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Martin Barre: new album and interview
The one-time Jethro Tull guitarist releases a new compilation “50 Years Of Jethro Tull” via The Store For Music on 16 October.
On Sunday 18 October he chats to Pete Feenstra about his music and the new album, for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio.
The interview is repeated on Monday 19 October, 16:00 and Thursday 22 October, 23:00 BST, GMT+1
Photo: David Randall/GRTR!
New competitions
WIN! GEEZER BUTLER and FLEETWOOD MAC Reissues
David Randall introduces the current competitions in his weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio with tracks from the featured albums. First broadcast 18 October 2020. (10:11)
Albums of the Month (July-September)
We list those albums high in the ratings with the GRTR! Reviewers…
Popular
You say it. We’ll play it.
During extended periods of pandemic paranoia, email us your requests. We’re open for business!
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Here’s your chance to host your own show. Either live “on air” by dialling in via your mobile or landline, or with pre-recorded links or just supply your hour’s worth of playlist.
Share your show with friends via social media.
Save Our Venues
Update: 30.09.20
Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues throughout the UK has issued a dire warning to the UK government that the entire grassroots live music sector is now at “red alert status” and has called on the wider music industry, local communities and music fans to support its ongoing #saveourvenues campaign by taking “decisive, direct action” to ensure every venue can survive and re-open safely.
There are over 400 venues at risk of closure, so this campaign aims to bring together artists who want to help, with the venues they love, and provide an easy way for music fans to financially support the resultant live streams.
With the announcement of how the government’s much-touted £ 1.57bn Cultural Recovery will be distributed due on October 5th , and final decisions on funding for grassroots music venues in England, Scotland and Wales announced by October 16th, MVT has declared the situation ‘critical’, with a warning that the fate of these venues is now hanging in the balance.
Mark Davyd, co-founder & CEO of Music Venue Trust (MVT) said: “After six months of struggling to survive, grassroots music venues now face a two-week period of huge uncertainty in which their future will be decided by the outcome of a single government funding announcement. The Government has put all its eggs in one basket and has no backup plan to prevent the complete collapse of this entire cultural sector, placing at risk over 200,000 jobs, and billions of pounds of economic activity”.
The Westminster government’s singular reliance on the impact of the Cultural Recovery Fund was revealed last week when the Winter Economy Plan contained no additional measures to address the specific restrictions that have been placed on the live music industry. This was compounded during a meeting hosted by The Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) when numerous enquiries from MPs asking what the government was going to do to prevent the collapse of the live music industry was answered by stock answers stating that the Cultural Recovery Fund was “being made available”.
Beverley Whitrick, Strategic Director of MVT, said, “Music Venue Trust is extremely concerned that the situation has become Schrodinger’s fund; hardly anyone has received any significant support from the Cultural Recovery Fund yet, but everyone is going to be saved by it. This is not a coherent strategy; the government does not even control the distribution of the funding they have made available and on which their entire strategy for the UK live music sector now rests”.
With this in mind MVT is calling on the wider music industry, music fans and local communities to redouble their efforts to prevent the permanent closure of grassroots music venues by getting directly involved in the #saveourvenues campaign (saveourvenues.co.uk) through fundraising, letter writing to local councils, MPs, social media support and more.
Mark Davyd continues: “Venues, artists, audiences, and communities have done everything they can to support the #saveourvenues campaign, which has helped hundreds of grassroots music venues to survive to this point.
Music Venue Trust has offered extraordinary support to enable grassroots music venues to make strong, evidenced applications to the Cultural Recovery Fund.
The entire government focus on what can be achieved by that single fund will reach its conclusion between October 5th and October 16th when the results of those applications are announced.
Any venue that is not successful, or any venue that is ineligible, will still be unable to open, will still have to pay rent and will still have no possible income sources from the day those decisions are announced until the day they are finally able to open.
We need everyone who cares about the future of grassroots music venues to take note of these decisions as they are made and if necessary to take direct action to save any venue that is unsuccessful. It’s up to us – the government may very well fail to save our venues but we as individuals can still fight for their survival.”
Music Venue Trust will be announcing the funding decisions as they are made via their social media channels and the media and will provide a list of both successful and unsuccessful venues so that can support efforts be directed to where they are most needed .
Beverley Whitrick added, “We don’t know what the outcome here will be; worryingly, neither does the government despite their singular reliance upon this funding to protect access to culture across hundreds of communities.
But we do know that the Save Our Venues campaign, with the incredible support it has received, has got the grassroots sector to this stage with minimum losses. That campaign may now need to be stepped up. Grassroots music venues are at Red Alert status and hundreds are confronted by the possibility of imminent decisions which will result in their permanent closure.
Our whole grassroots community sector will need to take part in decisive, direct action if we are to ensure we reopen every venue safely.”
Coronavirus
Readers are advised to check out the artist and venue websites for latest information. Many tours/dates are being rearranged for 2021.
We will update our gig listings on a regular basis.
Check out rearranged dates for key 2020 UK tours
AC/DC (pictured above) have been teasing new activity via their website and UK press adverts. They have now confirmed that vocalist Brian Johnson, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd are officially back in AC/DC, joining Angus and Stevie Young. A new song ‘Shot In The Dark’ is released on Wednesday October 7 and the album ‘Power Up’ is out on November 13.
Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy has completed work on his second solo album.
Inglorious release their new album early next year and have announced UK tour dates for April and May.
Fiction Sixx have their debut album ‘Tall Dark Secrets’ re-issued on November 26 via Melodic Rock Records, who also release the band’s new album, ‘Ghost Of My Father’s Past’ in early 2021.
Drive-by Truckers release their new album (their second this year) ‘THE NEW OK’ via ATO Records digitally on October 2 with a CD/Vinyl release following on December 18.
Dream Theater’s vocalist James LaBrie has started work on a new solo album.
Elbow singer Guy Garvey has released a new solo single ‘My Angel’. The song is the theme tune to the new BBC One drama Life.
Keith Richards will release a newly expanded live box set ‘Live at the Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988′ on November 13.
Heart’s Nancy Wilson will release her debut solo album next year.
Midnite City have completed work on their third album entitled ‘Itch You Can’t Scratch’ which is due for release next year.
Blue Oyster Cult founder Albert Bouchard will release his new album ‘Re Imaganos’ on November 6.
Warrior Soul release a covers album ‘Cocaine And Other Good Stuff’ via Live Wire/Cargo Records on November 13.
Jump release their latest album ‘Breaking Point’ through F2 Music on November 9.
Last Great Dreamers release ’Live At The Tivoli’ next month.
Neil Diamond releases a new album ‘Classic Diamonds’ on November 20 via EMI Records where he reinterprets versions of his hits with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Massive Wagons release an updated verison of their rarities collection ‘The Good The Bad And The Ugly’ on November 6.
Andrew W.K. has signed with Napalm Records who will release his new album next year.
Voodoo Circle release a new album ’Locked & Loaded’ on January 15 on AFM Records. The album also marks the return of vocalist David Readman and drummer Markus Kullmann.
Multi-Story release their latest album ‘CBF10′ on October 26 via F2 Music.
Rescheduled UK & Ireland tour dates:
Boomtown Rats, Feeder, Ferocious Dog, Fish (Feb 2021 cancelled), Larkin Poe (Feb 2021 to Nov 2021), Jizzy Pearl’s Love/Hate (Feb 2021 to Feb 2022), Manic Street Preachers (NHS concerts Dec 2020 to July 2021), Mogwai (Feb 2021 cancelled), Cormac Neeson (cancelled), Ozzy Osbourne + Judas Priest (now 2022 dates TBA), Simple Minds (Feb/Mar 2021 to Aug 2021), Skunk Anansie, Scott Stapp (now 2022), Tangerine Dream, Rick Wakeman,
Upcoming (Gigs – UK)
Rescheduled US & European tour dates:
Skunk Anansie, Scott Stapp (now 2022),
Upcoming (USA/ROW)
Flogging Molly have announced UK dates for August.
Bill Bailey has announced a UK tour for next December with dates in Plymouth, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Leeds, Hull, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.
Coney Hatch played a pay-per-view concert at El Mocambo, Toronto on October 3. The show was recorded for a future CD/DVD release.
Squeeze play a socially distanced arena gig at the O2 Arena, London on Saturday 5 December.
Eric Clapton has announced a series of shows at the Royal Albert Hall for next May.
Rick Wakeman plays the London Palladium next month on November 27, where he will be joined by his son Adam Wakeman, for a socially distanced show. His scheduled Nov/Dec tour has been moved to next year.
Martin Barre, Clive Bunker and Dee Palmer will perform ‘Aqualung’ to celebrate Jethro Tull’s 50th anniversary at next August’s A New Day Festival.
Fish has cancelled his rescheduled dates due next February, however the November UK & European dates are still on.
Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Ozzy Osbourne is due back on the road in 2022.
The Damned’s original line up — Dave Vanian, Brian James, Rat Scabies &Captain Sensible — will reunite for shows at the Eventim Apollo London, O2 Academy Birmingham, O2 Academy Glasgow and the O2 Apollo Manchester next July.
Dr. Martens have launched two new boots celebrating the 50th anniversary of Black Sabbath’s first two studio albums ‘Black Sabbath’ and ‘Paranoid’.
Vocalist Burton C Bell has left Fear Factory leaving guitarist Dino Cazares as the current sole member of the band.
Musical based honours in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list include ELO’s Jeff Lynne (OBE), Sir Tommy Steele and Mica Paris (OBE).
Richie Sambora has stated in a recent interview he wouldn’t rule out working with Bon Jovi again at some point in the future.
Guitarist Jason Hook has left Five Finger Death Punch and his replacement is Andy James.
Toto have announced a new line-up. Joining guitarist Steve Lukather and vocalist Joseph Williams are John Pierce (bass), Robert ‘Sput’ Searight (drums), Steve Maggiora (keyboards, vocals), Dominique ‘Xavier’ Taplin (keyboards) and Warren Ham (various instruments, vocals). The new line-up’s first show is on Saturday 21 November – a Worldwide Livestream Event.
89% of venues that applied for government funding in the UK were granted it according to the Music Venues Trust.
Australian singer Helen Reddy
Legendary bassist Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, from Californian funk band Tower Of Power
Singer/bassist with the Outfield Tony Lewis
Spencer Davis of the Spencer Davis Group, who famously knocked the Beatles off the number 1 spot with ‘Keep On Runnin‘.
Former King Crimson singer and bassist Gordon Haskell
Widely influential guitarist Eddie Van Halen has passed away after fighting cancer. His band Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts of the 1980s. The band reunited with original vocalist David Lee Roth in 2007 and for the 2012 album ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’.
More News
New features section added
In early-April we added a new section – Features – which will include new and revised material from our archive.
Amongst the latest additions, album retrospectives of Don Dokken, James LaBrie and Europe.
The series – under the collective title of “2020 Vision” – will build into a definitive guide to selected artists and bands and reflecting GRTR! reviewers’ critical analysis as demonstrated over a twenty year period.
Reviews editor Jason Ritchie commented: “It is the perfect antidote to the current lockdown, encouraging readers to discover or reappraise selected artists or albums. It is also an opportunity to revisit our archive of material which has built up over a period of nearly 20 years.”
Check out our full gig listings! (Updated to reflect COVID-19 cancellations)
Check out forthcoming album/DVD releases here!
FUTURE PALACE Parted Ways
Future Palace’s debut album ‘Escape’ was released on 18 September via Arising Empire. ‘Parted Ways’ is one of six advance singles from the album. The Berlin-based trio have been working on their album since forming in late-2018.
DarWin Nightmare Of My Dreams
The second album from DarWin is due 6 November. Once more DarWin has assembled a stunning ensemble of musicians. “DarWin II: A Frozen War” continues the core collaboration with Simon Phillips (drums, Toto/The Who/Jeff Beck), Matt Bissonette (Elton John, David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr) and DarWin.
Joining them are powerhouse players Billy Sheehan (bass, Mr Big/ Steve Vai/Winery Dogs), Guthrie Govan (guitar, Aristocrats/Asia/Hans Zimmer/Steven Wilson), Greg Howe (guitar, Michael Jackson/Justin Timberlake), Derek Sherinian (keyboards, Dream Theater/Alice Cooper/Black Country Communion) and more…
The second album builds on the themes of “Origin Of Species” – first single “Nightmare Of My Dreams” features a video centered around the theme of the recent wildfires = and filmed in areas of Australia directly affected.
The other tracks build on DarWin’s sound – with the best elements of progressive rock and a generous amount of guitar shred and heavy grooves.
Throughout September 2018 Get Ready to ROCK! Radio celebrated the station’s 10th anniversary and a two-hour special reflected a decade of broadcasting. “10 years in the making” features archive interviews with Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Todd Rundgren, Graham Bonnet, David Coverdale, John Wetton and Bob Catley.
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