For many years Atomic Rooster were one of those bands whose name was well known to me through my voracious reading of rock history, but whose material I was barely familiar with. That changed back in 2018, at one of the Butlins Rock & Blues weekends where the band’s outstanding performance was a complete revelation to me. Before long I acquired a CD box set of all of all of their classic albums from the 1970s and became a firm fan of the band’s music.
Although all the original line-up led by Vincent Crane are sadly no longer with us, the band was reformed in 2016 by Pete French, who performed on the band’s third album and by Steve Boltz Bolton, who played on their fourth. However, since I last caught the band in 2022, there has been a change in line-up with French exiting. In other outfits this could have been a near-fatal blow, with the connections to the original band becoming even more tentative. But Adrian Gautrey, who has done a sterling job embodying the spirit of the late, great Vincent Crane on keyboards for much of the past decade, has now also taken on the role of lead vocalist. What’s more he’s an absolutely incredible singer and the band just goes from strength to strength.
The setlist is a mix of ‘70s-era Rooster classics and material from their excellent new studio album, Circle The Sun, which came out in 2025. With half the tracks on the latter penned by Bolton and half by Gautrey, the album really captures the essence of Atomic Rooster and most of the songs from the album are performed tonight. There’s still room for plenty of vintage Rooster, including blinding versions of ‘Can’t Take No More’, ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Breakthrough’, as well as ‘Devil’s Answer’ the band’s surprise 1971 top five hit.
A formidable, driving rhythm, pounding Hammond and searing guitar, it’s one of those epic, small venue gigs that you’re not going to forget in a hurry. When it comes to a modern-day reboot of a legendary ’70s hard rock outfit, Atomic Rooster have undoubtedly become one of my firm favourites. There are few bands with as much energy as these guys on stage and I’m delighted to see that there’s also a recently-recorded live album to purchase from the merch stand, alongside copies of the excellent Circle The Sun. Highly recommended.
‘Evil Eye’ is the second single from the forthcoming new album by 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 and is named after the central character in Williams’ celebrated play from the 1950s, The Rose Tattoo. ‘Evil Eye’ is released on 25th February, the anniversary of Williams’ 1983 death.
Little Lore:“Being Serafina began as an academic experiment. I wanted to explore whether Method acting techniques could be used as a songwriting device. I signed up for Method acting classes and 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 new single, ‘Evil Eye’, Little Lore explains:
“Serafina is superstitious and prone to judgement. She believes that her neighbour is a
‘Strega’ or witch, with an evil eye that can put a curse on her and her daughter. The Strega is often watching throughout the play, offering useful commentary on what is unfolding. In the scene that inspired this song her menace of a goat has got into Serafina’s yard to eat her tomatoes. Serafina instructs her daughter to avoid looking at the Strega and to wash her face in salt water and throw it quickly away to prevent the Mallocchio: the curse of the evil eye. Her daughter, Rosa points out that the neighbour, far from being a witch, has a cataract and crooked hands caused by rheumatism. Musically Oli and I tried to garner a jaunty yet eerie feel, taking inspiration from the likes of Tom Waits. This superstition could be considered silly, but this moment is an indication of things to come. All is not well in Serafina’s world.”
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
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.
No, not the tartan-bedecked Andy Stewart of ‘Donald Where’s Your Troosers’ fame but Andy M. Stewart, former lead singer Scottish folk band, Silly Wizard, who went on to enjoy a successful solo career before succumbing to a tragic premature death in 2015.
A number of his self-penned songs have entered the folk canon and been widely performed by artists around the world but Stewart was also an adept interpreter of traditional material as well and was particularly fond of the work of Robert Burns.
Back in 1989, Stewart was approached by a German record label, Wundertute, to record an album of Burns’ songs. Accompanied by Mánus Lunny (guitar and bouzouki), Charlie McKerron (fiddle) and Donald Shaw (accordion and keyboards) the album proved to be a wonderful celebration of Scotland’s national bard but for one reason or another it suffered from a distinct lack of promotion at the time and failed to attract the attention it deserved. Now, almost four decades later, Stewart’s son, Donald, and his former Silly Wizard bandmate, Martin Hadden, have remastered the album and made it available through Hadden’s own Birnam CD enterprise.
This rediscovered lost gem is a genuinely delightful album. From the rousing rendition of ‘Rantin’ Rovin’ Robin’ which opens the album to the sombre beauty of ‘Green Grow the Rashes, O’ it’s a wonderful showcase for both Stewart’s extraordinary talent as an interpreter of traditional material and for Burns’ timeless genius as a poet and lyricist.
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.
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