Graham Thomas

K’mono – Mind Out of Mind

Well, this is rather odd; I feel as though I’ve walked through my wardrobe and emerged in some weird medieval fantasy. I mean I obviously know what I like, and as strange as this is, I do like it very…

The Wring – Spectra

Spectra is the third offering from guitarist and songwriter Don Dewulf, and it very much continues to be based on the template established on the first two releases. This means a welter of metallic riffs, some odd time signatures and…

Barend Tromp – Juvenile Fish Tales

Juvenile Fish Tales is the latest album from Barend Tromp, an envelope-pushing guitarist, bass guitarist and sitar player from the Netherlands. It’s an instrumental album inspired by a book he received as a child which explored the undersea world and…

Isobar – Isobar III

I first came across the core of this band when they were known as Metaphor, a rather quirky prog group with unusual songs, and their fourth album, The Pearl was very enjoyable. Just as I was getting interested, they split…

Long Distance Calling / Pil & Bue

Boston Music Room, London Wednesday 15th February 2023 It’s been a ridiculous seven years since Long Distance Calling last played in the UK, and it was at this venue, the Boston Music Room in London. There are probably a number…

Lonely Robot (An Evening with John Mitchell) / Quantum Pig

Islington Assembly Hall, London Wednesday, 8th February 2023 Midweek gigs in London in February need to be a bit special to tempt out a decent crowd, and as support act Quantum Pig hit the stage, the signs weren’t very good…

Gleb Kolyadin – The Outland

This delightful album was unleashed on the world via Bandcamp last November, but to very little fanfare, perhaps because of its Russian connection. But if that’s the reason, it’s a shame, because it really deserves to be heard. Gleb Kolyadin…

UFO – No Heavy Petting [Deluxe Expanded Edition]

At the start of 1976, UFO were a band on the way up. Since acquiring the services of the young guitar maestro Michael Schenker in June 1973, they had recorded two well received albums, Phenomenon and Force It, produced by…

Oak – The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise

Released towards the end of last year, Oak’s The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise wasn’t an album I considered for my picks of 2022, simply because I hadn’t listened to it enough. Having immersed myself in its riches many times now,…

Wizrd – Seasons

The rather oddly named Wizrd are another interesting bunch from Norway who are hard to pigeonhole, and that’s nearly always a good thing in my book. Sonically they employ retro-sounding instrumentation, but what they do with those instruments is more…

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Author: Graham Thomas