NEWS
Diamond Head’s Brian Tatler has a 500-copy extended hardback edition of his Am I Evil? autobiography at £17.99 via www.diamondheadofficial.com in December.
Unitopia More Than A Dream – The Dream Complete 3CD, with two bonuses, 11-track Remixes And Reworkings, 10-track Extras, including two unissued demos, new song, GEP, 23 October.
Multi Story Live At Acapela, from Cardiff, 2016, F2 Music, 23 October.
The Red Til I’m Dead: Sammy Hagar’s Rock-N-Roll Birthday Party film, from Cabo Wabo Cantina, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, October 2017, featuring Toby Keith, Eddie Money, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels, Pantera’s Vinnie Paul, is in US cinemas, 5 December.
Fred Astaire/Oscar Peterson The Astaire Story 65th Anniversary Expanded Edition with three bonuses, including unissued take, Verve, 20 October.
SIXX:AM The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack: 10th Anniversary Edition with three bonuses is on CD, CD/DVD, DL, Eleven Seven Music, 27 October. Nikki Sixx’s The Heroin Diaries: Ten Year Anniversary Edition expanded book is published by Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 24 October.
Ex-Big Country’s Tony Butler plays London Borderline, 22 November.
The www.charitybuzz.com auctions of October include (19) signed Charlie Daniels violin, signed guitars from (25) Slash (Guns N’ Roses), Mike Love (The Beach Boys), Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman, BB King (26) Chuck Berry, Styx, Dwight Yoakam.
The www.juliensauctions.com 4 November sale includes Kurt Cobain MTV award (estimate $70,000), drawing ($12,000), cheerleader outfit ($6,000), Michael Jackson glove ($80,000), jackets ($40,000, $60,000), hat ($4,000), belt ($20,000), Elvis Presley ring ($30,000), studio outfit ($10,000), recording contract ($4,000), sunglasses ($14,000), Engelbert Humperdinck necklace ($2,000), piano ($200,000), guitar ($4,000), Paul McCartney bass ($20,000), Ringo Starr drums ($4,000), handwritten lyrics ($8,000), Bon Jovi’s David Bryan jacket ($2,000), ex-The Moody Blues’ Mike Pinder award disc ($2,000), Prince guitar ($80,000), Jimi Hendrix shirt ($20,000), Django Reinhardt guitar ($40,000), David Bowie handwritten lyrics ($6,000), Madonna brooch ($5,000), corset ($1,200), The Doors’ Jim Morrison microphone ($20,000).
A documentary film on Bad Brains’, Finding Joseph I, is in select cinemas in October, including Cardiff Tramshed, 19 October, and on DVD via US MVD, 3 November.
D’Angelo plays London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, 6 March 2018.
The Suburban Steps To Rockland – The Story Of The Ealing Club documentary film premieres at London Barbican, 4 November, with Q&A including The Pretty Things’ Dick Taylor.
Jessie Ware has a signing/gig at Manchester Arndale Centre HMV, 20 October, while Steps have a signing at London White City Westfield, 27 October.
The Who’s Roger Daltrey’s autobiography is due via Blink Publishing in August 2018.
Avenged Sevenfold have a Q&A at Los Angeles Grammy Museum, 19 October, while Zac Brown Band have a Q&A/gig, 26 October.
Foreigner’s Jukebox Hero musical premieres at Calgary Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Canada, 10 August 2018.
RZA’s Coco film, with Jill Scott, Common, Azealia Banks, is in select US cinemas, 1 December.
LIVES
Tom Grennan
Bristol Thekla
28/9/17
View: middle-right
Tom Grennan and his band emerged through dry ice to begin with Royal Highness, a hangover and two hours’ kip not phasing the 21 year-old, who wowed with his gritty, soulful repertoire. Songs from debut, Release The Brakes, proved firm fan favourites, with most present singing along word-perfectly. The Bedford lad was excited to be playing on-board a boat, and the reflective Something In The Water gained apt new meaning.
Grennan was joined by his four-piece for the album numbers but, for Old Songs and Sweet Hallelujah, he went solo on guitar. Engagingly witty, his talents outshone a fuzzy head, and the venue’s acoustics emphasised his great vocal range. An encore consisting of Found What I’ve Been Looking For and Praying rightly won a rapturous reception. Ian Templeton
Against The Current
Bangkok Rock Pub, Thailand
26/9/17
View: standing
The New York alt power-pop trio was bolstered to five members and opened with the energetic Running With The Wild Things, all eyes centred on diminutive vocalist, Chrissy Costanza, bopping throughout and engaging fully with the crowd. Paralyzed had the opposite effect, as bodies swayed about, while the shared enthusiasm continued through the affectionate Forget Me Now. Calming moments came too in the ethereal, brooding Chasing Ghosts and soul-searching Wastelands.
Dreaming Alone featured male vocals from the crowd in perfect duet with Costanza. The acoustic guitars were out for debut title track, In Our Bones, while Gravity ended a succinct set. Mark Taylor
EVENT PREVIEWS
By Andy Rawll
Greenwich Wintertime Festival
A 20/9/17 launch for the festival running through December at Greenwich Old Naval College, embracing ice-skating, an art exhibition and music including Martine McCutcheon, at the neighbouring Old Brewery, featured teasers including captivating operatic quartet, IDA, their multi-genre versatility impressing. See www.greenwichwintertime.com/whats-on.
Listen: 140 Years Of Recorded Sound
A 5/10/17 preview at London’s British Library showed off a fascinating exhibit in the entrance hall that’s on display to 11 March 2018. Part of a Season Of Sound celebrating the National Sound Archive, it traces the arc of broadcast and recorded sound from early innovations via the BBC’s founding in 1922 to digital radio in 1995, and the journey from wax to shellac, vinyl and tape, to digital discs and online. Among an amazing collection of artefacts are the first 12″ picture disc, Noel Coward’s Charlot’s Revue, from 1943, a 20″ 120rpm disc designed for ballrooms, and a 3.4cm doll’s house disc of 1924. Listening booths include the voices of Florence Nightingale and James Joyce, a Les Paul instrumental and, most thrillingly, the mating call of a haddock. See www.bl.uk/news.
Fine Art Of Punk & New Wave
A 5/10/17 preview at the Ticketmaster Imperial Bar in Angel, London, of a touring photo exhibition, featured 40 shots by Chalkie Davies and Denis O’Regan, including The Jam, The Damned, The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Boomtown Rats, Ian Dury and Billy Idol. Both snappers were on-hand to provide context and commentary, while the tour commences in Norwich on 30 November. See http://www.offbeatlounge.com/events.
TOURS
The Albion Christmas Band 9-23 December http://www.albionchristmas.co.uk.
Calexico 28-29 March 2018 www.stereoboard.com.
Keane’s Tom Chaplin 10-12 December www.stereoboard.com.
Ex-Haircut 100’s Nick Heyward 26 April-8 June www.stereoboard.com.
