starlight’ demonstrates restraint, the swampy, Southern styling quite different to the rest of the album but just as absorbing. Some of the best albums are the ones where it feels that every track has the potential to be a single, and that’s certainly the case here. ‘Stronger’ is particularly, er, strong, the uplifting sentiment of the chorus surely very effective on stage. ‘Hotter Than the Sun’ is out now. Come and feel the heat.

OUT 5TH JUNE VIA BIG MACHINE ROCK

SET FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 16, 2026, VIA FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL