It was an indictment of the recent unsavoury state of affairs in the UK that when I appeared on the Californian based rock station Used Bin Pure Rock Radio last Wednesday at the unearthly hour of 5am,the first topic was not Led Zeppelin, but the situation with the riots that had spread over the UK –images of which had shocked the world. We did soon settle in for a lengthy early morning ramble on the Led Zeppelin Feather In The Wind Over Europe 1980 book, the state of play with …

Bob Harris with Robert 2008
The bearded man I was sat across from last Tuesday lunchtime at the Heights bar in London, was directly responsible for enlightening myself and thousands of other Led Zeppelin fans, via his announcements from the TV screen on Tuesday and Friday nights back in the 1970s.
He was the man who introduced the stunning sequence that accompanied the premier of a new Led Zeppelin track on the evening of Tuesday, March 20th 1973. ‘’It’s the band’s use of dynamics’’, he said in that calm whispering tone, ‘’And …

Adrian Chiles and DL – London HMV Forum September 2nd- Both with a lot to do on Monday…
Well after a whirlwind week, I’ve managed to make it to 54.
It was certainly some week with back to back Robert Plant shows and then the day in London on Friday. I personally thought Robert & the Band Of Joy live experience was pretty amazing as you will have read – though I respect that it won’t be for everybody.
Friday was spent in the company of my lifelong friends Dec, Tom, Phil and …

All photos Dec Hickey/TBL
To complete the TBL Knebworth Then As It Was Archive series , we present a  look back to the second Knebworth concert staged on August 11th1979  -31 years ago today. The very last show Led Zeppelin performed in the UK.
All text taken from the book Then As It Was – Led Zeppelin At Knebworth 1979. Limited edition hardback copies still available – the perfect summer read recalling those golden days of August 1979. Ordering details to the right of this page.
KNEBWORTH 2: DOING THE DINOSAUR ROCK
AUGUST 11th …

TURNING THE CLOCK BACK 35 YEARS
SUNDAY MAY 25 2005
TICKET FIRST TIER FRONT STALLS BLOCK 19 ROW DD SEAT 35
So the party was nearly over. Got up at 1pm and on the train at 5. Very busy around Earls Court – the unofficial programmes and posters were doing brisk business.
We had an excellent view  for this last swan song – a straight face on view on the back tier front stalls. I remember vividly Alan Freeman’s introduction ”We are here today because you and I have great taste…”.
There was a sense …

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 …

Suddenly it’s’ February and there’s a lot to do. To get it moving I’ll take inspiration from this piece of advice I read somewhere.
 ‘’January is a 31 day hangover but February brings lambs, daffodils and the air fills with a magical quickening that tells you spring is on the way.
”February is short so whatever you’re trying to stretch, whether it’s your salary, your calorie intake or your booze units, February’s unique compactness helps you spread it just that little bit thicker. A good enough reason to raise a glass”.
Reason enough …

Led Zeppelin on stage in Helsinki,February 23rd 1970 – Photo Dan Tigerstedt  /TBL Archives 
The walls have been resounding to the sounds of Led Zeppelin early 1970 around these parts these last few days as I got down to assessing the text for the next magazine. Issue 26 kicks off a special three part 40 Years Gone feature on Led Zeppelin Flying High in 1970.
 
Reading through ace TBL contributor Mike Tremaglio’s log of the early dates of Led Zeppelin in a new decade had me reaching for gems such as the …