Author: barnstoneworthutd

Rock music lover from the age of 4 thanks to my dad. I migrated to the classic rock bands of the 70 (Rainbow, Rush, Lizzy, Purple etc) before discovering melodic rock and hair metal in the 80s and beyond. Also partial to a bit of prog

FM – ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ Review

Fourteenth is definitely the charm. Old Habits Die Hard ranks as one of the best in their 40 yrs of being one of Britains finest rock bands.

In an uncertain world where we are seeing wars being fought, economies crashing and Trump still being a massive bell, its good to know that some things never change – such as an album dropping every other year from AOR and British rock stalwarts, the mighty FM.

The album has been released to coincide with their 40th anniversary (1984-2024), which is a huge milestone because there are not that many AOR/melodic rock bands around, let alone producing new music especially with any consistency. In FM’s case prolific doesn’t describe them enough. Its no good being prolific if the quality isn’t there. Thankfully FM rip up the rulebook and in ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ they have produced some of their finest work since 2010’s Metropolis.

Following 2022’s ‘Thirteen’ album, ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ was delayed slightly by keyboard player Jem Davis’ cancer diagnosis (thankfully he’s now received the all-clear) and then by the sudden passing of FM’s founding guitarist Chris Overland (Steve’s brother), which hit the band hard.

“Chris’s passing came out of the blue and it was devastating,” says Steve. To add insult to injury, close friend of the band and longtime collaborator of Jim Kirkpatrick, guitarist Bernie Marsden passed away just two days after Chris.”

The tragedies that plagued the band through the recording process only reinforced FM’s resolve and desire to make the best album that they could to represent their 40 years in the business. The new album is also a fitting tribute to Chris Overland.

On a first listen, it feels like Steve et al (sorry I went all David Coverdale for a moment there) have been Digging Up The Dirt on what used to be the standard offering back in the 80s where you could hear more than a passing influence from the likes of Toto and Bad Company in particular.

Opening song ‘Out Of The Blue’ takes the Toto AOR/West Coast vibe and its a very smooth sounding track that bands like Toto and Chicago would kill for today. I hate the term Yacht Rock, but in Overland’s case its more like Train Rock, as he is the Biff Byford of AOR who shares a passion for trains (Crosstown, Runaway, and now Midnight) which leads us to ‘Don’t Need Another Heartache’. The riff is in ACDC territory, but this song is so Bad Company, and Foreigner sounding, I had to check that they hadn’t got their mate Mick Ralphs in on the guitar solo. ‘No Easy Way Out’ digs deep into his bag of lyrics and comes up with lines that only SO can deliver without being sugar coated. It also has the FM huge hook (pat.pending). I still don’t know how FM aren’t filling stadiums with songs like these, especially with the trademarked 5 part harmonies they offer. 

I’ve seen a comment that FM are playing it safe with ‘Old Habits…’. No, they are not. I think its more early FM than reformed FM, but that doesn’t mean it has been played safe. 

‘Lost’ is one of the smoothest songs they have ever done. If it was any smoother it would be a deluge of dewdrops (look it up). ‘Black Water’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album. It’s the kind of slow burn that gets under the skin after repeated listens and makes FM stand out from the rest of the bunch, and it gives Jim Kirpatrick the reins to play his heart out. Its a fire-cracker of a song.

‘Leap Of Faith’ comes out of the traps like a stabbed rat. It’s the heaviest song on the album, and proves that FM can rock as much an anyone else, only with infinitely better vocals and harmonies, with Overland singing his arse off. Plus I’m a sucker for a bit of Hammond (B-3, not Alison). Once you see a song called ‘California’ you know what is to come. It is also the perfect companion piece to 2015’s ‘Life Is A Highway’. We are very quickly at the sharp end and ‘Blue Sky Mind’ comes from the pen of Jem Davis who wrote about his cancer diagnosis. The a cappella beginning gave me goosebumps. 

Many, many bands have reformed from the 80s, but none of them are doing it better or more consistently than FM. ‘Old Habits..’ was self produced, and it’s one of the best sounding albums of their career.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it is the best album since Metropolis. Old Habits certainly do Die Hard (with a vengeance).

Score 9/10

Tracklisting – 

Out Of The Blue

Don’t Need Another Heartache

No Easy Way Out

Lost

Whatever It Takes

Black Water

Cut Me Loose

Leap Of Faith

California

Another Day In My World

Blue Sky Mind

Top 10 Albums of 2023 (and some more!)

My personal Top 10 albums of 2023. Enjoy the list and you will hopefully find something new to listen to

Well dear reader its that time of year again. I appreciate the number of visits to this site that you made. It’s much appreciated for a one man band of a site. It’s been a bit of a restricted year, with not many albums reviewed at all, so the Top 10 in this list are all albums I have purchased in 2023 and all come highly recommended.

1. Rival Sons – Darkfighter/Lightbringer

Darkfighter just shaded it for me out of the 2 offerings in 2023. Rival Sons has seen each album getting better than the last. I’m not 100% sure that Darkfighter is better than Feral Roots (yet), but I would have also preferred this to be a double album. To quote the Fuzzlord, Darkfighter is ‘cinematic’ which is a perfect description, and Lightbringer ‘watching the same film’. I have been watching these guys since 2011 and few bands can match them. 

Hot Track – Nobody Wants To Die / Mosaic

2. Romeos Daughter – Slipstream

Romeos Daughter’s first release in 8 years since Spin make Guns ’n’ Roses look prolific in their output. But….give me time over prolific any day of the week. You see, RD have never made a duff album and with Craig Joiner pulling the strings together with Leigh Mattys sultry and velvety vocals enveloping you like a warm blanket – it (Slipstream) really is Heaven In the Back Seat

Hot Track – Over You 

3. Dirty Honey – Cant Find The Brakes

Dirty Honey have been conquering the UK and Europe for the last two years. Similar to Rival Sons, Alter Bridge and now Dirty Honey, these bands are more appreciated on this side of the pond than their homeland. Their sophomore album carries on where the EP and debut album left off. In Mark LaBelle and John Notto they have one of the best rock pairings since Jon Bon and Ritchie. Catch ’em live in the UK in Feb

Hot Track – Won’t Take Me Alive

4. Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex

Whilst SWs ‘The Future Bites’ didn’t light much of a fire for me personally, its what makes Steven Wilson one of music’s great artists. He doesn’t stand still. All albums sound different, he is always pushing the envelope and rightly so. Just when you think you have the measure of him, he releases something completely different. Impossible Tightrope sounds like it’s from a 70s soundtrack to a Dirty Harry movie and then just adds more sublime layers – a choir, true prog rhythms, and seagulls. Yes seagulls. Its 10 mins of pure unadulterated joy. Its YYZ for the twenties.

Hot Track –  Impossible Tightrope 

5. Chris Stapleton – Higher

Higher is CS’s fifth album, and bugger me its a great one. He started off in a rock band and did what is now known as a Michael Bolton, switching sides and became a songwriter and then performer. His top 5 songs on Spotify have a total (as of time of writing) of 1.8 Billion listens. No wonder his UK tour next year sold out quicker than….well, Chris Stapleton tour tickets

Hot Track – White Horse

6. Crown Lands – Fearless

Got a Rush sized hole in your life? Look no further than fellow Canadians, Crown Lands. Only in this instance they are only two. Drummer Bowles has a range every bit as high as Geddy Lee, and in Comeau multi talented doesn’t do the guy enough justice. Starlifter:Fearless Pt.II has its roots firmly planted in Hemispheres and 2112 . It won’t be long before they are mentioned in the same sentence as Rush and Duke Kaboom.

Hot Track – Starlifter:Fearless Pt II

7. WVH – Mammoth II

As talented as Comeau is, Wolfgang Van Halen takes it up a notch. The Van Halen name means that he will always be compared to his dad. With Mammoth II WVH has levelled any such comparison. II is more accomplished than the debut and shows he isn’t a flash in the pan and living off the name. He has even inherited the knack of making a stand out video to accompany his songs in a time when bands aren’t doing this anymore. Check out the 8 minute ‘Another Celebration At The End of The World’. If this doesn’t bring a smile to your face, nothing will.

Hot Track – Another Celebration At The End Of The World

8. Ayron Jones – Chronicles Of The Kid

Thanks to my mate in the US, Gene, I might never have come across AJ. Only been a fan for 2 months and his 2020s output has blown me away. He really deserves to be massive, and not in an obese way. He is probably the best solo artist you have never heard of…yet…. after Steven Wilson. I think 2024 is going to change that. ’Chronicles….’ is just peppered with great songs. 

Hot Track – Blood In The Water

9. Those Damn Crows – Inhale/ Exhale

In late ’22 TDC supported Monster Truck. It was my first time seeing and hearing TDC and completely became a fan as they levelled The Ritz in Manchester. I/E is clearly their best album yet and are a band quickly going places. TDC dip into Alter Bridge territory with This Time Im ready, a song about the loss of Greenhall’s father that resonates to everybody who has lost a loved one. Adderchog.

Hot Track – Takedown

10. The Answer – Sundowners

I saw The Answer early on in their career supporting Alter Bridge and they blew me away. They petered away with a flicker, but returned seven years later with all guns blazing. Neeson is one of rocks finest vocalists. They deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Rival Sons, just give it time and they will hopefully.

Hot Track – California Rust

And whilst I am at it, here’s a few more lists…..

Top 5 AOR

1.Romeos Daughter – Slipstream

2.Nitrate – Feel The Heat

3.Steve Overland – Six

4.Streetlight – Ignition

5.The Defiants – Drive

Best Gig(s) – Rammstein, Overland Kirkpatrick, Romeos Daughter, Marcus King, Larkin Poe, Dirty Honey

Best Support Band – Ida Mae, The Sheepdogs, The Damn Truth 

Best Reissue/Box Set – Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous

Romeo’s Daughter – Gig Review, Eleven, Stoke-On-Trent 15.9.23

Hot on the heels of recent album release, Slipstream, Romeo’s Daughter show why they are still a force to be reckoned with

Romeos Daughter rocked into town last night (the town being Stoke-On-Trent at the Eleven venue. I know it’s not a city but city doesn’t flow as well as town), along with Mick White’s ‘White Skies’. Unfortunately I only caught the last 2 songs from White Skies, but they went down a treat.

If you have never been to Eleven before, please do as it’s a wonderful little venue. Romeo’s Daughter have a handful of gigs in September pushing out their new album ‘Sliptream’, which is another slice of Romeo’s Daughter heaven (in the back seat). More on this soon.

Me and the fam go back a hellova long way with the RD guys, and with every single performance they have never let me down. There’s a simple reason for that. In Craig Joiner they have a wonderfully talented songwriter and excellent guitarist to boot. All the songs played at this gig have incredibly catchy hooks. Even if you haven’t heard songs from the last 3 albums, there is a bloody good chance you will be singing them on the way home in the car afterwards.

So, what did we get. In Leigh Matty RD have one of the sultriest singers in rock! A voice of pure velvet (touch), and a tight as a drum rhythm section of Andy Welsford and Steve Drennan, with the man who is the glue that holds everything together, Craig Joiner.

Opening strongly with 3 songs from the early days, it’s ‘Heaven In The Back Seat’ and ‘Velvet Tongue’ which evokes strong memories of me and the good missus her indoors seeing RD at the Royal Court in Liverpool many moons ago. The first half of the set was loaded with songs from the last 3 albums, all of which should have made RD the darlings of (Radio) 2 – ‘Bittersweet’, ‘Alive’, ‘Enemy’ and ‘Radio’, interspersed with 2 new songs, ‘Fate’, and ‘Over You’ the latter which has the heaviest riff Mr Joiner has written for RD, and is a firecracker.

In the middle of the set things got a bit surreal with one lady sauntering onto the stage wanting to tell RD how good they were (and was lucky that she wasn’t taken out by the Merch guy). This was followed up with a guy in the crowd wanting to pick a fight with anyone and finally another inebriated gig-goer wanted to give Leigh Matty one! Nice.

Anywho, the last half of songs was a bombardment of tunes taken mainly from the debut and ‘Have Mercy’ from ‘Delectable’ culminating in ‘Stay With Me Tonight’, and their most known song to hoards of rock fans who think it’s a Heart song, ‘Wild Child’. 

The Romeo’s Daughter debut album set the foundations for what was to come. They have only released 5 albums and an EP, but bloody hell, what a legacy and quality they have produced that makes them an incredible force when seen live. 

It was yet another cracking gig, apart from a couple of dickheads. Catch them in November, you’ll love it. 

Set list –

Heaven In The Back Seat

Attracted To The Animal

Velvet Tongue

Bittersweet

Fake

Radio

Alive

Enemy

Over You

Have Mercy

Tripping Out

Colour You A Smile

Inside Out

Cry Myself To Sleep Don’t Break My Heart

Encore

Stay With Me Tonight

Wild Child

Romeo’s Daughter are –

Leigh Matty

Craig Joiner

Andy Welsford

Steve Drennan

Steve Overland & Jim Kirkpatrick – The Acoustically Anthemic Anthology Set, Barnoldswick Arts Centre, 19.3.23

An exceptional nights entertainment at a superb venue, made for one of the best gigs of 2023 and its still only March

Before I wax lyrical about Steve and Jims gig, I wanted to say a few words about this stunning little venue in Barnoldswick (locally known as Barlick) not far from the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland in Lancs. Visit the McCulloughs Irish Bar, and hidden away in the basement is a gorgeous venue (max 60 peeps) that has enough pictures on the wall to make any Hard Rock hotel jealous, thanks to Peter and Julie who run the place. It is absolutely brilliant, and I wish I had a local like this.

On to the gig. Apparently this is Steve’s first set of solo gigs as a performer in over 30 years and was initially advertised as a single gig. Its ended up as a mini tour with the Sunday night being the first of 2 performances at the Arts Centre

Without going into masses of detail, in a nutshell this was one of my favourite gigs in seeing ‘The Voice’ in over 34 years of seeing Wildlife, FM in their few line ups, and even SO! I don’t know how many songs the guys had rehearsed for this set of gigs, but I am guessing it was over 100 based on the list they kept pointing to. It was an opportunity to listen to songs old, and new, with everything in-between, and a shitload of stories and banter to keep everyone happy.

We were treated to the likes of songs that had not been played in some time – Don’t Stop, Tattoo Needle, Say it Like it Is, Only The Strong Survive, but fuck all from Aphrodisiac (I knew I should have shouted out for Blood and Gasoline as it was on the bloody list), and most of the songs come with an accompanying story. 

We heard stories of touring with the likes of Bon Jovi, and all the big guns from back in the day, a lot about brother Chris who can knock out a blistering set of lyrics whilst being glued to the telly watching Neighbours of all things, the story of Shot In The Dark (which got nicked by Soussan and offered to Ozzy with nothing of monetary value coming back to the Overland bros), with Steve still not having a bad word to say about it (!), writing a hit song for Radio 2, how he joined FM and the 4 demos they recorded to get the deal, and lots, lots more. 

We got to hear Jim sing a couple of songs, one of them a blues song that just blew me away, to a song that was on Jims Myspace page a few years ago (I had the downloads but lost them!), and some excellent bants when Jim stated he had toured the sates before Steve……3 times!

Steve dug out the first ever song he wrote as a 13 yr old and we were advised not to take too much notice of the lyrics, or the music. (Sunshine? I knew I should have taken notes!)

I think that this gig was on a par with my Lawrence Gowan gig at Crewe a few years back. Mostly audience requests from a pair of blokes who clearly love each others company and trade insults with wild and funny abandon. 

Theres already a gig announced for Dec that I  have missed out on, but hey, its good to give others a chance to witness this wonderful spectacle of a gig. This is one of my highlights of the year, and very little is likely to surpass it in 2023.

Paul Chesworth

Steel Panther – ‘On The Prowl’ Album Review

If you love Steel Panther then this is everything you want from a new SP album. If you are a naysayer then there’s nothing here for you whatsoever, and I don’t think the guys give a flying fuck either way.

Amongst the rock fraternity, no one divides the rock fans more than Steel Panther. Oh, and Nickleback. Although one website who clearly know fuck all about rock and metal have named Sabbaths Heaven and Hell as an example.

There are some people out there who think that Steel Panther are a parody band and shouldn’t exist. These people are WRONG! The other half, like me, think that Steel Panther are coming up with some of the best riffs and songs this side of Tony Iommi’s moustache. Dont get me wrong, these guys can do comedy, and take it to another level, but my learned friend, I would also like to submit Exhibit A (Tomorrow Night), Exhibit B (Gloryhole), Exhibit C (Gold Digging Whore) and my latest Exhibit, Exhibit D, the new (Friends With Benefits) as songs that are just as good, if not better than a lot of glam/sleaze/hair metal bands produced in the heyday of the 80s and early 90s.  Parody my arse!

I wasn’t overly enamoured with the last two albums ‘Heavy Metal Rules’, and ‘Lower The Bar’. Thankfully the guys have used lockdown as the perfect opportunity to get their act in order and snorted their weight in nose candy and have come back in glorious style with ‘On The Prowl’. Apparently they all worked from home, and it has paid dividends. 

The nucleus is still there – Michael Starr, Stix Zadinia, and Satchel. If you have been living in a case for the last few years, Lexxi has gone, and after a porno version of American Idol and a few temporary solutions, the guys announced Spyder into the fold in September 2022

In todays cancel culture where you tread on eggshells on what you can say without offending anyone, Steel Panther come right out of the blocks and set their stall with ‘Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight). In an uncertain World its good to know that some things stay the same. ‘Friends With Benefits’ is the first cut above track. It has LAs Sunset Strip threaded through it like a stick of rock with Satchel delving deep into his bag of 80s riffs. They go mushy with the social media ballad ‘On Your Instagram’, ‘why can’t you look like you do on your Instagram’ telling you everything you need to know in a simple rhyme about todays state of affairs. ‘1987’ is another stand out track with Starr proclaiming ‘Coverdale banging Tawny Kitaen and the World just felt alright’, and ‘the music scene will never be the same, but I didn’t realise that things would get this lame’. Its one of the best songs they have ever written. Thankfully we have Steel Panther on a one man (band) mission to rectify all that was great about the 80s and then some.

If you think that the song titles are a bit ‘normal’, they revert to type (Yay!) with Dweezil Zappa sining up to shred on ‘Is My D**k Enough’, and the wonderfully titled ‘Magical Vagina’, I’d like to know what a magical vagina does? Card tricks? Levitation? Pull a tiger out? 

’Pornstar’ is a song that only Steel Panther could write, AND get away with. ‘If Harvey Weinstein was still free he wouldn’t care if you resisted’. Oof! ‘Aint For Dead’ is a biographical song about getting old and lamenting about times past, but they still have a part to play, and party.

Photo Credit – David Jackson

‘On The Prowl’ is an album that gets Steel Panther back on track after the last couple of ‘Panther by Numbers’ albums. Theres nowt wrong with music by numbers, but its back on a par with early Steel Panther music when they were on fire (and I’m not talking about Michael Starrs chlamydia!!)

If you love Steel Panther then this is everything you want from a new SP album. If you are a naysayer then there’s nothing here for you whatsoever, and I don’t think the guys give a flying fuck either way. In an uncertain world, its good that some things never change. All hail Steel Panther.

7/10

Tracklisting – 

Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)

Friends With Benefits

On Your Instagram

Put My Money Where Your Mouth Is

1987

Teleporter

Is My Dick Enough (Featuring Dweezil Zappa)

Magical Vagina

All That And More

One Pump Chump

Pornstar

Ain’t Dead Yet

Sleeping On The Rollaway

Steel Panther –

Michael Starr – Vocals

Satchel – Guitar

Stix Zadinia – Drums

Spyder – Bass

Live Review – Sweet Crisis with Support from Electric Black, The Eagle Inn, Manchester, Nov 19th

Around the corner N-Dubz were playing the AO arena. However I’d like to think that the 30-40 of us who turned up to see Sweet Crisis definitely had the better deal.

It was a bit of fun finding a parking space close to The Eagle. The reason? It sits in the shade of the mighty AO arena. It just so happened that there was a gig on tonight at the AO with N-Dubz providing the entertainment. I would like to think though that those in the know were descending upon The Eagle to see what would be (as it turned out to be) one of my favourite gigs (and venue) of this year.

Where the AO has a capacity of 21,000, The Eagle has just 80. The 30-40 that did show, got one hell of a gig to tell their friends about. I was already in the know as I got to hear both bands do a quick sound check and couldn’t wait for the gig to get underway.

Firstly we have Electric Black. Coming all the way from Hitchin for a 45 min set takes some doing, but these guys wouldn’t like it any other way. Opening with a working title of ‘Led Hendrix’, it really was a song born from the annals and foundations of rock history, and in singer Ali they have a guy who can sing ANYTHING. This was highlighted on the excellent ‘Love Is A Light For The Lost’. Also Electric Black have their ‘go to killer moment’ with ‘Homecoming” a song that is their own ‘Heaven and Hell’ and ‘Holy Diver’ all rolled into one. Finishing up with ‘Not Afraid To Die’ it is the heaviest song on the album and absolutely is the cream on an excellent set.

Electric Black have been doing this for some time and was evident as they were as tight as a nut. From the mayhem of Animal influenced drummer Matt, and the playing in the pocket of bassist Ryan, to the superb Jonny on lead guitar, Electric Black are going places. If I’d have known they played my nearest venue last week I’d have been there. I am a week late, but the end result is now the same. Catch these guys if you can, as you will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.

Onto headliners Sweet Crisis. I absolutely love it when you see or hear a band the first time and your breath is taken away. Just like EB, my moment was getting to hear Sweet Crisis debut album a few months back, even though I was late to the party. It was a case of being better late than never, but I was blown away by their collection of songs on ‘Tricks Of My Mind’. The band is built on the friendship of singer Leo Robarts and guitarist Piers Mortimer, but more of that later. Opening with ‘Loosen Up’ the quality is immediately there for people to see. Leo is part Paul Rodgers, Glenn Hughes and Steve Marriott, and that is some amalgamation of talent right there, with his best mate at his side these guys are unstoppable. ‘Black Magic’ has some nice 3 part harmonies and is the first highlight of many. 

For ‘Love Me Like Sugar’ if B.B.King and Paul Rodgers (OK, bear with me) had a love child then ‘LMLS’ is the end result. ‘Aint Got Soul’ is one of my favourite songs and hearing it live took it to another dimension, never mind new level. There’s a back story behind ‘Ill Be Creepin’. Leo was into Eminem and Jamiroquai when is dad gave him a copy of Free’s “Fire and Water” when Leo was about 14 (aren’t dads great). Right there a spark was ignited, which changed young Leo’s life and has never looked back. Apparently Leo isn’t keen on covers, but let’s face it, when you have a voice like he has, then it makes for one of the best covers you will ever hear. Hot off the press was a new song, ‘The Warning’ and it was smooth as fuck (insert better simile here____).

This next song was my favourite of the whole set. Written when Leo and Piers were just 17, it proves that age is no barrier when writing songs. Leo becomes a baptist preacher, and its a quality of song that many a Southern Rock/Nashville band would crawl over their dead granny to get hold of. It was stunning live. ‘Dont Start Now’ was pure blues heaven. At the and of the song one bloke shouted “Fuck yes!” It shows that you can write a review in just two words. I couldn’t have put it better myself. ‘Living Life On The Edge’ had them jamming on a powerful groove and takes me back to the era of bands like Cream and Jefferson Airplane. SC finished strong with the title track ‘Tricks On My Mind’, and a powerful single from 2020 in ‘Rolling In It’. 

It is hard to vacate the stage for an encore when it is the size of a postage stamp to they stayed put. Sweet Crisis will probably drop the covers as their song list gets bigger, but when you cover Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’ as well as they do, then its good to throw in a crowd pleaser for us old farts. The guys finished off with a song that got them started and recognised back in 2019, ‘Misty Haze’. I know its me repeating myself but this has blues and soul in abundance, and echoes Pink Floyd and Jeff Buckley. The guitar tone was beautiful. What a song to end a gig with. 

Theres a tendency for bands to play their whole album in the early days of their gigs. That may be the case here, but Sweet Crisis have a foundation of stunning songs already that will be a staple of their live gigs for years to come. 

I have witnessed some great fledgling bands this last 12 months since gigs have opened up again – Cardinal Black, The Karma Effect, and now Electric Black and Sweet Crisis. Add the likes of Scarlet Rebels and Florence Black into this mix and British rock music is in very safe hands indeed.

Based on tonights performances I hope that they both continue to record and gig as they both deserve to be heard by much bigger audiences than current. The numbers did not detract, in fact it enhanced it as it felt like a gig in your own living room. We can all say that when they do make it, we were there almost from the beginning. I can’t wait to see what Sweet Crisis (and Electric Black) do next.

Sweet Crisis Set List –

Loosen Up 

One Way Traffic

Black Magic

Haunted

Love Me Like Sugar

Ain’t Got Soul

Great Big Steps

This Guitar

I’ll Be Creepin’ 

The Warning

Treading In Deep Water

Don’t Start Now

Living Life On The Edge

Tricks On My Mind

Rolling In It

In The Dark

Oh Well

Misty Haze

Kira Mac – ‘Chaos Is Calling’ Album Review

What Kira Mac have delivered is extraordinary. It is ten songs of pure quality, that after one listen will make you ride that rollercoaster and pay to take the ride again and again. Its not a perfect 10, but it is 35 minutes of absolute enjoyment.

Every now and again YouTube throws me a bone to a band I’ve not encountered before. OK, to give them credit, it does it quite often, but I have a short attention span. I’m not a kid where it has to grab me by the bollox in the first 10 seconds, but I’ll give it a listen at least until I get to a chorus.

I can’t tell you what I was listening to in the first place, but Kira Mac appeared and it was an occasion whereby I my bollox were well and truly grabbed (so to speak). I’ll tell you why shortly.

Anywho, Kira Mac are making little gains that seem to be gathering momentum.

  • Steelhouse created a spot for them
  • BBC Radio 2 play
  • Rock n Blues appearance
  • 17k organic vires on YouTube in 6 months
  • 25k streams on Spotify in 6 month
  • Playlist on Planet Rock for all 4 singles

I am 100% certain that all of this achievement will be well and truly eclipsed 6, or 12 months from today. I am that convinced, I have put a reminder in my calendar to check out the stats!!

Kira Mac are mainly based in and around the North of the UK. Vocalist and reason for the band name Kira Mack along with guitarist Alex Novakovic and bassist Bret Barnes all hailing from Manchester. Joe Worrall (guitar) is from Hull, and new drummer (and doesn’t appear on the album Max Rhead is from Newport. 

Firstly Kira Mac is an unsigned band. This can be for a couple of reasons. Is it because labels won’t entertain anyone unless they have one million streams on Spotify, or is it because it is feasibly possible that an unsigned band can be profitable without the support of a label of any size. If one of my favourite bands (Dirty Honey) can do it, so can Kira Mac.

Right from the off you can tell that Kira Mac have been plying their trade for some time. I really have a soft spot for female vocalists – Leigh Matty, Pat Benatar, Ann Wilson, and the one I want to make particular reference to is one Dorothy Martin. ‘One Way Ticket’ is Dorothy. I just wish everyone knew about Dorothy as they are bloody brilliant. So to compare Kira to Dorothy is very high praise indeed. Searing guitars? Check. Sumptuous chorus. Check. Instantly singable. Check. What a start! ‘Hit Me Again’ is in similar vein, and ‘Chaos Is Calling’ has a bone crunching riff that heavier bands whose band logos I can never read would crawl across broken glass for. It still has melody in spades. 

‘Back For More’ (not that one) is a song that’s bluesier and still pushes the right buttons. You would swear that these guys are American. ‘Mississippi Swinging’ is without doubt one of the best songs on the album. With an opening line like ‘Mississippi swinging got a whiskey sipping honey on my left hand’ you know its going to be a belter. Its a song whereby if you heard this in a pub, you’d stop drinking and start had banging. The other two highlights being ‘Hell Fire Holy Water’ and massive closer, ‘Dead Man Walking’. Its almost as if Kira Mac have a random song title generator. ‘HFHW’ will go gown a storm live as a singalong moment (I guarantee it), and ‘DMW’ is the song that started it for me. Its based on a massive chunky riff, Kira Macs vibrato vocal styling and tasty guitar solo. ‘Downfall’ ups the ‘heavy’ to 11 and ‘Never Going to Stay’ is the king to ‘Downfalls’ yang. ‘Never…’ definitely has a Nashville country influence and is probably the most mainstream sounding song on the album

What Kira Mac have delivered is extraordinary. It is ten songs of pure quality, that after just one listen will make you ride that rollercoaster and pay to take the ride again and again. Its not perfect, but it is 35 minutes of absolute enjoyment. I really think that Kira Mac deserve to be going places. The debut album is out at the end of this week (18th November), and a UK tour follows hot on the heels, starting in Edinburgh two days later (20th November).

9/10

Tracklisting – 

One Way Ticket

Hit Me Again

Chaos Is Calling

Back For More

Imagine What Could’ve Been

Mississippi Swinging

Hell Fire Holy Water

Downfall

Never Going To Stay

Dead Man Walking

Album Line Up

Joe Worrall – Guitar

Alex Novakovic – Guitar

Bret Barnes – Bass

Cal Casey – Drums

Kira Mac – Vocals

Feature band image is courtesy of Emilia Drag

Alter Bridge – ‘Pawns & Kings’ Review

Pawns and Kings is the most complete, consistently thunderous anthemic Alter Bridge album to date

Most of my musical heroes are either dead / in their 70s/ no longer active. Very few bands formed this century get into my list. The main ones that I adore are Alter Bridge, Coheed and Cambria and Rival Sons. Not only are my heroes as mentioned, very few are ready to take the crown and become headliners at the likes of Download etc. Out of these 3, AB are in the best position for taking the next step upwards, especially now.

I have been a fan of Alter Bridge ever since I heard them on Orlando Rock Radio back in 2004. I have attended an Alter Bridge gig on every tour at least once. I think I’m up to about 18 gigs. I would like to think that I have earned the right to have an opinion on their music. Remember reader, opinions are like arseholes, everybody has one. It is my opinion that the Top 3 Alter Bridge albums are as follows….

  1. Blackbird
  2. Fortress
  3. ABIII

Alter Bridge have been making great and good albums, but nothing after Fortress has come close to breaking into my Top 3…..until now!

‘Pawns and Kings’ is the bands 7th studio album, and by Christ, is it a cracker. At just 10 songs long, the guys have literally gone straight for the jugular. Think of the best of Myles Kennedys solo work and smash it with Tremonti’s knack for a spleen-busting riff, together with the Prince Of Pound (Philips) and the testicle moving, pummelling bass of Marshall and its 10 songs of pure God and Thunder. ‘This is War’ is the best opener to an album that AB have ever done – Myles never sounded better, and there’s almost a Carmina Burana chant that will go down a storm when played live. I honestly think Tremonti has a riff for every occasion (weddings (yup), funeral (gotcha!), Bar Mitzvah (yes indeed). He has the best riffs this side of Tony Iommi’s moustache!!!

Alter Bridge have gone big and long on a few tracks, and all deliver in spades with the anthem ‘Sin After Sin’; ‘Fable of the Silent Son’ is a ‘Children of the Sea’ for the modern era, and the title track is the sister companion to Kennedy’s ‘The Ides of March’.

To be honest here, there is not an average number or plodder on the album. ‘Silver Tongue’ shows why it was picked as a single/appetite whetter for Pawns, as it combines the best AB bits rolled into one song. ‘Stay’ is where Tremonti takes the lead on vocals and is now becoming a staple to have a song from the metal crooner and correctly so. In fact he is continuing to get better with each AB/Tremonti/Sinatra album, and it is closest thing to a melodic rock song as AB will ever get. 

To follow on from a couple of earlier points, I am convinced that after half a dozen listens to Pawns & Kings that this album will probably knock ‘Blackbird’ off its coveted No.1 spot (steady on! Editor). With regards to upping the level to festival headliner, if AB don’t get the breaks after this album, I have no idea what they are supposed to do. This album is next level.

P&K is that strong, every single song on this could make it into the live set. It is the most complete, consistently thunderous, anthemic album to date and for that I have to applaud the guys as they could easily have gone for ‘okay’ but have instead set a level that in 2022 (and 2023) other bands have to meet. It will be in many a Top 5 list come the next few weeks, mine included.

9/10

Tracklisting –

This Is War

Dead Among The Living

Silver Tongue

Sin After Sin

Stay

Holiday

Fable Of The Silent Son

Season Of Promise

Last Man Standing

Pawns & Kings

Sweet Crisis – ‘Tricks On My Mind’ Review

The best compliment I can give about Sweet Crisis is that if these guys has a time machine, you could drop this album into any decade from the 1960s onwards and it would not be out of place

I like a good natter with people, both online and in person, especially if said natter is about music. I was friended on instagram by a nice bloke who works with touring bands doing Merch and set up. He suggested I give Sweet Crisis a listen. That was weeks ago, so I apologise for the delay. 

The bumf that come with the link states that Sweet Crisis seek to balance all their inclinations and influences – like Free and Lenny Kravitz, nothing is off the table if music sounds right. Their key influences run through their debut album like a stick of Blackpool rock. There is everything from Fleetwood Mac to Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones to The Verve. That’s your appetites well and truly whetted then!

For the lover of upbeat rock, there is the opener ‘Loosen Up’, ‘One Way Traffic’, and ‘Living Life On The Edge’ (which has some cracking guitar playing courtesy of Piers Mortimer, and it is wonderfully trippy and exhilarating all in one song. The title track, ‘Tricks On My Mind’ is snappy and punchy and delivers in spades and reminds me a bit of Rival Sons.

For blues rock aficionados there is a magnificent ‘Love Me Like Sugar’ (my fave track along with ‘Living…’; ‘Misty Haze’ (great name for a porn star), and is an equally great song; ‘This Guitar’, and ‘Black Magic’. 

Whilst it’s not bluesy or rock, there is also the enticing and somewhat mesmerising ‘Ain’t Got Soul’, which I feel should be a darling of the airwaves on Radio 2 if it isn’t already. 

As debuts go, ‘Tricks On My Mind’ is a little belter. In a saturated market where blues rock seems to be the go to music of choice, I think that Sweet Crisis have enough diversity, quality and wide ranging influence in their armoury to rise above the majority.

The best compliment I can give about Sweet Crisis and ‘Tricks On My Mind’ is that if these guys had a time machine, you could drop this album into most decades from the 1960s up until the present day and it would fit in neatly like peas in a pod. It is a debut album that deserves your attention. I can’t wait to see these guys live.

8/10

Tracks –

Loosen Up

One Way Traffic

Ain’t Got Soul

This Guitar

Karma Will Come

Tricks On My Mind

Misty Haze

Black Magic

Love Me Like Sugar

Living On The Edge

Mick White – ‘Somethings Got To Give’ Review

Are you ready to Rock? Then get your arse into gear and support British Rock.

Back in the day, Mick White was a teenage singer for Samson (who incidentally the first professional band I saw live, supporting Whitesnake on the Paints & Thinners Tour in Dec 82). After leaving Samson he formed his own band, First Strike, but grunge buggered that up like it did with a lot of bands at that time. This led White to session work for the next five years, before becoming disillusioned at the end of the Millenium, (98 to be precise). This lead to a long period of inactivity until 2019 where White was approached by Steelheart Records to finally get a release of the First Strike album. Whilst guesting on a song written by Marty Punch in 2019 called ‘Better Be Strong’. White was approached by the drummer Carsten Enghardt on that song and Carsten knew White was the right singer for his own band Endfield.

Fast forward a bit to 2020 and like many others, Covid meant a period of songwriting for a solo album, which brought in Enghardt and guitarist Luke Hatton. Included on this album are a song co-written with Paul Samson back in 1988, called ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’, a reworking of a First Strike song ‘Hold Tight’ and a new version of ‘Better Be Strong’. Which leads us sweetly into this review.

‘SGTG’ starts off with a bang on ‘Burning In The Night’, as it moves through the gears fast, with Hatton and White in the driver and passenger seat. Title track ‘Somethings Got To Give’ is a step to the side but is equally enjoyable as the opener. Hatton again gives his talent and fingers an airing on the solo. ‘Without You’ shows MWB can mix it up a bit, as its a moodier song, and adds a burning desire to the song. ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ shows how White can deliver a melodic rock song with aplomb as its very catchy indeed. It sees Mick singing to a younger version of himself, now older and wiser and telling his younger self of the issues that lie ahead.

‘Ordinary Girl’ is as you would expect, a ballad, with feet planted firmly in the 1980s. Not one of those soppy ones, as it builds to a nice crescendo. ‘Alter Of Desire’ is a snappy, up-tempo rocker. ‘Hold Tight’ is broody, but has a very melodic bridge and chorus, that would have been a staple on many a 80s album (in fact it was, it just didn’t get released until 2019!). ‘Sometime Superman’ was the 2nd video to be released and rightly so, as this and ‘Emergency…’ show the band in fine form and at their prime best on these melodic numbers.

‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’ is Samson through and through. It’s a shot of adrenaline to the ears. Mick screams the title just like Don Dokken (when Don could sing). ‘Better Be Strong’ closes on a (well, er…strong) note, and it is a definite highlight.

I’ve not come across Mick White before (oo-er!), and probably hadn’t had I not been contacted by Ian Edwards who is MWs Bassist. (Note – Ian only works with ex-Samson vocalists – Peter Scallan ‘Moritz’ and now Mick White. If this were the 80s, next up would be Mammoth – now there’s one for the over 50s!).

Mick White is a very decent singer of gravelly velvet voice and a definite ear for decent tune. I can’t wait to see where this goes next. Its definitely for fans who like their rock music with lashings of leg warmers, bleached jeans and built on the foundations of NWOBHM. Are you ready to rock? Then get your arse into gear and buy this album.

7.5 /10

Tracklisting –

Burning In The Night
Somethings Got To Give
Without You
Emergency On Planet Earth
Ordinary Girl
Alter of Desire
Sometime Superman
Hold Tight
You Poisoned My Love
Don’t Close Your Eyes
Better Be Strong