Latest Prog News from across the progressive music spectrum & updated throughout September 2022
28/09/2022: Von Hertzen Brothers announce UK dates
Finland’s Von Hertzen Brothers have added two UK dates ahead of their Saturday headlining appearance at the Planet Rock – Winter’s End festival which takes place between 3rd & 5th February 2023. The two new dates are:
01/02/23: MANCHESTER – Night & Day Cafe
02/02/23: LONDON – The Garage
ikko Von Hertzen comments: “We are thrilled as little possums at the sight of milk to announce that we added a show in MANCHESTER and in LONDON to our forthcoming trip to play at Planet Rock’s awesome festival, Winter’s End.”
SOURCE: Von Hertzen Brothers
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
23/09/2022: Roger Waters announces This Is Not A Drill World Tour UK dates
Roger Waters has announced three UK shows as part of his This Is Not A Drill World Tour, along with the previously announced European dates starting in March 2023. Roger Water’s has with tongue-in-cheek described this latest tour as his “first farewell tour”…
SOURCE: Roger Waters
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
21/09/2022: Saro Cosentino releases The Joke video featuring Peter Hammill
Italian composer and producer Saro Cosentino has released a video for The Joke – a track taken from the forthcoming album The Road To Now. Co-written with Peter Hammill and featuring his distinctive lead vocal, it is full of portent with a lyric about the corporate greed and consumer habits that directly affect climate change.
Saro Cosentino comments: The Joke “is pretty self-explanatory. Only a fool would set fire to his own home, but that is what we are doing. We are on a path of self destruction and need to change our priorities and reconsider our values as a society without having ‘produce/consume/die’ as a motto.”
The third solo album by Cosentino, ‘The Road To Now’ features singers Peter Hammill (on four songs), Tim Bowness (of No Man) and Karen Eden, plus instrumental contributions from the likes of Gavin Harrison, David Rhodes, John Giblin and Trey Gunn. Available on heavyweight colour vinyl, CD and digital formats, it is the long-awaited follow-up to 1997’s acclaimed ‘Ones And Zeros’.
The Road To Now is scheduled for 7 October 2022, via Cat Sounds and will be available in several formats: Vinyl LP | CD | Digital
SOURCE: Red Sand PR
20/09/2022: Rick Wakeman announces two special London shows for next year
Rick Wakeman reveals two special concerts under the banner “The Return of The Caped Crusader” in February 2023 – both concerts will will be held at The London Palladium. The first concert will feature The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table whilst the second concert will feature reinterpretations of classic tracks from Yes and Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
The programme for the shows will be:
Wednesday 22 February
Act 1: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Act 2: The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Thursday 23 February
Act 1: Classic YES
Act 2: Journey to the Centre of the Earth
On both shows, Rick (on keyboards – and wearing a cape, of course!) will be accompanied by his long-term friends and associates, the English Rock Ensemble – Dave Colquhoun (guitars and backing vocals), Adam Falkner (drums), Lee Pomeroy (bass and backing vocals), Hayley Sanderson (vocals), Adam Wakeman (keyboard, guitars and backing vocals), plus percussionist Ed Scull – the English Chamber Choir and a special guest narrator to be revealed later.
“This is one hell of a line-up to have with me, performing some of my music that has somehow managed to survive the last fifty years or so,” Rick says. “I never tire of playing these pieces as the music is so adaptable and indeed, there will be surprises at these shows – I might even surprise myself!”
SOURCE: Rick Wakeman
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
20/09/2022: Adarsh Arjun releases Hide N Seek featuring Haken’s Richard Henshall>
Today sees the release of the most recent single by independent solo artist from Kerala, India, Adarsh Arjun. Heartsick is taken from the upcoming album, Aches and Echoes, and features Jake Howsam Lowe (The Helix Nebula) and live touring guitarist with Plini.
“Adarsh Arjun is an independent solo artist from Kerala, India, known for his instrumental music project. He is a versatile guitarist who moves in various fields: Progressive rock, Progressive Metal and Djent. His uniqueness lies in beautifully blending the western color with the Indian music. He has victoriously released four catchy singles so far. There is so many expectations for his next debut album “Aches and Echoes”, in which he has put his heart and soul into.”
SOURCE: Adarsh Arjun
20/09/2022: Grice to release new studio album, Polarchoral, in November
Polarchoral will be the 5th solo album from GRICE and is scheduled for 4 November 2022 via Hungersleep Records, and will be preceded by the lead single from the album Saviour, set to be released on 7 October 2022 worldwide.
“The album explores the bi-polarity of personal relationships and ideologies, the attraction and division of people and the confusion, conflict and hurt prevalent in our times.”
GRICE comments: “Creating this album has been a process of looking inward through the microscope as much as looking outward and upwards through the telescope into the universal.”
The album is at times a deeply personal conversation, exploring fractured relationships and inner feelings of confusion, conflict and hurt but also contemplates the division and uncertainty of our times. ‘Conflict divides but also unites, without division there is no life’.
This is music for the Unconsoled but there are also songs of hope, love and defiance.
These opposing poles are reflected in the diversity of the songs yet they are all carved from the same sonic gemstone. The opening track INVOLUTION fuses elements of electronica with Jazz, art rock with break beats in a search for meaningful connection and unity.
(Involution is a term that describes a process of curling inward, being locked in an endless cycle of meaningless competition. It is acceleration without a destination, progress without a purpose and can be applied to the individual but also to society (cultures) as a whole).
Hungersleep Records will release Polarchoral on 4 November 2022.
SOURCE: GRICE
20/09/2022: Gandalf’s Fist announce their 8th full-length album, Widdershins
Gandalf’s Fist announce details of their 8th full-length album, Widdershins. The release marks their first full album following the hugely acclaimed 5-disc Clockwork Saga and is again a conceptual work, this time a collection of individually crafted songs, exploring the superstitious nature of human existence.
Gandalf’s Fist’ Dean Marsh comments: “We’re immensely proud of this album! It contains all the elements that make this band unique along with a fantastic collection of killer riffs, our best vocals yet and the longest song we’ve ever recorded! We really think this album captures the tone and feel of those ‘epic’ albums of the 70’s and 80’s and certainly allows fans, both old and new, to see this band firing on all cylinders!”
The album, which can be pre-ordered HERE.
SOURCE: Gandalf’s Fist
18/09/2022: Onségen Ensemble to release new studio
Finland’s Onségen Ensemble will release Realms, their fourth album later this year. Ahead of the album the band release Collapsing Star, the first track to emerge from the album…
“Onségen Ensemble is a group of musicians from northern Finland. Being faithful to its own purpose, the spiritual home of Onségen keeps its doors open for everyone to enter. This constantly evolving ensemble was born in 2004 followed by two mini-cd releases Hiukkavaara Sessions (2005) and HottoïzzoH (2007). The debut album AWALAÏ was released in 2016, the sophomore effort DUEL in 2018 and critically acclaimed FEAR 2020.”
SOURCE: Onségen Ensemble
15/09/2022: Mediæval Bæbes to release new studio album, MydWynter, ahead of UK tour
Ahead of their previously announced extensive UK tour in December 2022, Mediæval Bæbes will be releasing MydWynter a collection of seasonally inspired songs.
The new album is the ensemble’s eleventh, and refences the 2013’s Christmas-themed Of Kings And Angels, which reworked several well known seasonal favourites. MydWynter is a darker reminder of the pre-Christian origins of the winter festival and accepts that not every winter mystery can be wholly illuminated.
SOURCE: Mediæval Bæbes
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
15/09/2022: Fusion 4 reveal full line-up
Dates: 2nd March – 5th March 2023
Venue: The Civic Hall, Martins Way, Stourport-on-Severn, DY13 8UJ
Info: Fusion Festival
THURSDAY: Kyros | Ghost Of The Machine | Jump (to be held at 45 Live)
FRIDAY: Solstice | The Emerald Dawn | The Wood Demons
SATURDAY: IQ | Viriditas | Darwin’s Radio | Orpheus Nine | I Am The Manic Whale | The Swan Chorus | Spriggan Mist
SUNDAY: Mick Pointer’s Script | Cyan | Cairo | Omega Point | Hayley Griffiths Band | Drifting Sun | League Of Lights
SOURCE: Fusion Festival
14/09/2022: Evership release The Law Of Ages video from forthcoming The Uncrowned King – Act 2 album
Nashville-based Evership have released their latest single The Law Of Ages video, offering a further taste of what is to come on their 4th album, The Uncrowned King – Act 2…
Evership released their well received third album The Uncrowned King – Act 1 on 21 May 2021. TPA’s David Edwards comments: “This is a powerful slab of retro-progressive symphonic rock – in that ‘American prog’ style – that will delight fans of that genre.”.
The Uncrowned King – Act 2 is scheduled for 14th October 2022. CD Pre-orders end soon.
SOURCE: Evership
13/09/2022: Oak premiere Dreamless Sleep from their forthcoming album
Dreamless Sleep is the first single from The Quiet Rebellion Of Compromise, scheduled for release on 11 November 2002 via Karisma Records.
“Musically, The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise is the most dynamic Oak album so far, with a wide range of influences showing through. We’re still in very familiar Oak territory, but with some sharper edges and some surprising twists and turns. After their previous album False Memory Archive, the band set out to write some shorter songs for a change – and ended up with their longest songs yet. As on their other albums, there are subtle hints to both past and future songs in the Oak universe.
For this album, the band decided to write about an important and touchy subject – Suicide and mental health in general. Music as an art form can be very open for interpretation, so to be sure that the message comes across, they’ve asked for advice from experienced scholars on the subject. The font used on the album cover is partially made of handwriting from two real suicide notes, to underline the concept.”
SOURCE: Karisma Records
09/09/2022: Glass Hammer release The Years Roll By video
Ahead of the release of Glass Hammer’s At The Gate, which completes the sword and sorcery inspired trilogy that began with 2020’s Dreaming City, followed with last year’s Skallagrim — Into The Breach – today sees the release of The Years Roll By…
Bandleader Steve Babb comments: “It’s the story of a scarred and battered thief, Skallagrim, who’s had his memory stolen along with the love of his life. He’s got to fight unimaginable horrors and slay hideous creatures and sorcerous villains if he’s ever to reclaim either. Finally, at the end of the last album, his memory is returned, but he finds himself cursed to wait one thousand years for a chance to find his lost love! At The Gate picks up at the end of his tale as he prepares to face the ultimate challenge of his life—to finally rescue his girl and defeat the evil being who has imprisoned her.”
“Of course, as with any Glass Hammer concept album, there is more to it than a simple plot. On the surface, it appears to be about magic swords and heroes, but it’s actually a story about confronting evil, how to survive it, and how to face despair and heartache.
And most importantly, it’s about why the pursuit of profound and lasting joy in an often joyless world is worthwhile, even when all available evidence suggests it cannot be found.”
At The Gate is scheduled for 1st October 2022 release and pre-ordering is available now via the Glass Hammer official store
SOURCE: Glass Hammer
07/09/2022: Winter’s End announce the headliners for next year’s festival
The Winter’s End team have revealed their three headliners for the 2023 festival – Knight Area, The Tangent and RPWL!
They also reveal “a new feature of the festival for 2023, PROG Presents. We asked our friends at PROG Magazine to select a stand-out new band that they felt deserved a slot at Winter’s End and who would appeal to our audience. They have selected the superb band Azure and we’re very pleased they have!”
SOURCE: Winter’s End Progressive Rock Festival
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide & TPA Festival Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
07/09/2022: The Steve Hillage Band announce UK dates during March & April 2023
Steve Hillage has announced a series of re-scheduled UK dates in March and April 2023. Support for the tour will be The Utopia Strong…
21/03/23: CAMBRIDGE, The Junction
22/03/23: NORWICH, Epic Studios
23/03/23: NEWCASTLE, University Students Union
24/03/23: NOTTINGHAM, Rock City
25/03/23: MANCHESTER, O2 Ritz
26/03/23: GLASGOW, SWG3
28/03/23: SOUTHAMPTON, The 1865
29/03/23: EXETER, Phoenix
30/03/23: BRISTOL, O2 Academy
31/03/23: BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute
01/04/23: LONDON, O2 Forum
04/04/23: BRIGHTON, Concorde 2
SOURCE: Steve Hillage
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
06/09/2022: Galahad to release The Last Great Adventurer in October
Galahad announce the release their latest studio album, The Last Great Adventurer, on CD, on 24 October 2022, with the download/streaming version on 7 November 2022. It is also on the cards that a vinyl release, in conjunction with Oskar Productions, will happen towards the end of the year.
The Last Great Adventurer is the band’s eleventh studio album and has been several years in the making, with and many of the songs pre-dating the previous Seas of Change album from 2018!
“The main album consists of five tracks plus two bonus tracks on the CD including, at long last, a new version of ‘Another Life Not Lived’ originally written by the late and much missed Neil Pepper and Stu back in 2009. Musically the album has a crisp contemporary sound but also still includes plenty nods to the band’s progressive heritage particularly on ‘Omega Lights’ and on the closing title track which is a very personal tribute to Stuart’s father, Bob.”
TRACK LISTING
01. Alive (8:20)
02. Omega Lights (10:05)
– Part One: Λ (Instrumental)
– Part Two: Ω
03. Blood Skin And Bone (8:17)
04. Enclosure 1764 (4:07)
05. Last Great Adventurer (10:35)
~ bonus tracks (CD)
06. Normality of Distance (5:50)
07. Another Life Not Lived (7:55)
The Last Great Adventurer CD will be available to pre-order directly from Galahad’s official website from 26 September 2022.
SOURCE: Galahad
05/09/2022: The Aristocrats announce UK & European dates for June 2023
The Aristocrats have announced the first run of UK & European dates for June 2023, kicking off in Glasgow followed by five UK dates and one in Dublin. The band will then move on to Switzerland, Portugal, Israel and Bulgaria. and the promise of more shows to be added. Full details for all shows, including ticket links as they become available, can be found on our website HERE.
The band comment: “It’s been far too long since our last shows in the UK and Europe, some of which were documented in our live album ‘FREEZE! Live In Europe 2020’ just before the big chill on live shows. So now it’s time for the DEFROST tour to bring us back, and we can’t wait to finally play shows again for our fans who have been waiting patiently for Aristocrats concerts to return!”
THE DEFROST TOUR UK/EIRE 2023
12/06/23: GLASGOW, The Garage
13/06/23: NEWCASTLE, University Students Union
14/06/23: COVENTRY, The Empire
15/06/23: BRISTOL, The Fleece
16/06/23: LONDON, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
17/06/23: MANCHESTER, Academy 2
19/06/23: DUBLIN, Opium
SOURCE: The Aristocrats
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
04/09/2022: Alta Forma’s debut album, Spatium & Tempus to be released in October
Spatium & Tempus is the debut album by Alta Forma, a project led by Antoine Fafard (guitar & bass) and featuring JK Harrison (vocals & keyboards) and Todd Sucherman (drums & percussion).
“Having released instrumental music for more than 20 years, Spatium & Tempus is Antoine’s first album to feature a vocalist. Although the songwriting process for this project began many years before it finally reached completion, the fundamental challenge in making this music a reality was to find a singer who would fully embark and contribute to it.
JK Harrison had produced and been a co-writer and instrumentalist on Sucherman’s solo album Last Flight Home, and was introduced to Antoine by Sucherman. Willing to jump into a new challenge, Harrison provided inspired vocal tracks as well as valuable input into the lyrical and musical direction throughout the process of creating Spatium & Tempus.
The nine songs featured on Spatium & Tempus reflect Antoine’s diverse musical influences, which includes prog bands like ELP, King Crimson, The Police, Rush, UK and Yes, alongside artists who have a more jazz fusion twist to their sound, such as Steely Dan and Gino Vannelli, and classic rock bands including Cream, Led Zeppelin and The Who. From a compositional perspective, however, Antoine’s harmonic approach to songwriting has been similar to his approach to composing instrumental music.”
Spatium & Tempus is scheduled for released on 21 October 2022, the album is widely distributed by Amplified Distribution and is available on CD plus limited edition gatefold vinyl.
SOURCE: Antoine Fafard
02/09/2022: Dim Gray release Firmament today
Norwegian art rock trio Dim Gray have released their new album, Firmament, today and play a UK launch show for it tonight as the special guests of Big Big Train. They have also made a video available for a song from the record entitled Cannons…
Written around its central guitar motif, they describe the track as “having a melancholy vibe that we found interesting. We experimented with mandolins, strings and percussion as we tried to expand its sound while maintaining the feel. The lyric is about being trapped in a state of limbo and awaiting an escape from the ordinary.”
“Following a set of lyric videos for three songs already made available from ‘Firmament’, the group hooked up with award-winning photographer Anne-Marie Forker to shoot what is their first ever fully realised music video.
Presenting twelve vivid, direct and melody-driven songs, ‘Firmament’ is bursting with life and colour and leads listeners through an intricate recipe of lush electronics, strings-infused chamber pop, evocative indie-folk and grandiose art rock. An ambitious artistic statement, the album will appeal to fans of artists such as Radiohead, Steven Wilson, Beach Boys and Agnes Obel.”
Dim Gray have announced two album launches – the UK show will be as part of their their performance with Big Big Train at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre and the Norwegian launch in October at Oslo’s Belleville Scene.
SOURCE: Red Sand PR
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
02/09/2022: Steve Hackett releases The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Steve Hackett has unveils a new video for The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway taken from Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More released through today via InsideOut Music…
“What a show, both in sound and vision, with the whole production oozing quality and integrity. We can’t go back in time to that classic Genesis era, or even the 1976/77 tours of the Collins-led band, but Steve Hackett and his band give us the next best thing, with a lasting memento of a truly special tour indeed.” TPA REVIEW
And you can read TPA’s full review of the Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More HERE.
SOURCE: Steve Hackett
The Steve Hackett band will embark on a major UK tour next week. Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
01/09/2022: Amanda Lehmann release One Last Spin video
Today sees the release of a new One Last Spin video, written to compliment the documentary ‘One Last Spin’ and raise awareness about the harms of gambling…
Amanda Lehmann comments: “I was not fully aware of the extent of gambling addiction before, and now I find myself noticing stuff all over the place luring people in, it’s very scary. With this song, I have tried to capture the vicious circles of gambling leading to feelings of desperation and isolation in the face of continual temptation from gambling companies. Now with the accompanying video by COPEScotland, the message has an additional powerful visual aspect.”
“COPEScotland recognises the value of what the Community Interest Company “Machine Zone” set out to do: raising awareness of the harms caused by gambling with the Documentary ‘One Last Spin’. COPEScotland were delighted at the support offered by Amanda to create a song to support the documentary. We wanted to support this further by creating a music video to accompany the track. Together we can be the change” COPEScotland
SOURCES: COPE Scotland | Amanda Lehmann
01/09/2022: Magma announce new album release Kartëhl later this month
Commenting on Kartëhl: “More than 18 months without being able to do a concert. This space of time, this imposed “pause”, was used to prepare a new album, a group album, like Magma hadn’t done for a long time.”
Following the creation of a new line-up in 2020, Magma once again offered to musicians to bring compositions, Christian Vander having never made the deliberate choice to be Magma’s sole composer. But de facto, none of the dozens of musicians who participated in this adventure had offered a new song for decades!
After “ZËSS”, which hinted at a rather bleak future, this luminous and resolutely optimistic new album is the result of collective work, an “Operation Kartëhl”.
In addition to the 6 tracks recorded in 2022, the album contains as a bonus, two demos recorded “at home” from Christian Vander’s personal collection.
In addition to the 6 tracks recorded in 2022, the album contains as a bonus, two demos recorded “at home” from Christian Vander’s personal collection.
Hakëhn Deis 7:12 (Christian Vander)
Do Rïn Ïlï üss 4:38 (Hervé Aknin)
Irena Balladina 5:11 (Christian Vander)
Walömëhndêm 7:36 (Thierry Eliez)
Wiï Mëlëhn Tü 8:54 ( Simon Goubert)
Dëhndë 6:55 (Christian Vander) *
Bonuses
Hakëhn Deis 6:11 (Christian Vander)
Recorded in 1978 – Christian Vander: Piano, vocals – René Garber: vocals
Dëhndë 6:38 (Christian Vander) *
Recorded in 1978 – Piano, vocals: René Garber
“Kartëhl” was recorded and mixed by Francis Linon at UZ studio between March 7 and June 12, 2022. Mastered at Greasy records studio by Marcus Linon. Produced by Stella Vander Linon.
Line-up – Christian Vander: drums, solo vocals, tambourine / Stella Vander: solo vocals, vocals, chime / Hervé Aknin: solo vocals, vocals / Isabelle Feuillebois: vocals / Sylvie Fisichella: vocals / Caroline Indjein: vocals / Laura Guarrato: vocals / Rudy Blas: guitar / Thierry Eliez: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards / Simon Goubert: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards / Jimmy Top: bass.
SOURCE: Glass Onyon PR
01/09/2022: David Paich (Toto) talks to TPA
With his first solo album just released, Toto legend David Paich spoke to TPA’s Alex Driessen about how less is more and how bands like Yes, Queen and ELP have influenced his band. And much, much more…
So at 68 you produce your debut album.
My debut album, I hope, that’s what my goal, my dream come true. So with winning Best New Artist or Best New Up and Coming Artist. [laughs]
That will be great, you know. And another feather in your cap.
It would be, it would be.
The title of your new album is Forgotten Toys. I think, if I’ve read correctly, it stems from a collection of lost gems from the past. Can you tell me what’s the oldest song and what’s the latest?
Well, I think the oldest one is the one that I started first, All the Tears That Shine. It wasn’t finished until 2014/15. Then it got finished and then I put out the guy who wrote the song with me. I put out the demo vocal with him singing on it but re-did the whole track, so that’s the oldest one.
You can read the full interview HERE on TPA
SOURCE: TPA
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