All posts by Darren Johnson

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About Darren Johnson

PR, writing, campaigning and blogging

2023 in Darren’s music blog – the ten most popular posts of the year

Folk music, Interviews, Live reviews, Music culture & history, Rock music, , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Happy New Year to one and all. My thanks to everyone who has visited Darren’s music blog during 2023. As usual an eclectic mix of musical genres feature in this year’s top ten most viewed posts of the year – from blues to classic rock, to prog, to goth, to punk, to new wave, to folk – and much more in between! Here’s to 2024 which will mark ten years since I first started this blog back in March 2014.

1. So farewell to Butlin’s Rock & Blues weekends, Skegness 13-15 January 2023

For more than a decade an out-of-season trip to Butlins has been a fixture in my diary at least once each year: numerous trips to Minehead for the Giants Of Rock weekends, several trips to Skegness for the Great British Folk Festival and a handful of additional trips to the same resort for the Rock & Blues weekends. But now it was finally all coming to an end. My review of the final ever Rock & Blues weekend.

Read full review here

2. Live review: Francis Rossi – ‘Tunes & Chat’ at White Rock Theatre, Hastings 3/6/23

Always quite a Quo fan since being a young teenager, I’d originally booked to see Francis Rossi on his ‘I Talk Too Much Tour’ back in 2020. Covid came along and that got rescheduled and then cancelled altogether but Rossi finally made it to Hastings’ White Rock Theatre on his follow-up tour, ‘Tunes and Chat’.

Read full review here

3. Goth without the gloomy bits: five cheerful, upbeat and joy-inducing songs by goth bands

My affectionate but somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at some of my favourite tunes from goth bands. Features Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cult, Sisters of Mercy and The Cure.

Read full post here

4. Live review: Steeleye Span at the Old Market, Brighton & Hove 23/11/23

This tour saw Steeleye Span promoting a new album The Green Man Collection. The band revisit some of their past material with a mixture of songs written by members of the band at the time and some traditional numbers. The new album also includes a newly-composed song from Maddy Prior, a couple of well-chosen covers and something that was written for the band by (the sadly now recently deceased) Bob Johnson back in the ‘80s, committed to tape and then completely forgotten about for the next four decades.

Read full post here

5. Notes from the Lust For Life Tour – Feb/Mar 2023

The Lust For Life tour brought together Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop), Clem Burke (Blondie, Iggy Pop), Katie Puckrik (Pet Shop Boys, Sparks), Kevin Armstrong (Iggy Pop, David Bowie), Luis Correia (Earl Slick) and Florence Sabeva (Heaven 17). Having had the immense privilege of spending the past few months working on the PR campaign for the tour it was a joy to finally witness the band live, not just in a professional capacity but most importantly as a fan, of both that glorious Iggy Pop album and of the individual players in the band, too. The band are back for a new tour in Feb/March 2024.

Read full post here

6. Live review: Graham Nash at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 30/8/23

Billed as ‘Sixty Years of Songs & Stories’ the ten-date UK tour celebrated Graham Nash’s six decades of writing, recording and performing. I’m aware of his hits with The Hollies in the early days, of course, and (courtesy of a couple of compilations) I’m also pretty familiar with some of the best-known songs by both Crosby, Still & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I can’t claim to have followed his solo career in any great depth but, nevertheless, I felt confident that this tour was going to be something rather special and something I didn’t want to miss.

Read full review here

7. Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2023

Following an enforced two-year break due to Covid, going to last year’s Cropredy festival almost felt like a novelty. This year, though, it very much felt like being part of an annual fixture once more, the two-year gap now but a distant memory. With various combinations of friends and family over the years, I’ve been going to Fairport Convention’s annual bash in rural Oxfordshire since 2010 so it’s been part of my summer for a good chunk of my life now.

Read full review here

8. Live review: Iggy Pop, Blondie, Generation Sex, Stiff Little Fingers & Buzzcocks at Crystal Palace Park 1/7/23

One thing I like about the music scene these days is how much less tribal it all is compared to when I was a teenager. The intense rivalry between punks and metalheads has certainly dissipated since I was at school in the late 70s and early 80s. The passage of time, for many of us, has led to a much broader appreciation of rock and roll in all its many guises. As a teen, I was firmly in the hard rock/metal camp rather than the punk/new wave camp but looking around at those attending what has been billed Dog Day Afternoon today, there doesn’t look to be much difference in appearance between all the crop-haired, ageing punk fans clad in regulation khaki shorts and black T-shirts and all the crop-haired, ageing metal fans clad in regulation khaki shorts and black T-shirts.

Read full review here

9. Absolute Beginner: Interview with Bowie/Iggy guitarist Kevin Armstrong

Kevin Armstrong has played alongside icons like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Thomas Dolby, Sinéad O’Connor and many others. We catch up to talk about his forthcoming autobiography Absolute Beginner which came out in October; as well as the Lust For Life project which has brought together the likes of Clem Burke, Glen Matlock and Katie Puckrik to celebrate the classic Iggy album; plus our mutual love of the live music scene down here in Hastings.

Read full interview here

10. Live review: John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest at Salle Pleyel, Paris 19/11/23

I was fairly late coming to Barclay James Harvest. I was aware of the likes of ‘Mocking Bird’, of course, but picked up a second-hand compilation from a charity shop in about 2019 and my fasciation grew from there. By the time lockdown came, I found myself tracking down the band’s entire back catalogue on ebay. When I saw that John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest were doing their final tour I decided I just had to be there. With only one remaining UK date I wasn’t particularly keen on a trek all the way up to Huddersfield from my home in Hastings and so I hit on the idea of a trip to Paris. I could meet up with friends and make a long weekend of it.

Read full review here

2022 in Darren’s music blog

2021 in Darren’s music blog

2020 in Darren’s music blog

2019 in Darren’s music blog

Rock/folk/prog: album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Live At The Crescent’

Album reviews, Folk music, Rock music, , , , , ,

Hot on the heels of his stunning 2023 studio album, Glass Knight, released back in August, genre-fluid glam-prog-folk singer-songwriter, Joshua Burnell, follows it up with a new live album in time for Christmas.

Glass Knight, which Burnell launched when he performed on the main stage at Fairport’s Cropredy festival, picked up tons of good reviews – including from Darren’s Music Blog where I described it as “Hunky Dory-era Bowie meets folk rock meets prog” and hailed it as a bona fide twenty-first century masterpiece. Rather than giving us ‘stadium-ready’ renditions of the songs from Glass Knight, however, Live At The Crescent (recorded in the intimate setting of a gig in York in October 2022) takes us back to before Glass Knight was recorded, when many of the songs were still being worked up in readiness for the studio.

Opening with the then un-released ‘Where Planets Collide’, Burnell goes on to share with the audience a number of embryonic versions of songs that would later appear on Glass Knight, as well as some older material, including three songs from its excellent, albeit more folk-leaning predecessor, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep.

In addition to live versions of other classic tracks from Burnell’s back catalogue, there are also songs like ‘Some Things Aren’t Eroded’ and ‘Slow-Burning Cigarette’ that are yet to appear on any studio albums, giving us a tantalising glimpse of what might be coming next.

Joined by his regular band of Nathan Greaves on electric guitar, Oliver Whitehouse on bass, Ed Simpson on drums, Frankie Archer on violin and Frances Sladen on vocals; the album is a complete, unabridged recording of his concert at The Crescent that captures the immersive atmosphere of a Burnell gig.

Released: 1 December 2023

www.joshuaburnell.co.uk

Related posts:

Album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Flowers Where The Horses Sleep’

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2023

Album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Glass Knight’

Blues rock: album review – Long Road Home ‘Are We Invisible?’

Rock music, , , , , , ,

Storm Warning won over plenty of loyal converts on the UK blues rock scene during their fifteen-year existence. I was pleased to review their latest and final album back in the Autumn of 2020. Although an impressive album its release was tinged with sadness, however, as guitarist and founder member, Bob Moore, passed away shortly after recording was completed. None of the remaining members wished to continue so Different Horizons became Storm Warning’s swansong and a lasting tribute to Bob Moore.

Happily, the story doesn’t quite end there. A chance encounter between Storm Warning’s Derek White (bass) and Ian Salisbury (keyboards), with the guitarist Steve Summers and the vocalist Mike Sebbage (both from recording project Rien de Faire) led to the inception of a brand-new band: Long Road Home.

Making their debut appearance at the Cambridge Rock Festival in June 2022 (initially with drummer, Dave Norman, but Lee Morrell was soon to step in on a more permanent basis) the band began planning gigs and putting together their debut album.

Are We Invisible? is the result. Blues rock with a touch of class and bags of soul, the album comprises eleven original tunes and it took no time at all to win me over. Driving rhythms, great vocals, catchy songs, penetrating guitar solos and divinely soulful keyboards, Are We Invisible? is a highly impressive debut.

Released: 16 November 2023 – visit website here

Related post:

Blues rock: album review – Storm Warning ‘Different Horizons’

‘Slade in the 1970s’ by Darren Johnson – reviews round-up

Book reviews, Glam rock, Music culture & history, Music news, Rock music, , , , , , ,

Slade in the 1970s – my third book for Sonicbond Publishing’s Decades series came out in May 2023, following my books on The Sweet (2021) and Suzi Quatro (2022). All three books are available on Amazon and other major retailers as well as the publisher’s own online shop at Burning Shed.

It’s been great seeing the amount of interest in the book, including a joint interview with Don Powell (pictured here with a copy of my book – definitely a proud author moment!)

Here is a round-up of reviews that have come in so far:

“Covering the titular decade, Johnson provides in-depth analysis release by release, relying heavily on contemporary press. It reads well: interesting, informative and with an amiable personal slant.” – Gerry Ranson RnR magazine

“Another ‘must have’ for the casual Slade fan and anyone who loves a bit of glam rock”– Jason Ritchie, Get Ready To Rock (read full review here)

“As a massive glam rock fan, this is a must-have book” – Martin Hutchinson, Eighth Day magazine

“This neat paperback guide to a glittering 70s heyday recalls a momentous run of singles and albums” – Beat magazine

“As well as listing all single and album tracks, with accompanying background notes, all key elements of the Slade story are covered here.” – Jon Marsh, Wired Up fanzine

Related posts:

More info on Slade in the 1970s book

Reviews roundup: ‘The Sweet in the 1970s’

‘Suzi Quatro in the 1970s’ by Darren Johnson – reviews round-up

Folk: album review – Show Of Hands ‘Roots 2: The Best Of Show Of Hands’

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , , ,

After a hugely-successful three and a half decades together Steve Knightley and Phil Beer announced this year that Show Of Hands’ days as a touring unit would finally be drawing to a close. The recent Autumn 2023 tour marked their final outing as a trio (with Miranda Sykes) and a spring tour planned for next year will be their final hurrah as a duo. To coincide with this fond farewell, they have a new compilation out. Intended as a companion piece to their original 2007 Roots ‘Best Of’ of compilation, Roots 2 offers up a whopping 31 tracks across two discs.

Steve Knightley: “We’ve always strived to evolve and experiment with our sound,, all the time staying true to our folk roots. We hope the diversity of this album demonstrates that and it will be a noteworthy addition to our discography.”

Immediate proof of just how long-overdue this follow-up compilation is, immediately comes in hearing just how many of my favourites from Show Of Hands can be found on this new collection: ‘Haunt You’, ‘The Long Way Home’, ‘Now You Know’ and, of course, ‘Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed’.

The earlier material isn’t neglected completely though. There’s a new version of ‘Country Life’, for example, recorded live in Exeter and reimagined as a gentle, reflective ballad rather than the rousing twenty-first century rural folk anthem we all love and know. And things are brought up to date with a gloriously celebratory live version of their 2021 ‘lockdown’ single, ‘The Best One Yet.’

Moving, poignant, rousing, anthemic (no-one does anthemic quite like Show Of Hands after all),  Roots 2 is a sterling late-career retrospective of one of the most important UK folk outfits of the past four decades.

Released: 6 November 2023 https://showofhands.co.uk/

Related post:

Live review: Show Of Hands at St Mary in the Castle 4/5/18

‘Wild Love’ – sultry new single for Joanne Shaw Taylor ahead of February 2024 UK tour

Music news, Rock music, , , , ,

UK blues virtuoso Joanne Shaw Taylor has unveiled a new single and video ahead of her February 2024 UK tour and a much-anticipated new studio album which is also slated for release next year.

Catchy and infectious with a sultry twist and boasting plenty of the guitar maestro’s trademark licks, ‘Wild Love’ follows recent single ‘Black Magic’ in providing a taste of what’s in store for fans when Shaw Taylor releases her brand-new studio album next year.

Joanne Shaw Taylor: “I love this track. I wanted it to be dark and sexy. I think, with the boys’ help, we came up with something really cool that the band in the studio really made come to life. It’s also rather different to anything I’ve done before so I’m really looking forward to playing it live.”

‘Wild Love’ is available to stream via the usual platforms here

2024 UK Tour dates

British blues rock guitarist and singer songwriter Connor Selby has been announced as the special guest on the tour.

To purchase tickets visit https://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/tour/

About Joanne Shaw Taylor

Discovered at 16 by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, Joanne Shaw Taylor quickly ascended as one of the world’s leading rock guitarists. Championed by legends like Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, and Joe Bonamassa, her powerful song writing and distinct vocals first captivated audiences with her 2009 debut, White Sugar. Over the years, Joanne has released numerous acclaimed albums, including the UK Top 20 hit Reckless Heart and the #1 Billboard Blues Chart toppers The Blues Album and Blues From The Heart Live. Her most recent studio album, Nobody’s Fool, launched under Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records in 2022, showcases collaborations with industry icons and highlights her continually evolving artistry.

Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba

Live review: Steeleye Span at the Old Market, Brighton & Hove 23/11/23

Folk music, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

One of the really nice things about seeing Steeleye Span live (and there are many) is that on each new tour there are always a few surprises to look forward to. It’s never just a ‘greatest hits’ set of the most obvious crowd-pleasers plus a few songs thrown in to plug whatever happens to be the latest album. Obscure songs from the band’s bulging back catalogue are dusted down and given a new lease of life. New arrangements are tried out by what is often a very different line-up from the one that originally recorded it. Or sometimes an entire album is revisited and performed in full. Meanwhile, to make way for a constantly-evolving setlist, old stage favourites are often gently retired and given a rest for a few years.

This current tour sees Steeleye Span promoting a new album The Green Man Collection. Here, the band revisit some of their past material with a mixture of songs written by members of the band at the time and some traditional numbers. The new album also includes a newly-composed song from Maddy Prior, a couple of well-chosen covers and something that was written for the band by Bob Johnson back in the ‘80s, committed to tape and then completely forgotten about for the next four decades.

The latter song, ‘Green Man’, is the one that opens the show. The symbolism of the Green Man has obviously been a mainstay of English folk traditions for centuries but here the lyrics address ecological concerns – then very current in the 1980s when it was first written and, alarmingly, even more current now. Dark, brooding and slightly mysterious, it’s a classic slice of Steeleye Span and a superb opener. Indeed, it’s a complete mystery how the band managed to forget about such a magnificent track. Both the original version and the newly-revisited version appear on the new album.

Alongside familiar numbers like ‘The Dark Morris Song’, ‘New York Girls’ and ‘Tam Lin’, the first half of the set also sees the band take on two songs written by former bass-player, Rick Kemp, ‘Low Flying’ and ‘Genocide’. The former featured on the 1990 Rick Kemp & Maddy Prior album Happy Families whilst the latter appeared on Kemp’s solo album Escape.

The second set opens with a surprising but hugely poignant cover of Elvis Costello’s ‘Shipbuilding’. This is then followed by a newly-written song from Maddy Prior – the excellent ‘Hey Nonny Violence’, which very much follows in the Steeleye Span tradition of seemingly jolly songs tackling much darker themes. Another new song (well new for Steeleye Span, anyway) is the band’s interpretation of the traditional ‘The Sound of Drums’.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few more familiar favourites as well. One song I would have been disappointed to see dropped was ‘Hard Times of Old England’ and, as Prior points out in introducing it, it’s sadly as relevant today as it ever was. For those familiar with the Mike Batt-produced version on the All Around My Hat album, this new interpretation is even more of a rocked-up boogie-fest than the original recording. This is no surprise as none other than Status Quo’s Francis Rossi makes an appearance on the new album guesting on this track, and the band bring some of the spirit of the mighty Quo to their stage performance tonight. There’s also some equally lively fiddle from newcomer, Athena Octavia, who slots in alongside the old hands beautifully.

All the band are on fine form, Prior’s voice is in top-notch shape and Steeleye Span continue to surprise and delight. When the band exit the stage to huge applause towards the end of their second set all that is left is for them to come back on for a riotous, sing-along version of ‘All Around My Hat’ and we can all leave with a spring in our step.

Setlist – first set:
Green Man
The Dark Morris Song
Sir James the Rose
When All The World
The Gardener
New York Girls
Low Flying
Genocide
Tam Lin

Setlist – second set:

Shipbuilding
Hey Nonny Violence
Black Jack Davy
The Sound of Drums
The Weaver and the Factory Maid
Jack Hall
Hard Times of Old England
Bonny Black Hare
Dodgy Bastards
All Around My Hat

https://steeleyespanfan.co.uk/

Related posts:

Book review: ‘All Around My Hat – The Steeleye Span Story’ by John Van Der Kiste

Interview with Maddy Prior

Interview with Julian Littman

Review: Steeleye Span at Hastings 2019

Review: Steeleye Span at Ashford 2019

Review: Steeleye Span at Hastings 2017

Review: Steeleye Span, London 2015

Review: Steeleye Span at New Forest Folk Festival 2014

Live review: Tytan / Praying Mantis at Blackbox, Hastings 22/11/23

Hastings music scene, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

Blackbox on the main thoroughfare in the heart of Hastings Old Town is proving to be a superb small music venue for the town. It is pretty much what the name suggests, a 200+ capacity oblong room with the stage across the front, the bar across the back and, unlike many small venues inhabiting reconfigured old buildings, there are no awkwardly-placed pillars or over-congested bars getting in the way of sightlines. Black Box is fast-developing a reputation for pulling in some pretty big-name acts, too. They’ve recently welcomed both Mike Peters from the Alarm and Mark Chadwick from the Levellers and in January they are due to host British Lion, the side-project of Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris. Tonight it’s the turn of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal legends, Praying Mantis, who are supported by another veteran name of the era, Tytan.

Tytan were the band put together by Angelwitch bassist, Kevin Ruddles, on the demise of the original Angelwitch in the early ’80s. That band also fell apart after a couple of years, although their debut album was eventually released in 1985. Then in 2016 Ruddles reformed Tytan – now fronted by the impressive Tony Coldham who possesses a fantastic rock voice with a great vocal range. Providing top-notch support, Tytan deliver a superb slice of powerful but melodic early 80s heavy metal, performing songs from both their original 1985 album, Rough Justice, and its Iong-awaited 2017 follow-up, Justice Served. I was impressed enough to pick up a copy of the former from the merch desk and would certainly enjoy seeing this band again.

Unlike Tytan, Praying Mantis are a band I have seen live on several occasions in recent years, courtesy of numerous retro-themed hard rock and heavy metal weekends. Although not quite as chequered as the aforementioned Tytan, like many still-touring bands of the original NWOBHM era, Praying Mantis have still have something of a chequered past with various changes in personnel and a long hiatus throughout most of the ‘80s. For the past decade, however, the band’s line-up has been entirely stable with Dutch lead vocalist, John Cuijpers, fronting the band; alongside guitarist Andy Burgess, drummer Hans in’t Zandt and the ever-present Troy brothers, Tino on guitar and Chris on bass. As he alluded to on stage, Tino Troy has recently moved to Hastings which definitely assured him an extra warm welcome tonight. Not exactly a home-coming gig it was more of a housewarming party.

Few bands of the NWOBHM era are able to combine machine-gun heaviness with finely-polished melodiousness quite like Praying Mantis and tonight was no exception. It’s a superb set and the quality of material the band continues to release these days means that they are not simply reliant on old stage favourites – with the eponymously named ‘Praying Mantis’ and the ecologically-themed ‘Children Of The Earth’ from the band’s early days, appearing alongside the excellent ‘Cry For The Nations’ from the band’s 2022 album and other newer material.

An excellent night of old-school heavy metal in a superb local venue.

Related posts:

Live review: the final ever Giants of Rock, Minehead 21-23 January 2022

Live review: Four Sticks Classic Rock Weekender at the New Cross Inn, London 5-7 October 2018

Live review: John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest at Salle Pleyel, Paris 19/11/23

Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , ,

This is a somewhat unusual blog post for me, being part gig review, part crime report and part trauma therapy.

Starting at the beginning, I was fairly late coming to Barclay James Harvest. I was aware of the likes of ‘Mocking Bird’, of course, but picked up a second-hand compilation from a charity shop in about 2019 and my fasciation grew from there. By the time lockdown came, I found myself tracking down the band’s entire back catalogue on ebay. In fact, there’s only one studio album left I’ve yet to buy.

When I saw that John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest were doing their final tour I decided I just had to be there. With only one remaining UK date I wasn’t particularly keen on a trek all the way up to Huddersfield from my home in Hastings and so I hit on the idea of a trip to Paris. I could meet up with friends and make a long weekend of it. What could be more fun?

It all seemed to be going smoothly but as soon as I got off the Eurostar at Gare du Nord I was followed on to the Metro platform by two men who began assaulting me on the train, one grabbing my bag and trying to pull me over and, unbeknownst to me, the other one making off with my wallet. As soon as I got out off the Metro I got onto my bank to report my cards stolen but in the twelve minutes since boarding the train and reporting my wallet stolen they had still managed to make off with £1,400 from my account. Fortunately, the bank have refunded the missing money but to say it put a damper on the weekend and left me fearful and traumatised was something of an understatement.

In fact, after several panic attacks over the course of the weekend the only time I properly relaxed and felt genuinely safe was when I got inside the Salle Pleyel. Thankfully, the robbers didn’t nick my ticket! A beautifully-designed theatre with the sort of security you’d expect of a venue of this size, I immediately felt the chances of me being mugged by a bunch of elegantly-turned out, ageing French prog fans was pretty much close to zero and I was able to put my experiences to one side and concentrate on immersing myself in the concert that I’d come especially to Paris for.

It meant my first and only time seeing John Lees Barclay James Harvest was memorable for all of the right reasons. An absolutely spell-binding performance, with original BJH member, John Lees (guitar/vocals), being joined by his regular band of Craig Fletcher (bass, vocals), Jez Smith (keyboards) and Kev Whitehead (drums), for two hours of BJH classics spanning a four decade period from the original band’s debut album in 1970 to the North album in 2013.

With a wonderfully-atmospheric light show and a big screen showing the relevant album covers from both the original band and John Lees’ latter-day reconfiguration with the current line-up, it was an emotional evening and Lees was visibly moved by the audience reaction on more than one occasion. This quiet, gentle, self-effacing but supremely-gifted man was happy to let his band-mates do most of the talking but there was, deservedly, a huge amount of love for him in the Salle Pleyel audience.

In terms of musical highlights there are far too many to list but I was particularly moved by ‘Child of the Universe’ (sadly, still all-too relevant in terms of the impact of the horrors of war on the very young); ‘North’ from the current band’s 2013 album of the same name (celebrating the land of my own Lancashire upbringing, from its industrial heritage to its near-constant wet weather); and, of course, the aforementioned ‘Mockingbird. For their encore the band finished with the ecologically-themed ‘Dark Now My Sky’ from the band’s debut album and a beautifully-poignant rendition of ‘Hymn’ which turned into a huge, communal singalong.

A bright spot in an otherwise painful weekend. Thank you John Lees and thank you BJH.

Setlist:

Fifties Child
Child of the Universe
Poor Man’s Moody Blues
In My Life
If Love Is King
North
Cheap the Bullet
Mocking Bird
For Your Love
Loving Is Easy
Suicide?
Medicine Man
The Poet
After the Day
Dark Now My Sky
Hymn

https://www.barclayjamesharvest.com/

Suzi Ronson joins the Lust For Life Tour – ‘Me and Mr Jones: my life with David Bowie & the Spiders from Mars’

Glam rock, Music culture & history, Music news, Rock music, , , , , , , , ,

It’s just been announced that former Bowie stylist and wife of the late Spiders from Mars guitar hero will join the 2024 Lust For Life Tour (Clem Burke, Glen Matlock, Katie Puckrik and Kevin Armstrong). Suzi Ronson will be reading extracts from her her forthcoming book Me and Mr Jones: My Life With David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars – published on 4th April next year.

Me and Mr Jones is described by publishers, Faber as “an electrifying peek behind the curtains during a legendary chapter of pop culture history… from the stylist behind David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust look.”

“Suzi Ronson was there as Bowie transitioned from suburban folkie to world superstar and genius. Few can offer such insight, and tell this fascinating story with such verve.” Hanif Kureshi

From the synposis: “Suzi Ronson was working in a Beckenham hair salon in the early seventies when Mrs Jones came in for her weekly shampoo and set. After being introduced to her son David and his wife Angie, Suzi finds herself at the Bowies’ bohemian apartment and is soon embroiled in their raucous world.

Having crafted his iconic Ziggy Stardust hairstyle, Suzi becomes the only working woman in David’s touring party and joins the Spiders from Mars as they perform around the globe. Amid the costume blunders, parties and groupies she meets her husband-to-be, Mick Ronson, and together they traverse the absurdities of life in show business, falling in with the likes of Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed along the way.

Dazzling and intimate, Me and Mr Jones provides not only a unique perspective on one of the most beguiling stars of our time but also a world on the cusp of cultural transformation, charting the highs and lows of life as one of the only women in the room as it happened.”

Tickets for the Lust For Life tour are available via: https://www.lustforlifetour.com/

Related posts:

Notes from the Lust For Life Tour – Feb/Mar 2023

Absolute Beginner: Interview with Bowie/Iggy guitarist Kevin Armstrong

Live review: Iggy Pop, Blondie, Generation Sex, Stiff Little Fingers & Buzzcocks at Crystal Palace Park 1/7/23

Lust for Life 2024: Clem Burke, Glen Matlock and Katie Puckrik reunite for second UK tour