Album & Live Reviews

“Ballad of a Broken Dream” is a great song - one of the best on Elles’ sparkling new album ‘Beneath the Neon Glow’ and she played it as the third song on the set-list for the Edinburgh leg of her tour. It’s a sad tale of a “never-was” musician but addressed sympathetically and with a light and jaunty spring in the music that saves it from being a stereotypical “Debbie Downer” blues lament. Having just released the best album of her career and one of the best of its kind this year, Elles Bailey is a long way from sharing the fate of the guy in her song but her lyrical empathy with the protagonist seems typical of her approach to life and her relationship with her musical friends and fans. This gig at the tiny Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh wasn’t even on the original tour schedule apparently, but things got moved around to facilitate a second Scottish gig, with Elles due in Glasgow the next day. That meant a hot, sweaty night, not much room on stage for the performers and a set-constricting curfew at 10PM. With three acts on the bill that could have been tricky but Elles is running this tour like one of those old-school revues from the 1960s or 1970s with all of the artists working together and she made sure she looked after her mates. That started with Elles coming out to introduce her friend and fellow hat-wearer Demi Marriner as the opening turn of the night. Other headliners might have dumped the third act in the circumstances but Elles gave her pal and band-mate full support along with a plea / warning to the crowd for good behaviour and no talking over the songs, which the already near-capacity audience were happy to comply with – there was never really any doubt though, because the room was full of “real” fans and proper music aficionados, not gobby plastic bar-flies. Wee Demi is an absolutely charming singer-songwriter with a disarming manner, a lovely voice and a bag-full of finely-crafted songs to share, so she had no problems winning friends in this audience. With only time for a 4-song, 15-minute “speed dating” set, Demi dispensed with most of the chat, other than teasing a squirrel story to go with the song ‘One Way Conversation’ from her album ‘The Things We Didn’t Say’. The follow-up album ‘Things I Said’ is in the works and she featured recent single ‘Repeat Refrain’ and the next one ‘Need to Know’, which is due at the end of November. Both are country / americana in style and showcase Demi’s intelligent word-play and exquisite voice to good effect – this little lady can certainly hold a note. Obviously, she is playing solo and acoustic tonight but she also has a band and her material is very worthy of further attention. We would see her again shortly. After a very quick turnaround, Elles popped back out again to introduce Ida Mae and give them a ringing personal endorsement. To be clear, this is not Oda Mae from the film ‘Ghost’. Ida Mae is actually a husband-and-wife duo, Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean Ward, who met at Bath University, formed the band Kill it Kid who had a song of the same name and subsequently moved to Nashville. Apparently, some Americans have compared them visually to Kurt Cobain and Jennifer Aniston - they are a great-looking couple but I think someone must have been on the moonshine! They moved back to the UK during Covid but had toured extensively in the US, covering 46 states and opening for some genuine legends like Willie Nelson. Over there, their sound was once described as “bluegrass grunge” and that’s not as daft as it sounds. As you would expect, they have great chemistry and harmonise wonderfully on delicate but earnest melodies that stretch their voices to the very edge of their range on some beautiful and atmospheric songs from their catalogue of three albums. They use a steely sounding guitar, acoustic guitar, kick box, tambourine and shaker to accompany the vocals and create an ethereal soundscape. Their music is undoubtedly good but will divide opinion. If you like it, you will probably actually love it, but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. I believe that was the case in Edinburgh where they were very well received and absolutely everyone respected their ability and paid attention throughout. They didn’t introduce many of the songs by name but they did highlight ‘Detroit or Buffalo’ – an obscure and under-appreciated gem from 1973 by Barbara Keith that struck a chord with their own road trip experiences. I went home and checked out the original featuring Lowell George and Sneaky Pete and it is awesome. They had a few more “road” songs, one apparently inspired by Dr Feelgood, in a set that lasted around 30 minutes. If I interpreted the between-song chat correctly, I believe Stephanie may be expecting the couple’s second child, so they will be off the road for a bit. They were not able to hang around for long after their set as they had their toddler waiting for them at the Holiday Inn. I bet their lullabies are absolutely amazing! Prior to the doors opening, there was a long queue outside the venue that stretched back up the hill and it actually looked like everyone might be waiting for Happy Hour at the sauna a few doors along. It was as hot as a sauna inside the concert venue too and Elles Bailey provided the happy ending with a wonderful set, albeit with about 3 songs lopped off to meet curfew requirements. It was a tight squeeze getting all the band onstage and tight is the word to describe their performance, with a real team-effort mentality and everyone given the best opportunity to shine, but with each player supporting the communal effort rather than indulging in extended “look-at-me” soloing. Once-upon-a-time, Elles might have been categorized as “just” a blues singer based on her smoky vocals but, especially on the new record, she’s plopped soul, pop, country and americana into her cauldron to come up with a divine blend of genres and a sunny delight to enjoy live. ‘Beneath the Neon Glow’ is a definite career-highlight to date, so quite rightly, she plays every song from the album, starting with Joe Wilkins sliding ‘Enjoy the Ride’ into the opening slot, followed by the big-hearted pop of ‘Leave a Light On’, the afore-mentioned ‘Ballad of a Broken Dream’ with Demi singing her wee heart out on backing vocals, plus the nostalgic ‘1972’ and absolutely nobody was shouting out for old ones, even though Elles has got some corkers in her locker. Elles was really genuine, interactive and chatty all night and even allowed the audience to choose one of the songs from a list of four options. There had been an online vote before the show but she went to the clapometer on the night anyway and the winner was John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’. Graciously, Elles did say that she didn’t mind that we had chosen the only cover version option over three of her originals and I don’t think she was faking it. The result was predictably spell-binding. Elles smoked it and Demi testified on a verse too before Jonny Henderson “took it to church” on the piano. The last time I heard this song live was at Red Rocks, Colorado a couple of years ago when Susan Tedeschi reduced me to tears, so this was another special moment for everyone present, but perhaps especially for me. They might not be traditional old-school blues, but songs like ‘Silhouette in a Sunset’ and ‘Let it Burn’ have soul-touching qualities and real emotional heft. Elles seems to be all about lifting others up and sharing the spotlight and she always acknowledged other contributors and her co-writers. For ‘Let it Burn’ that was Katey Brooks and it was an absolute gift for Elles to be able to finish writing it with her, even if she did ruefully reflect later that “maybe we should have given it to Adele”! I can see what she means but I’m kind of glad she didn’t all the same. A full-on Soul explosion breaks out on ‘If This is Love’ and some folks might even have been dancing even if there was only enough room for a hand jive, although somehow Elles found a lane through the crowd, carving a path like Sir Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish to the back of the room while belting out ‘Riding Out the Storm’. For the faked “encores” (there was nowhere to go), Elles opted for the 10th and final track from ‘BTNG’ - the topical weepie ‘Turn Off the News’ which was enjoyed, if that is the right word, in rapt silence. Fortunately, the antidote was to hand with the joyous romp of the Tom Petty-referencing ‘Sunshine City’ from ‘Shining in the Half Light’ and everyone went home very happy indeed. I left the gig feeling dehydrated, sweaty, exhilarated, entertained and joyful. A post-gig pint and a shower sorted the first two and the good feelings stayed with me for the rest of the weekend, so thanks to Elles and her friends for bringing their show to our town and I hope we will see them again on a stage that is a better fit for their talents.

There are some fabulous three-day AOR events around Europe, including the revamped Firefest, Malmo Melodic and Hamburg’s Indoor Summer, but Lion Fest in the Spanish city of Leon goes for the big one by putting on a quite magnificent melodic rock line-up in just one single evening. For the second edition of the show in 2024, that included Hardline, Tyketto, Treat, The Night Flight Orchestra, Perfect Plan, Jaded Heart and the surprise package of the show Hackers, in a quite unbelievably strong session, the quality of which has surely never been equalled in a single evening? Hardline were rightly viewed as one of the obvious headliners but, surprisingly, it was them who took the opening slot on the main stage at 18:45. The calculated gamble certainly paid off, as a large crowd, estimated at around 2,400, turned up early and found themselves getting worked up into a frenzy by a typically bombastic performance from Johnny Gioelli and the band, who threw ‘Fuel to the Fire’ as their opener on the high stage, which was almost, but not quite, as high as the one at the legendary Glasgow Apollo. The magnificent ‘Everything’ is a great song and it came over especially well here with a crystal-clear sound that allows Alessandro Del Vecchio to shine and be heard on keyboards and backing vocals. That’s followed up by ‘Dr Love’ and the bulk of the set still comes from the legendary ‘Double Eclipse’ album, so not dissimilar to the classic ‘Live at The Gods Festival 2002’ CD. Putting Johnny Gioelli on this stage in front of a committed, passionate and knowledgeable Spanish crowd is like giving an excitable puppy a shot of methamphetamine. He was in hyperactive and excitable form throughout, interacting with the audience and his band-mates in goofy and hilarious fashion. His unrequited love for the luscious Anna Portulapi and the resulting Will & Grace style on-stage banter between them was particularly comical. Anna was on great form, bumping and grinding away on the bass with that charming smile on her face throughout; in fact, the whole band were clearly enjoying themselves and that infectious energy was replicated by a very responsive crowd. The slightly under-stated Luca Princiotta was an absolute star on guitar with some really great fret-work and AdV is also a massive part of the band’s sound, not least on the hugely impressive ‘Fever Dreams’ from ‘Danger Zone’ where he handles the key change with class and quality. Bless him, Johnny has definitely still got it, and so has ‘Hot Cherie’ which still scrubs up very nicely. Johnny leads into that with some snippets from Phil Collins’ hit ‘In the Air Tonight’ and at that point, it really did feel like I had been waiting for this moment for all my life. It was a magnificent set that will live long in the memory, but how do you follow that? Lion Fest is staged in a large, modern exhibition centre, right beside the new railway station which makes travel to the event easy. As you enter the venue, and after obtaining your wristband, there is a large area for food and drink, with plenty of tables and chairs to sit in and excellent toilet facilities. The two stages are set up opposite each other in the main hall and there is no gap between sets. When one band is finished, you simply turn around and move closer to the opposite stage where the next band are already ready to go. In this instance, the honour of opening the smaller second stage fell to veteran German / Swedish band Jaded Heart. In a hyper-melodic line-up, they were something of an outlier with their heavier and more powerful sound, in fact, they were the only four-piece band of the night and the only act which did not rely on prominent and extensive use of keyboards and vocal harmonies. My wife and I had enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon in the lion city of Leon (there are lion statues everywhere), and it had been a bit of a rush to get into the venue in time for Hardline, so we took this opportunity to buy an event t-shirt, exchange cash for “Lion tokens” and grab some food. There were several bars available too, so the lines were comparatively small, but we did not try the Kalimotxo – a local speciality which blends red wine with Coca-Cola. Things might have got messy. That meant that I could hear Jaded Heart but I only got to see them towards the end of their set. Michael Muller on bass is the only remaining original member but the tall and impressive singer Johan Fahlberg has been around for a while, as he reminded us when performing ‘Tomorrow Comes’ from the 2005 album ‘Helluva Time’, which was apparently the first song he sang with the band. They also went back to that album for their cover of Anastacia’s ‘Paid My Dues’ but with 14 albums to choose from, they had no difficulty in building a quality set. Interestingly, Johnny Dee was behind the kit for Jaded Heart, pulling a double-shift as he later appeared with Tyketto on the main stage. Overall, I was pleased to see the band for the first time but they did have to fight for attention sandwiched between Hardline and Treat. I have been fortunate to have seen and enjoyed the two biggest names on the bill (Hardline and Tyketto) before, but the presence of three magnificent Swedish bands that I may never have the chance to see in Scotland was a massive reason for choosing to travel from Edinburgh to Northern Spain. Treat’s initial breakthrough in the 1980s largely passed me by but I became a big fan in 2010 after hearing their mid-career genre-defining opus ‘Coup de Grace’. They opened with ‘Skies of Mongolia’ from that album and it sounded great before they raised the bar even higher with the magnificent ‘Papertiger, also from ‘Coup’. It is still Robert Emlund on vocals and he does a great job, supported by strong backing vocals. Robert’s stage manner is good and peppered with Coverdale-isms but he does not have Johnny Gioelli’s manic energy, so the band rely on the quality of their songs, which are very good indeed. They draw heavily on their 1980’s catalogue but include ‘Freudian Slip’ and ‘Home of the Brave’ from their outstanding 2022 album ‘The Endgame’, a late career highlight and it would have been good to hear even more from that. But of course, it’s the ‘Coup de Grace’ songs that rule. Could any song be more appropriate for Lion Fest than ‘Roar’? And when they played the euphoric anthem ‘We Own the Night’ it really felt as if we actually did. A treat indeed. In a line-up so stacked with great established bands, who would have thought that the band who stole my heart on the night would be a little old AOR band from Gran Canaria? Hackers were the only performers I had not heard of prior to the gig but a quick You Tube search revealed a trio of absolutely superb songs sung in their native language that reeled me in, so much so that we made our way to the barrier in front of the second stage just as Treat were starting their last number, which was actually interrupted by a brief power outage. Hackers are experienced and very competent musicians who cut their teeth in covers bands before uniting to create some sensational original melodic rock. They released their second album late last year and opened their set with its superb title track ‘El Poder de Una Cancion’ (‘The Power of a Song’). In an era where the airwaves have become saturated with identikit copy & paste AOR, it was a refreshing change for my Scottish ears to hear something better and more original and it did not matter that I could not fully understand the lyrics – that didn’t stop me enjoying ‘Money Heist’ (‘La Case De Papel’) on Netflix. Can you imagine Survivor with Enrique Iglesias on vocals? Well, they were like that but better. The actual singer is Victor Guardia. He is very good with a great melodic rock voice and a sultry and brooding presence, while my wife informed me that he bears a passing resemblance to Negan, the charming psycho from The Walking Dead played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. His band mates were equally good, including Elvis Pescossa, whose shimmering keyboards and backing vocals added a lot and Fran Alonso, who reminded me a little of Bernie Marsden and fired off some spectacularly good melodic rock guitar solos. Highlights included the pulsating and swaggering ‘Respirar Rock & Roll’ (Breathe Rock & Roll) which helped the band attract strong support from a large crowd that had gathered at the bottom end of the hall. Spanish is a sexy sounding language which lends itself very well to pure AOR themes. My Rockfiend colleague “La Balada Poderosa de Casanova de Ayrshire” would be able to use Hackers’ entire catalogue in his infamous “seduction playlist”, not least the sublime and gorgeous power ballad ‘Mi Dulce Condena’ (‘My Sweet Sentence’ according to Google Translate). Sadly, disaster struck just after the triumphant parping keyboard sound of ‘Si Te Vas’ (‘If You Leave’) started as the power went out on the second stage for the second time in their set. Efforts to restore power came too late to allow the band to finish their show, to the great frustration of the band and their audience. There were no further problems after that but it was a sad way to finish a performance that I was thoroughly enjoying. Since returning home, I have now purchased the band’s latest album and will keep an eye on their Facebook page in the hope that I can combine a sunshine break on Gran Canaria with one of the band’s local shows. They have already sold many CDs throughout Europe and as far away as Japan, so I would encourage like-minded fans in the UK and USA to check them out. Hackers would also be an excellent addition to any melodic rock festival and there is also a strong push for the band to be invited back to Leon in 2025 to have another go. Fantastico. The day after the festival, I spotted Danny Vaughn in Madrid’s Atocha train station. Recognisable by his long grey hair, he looked like just another quiet unassuming guy making his way through the crowd pulling a wheelie-case. But on stage at Lion Rock the night before, he was like a man possessed; bounding around with passion and enthusiasm, and with that fantastic and undimmed voice bringing life to his band’s proud history and back catalogue. There was a real end of term spirit to Tyketto in what was their final performance of the year and their first show in Spain for at least eight years, which undoubtedly helped draw the crowds to Leon. I believe Danny has lived in Spain for a number of years now, so he was able to converse naturally with the crowd in their native tongue, even correcting their pronunciation; as he said, it’s “Tie-ketto” not “Tih-ketto”. I found the Spanish audience to be generally a bit younger and cooler than that which I am used to back home and they were fully engaged throughout. Other than one French-sounding voice, I did not detect any other “foreign” accents and I am not aware of any other UK folks having made the journey – a real shame and folks don’t know what they’re missing. It wasn’t just Danny who was bringing the energy. Johnny Dee was back on the drum kit for his second set of the night with Wayne Briggs deputising on bass. As ever, Ged Rylands was a massive part of the sound, just like Alessandro Del Vecchio for Hardline, with pivotal keyboards and backing vocals and Harry Scott Elliott was really kicking it on guitar. Folks from the UK have known Harry since he was a wee laddie in Kane’d so it has been a real joy to see him and his partner Chez Kane breaking into the big time and looking like they really belong there. The Tyketto set was a total triumph with ‘Wings’ and ‘Burning Down Inside’ as obvious highlights before it all climaxed in an orgy of joy and communal singing for ‘Forever Young’ to conclude what was definitely one of the best sets of the night. There was a hairy and excitable man introducing all the acts on the main stage and he did a great job of firing up the crowd, although his Speedy Gonzalez delivery was beyond my rudimentary Spanish – to be honest, I was only making out the occasional “vamos”, “ariba” and “porfavor” plus the band names! I believe the gentleman may have been Jason Cenados of Mariskal Rock radio and he made his way down to the second stage, along with virtually of the remaining crowd, to introduce Sweden’s Perfect Plan. At this point, the festival was actually running slightly ahead of schedule but it was still after midnight, in line with the later hours for dinner and socialising traditionally enjoyed by Spanish folks, but there were a few older rockers heading out the door after a long evening of rocking and partying. Perfect Plan have released some of the best new melodic rock albums of the past few years, so I was intrigued to see what they could do live. I was not disappointed. This was the band’s first visit to Spain and they were clearly pleased to be here, with guitarist Rolf Nordstrom in particular taking it all in with a big smile on his face. ’Time for a Miracle’ was a strong start and all eyes and ears were on Kent Hilli and his impressive vocals. Kent used to be a semi-pro footballer. Scottish readers might picture him as a hipster Murdo MacLeod but he’s got the bangs of Beckham, a twinkle in his eye like Sven Goran Eriksson and the voice of a young Lou Gramm. ‘Bad City Woman’ got people moving, as did ‘What About Love’ before they threw in a tribute to the sublime Jimi Jamison with a rendition of Survivor’s ‘Didn’t Know it was Love’ that took me right back to Nottingham and Firefest in 2011. I started the set at the front but the time had come for me to take a step back, park my old arse and enjoy a seat for a bit. This year, the organizers had arranged for some bleacher-style seating at the sides of the hall so I was able to find a spot and still enjoy the show as the band powered on through ‘Fighting to Win’ and ‘Better Walk Alone’ before they wrapped it all up with their already classic song ‘In and Out of Love’. Perfect Plan are definitely not just a studio-only band and I would love to see them live again soon. The honour of closing the festival fell to everyone’s favourite airline cabin crew-themed aeromantic melodic rock dance band, The Night Flight Orchestra. It was fun watching all eight of them assemble on stage; more hair than the Bee Gees, a bass player in white trousers, two splendid backing vocalists dressed as risqué cabin attendants complete with drinks trolley, and Bjorn “Speed” Strid resplendent in flying beret and silver cape – it was like waking up from a bad dream and finding grunge had never happened! The triumphant parping and shimmering keyboards introduced the opening number ‘Midnight Flyer’ and then it was straight into ‘Sometimes the World Ain’t Enough’, like a Bond theme performed by ABBA on acid, that really got the audience moving and shaking. The Orchestra really have a distinctive and likeable style that makes it impossible for even old people to stand still. An early highlight was their performance of ‘Divinyls’ which was so good that when I think about it, I touch myself. Bjorn addressed the crowd with “good morning, Spain” and that just reminded me that it was 01:25 before they even started their set. Some in the crowd still had the energy for a dance-off to ‘Burn for Me’ and ‘Gemini’ but after the big throbbing power ballad ‘Something Mysterious’ the spring had left my step and it was time for me to bail out. I wish I had saved more energy as the Night Flight Orchestra are a thrilling and unique live experience and they certainly know how to get a party going – I believe there was even a conga later on. They have a new album ‘Give Us the Moon’ due out in January which I am sure will be sensational and the accompanying ‘Moon Over Europe’ tour in February will hit some of the continent’s great capital cities including London, Paris, Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin, but sadly not Edinburgh this time. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Lion Rock and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. The set-up in Leon was very conducive to a good time with comfortable seating, room to move, expansive concessions stalls and bars and clean bathrooms, plus excellent sound and visuals. The one-day event was perfect for me, with a quite unbelievably good line-up of talent in a single session, and all for 50 Euros; even the t-shirts were only 20 Euros on the night. My wife and I made a round-trip out of it with a very enjoyable three days in Madrid and Toledo. Leon is very well-connected thanks to the efficient Alta Velocita high speed trains which brought us up from Madrid on the day of the gig in about two hours. It is on the line which runs through Valladolid, Oviedo and Gijon and was easy to navigate. We booked reserved seats in advance through Trainline in the UK before we left, with tickets available from around 4-6 weeks before travel. Leon is a very pleasant, small and ancient city with a fine cathedral and many other attractions. Even though it was November, we enjoyed a bit of sunshine, tapas and wine outdoors in a small square near the old City Hall and there were many bars packed with thirsty rock fans in the Barrio Humedos area. With Madrid being accessible from pretty much everywhere, a trip to Lion Rock really is a realistic opportunity for any devout lover of top-quality soft rock. At last year’s inaugural event, the festival attracted H.E.A.T, Eclipse, Crazy Lixx and Gotthard. I think this year’s line-up will be hard to beat, but I will look forward to seeing what the organizers, Arttstik-k Producciones, come up with, but for now, muchos gracias for Lion Rock 2024.

As I hit the M8 on Saturday night and pointed west I was looking forward to something a little different for me. A night of full on, old skool Ska, you know, the kind that just makes you smile and think of happy times. Saturday was The Dualers. So, a wee bit of background. The Dualers hail from south of the Thames in London and began life when brothers Si and Tyber started busking in the late 90’s. By 2010 the duo has expanded a bit, numbers wise, and were starting to make a few waves on the music scene. Si decided to go solo but brother Tyber remained with the band and expanded it into a stage filling, nine piece. That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about ska bands, they are not afraid to load the stage and mix up the music input. Their first recorded offering was very much a homegrown effort, they set up their own label and produced the single “Kiss on the Lips” which they sold through local record stores. Never underestimate the power and popularity of a quality busker – the disc sold well, and they made it to No 22 on in the midweek charts. Following being picked up by a bigger label, the band had a second hit “Truly, Madley, Deeply” which brought more Top 40 success. A double figure amount of albums, some live offerings and a handful of singles later, I am off to see them at a sold out show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy. I was in the venue just after 7 o’clock. The place was already filling up and the punters down the front were being egged on by DJ Ska n Mash; an Essex based Geezer sporting a kilt and clearly loving being in Glasgow. Turns out, he was born in Pollockshaws but left for gold paved streets when he was 4. He did a fantastic job spinning ska and reggae hits to warm up the crowd and set the groove; he certainly gave this Rockfiend a laugh when he introduced UB40’s ‘One in Ten’ by telling the crowd “If you don’t sing the first line, hells angels will rush in and take you to a rock gig…and you don’t want that”. As someone who goes to a few rock gigs, it would be great to see an equivalent DJ warming up the crowd. Ska n Mash did a brilliant job. Just on 8 o’clock the first band of the night appeared, The Downsetters. This seven piece, ska band hail from Ipswich. They had come a long way for their 35 minutes are were obviously planning to make the absolute most of their time. It took a couple of songs before The Downsetters had the crowd jumping on demand but when they got them, they had them for the rest of the set. A frontman who kept the ska groove going throughout and a keyboard player who just danced, whether he was playing or not, made them a great watch and listen. It turns out their guitarist was Scottish, and how did we learn that? By listening to him sing a crowd-pleasing version of The Proclaimers “I’m On My Way”. The Downsetters will be welcome here again. Just on 9:15 the main event arrived and eight of the nine piece band started to play an upbeat, ska instrumental before, main man, Tyber made his entrance. Like guitarist Pete, Tyber was resplendent in a kilt, and few things help connect with a Scottish audience more than a English band wearing kilts! The first thing that really struck me about Tyber was how good a singer he was. His range was huge and his vocal just hit the sweet spot for the music they were playing. And great music it was too. The ska was front and centre from the get-go and the band were clearly loving it as much as the crowd. The horns in ska and reggae bands are always a great favourite of mine and the three pieces of brass at the back of the stage on Saturday really gave the night a lift. No more so than the trumpet solo in “Amelia”. The crowd were loving it. There was that constant bobbing sway thing going on across the audience that only really happens at ska shows, the only downside for the crowd was a lack of space to get that full-on ska dancing going! As the band got to the business end of the set there was no shortage of toe tappers. “Dancing Till the Sun Comes Up” from 2019’s ‘Palm Trees and 80 Degrees’ album was a stick out. This week has been a challenging one. We recently lost a friend and rocker whose funeral I had been to the day before this gig. When The Dualers banged into the celebration that is “It's a Wonderful Life” I thought of our friend Gordy and smiled as a tear ran down my cheek. That’s music, it can take you through so many emotions and often it manages to strike several right at the same time. Gordy would have enjoyed tonight and, I have no doubt, loved the vibe. “What a Bangarang” kept the lift going and during “Kiss on the Lips” the band stood in a single line across the stage. Simply looking impressive. By the time “Red Light” was played the crowd were all in and a ska’d up version of “Sweet Caroline” brough the set to a fantastic end. Time was tight and the band were off stage for less than a minute before Tyber and Pete reappeared to play a striped back, duo version, of one of the greatest songs ever written, certainly in my view. “Redemption Song” was a highlight of the night for me. The rest of the band appeared and gave us that Toots and Maytals classic “Monkey Man”. I loved it and, like a number of the crowd who had already moved to the door, thought the night was all over. Oh no. This was an English band, in kilts, in Scotland who had loved their night. We got one extra – a fully ska’d up version of Loch Lomond. Not the last go at the wedding reception version but a well thought out and practiced song with a reggae vibe. It was brilliant, it was a nice touch and the crowd certainly appreciated it. The house lights came on and just like that, an excellent night was over. The Dualers will be back next November. On tonight’s evidence, it would be good to book a ticket as soon as they hit the box office, that will be a gig that will sell out and sell out quickly. This was a night of many things. It was a night of old skool ska, based around an ever present upbeat. It was a night of dance and sway. It was a night of mellow grooves and quality musicianship. Most of all it was a night of smiles. This was a ska gig, the whole point of ska, in my view, is to celebrate life, celebrate different cultures and different styles of music; all brought together in a great big, happy melting pot of rhythm. Tonight, was a night of connection and music. As I pointed the car east, I simply found myself smiling. The music was upbeat, the groove was upbeat, the music was upbeat and my smile was upbeat. Do you know what; that is a combo you just cannae beat. Music just has that effect and The Dualers brought that out in bucketloads for their sold out house tonight.

There’s a school of thought that sees Bryan Adams as unhip, the butt of a lyrical pun in other people’s songs, the ‘groover from Vancouver,’ and/or the housewife’s choice (because of ONE song!). None of the above is an accurate description though. Thankfully, there is a vast army of people who see beyond these tired descriptions. They understand and love Bryan as one of the most gifted and talented songwriters of our time. This box set is a love letter to those who have stuck with him, it highlights three albums that neatly show Bryan Adams career from eighties star to nineties superstar and finally landing on where he is today. Inside this box is a cornucopia of delights for his fans. You get three CDs, one for each night, a Blu-Ray disc that has each performance on it, and a 32-page photo book. For this review, I watched the Blu-Ray but CDs have the same tracks on them. The first thing to say is that the concert footage is stunning. The visuals, shot by the award winning filmmaker Dick Carruthers are stunning. The film is crisp, and the roaming cameras capture the bands performance and the audience’s response beautifully. The sound is clear and makes you feel you’re right there; guitars are bright and the drum boom. Bryan’s vocals ride on top of the mix, and there is a real presence to whole thing that draws you in and makes the viewer feel present at the performance in a way many other concert films fail to. This set is all about the music. There’s no fancy lighting, minimalist staging, no giant TV screens, and the band are dressed in all black. I hope they had a good laundry service or multiple versions of their stage gears though as they appeared to be dressed the same for each night! The stage is open, and the audience is sat all around it. There are mics set up in various positions so that Bryan could move around the stage and deliver his vocals facing various parts of the crowd. Most people will dive right into the ‘Reckless’ set and fittingly it is first up on the Blu-Ray and disc one in the accompanying CD set. Setting the agenda for each of the nights the band play the songs in the order that best suits a live show. ‘One night love affair’ kicks things off in fine style. Immediately you can notice the great sound mix. Stereo for these previews but the Blu-Ray includes a 5:1 surround mix and Dolby Atmos mix that will truly bring the occasion to life, I’m sure. Bryan Adams sound like he’s in great voice, and the band give him a solid delivery to get the show rolling. Already the crowd are up and clapping along. Keith Scott drops in a nice guitar solo after which the band stops to let crowd enjoy a singalong with Bryan. There’s no easing up on the audience as the band drive on with a rocking version of ‘Somebody.’ For a song that the band must have lost count of the number of times they’ve played it’s great to see the enthusiasm and plain delight they have while performing it. That’s something that will continue to be visible over all three nights and having seen Bryan Adams live on numerous occasions I really feel the current version of the BADAMSBAND is the best one there’s been. A delightful surprise for the crowd, though no let up in the pace, the next song up is ‘Reckless.’ The song never actually made the album and vey rarely gets a live outing. Still, it didn’t throw the audience for long, and they are soon singing along to it. Big thumbs up to Keith Scott on this as he contributes some searing guitar work on his trusty Fender. If the crowd thought that the band was going to ease up on them, they were very wrong. Next to tear things up was ‘Run to You.’ Delivered a little faster than the album version, the crowd lapped it up. And somehow the band manage to raise the tempo up again. Even the disguised start didn’t fool the die hard fans and it wasn’t long before the Bryan’s know twiddling turned into ‘Kids Wanna Rock.’ As soon as Bryan started waxing about his first real six string the crowd are up for it all over again. In fact, they were so up for it there were times during the song that they drowned Bryan out. Finally taking their foot of the gas the band gently takes the crowd to ‘Heaven.’ The crowd respond by holding their mobiles up and raising their voices. The band and the crowd share in a full throated singalong to one of Bryan’s absolute classics. Bryan now stands alone, a single spotlight picking him out on stage. Alone with his acoustic guitar, all in black, skintight top and loose fitting jeans, black and white high tops (might be Cons) he cuts a striking figure, perhaps most reminiscent of a street racer about to take on the next challenger in a 1950’s rock n roll flick. It’s all quite American Graffiti. Bryan takes a moment and then delivers a gorgeous take on ‘Let Me Down Easy,’ another album outtake. The band are back for ‘She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancing,’ complete with a shout out to Bryan’s co-writer, Jim Vallance, who’s in the house this evening. Vallance was co-writer on all the ‘Reckless’ tracks so it’s fitting that Bryan acknowledges him and that he is present for this performance. The song gets a good reception from the crowd, and we are up and running towards the sets climax. The end of the set isn’t for the faint hearted as the band fire into ‘It's Only Love.’ Delivered by Bryan alone with him singing Tina Turner’s part as well as his own. It’s a straight take until midway through when Keith Scott launches himself into a masterful guitar solo. It’s little wonder that Bryan refers to Keith as his secret weapon when introducing him to the crowd. From there it’s on to a hard rocking take on ‘Long Gone.’ Pat Steward drives the song along with his drumming, and Solomon Walker’s bass throbs along emitting low sounds into the mix. The band deliver ‘Ain't Gonna Cry’ in a souped up flying take. Keith Scott takes the opportunity to gurn and mock cry his way through the track, falling to his knees and then onto his back while never missing a note. Needless to say, the crowd lap it up. Of course, the set ends with ‘Summer of ’69,’ the song that was never a hit in the UK despite several releases over the years yet has still become one of the most recognised of Bryan Adams songs. It’s a song that you can’t help but grin when it comes on and judging from this performance neither can the band. The crowd rise to the occasion too. They sing along at raise the roof volume much to Bryan and the band’s delight. And that’s it for the first set. The second performance/disc in the set is ’18 ‘til I die.’ The 1996 album gets a near complete rendition, though, again, not in album order. The only song that wasn’t performed was ‘Black Pearl.’ It’s a set of sometimes jarring musical contrasts, which is a reflection on the album itself. The reorganising off the tracks for this performance tries to smooth these out. The band come racing out the traps with the title track. It’s a rowdy and raw performance with Keith Scott playing to the crowd. When we cut to the audience it’s clear to see that they are up for it as the dance and scream the lyrics back towards the stage. ‘Do to You’ promptly follows edging the hard rock aside with a touch of blues funk. The band get a little bit of a breather as things slow down for ‘A Night to Rember.’ Bryan’s vocals are perfect for this kind of mid-tempo AOR ballad, rasping out his romantic intentions for the evening. The band give the track a full warm sound and it’s clear the audience are as into this as they are the rockers as another full participation singalong ensues. Let’s be honest, ‘(I Wanna Be) Your Underwear may be the most ridiculous lyric Bryan Adams has ever written. And yet, it works, and the crowd love it. The tempo is lifted, and the song has a nice funky undercurrent courtesy of Solomon Walker on bass and Pat Steward on drums. Things slow back down again for ‘Star.’ I’ve always felt that there’s something a little melancholy about this track but there’s hope in the chorus. Nice vocal delivery from Bryan and then we’re taken back up again with a lively rendition of ‘It Ain't A Party...If You Can't Come 'Round’ and tight acoustic take on ‘You're Still Beautiful To Me.’ The classic love song should have been a bigger hit. For this performance, the song’s second verse has been rewritten to be about the Royal Albert Hall and the fans. Picking up a Spanish guitar Keith Scott picks out ‘I'll Always Be Right There’ with some deft finger work. Just Bryan and Keith up for this one and it gives the song an extra layer of intimacy. Raucous and noisy as a footie song should be ‘We're Gonna Win’ is delivered with all the spit and rage of a punk song and even gets some of the crowd pogoing. Bryan abandons his guitar and prowls the lip of the stage mic in hand while Keith Scott gives his already battered Fender a good seeing too. Both are clearly having a lot of fun with this song. The fast slow pendulum continues with ‘I Think About You.’ To be fair the band deserved a slow down after ‘We’re Gonna Win.’ And then the tempo lifts back up once more as the band swagger into ‘The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You.’ This is stone cold classic Bryan Adams. Played with a Stones like feel with Pat Steward holding the beat and getting to solo a bit through the middle and another impressive performance from Solomon Walker on bass. The ’18 ‘til I Die’ set concludes with another power ballad. ‘Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman’ finds Keith Scott back on on Spanish guitar though this time the whole band performs on the song. With lots of declarations of love for the audience the band leaves the stage. Bryan Adams third night album was ‘So Happy It Hurts’ his most recent album from 2022. Like the performance of ’18 ‘til I Die’ the Bryan shuffles the pack, playing the songs in a different order to how they sit on the album. There were no songs left out this time though. The set unsurprisingly kicks off with ‘Kick Ass.’ I was a little disappointed that the production didn’t use the John Cleese intro while the band took to the stage. It’s a little bit ragged but total rock n roll start. The crowd are well up for it and the energy level is apparent even through the TV screen. ‘On The Road’ follows promptly. The story of a rock n roll life viewed from the perspective of a man who’s seen it all. I thought that there might be a falling off in the enthusiasm of the audience for this recent slice of Bryan but that would be far from the truth. As the cameras find the crowd to be in fine voice as the heartily sing along to these recent songs. One thing that is clear even two songs in is that live these songs have way more impact than they did on the album. They’re much livelier and more filled out with the band performance compared to the album, which Bryan recorded on his own during the pandemic. ‘Just About Gone’ was always one of the standout tracks on this album. Live it’s even better. The pace drops a little for the love song ‘Let's Do This.’ With the full band delivery here it takes on an almost country swing and that carries over into ‘Just Like Me, Just Like You.’ It’s another song that works well live and has a nice mid paced strum to it. ‘I've Been Looking For You’ is one of those rockabilly type tunes that Bryan has become so good at (see ‘Back to You,’ ‘You Belong To Me,’ and ‘Brand New Day’ for further examples). The band’s enjoyment at playing this is writ large all over their faces. There’s some nice upright bass playing from Solomon Walker here too. Once again, the audience show their love for Bryan’s work by belting out the lyrics along with the band. Bryan springs a surprise on the audience here. For ‘Never Gonna Rain’ he brings out the London Community Gospel Choir to add their vocals to the song. It’s a highlight of the evening and the crowd are lapping it up. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth Bryan asks the crown if the choir should hang around for another song. It’s no surprise that it’s a resounding ‘yes!’ and so they do. They add their vocals to ‘You Lift Me Up’ and it lifts the song from a good ballad to one that gives you chills. If I had to choose, I’d say that this suits the LCGC much better. There’s a hint of reggae styling given to the verses of ‘Always Have, Always Will’ in the bass and guitar work. Bryan gets to have some fun with the crowd as they indulge in some call and response singing. By sharp contrast ‘I Ain't Worth Shit Without You’ has a grungy rockabilly feel to it live. The band grin and gurn there way through it and look like they are relishing playing something a bit harder. As the song closes the crowd are looking up and we see the only piece of showmanship over the three nights as an inflatable car powered by four drones starts to glide around the Royal Albert Hall. Adorned with the title track of the album over its sides, it comes as no surprise that the next song is ‘So Happy It Hurts.’ Not only is it the title track but it’s further proof that Bryan’s ability to write a cracking tune is still as strong as ever as this rates high up on my list of favourite Bryan Adams songs. Finally, the set reaches its climax with the elegantly beautiful ‘These Are The Moments That Make Up My Life.’ With Keith Scott and Pat Steward off stage it’s left for Bryan and keyboard player Gary Breit to close out the set. As befits this type of song the venue is awash in the light of held aloft mobile phones. It’s a quite moment of contemplation to close the set with fitting lyrics looking back over what makes a life worth living. In general, I am not a fan of ‘live’ recordings in any format. It always feels kind of flat to me and the engagement you feel with the artist at a good gig is lacking. However, this set bucks the trend and delivers all that you would want from a live set. I found myself totally engaged with the performances, singing along, and tapping my feet. The whole thing works here because the band are experts in their tasks. Keith Scott especially deserves an extra mention because of his superb guitar playing and his crowd pleasing and show stealing antics while he solos. The other thing he does is take the pressure of Bryan Adams and allows Adams to step back from time to time, engage with the audience and get a kick out of his guitarist’s antics. This complete set is the perfect reminder that not only has Bryan Adams written songs that soundtracked the eighties but that he continues to do so and that he puts on a damn fine live show. Often depicted as an eighties icon who came and went in that time Bryan Adams continues to be a major artist and a bit of a polymath. As well as continuing to make excellent records and adding to his catalogue he’s a sought after portrait photographer, has written music for movies, and collaborated on the music for the stage version of ‘Pretty Woman.’ How many of the more feted bands who’ve come and go over the time between these albums would love to still be able as adored as Mr Adams is and to still be able to sell out arenas tour after tour. Christmas is coming and this box set would make the perfect gift for any Bryan Adams fan. Bryan Adams Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2024 Box Set is released on 15th November 2024.

In the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 23 meanings for the word ‘effect’. That, of course, depends on context but the most basic definition is as follows: “a change which is a result of consequences of an action or other cause” Change; that’s exactly what the new musical collective The Effect could do to the rock music industry with their self-titled debut album, due for release on the usual streaming platforms from 14th November 2024, or earlier if you order a physical copy before then! Consisting of guitarist Trev Lukather (son of Toto’s Steve), drummer Nic Collins (son of Phil) and vocalist Emmett Stang (with recently departed member Steve Maggiora providing keyboards on the album), The Effect released their first single this time last year, immediately grabbing my attention and giving a tantalising taste of what was to come. This was followed by a further four excellent singles, one of which was their terrific reworking of Journey’s ‘It Could Have Been You’, a deep cut from the band’s 1986 album Raised on Radio, with Lukather persuading Steve Perry himself to provide some vocals to the mix! A very limited edition 5 track EP (of which I am a proud owner!) was released on CD exclusively through the band’s webstore, along with other cool merchandise, which certainly hinted that a longer and more substantial musical offering was in the works. Some live dates with Toto on their recent European tour further enhanced their growing reputation, so, it was with great anticipation (and maybe even a smidgeon of fan-boy type excitement) that I was given The Effect’s debut album for review. Album opener ‘Toxic Envy’ was the third single released earlier this year and is a perfect introduction to the band. Short, snappy, heavy rhythm guitar riffs lie on a bed of orchestral-like cinematic synths, with a modern sounding, poppy chorus that would fit well into the world of commercial radio. Stang’s voice soars throughout the track, never missing a note, even at the highest point of his vocal range. Impressive stuff! There’s a Stranger Things musical vibe to the first few seconds of ‘Unwanted’, the first single the band released. But the song quickly turns into a brilliant, mid-tempo rocker with a really funky undertone (think some of Glenn Hughes’ solo releases) and a magnificently melodic chorus that flies so high that it goes stratospheric! The “oh, oh, oh” vocal chorus with a driving drumbeat by Collins just before the epic solo, reminds me very much of 90s/2000s Toto; well structured, building a musical atmosphere, creating tension… and then bursting to life! Latest single ‘TIND’ starts with a more laid-back vibe, with some cool interplay between guitar, backing vocals and Stang’s lead vocals. To describe it as an out and out power ballad would be inaccurate… but it is a mid-tempo ballad with a dreamy chorus, atmospheric synths and some brilliantly played rhythms by Collins on drums, whilst Lukather’s chiming guitars and solo add a further dimension to the track. The tempo is raised again on ‘World Between Us’, with some great riffing guitar and drums that literally shake the speakers towards the end of the track. ‘Sadistic Love’ returns to the funky-yet-ultra-melodic song structure with a chorus to die for and a wonderfully restrained, short but brilliantly worked guitar solo by Lukather, whilst ‘High Life’, another single release, is a fun-filled romp of a song with gang-like vocals that will be a fist in the air fan favourite in a live setting. Convincing the legendary Journey vocalist Steve Perry to provide some vocals on the cover of Journey deep-cut ‘It Could Have Been You’ was a masterstroke. Strang’s vocals are outstanding on this track and mixed with Perry’s, the song goes to new heights. The original song is possibly easily missed in amongst all the classic Journey songs we all know and love, so if you don’t know it check it out… and then you’ll truly appreciate what The Effect have done with it! They’ve re-energised and updated it for modern times whilst still retaining the feel of the original. It’s a cover… but with true originality… and that’s no mean feat, particularly when covering a track by such a well-loved band with an extensive musical heritage. Lukather’s screeching guitars and Maggiora’s keyboards add new dimensions, with the track transforming into a muscular wall of sound! It’s truly breathtaking stuff… and the accompanying video is worth a watch too! ‘Sight Unseen’ is another strong, riff-filled rocker, with Strang’s vocals heading into bluesy Richie Kotzen territory at times. Lukather’s guitar solos have an almost sampled, distorted sound to them, which I’m assuming is a signature of sorts…but they merge perfectly with the keyboards of Maggiora to form an incredibly modern rock sound. ‘Head On Collision’ is similarly structured, albeit with a dreamier, more atmospheric verse that sets the rails for the locomotive of a chorus to bursts to life! It’s like Coldplay on steroids… or any other type of muscle-enlarging, energy enhancing drug that makes rock music fun! ‘Something Wrong’ continues to build on the funky guitar riff structure that has been apparent throughout the album, with another chorus that you can’t help but sing along to and is built for commercial radio. In fact, it’s so much better than most of the choruses you’ll hear on commercial radio these days! Lukather’s guitar solos continue to impress and there’s a definite nod to his dad in terms of style and structure… but hey, if you’re brought up by a guitar legend, you’re going to be influenced by them in some way… and who better to be influenced by! Final track ‘Still In It’ is another modern sounding almost-ballad, full of atmosphere, soaring vocals, a great drumbeat and a wonderful musical arrangement with synths providing the magical layer for everything else to sit upon. Imagine smoke, lights, lasers and an audience holding lighters (or phone lights, these days!) and you’ll get the idea of this track. It’s a great way to end a debut album! As a huge music fan (and of course as a music reviewer), I listen to a lot of new music and bands. Writing for Rockfiend, it is generally rock and metal music that I’m exposed to but other genres such as country, blues and of course, the pop preferences of my good lady, Mrs Griffiths, also regularly reach my ears. But in a time where new music of all genres is often blandly similar and easily disposable, and talent and commercial success is dictated by TV talent shows, I sometimes find it hard to get aurally excited like I did a few decades ago. It’s rare that I want to scream, shout and tell everyone, everywhere about a band. This has all changed with The Effect. The Effect is the band I’ve needed to hear for a long time. It’s the band that rock music has been searching for to reinvigorate the genre. It’s a band brimming with talent, as musicians and songwriters, with a debut album of catchy hooks, heavy riffs, huge choruses, cinematic arrangements and polished, modern hard rock with earworm-like pop sensibilities. This is a truly stunning debut album and if it gets the exposure it deserves, it could most definitely have a positive ‘effect’ on rock music. Stream it. Buy it. Wear the t-shirt. Ask for the songs to be played on commercial radio. Tell all your friends about it. Go to the live shows. Make sure this album is heard! Change… it’s all down to The Effect!

Nashville Pussy is a bit different to all the others. A little rough around the edges. Not smooth like Hollywood and a much bumpier landing strip than Brazilian. There is no vajazzling going on here, just a loud, scuzzy, stinky, fish taco, stuffed crust cheesy pizza from the back of a burst couch kind of thing and the good people of Edinburgh were lapping it up this Halloween. There was no fannying around or beating about the bush as growler-in-chief Blaine Cartwright fired into a set where the subject matter of the songs was almost equally divided between sex, drugs and rock & roll, with a bit of violence and one about BBQ. Blaine was definitely feeling ‘in the pink’ but the whole band must have been doing kegels as they were up-tight and in the groove throughout with Bonnie Buitago on bass looking like the cat that got the cream pie, Ruyter Suys trading licks and beavering away on guitar, rubbing out solos like a female Angus Young and there was even a snatch of Mike Hunt on backing vocals. ‘Come On, Come On’ was an early highlight; the track having found fame on the soundtrack to ‘Peacemaker’ in a car scene featuring John Cena and Eagly. It was performed as a call and response segment, despite Ruyter having to correct the audience that their part was “Fuck Yeah” not “Fuck You”. If you were looking for a hole, you wouldn’t find it in the set list which was stuffed with finger-licking good songs like the Scrabble-smashing ‘Gonna Hitchhike Down to Cincinnati and Kick the Shit Outta Your Drunk Daddy’ and a cover of ‘Testify’ which fitted into the set like a hand in a velvet glove in all-you-can-eat Pussy buffet of songs. Blaine likes to think inside the box and his between songs vagina monologues were entertaining. There was no flapping and he never muffed his lines once, not even on ‘Til the Meat Falls Off the Bone’ which turns out to be about getting outside in the (lady) garden to smoke dope and slip some meat on the BBQ. That was the last song of the main set, but with no beef curtains to hide behind, they cracked on to beat the curfew, even although it wasn’t really a close shave. Bannermans is always a tight fit and definitely not as roomy as a wizard’s sleeve, so it was a bit clammy and sticky inside with a full house in attendance. You had to be careful not to spill your pint or bang your head on the archway in order to avoid a nasty gash but it was (vertical) smiles all round in the well chuffed audience, not least when Ruyter was dispensing Jack Daniels into the crowd, sadly directly from the bottle not a furry cup, and Blaine doing the Southern version of a shoey by drinking beer out of his hat. The glorious ‘Why Why Why’ was part of the encore, including my favourite line from a song, expressing Victor Meldrew-esque levels of disappointment; “I can’t believe I shaved my balls for this!” I’m pretty sure no one needed to finish themselves off after this set and the band will CU next Tuesday at The Ferret in Preston. I don’t know if they have a tribute band but if they do I hope it is called Nashville Merkin. No relation to the Duke of Earl or ‘My Name is Earl’ on the TV, Earl of Hell are a local band dispensing fuzzy, psyched-up stoner rock in the manner of QOTSA, although they don’t have anyone with the effortless cool of Josh Homme and will need to work on their stage patter. They have got some good songs though, including the western-themed desert rock song “Hang ‘em High” and they have raised over £3k on Kickstarter towards a debut album which is underway. As it was Halloween, there were a few interesting looking folks in the audience, including Clockwork Orange droogs, a female Fred Durst and some slutty zombies, although it turned out the look they were aiming for was just zombies! The band’s contribution was a song about Burke & Hare, which it transpired was about the famous local body-snatchers, not the similarly named pub, which is one of three strip bars on the Edinburgh corner known as the pubic triangle. The band have some support dates lined up for January and February supporting Brant Bjork Trio.

KLOGR ((pronounced "Key-Log-Are") hail from Italy and the USA. Formed in 2011 ‘Fractured Realities’ is their fifth album to date and comes seven years after their last album ‘Keystone.’ Delayed by the pandemic and lack of touring income, ‘Fractured Realities’ sees KLOGR expanding the palette of their sound with the introduction of synths to the sound. It gives the new album a widescreen sound that fits in nicely with the album’s concept. The new song cycle tackles the world we live in today focussing its gaze on how we put profit, greed, and personal gain over our mental and personal health. ‘Early Wounds’ kicks off proceedings and sets the tone for the album. We have pain and loss in verses that are heavy, the drums and bass pounding the track along only to arrive at a chorus that is catchy as hell. The darkness continues to swirl around on ‘Gravity of Fear.’ A similar pattern plays out here with the heavy verses playing off choruses that show off the more melodic side of the band. Albert Eno lends his vocal talents to ‘The Twisted Art.’ This is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The contrast between Rustichelli and Eno’s vocals delivers a mesmerising duet. Musically there is a funk style bass line here and song moves along at a pace until the break where the mood turns darker, and the music gets heavier. There’s some nice guitar playing, which leads into the vocals on ‘Face the Unknown.’ The song is themed around then uncertainty we face in the modern world and the struggles that places on the lives of ordinary people. The menacing sounds return on ‘One of Eight.’ The band sound like they have down tuned their instruments here and Rustichelli growls and snarls out the lyrics. ‘Lead Wings’ follows on and continues in a similar vein matching passages of melody and delicacy to moments of heavy riffing and pounding from the rhythm section. As the album moves towards its climax the band shift everything into a much grander style. On ‘Unspoken Words’ and ‘Hysterical Blindness’ the band add many more layers to their sound stretching out in places for some passages of music that might have dropped from a new age record. It all works though. Everything eases back the gears on ‘Waking World.’ That’s not to say that it’s a ballad. It’s more a growling blues hard rock hybrid. Rustichelli vocals reach an almost hysterical pitch as he pleads with the listener and the track plays out with an excellent guitar piece. Finally, we come to ‘Whale Fall.’ Like ‘Waking World’ this is a slower kind of heaviness. The song has a rich melody and swoops into a soaring chorus. It’s an album highlight with strong performances from the band all around. This was my first encounter with KLOGR, and I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ll be looking into their back catalogues in the future. If you enjoy Prog Metal, Symphonic Metal, or any similar categorisations of music you’ll find a lot to embrace within the fractured realities of KLOGR. Founding member Gabriele ‘Rusty’ Rustichelli leads from the front. As far as I could find out the rest of the band is Alessandro "Crivez" Crivellari on guitar, and backing vocals, Roberto "Piv-o" Pivanti on bass and Filippo "Filo" De Pietri on drums. All players on the album are excellent and their playing across the albums makes for an enthralling listen. 'Fractured Realities' w released via Zeta Factory 31st October 2024. KLOGR will join Everygrey on their ‘Emptiness Over Europe’ tour this November and December. 03.11.2024 Herford (DE) @ Kulturwerk 05.11.2024 Bochum (DE) @ Zeche 06.11.2024 Siegburg (DE) @ Kubana 07.11.2024 Sarnen (CH) @ Urrock Musik Festival 08.11.2024 Monthey (CH) Pont Rouge 09.11.2024 Barcelona (ES) @ Sala Boveda 10.11.2024 Madrid (ES) @ Revi Live 11.11.2024 Lisbon (PT) @ RCA Club 12.11.2024 Porto (PT) @ Hard Club Room 2 13.11.2024 Mos (ES) @ Sala Rebullon 14.11.2024 Valladolid (ES) @ Porta Caeli 15.11.2024 Vitoria-Gasteiz (ES) @ Urban Rock Concept 16.11.2024 Nantes (FR) @ Le Ferrailleur 17.11.2024 Paris (FR) @ Petit Bain 19.11.2024 Würzburg (DE) Posthalle 20.11.2024 Hannover (DE) @ Musikzentrum 21.11.2024 Leipzig (DE) @ Hellraiser 22.11.2024 Hamburg (DE) @ Bahnhof Pauli 24.11.2024 Berlin (DE) @ Lido 25.11.2024 Poznan (PL) @ 2Progi 26.11.2024 Cracow (PL) @ Kwadrat 29.11.2024 Sofia (BG) @ Mixtape 5 30.11.2024 Thessaloniki (GR) @ Principal Club Theater 01.12.2024 Athens (GR) @ Kyttaro Live 03.12.2024 Belgrade (RS) @ Dorcol Platz 04.12.2024 Zagreb (HR) @ Mochvara Club 05.12.2024 Banja Luka (BH) @ Sports Hall Obilicevo 06.12.2024 Budapest (HU) @ Barba Negra 07.12.2024 Burglengenfeld Vaz (DE) @ Pfarrheim 08.12.2024 Dornbirn (AT) @ Conrad Sohm 10.12.2024 Munich (DE) @ Backstage Halle 11.12.2024 Mannheim (DE) @ 7er Club 12.12.2024 Trier (DE) @ Mergener Hof 14/12/2024 - LONDON (GB), The Dome 15/12/2024 - BOURNEMOUTH (GB), The Old Firestation 16/12/2024 - MANCHESTER (GB), Rebellion 17/12/2024 - SHEFFIELD (GB), Network 2 18/12/2024 - GLASGOW (GB), Cathouse 19/12/2024 - DUBLIN (IE), Opium 20/12/2024 - COLCHESTER (GB), Arts Centre

Serbian band The Big Deal have released a new single ‘Survivor’ and it’s rather good. There is some real quality behind it too as Anders Wikström from Swedish melodic maestros Treat composed the song and wrote the lyrics. Their previous album ‘First Bite’ was quite tasty and this preview sounds similarly good with lots of keytar action, melody and twin lead vocals from Nevena Brankovic and Ana Nikolic. It works as audio only but since they are a particularly visually attractive band, their promo video is a good place to start.

Nitrate’s ‘Feel the Heat’ album was the melodic rock highlight of the year last year and now there’s a deluxe edition coming out digitally on 20th December 2024. The big bonus is that they are adding on a ballad that somehow didn’t make the cut for the original. You can check it out in a lyric video and you will then doubtless be wondering why it was left off in the first place. I can probably answer that with a question: which of the fantastic tracks on the original would you leave out to make room for it? I really hate to use the cliché “all killer, no filler, Ben Stiller” or whatever, but each song really is a beauty. Presumably ‘Tough Guys Don’t Cry’ was also written by the incredible Martin brothers and Alexander Strandell’ s vocals are again spot on. I believe Alexander has also done the vocals for the upcoming Lionville album too. Have a listen below. If you’ve got the album top it up. If you missed it last year, give your head a wobble. Enjoy. The band actually performed at the Firefest prequel Tower of Fire earlier this year. It would be wonderful if they could do more of that too.