AVALANCHE DRUID INN BIRCHOVER GROWING UP and slowly immersing oneself into music many localities had several rising stars. Frontrunners in Derbyshire were Saracen, who very nearly hit the big time and for my money heel snappers Avalanche came a very close second, a...
ANOTHER YEAR, another festival and one that’s becoming a firm favourite is STONEDEAD FESTIVAL NEWARK, and whilst not as sunny as past events it nevertheless proved to be a winner, as this year we had Yorkshire boys Saxon as headliners. Opening proceedings were The...
PEAT & DIESEL THE OLD COURTHOUSE HUDDERSFIELD TELEVISION can be irritating at times. Full of drivel. That said, had I not watched BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland I’d never have discovered Peat & Diesel! Hailing from the Isle Of Lewis high up in western Scotland...
STAR DAME SHEFFIELD CHURCH HOUSE FORMING a unit consisting of just two makes an interesting ride for both viewer and band alike, yet Sheffield duo Star Dame seem to take all this in their stride. Whilst the Sunday evening pews remained sparse, that didn’t deter the...
SANCTUM SANCTORIUM THE HAIRY DOG DERBY. REFRESHING bands isn’t easy, yet new but experienced musicians Alistair Middleton on keyboards and bassist Mark Knowles effortlessly gelled into the Courtesan gang who opened for the main draw at this popular Derby venue....
RILEY MARSH FEATHER STAR RED LION WIRKSWORTH DIFFICULT as it can be reviewing solo singer song-writers, one part of Derbyshire band The Collide Riley Marsh did a steering job at this low-key Derbyshire gig. Pulling in a full house to hear your own stuff takes guts,...
LIVE REVIEW KICKIN’ VALENTINA NOTTINGHAM RESCUE ROOMS KICKIN VALENTINA at NOTTINGHAM RESCUE ROOMS WHILST not on every rocker’s radar, Kickin’ Valentina are slowly getting better at the day job and heading up the ladder. Having seen them at last year’s Stonedead...
LIVE REVIEW THE BITES ROCK CITY, NOTTINGHAM. THE BITES at ROCK CITY NOTTINGHAM MUSICALLY, the landscape has moved up a gear these past few years, with Hollywood stars The Bites being the latest gang to catch the eye. Relatively unknown, this fivesome took the...
LIVE REVIEW ABSOLVA SHEFFIELD CORPORATION ABSOLVA at SHEFFIELD CORPORATION EMBRACING the new bread of rock is a growing trend for some, and from this side of the fence, it’s to be applauded. Not that this Manchester gang are ‘new’ having formed over a decade ago,...