richardlee63

Royal Blood

Released on 25th August ‘Royal Blood’ is the self-titled debut album from Brighton rockers Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher. Following in the footsteps of other great rock duos such as Black Keys, White Stripes and more recently White Miles the guys successfully manage to sound like an epic 3 or 4 piece rock band. ThisContinue reading “Royal Blood”

UB 40 – Live at Nostell Priory, England (June 2014)

Bit of background first. The band UB40 is named after the unemployment benefit form that you had to complete in the 1970s in order to claim welfare from the Department of Health and Social Security. This department was eventually replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions and the form UB40 was then replaced byContinue reading “UB 40 – Live at Nostell Priory, England (June 2014)”

Rise of the Nano-Genre

In the beginning it was simple. There was just a handful of musical Genres, perhaps as few as 10. Then came Sub-Genres, followed by Micro-Genres and now perhaps………the Nano-Genre. Genres are seen as a useful way of understanding where artists fit in the musical universe. At least that’s the view of Glenn McDonald, Data AlchemistContinue reading “Rise of the Nano-Genre”

So You Wanna Be a Star?

The sum of all my experiences has led me to the conclusion that there are 4 levels in the music business: 1. Unknown. 2. The level below famous. 3. Famous. 4. Mega famous, but let’s leave Justin Bieber out of this article. Level 2 is the place where you can just about earn a livingContinue reading “So You Wanna Be a Star?”

P L Williamson – Whirlwind

Rock fans may remember P. L Williamson from his days as guitarist with Aussie band Mammal. Those of us who attended their show at Rios (Leeds) in September 2009 were mesmerised by the performance. I once wrote that great guitar work is indistinguishable from magic, and Pete Williamson is certainly a great guitarist. Sadly, MammalContinue reading “P L Williamson – Whirlwind”