Released on 3rd February, ‘Fair Weather’ is the first single of a brand-new musical project from London-based singer-songwriter, Little Lore aka Tricia Duffy. Inspired by the work of Tennessee Williams, the full album, Being Serafina, will be released in June this year andis named after the central character in Williams’ celebrated play from the 1950s, The Rose Tattoo.
Little Lore:“Being Serafina began as an academic experiment. I wanted to explore whether Method acting techniques could be used as a songwriting device. My initial idea was that I could use the Method to write a collection of songs from multiple different character perspectives, perhaps drawn from fiction or characters of my own invention. But projects have a habit of unfolding in unexpected ways. I signed up for Method acting classes and to start the process purely, from an acting point of view, I selected a monologue from a play I loved. The Rose Tattoo, by Tennessee Williams. I have been obsessed by Williams’ writing since I was a teenager. I loved and admired his ability to capture such rich female characters.”
“My first song arrived, written from the perspective of the main protagonist in The Rose Tattoo, and so began an intimate love affair of my own with this beautiful, vulnerable, funny and flawed character, Serafina. I had a crazy notion that maybe I could go deeper into character and write an entire album from her perspective. Being Serafina is the result.The album draws on a wide range of genre influences from the folk Americana people know me for along with prog rock, punk and blues peppered into the creative process.”
A burgeoning presence on the UK Americana and singer-songwriter scene, Little Lore has received many plaudits, both for her astute, observational songwriting and for her warm, heartfelt vocals. Add into the mix the lush instrumentation and sumptuous production from her principal musical collaborator, Oli Deakin, and the result is nothing short of magical.
Discussing the first single, ‘Fair Weather’, Little Lore adds:
“Serafina is a central part of a close Sicilian community; she is the local seamstress. Williams describes the opening scene of the play with children playing, excitedly talking about the flags flying at the coast guard that indicate the weather will be fine. He describes the mothers calling the children home tenderly and musically. Serafina has set the table for a romantic dinner; she plans to tell her husband that she is pregnant with their second child. Her 12-year-old daughter is catching firebugs, and the scene is quite perfect.”
“The song includes backing vocals from Bella Collins and Ella Tobin in the harmonies to enhance this sense of community. And introduces the use of a clarinet, a musical device used to characterise Rosario – Serafina’s husband. Attentive listeners may notice that the clarinet always pans to the right. A deliberate decision drawn from traditional pantomime, where the ‘baddies’ always enter from the right (or stage left). A simple song that seems positive but with minor arrangement that offers a sense of foreboding and hints at what will unfold.”
Renowned New York-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Oli Deakin, (who records under the name of Lowpines) produced the single and the forthcoming album and, as with previous Little lore releases, provides much of the instrumentation.
Written and performed by: Little Lore AKA Tricia Duffy
Produced by: Oli Deakin
Backing vocals: Bella Collins and Ella Tobin
Drums: Morgan Karabel
All other instruments: Oli Deakin
Artwork: Richard Cranefield
About Little Lore:
Little Lore is a London based, Indie-Americana singer-storyteller whose songs are both charmingly accessible and beguilingly challenging. You’ll want to listen twice. When you combine British wit and wordplay with cherished Americana roots, musical magic starts to happen. Based in Chiswick, West London, and originally hailing from Portsmouth, Tricia Duffy started her singing career as a teenager, which included a stint on cruise ships in the United States.
Tricia’s solo project Little Lore was created in 2020 during the pandemic. Her debut solo EP, Little Lore, was released in 2021 to glowing reviews. Two further EPs Seven Stories Part One and Seven Stories Part Two were released in late 2023 and early 2024, followed by the EP River Stories in April 2025. Little Lore has become a force to be reckoned with on the UK Americana scene, picking up a slew of enthusiastic reviews and extensive radio airplay – including BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Ulster, Nashville Worldwide Country Radio and the International Americana Music Show. In her songs, Little Lore brings together an affection for the heart and heritage of Americana music, with an intelligence and maturity of storytelling that can sweep you away into new and unexpected emotional worlds.
An enthusiastic advocate for songwriters, she is the London Chapter Coordinator for NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International), and a member of Ivors Academy and the Americana Music Association UK. She is especially passionate about creating opportunities for female, transgender and non-binary songwriters.
The Being Serafina project is inspired by the character of Serafina from The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams. Presented by special arrangement with The University of the South, Tennessee, USA.
Following a gap of nine years since their previous release, popular Shetland indie folk rock band, The Revellers, are back with their third album, Reactors. The Revellers are Michael Anderson (lead guitar), Magnus Bradley (lead vocals, guitars), Daniel Gear (fiddle), John William Halcrow (drums, vocals), Erik Peterson (mandolin, vocals). Lewie Peterson (banjo, mandolin, tenor guitar, vocals) and Adam Priest (electric and double bass).
Often described as ‘heavy folk music’, The Revellers are seven musicians brought up on a typical millennial musical diet of alt rock, punk and metal that’s combined with a love and reverence for traditional music that’s an intrinsic part of any Shetland upbringing. The result is an explosive mix of soaring melodies, searing guitar riffs and energetic fiddle, mandolin and banjo.
From reflections on the challenges and contradictions of modern life (‘The Reflector’) to standing up for what’s right (‘Stand Up and Fight’) there are themes that wouldn’t be out of place on any typical indie rock album, but this being a band with traditional influences at its heart there’s also material like a reworking of Rhoda Butler’s poem ‘Clearances’ in the Shetland dialect and the song ‘Republic of Vinland’ which celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage.
An album fizzing with energy and verve, it’s one that will appeal to ardent rock fans as much as dedicated folkies. Highly recommended.
Stuart ‘Mick’ Macfarlane is a Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist based in the Glasgow area. He has performed his folk-flavoured acoustic songs across Scotland, holding long-running residencies at venues including Jinty McGuinty’s in Glasgow and The Drovers Inn near Loch Lomond. Alongside his solo achievements, Macfarlane is a core creative force in Glasgow’s respected progressive rock band, Abel Ganz. His song ‘Thank You’, featuring special guest performances by Runrig’s Malcolm Jones and Fairport Convention’s Jerry Donahue on the group’s acclaimed self-titled album, has become an enduring live favourite among audiences.
Although Macfarlane’s compositions have frequently been covered by other artists, The Test of Time is his first solo album to receive a commercial release.
Stuart ‘Mick’ Macfarlane: “These songs mean so much to me. I’m delighted this album is finally out. I hope they resonate with people on an emotional level, as they’re all honest and heartfelt pieces of music that I’m very proud of.”
The themes explored on the album range from the highly personal to themes around environmental degradation and homelessness, and draw on traditional Scottish folk, classic singer-songwriter and progressive rock influences.
Beautifully produced by long-time collaborator, Colin Johnson, at Glasgow’s Audio Lounge, the album features Macfalrlane on electric and acoustic guitars and vocals, Johnson on drums, Fiona Cuthill on fiddle, Stevie Lawrence on bouzouki and percussion, and a special guest vocal appearance from Macfarlane’s own daughter, Ceitidh, on the title track.
Showcasing some fine songwriting, lovely melodies and thought-provoking themes, The Test of Time is an engaging album that’s worth checking out.
Following the re-release of his solo album Devil’s Highway on 2nd January, I catch up with guitar legend and founding member of Stray, Del Bromham. We talk about the making of the album, growing up in a home filled with music, the ups and downs of the music industry and why there’s been renewed interest in Stray, post-pandemic.
So firstly, I wanted to ask about the re-release of the solo album Devil’s Highway. As a solo work, that’s more pure blues rather than the bluesy hard rock that Stray is best known for. When you were a teenager growing up, were the traditional blues artists always important for you as well as the R&B bands like the Yardbirds and the Pretty Things?
I must admit, I have to say I was a bit of a late starter on it. Although, having said that, there’s a track on the Devil’s Highway album called ‘Careless Love’. Now, I had music in my house as a kid because my dad belonged to a record club and liked various music. And as I mentioned before, I think sometimes he would order these things. It was probably out of the back of the News of the World or something like that. And he’d have like two or three EPs turn up and it might be, you know, My Fair Lady, some obscure orchestra but one of them I remember as a kid, six or seven years old, was an EP by Big Bill Broonzy. And ‘Careless Love’ really stuck with me all the way through. So, when it came to recording the album, I thought, well, that’s my starting point. I’ll do that one.
But going back to your original question, You’re quite right. I mean, in the ‘60s, I was listening to the Yardbirds, the Pretty Things, the first Stones album. I remember I used to go around to my mate’s house, and his older brother had these so while he was at work, we’d play them. And then I got into John Mayall. And I guess it was through the British invasion, as it were, doing the blues, that I thought, well, where did they get this from? And then I slowly began to compile it in my head, if for want of a better word. Now, I was a bit of a late starter, so I wasn’t really into the authentic blues, probably not until 2000s when I actually started doing the album. And I started, like a journalist, doing research, as it were.
Del Bromham: publicity shot
And that was around the time you were touring with Leslie West, was it?
Well, I did it just before. I started thinking about it in 2003. And in 2004, I had actually done the album. And then my then tour manager, Paul Newcombe – I’d already done a couple of tours with Mountain – and he met Leslie on one of the tours I did with Stray. And then, of course, when I had the album ready, he suggested to Leslie that he come over and do a tour because he had his Blues to Die For album. And Leslie being Leslie said, “Yeah, great” And Paul said, “Just come over with acoustic guitar.” He said, “Just me and an acoustic guitar?” He said, “Yes. Tell your stories. Del does it.” He said, “Well, if Del will do it, I’ll do it!” So that’s how that happened.
So then, of course, we had the album, but no label. Paul’s little company at the time was called Trigger Happy Music so we put it out on Trigger Happy. It wasn’t a general release. It was to sell at gigs and then a little while after, because of the interest, I then got a deal with Angel Air Records, who did Nine Yards. And then the boss at Angel Air said, “Oh, you did another one before, didn’t you?” I said, “Yeah.” So, he said, “Well, have you got any extra songs we could put it out with bonus tracks on?” Then it came out again.
Well good luck with the album. I’ve been playing it and really enjoyed it. And you’ve mentioned it already – it’s a big theme in your autobiography, Rock and Roll Survivor – you talk very fondly about growing up in a house filled with music. That was clearly very important in shaping your direction in life, not only from your parents but from your brothers and so on.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’s surprising actually because I would recommend anybody to write their biography. I recommend it because it wasn’t really until I wrote it down and read it back. It was then I realized how important my family had been to me and music. I know I’ve written it, but it is difficult to put into words because, and there were various things, always having music in my house. Silly things like my mum going around the house singing and dusting at the same time. Playing in my brother’s group was a great thing to do, particularly as I was only about 14 years old. So, the family were very important to me and my brother was probably my biggest musical influence.
Obviously, things started to take off for Stray in the early ‘70s but by the late ‘70s, there’s repeated setbacks for the band. And you talk in your autobiography about your life as a musician becoming stressful, not pleasurable and then you went out and got a normal nine-to-five job. How frustrating was that at the time or was it just a matter of getting on with life and you deal with things as they come?
A little bit of both actually and I think it was once again down to my family. Winding the clock back, when I was 15, I didn’t want to stay on at school but myself and a couple of friends, we were all going to go to art college. That’s what we were going to do. And Pete Townshend up the road, he was going to art college as well. So, we thought, well, I’ll go to art college. But long and the short of it was that I didn’t get into art college and I was very disappointed. And I can vaguely remember the conversation. Well, you’re not going to art college. And my dad just sat there pontificating in his armchair. And he said, “Well, you’ll have to get yourself a job then, won’t you, boy?” I went, “Eh?” So, he promptly pulls out a copy of the local paper and goes all down the job vacancies there. But, you know, that was kind of, well, no-one owes you a living, you’ve got to go and do it yourself.
So then when it came to all the financial troubles we had at the end of 1977 into 1978 – I mean, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time really. Because my wife had just given birth to our first child, she was just coming up to a year old. And I’d sold my house in London, and I was moving to another house out of London in a little place called Bletchley. I was moving there. So, what I then found was because of the associations I’d had in the past, shall we say, nobody in the music business was interested. You know, it was like Stray was bad news. Don’t get involved with anything to do with Stray because something’s going to come back and bite you in the butt. Or even worse, you might have your legs or fingers broken. So, I had no choice. And to be honest with you, I was lucky because I’d never really, at 16, 17, I’d done like an office boy job. I’d never had a proper job.
And I was very lucky because where I was living in Bletchley, it was in years to come to become part of Milton Keynes. So, they were encouraging businesses to start up in Milton Keynes and giving them nice little incentives as it were. And as it turned out, Hammond organs decided to do this distribution. And I’d met up with Graham Sutton. I used to do Keith Emerson’s servicing for his Hammond. So great. I could play Hammond organs all day instead of just doing them in the studio. So, I ended up working for Hammond organs for a couple of years and I ended up doing the marketing for them. And then I went to work for somebody else doing the marketing, which in a roundabout kind of way, I believe, helped me in a way because when I got back into doing music, I had the other head about. Oh, that’s how you do that, is it?
So, you weren’t so reliant on record labels and management and the whole industry anymore. You could be far more self-sufficient after picking up all those skills, I suppose.
It wasn’t what I planned, but it just goes to prove to you how life can actually turn you into different areas, you know.
Del’s autobiography ‘Rock and Roll Survivor’ published in 2022
Stray’s legacy is starting to get the recognition it deserves, I think. And in the foreword to your autobiography, Steve Harris from Iron Maiden says Stray should have been as big as Black Sabbath or Deep Purple. Frustrating on one hand, but nice to read on the other?
Yeah, yeah. It is nice. I mean, I know of people from my era who just cannot get out of the ‘70s. But… stuff happens, you know. I’ve never let it drag me down. And I’m thinking about what could have been, you know. I mean, it was quite true at the time. I can remember hearing, say about 1971, 1972, “Oh, Stray, they’re going to be the next Led Zeppelin.” And then of course, the guy who managed us for a while, Wilf Pine, was to do with Worldwide Artists. And guess what? They had Black Sabbath. And so, he actually thought he was going to manage the next Black Sabbath. And I can always remember him. We’re listening back to the first album we made with him as manager and he said, “You know, I thought I was going to manage the next Black Sabbath, but I think I’ve got the Beatles here.” There were more songs. And then, of course, I think he wanted to be George Martin, so he then got an orchestra in. And that was the Mudanzas album. So that was a real change, you know, and we were disappointed because we were expecting things to step up, and it didn’t happen.
And then, of course, the management company we had at the time, I think, to be frank, they were upsetting various people in the music business, you know, with the way they acted. And then Worldwide kind of finished, and it left us out on a limb, really. And that’s kind of how it happened in brief.
Stray in the ’70s
But against the odds, Stray is still going out there. So, my final question then, what next for both Del and for Stray?
Well, we never know what tomorrow is going to bring, do you? It’s funny, you possibly hinted at it but there does seem to have been in the last couple of years – probably since Covid when things got back to a kind of normality- there does seem to be a more of an interest in Stray than there was prior to that. We’ve just finished about a 20-day tour with British Lion, as you know. I mean, it wasn’t just down to us, but it was sold-out every night. And we had Maiden fans there, obviously Lion fans. We’ve also done a couple of metal festivals as well, which once upon a time you thought, well Stray’s not going to fit there. But it does seem that we’re getting accepted. Even our own shows, we’ve had sellout shows just straight on their own, you know. And different people coming back to see the band or people who’ve never seen the band before. Which I’m not bothered about because the more the merrier as far as I’m concerned. You know, it’s never too late.
Del Bromham@ publicity shot
And you’re one of the original bands still out there, whereas many have fallen by the wayside, either because people are no longer with us or they’ve retired or whatever. So compared to a lot of your contemporaries, you’re still out there.
Well, it’s a strange paradox because all those years ago, bearing in mind we were only about 17, 18 years old when we were playing, the business at the time always used to criticize us. “Well, they can’t be that good because they’re too young.” And now here we are 50 years later and I’m one of the elder statesmen. And, of course, people said, “I didn’t know you were still going.” I said, “Well I’ve never stopped.” And the band I’ve got with me now, they’re very versatile. And they were fans of the original band as well. So, they’ve never tried to take over or do anything. So, it’s great because we’re just five mates who go out to enjoy ourselves and we happen to play instruments at the same time.
Going forward, before Christmas I was actually thinking about a new solo album. Obviously, the last About Time album by Stray was successful and it’s brought back a lot of people. We’re not on a label but for the purposes of touring we recorded a live show and that CD is called One for the Road and we sold bucket-loads of them. So, it does seem that it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that during the year I might be quite busy in the studio with a solo and another Stray album. You know I’ve thought with the last couple of Stray albums, I wonder if this is going to be the last one. But I woke up this morning de-de-de da-dum and that was a result!
Well, that’s a really nice, optimistic, forward-looking note to end on, unless there’s anything else you’d like to tell us?
Well, I haven’t really got any big scoops for you. It’s just going to be business as usual, which I’ve always done. I’ve never had any great expectations. You know, I just enjoy playing. I enjoy life and fortunately, touch wood, I’m quite heathy so long may it continue, I hope.
Thanks Del. Long may it continue!
Devil’s Highway (with bonus tracks) was released on 2 January 2026 by Singsong Music
A Happy New Year to all my readers and my sincere thanks to everyone who has visited Darren’s music blog during 2025. As well as 65 posts covering an eclectic musical mix of folk, prog, glam, heavy metal, punk, hard rock and britpop, I also managed to get my fourth book completed (Steeleye Span On Track 1970-89) which was published by Sonicbond this Summer.
To recap on the year, here are the top ten most viewed posts of 2025. Here’s to 2026!
1. Interview with Fairport Convention’s Dave Pegg
Ahead of Fairport Convention’s Winter Tour back in January, I caught up with Dave Pegg. We discuss the making of the Full House album, the crucial role that Jethro Tull played in Fairport’s resurrection, changes taking place at Cropredy this summer so that the festival remains financially viable and the forthcoming tour.
There are not many world-class rock acts still performing that remain to be ticked off on my own personal bucket-list but Santana definitely fitted into that category and prompted the first of two trips to the O2 this Summer. From the off it’s very much a give-the-audience-exactly-what-they-want greatest hits set, interspersed with nuggets of Woodstock-era exhortations in favour of love and peace and togetherness. “I’m a hippy!” explains Carlos Santana.
3. Live review: Alice Cooper and Judas Priest at the O2, London 25/7/25
Kicking off with ‘Lock Me Up’, Alice Cooper’s set is as over-the-top and theatrical as ever. An exhilarating combination of blistering hard rock, glam-meets-horror showmanship and that unmistakeable, menacing vocal drawl, the hits come thick and fast.
Coming on stage to the strains of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’, Judas Priest launched straight into ‘All Guns Blazing’ from the Painkiller album. Released 35 years ago, songs from that much-celebrated album feature heavily in tonight’s set.
4. Live review: Uriah Heep / April Wine / Tyketto at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 27/2/25
I was still a pre-schooler when Uriah Heep released their debut album in 1970, although this year does mark 40 years since I first saw the band at Manchester Apollo back in 1985. Tonight’s performance proves beyond doubt that my enthusiasm for the band remains undimmed. I’m relieved to hear this is not quite the finale just yet.
5. Live review: Fairport Convention at Union Chapel, London 22/2/25
It’s now 40 years since Sanders played on his first Fairport album – Gladys’ Leap. Ric Sanders tells the audience that he was phoned up by Dave Pegg who had asked him if he was interested in contributing fiddle to three tracks but initially he had no idea he was being asked to contribute to a Fairport Convention album.
6. Interview with Fairport Convention’s Ric Sanders
Ahead of this year’s Cropredy festival, I catch up with Fairport Convention’s Ric Sanders. We talk about first learning to play the violin at primary school, about getting his big break with Soft Machine and the invitation to play on Fairport’s Gladys’ Leap album forty years ago this year – and, of course, this year’s Cropredy line-up.
7. Live review: Supergrass at the Roundhouse, London 21/5/25
Given I spent the battle of Britpop firmly in the Blur camp, I passed up on the chance to buy tickets for the Oasis reunion when it was announced last summer. A couple of weeks later, however, when Supergrass announced that they would also be reforming to celebrate the 30th anniversary of I Should Co-Co, I was in the online queue as soon as tickets went on sale. Always my favourite band of the Britpop era, a chance to hear Supergrass’s debut album performed in full promised to be something rather special.
8. Live review: Sweet at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire 5/4/25
In the months and years to come, who knows how many more Sweet gigs there’ll be. Andy Scott shows every sign of wanting to continue for as long as he is physically able to walk on stage, pick up his guitar and perform. I hope there’ll be plenty more nights like this for the band and I hope I get to see a few more of them myself but I savoured every precious moment of this concert as if it were my last.
9. Live review: X Generation X at the Brunswick, Hove 9/11/25
Making light of the seeming incongruity of launching a UK tour on a Sunday, Westwood asked the happy but clearly refreshed crowd at one point if they all had to be up in the morning. “No!!” the crowd yelled back in unison. “They’re all retired!” quipped Steve Norman. That’s as maybe but for 75 glorious minutes it was 1976 all over again and here in this sweaty cellar bar the spirit of punk was recaptured in all of its incendiary glory.
10. Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2025
There was a heavy Fairport bias to this year’s list, with interviews and live reviews bagging four of the top ten most popular slots. Just making it into the Top Ten is my review of this year’s Cropredy Festival which featured a guest appearance from none other than Robert Plant.
My final gig of the year. And rather than my more typical diet of folk, glam rock and heavy metal, it’s the Amy Winehouse Band.
The project brings together musicians who played with Amy Winehouse over the course of her spectacularly promising career, which tragically came to a premature end back in 2011. The band members include Dale Davis, her musical director and bass player; Hawi Gondwe, Winehouse’s guitarist from 2007-11; drummer, Nathan Allen; backing vocalist, Adeleye Omatayo, and the brass section, Henry Collins and Dave Temple. The aim of the band, of course, is to perform and celebrate Winehouse’s music and to be much more than just another tribute act through retaining that very direct link to the late artist, herself.
The first part of the set was very much focused on the soulful jazz influences of the Frank album and vocalist, Beth Morris, (one of a couple of alternating female lead singers for the band) did a devastatingly good job at performing Winehouse’s material and really embodying the spirit of those songs. The musicians are on top form, too, and with the spotlights and dry ice the De La Warr stage takes on the vibe of a smoky, intimate jazz club.
The tempo and the mood change as the band move on to material from Winehouse’s second album, the soul-pop masterpiece that is Back to Black.
We are soon being invited by Morris to get to our feet and boogie and within seconds the entire De la Warr audience are bopping along to the likes of ‘Back to Black’, ‘Me and Mr Jones’ and, of course, ‘Rehab’. Not only did male backing vocalist, Adeleye Omatayo, take the lead vocal on a handful of songs himself, he also wowed the crowd with some impressive dance moves of his own, too.
The Amy Winehouse Band do a tremendous job in celebrating Winehouse’s legacy and keeping her music alive in a live performance setting. It’s a really impressive show and well worth seeing if you have the opportunity.
Know You Now October Song Mr Magic (Through the Smoke) In My Bed Stronger Than Me Moody’s Mood for Love You Sent Me Flying Addicted Cupid He Can Only Hold Her I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know Love Is a Losing Game Tears Dry on Their Own Back to Black You Know I’m No Good Me & Mr Jones Rehab You’re Wondering Now Monkey Man Valerie
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for early ‘80s Uriah Heep. Even though I would become totally besotted with the Hammond-pounding Hensley/Byron era, my entry point into the music of Uriah Heep was not through demons, wizards or magicians but rather through the Abominog album in 1982. And it was the Peter Goalby-fronted version of the band which I first saw live as a teenager.
Accordingly, I was delighted when two albums of archive solo material finally saw the light of day several decades after Goalby retired from the music business. These being Easy With the Heartaches (reviewed here) in 2021 and I Will Come Running in 2022.
Just as we might have thought the archives were now well and truly empty, a third solo album has also just been released. Goalby originally recorded the album not long after leaving Uriah Heep. However, it was only when a poorly labelled DAT was spotted at a storage facility over 30 years later, that the lost album was rediscovered.
Peter Goalby:“In 1987 I was offered a recording and publishing contract with RAK Records just after I’d left Uriah Heep. I thought these songs would be very commercial in the 1980s and Smokie recorded Fallin’ Apart. I later found out the master tapes had been lost and I silently carried the disappointment that music I’d put my heart and soul into was gone forever. Never say never!”
The nine-track album was personally overseen (from tape transfer, mastering and artwork) by Goalby. What will be of particular fascination for Heep fans is that this lost album was only finally completed in 2025 when Goalby’s former Uriah Heep bandmates, Mick Box (guitar) and John Sinclair (keyboards), added the final overdubs to the tracks.
While it’s immediately obvious that this is an album that could only have been made in the 80s and contains many sonic motifs of the era, production-wise Don’t Think This Is Over is a very polished affair. It comes over as a fully-rounded album in every sense, not simply a collection of archive material. Songs like ‘I’ll Be The One’, ‘It’s Just My Heart Breakin’’ and the title track are all instantly catchy yet satisfyingly muscular AOR containing some great guitar licks and showcasing Goalby in very fine voice. Meanwhile, ‘Another Paper Moon’ and ‘Fallin’ Apart’ underscore his knack for turning out some great lighter-in-the-air (not phones – it’s still the ‘80s remember!) anthemic rock ballads.
Don’t Think This Is Over is essential listening for any fans of Peter Goalby / ‘80s Uriah Heep and is a very worthy companion both to his recently-released solo albums and to Abominog, Head First and Equator.
After spending much of last year and the first part of this year living and breathing all things Steeleye Span while I worked on my book about the band (which came out this summer) it felt kind of fitting for this to be my penultimate gig of the year.
Steeleye Span are always a joy to watch live and they always seem to go that extra mile in putting together a set-list that’s unique for each tour. It’s never a case of merely churning out the same old favourites year after year. They delve deep into their back catalogue, dust down songs that have not been played in years, retire others that have been in the set for a little while and generally mix things up to create a live show that’s fresh-sounding and unique. And, because this is a band that is still eagerly releasing new music, there’s often some brand new material (or never-been-tried-before trad. arr material) to look forward to as well. This tour is no exception and we get some fantastic renditions of material from the band’s excellent new album, Conflict, released earlier this year.
The line-up is a classic Span ‘Now We Are Six’ type formation, with guitarist, Spud Sinclair, and bass-player, Roger Carey, providing some real rock and roll oomph alongside long-time drummer, Liam Gernockey; multi-instrumentalist, Julian Littman, on guitars, mandolin and keyboards; the incredibly talented Violeta Vicci on violin; and, of course, the one and only Maddy Prior on vocals.
It means there’s bags of energy behind the band’s meaty renditions of songs like ‘Royal Forester’, and ‘King Henry’ which showcase Steeleye Span at their riffiest, folk-rockiest best. But, it being a church and all that, what became the most spellbinding moments in this beautiful setting were the choral, acapella versions of ‘Gaudette’, the band’s vintage Christmas hit, and ‘Dogs and Ferrets’ from the Commoners Crown album. Prior reminded us that the latter hadn’t been performed live since not long after the album was released over fifty years ago.
Vocally, the band are sounding superb. Carey, Littman and Sinclair all contribute and Prior’s voice has matured into something rich, warm and velvety while still being unmistakeably the voice of Maddy Prior. Meanwhile, the beautiful crystal-clear vocals of Vicci add a second female voice into the mix – and someone to “hit all the high notes” as Prior jokes. With an exceptional back catalogue, stellar musicians and incredible vocals, Steeleye Span continue to surprise and delight.
Setlist:
First set: Over The Hills And Far Away New York Girls Lady Diamond Roadways Blackleg Miner I Was An Oak Tree Trees are Whispering Royal Forester Alison Gross The Dark Morris Song
Second set: Gaudete Cruel Brother Skip to Shore Ghost Ship King Henry Dogs and Ferrets We Shall Wear Midnight Hard Times of Old England Wintersmith All Around My Hat Dodgy Bastards
Presenting Maddy with a complimentary copy of the book after the gig
My book ‘’Steeleye Span 1970-1989 On Track: Every Album, Every Song‘ is available from Amazonor Burning Shed
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of two iconic British bands: Motörhead, who need absolutely no introduction; and Painted Lady, who few will have heard of but who went on to have a huge impact on the UK’s rock and metal scene after they morphed into the much better-known Girlschool. The line-ups of both bands varied over the years but in at the start were the two founding bass-players-cum-lead vocalists, Lemmy Kilmister for Motörhead and Enid Williams for Girlschool.
Lemmy passed away in 2015, of course, but Enid Williams is still going strong and is one of a growing number of acclaimed rock musicians who’ve made Hastings their home. She’s been out of Girlschool for several years now but more recently bounced back fronting Planet Enid Collective, alongside Audrey M (bass) and Yair Katz (drums).
Italy’s Motörqueens, meanwhile, are Europe’s leading all-female Motörhead tribute act and what better way to celebrate the enduring legacy of both Girlschool and Motörhead than a double bill featuring both bands here at the Carlisle in Hastings.
Williams has enjoyed a rich and varied career between her two stints in Girlschool, running a vegetarian cuisine company, touring with the English National Opera, performing in West End musicals and working as a TV Astrologist. But tonight she’s in full-throttle rock and roll mode, alternating between lead and bass guitar and wowing the crowd with some vintage Girlschool songs.
As well as early Girlschool classics, like ‘Emergency’ and a revisit to the band’s much-celebrated covers of ‘Race with Devil’ and ‘Tush’, I’m particularly pleased to hear some of Williams’ material from her final album with Girlschool, 2015’s Guilty as Sin. These included the rousingly defiant ‘Come the Revolution’ and the starkly eco-themed ‘Treasure’, both of which combine hard, heavy riffing with powerful, thought-provoking lyrics. There’s guest spots aplenty, too, including some blinding lead guitar contributions from another local boy, Tino Troy of Praying Mantis, and Baz Roze of the Kent-based metal band, Black Roze. It’s all a bit of a NWOBHM dream!
Headliners, Motörqueens, deliver a high-octane, sassy and unbelievably powerful celebration of Motörhead’s music, even if the authentically Lemmy-esque rumble blasting from the amps sends the Carlisle’s famous, life-size cut-out of Lemmy flying off the side of the stage at one point. It’s a hugely entertaining tribute delivered with passion, conviction and true rock and roll grit.
An extra treat comes towards the end of the set when Williams is invited back on stage to play ‘Bomber’. As the curfew approaches, there’s time for one final song. Motorqueens and Enid blast out a gloriously raucous ‘Please Don’t Touch’ with the rest of musicians from the evening having a glorious time belting out the choruses. Suddenly it’s 1981, everyone’s singing along and we’re all 15 again. A superb finish to a fantastic evening.
A rare occurrence for me but I missed Sweet on their tour last December. As it turned out, however, so did band-leader, lead guitarist and the last surviving member of the classic ‘70s foursome, Andy Scott. A fracture in his pelvis (on top of a debilitating long-term cancer diagnosis) left him completely unable to move so his place was ably taken by Jim Kirkpatrick. Never one to be kept down for long, however, Scott resumed touring in the Spring and as well as a hectic live schedule this year, there’s an impressive roster of European dates lined up for 2026, too.
On previous Christmas tours over the past few years I’ve tended to catch Sweet either in London or down here on the south coast at the De La Warr Pavilion. However, with nothing scheduled for the South East on this tour, I cunningly worked out I could spend a night in Birmingham en route to a pre-Christmas family get-together up in Preston. In fact, this is not the first time I’ve made the long trek to see Sweet in Birmingham. I was here back in 2017 to see Andy & Co. supporting Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow at the Genting Arena.
At the time, I expressed a slight degree of disappointment that the then line-up stuck to a tried-and-tested greatest hits setlist, rather than exploring some of the more hard rock-oriented deep cuts that were likely to have particularly appealed to an audience made up of hard-core Ritchie Blackmore devotees. It was only much later that Scott revealed to fans that he’d had to begin a gruelling course of chemotherapy that very week, obviously leaving no time to rehearse a revised setlist. I felt bad about making my disappointment known once we’d all learned the truth but there is absolutely no such complaint about the setlist tonight.
Ever since the current line-up was unveiled (fronted by ex-Cats in Space lead singer, Paul Manzi), there’s been a much greater emphasis on the album-oriented hard rock side of the band’s DNA, besides the more well-known glam-era big hits. Plus, there’s been an album of brand-new, hard-rocking material, too. Accordingly, we get an explosive set on this tour, featuring incendiary versions of tracks like ‘Lost Angels’, ‘Windy City’ and ‘Set Me Free’ and a couple of songs from the excellent new album, Full Circle, as well as all the well-known big hits.
After praising Scott’s incredible feats of endurance, Manzi summed up his current state of health as “85% back to full fitness” meaning he had to take a scheduled breather part-way through the set. Accordingly, the rest of the band remained on stage to deliver a sing-along medley of ‘ Co-Co’, ‘Funny Funny’ and ‘Poppa Joe’ while Scott caught his breath. Observant Sweet fans will already know that Scott never played on the studio versions of these early bubblegum hits anyway so it was the obvious place in the set for a well-earned break. Elsewhere, however, wherever Scott’s familiar signature guitar sound is heard on the original records, he’s up there on stage delivering those pounding Sweet riffs and searing Scott solos.
For anyone seeing them on this tour, it’s an incredible line-up of the Sweet performing these days. In my mind, even though 2002’s Sweetlife remains my absolute favourite post-Brian Connolly Sweet album, what we have on stage now is one the strongest live line-ups of Sweet since the demise of the classic foursome. Whatever life has thrown at him in recent years, Andy Scott shows no sign of giving up quite yet. Here’s wishing him a good few more tours!
My book ‘The Sweet in the 1970s’ is available from Amazon here
Setlist:
Action Hell Raiser Burn on the Flame Circus The Sixteens Don’t Bring Me Water Lost Angels Windy City Set Me Free Co-Co / Funny Funny / Poppa Joe Teenage Rampage Wig-Wam Bam / Little Willy Love Is Like Oxygen Fox on the Run Blockbuster The Ballroom Blitz
Darren's music blog 