Tag Archives: classic rock

Interview with Fairport Convention’s Ric Sanders

Folk music, Interviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

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.

If we can talk about your very early days first, when did you first pick up a violin?

Well, I took it up when we were in junior school. The whole class had six weeks of being taught to play the violin. I mean, it’s nowhere near enough time. It was just six weeks and we had this teacher called Mr. Tunnicliffe. He’ll be long gone now but we used to call him Ten-ton Tunnicliffe because he was quite portly. But he played the violin and he taught us. He got the whole class playing a pattern on the open strings. And then with great bravura, Ten-ton Tunnicliffe would play this jig over the top of it. Very simple thing and most of the class didn’t get on too well with it. But after that third week, I could play the tune that Ten-ton Tunnicliffe was playing. I could just do it. I don’t know why. But I wasn’t interested because I wanted to be an astronaut or a scientist. So, when the six weeks ended – and I’ve never told this to an interviewer before – I forgot all about it. They weren’t our violins – they were provided by whoever – and then I forgot about it. In actual fact, seriously, I took up playing the violin again when I was 17. Because I was 17 in, I guess, the summer of love and I’d always liked the Beatles and the Stones and stuff.

Before that, my dad was an RAF radio operator. And he was stationed in Limavady in Northern Ireland during the war with the Americans, liaising with their radio people. That was his war gig. And he came back from the war festooned with nylons and chocolates and a whole stack of 78 records. Lots of the great jazz players, like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa and all sorts, basically. And I started to hear this jazz and I kind of really liked that.

I have an elder brother, Mike, who would buy all the records. So, when there was the Trad Jazz boom, Mike bought all the Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball… Chris Barber Band, which was my favourite, because they really rocked. And then he bought all the Beatles and the Stones’ stuff. So, the first thing I ever had to buy using my own pocket money was in fact Magical Mystery Tour. But it was Sergeant Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour that made me think this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be a musician.

But I hadn’t got a guitar or a bass. I wouldn’t have taken up the drums because there’s too much to carry around. Or a keyboard. I hadn’t got any of those things but there was an old violin that my grandma had in the loft. So, I got it out of the loft, scraped all the varnish off it, polyurethaned it, filled it with cotton wool to stop feedback, and got a contact microphone that I bought from an advert in the back of the Melody Maker magazine. It cost me 19 and 6, and I strapped it to the fiddle with a few rubber bands. And I learned the riff from ‘Willie the Pimp’ by Frank Zappa on his Hot Rats album. And that was the start of it.

My mum and dad, they were hoping I was going to have some sort of academic career or be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or something. Quite understandable. But my mum was a good singer and my dad played. They come from a Salvation Army background so he played in the Salvation Army brass band and stuff. So, both my folks were musical and once I convinced them that I was really earnest about doing this, they were with me all the way.

And at that time, around about ‘68, ‘69, it was when you began to hear great fiddle players in the world of rock. And then, of course, I got into jazz as well and listened to Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. Stephane was a phenomenal violin player, one of the greatest ever. But I was also listening to David LaFlamme from It’s a Beautiful Day. And I was listening to Jerry Goodman from The Flock and then the Mahavishnu Orchestra. And Sugarcane Harris, who was amazing. He played on the Hot Rats album and played the violin like a blues harmonica, it sounded like. He was the bluesiest ever and was probably my main influence. Jean-Luc Ponty, of course, who may be the most high-profile modern jazz violinist, I guess.

And, also, I was listening to some great fiddle players in the UK. Of course, there was Dave Swarbrick. I play nothing like Dave Swarbrick. I can’t. Chris Leslie can. Chris Leslie can do an impression. He can even do the voice!

The first big band that I played in was with Stomu Yamashta, a Japanese avant-garde percussionist. Stomu Yamashta Red Buddha Theatre. I did a six-week European tour with him as a dep because his wife played the electric violin but she had to go back to Japan to visit her elderly parent.

So that was your first professional gig then?

Yeah, that was my first, Stomu Yamashta. I knew it was only a short-term thing and I went and auditioned for it in a room above a London pub. And there was a queue of violinists all around the block and somehow, I got the gig. And then the real big break in my life came joining Soft Machine. Because John Marshall, the drummer, got to hear me playing with Michael Garrick, the great jazz pianist who I’d written to. I’d sent him a cassette of me playing some Chick Corea tunes and said, “Can I come and see you for jazz harmony lessons?” And he said, “Better than that. Come and do a few gigs with us.”

So, I did. And John Marshall was the drummer on one of those gigs. And Soft Machine –  their soprano saxophone player, Alan Wakeman, who’s Rick’s cousin, he’d left because he got a gig being musical director for David Essex. And they couldn’t find a replacement but the violin kind of occupies that same sonic range, not totally, but pretty much. And so, I got the gig in Soft Machine.

And then I’d also sent a tape to Ashley Hutchings. And having done Stomu’s thing, which was only short term, at the end of the 70s I found myself in the exciting position of being in both Soft Machine and the Albion Band, which, of course, included Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks and Michael Gregory and Graham Taylor.

So that was your foot in the door into the world of folk rock then?

Yeah, and through that I met Andy Cronshaw and June Tabor and Martin Simpson and we used to play a lot together. I don’t consider myself a gifted folk player in the way that Dave Swarbrick was or the way Chris Leslie was. I’m basically a jazz rocker really and I play everything like it’s the blues. That’s my cunning secret. I play everything like it’s the blues.

But that was always part of Fairport’s DNA anyway it was never just a pure folk band.

That’s true. And, you know, Richard Thompson could play anything. And Simon Nicol he’s underrated as a guitarist. He is an incredibly good guitarist. People say that there’s been so many musicians in Fairport Convention. There’s been 29 musicians but that was all in the early days. I joined in 1985, my first album being ‘Gladys’ Leap’, which is what we’ll be celebrating because it’s the 40th anniversary. It’s my 40th anniversary as well. So, Richard guested on that album. I appeared as a guest. I recorded it in April ’85, I think and here I am 40 years later.

So how did it come about then, being invited to play on Gladys’ Leap? I think you did three tracks on that?

I did three tracks, yeah. And what had happened was that Fairport had been pretty inactive, really, except for the festival. There hadn’t been a Fairport band from, you know, 1980 to 85. And the three main members were Simon and Peggy and Dave Mattacks, or DM, as we call him. And they’d got a bunch of new material. And Peggy, was in Jethro Tull at the time which gave him the financial security to be able to build Woodworm Studios at his home in Barford St Michael. It’s no longer Peggy’s but Woodworm Studios is a great place and still is and that was where the album was recorded. And Peggy gave me a call because we go back a quite a long way because our dads knew each other.

So, it all kind of slotted into place and I never expected to be in Fairport because they’d got one of the most phenomenal fiddle players of all time, Dave Swarbrick. But Swarb didn’t want to do the Gladys’ Leap album because he wasn’t into the material. And he’d just formed Whippersnapper with Chris Leslie. I think Chris was in the frame for joining Fairport, but he declined because he’d just formed this band with Swarb and Chris is very loyal. And Fairport had been inactive for years and Whippersnapper had a full diary.

So, I got the next call. And when Peggy called, he said, “I want you to play on some recordings I’m doing. I’ll send you a cassette.” Peggy had this offshoot group – a fun outfit it was – and they were called Dave Pegg’s Cocktail Cowboys, of which Chris was a member as well. At this time, around about ‘85, I was just doing jazz gigs around the Midlands. Just going out, playing with different rhythm sections, like jazz musicians used to. And it wasn’t hugely lucrative, but I got by. Peggy sent me this tape and I thought he was asking me to play on a Cocktail Cowboys record because I had no idea that Swarb had decided that he didn’t want to carry on with Fairport. And so when the tape arrived and I listened to it, I thought, hello? Well, that’s Peggy playing the bass, obviously. That’s Dave Mattacks on drums. And that guitar I could tell straight away. And yeah, it turned out to be Gladys’ Leap. And I went along and my first day was just recording those three tracks that I did on the album. The standout track for me, and the one that stayed in the repertoire, is ‘The Hiring Fair’.

Yeah, and a real fan favourite alongside the older material.

It really is. Well, Ralph (McTell) has contributed hugely to our repertoire. Also, Dave Mattacks, apart from being one of the world’s greatest drummers, is a very accomplished keyboard player with an incredible ear for harmonies and the instrumental section is actually written and arranged by Dave Mattacks. Well, it was right up my street because it’s not overtly folky. And I just played like I would do if it was a jazz rock thing that I was doing. So, I think probably that track more than any other helped me get the gig.

And then Maartin Allcock was recruited and as I say there’s been many people in Fairport but since I joined, which is now 40 years ago, there have only been two changes of line-up really. Which is when Maartin Allcock decided to move on and is sadly no longer with us. And when DM moved to America because he was getting so many sessions, and Gerry Conway joined the band. And of course, Gerry passed away, which is very sad. He was with us for 25 years. But now we’ve got DM. We were kind of stuck, you know. What were we going to do on the winter tour and Cropredy? And so now DM comes over from America for the winter tour and for Cropredy, which is great.

Photo credit: Kevin Smith

So just going back to 1985, you didn’t play Cropredy that year because obviously Dave Swarbrick was still booked to perform at the festival.

Yeah, I went on the Friday night. It was a two-day festival at the time. I couldn’t stay for the Saturday because I had to get up at the crack of dawn and go to Edinburgh because I was playing at the Edinburgh Festival with a dear friend of mine who I’ve just been recording with recently again, a guy called Phil Nicol. We did two weeks at the Edinburgh fringe and what our gig was, was playing half a dozen numbers at the end of a comedy cabaret. Some of Phil’s songs, and we also did ‘May You Never’ by John Martyn and we did ‘Every Breath You Take’ which had been big at that time. By the way, I should tell you that the main star of the comedy cabaret that we did in Edinburgh was Julian Clary, who was incredibly funny. And at that time, called himself the Joan Collins Fan Club featuring Fanny the Wonderdog.

The Joan Collins Fanclub (and Fanny): 1980s publicity shot

I remember because he was on Channel 4 a lot in those early days.

Yeah. He was great. I mean, you know, never heckle Julian. Never. And he would improvise. We would do two shows a day and the shows were different every time. And he’d do this thing where he’d go and find a lady’s handbag and go through it and improvise a routine from the contents. He was absolutely wonderful. Also, there was Jeremy Hardy, the late Jeremy Hardy. He was a great comedian. He was on that. So that was a great show. Yeah, that’s why I couldn’t go to the Saturday Fairport!

But soon after you did become a full-time member. What did it feel like taking over the fiddle player’s role in Fairport Convention from Dave Swarbrick?

Do you know, I wasn’t really that nervous about it. A little bit, I mean, I was nervous a little bit just because Swarb was not just such a great musician but such a such a great personality. His personality was stamped on Fairport. But actually, I get more nervous now than I did was when I was a kid because when you’re that young – I was only in my very early 30s when I joined Fairport – and I’d already played with some incredible musicians. Carl Jenkins, John Ethridge, Alan Holdsworth. I played with these guys. John McLaughlin, you know, I jammed with John McLaughlin. Toured with his group, Shakti. Not as part of his group but with Soft Machine and John McLaughlin doing a doubleheader tour of Europe. So, you know, I had the sort of cockiness of youth. I was young and I wasn’t too scared. I get more nervous now, actually. I’m 72 now. I thought when I got to this sort of an age, I’d be bulletproof but it’s been the reverse.

I remember the first concert that we did was at the Sir George Robey pub in London and from the word go, the Fairport audience were really good to me. And I’ve heard it said since – well Chris Leslie has said, “I wouldn’t have been the right person for the job because I would have sounded like Swarb at the time.” I mean, Chris has got his own style totally now. I was completely different because I couldn’t play like Swarb. I had to come at it from a completely different angle. So, I couldn’t be a replacement for Dave Swarbrick. It was something different.

Photo credit: Kevin Smith

Looking back over the last 40 years, what have been some of your favourite recordings in Fairport? You mentioned ‘Hiring Fair’ obviously.

I guess one of the things that I really love doing because I’m not a songwriter – Chris is a brilliant songwriter and has gone from strength to strength – but I write instrumentals. That’s what I do because that’s what I always did. And I’ve loved writing things like ‘Portmeirion’, which is my most well-known tune, I think, that people kind of like.

And another absolute standard that stands up so well alongside the older material.

Yeah, which is very gratifying. And ‘The Rose Hip’ and tunes like that. I’ve loved writing ‘Summer in December’ and stuff. They’re ballads that have got a folkish-type melody, but kind of jazzy in harmony ways. So that’s been really great to do. And, also, when I first started to write fast instrumentals for Fairport, I would just write imitation medleys. Because that was the pattern that was brilliantly done on Liege & Lief with ‘The Lark in the Morning’. When you take a jig and a reel and a hornpipe or whatever and you put three or four trad tunes as a kind of medley. So, you know, I wrote a number of those, a sort of imitation using the template of those tunes.

But then, around about Festival Bell time, I started to write instrumentals. The old way of writing, I’d write the tunes on the fiddle and then harmonise them. But then when you got to tunes like ‘Danny Jack’s Reward’ and ‘The Gallivant and ‘Steampunkery’, which is the one that’s in the repertoire at the moment, I would write those from the rhythm section up. I’d write the band part first, then find a melody to put over it. And I wasn’t sure if the band would go for that style of stuff, but that proved to be OK. One of my favourite things, which you can see on YouTube, is doing my tune ‘The Gallivant’ with the brilliant Joe Broughton and his Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, who are on the Thursday at Cropredy. Joe arranged the brass section for it. He’s a brilliant musician and I love working with him.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about Cropredy this year before we wrap up?

Well, we’ve got a great line-up. Thursday, Albert Lee, one of the world’s greatest guitarists. I’m sure he finishes his show with ‘Country Boy’. I don’t think they’d let him out of the venue alive if he didn’t finish with ‘Country Boy’. On Thursday, Peatbog Faeries, Joe Broughton with his Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, as I just mentioned. And of course, we kick it off on the Thursday with Fairport Acoustic, just a welcoming set. And then I think we’re going to get Broughton and co. to come on and do a number with us, to cross over. Also, the lovely Rosalie Cunningham is on Thursday. And I might be playing with her as well because I played on her last two albums. It’s kind of prog rock, you know, so it’s great. So that will be an exciting Thursday.

Photo credit: Sam Reynolds

And then we’ve got the Trevor Horn band on Friday. Last year, Trevor had to cancel because of illness so he’s headlining on Friday. And you never know who Trevor Horn’s going to turn up with, what style that he’s produced is going to show up.

Yeah, that’s always a hugely entertaining part.

I’m hoping he brings Holly Johnson some time. I’d love to see ‘Relax’ at Cropredy. It would be great. So, we’ve got Trevor Horn,  Joe Broughton, again, in the Urban Folk Quartet. And some bands that I don’t actually know who they are. El Pony Pisador. Well, I don’t know that group. And City Funk Orchestra. And Skipinnish.

And then, of course, there’s King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. We’ve got the Church Fitters, Plumhall, who opened up for us, not this year, but the year before, which is great. And the day starts with the Cropredy Primary School folk class so that will be lovely. And then on the Saturday, we’ve got Richard Digance, of course. And the Deborah Bonham band, brilliant. Martin Barre from Jethro Tull. Bob Fox and Billy Mitchell, they’ll be brilliant. Who’s headlining? Oh, we are! Yeah. So, we have no doubt guests who I don’t know who….

So, there will be some surprises for us on the Saturday and some surprises for you by the sound of things!

Yeah, yeah. Chris Leslie and I don’t take much of a role in the organisation part, or DM. The triumvirate that runs the festival is Dave Pegg – of course, there wouldn’t be a festival, there wouldn’t be a Fairport without Peggy – and Simon Nicol and Gareth Williams, the festival director. So, they’re the guys in the driving seat. And I just, you know, turn up and play. Maybe tell a few jokes. But it’s great. I never in my life, for a minute, thought I would be in Fairport. I was always a fan, a massive fan of the group. And I knew pretty much all of the guys before I joined. But you know, Fairport is more than a band to me. It’s like my family as well. And we really have that feeling. We see so many bands fall apart and have arguments and whatever but it’s not like that with Fairport.

And occasionally I’ve been told by Simon and Peggy sometimes in the past I’ve played a little too jazzy and put in some scales that they don’t think were appropriate. They say, “Don’t do that!” And when they say that I think about it, and I think, “You know what they’re right, you know. No, you don’t need seven flat nines in ‘Walk Awhile.’ Just forget it!” So, yeah, it’s just a very happy band, really. And I don’t know how many years it will carry on. Until we drop, really, I think.  

Photo credit: Kevin Smith

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention runs from 7-9 August this year: fairportconvention.com

Related posts:

Interview with Dave Pegg 2025

Interview with Simon Nicol 2024

Live review: Fairport Convention at Union Chapel 2025

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2024

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2023

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2022

Book review: ‘On Track: Fairport Convention – every album, every song’ by Kevan Furbank

Fairport Convention at Bexhill 2020

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2018

Fairport Convention at Cropredy 2017

Album review – Fairport Convention ‘Come All Ye: The First Ten Years’

Fairport Convention – 50th anniversary gig at Union Chapel 2017

Fairport Convention at Cropredy 2014

Fairport Convention at Union Chapel 2014

Live review: Santana at the O2, London 21/6/25

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

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 fit that category so it was off to London at the weekend for a night at the O2.

My phone doesn’t seem to like ticket apps for some reason. I frequently get blocked by app accounts which always makes me incredibly nervous in the run-up to a “your phone is your ticket” type gig. However, at least the O2 seem to be aware that ticket app technology is far from fool-proof. If you can’t access your ticket on your phone they have a Plan B in place: go up to the box office, show them your original confirmation email, show them some photo ID and they will happily print off an old-fashioned paper ticket for you.

With that drama over and after meeting up with friends for a pre-gig pizza, it was time for Santana. No support band, just two hours of pure Santana magic with a short interval mid-way through.

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 to the O2 crowd. What most surviving veterans of Woodstock cannot boast, however, is a multi-platinum-selling career-renaissance album from the late 1990s. Songs from 1999’s Supernatural album are thus well-represented throughout the set, alongside a heavy dose of material from the first three albums. Starting off with a wonderfully energetic ‘Soul Sacrifice’ to get us all into the Latin-rock-Woodstock- hippy vibe, that mix of late 60s/early 70s Santana standards alongside late 90s/early 00s renaissance classics works to perfection. In the first half, ‘Evil Ways’, Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Samba Pa Ti’ from the earlier era nestle alongside equally stunning renditions of  ‘Maria Maria’ and ‘Foo Foo’ from the later one.

It’s not unusual for artists headlining arena gigs to have a huge entourage of touring musicians and, indeed, it’s a ten-strong band up on stage tonight. What’s impressive for such a full sound though is that beyond the two vocalists (Andy Vargas and Ray Greene) at the front and the array of percussionists dominating the back of the stage it’s a standard rock-band set-up of two guitarists, a bass-player, keyboards and drummer. The latter, Cindy Blackman Santana, is the wife of Carlos and an insanely-talented performer, with her powerhouse hard-rock drumming melding perfectly with the multiple layers of additional percussion to create that signature Santana sound.

Post-interval, as soon as the band are back on stage, it’s on to more magic. Kicking off with another instrumental ‘Batuka’, the second set is that familiar mix of Woodstock-era favourites and Millennium-era classics.

When the houselights are up, the hangar-like confines of the O2 will never be anyone’s idea of an intimate venue. But once those lights go down a performer like Carlos Santana can instantly make an emotional connection with the entire 20,000 capacity crowd. Indeed, I’m genuinely moved to tears by the hold-your-phones-in-the-air moment  for ‘Put Your Lights On’ later in the set. And that’s only one of many highlights in the second half, including a beautiful ‘She’s Not There’.

Returning to the 1971 Santana III album for ‘Everybody’s Everything’ things start drawing to a close but not before there’s time for an encore of ‘Toussaint L’Ouverture’, a jaw-dropping extended drum solo from Cindy Blackman Santana and an everybody-out-of-their-seats finale so we could all to dance along to ‘90s mega-hit, ‘Smooth’. Exceptional musicianship and an incredible night.

Santana.com

Setlist:

Part 1:
Soul Sacrifice
Jingo
Evil Ways
Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
Oye Cómo Va
Maria Maria
Samba Pa Ti
Foo Foo
Hope You’re Feeling Better

Part 2:
Batuka
No One to Depend On
She’s Not There
The Game of Love
(Da Le) Yaleo
Put Your Lights On
Corazón espinado
Everybody’s Everything
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Smooth

Fields of Redemption – new album from guitarist, Joe Hodgson – released 20th June

Music news, Rock music, Uncategorized, , , , ,

“The album is about the quest to right wrongs, the search for inner peace, and the reconnection with the land of my birth.” – Joe Hodgson

While firmly grounded in the rock and blues influences of his youth, Fields of Redemption sees Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson encompass a myriad of musical styles, which he blends and moulds to stunning effect. The result is an almost entirely instrumental album that is insanely diverse and refuses to fit neatly into any musical genre.

Hodgson explains: “You’ll find all my influences in there: rock, blues, jazz, classical, country, and even Irish traditional music. I also recorded two acoustic tracks, which was a first for me.”

Feelings of introspection and soul-searching pervade the record, but it also radiates brighter, less angst-ridden melodic explorations than its predecessor, Apparitions. The inspiration for the album came from an extended journey around his native Ireland with his new wife and his trusty Gibson Les Paul, soaking up the land of his birth.

Hodgson adds: “The album is fundamentally about reconnecting with my roots, reconciling with and embracing the past, while steadfastly looking to the future. It’s also about a journey to find inner peace, which for me is punctuated by laughter and a whole lotta fun. Overall, I think it’s a very uplifting record.”

The album is co-produced by Hodgson and Chris James Ryan (Keith Urban, Go West, The Church), and it features the Austrian rhythm section of Philipp Groyssboeck on drums and Vinzenz Benjamin on bass, both currently members of Go West and Cutting Crew. The nucleus of the band is completed by Otger Garcia on Hammond organ, Kelly O’Donohue on horns, João Paulo Drumond on percussion, and All-Ireland Champion bodhrán player, Paul McClure. Recording sessions took place in Ireland, England, Germany, Canada, the USA, and the Czech Republic.

For Joe, the most memorable recording session took place in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic, who appear on one of the album’s flagship tracks, “You I Think Of”. He describes this as “a spine-tingling moment”. Another highlight comes with the guest appearance of Irish singer Glen Harkin on “Since You Had a Hold on Me”. The album was mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Will Bowden (Gotye).

Fields Of Redemption is a big-sounding record, but not an over-produced one. It covers a wide range of emotions, moods, and styles, and it takes the listener on an epic journey. It is ambitious and brave, and the frequent twists and turns will keep listeners constantly on their toes. Despite the blending and blurring of musical genres, Fields of Redemption has a truly cohesive feel to it, and it is an album that is meant to be listened to from start to finish.

Read my feature-length interview with Joe Hodgson here

About Joe Hodgson:

Guitarist Joe Hodgson hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. It is both sweeping and intense, boldly blending rock, blues, jazz, and Irish traditions into finely crafted instrumentals, which reveal a multifaceted, emotive, and diverse performer.

After many years of playing and recording with London-based bands and touring throughout Europe, Joe returned to his birthplace in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut solo album Apparitions to wide critical acclaim. Guitar World called his playing “elite”. Prominent Canadian music journalist Steve Newton said he is “the best guitarist you’ve never heard of”. ANR Factory, meanwhile, described the album as “a modern-day masterpiece”.

On June 20th, 2025, Hodgson is set to release his second solo album, Fields of Redemption, an almost entirely instrumental collection of tunes which, in typical style, straddles, blends and bends musical genres. The album also features a guest appearance by Irish singer Glen Harkin. Three singles from the album have been released to date, garnering glowing reviews.

Website: https://joehodgsonmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joehodgsonmusic

X: https://x.com/joehodgsonmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joehodgsonmusic

Related posts:

Interview with Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson – new album out 20th June

This week’s featured artist: guitarist Joe Hodgson – new single out 28th March

Rock / Blues: Double A-side single release – Joe Hodgson ‘Since You Had a Hold on Me’ / ‘Stick or Twist’

Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson ‘You I Think Of’ – new single and video out 6th June

Interview with Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson – new album out 20th June

Interviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

Guitarist, Joe Hodgson, hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. I catch up with Joe to talk about his musical heroes, his solo career and the release of his new solo album, Fields of Redemption, which comes out on June 20th.

For my first question, let’s go right back to the beginning. When did you first pick up a guitar?

I picked up the first guitar after my cousins in Dublin played me some Rory Gallagher, you know? I think it was the Stage Struck album, which was him at his most rocky and stuff. And then I just was totally sold on the guitar. And then I actually got tickets to see Rory Gallagher and I was just totally blown away. And from that moment on, it’s all I ever wanted to do, you know?

Was that your first concert then, Rory Gallagher?

No, my first gig I ever went to was Thin Lizzy, I think on the Renegade tour.

That tour was my first gig as well, how weird!

Yeah, I saw them in Dublin and yeah, they were great, you know. Snowy White was with them at the time. It was brilliant. But it was definitely Rory Gallagher who was the was my main reason for playing guitar. And then after it became Gary Moore – when I first heard him. Those two were my biggest influences. Two Irish guys just coincidentally.

Two iconic and very expressive guitar players, so obviously some of that has embedded itself in you from an early age.

Oh God, yeah. I was out for a few beers last night with my wife, and the guy put on Rory Gallagher on the video screen. And he was absolutely incredible. Amazing showmanship. He never messed up. He never got out of tune, never out of time. Raw. And that was amazing, you know. Brilliant.

If you want to talk about sort of the music that’s influenced me when I was growing up… as I say, Rory, and then Gary was definitely my biggest single ever. I’d say he was one of the greatest players of all time. But I was also into – and I still listen to – all the older, the English guys. Like, obviously, Eric Clapton’s a huge influence on me. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Peter Green. Those four are still, to this day… you don’t get any better than them! And I still go back and listen to Clapton and Beck quite regularly, you know?

But in the ‘80s, ‘90s, I was heavily influenced by all the American players, you know. Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee and all those great players. But I was also into other music. Stuff like ELO and some quite melodic music, which probably has helped define me. Melodically, it’s given me that sense, I like to think, that my influence isn’t just from the hard rock. It’s from that kind of more pop rock as well. Fleetwood Mac and stuff like that. I love listening to that.

I think that’s something that really shines through in your own music.

So, from those early days, you went on to play in a number of bands. That was over in England. Did you want to tell us about that?

Well, it was a catalogue of almost-made-it type bands, you know. The band I suppose that came closest to cracking it was a band called Rime. At the time we released an album back in the mid-2000s. And we were about to be signed up by a major promoter in America. And at the last minute, just as the CDs had been printed, the singer walked out of the band. A French guy. It was unbelievable luck, you know? And we replaced him, but it was never the same when you replace a singer. The guy in this booking agency in America, he loved the singer, you know? So, when you replace the singer, it’s always difficult.

But I was in lots of different bands over there. And the last band I was in before I left was a band called Good Guy Dies. I was with a female singer from Latvia, and we did some BBC stuff. BBC Radio Kent and local stuff in and around London. And we toured all over the country but, again, that was a weird one because my background is Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher, Gary Moore, Led Zeppelin, all that. And her background was Tori Amos, Bjork. So, I thought it was a good idea to try and mix these, but it was like trying to mix oil and water, you know? So, it didn’t work in the end, I don’t think, musically. But I enjoyed playing that stuff and experimenting, you know?

And then you relocated back to Northern Ireland and released your debut solo album a few years later. Was that a conscious decision to move back to Ireland and launch a solo career, or did it just happen in the way sometimes things happen in life?

Yeah, the reason I came back here was that band Good Guy Dies broke up and I just wanted to get away from London for a while. Then my mum was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. So, I ended up back here and I nursed her in the last year of her life. She died here at home. I had no intention whatsoever of coming back here permanently but as the days went on, I thought I kind of like it here, you know. People talk to you here. It’s not like London, you know, and you go for a pint and people are going, “Hey Joe, how are you man? How you doing?” So, I felt just right at home again after a while. You couldn’t pay me now to go back to London, you know! I’m quite happy here.

Brilliant. I’m sorry to hear about your mum though. Although something very creative and very positive came out of a family tragedy.

Absolutely. It was always my dream to come back. This room where I’m in now, you can see all my guitars and stuff there. This is the room I learned to play guitar in. And I always had this sort of dream to come back here and record a solo album in this room which is what I did. I recorded all the guitars in here.

So yeah, it was always in the back of my mind to do something like this, you know, the solo stuff. I just found I really enjoyed the creative freedom. And I self-financed it all myself so there’s nobody breathing down my neck saying, “You shouldn’t be doing that.” I can experiment as much as I like. So that’s probably why you see quite a lot of different styles on the album. Because I’m the boss here of this little organisation, you know, and it’s really liberating. If I want to play a blues track, I’ll play a blues track, if I want to play a jazzy track, if I want to play some harder rock, I’ll do it, you know?

Yeah, those different styles certainly come out on the new album, and I know that’s been commented on in reviews. So, what do you want to tell us about the album Fields of Redemption that comes out on June the 20th?

Well, as I say, it’s very varied. It’s not like, say – and I’m not knocking them because I actually really like them –  but you buy an Oasis album, you know what every track’s going to be. You know what it’s going to sound like before you even play it all. It’s great. But for me, that sort of approach is very limiting. So, I just wanted to be able to play whatever style I wanted at any given time, you know.

But also, the difference between this album and the last album was I got a co-producer on this album. A guy called Chris James Ryan. He’s Australian. He lives in Canada and he mixed Apparitions (Joe’s first solo album). That’s how I met him. But this time I wanted to widen the sound a bit and use orchestral elements and I wanted to bring in brass. And he was a great help with that. Communicating with these musicians along with me, you know? And we really went to town a bit more on the production this time – went really deep into getting the sounds right.

And, as I say, the guitars were recorded here in Northern Ireland, but the rest of it, like the drums and bass, were recorded in England. There were these two Austrian guys, Philipp Groyssboeck and Vinzenz Benjamin. And then I had musicians dotted all over the world. Like the horns were recorded in Germany by this Australian guy. I had a Brazilian percussionist. He was in Salvador. He recorded percussion over there.

Then one of the highlights for me was working with a guy called Paul McClure, who’s a bodhran player, the Irish drum. He was an ex-All-Ireland champion and he was phenomenal to work with. I did a couple of acoustic tracks. He’s on those, which is a first for me. I’ve never recorded an acoustic track from start to finish and I did two on this album so that was different.

It’s something I’m happy that I did, you know. Happy that I went so wide with the spectrum. But I would like to think that my guitar is the unifying factor, which brings it from start to finish and kind of makes sense of it, you know?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Your guitar shines throughout and your personality through that, I think. That’s definitely the unifying factor, isn’t it?

Yeah, and I also got to work with a singer who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. A guy called Glen Harkin, who you heard on ‘Since You Had a Hold On Me’. Glen’s amazing. He’s probably the best male vocalist I’ve ever worked with, you know. You just turn on the mic, he was standing there behind me and I just let him open his mouth and sing. I’d say that track was done, his singing part in an hour, hour and a half.

His voice is perfect for that track. But as we say, it’s a mainly instrumental album. And I think with a lot of instrumental albums, they’re good at capturing abstract moods, but yours is actually telling stories, which I think is really, really fascinating. The music actually tells a story once you know the title. That’s quite a feat.

I’m really pleased you picked up on that because even though there’s maybe no words on the track, the tracks do mean things to me, you know? And there’s one track, that’s the very last track on the album. It’s the acoustic track, ‘The Ballad of Joe Clarke’. That’s quite a special track to me because it’s dedicated to a friend of mine who sadly died last year. And he was the person that brought me down to see Thin Lizzy in Dublin, you know? And he was a huge inspiration to me, because he played in local bands and he was a bit older than me, so I looked up to him. And I wanted to do this for him and his wife, Helena. That track means something to me, you know?

So finally, what next after this current album is released?

Next? Well, I would love to be able to tour this, you know, but it’s very, very difficult to do that with instrumental music. But if someone like a Robin Ford or a Joe Bonamassa said they want a support act. Yeah, count me in!

But looking further down the line with myself and Chris, we’ve already talked about the next album. And we actually want to go and do it in Nashville because he’s got quite a few contacts over there. Because you get these players in Nashville and they’re just unbelievable, you know. Probably do the ten songs, we’ll get the backing tracks done in a couple of days and then come back and work on the guitar. But that’s going to be a fair bit down the line, as I say, because all this is self-financed. So, it takes a while to get it together but that’s the next plan recording-wise.

Fields of Redemption is released on June 20th 2025 https://joehodgsonmusic.com/

Related posts:

This week’s featured artist: guitarist Joe Hodgson – new single out 28th March

Rock / Blues: Double A-side single release – Joe Hodgson ‘Since You Had a Hold on Me’ / ‘Stick or Twist’

Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson ‘You I Think Of’ – new single and video out 6th June

Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson ‘You I Think Of’ – new single and video out 6th June

Music news, Rock music, , , , , ,

“The best guitarist you’ve never heard of” “a brilliantly adventurous player, right up there with the likes of Satriani and Vai” – Steve Newton, Ear Of Newt

After a four-year hiatus, spent travelling, writing and recording, Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson returned to the scene in March 2025 with a double A-side instrumental offering, ‘The Grass Is Greener’ and ‘Shapeshifting’. This was followed in May by another double single, ‘Since You Had A Hold On Me’ featuring Glen Harkin on vocals, and the instrumental ‘Stick Or Twist’.

The third single of 2025, an instrumental ballad titled ‘You I Think Of’, is released on Friday 6th June and features a guest appearance by the world-renowned Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hodgson explains the origins of the track:

‘In early 2021, I was working on an acoustic arrangement of the Irish folk song, “Molly Malone”. It’s the unofficial anthem of Dublin City, one of my favourite places in the world. While I was working on the track, I started envisaging this story in my head of meeting and falling in love with a woman from Dublin. As the story gathered pace in my mind, I started playing melodies of my own over the same underlying chord sequence, and before I realised I had a complete piece of music composed. It had a beginning, a middle, and, thanks to the Molly Malone refrain, an end too’.

To fully complement the melodies of the new song, Joe decided to use strings, and he approached the Czech Philharmonic. He describes the resulting recording session in Prague as ‘a spine-tingling moment; the most memorable of the whole album’. But the story didn’t finish there. Joe did, in fact, meet his fantasy woman from Dublin, and in July 2022, they married. Most poignantly of all, though, she walked up the aisle to the string arrangement of ‘You I Think Of’.

The music itself is indeed a love story, and the track overflows with poignant melodies and hooks. Stylistically, Hodgson’s playing is a mixture of delicacy and intricacy, as his blues, jazz and rock-infused runs freely roam and colour the track. In combination with the orchestral strings, the purity of the guitar sound gives a lush and distinctly dream-like quality to the music. This track, taken from his forthcoming album, Fields Of Redemption, captures feelings of introspection, hope and inner peace, and comes from a guitar player who is certainly not afraid to expand his sound and take chances in pursuit of his art.

About Joe Hodgson:

Guitarist Joe Hodgson hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. It is both sweeping and intense, boldly blending rock, blues, jazz, and Irish traditions into finely crafted instrumentals, which reveal a multifaceted, emotive, and diverse performer.

After many years of playing and recording with London-based bands and touring throughout Europe, Joe returned to his birthplace in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut solo album “Apparitions” to wide critical acclaim. Guitar World called his playing “elite”. Prominent Canadian music journalist Steve Newton said he is “the best guitarist you’ve never heard of”. While ANR Factory described the album as “a modern-day masterpiece”.

On June 20th, 2025, Hodgson is set to release his second solo album, Fields Of Redemption.

Website: https://joehodgsonmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joehodgsonmusic

X: https://x.com/joehodgsonmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joehodgsonmusic

Related posts:

This week’s featured artist: guitarist Joe Hodgson – new single out 28th March

Rock / Blues: Double A-side single release – Joe Hodgson ‘Since You Had a Hold on Me’ / ‘Stick or Twist’

Rock / Blues: Double A-side single release – Joe Hodgson ‘Since You Had a Hold on Me’ / ‘Stick or Twist’

Music news, Rock music, , , , , , ,

Single release: 9 May 2025

“The best guitarist you’ve never heard of” “a brilliantly adventurous player, right up there with the likes of Satriani and Vai” – Steve Newton, Ear Of Newt

After a four-year hiatus, spent travelling, writing and recording, Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson returned to the scene in March 2025 with a double A-side instrumental offering, “The Grass Is Greener” and “Shapeshifting”.

The follow-up, another double single, marks a departure from Hodgson’s customary all-instrumental fanfares and features Irish vocalist Glen Harkin on the smoky bar room blues song “Since You Had A Hold On Me”. This is coupled with “Stick Or Twist”, a hard-hitting, in-your-face instrumental rocker which flirts with funk and soul, as Hodgson continues to straddle and blend musical genres with the introduction of brass to his sound.

Joe, whose playing has been described as ‘elite’ by Guitar World magazine says, “Since You Had A Hold On Me” is about the realisation that a relationship has not only run its course but that your partner no longer controls you’. We see the gravel-voiced Harkin remembering the good times but determined to walk out that door all the same. The blues is the perfect medium to express this, and while Hodgson’s mantra, ’words can lie, but my guitar can’t’, initially appears like a contradiction, the inclusion of vocals poignantly emphasises that love is often peppered with half-truths and downright lies. The track begins and ends with aching lead guitar lines, as Hodgson puts his undeniable stamp on the music.

The second track on this double single, the raucous instrumental “Stick Or Twist”, could be viewed as a precursor to the blues track. Hodgson explains, ‘This track is inspired by the moments of uncertainty and the -Will I? Won’t I?- experiences we all encounter’. The restless, edgy nature of the music underlines the unease that underpins its meaning, as Hodgson shifts pace and guitar styles through the many twists and turns of the song.

These tracks, taken from his forthcoming album, “Fields Of Redemption”, capture feelings of introspection, pain, hope and joy, and they come from a guitar player who is certainly not afraid to take chances in pursuit of his art.

About Joe Hodgson:

Guitarist Joe Hodgson hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. It is both sweeping and intense, boldly blending rock, blues, jazz, and Irish traditions into finely crafted instrumentals, which reveal a multifaceted, emotive, and diverse performer.

After many years of playing and recording with London-based bands and touring throughout Europe, Joe returned to his birthplace in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut solo album “Apparitions” to wide critical acclaim. Guitar World called his playing “elite”. Prominent Canadian music journalist Steve Newton said he is “the best guitarist you’ve never heard of”. While ANR Factory described the album as “a modern-day masterpiece”.

On June 20th, 2025, Hodgson is set to release his second solo album, “Fields Of Redemption”. As a forerunner to this, he released a double A-side single in March, comprising “The Grass Is Greener” and “Shapeshifting”, which garnered glowing press reviews.

The follow-up, which drops on Friday 9th May, is another double offering: “Since You Had A Hold On Me”, featuring Irish vocalist Glen Harkin, and the instrumental “Stick Or Twist”.

Released: 9th May 2025

Website: https://joehodgsonmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joehodgsonmusic

X: https://x.com/joehodgsonmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joehodgsonmusic

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This week’s featured artist: guitarist Joe Hodgson

Live review: Sweet at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire 5/4/25

Glam rock, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

Although, regrettably, I never got to witness the classic Sweet line-up on stage, after Andy Scott revived the band in the mid-1980s I’ve been lucky enough to see them many, many times. And in spite of his well-publicised battles with cancer, he has kept the Sweet flag flying and nothing seemed to stop him getting up on stage and blasting out a slew of classic Sweet riffs on that iconic red guitar. However, when he had to pull out of an Australian tour last year and then a subsequent UK tour, after a health condition left him in excruciating pain and unable to walk, there were times when I wondered whether I’d ever get to see Andy Scott on stage with the Sweet again. Such fears were finally banished as Sweet began their tour schedule for 2025 with Scott firmly back on stage where he belongs. Rarely then, have I looked forward to a gig quite so much as this one.

First there’s support from T.Rextasy. I’ve seen plenty of tribute acts over the years and had a fair few fun evenings watching them but only a handful have really qualified as world-class tributes. Australian Pink Floyd I’d put in that category and, rightly, T.Rextasy, too. As a celebration of Marc Bolan’s era-defining glam classics tonight’s performance is pure class, with Danielz and his bandmates doing the Bolan legacy proud.

The venue is already packed solid and in those final few minutes waiting for the Sweet to come on the atmosphere is palpable. We are definitely ready, as Brian Connolly once memorably enquired. Kicking off with a high-octane ‘Action’, this first part of the set is a hardcore Sweet fan’s dream. As well as ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘The Six Teens’ from the Chinn-Chapman-penned hits, there’s some revered album tracks in the shape of ‘Windy City’ and ‘Set Me Free’, as well as a couple of songs from the band’s recently-released and extremely well-received album, Full Circle. For me an absolute highlight of this early part of the set was a stunning version of ‘Lost Angels’ from the band’s 1977 album, Off The Record. Tracks such as these – from the more album-oriented, melodic-hard-rocking side of the band’s back catalogue really give the current Sweet line-up (Scott, with Paul Manzi, Lee Small, Tom Cory, Adam Booth and guest guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick) a chance to showcase their  musical prowess.

FM guitarist, Kirkpatrick, (who had admirably filled in for Scott on last December’s UK tour) has continued to perform with the band on this current tour, too. This is not because Scott has any difficulties playing – far from it – but, wisely, it clearly takes some of the pressure off the still-recovering Scott. It also allows him to take a short break while the band deliver an entertaining but not-exactly essential medley of the band’s early bubblegum, pre-glam hits. Given Scott didn’t play on the original recordings of these songs anyway, it all seems rather fitting. The next song, however, gives Kirkpatrick the chance to really work his magic – with a blistering version of ‘Burn On The Flame’.

Scott is not away for long though and to the familiar audience chants of “We want Sweet!” he’s back to give us all a sing-along-at-the-top-of-our-voices rendition of ‘Teenage Rampage’. I’m not sure if we were noisier than the usually raucous juveniles who made up the typical Crackerjack audience but in January 1974 the band performed a fully live version of that same song for the popular kids’ TV show in this very theatre. Scott gleefully recollects their time performing here for Crackerjack. I was a little too young for that still but I was at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire twenty-odd years later when Sweet performed here in January 1997.

In this latter part of the set, there’s plenty room for a few more Chinn-Chapman hits. And while I’m still not completely convinced about the need for ‘Co-Co’, ‘Funny Funny’ and ‘Poppa Joe’ in the set, I will absolutely defend the inclusion of ‘Wig-Wam Bam’, and ‘Little Willy’ – the latter marked a tentative move away from pure bubblegum pop towards a more guitar-based sound, while the former is a bona fide early ‘70s glam rock classic.

Coincidentally, the band’s days of scooping up silver and gold discs don’t seem to be quite over yet as, in a surprise moment for Scott, a US record company executive takes to the stage to present him with an award for sales of Platinum Rare Vol. 2.

After the glam sing-alongs of ‘Teenage Rampage’, Wig-Wam Bam’ and ‘Little Willy’, the mood changes completely with Tom Cory on keyboards bringing some prog-inspired grandiloquence to the proceedings as the band launch into a masterful ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’  followed by an equally magnificent ‘Fox On The Run’. An emotional Scott thanks the audience but we know there’s more to come and we’re not quite done yet. Soon enough those familiar sirens start to blast out and the band are back on stage to give this wildly-appreciative Shepherd’s Bush audience a much-demanded encore in the form of a storming ‘Blockbuster’  and a thunderous ‘Ballroom Blitz’.

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.

Setlist:

Action
Hell Raiser
Circus
The Six Teens
Don’t Bring Me Water
Lost Angels
Windy City
Set Me Free
Coco / Funny Funny / Poppa Joe
Burn on the Flame
Teenage Rampage
Wig-Wam Bam / Little Willy
Love Is Like Oxygen
Fox on the Run
Blockbuster
The Ballroom Blitz

My book ‘The Sweet in the 1970s’ is available to buy here and here

Review: Sweet at Islington Assembly 2021

Book reviews roundup: ‘The Sweet in the 1970s’

Interview with Andy Scott

Review: Sweet at Bexhill 2019

News: All change at The Sweet

Review: Sweet 50th anniversary concert – Berlin

Review: Sweet live 2017, London and Bilston

The Sweet versus Bowie: the riff in Blockbuster and Jean Genie – origins and influences

Review: Sweet at Dartford 2015

Review: Sweet at Bilston 2014

Live review: Sons of Liberty at the Carlisle, Hastings 14/3/25

Hastings music scene, Live reviews, New Wave of Classic Rock, Rock music, , , , , ,

Bristol-based Sons of Liberty have teamed up with Sunderland-based Thieves of Liberty for the unsurprisingly-named 12-date UK tour: The Tour of Liberty.

Thieves of Liberty opened proceedings with a set of high-energy hard-rock encompassing a spectacular twin-guitar assault from guitarists Kieran Wilson and Liam Lindsley, powerful vocals from frontman, James Boak, and delivering a slew of memorable songs off their debut album, Shangri-La. This young rock band have been garnering some rave reviews of late, with comparisons to mega-league rock institutions like Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Queen no less. That’s not all just hyperbole either. Though I haven’t seen them before they are well worth keeping an eye on.

Thieves of Liberty – photo: Darren Johnson

I first became familiar with the Southern Rock-inspired Sons of Liberty when they were Introducing Stage winners at Minehead Butlins back in 2019, returning to the main stage for a well-received performance the following year. Back then, they were fronted by Rob Cooksley (AKA Greyfox Growl), whose eccentrically charismatic stage persona was very much part of the overall SoL package. For me, however, the arrival of vocalist Russ Grimmett and the subsequent release of the band’s third album, The Detail Is in The Devil, marked a significant turning point. Grimmett is such a great singer with such a fantastic vocal range that Sons of Liberty have followed Deep Purple and Iron Maiden in being one of that select number of rock bands who go from strength to strength after replacing the frontman who helped give them their initial breakthrough. Never an easy feat to pull off, Grimmett is a superb fit for the band giving them greater depth and a more polished presentation, with the whole band creating some incredible music together. They are now in a whole different league.

Indeed, while there’s a small clutch of songs from the band’s first two albums, it’s material from the band’s third album and their first with Grimmett that heavily dominates the set. Whether it’s because I’ve been playing it so much these past few months or simply that it’s a great album just rammed full of catchy, memorable tunes (probably a mixture of both to be fair!) these feel like songs that have been around for decades, not months. ‘Time To Fly’, ‘Light the Fuse’ and ‘Tertulia Time’ the three songs which open tonight’s set are all bonafide classics, the latter with a chorus like some long-lost ‘80s stadium rocker.

Photo: Darren Johnson

Huge riffs, unforgettable choruses, a monster rhythm section, stunning guitar solos and powerful vocals – all the ingredients are there for what I want from a truly great hard rock band.

This is a band that does light and shade though and one that draws from a wide palette of musical influences. There’s a change of mood and a change of pace, for example, with the semi-acoustic ‘Hawk Men Come’, the band’s powerful and moving hymn to the people of Ukraine.

As well as a smattering of earlier material like ‘Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief’ from the band’s debut album (which provides an opportunity for a crowd sing-along), there’s also an airing for a couple of new songs that didn’t originally make it to last year’s album. The unremitting wall of sound that is ‘Full Force Five’ and the defiant swagger of ‘My Town’ are ample evidence that these guys don’t look like they’ll be giving up on hitting us with plenty of great new tunes any time soon.

Photo: Darren Johnson

As proceedings start drawing to a close (and clearly demonstrating that Southern Rock was never just about whiskey-soaked hellraisin’ and over-confident displays of machismo) Grimmett introduces the very Skynyrd-ish and really rather lovely ‘Walk With You’,  a touching anthem of solidarity for anyone struggling with their mental health. Then there’s just time for a blast of ‘Ruby Starr’, the band’s tribute to the female Southern Rock vocalist of that name, marking the end of another triumphant set from Sons of Liberty.

https://sonsoflibertyband.com/

Related post:

Live review: Giants of Rock, Minehead 24-27 January 2020

Interview with David Smith of Gypsy’s Kiss

Interviews, Music culture & history, new wave of British heavy metal, New Wave of Classic Rock, Rock music, , , , , , , , ,

Back in the early 70s, David Smith formed a band with a former school-mate called Steve Harris, better known as the man who went on to create heavy metal icons, Iron Maiden. I catch up with David to talk about those early days playing with Steve in Gypsy’s Kiss, about reforming the band back in 2018 and about the enthusiastic response from both fans and reviewers to the band’s live gigs and recent album.

So back to the very early days. Steve Harris was a schoolfriend. When did you decide that you both wanted to be in a band together?

The middle of ’73 – when the world was in sepia, Darren! I had left Leyton County High School for Boys. Steve was also a pupil there but the year below me… And we met up after we left school – accidentally, I would say in the middle of 1973, because we knew each other and we had mutual friends. Our interests were aligned. We were both fanatical West Ham supporters. We loved football. We both loved rock music and, interestingly, we’ll come on to this – the influences for Steve and myself at the time were not always what you might think. They were obviously rock – but tons of prog and lots of other things.

It was a great time for music across all genres!

If you looked at an albums chart or even a singles chart between ’72 and ’74 you would be amazed that it’s the music people still listen to today. Because it’s so damned good. So, we became  good friends. We’d see each other three or four times a week, we’d go to the pub together. We’d talk about music. We’d talk about football. We’d share the bands we liked and we’d go and see a lot of gigs together. And then it would seem natural… “Why don’t we form a band?”

I played guitar for about two years before that. Steve wanted to be a drummer but couldn’t get drums in his nan’s living room which is where we rehearsed. Where he lived in Steele Road about half a mile from where I lived. And so, you get  that lightbulb moment: “I think I’ll be a bass-player…” Well, there you go. And that’s what he wanted to do so he and I went to – I wish I could remember the shop we went to – and he bought a Telecaster copy bass. And I taught him the rudiments because I could and then he took it from there.

And then, we must form a band! This band was just he and I for a month or two but we still rehearsed and we did mostly covers but not all because we were writing stuff, as you’re probably aware. Stuff that we’re still playing now and Steve references quite a lot. And so, we were doing that and we looked at other guitarists and we looked for drummers and eventually we decided to have only one guitarist which was me. And then we found a drummer. His name was Alan – I can’t remember anything more about him and there were, essentially, three of us in Influence [original band name prior to the adoption of the name Gypsy’s Kiss].

And for reasons why bands evolve, particularly when you’re only 19, we brought in Paul Sears on drums. And Paul is still one of my very best friends today. And then we rehearsed quite a bit and rehearsed in front of family and friends and did sort of pseudo-shows. I then wanted to concentrate on playing guitar more and I found singing and playing guitar a bit of a distraction so we brought in Bob Verschoyle and Influence became Gypsy’s Kiss.

Gypsy’s Kiss in 1974 (reproduced from Gypsy’s Kiss website)

And it became really clear – and the reason Gypsy’s Kiss dissolved away I would say in the summer of ’75 – was because Steve was a workaholic. He just wanted to rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. Like he is today. Rehearse and rehearse and play and play. And you know, “We can’t go out for a drink. We’ve got to rehearse this song”, “Oh, we’ve got to write that.” Paul and I had enough of it really at 20 years old and then Steve moved on. And when I saw him recently, I always reference his work ethic which he’s got right now.

You obviously saw the work ethic; did you get an impression from Steve early on at that stage that here was a Bonafide rock star in the making?

No. Because I wouldn’t know what one of those looked like to be honest. I saw them on album sleeves and at gigs and on TV. No, what he had and still has was a drive. I don’t think his ambition was to be the greatest rock bassist ever – but he’s in that league isn’t he? I think he wanted to be a professional musician. That’s what he wanted to be. And he wanted to be a good professional musician. And if you look from when Iron Maiden was formed in ’75 and, without being harsh, they didn’t do much for five years. Honing the craft, getting better, doing gigs.

But the thing about that period – and I played in other bands – is that there were so many places to play. And every place wanted an original band. Chuck in a few covers if they didn’t have enough of their own material. And so Iron Maiden and other up and coming bands, gigged and gigged and gigged and gigged. And they got so good at playing that the rest naturally followed. So, the long answer. Did I think he was going to be a rock star? I don’t think so – maybe he did. But he certainly had drive and that’s the most important thing.

So, Gypsy’s Kiss ran through ’74 and into ‘75. You were playing a mixture of covers and writing original songs. Did the drive to write original songs come from yourselves because you had that ambition or was it more that this is what the venues were expecting?

No. This is what we wanted to do. I don’t know if bands are the same now but bands who want to – not make it – but just wanted to do well and perform to audiences, we always wanted to write our own songs. In fact, we were writing stuff, or I was at first, and playing that. And when we started to get gigs after that it was, “God, we’ve only got half an hour. We’ll have to do something else.” So, we threw in… you know good covers. Ones that everyone was doing and a few that they weren’t doing and it filled out our hour-and-a-half set. So, then the set was based on the originals and there were about six or seven covers that we used to fill.

So, yes – our ambition was to write and record our own stuff. Steve’s done thousands of interviews. You’ve already read many of them. But one of them came up quite recently… and Steve said that when Gypsy’s Kiss folded, he joined Smiler. And the reason he left? Because they were doing too many covers. He wanted to write and do his own stuff.

When Gypsy’s Kiss came to an end did you always carry on playing in bands after that or was it just a matter of getting on with life and focusing on the day job and stuff?

Probably always in a band. You have some years where you lay off doing it and then go back. But when Gypsy’s Kiss came to an end, oddly, I was invited to join a country and western band. And I joined – you know Stetson hats and bootlace ties and satin trousers – and I was 20! And I played bass, by the way, which is even more weird! But it was twenty-five quid a night for me which in the mid-70s was actually quite a lot of money. So, I did that and then I went with other bands. I played in a band with Doug Sampson who was in Iron Maiden for a bit. And then I did other bands, other things, years off here and there. Yes, so pretty much all the time. I’ve probably been whatever full-time means now, i.e.: doing it constantly since the mid-90s.

So, let’s move on to the band today then. You reformed in 2018 for the charity gig, Burrfest. That was initially just as a one-off. How soon after that did you decide to make things permanent?

I’d been asked to reform Gypsy’s Kiss – out of Iron Maiden fans’ curiosity. I’d say more with an explosion of information online. Lots of people became curious and I was asked a number of times to reform some version of Gypsy’s Kiss. And I didn’t want to. Because I thought it was yesterday and it wasn’t right. Bizarrely, I was in a covers band from 2010 to 2017 – quite a reasonable one. And we played a gig in Gidea Park in Essex and without going through the boring details all of the original Gypsy’s Kiss members – including Steve – were there. He came to see us. Along with Teddy Sherringham, the footballer, for some bizarre reason. And during that gig, at the end of it, I said, “We’ve got friends here from my musical past. Do you mind if they come up and busk a song with me?” The band I was in didn’t mind. So, I got Paul on drums and Bob to sing – and I didn’t invite Steve to come up and play bass. The reason being it was already full of people filming. I thought, this is the last thing he wants. Everybody loved it. I’m sure it’s online somewhere. Steve came over to me at the end and he went, “I’m upset you didn’t ask me!”

The original members of Gypsy’s Kiss meet up in 2013 (Photo reproduced from Gypsy’s Kiss website)

And you were trying to give him a quiet life!

I was trying to not put him in an online spot. So that was 2013. And I’d been asked a number of times. Darren. I just didn’t want to do it. However, I buckled to the pressure in 2017. And it was, “Would you play Burrfest?” I think it was in the March 2018 and I went, “OK.” I asked Paul to play drums. He didn’t feel up to it at the time. I asked Bob to come and sing. And, again, I didn’t ask Steve – and he’s moaned at me about that since!

So, using musicians I knew locally and whatever, I put the band together. A real one-off. And it was such a great gig. The audience’s reaction to this thing that they wanted to see – and they wanted to hear some of the original songs that Steve had played on – was just amazing. And I sort of thought, well this is a bit silly , not to do this again.

Gypsy’s Kiss at Minehead, Butlins 2025 (Photo: Darren Johnson)

Obviously, our fanbase such as it is was Iron Maiden fanatics. Probably still is. But we’ve worked really hard to try and widen that and maybe we have. You’ve probably seen – and I still use it when I find it helps – our tagline ‘top of the Iron Maiden family tree’. And if we’re doing something specialist, we do occasionally play some Iron Maiden songs. The early songs. We’ll do one or two of those if the audience is clad in Iron Maiden t-shirts. It seems a bit churlish not to, doesn’t it?

And no way would I ever forget the past because it’s why the band exists but you try and move on. In saying that, I got very, very friendly with Paul [Di’Anno – former Iron Maiden singer] again about five years ago. Because we had the same interests – rock music. He was born just up the road from me. We went to the same school. We knew the same people. And we met up – I went round to his flat – and we chatted for ages about stuff. And Paul and I became really, really good friends. And we did gigs with him and, you know, his loss was enormous. He was such a nice guy. And when we did some gigs with him it was huge fun. And his passing – his funeral was a bit of a celebration really, as it should be. At the service Maiden songs were played which was quite touching. And the point I’m getting to now is, I sang a few tribute shows as Paul after that. I really enjoyed it… So, I’ve not completely forgotten the past but we do try and shuffle on.

I think if you’d had a grand plan for all this over a fifty-year period, you chose a good time to reform in many ways, with a renaissance for classic rock on the live gig circuit.

What I’m most grateful for is the period I was born and grew up in which was just so changing, so iconic, so wonderful – for me anyway – from the flow of music from the ‘60s to the ‘70s. You know, in my formative years I was able to grow up with some of the most fantastic music and great influences. That’s what I’m really grateful for.

And then, as you say, as you get into your dotage, if you reform there’s been a resurgence in classic rock. And what we’ve tried to do – I hope we’ve succeeded in a small way – is to take that fantastic genre and to slightly update it. Without losing its heart. And so, you give the audiences what they want but something a little extra. And we certainly have elements of prog in our songs. Our third album is coming out this summer – it’s not quite finished – which I’m really pleased with.

But I think essentially, we are a live band. You know, we ham it up a lot on stage. We swear a lot. We’re involved with the audience. That’s what I think we are – a live band but we try to bring out our diverse musical influences, based on classic rock.

You must be pleased with the reaction to the 74 album which I think very much stands up on its own terms, regardless of any historical Iron Maiden connection.

That’s very kind of you and, interestingly, a lot of reviews said the same. If I’d have gone back to 1974 and thought, one day, David, your album will be reviewed in Classic Rock and people will say what you’ve just said – it’s not a curiosity of Maiden, it’s a stand-alone band – I’d have thought, well that will be good. I’ll take that as a pinnacle of one’s career!

Yeah, we were really pleased with 74 and I still am. And it’s the basis of our set for the new album – which hopefully will be out in July. There’s some of the past in the style of music. We can’t do an album that doesn’t have a gallop in it somewhere because that’s how it all happened. So, there’s, what I would say, more retro songs and some that I think are probably more up to date. But you know we’ll see. I just enjoy playing stuff live to be honest… I would say that’s why any musician wants to do what they do because there is nothing like standing on a stage in front of a number of people – it doesn’t mater if there’s twenty or thousands – and you enjoying what you’re doing. And if you get one person in the audience who looks like they’re having fun I find that great.

In some of our earlier Gypsy’s Kiss gigs, once we’d been a few years in. I still found it quite odd that people in the audience were singing back the lyrics that I’d written probably knowing them better than I do. And I still find that quite a sensation.

I think that’s also testimony to the skill of writing really catchy songs that instantly grab people’s attention. That is a skill.

That’s very kind. You’ve probably heard in our music – and it’s where Iron Maiden evolved down a parallel track – is that I was brought up on Wishbone Ash and Thin Lizzy. You know, guitar bands, harmony guitar bands. And like Iron Maiden, we are three guitars doing guitar harmonies and rock riffs. I get asked, “Who do you think you’re like?” Well, I think we’re like ourselves. But I hear in our writing and playing, bits of Wishbone Ash and Thin Lizzy, bits of Uriah Heep. And I’m not ashamed of that at all. That’s the music I grew up on.

So, what next for Gypsy’s Kiss then?

It crossed my mind, thinking of age and circumstances that last year was our 50th year which we did quite a lot on and it went really well. And I did wonder whether the 50th was a good time to stop doing it – and we’ll see what Iron Maiden do after 1975. But I said, “Ok, we’ll do another year.” So, this is out 51st anniversary tour and we’ve got a lot of gigs already confirmed.

I enjoy festivals more than anything because I can listen to other bands and you just enjoy the vibe and you meet all the people there so we’ve got quite a number of festivals. The album coming out in July, I hope. Gigs start in April and run through until end of November so we’ll be here there and everywhere. And I’m looking forward to it. The live stuff is what we all look forward to and we’re three times this year back at our spiritual home. I say the Cart & Horses is actually the birthplace of Gypsy’s Kiss rather than Iron Maiden.

Well, you came first!

We did our very first gig there. We’ve got three gigs there. You’re probably aware, we’re playing at a midnight show at the Cart & Horses after the Maiden gig fifteen minutes up the road – which sold out in about fifteen minutes. It was really quite odd! But we’ve got other gigs at the Cart & Horses and we’re doing a short tour with Soulweaver. We’re doing about five or six gigs with them because we get on well and the music’s complementary, I think. And we’re doing a few gigs with a prog band called Ruby Dawn who are really, really good. So yeah, we’ll be here there and everywhere, with an album to flog in the middle of the year.

New album – Piece by Piece out in July

Forthcoming Gypsy’s Kiss gigs here

https://www.gypsyskiss.net/

Related posts:

Live review: Gypsy’s Kiss / Praying Mantis at the Carlisle, Hastings 2024

Live review: British Lion at Blackbox, Hastings 2024

Behind the mask: interview with Thunderstick’s Barry Graham Purkis

Live review: Uriah Heep / April Wine / Tyketto at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 27/2/25

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

Prior to this tour, the existence of New York-based band, Tyketto, had completely passed me by. This is despite lead singer, Danny  Vaughn, once fronting Pete Way’s post-UFO outfit, Waysted, for a period. I’m impressed. Accessible, melodic, AOR-tinged hard rock with a nice line in instantly-appealing riffs and catchy choruses, by the end of the set I feel I’ve known them for years. They deservedly go down extremely well.

The next band, of course, I do know. Britain might have had Last of the Summer Wine but Canada has April Wine. Formed in Halifax in Nova Scotia in 1969, the band enjoyed huge success in Canada but began finding favour with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal crowd in the early 80s. Certainly, as a young teenager I remember taping a few of my dad’s April Wine albums. With the death of lead vocalist/guitarist, Myles Goodwin, in 1969 there are now no original members left in the modern-day line-up but guitarist/vocalist, Brian Greenway, has been with them since 1977, providing a clear link back to the classic era. When my tape collection evolved into a CD collection, the April Wine albums somehow never made the transition but there’s several songs that I instantly recognise tonight and I make a mental note to rectify the lack of April Wine CDs in my collection and see what I can hunt down.

I suspect that for many in the audience, the band have remained a distant memory, albeit a warmly-regarded one. We are told that the last time the band toured the UK was back in the early 80s but they have clearly encountered an enthusiastic response on this tour. New lead vocalist/guitarist, Marc Parent, is an excellent frontman and the band work well together. Songs from the band’s 1981 album, The Nature of The Beast, which make up a sizeable chunk of the set, together with  perennial crowd-pleasers like ‘I Like To Rock’, which the band open with, all go down extremely well. Indeed, I’m sure April Wine would find an enthusiastic audience should they decide to tour the UK a little more frequently – and not leave it for another forty years next time.

Regardless of whether your idea of the classic Uriah Heep line-up is Box/Byron/Hensley/Kerslake/Thain or  Box/Bolder/Hensley/ Kerslake/Lawton, only one of those musicians is now still with us – the guitar legend and that ever-present force of nature, Mick Box. Since the late 1980s, albeit that circumstances have forced them to gradually evolve, Heep’s line-up has been blessed by a remarkable degree of stability, however. What’s more, the current configuration of Mick Box, Phil Lanzon, Bernie Shaw, Russell Gilbrook and Dave Rimmer have been together for well over a decade now. And not only do they treat Uriah Heep’s esteemed musical legacy with integrity and panache, they’ve also served up some excellent new music in the process, too.

It’s right, therefore, that the early part of the set is devoted to some of the band’s more recent material: ‘Grazed by Heaven’ from 2018’s Living The Dream, ‘Save Me Tonight’ from 2023’s Chaos and Colour and ‘Overload’ from 2008’s Wake The Sleeper. Sadly, there’s nothing from Outsider, my favourite of the ‘recent’ albums, but that’s a small niggle. As Bernie Shaw points out before the band move on to some of the older material, the big challenge has been to condense “fifty-five fucking years of Uriah Heep into ninety minutes”.

Then, with Phil Lanzon pounding the keys for the distinctive, grandiose intro of ‘Shadows of Grief’ from the Look At Yourself album, we are into the classic era. Gems like ‘Stealin’, ‘The Wizard’ and ‘Free ‘n’ Easy’ all follow. This tour has been dubbed The Magician’s Farewell and so, unsurprisingly, the 1972 Magician’s Birthday album is well-represented. This includes ‘Sweet Lorraine’ (about the band’s partying days back in the early 70s, according to Box, when an enthusiastic female fan called Lorraine coined the phrase that became the band’s chorus: ‘let the party carry on’), together with the title track itself and, later on in the proceedings, the epic ‘Sunrise’.

Shaw also does his best to reassure us that, in spite of the ‘Farewell’ bit in the tour’s title, this is not the end of Heep. The mammoth world tours may be coming to an end, but Uriah Heep are not quitting performing altogether and they still have plenty of new music in them, he tells us.

The pomp of those pounding keyboards, Box’s trademark wah-wah guitar, the sweet-sounding vocals, the immensely-powerful rhythm section, and of course, all those classic songs, I’m given everything that I want from a Uriah Heep gig and it’s an incredible celebration of the band’s career. Soon, however, things start drawing to a close. After a thunderous ‘Gypsy’ from the band’s debut album, we are on to the familiar opening strains of ‘July Morning’ and a stunning rendition of the band’s most celebrated song.

Curfew time is fast approaching so there’s just time for an encore with a majestic treatment of the aforementioned ‘Sunrise’ and, of course, the pure unalloyed joy that is ‘Easy Livin’’

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.

Setlist:

Grazed by Heaven
Save Me Tonight
Overload
Shadows of Grief
Stealin’
Hurricane
The Wizard
Sweet Lorraine
Free ‘n’ Easy
The Magician’s Birthday
Gypsy
July Morning
Sunrise
Easy Livin’

Related posts:

Album reviews: four solo releases from the extended Uriah Heep family

July Morning – a fifty-year-old British rock song and an annual celebration of summer in Bulgaria

Uriah Heep, Bexhill 2019

Uriah Heep at Giants of Rock 2018

Uriah Heep, London 2014