Glenn Hughes Leicester Square Theatre –  November 14 2011 -photo by Peter Chow
Tuesday’s Evening with Glenn Hughes offered up the opportunity to see the BCC frontman in a soul baring acoustic setting. The run of acoustic UK gigs Glenn is undertaking this week are acting as book launches for Glenn’s similarly  soul baring (could it be anything else) autobiography. In the confines of the warm and cosy Leicester Square Theatre, Glenn performed two sets that encompassed songs from all parts of his career. He supplemented this by reading out extracts from the …

Glenn Hughes with Ian Paice -Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards – Roundhouse London, November 9th 2011.
Photo copyright Ross Halfin –  more at Ross Halfin Facebook link  http://www.facebook.com/rosshalfinofficial
Black Country Communion, The Who, Deep Purple and Jeff Beck were amongst the winners at last night’s annual Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards at the Roundhouse in London hosted by Kiss legend Gene Simmons.
Glenn Hughes was in attendance ahead of his UK tour next week. ‘’It’s only taken me 50 years to get a Breakthough award!’ he told me before accepting the aforementioned …

Jimmy Page on stage with Roy Harper -Royal Festival Hall London Saturday November 5th 2011. Photo by Michael Rae for TBL.
Roy Harper was joined by Jimmy Page for his 70th birthday concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London last night. They performed a superb version of The Same Old Rock
On a night seeped in emotion, the 70 year old singer songwriter whose career has been intrinsically linked with Led Zeppelin, took to the stage to huge acclaim from the sold out audience.
‘‘I was as actually 70 on June 12th’’ he laughed. ‘’So …

The Song Still Remains At 35 Part 2: After the excitement of The Song Remains The Same soundtrack double album release, 35 years ago this week saw the premiere of the accompanying movie. This occurred at the Warner West End cinema in London’s Leicester Square although such was the demand the film was also screened at the nearby Shaftesbury Avenue ABC theatre.
We got tickets by queuing overnight in early October. Sleep was at a minimum that night as the disco next to the Warner West End cinema blasted out a …

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin IV, The Flood Gallery in Greenwich Market London will be staging a special exhibition running from November 17th to November 24th.
The exhibition will feature eight unique original art prints with designs inspired by and representing the eight individual tracks – namely Black Dog, Rock And Roll, The Battle Of Evermore, Stairway To Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, Going To California and When The Levee Breaks.
Designed by a selection of the leading American poster artists, the set of eight …

On the afternoon of Thursday October 21 1976, I anxiously tore open the box marked Warner/ Elektra/ Atlantic Records at the WH Smith record shop where I worked to reveal for the first time the gatefold sleeve of, as the label spine gloriously put it ‘’The Soundtrack To The Film The Song Remains The Same‘’. Yes the only official live album released during the band’s life time is 35 years old.
I have much affection for that original double live album – it captures a certain era of innocence when we …

Robert Plant and Patty Griffin perform with The Band Of Joy at the Americana Music Association Honors & Awards show at the Ryman. Photo by John Partipilo/The Tennessean
Robert Plant and Buddy Miller both truimphed at the 10th annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards staged at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Thursday October 13th.
Robert Plant’s album Band of Joy, recorded with an all-star Americana crew featuring Buddy Miller, Darrell Scott, Byron House, Marco Giovino and Patty Griffin, was named Album Of Year, Plant’s second win in the category and third …

In this age of You Tube where countless clips of Led Zeppelin can be accessed at the click of the mouse, it’s incredible to think that there was a time when there was no readily available visual evidence of the band whatsoever. That was the situation that prevailed prior to October 5th 1976 – all of 35 years ago.Back in 1976 there was no circulating cine film of Led Zeppelin and in the pre video recorder age, no way of accessing the little surviving clips that existed –namely their Beat …

Robert Plant made a surprise appearance along with Patty Griffin in Marfa, Texas at the 6th Annual Trans-Pecos Festival of Music and Love last Thursday (September 22nd). Appearing with local Texan musicians David Grissom (electric guitar), Michael Ramos (organ, accordion), Glenn Fukunaga (acoustic & electric bass), Dony Wynn (drums), the pair, under the name Crown Vic performed a set of blues/country standards included Tear It Up, Lonely Avenue, You Can’t Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover, Rich Woman and Don’t, as well a Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop …

On stage Mannheim July 2nd 1980 -photo from the Led Zeppelin Feather In The Wind -Over Europe 1980 book
John Bonham 31 years gone – and yes it does seem like a lifetime but a second. In the early years of the anniversary I always busied myself on the day. 30 years ago on the first anniversary, I  went to see New Order at Walthamstow Assembly Hall. I hooked up with the Bedford New Order clan led by my good friend Dec (who incidentally is readying an updated version of his New Order …