If these vampires turned up at your window, you’d feel compelled to invite them in.

DUE 15TH JANUARY 2027 VIA REVAMP / WARNER MUSIC

Released 11th September 2026 via Might Music

Available 28th August 2026

GeminiiDRAGON's artistic journey continues with "Greatest Misses." She’s always carried herself like an artist who knows where she’s going, and "Greatest Misses" feels like another deliberate step along that path. "Greatest Misses", reflects her unique creative vision along with her partner Christian Simeon. Her earlier bluesy feel is still there, but it's toned down, allowing a tighter, rhythm-focused rock sound to take centre stage. On songs like 'Desert Heart,' the beat is primary, with elements of rock and blues supporting the tune. This album showcases sharp production, streamlined arrangements, and a confident overall feel, emphasising rhythm and riffs with a confident attitude. The emphasis continues to be on her voice. Its raw, unvarnished presentation brings to mind Tina Turner's 70s output, before the polished arena sound of 'Private Dancer'. GeminiiDRAGON's vocals are remarkable, showcasing depth, strength, and unwavering commitment in diverse genres. The album's strongest parts reinforce this fresh path. A Bond title sequence could feature the wide-screen drama and brooding intensity of 'Powder Keg's' opening. From track three, "Can't Stop Love," the album steps up its game. Its looping guitar figure carries the same punch as Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, giving the song a hypnotic, forward‑driving momentum.  Blues influences and a rock framework combine in 'Desert Heart', linking her previous and current albums. Expect a delightful pop-rock experience with 'Great Day,' characterised by its clean guitar sound and well-woven lead melodies. 'Cherokee' stands out as the album's most energetic rocker, characterised by its dramatic, guitar-driven sound and unyielding drums. The twin guitars have a sound reminiscent of early Thin Lizzy, yet they possess a distinct character all their own. In contrast to the immediacy of her previous albums, "Greatest Misses" provides a more gradual experience. The tone leans more towards the "Gold Dinar" album, emphasising atmosphere, repetition, and rhythm over immediate catchiness. Still, patience is key; let it develop over repeated plays, and "Greatest Misses" will reveal itself as another excellent outing by GeminiiDRAGON. One gets the sense from "Greatest Misses" that the artist is moving in a different direction. While maintaining her blues origins, this music explores rock territory, characterised by enhanced brightness, clarity, energy, and a more robust rhythmic pulse. The album unfolds slowly, revealing its merits. It will reward you after repeated plays; give it room to grow. It's characterised by subtle grooves and textures that remain long after the music ends.

"Tonight it transforms into the sleeze of the Sunset Strip and all the LA 80’s swagger "

At a time when some newer bands may be grappling with the often-written about “difficult second album”, last week saw Atlanta-based post-grunge/alt rockers Collective Soul releasing their thirteenth album. Having had a major hit, ‘Shine’, from their debut album in 1994 which has since racked up over 324 million streams on Spotify and 102 million views on You Tube; and with their second album going triple-platinum and delivering three No. 1 singles in the US, Collective Soul have nothing to prove. Other bands of their longevity may simply have slid into cruise control, pressed ‘repeat’ or be living off their past. Not so Collective Soul who have turned things on their head and released a New Wave album. Yes, you can read that last sentence again and it will still say “New Wave” … in 2026 … yes, in 2026 … and it’s 35 minutes of pure joy. Trailed by a limited advance release on vinyl for Record Store Day in April, we had to wait a few months for the album’s full release. If releasing a New Wave album appears unexpected, fans of the band will be aware that during COVID-19 when they couldn’t tour, Ed Roland (vocals) decided to fill the time by recording some songs which wouldn’t sound like anything they’d recorded before and influenced by his love of The Cars and ELO. Joining him in this venture were Jesse Triplett (lead guitar, Collective Soul), Cheney Brannon (former Collective Soul drummer) and Shawn Grove. A full album ‘The Living Room’ was recorded with only 1500 copies pressed and released on Record Store Day Black Friday in 2020. The self-titled album wasn’t attributed to Collective Soul and was then re-named as being by Alien Attitude and can still be found in iTunes and Spotify for those interested in tracking down a digital copy (highly recommended). So, while ‘Touch And Go’ marks their first official New Wave release as Collective Soul, this particular musical itch has been there longer … and this latest album more than scratches it. Album opener ‘Rainbow’ paints a sonic picture presenting what I can only describe as a cornucopia (that’s the first time I’ve used that in a review) of sounds which are at times familiar Collective Soul, dreamy, brooding, trippy, kaleidoscopic and with multi-layered and lush ELO-style backing vocals which also feature throughout the album. ‘Eye On You’ starts with a raw guitar leading into a 80’s New Wave keyboard riff straight out of a The Cars, Depeche Mode or Kraftwerk playbook before leading into a big rockier chorus. As I write this, my mind is trying to process what I’m hearing and telling me that this shouldn’t work, but it does. ‘Uh-Oh’ repeats the simplicity and remarkably effective musical approach of an even rawer big guitar riff followed by a simple isolated 80’s pop keyboard riff and with, you’ve guessed it, another big chorus this time framed around the song title. Just when I’m wondering if the album can get any better, the ‘Can this album get any better?’ dial is turned up further. ‘All My Days on Thru’ starts off as a more familiar Collective Soul number. Mid-paced and guitar-driven, with slowly building verses, the chorus is then taken to another level by the wonderful high-pitched “Oooo-Oooos” and a stripped back beat-driven bridge designed for audience participation which is different, but similar in effect to The Killers’ “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” bit in ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. By this time I’m hooked and find myself sitting back in my chair hands raised and clapping along with the chorus. I’ve now played this album a good few times and found myself doing this every time I listened. I do not exaggerate. If seeking to invoke a primal response in listeners, objective achieved. The pace drops with the half-spoken and atmospheric ‘Heavy Load’ and is followed by the faster electronic ‘Fun’ which connected less with me. ‘Again’ is I’m just going to say it, brilliant. A raw, addictive guitar riff and a welcoming vocal lead you into a keyboard riff which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an Erasure record. And I mean this as in Erasure good, not Erasure bad. If I’m honest I used to hate keyboards and synthesisers in the ‘80’s. Music was tribal and I fell into that. Whereas, this mix of raw guitars and dancing keyboard riffs will have you bobbing around and, to use a cliche, dancing like nobody’s watching. ‘Feel’ continues The Cars theme, but this time taking more of a lead from ‘Drive’ and also a little evocative of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ before ‘Shooting For You’ provides a slice of classic Collective Soul. The closing song ‘Love Your Way’ is pure ‘80’s nostalgia, a homage to The Cars and all things New Wave with a massive life-affirming chorus and another stripped back bridge to encourage singing out loud while the credits to a John Hughes movie roll in the background. Okay, I might have made up that last bit, but you get the idea. While the original intent behind this was to create music which didn’t sound like Collective Soul and to celebrate their love of New Wave and other influences, they only partially succeeded. Yes, The Cars and ELO influences are to the fore and all through this music, but you can’t keep a good band down. The vocal delivery and phrasing is distinctive and unmistakably Ed Roland’s, the songs unmistakably Collective Soul, and the album unmistakably good. What none of us may have expected is just how well Collective Soul’s distinctive sound mixes with these very different musical sounds. But, I shouldn’t be surprised by this. I’ve been listening to Collective Soul for over 30 years since I bought their self-titled second album in 1995 and still play it regularly. Truth be told, I wasn’t a big fan of grunge and found much of the de-tuned music depressing and a bit of a dirge. While I love rock music in many forms, I recognised that much of it had become bloated and over-blown as the ‘70’s progressed and punk provided welcome musical change; for me post-grunge was similarly needed after grunge had run its course and respectfully built on some of the elements which had made it popular but importantly injected some melody and light. And ‘Touch And Go’ has these in buckets. 35 minutes of pure joy. GMcA

The coming together of the two Steves — Hackett and Rothery — is something for any prog or instrumental guitar fan to be excited about. Both have enjoyed great careers, and together they bookend prog music: Hackett was a pioneer of the genre. As a founding member of Genesis, it's fair to say his was the guitar that helped start a whole new sound. Rothery, a founding member of Marillion, is still playing with his band and recently played in Pompeii, following other progsters including Pink Floyd, Dream Theater and Opeth. Together, the two Steves have been working on an instrumental album titled Roaring Waves, and "Red Dragon" is the first single from it. Red Dragon starts a little differently to how I imagined: a hurdy-gurdy opens the track. It sounds just like a set of small pipes playing the opening bars, which serve as a teaser for the track — will it be a Celtic sound, or something else? A short drum intro brings in Hackett's guitar. The playing is open and lays a foundation for Rothery to slide in with a few notes that start to shape what this tune is going to sound like. The Red Dragon was a trading ship for the East India Company, and with that as a theme, it's no surprise to hear the track develop with a bit of an eastern hint. Hackett hits a bit of a Kashmir-sounding tone as Rothery overlays with the top-end notes that have defined his playing for the last 40 years. There is a bit of slide and a bit of complementary back and forth. Despite the pedigree of the players, this is no self-indulgent prog piece. Instead, it's a rocky number that puts both guitars on display and feels very like two guys who like the same kind of music getting together for a jam, rather than an overthought piece for the commercial market — and I think that's a good thing.  This is no Dueling Banjos. The playing is open; the drums, bass and keys keep it simple but are really effective as the backline. That leaves plenty of space for the Steves to do their respective thing, before the track ends as it began, with the hurdy-gurdy taking us home. I really enjoyed this track and I'm looking forward to giving the album a listen. It would be great to see these two play together. Rothery has guested at a couple of Hackett's shows, but a full-on concert with these two protagonists would be brilliant to see — how likely that is I don't know, but it's certainly worth looking out for. It is great to see old campaigners with new ideas, still keen to make music. Get this on your turntable. Eastern promise delivered.

Lloyd Cole is a fairly regular visitor to these shores from his home in Chicago. It is always nice to see him present his extensive songbook in different ways; sometimes he has a band, sometimes it's an acoustic offering either alone or with a friend or family member in support. Tonight, it was to be a solo performance with an electric guitar as accompaniment. Now, I think that is a bit of a bold move. An electric guitar, all on its own, is much less forgiving than any other set up. It points to Lloyd’s confidence in his own skin and skill and something I am looking forward to hearing. I got to the venue early enough to grab a beer. It was nice too to bump into an old pal, David Watt. Tonight was about memories as well as music, and we got talking about the Commotions, Love and Money, Kevin McDermott (who we might have spotted in the crowd) and Danny Wilson. During the late 1980 and early 90’s Scotland really was awash with so much quality pop music; those were great times, and, as a resident of Glasgow’s Great Western Road, Lloyd was very much a part of it. It looked to me that most of tonight’s audience were survivors of those days. There were groups of women who came together, their love for Lloyd had clearly lasted longer than the relationships they were in when they first heard him. Similarly, the guys with hair were doing their best to slick it back or spike it up, in homage to their look of four decades earlier. Even the bar staff with dressed sympathetically in all black gear. One of us need have worried, just on 8 o’clock the lights dimmed and we all transformed, we were back to the 80’s and in our minds our turtlenecks were tucked into our jeans and we were swaying in our happy melancholy. Lloyd took to the stage in all white, his uniform of choice these days and grabbed his guitar. First up ‘29’ from Mainstream, the last Commotions album; it gave a sense of what the night was going to look like. With no other instruments, this was going to be a night where the voice and lyrics took centre stage, with the guitar playing, very much a supporting, but no less, important role. The opener was quickly followed by ‘No More Love Songs’ from the 2003 Negatives album. My favourite Lloyd Cole song has always been ‘Rattlesnakes’. It appeared next with, I think, a bar or two from AC/DC’s ‘Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution’ to open it up. I’d love to know if I heard right. I left Twitter a while ago, for reasons you’d guess, but that was a great way to connect with musicians and Lloyd was no exception, he’d answer the odd question or make a wee comment in response to a reference here or there. It is one of the few things I miss about that platform. I’d certainly have asked if an AC/DC riff had made it onto his stage. The rest of the first half was a mixture of the old and not quite so old. Lloyd knew what his audience wanted and gave that to them. The first half of the opening set could easily be the last few songs of a headline set. ‘Speedboat’, ‘Brand New Friend’ and ‘Perfect Skin’ all got a run out and sat really well alongside slightly less old solo cuts, including ‘Guesswork’, ‘Baby’ and ‘Undressed’. The first set finished with the brilliant ‘2CV’. I guess 40 years ago we’d all be running to the bar, tonight it was a sprint to the bathrooms. After 20 minutes or so, we all reassembled in this lovely, seated venue for some more. ‘Are You Ready to be Heartbroken’ started the second half. It was a joy to listen to another hour of songs that were about love; requited love, unrequited love, broken love, painful love and, I am sure there must have been some joy in there too. These were the songs of my youth, of sitting in my bedroom with friends drinking tea and listening to those records. ‘Charlotte Street’, ‘Jennifer’ and ‘Hey Rusty’ prime amongst those memories. Some wag asked for ‘My Bag’. “It's on sabbatical” Lloyd replied. That kind of demonstrates the depth of the Lloyd Cole songbook that strong and popular songs, like ‘My Bag’, can be dropped from the proceedings and it still a cracking setlist. ‘The Afterlife’ and ‘No Blue Skies’ were real highlights for me too. ‘I’m Gone’ closed the set and Lloyd wandered off. This was quite a laid-back gig, “join in if you want” said Lloyd, “just not too exuberantly”. That set the tone, for the night, the stage banter was minimal but good fun and the audience just enjoyed sitting back and lapping up the music, but when Lloyd changed a word or a line, the giggles in the room showed this educated audience knew; they were certainly paying attention.  Encores of ‘Lost Weekend’ and the mighty ‘Forest Fire’ took us to the close of what had been a fantastic night. As the lights came on, we were all transported back to 2026, we had, once again, left 1986 behind. But time travel does wonderful things, we all left the Queen’s Hall showing a bit of extra swagger and wearing smiles that can only come from the comforting love of memories of music, youth and optimism. Are we ready to be heartbroken? Probably not, but Lloyd is certainly welcome back to try again as soon as he likes.