The last time I was down this way it was an HRH AOR / Prog combo at Magna in Rotherham in 2013. The highlight of that one for me was future Jesus and Eurovision guy Sam Ryder singing ‘Into the Fire’ with his band The Morning After to me and about 14 other people in a tiny room. Top bloke though.  The Forge is another ‘rescue’ venue in a re-purposed industrial site. It was easy to find and to reach on the Sheffield tram network. We all got a big friendly welcome as we entered the outdoor bit where we found Jimi Handtrix, the fun puppeteer, rocking out and the first of the bars. The festival got off to truly memorable start with Adam & The Hellcats at 12:30. They are a great band at any time but they are an especially good choice to get a festival going at lunchtime when I’ve only had one pint. They are a six-piece father and son combo – Adam Feasey sings and dad Tony plays the drums, and The Hellcats feature two female co-lead singers (not actual cats but they have cat ears and whiskers), one with a keytar, and there’s a bass player and a drummer too. They are a fun band and have a lot of good songs like ‘She’s a Vampire’ and the triple threat vocals give everyone a chance to perform. Adam did most of the talking and dedicated the mental health song ‘F*ck You, Brain’ to Andy’s Man Club, who had a tent on site and were always available for a chat throughout the day. To make it even more special, Adam brought on a couple of his famous friends to jam at the end, starting with Jackie Chambers out of Syteria and Girlschool. With Jax, they performed two Hellcats songs ‘What the Cat Dragged In’ and ‘Peace, Love (& Rock ‘n’ Roll), before Paul Quinn of Saxon came onboard for ‘Princess of the Night’ – who knew Saxon songs sounded better with two female co-lead vocalists. The crowd certainly enjoyed it and so did Adam, who called it “the best day of my life”. So far, Adam – there is a lot of good stuff still to happen for this band. It’s never too early for a bit of pagan Viking metal is it? Certainly not if it’s LN, who had a lot of fans in the audience judging by the number of t-shirts with ‘Peasant’ on the back. The band were a combo of furries, chain mail and face paint and set the musical scene for singer LN, a sprightly witch / Viking queen in corpse paint, dread extensions and smock. Their set is very theatrical and LN is not a lady to take lightly. When she says “I want you to bounce and I won’t be asking you twice’ in the most menacing Geordie accent since Oz in ‘Auf Wiedersehen Pet’ got angry, the peasants tended to do what they were told. They have some great tracks like ‘The Slaughter’ and a head on a stick called Donny appeared at one stage. It’s a hell of a show. LN have had a great summer festival season and have really made a name for themselves this year so I think they’ll kick on from here. The first two acts really caught the attention but the rest of the afternoon was also filled with some really solid rock. The Rattlebacks from Brighton were next with some top-quality modern rock, followed by a revitalised JOANovARC and Stevie Stoker’s Juliet’s Not Dead (formerly Twister) who were all reliably good. Swiss band Dobermann added some glam and were an engaging presence on site all day. They certainly got everyone clapping along and went down well. Less glam but equally popular were Black Lakes, who had strong appeal to the folks in black clothing with their more alternative angsty sounds and they had a good connection with a loyal band of fans. By this stage, it was about time for a very filling toastie from RNR Toasties – I went for the Meatallica with the ham, pepperoni and red onion. Tasty. It was my second favourite purchase of the day after the ‘Tosser’ Xmas bauble which I bought from Pirate Cat Creations, who had an excellent stall selling all sorts of crafted gifts and goodies. With a tight curfew, the business end of the gig came round pretty quickly and it was a riot of colourful, feel-good, get your body rocking melodic rock with a bit of oomph. After the sad passing of Bonnie Tyler, Chez Kane must now be the undisputed queen of 80’s retro Welsh rock chicks and she has the swagger, charisma and voice to back it up. Apparently, some of Chez’s more gynaecological outfits in her promo shots have put some folks off her, which is a shame as she’s a really nice lass and a great live performer, but there are plenty lads and lassies down the front that like what she does. On this night, Chez was very stylish in a white t-shirt, faux leather leggings and a denim jacket ensemble – practically a burqa in comparison to some of her other kit, and there was also the good looking, high-kicking ‘boy totty’ Harry and James on guitar to savour too. Anyway, there is plenty in the music to concentrate on. With three albums and some additional songs, there is more than enough in Chez’s repertoire for a cracking set of melodic rockers. Chez was really strong vocally and the band smashed it despite some of them being barely audible at times. With the guys competing for attention and the lady throwing shapes, it was a very entertaining show. Swedish stars H.e.a.t. are prime purveyors of Scandi-AOR and melodic rock and right on top of their game. Kenny Leckremo commands the stage and he’s very much a more melodic Bruce Dickinson with his spandex-clad thunder thighs, long hair and especially the thunderous lung-busting vocals. This was the band’s last show of the year, so Kenny was in playful mood and full of love for Deep Purple, Europe and his bandmates, especially his band mate crush Jimmy Jay on the bass, who he serenaded with ‘Faithfully by Journey. With a big discography to choose from, they had plenty of great tunes to share, including ‘Hollywood’, ‘Nationwide’ and the evergreen ‘Living on the Run’. September feels a bit early to be shutting it down, but hopefully they’ll be back next year with more good stuff. And that was it from what we knew was the final Destination as it was well known in advance that Steve and Zhany were shutting it down after several years of hard work putting on Rocking the Bowl and other shows in Sheffield. I hope they have enjoyed it and had a great day to finish with. It was a very friendly event with a lot of thoughtful extra touches and a personal touch. Everyone seemed to have a great time and that’s the main thing isn’t it?

OUT NOVEMBER 27 TH 2026 VIA WARNER MUSIC 

OUT NOVEMBER 6 TH VIA BAD RECORDS

To be released via Provogue Records / Artone Label Group – 9 October in Europe / 30 October in the USA 

Myrath - Releases New Single "Shape Of My Heart" Ahead Of UK/EU Tour

Innovative Mongolian rock group and global phenomenon The HU are thrilled to announce a full headline tour across the UK and Europe in September and October 2026, with SKÁLD as special guest.  The band will bring their unique soundscape and entrancingly majestic performance across iconic stages throughout the UK and Europe. Beginning in the Scottish capital in September, the tour will see the band perform all the way to November across 23 cities and nine countries, including: London, Berlin, Paris, Brussels and Warsaw. The HU comment: “What is up our UK and Europe fans? It has been a while since we came to you. Our new setlist is full of hope and energy and as usual The Hu fashion, we will have brand new performance with fiery attitude. Come to our long-awaited shows and let’s have some fun together!” UK & European Tour Dates: Tue 29th Sep - O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow (UK) Thu 1st Oct - Prospect Building, Bristol (UK) Fri 2nd Oct - O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth (UK) Sat 3rd Oct - O2 City Hall, Newcastle (UK) Mon 5th Oct - The Telegraph, Belfast (UK) Tue 6th Oct - 3Olympia Theathre, Dublin (IE) Thu 8th Oct - O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham (UK) Fri 9th Oct - O2 Academy Brixton, London (UK) Sat 10th Oct - O2 Apollo, Manchester (UK) Sun 11th Oct - UEA, Norwich (UK) Wed 14th Oct - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (BE) Thu 15th Oct - Sporthalle, Hamburg (DE) Sat 17th Oct - Tonhalle, Munich (DE) Sun 18th Oct - Columbiahalle, Berlin (DE) Mon 19th Oct - Stodola, Warsaw (PL) Tue 20th Oct - Stodola, Warsaw (PL) Thu 22nd Oct - Palladium, Cologne (DE) Fri 23rd Oct - Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht (NL) Sat 24th Oct - 013, Tilburg (NL) Tue 27th Oct - L’Olympia, Paris (FR) Wed 28th Oct - Le Radiant, Lyon (FR) Fri 30th Oct - X-tra, Zurich (CH) Sat 31st Oct - Rockhal, Esch-Sur-Alzette (LU) Spotify Presale - Thursday, 5th March 2026 – 10:00 AM Local General On Sale - Friday, 6th March 2026 – 10:00 AM Local Tickets will be available here Before heading to the UK and Europe for the headline tour, The HU will co-headline an extensive tour with Apocalyptica from May 12 to June 7. The band will also be part of the Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson “Freaks On Parade” U.S. tour along with Orgy, which kicks off August 20 in West Palm Beach, FL. See the full list of dates below. Tickets are available now via The HU’s website HERE . The Hu & Apocalyptica Co-headline Tour Dates May 12 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (tour kick-off) May 13 – New York, NY @ Palladium Times Square May 14 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall May 15 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater May 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave / Eagles Club May 19 – Green Bay, WI @ EPIC Event Center May 20 – Maplewood, MN @ Myth Live May 22 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall May 23 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory May 24 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre May 26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live May 27 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom May 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren May 30 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels May 31 – Valley Center, CA @ Harrah’s Resort SoCal – The Events Center June 2026 June 4 – Reno, NV @ Grand Theater June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern June 7 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues (tour finale) Freaks On Parade U.S. Tour Dates Thu 8/20 West Palm Beach, FL iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre Fri 8/21 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre Sun 8/23 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre Mon 8/24 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion Wed 8/26 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Thu 8/27 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center Sat 8/29 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake Sun 8/30 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Amphitheater Tue 9/1 Toronto, ONT. RBC Amphitheatre Wed 9/2 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Fri 9/4 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre Sat 9/5 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Sun 9/6 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center Wed 9/9 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheater Thu 9/10 Kansas City, MO Morton Amphitheater Sat 9/12 Englewood, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre Mon 9/14 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre Thu 9/17 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre Fri 9/18 Ridgefield, WA Cascades Amphitheater Sun 9/20 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord The Hu continue to push the limits of rock and bring the world along with them on their latest single “The Real You”, out earlier this year via Better Noise Music. With this new song, they’re bringing Western music components to the forefront with a heavy, atmospheric sound, a hard-charging rhythm, and gritty and positively menacing vocals. The track takes their Hunnu Rock, which blends traditional Mongolian instrumentation and throat singing with contemporary rock music, to an entirely new and breathtaking level. Following from the release of “The Real You”, The Hu are ready to drop new music in three week. Watch this space! ABOUT THE HU The HU have passionately and unforgettably brought Mongolian music to the music frontlines. In November 2022, The HU became the first-ever rock/metal band to receive the prestigious UNESCO “Artist for Peace” Designation at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. Previous recipients include Celine Dion, Shirley Bassey, Sarah Brightman, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, and World Orchestra For Peace. With over 961 million all-time streams, 483 million video views, #1 charting albums, multiple sold-out headlining tours, prestigious government honors and awards, collaborations with several of rock’s biggest names, and featured music on video games including EA Games’ Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, THE HU have cemented their status as a global powerhouse.

SET FOR RELEASE ON FEBRUARY 19, 2027 VIA BLKIIBLK

So up until a few days ago, I can't say I'd heard of The Fierce & The Dead. Clearly I had been living under a rock! Formed 16 years ago in London and although starting out as a 3 piece, over the years they have increased the ranks. The Fierce & The Dead have amassed an impressive back catalogue, and have 4 studio albums already under their belts. Their sound can only be described as genre fluid, taking inspiration for this album from the likes of Faith no more, The Smashing Pumpkins and Helmet. This new record, Regional Theatre comes following the release of 3 tracks from the album, 'Somehow', 'The 1234' and 'Shake Hands and Exit' Due for release on the 11th of September, This offering moves firmly into more alternative and noise rock categories whilst still sticking to those experimental roots that have given the band their international acclaim. The first track, 'Loungeside' kicks in with a sultry groove and silky vocals provided by the bands lead vocalist and bassist Kevin Feazey, almost creating an initial dreamscape for the listener, which only becomes more psychedelic as the album progresses. 'The 1234' ups the tempo instrumentally only for us to descend into a heavy bass beat for personal favourite 'Shake Hands and Exit', just a gloriously filthy engaging bass line with sensual nine inch nails-esque vocals! 'Hey Nightmare' is of similar ilk, and comes in with a glorious guitar and bass hook. I cant stop myself from nodding and attempting to sing along (it's still early days). Sixth track from the album, is 'Superbia' and its taking us straight back to the 80s, with flavours of talking heads, Peter Gabriel with shoegaze undertones. Ironically, the next song carrying us through the dreamscape is 'Dream sequence', exploring their signature experimental sound with instrumental harp segments only to kick in with driving rock that wouldn't be out of place in swervedriver's Mezcal Head. 'Thrash' is another genre offshoot, giving us chilled indie vibes.. honestly this album is like musical tapas, there is literally something for everyone. 'Hypernormalisation' is throwing out a Biffy Clyro comparison, juicy riffs and powerful clear vocals. Closing track, 'Signal Bleed' is a slow down on all fronts, ridiculously chilled out vibes in this track, beautiful melodic vocals and just a peaceful end to what feels like a wild ride through this whole record. This whole album is genuinely a joy to listen to, and the journey you're taken on is mesmerising! I highly recommend taking in this album of an evening with a glass of wine and the time to really immerse yourself in it. The Fierce and The Dead will be supporting this release with a series of album launch shows in the UK and I highly suggest you make it along to one in your area. Unfortunately I think the closest to me is Liverpool, but you bet your bottom dollar I'll be going to see this band if/when they venture north of the wall.

Photos and review - Andy Bradley