Adrian Smith is best known as the most tasteful (in my opinion!) guitarist in a band you may have heard of, Iron Maiden. He has written some of the band’s best material (also in my opinion!), and when he left Maiden in 1990 to pursue a solo career with his band Adrian Smith and Project (A.S.A.P.), Maiden’s downhill trajectory soon followed. When he returned to the Maiden fold in 1999 (along with vocalist Bruce Dickinson) they became the biggest metal band on the planet again.

Before he took Dennis Stratton’s place in Iron Maiden back in 1980, Smith was the lead vocalist and guitarist in his own band Urchin, who themselves had some limited success. Smith’s vocal prowess has been highlighted with Maiden over the years as a more than capable backing vocalist, and he sang lead vocals on the fantastic B side to ‘Wasted Years’ – ‘Reach Out’ back in 86.

He shares vocal and guitar (bass and lead) duties on this collaboration with former Mike Varney prodigy, Poison, Mr Big and Winery Dogs guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen. Kotzen’s first ever concert experience was Iron Maiden’s renowned World Slavery tour back in 1985 and he’s come full circle by writing and performing with one of the guys on that very stage. Not that he’s been a slouch himself with a pedigree that’s world class.

The pair met in an LA restaurant (as you do), got chatting, jamming, writing, and recording and the result is an album that shows both Smith and Kotzen in a light we haven’t seen before. A stylish blend of classic rock, blues rock, and straight up R & B mixed with the combined talents of Smith and Kotzen produces a strong album with some fantastic performances.

The album was produced by Smith and Kotzen themselves with long time Maiden producer Kevin Shirley handling mixing duties. Smith’s Maiden buddy Nicko McBrain makes a guest appearance on the track ‘Solar Fire’ and Tal Bergman (Billy Idol, Simple Minds) lends his tub thumping talents to the songs ‘You Don’t Know Me’, ‘I Wanna Stay’ and ‘Til Tomorrow’. Kotzen plays drums on the remaining songs…so talented, makes me sick! Ha ha!

Opening up with ‘Taking My Chances’ and ‘Running’ there’s a definite nod to the bands of the 70s that have obviously influenced the duo. Bad Company and Free come to mind with some great bluesy licks. It’s not hard to differentiate between Smith and Kotzen in both voice and guitar styles, Smith has a more refined vocal style while Kotzen has echoes of the late, great Chris Cornell is his delivery. ‘Scars’ is the standout track for me with it’s haunting melody and Hendrix style lead work. This one sticks in your mind after a few plays, the guys trading licks at will. Great stuff.

‘Some People’ lays down a thick groove with an almost funky feel. More guitar wizardry is again tastefully added to the track without overpowering the song. ‘Glory Road’ is a straight-ahead rocker with some added swagger and lyrics about how to be successful in a band, (they should know!) A catchy, sing a long chorus make this another highlight. You can feel the chemistry between the pair, and it translates well onto record even though they recorded much of the album with five thousand miles between them due to the pandemic.

‘Solar Fire’ really benefits from sticksman McBrain’s powerhouse drumming, you certainly know he’s there! There’s a throwback to his days with the Pat Travers Band here, a great 70s vibe. ‘You Don’t Know Me’ is another track that has a less is more approach that works well. The songs aren’t just vehicles for the pair to show off their chops, they really are playing for the songs. That said, this track is a little on the long side. ‘I Wanna Stay’ really shows how soulful Smith can be, he really does have a fantastic voice which wouldn’t work in the Maiden set up. The album closes with ‘Til Tomorrow’ another classy number with an almost dreamlike quality. Apparently, the recording sessions left the duo with ‘tracks to spare’ so I’m sure this album won’t be a one off.

The guys really want to take the project out on the road when restrictions are (finally) lifted and I think these songs will work fantastically in the live arena. As Richie says, “When the time is right, and it’s safe, we’ll have a conversation about some players – male or female – that will help us take this to the next level and bring the music to the stage. We both want to play live, we both miss it terribly actually. Before all this stuff happened I said I was ready to take a break from the road – but I’m sure as hell ready to go now!”

Aren’t we all Richie, aren’t we all…..

 

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

  A UTOPIAN FESTIVAL FOR DYSTOPIAN TIMES

THE LEGENDARY 2-DAY POST-PUNK FESTIVAL RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL APRIL 3-4, 2021

PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT CONFIRMED TO PERFORM JOY DIVISION’S SET FROM FUTURAMA 1979!

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM SEE TICKETS HERE:

Website

Futurama, the legendary post-punk festival is back after 40 years and takes place at the Invisible Wind factory / Make Arts Centre and Ten Streets Social in Liverpool over two days, 3rd and 4th of April 2021.

The Futuramas were a series of ground-breaking and innovative post punk and electronic music festivals in the late 70’s and early 80’s. They were the brainchild of one-man, John Keenan, a legendary Leeds promoter who has put thousands of bands on over 40 years at his famous F Club. In 1979, he decided to do a 2-day festival at the Queens Hall in Leeds and put on all of his favourite up and coming bands and curated the first alternative indoor festival in Britain. Nearly all of Britain’s most important and influential independent bands played these festivals and many of them went onto considerable success in Britain, Europe, and the US. The roll call reads like the greatest who’s who of alternative music and they include Joy Division and New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, PiL, Killing Joke, Teardrop Explodes, Bauhaus, The Fall, The SmithsGang of Four, Sisters of Mercy, Theatre Of Hate, The Psychedelic Furs & even a fledgling U2. The Futurama festivals caught the zeitgeist perfectly and not only put on many female fronted bands, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Young Marble Giants, Bow Wow Wow & Altered Images, but also many of the new wave of electronic & synthesizer acts including Soft Cell, Cabaret Voltaire, OMD, Simple Minds, Clock DVA & Vice Versa who later became ABC.

The post-punk era still casts an enormous influential shadow over contemporary music, making the timing perfect for the festival to return, combining both legendary acts from the festival’s history with the absolute best in up-and-coming talent.

pic by William Ellis – www.william-ellis.com

Bringing Futurama full circle, Peter Hook & The Light are confirmed to perform Joy Division’s set from Futurama 1979 in full, promising to be an absolute thrill for fans of the iconic band.

“Futurama was one the first festival experiences I ever had,” remembers bassist Peter Hook. “John Keenan the promoter became a lifelong friend. He was one of the first legends. The gig was the first time I’d ever seen caravans used as dressing rooms indoors, but it had a great atmosphere. It really put Joy Division on the map and the groups on the bill were very well matched to the audience. There weren’t many indoor festivals prior to Futurama so it was quite ground-breaking for the genre in the north. Funnily enough it gets talked about a lot even now. John became a legend and, in many ways, so has the festival. Let’s hope we can capture that wonderful atmosphere again.”

Also linking the festival’s history are Kirk Brandon’s Theatre Of Hate who will be celebrating their 40th anniversary of playing Futurama 3 in 1981, returning in 2021.

With a headliner still to be announced, these iconic acts join a host of bands from the many different strains and spectrums of alternative music, with respected website Louder Than War hosting the main stage on one day, and the world’s biggest rock ‘n’ roll and punk magazine Vive Le Rock the other day, whilst The AF Gang (the IDLES legendary fan club) host the up and coming stage.

There are 4 stages at the Futurama.

Invisible Wind Factory Main Stage: Headline acts and supports

Substation Downstairs in IWF: Electronic, synth and experimental noise

Make Arts Centre: Some of the best new and vintage post punk bands on the circuit

Ten Street Social: The AF Gang hosts the up and coming stage plus DJ sets

Other acts confirmed to appear include Warmduscher, The Chameleons, The Blinders, The Lovely Eggs, Spizz Energi, Imperial Wax, Just Mustard, Membranes, Evil Blizzard, Sink Ya Teeth, John, Heavy Lungs, We Are Not Devo, DSM IV, Bob Vylan, Billy NoMates, Witch Fever, Tokky Horror, Pozi, Crows, St Agnes, LibraLibra, Courting, Crawlers and Joe & Shitboys, with many more to be announced.

Tickets are Early Bird £80 for the weekend from See Tickets HERE:

£20 deposit scheme and four payments scheme in place

For more info head to: futuramafestival.com