Above: The Who and guests – March 30th 2010   photo Gary Foy.
On Saturday November 3rd 1973, I went into Harlequin Records in Bedford and purchased the just released double album by The Who titled Quadrophenia.
Getting it home and glancing through the bleak sleeve booklet with it’s stark black and white images depicting the life of Jimmy the Mod, I knew this was no ordinary record. The music throughout the four sides captured The Who with power, compassion and intensity. Back then the Quadrophenia themes of adolescent isolation, despair and redemption resonated …

On Easter Monday (April 5th) at 6pm ITV2 are screening an hour long special of highlights from the week of  Teenage Cancer Trust shows.  For backstage snippets and comments on the week of concerts visit   
www.teenagecancertrust.org/what-we-do/royal-albert-hall/2010/.
* It was reported that Jimmy Page was in attendance with his children at the JLS Teenage Cancer Trust concert last Sunday.

Boot Led Zeppelin successfully revived the spirit of Led Zeppelin’s Earls Court 1975 shows with a marathon performance at the Shepherds Bush Empire last Saturday. 
Radio One DJ Fearne Cotton introduced the band on stage to a very enthusiastic crowd. For the next three hours, Boot Led Zep looked the part, sounded the part and even spoke the part –singer Luke Ward adapting Robert Plant’s between song intros and patter from the original Earls Court shows. This added yet more authenticity to a performance that celebrated the 35th anniversary of those …

Robert Plant has announced via his official web site a 12 city tour of North America to commence on July 13th. The tour will include material from his forthcoming new album tentatively titled ‘It’s Rude To Say No” – more dates will follow in the fall.
The press release reads as follows  
July shows to include material from new Rounder album
Burlington, MA – Robert Plant has confirmed a 12 city North American tour. Beginning in July, this 1st leg of shows which will be followed by further dates in the fall will …

The first time I remember discussing the new band being formed by Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones, was in the back of the car as we travelled to the Lytton Arms for the Knebworth book launch last August. My good friend Tom commented it could be a band worth ‘’pitching up for’’ to use one of his expressions.
Indeed it has been.
These past few months tracking the progress of Them Crooked Vultures has been an absolute  joy – and in a parallel perhaps to that of Robert’s Priory …

Them Crooked Vultures appearance on the Zane Lowe Radio 1 show live from the Maida Vale Studios on Wednesday night included live performances of New Fang, Dead End Friends, Mind Eraser, No Chaser and the hugely popular Spinning In Daffodils. The set was interspersed with interviews with Zane sitting at John Paul’s keyboards. John remembered the sessions with Led Zeppelin at the same studios, commenting with typical dry wit that  “There’s still no where to park”. After touring the album for nearly eight months now the band  looked to be having …

Them Crooked Vultures feature on a Radio 1 session tonight (Weds 24/03/10). Fresh from the bands success at the Teenage Cancer Trust show at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night, the group will guest on the Zane Lowe show from the BBC studios at Maida Vale on BBC Radio 1 tonight between 19:00 – 21:00 hrs.

John Paul Jones made a triumphant return to the scene of one of Led Zeppelin’s greatest performances as Them Crooked Vultures stormed the Royal Albert Hall in London last night.
Patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust Roger Daltrey set the tone for this tenth series of admirable shows with an impassioned speech regarding the charity’s achievements over the past decade. Acknowledging the musical feast ahead he commented ‘’I know Them Crooked Vultures are going to be great with somebody who was once in Nirvana and John Paul Jones who everyone knows …

Setlist
No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
Dead End Friends
Scumbag Blues
Elephants
Highway 1
New Fang
Gunman
Bandoliers
Mind Eraser, No Chaser
Caligulove
Interlude with Ludes
Spinning In Daffodils
Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up
Them Crooked Vultures photos Gary Foy/TBL2010

Then and Now

40 year ago this weekend, Led Zeppelin flew out for the first date of their fifth US tour.
I was well aware of all this because I’d purchased a copy of Record Mirror that week. Under the front page headline of ‘Goldrush’ and a wonderful colour photo from the previous December’s awards bash, it revealed the bands current plans. Interestingly enough it reported that a film crew would be on hand to capture the tour.
The story read as follow:
‘’Off to America on Saturday go Led Zeppelin. And with the group will be …