T P A

The Watch

Acapela Studio, Pentyrch, Cardiff Sunday, 5th November 2023 I recently saw Italian band The Watch at the lovely Acapela Studio near Cardiff, the same venue where I caught them nearly two years to the day before. This time was the…

Jethro Tull – War Child II (Vinyl Edition)

My first introduction to Jethro Tull was listening to my older brother playing his copy of Aqualung when I was about 10 years old. And in my mid teens I got to see 50 minutes worth of the band’s Madison…

Rascal Reporters – The Strainge Case of Steve

With a career covering four decades, this highly listenable outfit, formed in Michigan but now Washington based, is currently a duo featuring returning founder member Steve Kretzmer and James Strain, who joined in 2019. Over the years they have given…

Fish On Friday – 8mm

I’m relatively new to Fish On Friday, but I’m also happy to admit that as soon as I first heard some of their music it immediately struck a chord, as I drew a comparison with The Alan Parsons Project, in…

Chlöe Herington – V Ä L V Ē

Chlöe Herington is a woman with a long history on the prog-adjacent fringes of this weird scene we inhabit. TPA’s Roger Trenwith had a chance to chat with her about her project V Ä L V Ē, their imminent new…

V Ä L V Ē – Tiny Pilots

V Ä L V Ē are one of those bands that arrive out of left field to provide a fascinating glimpse into a self-contained universe, removed from the humdrum everyday. A uniquely charming and somehow very English creation, V Ä…

Martin Miller – Maze of My Mind

Maze of My Mind, which was released earlier this year by German guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Martin Miller, may have passed some of us by at the time, but this is an album worth investigating – better late than never! His…

Eloy – Echoes from the Past

I guess I first came upon Eloy around 40 years ago, and was immediately drawn to the progressive leaning German band. At the time, the progressive rock scene was not really the crowded, vibrant place it has become in recent…

Steve Thorne – Malice in Plunderland

The release of a new Steve Thorne album always gives me ambivalent feelings: on the one hand, there is this great music and on the other hand those gloomy, depressing lyrics. This contradiction actually characterises the entire oeuvre of the…

Brendan Perkins – Galatea’s Holiday

Galatea’s Holiday is a warm and whimsical affirmation of the power of natural beauty – and music – to bring solace and healing in troubled times. Listening to each track feels like leafing through an album of fondly remembered holiday…