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Geoff Tate – Interview Exclusive

Geoff Tate – Interview Exclusive

Hi Geoff, welcome back to Wales.

“Thank you”

Have you got good memories of being in Wales?

“The first time we came to Wales was with Ronnie James Dio in 1984. I have a distinct memory of being in Cardiff on a day off, being in a nice hotel, and being in the bathtub. A fire alarm got set off by some of Dio’s crew members, this was a tour of pranksters. They thought it was great fun, I had to get out of the bath, go all the way downstairs in my bathrobe, go outside and stand in the street!”

Oh dear! Ha ha.

Queensryche played my favourite ever venue – Newport Centre a few times, I believe the last time was supporting Judas Priest on their Epitaph tour in 2011?

“That’s right, that was our last tour together”.

Did you keep busy during lockdown? Is there any more to come from Sweet Oblivion or have you recorded any more solo material?

“I’ve done all kinds of things, that’s all I did really was hang out in the studio, write stuff, yeah, primarily that’s all I did. I worked on the Sweet Oblivion album, the Avantasia album. I also wrote some music for two different projects of my own that will hopefully be launched sometime this year. Busy, busy y’know?”

Did you manage to keep your voice in shape?

“Well, it’s one thing to sing in the studio, it’s a whole different thing to sing live y’know? Starting back out live I had to work for a couple of weeks to get myself back on form again. Singing’s one of those things, that you just have to do, there’s no way around it. You have to power through it and do it. You just have to keep working at it.”

Why did you decide to play ‘Rage For Order’ in it’s entirety rather than say, ‘The Warning’?

“I love the album, absolutely love it. It’s my second favourite Queensryche album. My favourite is the last album we did together, Dedicated to Chaos, that’s the one I listen to the most.

What are your favourite songs to perform live from ‘Rage for Order’ and ‘Empire’?

“I love playing the whole albums. I tell the audience every night that it’s been on my bucket list to play Rage for Order, we never got to play it back in the day. We only played a couple of songs off the album, that’s kind of the curse of most albums, you never get to play everything y’know? You just get to play a couple of tracks because people wanna hear what they know. They are really into hearing what they are familiar with (laughs), some people are not musically adventurous. The best response you have from an audience when you’re playing your album or your songs is, you come out with a new album, you only play a couple of songs, the rest you play are oldies. Next year when you come back, they are starting to like and get used to those songs, it’s a cool dynamic”.

What are your memories about the recording of ‘Rage For Order’?

“The Rage For Order album was a really fun album to make from my perspective. We were working with Neil Kernon as a producer, and he was a wild man that we got to hang out with. One of the greatest personalities to be in the studio with, he could run with your idea, and he had such a vast technical background. At the time, I didn’t have much technical experience in the studio. I would say ‘I want my voice to do this, or I want this sound I’m making to do this’, he’d go ‘ok, I’ll just turn this up here, and oh!, let me plug this box in’ (laughs). He would always have a workaround on how to make it happen. He just came in with a jovial, happy personality, he was glad to be there and contribute, a really good ‘idea guy’. I loved working with him.

On the ‘Rage For Order’ tour, Queensryche supported the likes of Ratt, Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne. Did you ever feel pressured to play with other artists who were very different musically to you guys?

“We weren’t trying to sound like anybody, that whole idea of making bands conform to each other, that was later. We came in that great era when they put all kinds of different music together. We played with Jethro Tull (laughs), Roger Waters and the Psychedelic Furs. We also loved bands like Ratt, we had some great tours together, in fact we had a pretty intense bowling competition with those guys while on tour (laughs).

How do you juggle the touring and family life?

“It is what it is, my wife and I raised our kids on and off the road. They just grew up like that, they are used to travelling, eating in restaurants, being able to order a French meal (laughs). They have high expectations; they won’t go to a concert if they don’t have backstage passes y’know? (Laughs).  

This week marks the 34th anniversary of your seminal album ‘Operation:Mindcrime’, how does that feel?

“It makes me feel old! (laughs) Most things make me feel old nowadays, it’s a strange time when you get into your sixties, you’re looking at all of this life that you’ve had. My grandkids are approaching their teenage years now. I’m doing shows, and everyone in the audience, has grey and white hair! (laughs) It’s just a really strange time, I don’t really see myself that way,as being an old fart, even though I am an old fart!”

Do you think that a concept album like Mindcrime would work in today’s environment with people’s poor attention spans?

“I don’t know..it was hard to get people to pay attention back in the eighties (laughs). That’s the thing about music, it’s a personal journey, music is a very personal thing for people. Some people are going to get it, some people aren’t. Some people hold music in a highly revenant regard in their lives, others don’t give a fuck”.

There’s a great line from the song Speak from the Mindcrime album: ‘The rich control the government, the media, the law’. Do you think that line is even more relevant in today’s society?

“I couldn’t even imagine the context of ‘rich’ in today’s situation with people being multi, multi billionaires y’know? (laughs) and then they don’t pay taxes, it seems incredibly wrong. A guy like Elon Musk, with a lot less that he paid for Twitter, he could eliminate hunger in the US for example. He could make a living wage for people, they could work and be paid a living wage which is enough to survive on, or at least live on. He could do so many wondrous things, but he buys a social media site, y’know? I can almost understand Jeff Bezos flying into space because they are looking for minerals and ways to mine that are not going to impact the earth”.

I must ask you about the Hear N Aid project back in 1984, how did you get involved?

“Ronnie James Dio called me, he said that was doing this thing and would I want to get involved in it. I absolutely said yes! I didn’t know what it was, or understand what it was, I just said yes, I’ll be there, just tell me what you want me to do. He sent me a cassette tape of the song Stars and a lyric sheet. A week later, I go down to LA and walked into A & M studios amidst this circus that was going on! There were so many people there, I was a very young man at the time, and I wasn’t used to that kind of situation where all of these very famous people that I looked up to and admired were all gathered together in this room. Many of them were sitting in the same room behind the glass listening to me sing my part which I didn’t know very well (laughs). It was very intimidating! It was a cool moment in time and Ronnie and Wendy (Dio) had great intentions and put their heart and soul into it. They brought together so many different people to participate, it was amazing. Especially as we didn’t have any social media or cell phones back then. I don’t know how they even got hold of all those people! (laughs).

You have a range of wine called Insania. Can we buy here in the UK?

“Normally yes, but everything is kinda messed up with the world transportation issues. If you’re in the UK you can order it from Germany, that’s where we make it, and they can send it to you. I need to find out if the Brexit thing will have an effect on the shipping too actually. Ironically, you can’t get it in the US (laughs) it’s because all of the ships are backloaded and delayed out a year. Thanks a lot Covid!”

You have another company called Backstage Travel, tell us about that. Is it back up and running? Fans can just book up and spend time with you eating and drinking?

“Yes, we just came on this tour from Tuscany, we did a weeklong trip with 32 people, and it was fun. If you like to travel, if you like to drink, if you like to eat great food, and if you like music, it’s a really fun trip to take y’know?”

What are your thoughts on the whole streaming debate?

“As long as they pay people fairly, then I’m all about it y’know? It’s one thing to make music and another thing to sell it, if you have an outlet that’s selling your stuff and you are being compensated fairly, then you’re way ahead of the game. It’s funny, the whole vinyl comeback thing, they’ve been saying that since the eighties, ‘vinyl’s coming back’ (laughs) I dug out my old turntable a while ago, and it was very expensive back in the day. I put a record on and, yep, still got that crackly thing going on!”

I was wondering if you have seen any of the classically trained vocal coaches on YouTube who spend a lot of time analysing one performance of yours, the Tokyo concert from 1984, and specifically, the song Take Hold of the Flame?

“I’ve not seen any of them, but someone has mentioned them to me. Is it a good laugh or what?

Ha ha, on the contrary, the coaches are in awe of your voice. I think they are of the opinion that heavy metal is just noise. They certainly change their opinion after watching the video!

“Oh wow, I’ll have to check that out! Sounds interesting.”

On behalf of RPM Online, thanks so much for taking the time out to talk to me today, I’m looking forward to tonight’s show and I hope the rest of the tour goes well.

“My pleasure, me too, so far so good. And on days like this, it doesn’t get any better”.

Author: Kenny Kendrick

Salvation – ‘We Gave You Diamonds’ (Timeslip)

Salvation – ‘We Gave You Diamonds’ (Timeslip)

Having recently seen the band perform live supporting The Mission I spent a few days wondering where I’d seen them before (probably due to brain fog, age and the bands inactivity over the last few decades) and then it came flooding back. “Back in the day”, Salvation played that fateful evening of legend (in my house) supporting The Lords Of The New Church when Stiv wore that T Shirt and fired the band on stage. Anyway moving on some thirty years! (ah that brain fog) I find myself listening to this here live album and it sent memories flooding back from that fateful night. To be fair the songs sounded great when I saw them recently, even with the help of the rhythm section in a box it was a decent support on that Mission tour.

Songs like ‘Debris’ and ‘All And More’ sound great and sparked a flick through my record collection knowing I had at least one of their studio albums, and so it was, ‘Sass’ an album that is well represented here with ‘Paint It Rose’ having a great rolling Cult-like riff that leads this upbeat number.

This live recording captures a band that clearly loves the music they play, and to be fair, The songs have dated really well seeing as they’ve not been played for an age. From the opener ‘The Answer’, with it’s vibrant tempo. It’s something many bands, who to be fair, haven’t played a great deal over the past thirty years don’t quite capture. I’ve always liked that big overdriven guitar sound and having strong melodies always helps.

There are eleven tracks on this CD and a twelve-page booklet to accompany it. Sure fans of The Cult, Mission, and Sisters will be all over this and it’s a no-brainer if you caught any of the band’s recent shows some of these songs will be familiar anyway but Rock fans looking for a new “old band” who had a whole bunch of top tunes – dive in!

‘The Shining’ is a burst of energy before ‘Pearl Necklace’ then raises the bar. I’d love to hear what the band are currently creating studio-wise and see if they can still capture a sound that brings back such good memories. Finishing off with the vibrant ‘Why Lie?’ with its glugging bassline and rolling guitar lick it’s a great set ender.

Go seek Salvation in this live snapshot that contains some really good driven hard rock meets Goth that is delivered really well by a band who clearly still loves music.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

Grammar Free In The U.K. – The Audio Book – D & D Philpott

Grammar Free In The U.K. – The Audio Book – D & D Philpott

Has it really been seven years since the publication of ‘Dear Mr. Kershaw: A Pensioner Writes’, the collection of ludicrous letters to pop stars from retired member of the public, Derek Philpott (with help from his neighbour, Wilf Turnbull)? That’s a lot of lyrical scrutiny under the bridge.

For any of you shamefully unaware of the world- and word-weary correspondence from Philpott, here’s a quick recap: curious as to why a successful Eighties pop star could find himself ‘Living In A Box’, Derek started sending letters to various denizens of the hit parade questioning the legitimacy of their lyrics. Amazingly, the pop stars started replying. In the aforementioned debut tome, luminaries as varied as Saxon, Rick Wakeman, and Toto Coelo had their work disassembled by an elderly man on a mission. So well received was that rib-tickler of a book that a second was destined to follow. ‘Dear Mr. Pop Star’, now in hardback, appeared in 2018; Derek now aided and abetted by his increasingly-cantankerous offspring, Dave. This second collection upped the ante somewhat and harboured genuine replies from the likes of Gillan, Mott The Hoople, and Tears For Fears within its hefty four-hundred pages.

The 2020 lockdowns accompanied the World turning in on itself like that monkey in Cronenberg’s version of ‘The Fly’ but, swathed in the quintessentially British way of finding humour in the harshest of climates, Derek and Dave filled their hours, not just with daytime television, but with a slew of new letters, this time focussing solely on the U.K. punk community. Cock Sparrer, GBH, Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, and a gob-full more all got the D & D treatment, the letters collected into a third classic book in 2021, ‘Grammar Free In The U.K. – The Lockdown Letters’. Now, grasping technology in their arthritic hands (they’ll be texting next), Derek and Dave have only managed to get a load of those U.K. punk rockers to record their replies to the latest letters! ‘Grammar Free In The U.K. – The Audio Book’ is a wonderful companion piece to the book, the whole Philpott library to be fair, and is as brilliantly silly as hoped. The letters in audio form, quite remarkably if you’ve been with these aged anarchists long term, are often funnier now that you can hear them in fluent Philpott rather than your own boring inner narrator. And the replies, well, they really take this whole letter-writing saga to the next level. From Duncan Reid and the Big Heads to Viki Vortex and the Cumshots, via Steve Ignorant, The Vibrators, and Chelsea, the bonkers correspondence is now more crazed than even the more hopelessly hopeful could ever have yearned for. There are even a load of bonus tracks to entice you to have your auditory canals rictus-grinning: Tenpole Tudor, Bauhaus, The Piranhas, and Public Image Limited feature among these bananas bonuses. Also, as with the paperback version of ‘Grammar Free In The U.K.’, all purchases of ‘The Audio Book’ will see a portion of the profits donated to charity. Like you needed another reason to buy this.

Derek and Dave Philpott have promised to debase the annals of literary history with a fourth and final book in the near future. Personally, I hope that this pop culture dismemberment carries on forever. If, however, the Philpott legacy stops with four books on your shelf and at least one audio book in your lugholes, then I guess that’s a pretty good result.

I have to go now. Bargain Hunt’s on.

Get it Here

Author: Gaz Tidey

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The Virginmarys – Hit The Road

The Virginmarys – Hit The Road

 ‘THE DEVIL KEEPS COMING TOUR’ IS ROLLING TO TOWN IN OCTOBER 2022!!!!!!!

After a successful support slot on the recent Ricky Warwick tour around the UK, The Virginmarys announce a bunch of headline shows for October

Dates & Tickets Here

The OhNos – ‘Waving From Hades’ (Beluga Records)

The OhNos – ‘Waving From Hades’ (Beluga Records)

Malmö is the place The OhNos are the band. 2017 was when they released their first album ‘Sounds From The Basement’ after they dipped their collective toes in the murky pool of shark-infested Rock n Roll waters that we know and love. you might be forgiven for thinking (such is their confident swagger) that they’ve been at this pop-punk lark for a lot longer. Signing to Beluga Records is most definitely a seal of quality and points to the fact they don’t sign and release rubbish records so be safe in the knowledge ‘Waving From Hades’ is well worth getting your mitts on.

The album struts into life with the title track and easy to see why it was picked for a video, with its catchy hook and familiar-sounding melody. It’s catchy and will ease you into this album like a ray of early morning sunshine but be careful it might get darker. And so it turns down an altogether more punchy alley with ‘Final Call’. Rattling out of the speakers with fists windmilling and some great thrashing guitars raining down on you, it’s always a beautiful thing.

‘Trouble On Legs’ has got swagger and some fierce Backing Vocals. Once the ‘Light’ gets going it’s a swirling mass of snare drum and guitars being rinsing within an inch of their life. Narrowly avoiding chaos.

‘Message’ has shades of PJ Harvey which is never a bad place to find yourself oh and I love those BV’s. ‘Kiss The Boots’ has the tone of prime-time Steve Diggle and is easy to see why it was picked to be a single, Damn, you pick anything off this record there are so many great tunes at every turn. There is some great arrangement going on on ‘Desert Dreams’ which ebbs and flows really well.

‘Tommy Gun’ (no not a cover) has a great melody and guitar lick that gets inside your ear and burrows into your brain, complete with groovy breakdown before heading down the pop-punk route. Before they sign off they offer up ‘Stop’ with its punchy verse juddering towards the chorus. They then sign off with a big grinding ‘NGBG’ like Sonic Youth covering some T Rex. ‘NGBG’ (as far as I know) is a Swedish street festival native to Malmö. All in all an excellent album with variety, attitude, great arrangements, and an album that most certainly rocks but with an eye on the pop and being able to carry all that off with consummate ease. Check this album out!

Buy Here

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Author: Dom Daley

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Billy Idol – Rescheduled UK Tour 2022

Billy Idol – Rescheduled UK Tour 2022

THE ROADSIDE TOUR 2022 

WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS 

TELEVISION 

12th May 2022:  The world’s favourite rebel Billy Idol has rescheduled The Roadside Tour 2022 with new dates now set for October 2022. All existing tickets are still valid for the revised dates.  

Says Billy Idol: “As many of you know, this year has dealt me some health challenges which are nearly, but not quite resolved. While my recovery is almost complete, I have been given doctor’s orders to stay off the road until August – and so it is with great frustration that we must reschedule the UK Tour for October of this year. Thank you for everyone’s understanding and support. These shows will be worth the wait!” 

Billy will come to the UK with new music and a stack of timeless classics. For his first appearances in the UK since 2018, Billy will play 6 Arena shows with the rescheduled dates listed below.  

Supporting Billy Idol, and replacing The Go-Go’s on the original dates, are very special guests Television including original frontman Tom Verlaine. 

Says Billy Idol: “Sadly, The Go-Go’s are no longer able to join us. I am thrilled to share that now opening all UK shows will be Television, one of my favourite bands from the original New York punk scene and an inspiration to me throughout my career. I will be honoured to share the stage with them and hope everyone will come early to enjoy their set!” 

The global lockdown of 2020 gave Billy time to reflect and thoughts turned to his near-fatal motorcycle accident of 1990, how he dealt with it and how it related to the current crisis. “It seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” he says. “I may have been saying, well, this is what people go through when they are in trouble. I think I was unconsciously making that connection. 

“Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left by the side of that road. Maybe I left behind the irreverent, youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and more sensitive musician. Something did get left by the roadside, but it was not necessarily a bad thing in the end.” 

Billy’s reflections are captured in the lyrics of Bitter Taste, one of four tracks on his 2021 EP The Roadside, which was his first new music for seven years and as hard-hitting and relevant as ever. 

Billy’s touring band features his long-time guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens along with Stephen McGrath (bass, backing vocals), Billy Morrison (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Trudeau (keyboards, backing vocals) and drummer Erik Eldenius. 

Billy Idol The Roadside Tour 2022 dates: 

Thursday 13 October Manchester AO Arena 

Monday 17 October Cardiff Motorpoint Arena  

Wednesday 19 October London OVO Arena, Wembley 

Friday 21 October Glasgow OVO Hydro  

Sunday 23 October Birmingham Resorts World Arena 

Tuesday 25 October Leeds First Direct Arena 

Tickets for The Roadside Tour 2022 can be purchased from www.aegpresents.co.uk/billy-idol.  

Twitter – @BillyIdol – Facebook – BillyIdol – Instagram – @billyidol
Facebook – Television Official – Instagram – television__band

Geoff Tate – Patti Pavilion, Swansea (08 05 22)

Geoff Tate – Patti Pavilion, Swansea (08 05 22)

Swansea on a beautiful sunny May evening is a great place to be. The historic Patti Pavilion is where I was heading to see the legendary Geoff Tate perform not just Queensryche’s 1986 album Rage For Order in its entirety, but also their most successful album, 1990s Empire. Much has been said over recent years regarding the seemingly never-ending drama regarding Queensryche and ex-members. It does seem, however, that Tate has settled into his stride with his current band and is more than happy to be a legacy act. The number of punters wandering around wearing Queensryche T-shirts gives you a good idea of the demographic here tonight.

Before we get to the main event, we had a short but impressive set from openers Mark Daly & the Ravens. Mixing up a blend of southern rock with some Alice In Chains tinged tunes, Daly puts in an energetic performance. The sparse but appreciative audience thoroughly enjoys what they see and hear. Definitely, someone to keep an eye on.

By the time we are presented with Tate’s entrance, the room fills up considerably and there is an air of anticipation. I’ve been checking out some YouTube videos of recent performances and it seemed like Tate has been firing on all cylinders vocally. Taking to the stage with the classic ‘Walk In the Shadows’, when Tate strolls casually up to the microphone and nails that initial scream, everyone in attendance goes nuts. Snazzily dressed and looking the picture of health, Tate has the audience in the palm of his hand from the get-go. The band works their way through Rage For Order’s tracks and there is only a noticeable lull from the audience when lesser-known songs such as Neue Regel and London are being played. A fantastic rendition of ‘I Will Remember’ closes the first act with style.

After an extended break, the band returns to the stage while the intro to ‘Best I Can’ blasts through the PA. Rapturous applause from the crowd pushes the energy of the band and yet again, Tate is nailing it. For a man in his sixties to be singing this well is no mean feat. Tate gets his saxophone out for ‘The Thin Line’ and the band seems to be having the time of their lives. Scottish guitarist Kieran Robertson gets a great reaction from the crowd every time he sticks his tongue out and nails his parts with gusto. Crowd favourite ‘Jet City Woman’ goes down a storm as does ‘Another Rainy Night’ and ‘Empire’ in its full-blown glory.  The sound mix tends to be a little muddy in places and drummer Daniel Laverde is obviously a very capable and talented drummer, but as a drummer myself I don’t like the fact that Daniel is using electronic drums. They just look naff, Queensryche’s original drummer Scott Rockenfield was renowned for the huge drum kits that he used, and it just doesn’t work visually for me in a hard rock/metal setting. Just my opinion of course.

‘Silent Lucidity’ sounds amazing as always. You forget how great that song is and looking around at the crowd singing every word is goosebump enticing. Tate is a master at keeping everyone in attendance entertained, even his anecdote about having to go grocery shopping for the first time in his life due to Covid canceling all his tour plans is very funny. After ‘Anybody Listening?’ the band leaves the stage to more rabid applause, shouts, and screams for more. They return for an encore of ‘Last Time in Paris’ and ‘Take Hold of the Flame’. The band has played for around two and a half hours, Tate is certainly giving his loyal fan base value for money. He is happy to press the flesh with the many fans who are front of stage trying to get a reaction from their hero. He seems genuinely over the moon to back out playing live.

The voice is well and truly alive and well. Go and see Geoff Tate if you get the chance, you won’t be disappointed, but you will be thoroughly entertained.

Author: Kenny Kendrick

The Fuzztones – ‘Encore’ (Cleopatra Records)

The Fuzztones – ‘Encore’ (Cleopatra Records)

After the last studio album from The Fuzztones paid homage to the scene in NYC that they crawled out of it seems right that Rudi and the gang tie up all the loose ends with this rather fine collection of odds and sods fittingly entitled ‘Encore’ The Fuzztones offer up no faux retirements or fake goodbyes much like the Ramones did their adios amigos and they were gone. Let’s just take a short pause from 2020’s ‘NYC’ and then get the fuck out of dodge leaving a whiff of dry ice and an ear full of top tunes. A little something extra for those who stuck by the band for the long haul so to speak. Rudi Protrudi has gathered the gang for one last wheeze of that organ and damn the fuzzed-up tones have only brought the cowbell for added groove and included Iggy for good measure. What’s not to love here folks? Exactly.

Cover versions of obscure gems such as ‘Land Of Nod’ by Rare Earth, ‘Plastic People’ by late ’60s psych-rockers The Wildwood. The shimmering cymbal clash of ‘Marble Hall’ with its cathedral-like backing vocals. But don’t think that The Fuzztones can’t still rock out when they need to as ‘Eyes In The Back Of My Head’ testifies. It also features special guest appearances by Steve Mackay of The Stooges and Wally Waller of The Pretty Things for weight and added authenticity.

The closing track is a natty ‘Santa Clause’ before the Fuzz pedal is put away and the record groove loops out. I hope Gene and Paul have a word with Rudi and the gang and can find it in themselves to not stop and retire because it’ll be a sad day when I don’t get to spin a new Fuzztones record a band I’ve listened to and loved since I saw them support the Damned in the mid-80s. If it is that last refrain from these NYC legends then take a bow and lap up the applause which is thoroughly deserved. ‘Encore’ a fitting a worthy bow right there. Great stuff!

Buy Here

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King’s X – sign with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music & complete work on first new album in 14 years

King’s X – sign with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music & complete work on first new album in 14 years

The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, are pleased to announce they have signed with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music worldwide. They will be the label-home for the band’s forthcoming 13th studio album and first new music in 14 years, which has just been completed, the long-awaited new record will see the light of day on the 2nd of September 2022. 

The band comments:

“I feel like it’s been forever since we put out a new album, and I’m ready for the world to hear our latest offering, hopefully there’s a little bit of everything that you love about Kings X, three sides of one is the best way to describe it. The groove is with us!” – dUg Pinnick

 “It’s really gonna happen! The new record is coming out soon. I’m happy to be working with the team at InsideOut/Sony Music. I’m happy with the record. I’m happy everybody gets to hear it. It’s a happy day. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Hope you enjoy it!!!” – Jerry Gaskill

“I have a long-standing relationship with InsideOut and am so pleased that InsideOut/Sony is releasing the new King’s X album.”  – Ty Tabor

InsideOutMusic label-head Thomas Waber adds: “We have known the guys since forever and have been fans even before then. We are really looking forward to adding another album to their impressive legacy. Working on a King’s X album is always a highlight and an honour!”

The bands forthcoming new album saw them working with Emmy Award-winning engineer, mixer, and producer Michael Parnin (Rage Against the Machine, Mark Lanegan) at his Blacksound Studio in California. He comments: “I am very proud of the energy and work put into this album, especially of all the different vocal performances and varied musical influences mixed together as one. In true King’s X fashion, we had several obstacles to overcome, and it wasn’t easy but hopefully worth it to the amazing die-hard fans out there who have been waiting so patiently and to the new listeners hearing King’s X for the first time. It’s an honest labour of love that I am excited the world finally gets to hear.”

King’s X are set to return to stages in 2022, heading to Europe in September and returning to North America for more dates in October. Find the full list of shows below: 

Europe & UK

1st September – Backstage Halle, Munich, Germany

2nd September – Veruno Musica Festival, Veruno, Italy

3rd September – Old  Capitol, Langenthal, Switzerland

6th September – Hirsch, Nürnberg, Germany

7th September – Colos-Saal – Aschaffenburg, Germany

9th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

10th September – Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany

12th September – Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium

13th September – Kantine, Cologne, Germany

14th September – Le Forum, Vaureal (Paris), France

16th September – The Brook, Southampton, UK

17th September – Picturedrome, Holmfirth, UK

18th September – Wylam Brewery, Newcastle, UK

20th September – Garage, Glasgow, UK

22nd September – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK

23rd September – Junction, Cambridge, UK

24th September – KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, UK

26th September – Islington Assembly Hall, London, UK

27th September – Academy 2, Manchester, UK

28th September – Tramshed, Cardiff, UK

30th September – Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium

1st October – Hypothalamus, Rheine, Germany 

North America

28th July – Gramercy Theatre, NYC, NY, USA

29th July – Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA, USA

19th October – Amos’ Southend, Charlotte, NC, USA

20th October – The Concourse, Knoxville, TN, USA

21st October – The Forum, Hazard, KY, USA

23rd October – Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville, TN, USA

25th October – The Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans, LA, USA

27th October – Come and Take It Live, Austin, TX, USA

28th October – Trees, Dallas, TX, USA

29th October – Warehouse Live, Houston, TX, USA

Look out for more info on the new album in the coming months!

KING’S X online:

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INSIDEOUTMUSIC online:

www.insideoutmusic.com

www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV

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The Atom Age/Pizzatramp – Newport, Le Pub – 4th May 2022

The Atom Age/Pizzatramp – Newport, Le Pub – 4th May 2022

Whilst this isn’t going to be the longest review I’ve ever penned (for reasons I’ll soon get into) I just had to get something down on (virtual) paper, simply because tonight is the reason that I still love going to see live bands so much.

Rewind a few weeks then, and completely out of the blue Fraser from Deathtraps/SLAB sends me a video clip of a band he’s discovered called The Atom Age asking if I’d go and see them when they play Newport, I play the song a couple of times, think it’s pretty decent but then I somehow forget about it. In fact, it’s only a few hours before doors tonight that I suddenly remember the gig is still very much happening and we then find ourselves having a proper old man stroll through Commercial St reminiscing about all the old shops we used to frequent (and in fact work in) as we make our way up to Le Pub handing over the King’s ransom of £7 to get in.

It’s at this point I do have to wonder where all those lockdown social media warriors are – you know the ones demanding they should be able to go see live bands when it really wasn’t safe to – yet now it is safe, they seem to be still in the house, on the internet. Ah well….

Thankfully any Bad News in Grantham style crowd worries are immediately waylaid though due to the fact that local crossover me(n)talists Pizzatramp are also on the bill and they bring with them not only the usual set of razor-sharp witted hardcore tunes, but also a very healthy number of fans who seemingly still can’t get enough of them. Me, it’s the first time I’ve seen them in quite some time, certainly since bassist Sam has left their ranks, and last-minute stand in bassist Rhys once again helps dig Jimbob and Dan out of the proverbial doo doo. Not that you would know it’s all last-minute mind. Not until Jimbob lets the cat out the bag straight after a frantic blast through ‘Millions Of Dead Goths’ early on. Admittedly there’s a Sam sized hole on the stage (as he’s stood behind me watching), and if you’ve grown up with the band from the ‘Two Quid/War Or Nothing’ days then you’re obviously going to notice that, but what the guys really need to do right now is to get someone like Rhys in fulltime and hopefully not lose any of the fantastic momentum they’ve gained so far. That task might have just got a whole lot harder to fulfil mind after Jimbob admits he actually likes the theme song to ‘In The Name Of The Father’ (tongue firmly placed in cheek) before the band close their set down with, what else but, ‘Bono’s A Cunt’. And that right there folks is why I will always love me a slice of live Pizzatramp.

And so, we come to the reason this review isn’t really that long. That’s because in spite of the fact that The Atom Age (all the way from Oakland California I might add) have recorded four albums since they formed back in 2009, I’ve heard the grand total of one song before they hit the stage, and that song they play straight off, so where I’d normally go track by track through a band’s set, this time I just think “fuck it – lets enjoy the racket”, and boy what a joyous racket it is. Imagine if you will a band drenched in the essence of Rocket From The Crypt, but with the odd hint of Dick Dale or The Cramps whilst also laying down some mighty fine Dirtbombs style rock n soul riffs flavoured with just the merest hint of Fuzztones psychedelia, and that brothers and sisters, is The Atom Age. 

The six piece deliver their set like they are headlining a packed arena not a pub with about 50 odd people in it, and dripping in sweat they also manage to get a well-deserved encore out of their newly acquired Newport fanbase….and this, this is what I meant right at the start of the review. This is what going to see live music is all about. I left with 2 LPs and a T-shirt and a huge smile on my face (and so did a fair few others). This is what live music is all about and The Atom Age are a band just waiting for you to discover. Get on it!!!!!  

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Author: Johnny Hayward